#greek goddess variants

[witchthewriter]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐙𝐞𝐮𝐬/𝐉𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫

These women are electric; they're leaders, the ones who make hard decisions and reap the repercussions. They're the ones people turn to when times get tough. They fight with everything they have and defend without a second thought. They're independent, forward-thinking and bold.

𝑅𝘩𝑎𝑒𝑛𝑦𝑟𝑎 𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑒𝑛

𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑖𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑒

𝐶𝑎𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡

𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑛

𝐿𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑡𝘩𝑎

𝐴𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑒𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡

𝐷𝑎𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑠 𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑒𝑛

𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑙

𝐵𝑢𝑓𝑓𝑦 𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠

[pep-the-artemis]

Imagine Greek gods as babies with baby variants for each of their dominions.

Zeus - god of static Poseidon - god of puddles Hera - goddess of besties Demeter - goddess of berry picking Artemis - goddess of animal plushies Apollo - god of night lights Ares - god of tantrums Hephaestus - god of lego Hermes - god of pen pals Hestia - goddess of pillow forts Dionysus - god of fruit juice

[sarafangirlart]

“It was not possible for sons of Zeus to have any share in the honours of the sky unless they had been suckled at Hera's breast” does that mean that Zeus tricked/forced Hera to breastfeed his other children? Since she did breastfeed Hermes. That’s just awful.

Hello! Do you know which ancient sources tell the myth of the creation of the milky way by Hera?

Hi! Let's see, probably the source that provides most accounts of such a story is the Astronomica of Hyginus. Here's the excerpt, taken from Robin Hard's "Constellation Myths: with Aratus's Phaenomena": "There is also a circle in the heavens which is white in color, and which men have called the milky circle. Eratosthenes recounts in his Hermes that Hera unknowingly gave milk to the infant Hermes, but when she came to realize that he was Maia's son, she pushed him away; and that is why a bright trail of spilled milk can be seen among the stars. Others have said that Heracles was placed at Hera's breast while she was asleep, and she acted as has just been described when she woke up. Or according to other authors, Heracles was so greedy that he sucked in so much milk that he could not keep it in his mouth, and what spilled out from his mouth is shown in this circle. (Astronomy 2.43). This same source mentions one more variant, but in that one it's Rhea's milk that forms the Milky Way.

There is also a Greek summary of Eratosthenes' Katasterismoi (the original work hasn't survived), known as the Epitome and attributed to Pseudo-Eratosthenes, where the story is related as follows (taken from the same book): "This is one of the visible circles, which goes under the name of Galaxia (the milky circle). It was not possible for sons of Zeus to have any share in the honours of the sky unless they had been suckled at Hera's breast; and that is why Hermes, so they say, brought Heracles along after his birth and placed him at Hera's breast, for him to be suckled at it; but when Hera became aware of it, she thrust him away, and the rest of her milk spilled out accordingly to make up the milky circle."

These are the sources I know of, but there might very well be others I haven't come across yet. Anyways, hope this helps!

[helveticathestitcher]

GUNDAM AERIAL IRIS

Happy Pride! I've been messing around with air brushed gradients recently and thought it would be really fun to do a full rainbow gradient build for pride month. I've also been wanting to get my hands on the KOSMOS LED kits for a while so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do both. It took me a little longer than anticipated to finish but art is art and it will happen on it's own schedule. This custom variant is named for the goddess of rainbows in Greek Mythology. She also happens to show up in The Tempest, from which G-witch pulled a lot of names, so it seemed like the perfect fit.

You can check out some of my other builds here

[literaryvein-reblogs]

I don’t know if you’ve answered something similar before, but I’m writing for a story including mermaids and sirens and was wondering if you had any information or advice?

Writing Notes: Mermaids & Sirens

Mermaid - a fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a human being and the tail of a fish.

Siren - (in Greek mythology) a creature half bird and half woman who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song.

MERMAIDS

Similar divine or semidivine beings appear in ancient mythologies (e.g., the Chaldean sea god Ea, or Oannes).

In European folklore, mermaids (sometimes called sirens) and mermen were natural beings who, like fairies, had magical and prophetic powers. They loved music and often sang. Though very long-lived, they were mortal and had no souls.

Many folktales record marriages between mermaids (who might assume human form) and men. In most, the man steals the mermaid’s cap or belt, her comb or mirror. While the objects are hidden she lives with him; if she finds them she returns at once to the sea.

In some variants the marriage lasts while certain agreed-upon conditions are fulfilled, and it ends when the conditions are broken.

Though sometimes kindly, mermaids and mermen were usually dangerous to man.

Their gifts brought misfortune, and, if offended, the beings caused floods or other disasters.

To see one on a voyage was an omen of shipwreck.

They sometimes lured mortals to death by drowning, as did the Lorelei of the Rhine, or enticed young people to live with them underwater, as did the mermaid whose image is carved on a bench in the church of Zennor, Cornwall, England.

