#greek myths anthology

[gingermintpepper]

So, now that Blood of Zeus has also been given its chance to tell the Demeter/Persephone story (and also, similarly, fundamentally misunderstood the themes of the Hymn to Demeter) can we finally, finally talk about Mother Love?

Because I can scream until I'm blue in the face about how modern, popular interpretations of the myth have become so focused on being 'empowering' to women by fixating on giving power to Persephone in her marriage with Hades and, in turn, disparaging Demeter, another woman, - the mother who grieves her lost daughter - that they've some how spun all the way around and gotten back to being misogynistic and reductive, but I feel like talking nebulously about the fact that it's Demeter and Persephone's story and not Hades and Persephone's story never gets the point across hard enough. So:

Anyone who was upset about Demeter's demonisation in Blood of Zeus S2? Read Mother Love. Anyone who is ever upset that retellings of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter constantly demonise, belittle, accuse and insult Demeter and her grief while making excuses to redeem and forgive her daughter's captor? Read Mother Love. Anyone who likes Hades and Persephone as a romantic tale but yearn for complexity outside of arbitrary romantic antagonists impeding the happiness of the couple? Read Mother Love!! Everyone who has even a passing interest in this tale whether it is for the romance, the mother-daughter connections, the themes of grief and loss and eventual comfort and compromise, the wrath of the mother transgressed, the justice that is served due to a mother's insistence in an unjust society, READ MOTHER LOVE!!!

Because it pains me that such a perfect retelling of Demeter and Persephone's story exists, that it focuses on the mother-daughter relationship by comparing it with the poet's own relationship with her mother and it is nearly obscure in the greek mythology community.

[darkpoetryshop]

I could not stop producing madness

-Cassandra, Christa Wolf

[tootditoot]

"...the Chimaera--grim monster sprung of the gods. nothing human, all lion in front. all snake behind. all goat between. terrible, blasting lethal fire at every breath!"

- The Iliad, Book 6

[violent138]

Greek kings were such fucking morons. I wish someone had grabbed them by the shoulders and gone, "Control yourself bro, you know the Oracle of Delphi is one hundred percent inescapable, do not try to find out something stupid about the future because it's literally never good."

[alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry]

Persephone made me do it by Trista Mateer

[my-name-is-apollo]

Found a translation of hymns to Apollo and Dionysus where their epithets have been arranged in alphabetical order and this might be my new favourite thing because

- Book 9 of the Greek Anthology, translated by W.R. Paton

Look at the contrast between some of their epithets (Apollo and Dionysus respectively):

"hater of lies, giver of the soul" - "liar, tearer of the soul"

"soft speaking" - "noisy" (lol)

"sober" - "Deep drinker"

"Sweet-spoken, sweet-hearted, gentle-handed" - "Prone to anger, stout of heart"

"Gentle, sorrowless, giver of wealth, saviour from trouble" - "Jealous, very wrathful, envious, bestower of envy"

"father of fruits" - "eater of raw flesh" (BRUH)

"father of light" - "God of the night"

"Cheerer of the spirit" - "Disturber of the soul"

BUT they still have a lot in common:

"stiller of grief - healer of sorrow", "strong hearted - lion hearted", "soft haired - tender haired", "dweller on the hills - dweller in the woods" "thousand-shaped", "desirable" and my favourite, "common to all".

And it really does encapsulate the relationship between Apollo and Dionysus so well (and the duality of Apollo and Dionysus as individual gods too)

I'm also a sucker for epithets that describe appearance and I'm absolutely delighted with Apollo being "rose-coloured", "golden, golden-complexioned" and "glittering" (but is anyone surprised? XD)

Dionysus on the other hand, a bit concerning cause "slender, wrinkled"? And also he's "liquid"?? (idk what that's even supposed to mean. A reference to wine?) But "golden-filleted" and "Golden-horned" sound lovely <3

Also the fact that Dionysus is called "Satyr" and Apollo "Titan" is very interesting to me. Apollo - Titan makes sense when you consider the conflation between him and Helios. But Dionysus is a surprise. Are there any myths where he's syncretised/conflated with Pan (since he's the only Satyr god I can remember)? Of course it could be to show his chthonic nature, or that he's mostly around satyrs. But this piqued my curiosity.

[ghouljams]

Ok, just wanna say that I love your Hephaetus!Nikto.

Just a few things I’d like to say about Aphrodite. Love the way you have them written, I am in no way trying to make you change your interpretation of them.

She is one of the oldest gods along side Poseidon. Their lore dates back way before Ancient Greece and yet Aphrodite still predates him. Aphrodite is not just a soft thing. She started the Trojan war dammit. And she’s been associated with War as well, and not just in the sense that she has a relationship with Ares but of herself (then again haven’t done much research on this part so I could be wrong).

And Aphrodite is of the sea. The sea is no tame thing. It is wild. She is the Goddess of love and beauty and I’m getting a little pissed at Nikto for thinking she wouldn’t find him beautiful when it is her literal job to see the beauty in everything. Like come on dudeeee!!!!

I think the way you wrote him also pairs kinda well with the way you have the other Olympians view Aphrodite!Reader. I’d wonder if Aphrodite!Reader will ever snap on them and show them what it means to be the goddess of love and beauty.

Also fun fact, the ancient Greeks had multiple names for love that all had different meanings. I personally don’t know them all, but from what I recall, Eros is what they call romantic love.

Sorry for blabbing on, you don’t have to respond to this at all, just wanted to vent a little.

Oh no you're fine venting, I think a lot of people often think of Aphrodite in a specific way (pretty goddess of love who just cheats on her husband and is vindictive all the time) and here's what I will say regarding the way I'm writing Aphrodite!Reader:

Neither the reader nor Nikto is a reliable narrator.

Aphrodite sees herself as this wonderful loving force but she still walks the battlefield, taking trophies as often as she takes lives. She views herself as innocent in all of this drama and rumors, but she's done nothing to stop them(It's nice having Ares talk about how beautiful and good in bed she is, y'know?) She loves Nikto but she also treats him a bit like a curiosity, waiting for him to come to her because, well, everyone does eventually.

And Nikto is stuck in his vision of being cast aside by the gods. He's trapped in their mockery of him, why wouldn't he assume his unwilling wife, who begged to be kept a virgin goddess right before their wedding, doesn't like him? Aphrodite forces their way into his life, into his space, disrespecting any boundaries he tries to put up, of course he's wary of them. But at the same time Nikto only sees the parts of Aphrodite that they want him to see, the soft, the gentle, the loving with sweet voices and stroking fingers, so of course he thinks they're a bad fit. He's every bit her opposite.

The Trojan war has yet to happen in the timeline of the hephaestus!Nikto anthology, but I keep thinking about it because it will feel very out of character for Aphrodite to start a war over something as petty as vanity, but that's only because we've been seeing her through her own eyes.

Also I will say I think a lot of my softening of Aphrodite comes from my disbelief at the way goddesses act within Greek mythology. You're telling me every single goddess is vain and jealous, that they can't keep their man from cheating on them, that the Goddess of love can't find anything to love in her husband, that Artemis would turn her back on her desire to remain a virgin because one guy looked at her the right way? Like the way that the goddesses are depicted just reeks of misogyny and that particular brand of ancient Greek hatred for women. IDK So excuse me for making Aphrodite a little out of character from the myths in my attempt to give her the benefit of the doubt where no man ever did.

[webweabings]

THE PLEASURE OF SIN IS SOON GONE, BUT THE STING REMAINS.

Saadi Shirazi; // "The Rumi Collection: An Anthology of Translations of Mevlana Jalâluddin Rumi", by Jaläl al-Din Rumi (Maulana). tr. Kabir Helminski and Andrew Harvey; // "Mind is a Myth: Disquieting Conversations with the Man Called U.G", by U.G. Krishnamurti; // "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", by Mitch Albom; // Roger L'Estrange; // "Suicide: A Study in Sociology", by Emile Durkheim; // "Wit and Wisdom of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle: Being a Treasury of Thousands of Glorious, Inspiring and Imperishable Thoughts, Views and Observations of the Three Great Greek Philosophers, Classified Under about Four Hundred Subjects for Comparative Study", by Socrates, Plato, Aristotle; // "The Maze Maker", by Michael Ayrton

[thegreatzombieartisan]

Aredhel and Turgon:

Civilization vs. Wilderness

It’s apparent that Aredhel is partly inspired by Artemis, virgin Greek goddess of wilderness, hunting, and moon (or twilight) — and right down to her fiery will.

I’m probably late to the party, but while listening to a doc on the history of poetry, it dawned on me: Tolkien partly based Turgon on Apollo — Greco-Roman god of art, music, and poetry.

The connection is not readily intuitive since Turgon isn’t explicitly characterized as a patron of fine arts. However, civilizations have been based, to an extraordinary degree, on verse. Language creates shared awareness and memory through oral history, genealogy, religious hymns, lore, and law, etc.

In essence, Apollo’s arts are the cornerstones of civilization.

Ancient Greeks had the Odyssey, Euripides, and Sophocles. Chinese civilization is based on the Confucian anthology. For the Hebrews, it was the psalms and prophets of the Old Testament. Hindus relied on the Verdic texts. In the same vein, exiled Noldor civilization is based on the Quenta Silmarillion.

Turgon’s “song” within the Music is that of a “founding father”, so to speak. Hence he is said to have erected Middle Earth’s first stone building (arts as “cornerstones” of civilization, get it?).