Aquatic mammals, such as the dugong and manatee, that suckle their young in human fashion above water are considered by some to underlie these legends.

SIRENS

According to Homer, there were two Sirens on an island in the western sea between Aeaea and the rocks of Scylla.

Later the number was usually increased to three, and they were located on the west coast of Italy, near Naples.

They were variously said to be the daughters of the sea god Phorcys or of the river god Achelous by one of the Muses.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Book XII, the Greek hero Odysseus, advised by the sorceress Circe, escaped the danger of their song by stopping the ears of his crew with wax so that they were deaf to the Sirens.

Odysseus himself wanted to hear their song but had himself tied to the mast so that he would not be able to steer the ship off its course.

Apollonius of Rhodes, in Argonautica, Book IV, relates that when the Argonauts sailed that way, Orpheus sang so divinely that only one of the Argonauts heard the Sirens’ song.

According to Argonautica, Butes alone was compelled by the Sirens’ voices to jump into the water, but his life was saved by the goddess Cypris, a cult name for Aphrodite.

In Hyginus’s Fabulae, no. 141, a mortal’s ability to resist them causes the Sirens to commit suicide.

Ovid (Metamorphoses, Book V) wrote that the Sirens were human companions of Persephone.

After she was carried off by Hades, they sought her everywhere and finally prayed for wings to fly across the sea. The gods granted their prayer.

In some versions Demeter turned them into birds to punish them for not guarding Persephone.

In art, the Sirens appeared first as birds with the heads of women and later as women, sometimes winged, with bird legs.

The Sirens seem to have evolved from an ancient tale of the perils of early exploration combined with an Asian image of a bird-woman. Anthropologists explain the Asian image as a soul-bird—i.e., a winged ghost that stole the living to share its fate. In that respect the Sirens had affinities with the Harpies.

Some Character Tropes

Alchemic Elementals. Merfolk and similar beings are sometimes portrayed as water elementals.

Bathtub Mermaid. Merfolk and other aquatic creatures kept in stationary tanks and other containers.

Inhumanly Beautiful Race. Merfolk, mermaids in particular, are often very beautiful beyond human standards.

Mermaid Arc Emergence. When mermaids surface, it is often with splendor.

Mermaid in a Wheelchair. Mermaids on land often use wheelchairs to get around.

Mobile Fishbowl. Merfolk who can't breathe air bring water with them to interact with land-dwellers.

Mute Mermaid. A mermaid who is unable to speak.

Selkies and Wereseals. Human-seal shapeshifters.

Sirens Are Mermaids. The Sirens of mythology portrayed as mermaids.

Unscaled Merfolk. Merfolk that are aren't scaled fish below the waist.

Sources: 1 2 3 ⚜ More: Notes ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Choose which of these notes you'd like to incorporate in your story, and do more research if you need to add more detail. Hope these help inspire your writing!

[evergreen292]

Mulan-type Warrior!Penelope AU, anybody?

i saw Warrior!Penelope Swap AU and it's really cool. But i think a Mulan-type Warrior!Penelope AU, without swapping others would be interesting too.

Let's imagine - Odysseus got some permanent injure from his boar encounter, and it was ok from the beginning, but somehow worsen because of harsh Athena's trainings, so Ody is in no shape now to join the war. But he must because of the oath. And Penelope decides to do all the Mulan thing, disguising as her husband. Athena, feeling guilty for her mistake, becomes her patron goddess. Penelope has some time to recover after Telemachus birth and to train while all the troian war greek troops gather. With Athena's disguises, Penelope manages to fool everyone during the first years of war. And then she catches a spear in her chest and the fraud is disclosed. But Athena openly admits Penelope as her champion and she is doing great job as a general, so others decide to let it go on. Penelope's warriors are shocked at first, but accept the situation too. Eurylochus is sceptical, Polites is delighted, they both become slightly overprotective. Being Athena's champion, Penelope isn't "a mere woman" so she mostly escapes the period-typical sexism. And than the Epic starts. I think, that Penelope could not bring herself to kill the infant, so Athena leaves her because of this foolish and emotional decision (and cause war is over, and their agreement too, Penelope's gonna go home now, what bad could happen?)

And than the cyclops happen. And maybe, being a male, he doesn't treat Penelope seriously so her attempts for peace are in wain and her men still die and she still blinds the cyclops and reveal her name in grief and in attempt to prove that a woman can be a threat for a monster too. And now Poseidon isn't that much pissed (cause his son was foolish enough to get blinded by a woman) and mostly curious, but still has a reputation to hold, "ruthlessness is mercy", so he drowns the fleet anyway. But he spares her and her ship, cause, being zeus' brother after all, wants some closer contact with such an interesting woman. So wind bag happens anyway... and they start running from Poseidon, while Penelope struggles with growing distrust from her crew, desperately trying to return home to her husband and child, and gradually becomes a monster of her own...

In this variant Hermes could possible not participate in Circe saga, cause Penelope doesn't relate to him and is in less danger from Circe than any man. Maybe no Scilla cause mutiny takes place earlier, but with killing cows and really disturbing now thunder bringer

It can became more like comedy, with some funny courtship from Poseidon, including talking dolphins, (this way all blinding and drowning fleet situations can be soften) or it can be really dark, one woman and a child among a bunch of angry and desperate men, running from the horny god...

[antaresr]

I had been looking at the theories about what Sylus is, and I took it upon myself to use my nerdy powers to research, look for relationships between things and an explanation, this is still a theory, I don't have the absolute truth.

Caution contains spoilers

The first thing we have to take into account is the meaning of his name, Sylus is a diminutive of the Greek name Silouanus, derived from the Latin name Silvanus, from silva, which means "forest".

With this we can look for a root within the Greek mythology, among the myths there are two that we can highlight:

1. Cronos, Cronos is the name of the King of the Titans who dethroned his father Uranus and whom we know as "Father Time", who is represented with his relentless sickle and accompanied by a crow.

2. Apollo, Apollo fell in love with the daughter of a king, whom he courted and fell in love with and got pregnant, however Apollo had to travel and left his beloved but to protect her he left a crow following her everywhere, however the woman cheated on Apollo with another man and according to interpretations Apollo or his sister, Artemis, kill her but save the baby who was Asclepius, God of medicine.

However these are very noble associations for the Sylus Backstory, so we can also consider Hades or Ares.

In the case of Hades, crows were considered his faithful companions and guardians of the underworld. It was believed that these dark birds accompanied the god on his travels through the realm of the dead and acted as his eyes and ears in the underworld. Their presence was seen as a symbol of the connection between the world of the living and the dead. The crow of Hades was considered a symbol of protection and good omen. Its presence in the world of the living was believed to be a sign that Hades was watching over and protecting those who were loyal to him. On the other hand, it was also thought that the crow of Hades could punish those who defied the established order and dared to challenge the god of the underworld.

On the other hand, Ares, the god of war, also had a close relationship with the crows. These birds were considered his allies and were associated with violence and death on the battlefield. Their presence was interpreted as a harbinger of war and bloodshed.

Crows occupy a prominent place in Greek mythology as divine messengers and bearers of omens.

Now on to the favorite child, Mephisto.

Mephistopheles (also called Mephisto and other variants) is a demon of German folklore. Mephistopheles is commonly regarded as a minion of Satan charged with capturing souls, or else as a type character of Satan himself.

Mephistopheles is associated with the Faust legend of an ambitious scholar, based on the historical Johann Georg Faust. In the legend, Faust makes a deal with the Devil at the price of his soul, with Mephistopheles acting as the Devil's agent.

So we can think that Sylus, like Zayne, has some relationship with some kind of god, a god of death, war or time, which if we think of various gods there are many that represent more than one thing like Sekhmet who was the goddess of war, the drunkenness and of the medicine or the goddess Tiamat, the goddess of the creation and the Chaos, so we can consider that inside the universe of LADS The god representative of Sylus is the god of the time, the war and death and for that reason we are in a cycle of eternal reincarnation between to live, to fight and to die, and assuming that was the case it could be a matter of a fight between gods, Astra vs. The god of Sylus, both want the Aether protocore which has ended up in MC's hands time and time again. However Sylus like Apollo, fell in love and instead of taking the Aether from her, has protected her with Mephisto, keeping surveillance over her, but as Mephisto is in charge of always watching MC he knows everything she does where she goes and who she relates with, that way Sylus knew that MC was looking to enter the N109 and as in the legend thanks to Mephisto MC manages to make a deal with Sylus who would be like "Satan" or the "bad guy".

Within the game with Sylus reference is made to both things with Sylus, when "the monster with wings and horns" appears people die but for MC it is a symbol of protection.

And Sylus probably knows what is going on, in the last chapter they have released when MC tells Sylus that she saw something he deflects the conversation and doesn't give it importance, which is suspicious.

So we can think that Sylus, is some kind of demigod, one that being related to bad things like death and war is satanized as a demon, like Hades who in mythology did not do anything bad but in the present time if you look for a villain of Greek mythology it is always Hades, so this explains many things about Sylus.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Faerghus is actually an amalgamation of various European nations. You can see this in the naming conventions of all the characters and the Kingdom itself. Here's just a few:

Faerghus is a variation of the name Fergus, a traditionally Gaelic name which means "the strongest one" or "the most masculine".

Glenn Govan Fraldarius; Glenn is a Scottish name and Govan is a Scottish town

Felix Hugo Fraldarius: Felix is a latin name meaning "lucky", and Hugo being a popular name in many European countries meaning "of the mind/of the body/of the soul" depending on where you go (fun fact, a variation/cousin of this name is Hubert).

Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius: Rodrigue is a variation of the names Rodrick and Rodrigo, meaning "famous ruler". Achille is a variation of Achilles. For the life of me though I can't find any evidence of what Fraldarius is mean to be.

Ingrid Brandl Galatea: Ingrid is a name of Scandinavian, German, and Dutch origin meaning "beloved/beautiful", Brandl being a German surname, and Galatea being the name of a nymph in Greek myth

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd: Dimitri is a name in multiple countries in Europe, and means "dedicated to Demeter". Alexandre is a variant of the Greek Alexander, meaning "defender of the people". Blaiddyd is the name of a Welsh king.

Sylvain Jose Gautier: Sylvain is a French name meaning "wood", Gautier is a French name that's basically a variant on "Walter". Jose is pronounced José, and is a variant of Joseph.

Ashe Ubert/Duran: Ashe is an Irish name, Ubert is a variation of Hubert (See Hugo), and Durand is a French name meaning "enduring".

Annette Fantine Dominic: Annette is a variation of the name Anna/Anne, Fantine is from Les Mis, and Dominic is Latin meaning "of the Lord"

Yuri Leclerc/Ulysse Leclair: Yuri is a Slavic name which has some interesting connections of you follow its history, and it means "earth worker/one who works with the earth". Leclerc/Leclair is a French surname. In the Japanese version, he's called Ulysse, which is a French variation of Ulysses, AKA: Odysseus, King of Ithaca. His real name "Reg", is most likely Regulus, which is Latin for "Little King".

And this also extends to Dedue, since his surname Molinaro means "miller" in Italian, and his given name being a diminutive form of the name Eduardo.

There's many more examples across all of Fódlan (which itself is named after an Irish Goddess), but for specifically Faerghus, we're looking Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, and German.

This revelation also shows that at least half our cast should be wearing some form of Kilt.

so it's like literally every mainstream fantasy setting ever...

[shit-people-probably-didnt-say]

Crows Name Meanings because why not?

🐦‍⬛ Kaz:

Meaning: Destroyer of peace; One who declares peace; Child of peace or harmony

Kaz is an incredibly dynamic name popular for boys and has Slavic origins.

Kaz comes from the name Cassius, which means “hollow”, and was famously worn by one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar. This may be why it has gained the meaning “destroyer of peace.”

However, Kaz has an endearing connotation, too! In Japanese, Kaz comes from Kazuko, which means “harmony” and “child of peace.” This powerful title will find a home in a soul who is unafraid of forging their own, unique path.

Baby Kaz will undoubtedly stay true to themselves as they journey through life, carrying a remarkable presence everywhere they go.

🌺 Inej:

Meaning: Faithful, The faithful one

Inej is a girl's name of Spanish origin.

Meaning "faithful" or "the faithful one", this name is for the parent intending to raise baby in a life of faith.

🎲 Jesper:

Meaning: King of the treasure; Treasurer

Jesper is a masculine name of Danish, Dutch, and Persian origin.

A variant of the Persian name Jasper, this name translates to “King of the treasure” or “treasurer.” Wealth comes in many forms, whether it’s gold, knowledge, or moments with your loved ones.

Of course, baby is going to be a priceless new addition to your family. If you want to always remind baby how invaluable they are, the name Jesper makes for a bountiful choice.

🎼 Wylan:

Meaning: Wayside land; Crafting one; Brave in battle

Wylan offers a dapper appellation steeped in cool kid vibes. A form of Waylan and Waylon, masculine Wylan is a topographical name meaning “wayside land.” Wylan’s origins don’t stop there, as the name also has Germanic and Old Norse roots, where it derives from Wayland.

Wylan adopts the meaning “crafting one” from Wayland the Smith, a mythological master blacksmith who escaped the king’s custody by flying away with a winged cloak he crafted. He is mentioned in several Germanic and Old Norse poems, including the Old English classics, Waldere and Beowulf.

Wayland may also mean “brave in battle,” equipping baby with a warrior-worthy title. Not only is Wylan effortlessly chill for the cool-as-a-cucumbers, this handsome title comes steeped in ancient lore and ingenuity.

🫀Nina:

Meaning: Little girl

Nina is a girl’s name with various possible   origins, arguably the most well-known being Spanish.

Aptly meaning “little girl,” this simple title never seems to go out of style.

Sharing her name with the Incan goddess of fire, Nina can be inspired to let her flame burn bright. Also connected to a Babylonian goddess, there is no shortage of heavenly influences for this little girl.

🐺 Matthias:

Meaning: Gift of God; Bear

Matthias is a refreshing twist to the ancient masculine name Mathew sure to give baby a distinctive edge.

Emerging from the Hebrew Matityahu, meaning "gift of God," Matthias bears this definition with all the swagger of a rock star.

As much as Matthias seems to push against tradition, its very sound directly links it with the Ancient Greek translation of Matityahu, Mattathias, which pre-dates even Mathew.

Touring overseas to Celtic shores, Matthias finds an intriguing kinship with the Irish mathúin, which means "bear." A relic with a rugged appeal, as names go.

Matthias serves up stage presence before baby has even taken their first steps.

Do with this what you will

[thewhisperofzagreus]

Zagreus Sabazius

Important reminder. Everything I write about here is only indirectly connected by distant assumptions and rare crossings and absolutely should not be considered the immutable truth. As someone whose patron is Zagreus, I write about my findings and assumptions, but I am also totally possibly to be mistaken and see what I want to see myself. Take everything with a grain of salt.

We have already once looked at the Greek sources with the story of Zagreus. But beyond the rare surviving Greek sources, we will always have something else. Why is Zagreus sometimes mentioned with the epithet “Sabazius”? What does this epithet mean? What are Zagreus' powers? And why, after all, is he and Gaia called “highest of the all gods” in the Alcmeonis?

Welcome to my deep dive on one of the most mysterious theoi — Zagreus Sabazius.

So, later Greek writers, like Strabo in the first century CE, linked Sabazios with Zagreus. But who is Sabazios and what does it mean?

Sabazius comes from a common root with Sanskrit sabhâdj, honored, and with Greek σέβειν, to honor. It's also may be connected with the Indo-European *swo-, meaning "[his] own," and with the idea of freedom.

Sabazios is a deity originating in Asia Minor. He is the chief sky god of the Phrygians and Thracians. Sabazios gained prominence across the Roman Empire, particularly favored in the Central Balkans due to Thracian influence. On some monuments Sabazius is called “master of the cosmos”.

Decree of the organisation of worshippers of Sabazius, 102 BC

It seems likely that the migrating Phrygians brought Sabazios with them when they settled in Anatolia in the early first millennium BCE, and that the god's origins are to be looked for in Macedonia and Thrace. The ancient sanctuary of Perperikon in modern-day Bulgaria, uncovered in 2000, is believed to be that of Sabazios.

Two altars in the sanctuary were used for blood sacrifice.

And as Euripides has already graciously told us, Zagreus was honored as a god of blood, among other things. Sabazius, as a deity, was often associated with sky, thunder, nature, boons, mystery, and blood. One of its most frequent symbols was serpent.

Sabazius' references sometimes included Cybele. She is an Anatolian mother goddess. She is Phrygia's only known goddess, and was probably its national deity. Greek colonists in Asia Minor adopted and adapted her Phrygian cult and spread it to mainland Greece and to the more distant western Greek colonies around the 6th century BC.

In Greece, Cybele met with a mixed reception. She became partially assimilated to aspects of the Earth-goddess Gaia, of her possibly Minoan equivalent Rhea, and of the harvest–mother goddess Demeter.

And now everything suddenly made sense. Why are Gaia and Zagreus named the highest of all the gods in Alcmeonis? Because they always have been.

In her transition to Greece, Cybele, Phrygia's only known goddess, was named Gaia (which honestly makes much more sense to me than associating her with Rhea or Demeter). And Zagreus? And Zagreus remained Zagreus.

Gaia Cybele and Zagreus Sabazius, Mother Earth and Sky King, the highest gods of the Phrygians and Thracians, who later also made their way to Greece.

But unfortunately, no individual direct myths about King Sabazius have survived either.

But there was also one thing that persisted and always baffled me.

In my personal experience with Zagreus, his signature weapon has always been moonblades to me. And I always wondered why. What does Zagreus have to do with the moon? Why is it always an integral part of his power and history in my experience?

Well, now I know the answer.

At one point Sabazius merged with the Asia Minor and Syrian moon deity, Mēn. Mēn was a lunar god��worshipped in the western interior parts of Anatolia. He is attested in various localized variants, such as Mēn Askaenos in Antioch in Pisidia, or Mēn Pharnakou at Ameria in Pontus.

Bust of Mēn in Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

In the Kingdom of Pontus, there was a temple estate dedicated to Mēn Pharnakou and Selene at Ameria, near Cabira (Strabo 12.3.31). The temple was probably established by Pharnakes I in the 2nd century BC, apparently in an attempt to counterbalance the influence of the Moon goddess Ma of Comana. The cult of Mēn Pharnakou in Pontus has been traced to the appearance of the star and crescent motif on Pontic coins at the time.

A similar temple estate dedicated to Mēn Askaenos existed in Pisidia, first centered around Anabura and then shifted to the nearby city of Pisidian Antioch after its founding by the Seleucids around 280 BC. The temple estate/sacred sanctuary (ἱερόs) was a theocratic monarchy ruled by the "Priest of Priests," a hereditary title. According to Strabo, this "temple state" that the cult of Mên Askaenos controlled near Pisidian Antioch, persisted until the city was refounded by the Romans in 25 BC, becoming Colonia Caesarea Augusta.

The Augustan History has the Roman emperor Caracalla (r. 198–217) venerate Lunus at Carrhae; this, i.e. a masculine variant of Luna, "Moon", has been taken as a Latinized name for Mēn.

Even though no specific myths have survived about any aspect of Zagreus, it gives us a wealth of information about what Zagreus was and is and the diverse number of domains he holds.

Yes, Zagreus. Zagreus, god of mysteries, blood, flesh, sky, thunder, nature and moon. Zagreus Sabazius, Zagreus Mēn, Zagreus the Winged Serpent Hunter, Zagreus the Scarlet Thunderer, Zagreus the Serpent King. Zagreus Prince of Chthonia, Zagreus King of Sky, Zagreus Highest of All the Gods, Zagreus Master of the Cosmos.

                                         Ζαγρεύς Σαβάζιος

[princess-of-the-corner]

On the names used by Lila:

Lila Rossi: a pure Italian name, including a rare given name and THE most common family name. The latter should mean "Red Ones" (red in Italian is "rosso", rossi is the plural and can work as an adjective or, in this context, indicates a group of people associated with the color), but may be derived by the Germanic ross (horse. Linked to the reddish color that is most common for their coats) or releated to the Hebraic name Roth (Rossi happens to be extremely common among Italian Jews - and the name MAY still be linked to the color red).

Cerise Bianca: a name you'd expect mostly in France in a family of Italian descent, though it could be found in Italy in the border areas, as Cerise (meaning cherry) is a French name and Bianca an Italian a variant of the Italian family name Bianchi, the latter meaning "White Ones" (Bianca translates as "White Woman"). Predates any racial consideration.

Iris Verdi: an ambiguous name, as Iris, the name of the Greek Goddess of Rainbows and Messenger of the Olympians, is used in Italian, German, and Spanish speakers areas (thus adding most of Switzerland), though the surname is once again a color in Italian, in this case green (a plural variant).

All in all, we've got a pattern. Italian-passing names based on colors... That by some coincidence are the same as the Italian flag, though they were first used in the opposite order from the pole.

Either she's Italian, or REALLY loves the place. Still wondering about her insane situation...

I think this implies that the only truth Lila has said so far is that she's Italian. Which is a funny thing to make canon.

[witchthewriter]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐬/𝐕𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐚𝐧

These women are scientists, creators, women who are very technical. They value logic and reasoning - there’s a perfectly good reason for everything. They’re incredibly smart and have a niche talent. These variants and/or daughters question everything, they have huge curiosity and always think outside the box. They’re the people who come up with solutions. 

𝐻𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝐿𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛

𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑒 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑡

𝑇𝑒𝑐𝑛𝑎

𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑎

𝑆𝘩𝑢𝑟𝑖

𝐴𝑏𝑏𝑦 𝑌𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠

𝑅𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑅𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠

𝐴𝑏𝑏𝑦 𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑢𝑡𝑜

𝐸𝑣𝑦

[legendaryfugitives]

Athena’s Exes

So, I recently noticed people agreeing that Goddess Athena is Asexual, but from mythological sources like the stories about Pallas, there are hints that she was not aromantic. During a long research spree and reading other people's opinions, I've noticed she'll be considered a Biromantic Sapiosexual Asexual. AKA, not into the, how do I say this in PG language, bedroom stuff due to being a Parthenos, but shows romantic interest to anyone with brains. These are just notes I made while researching this topic. I encourage you all to do your own research. I'm willing to make a part two post of links if anyone needs them. Warning! Greek Mythology is known for incest included in their stories. You've been warned! Please let me know if there is anyone else I missed so I can update this post. Hephestus will not be included since Athena was not in love with him in any way. Now, let's move on to my notes of a few examples.

Pallas, The Lost BFF

When Athena first burst out of her father's head, Zeus, she was taken in by Triton, her cousin and son of Poseidon. Triton also had a Nymph daughter named Pallas. The sources are borderline on how Athena and Pallas viewed each other. Some say they were sisterly best friends, and some say they were more than friends. What the sources have in common is that the two girls practice sparring and compete together.

Fate: During a sparring contest or a friendly sparring practice match Zeus attended or happened to be watching, Athena and Pallas’s fight got heated. Scared for Athena's life, he used his aegis to distract Pallas. Unfortunately, this caused Athena to accidentally impale and kill her best friend. To make it up to Athena, Zeus gave her his aegis, which we see Athena wear to this day. Athena later created the palladium, a statue that looked like Pallas, and Athena took the name Pallas as her epithet.

Prometheus, Thief God of Fire and Hearts

There are a few theories about these two. Especially since Athena helped Prometheus steal the fire. There was one story in which Prometheus had a crush on Athena, which is why he was punished. And believe me, Prometheus and Athena were not on my Bingo Card this year. However, it makes sense since the two have a lot in common, they have worked together many times, and both played a role in creating a new version of humans. Another variation of Athena's birth myth is Prometheus freeing Athena instead of Hephaestus, or he does help out in the process of freeing Athena from Zeus's head. Yes, you may say, “But didn’t accident resources say Prometheus was married and had a son?” Remember, these stories have changed and merged over time with different variants. Some sadly lost to time. Ultimately, we are left with our imaginations when approaching these stories as long as the original culture is respected. But it does make things complicated. Prometheus and his wife, Pronoea or Hesione, never got married or divorced. Be free to come up with theories, everyone.

Fate: After getting caught afterward, Prometheus was punished by getting chained to a rock, and his liver was eaten by an eagle. Then, Prometheus's liver regrows overnight, but his torcher continues each day until he is finally freed. But unfortunately for the rebel titan, it ended his relationship with Athena. To make things worse, Athena was part of making Pandora, so Athena was punished at the end of the day, too.

Myrmex, Maiden Heartbreaker

In an insect origin story, Myrmex was a young Attican maiden who became the goddess' favorite. She was known for her cleverness and her chastity, a significant reason why Athena had a love for the maiden. Athena showed humans how to sow their fields when she created the plow. However, Myrmex was greedy on the inside. Myrmex went behind Athena’s back, stole some sheaves, and claimed she invented the plow to the public in conman fashion.

Fate: Heartbroken, Athena turned Myrmex into an ant, cursing her for stealing other's grain forever. So, talk about the worst breakup of the year there. The lesson is don't break the heart of someone who cares for you, romantically or platonically, because the betrayed will get petty revenge.

Phereclus (or Phereclos), the Shipbuilder of Tragic Dreams

Although one line mentions this, the Illiad mentions a Trojan shipbuilder, Phereclus (or Phereclos), who once made well-balanced ships. According to the different translations of Book V, Athena had “a special love for him,” “for Pallas Athene loved him above all men,” or “Pallas Minerva had dearly loved him.” Either he was her protégé, there was something more, or both.

Fate: According to Book V of the Illiad, Phereclus was killed by Meriones since it was one of Phereclus’s ships that Paris used to kidnap Helen. And if you read it, it’s pretty graphic. People can form their theories on the subject despite just that one line.

Hercle (aka Etruscan version of Heracles/Hercules), A Lover in Question

Disclaimer! This is from the Etruscan sources. I do not ship Hercle/Heracles/Hercules with Menrva/Athena/Minerva. Please do not attack me, people! In the Etruscan religion, Athena was not viewed as a Parthenos. Some sources hint at the two being romantically involved despite being siblings or half-siblings. Even having a blood or adopted kid together named Epiur??? But the two Gods were probably Epiur's protectors instead. Hercle and Menrva were Gods of protecting children back then to the Etruscans. Epiur is still a big mystery, so people, please do your research!

Fate: If we go with Hercle's Greek Version, Heracles had a crazy death, but he became a God, and then he ended up marrying his other half-sister, Hebe, the daughter of the Goddess who was out for revenge on Heracles, Hera. Yeah, this family tree is messed up for the wrong reasons, and I don't want to elaborate further.

That's it for now! Criticism is welcome if I get something wrong and need to fix it. I'm willing to post the links if anyone is curious about these details. Studying Athena's past friends or possible past lovers was an interesting rabbit hole to explore. If I inspired you in any way, please use these ideas as long as you respect original sources and know Athena is a Parthenos. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk of Athena's Exes for now!

Edit: To Epic the Musical fans, be free to use this for any of your theories because these losses may have affected Athena.

[deathlessathanasia]

A standardized set of twelve gods could be thought of as a ‘representation of the pantheon’, which is common to all cities. Thus, it is an integrative feature, almost a Panhellenic one. If so, you might think that the members of Dodekatheon would always be the same, but in fact the members varied like everything else in Greek religion. The most often cited group is: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Athena, Hephaistos and Hestia. Some are more secure in their position than others. Hestia and Ares tend to be the first to be jettisoned and we may find Dionysos, Herakles or Hades sneaking in. But the variations are often even greater. One strikingly aberrant list is the Olympic one, known from Herodorus, where the deities were arranged in six pairs: Zeus and Poseidon, Hera and Athena, Hermes and Apollo, the Charites and Dionysos, Artemis and the river Alpheios, Kronos and Rhea. ... The Olympian Dodekatheon is the best attested variant pantheon, but there may have been others. At Chalkedon, the twelve established by the Argonauts are reported by Herodorus (again) to have included Hades, apparently replacing Ares. Hades–Plouton was also included in Plato’s Laws. There may be another variant Dodekatheon at Pherai in Thessaly, where Stephan Miller reconstructed an altar with the heads of six named goddesses, which are plausibly taken as the female side of a Dodekatheon, and which include Einodia (a form of Artemis?) and also Themis. - Ian Rutherford, Canonizing the Pantheon: The Dodekatheon in Greek Religion and its Origins

Discussions and works based on Greek myth are often so rigid about which gods should or shouldn't belong to the dodekatheon, given the variations that existed in Antiquity. It looks as if the only debatable place is that of Hestia or Dionysos, but the idea of the six altars at Olympia and the altar of the six goddesses at Pherai indicate that Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis or Hera could also be absent from the Twelve, not just Hestia. Dionysos could be excluded, but so could Ares and Hephaistos. It is also misleading when people speak of the gods as the "twelve Olympians" with the implication that "Olympians" are necessarily a select group of only 12 gods (when for instance Herakles also could be worshipped as one of the Olympians as attested in Herodotos, Histories 2.44 and the Muses are called Olympian by Hesiod), or that the twelve must necessarily live on Olympos. It's the 12 gods, not the 12 Olympians.

[angeliicheartt]

OKAY so because of me getting into epic the musical (fucking talk to me abt it) i made ocs with a similar storyline to the odyssey (i like to call it “an odyssey story”) with dragons cuz why not

i hope the quality isn’t too shit on the pictures

Our mains are King Eryndor (or “Eryn”) and Queen Vaelora (thinking about changing her name?? but i might keep it) (and Eryn calls her “Vae”) and they are heavily inspired by Odysseus and Penelope

Eryn was the son of a Baron who lived near the King’s castle, where he met princess Vaelora. When they got married they earned the title Queen and King (idk how they just did) and got their own little kingdom. Dracarys is a smaller kingdom but very powerful because Eryn is the best dragon rider/warrior.

They’re the youngest reigning King and Queen (Eryn was 18 & Vaelora was 17 when they got married and earned the title)

Most noble families and high class families own at least one dragon, they’re basically a better version of horses and “weapons” in this world. Both Eryn and Vaelora grew up with them.

Their dragons’ names are Oberon (black dragon) and Valkyria (white dragon) and their dragons are mated.

They met when they were 14 and Eryn courted her while he was training to become a warrior, worked his way up the ranks to get approval from Vaelora’s family, which he did (enough for them to marry her off to him lol)

when they were 19 Vaelora gave birth to twins boys, Thorne (one in green) and Vale (one in blue). They are the most loved and pampered boys you’ve ever seen. When the boys are around 5 (Eren’s 24) Eryn leaves with a fleet (idk if that’s the right word for this) of 600 men on ships & dragons to fight in a dragon war (still need to get the plot for the war). the war lasts 5 years, but it takes Eryn 8 more years to get home (shocker). Basically follow the plot of the odyssey, the whole crew fucking everything up for eryn, he gets trapped on an island with a calypso variant (but for a shorter amt of time) and he comes back eventually

Thorne is the nicer twin (funny cuz his name) and is the more peaceful one (odysseus’s softer side/beginning of odyssey) and vale is the more “monster” side, a little crueler and colder and vengeful. Both boys look up to their father though and hope for him to come back.

And guess what also happens!! over a hundred suitors take over the palace (a little less successfully but still do) because they wanna marry Vaelora, but she holds out for her mans.

Also their dragons r sad cuz they’ve been separated for 13 years as well.

ANYWAYS HE GETS BACK KILLS ALL THE SUITORS AND LOVES HIS WIFE YAYY

when he gets back he’s 37 and she’s 36. The twins are 18 and are reunited with their dad (working on a piece of them hugging) and happy ever after (probably)

i do want to add the gods and goddesses into this storyline to since they’re such a key part but idk if i should just have the greek gods and goddesses or making this world variants where it’s just them but different names and looks..

i have a piece of aphrodite and ares but i’ll leave that for a different post

anyways i’m done blabbering on this post

tagging: @seumyo @seneon @kovu-bunnbunn

[finelythreadedsky]

you know what's really interesting is that by the rules of ancient Greek onomastics and their anglicizations via Latin, Mesperyian should be a masculine name (Mesperyianos/Μεσπερυιανός), formed by adding the adjectival suffix -νός, -νή, -νόν to indicate that the bearer had something to do with a 'Mesperyia' (Μεσπέρυια), since -yia (-υια) is a common feminine ending found on perfect active participles as well as the proper names of several minor goddesses and nymphs (e.g. Eileithyia, Idyia). I might further conjecture that this name is a corruption of 'Hesperyia' (´Εσπέρυια), perhaps connected to a dialectical variant, and that this name referred to a goddess of the evening star, which is otherwise usually imagined in Greek myth as male. 'Mesperyian' thus probably reflects the attempt of the people who considered the evening star female and referred to her as 'Mesperyia' to accommodate other Greek-speaking peoples' perception of the evening star as male: they gave the male evening star a masculinized version of their feminine name for it, 'Mesperyianos.' however the shift in the grammatical gendering of the name seems not to have been accompanied by a shift in the perception of the gender of the evening star itself; thus the evening star comes to be referred to, as a woman, with a male version of her earlier name. in this essay i will