Furthermore, Turgon’s kingdom of Gondolin houses the great loremaster Pengolodh. Drawing from from first-hand accounts, verse and song, it from he whom we learn of Silmarils, War of Wrath, Rings of Power, — the tragic fates of Gondolin, Turgon, and Aredhel.

Apollo/Turgon and Artemis/Aredhel: two sides of the same coin

As fraternal twins, Artemis is the moon and night whereas Apollo is the light and day. Their opposites symbolize the duality of mankind through divine expression. Apollo represents reason and order while Artemis signifies the more untamed aspects of our nature.

The friction between Turgon and Aredhel has mainly parallels the myth of Apollo and Artemis.

[adarkrainbow]

Fairytales - the dark season (4)

Today's title: Jim Henson's The Storyteller

Jim Henson's The Storyteller, also known as "The StoryTeller", is a 1987 British television series of nine episodes (I am not counting the spin-off about Greek myths and legends, even though it is an insanely cool series don't hesitate to go look at it). This show was created and produced by Jim Henson, and displays much of his talent and inventivity when it comes to puppetry. You know, Jim Henson, the man behind Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal (he also worked on Roald Dahl's The Witches movie).

Personal categorization: "Fairytales by autumn light"

This anthology show is a collecting of retelling/adaptations of traditional European fairytales. Most of the fairytales of this collection are inspired by German folktales (The True Bride, The Heartless Giant, Sapsorrow, The Three Ravens, Hans My Hedgehog, The Luck Child, Fearnot) - with a few additions from other culture, such as "The Soldier and Death" of Russian origins. The framing device is linked to the title of the show: each episode begins and ends with the titular StoryTeller sitting by his fireplace in a dark, empty castle, chatting with his talking dog, and their conversation always leading them to the telling of a story...

This is not a horror show, or an inherently dark show, as it makes an effort to retell the traditional fairytales in a pleasant and entertaining way, even the most bittersweet of them. But all will agree that this is a show more fit for the dark season than the bright one, as this anthology benefits from all that is wonderfully sinister and beautifully uncanny in Jim Henson's fantasy works.

The narration does not shy away from the shadows and gloom that lurks in fairytales, though it purposefully avoids the most gory or gruesome details to preserve the poetry of it all. The monsters and spirits presented in this world all play into an Arthur Rackham-style of fairytale visuals where the supernatural is tied to a form of grotesque and the fairy-world seems to be one of endless fog and autumn lights. And the very primary setting, the one of the framing device, has a sort of "warm Gothic" feel to it, as we find a pleasant storyteller and his loveable dog to tell us wonderful stories... but they stay slightly uncanny beings all alone in a large, empty and dark castle.

[gingermintpepper]

Mother Love - Demeter and Persephone in poetry

Alright, so, let's finally talk about Mother Love.

I've spent the past couple of weeks compiling most of the poems from my physical copy of Mother Love into a publicly accessible google doc because there is a quite frankly embarrassing lack of archiving of this particular anthology of Dove's work and I am genuinely and greatly saddened that it is not a work more commonly brought up when discussing Demeter/Hades/Persephone retellings and reinterpretations for modern audiences.

In order to speak about what Mother Love is, I first need to address what it is not. It's not a coming of age story which portrays Persephone as a caged bird under a too-smothering Demeter. It's not a love story where Hades is some valiant hero who rescues an innocent maiden and through his love empowers her to be her truest self. It does not demonise Demeter, who has forever lost her daughter, it does not demonise Hades, who took that daughter away.

Instead, Mother Love is, perhaps, the truest interpretation of the themes of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter that I've seen, down to the structure of the anthology mimicking the hymn's narrative structure. It is the story of a mother who loses her daughter, of the grief that ensues as she worries for her, of her being pitied and given empty words instead of help finding her, of her trying to soothe herself by filling the void with new children that are not her own. It is the story of a daughter who loses her way, who went seeking flowers and was unwittingly caught in the machinations of those in higher positions of power than her, of the kingdom she is promised and refuses, of the changes she goes through in this new, strange world without her consent and how those changes will define her the rest of her life. It is the story of a lonely king overrun with ennui who wants companionship but never asks, of he who tries in vain to tempt with wealth and land and must ultimately yield to the love of a mother. Not even the lord of the dread Underworld can escape that all-consuming mother's love and this was a theme found all over greek mythology and their literature, and it is also the theme that has been unfortunately and miserably lost as we've told and retold the tale of Hades and Persephone time and time again.

Please, please read this work, and if you enjoy it, do consider picking up an actual copy of the anthology. There is so much to be gained from speaking of the Demeter/Hades/Persephone myth as one of nuance and devoid of the unnecessary moralisations and accusations that we habitually foist onto cultural figures and heroes in an attempt to validate our opinions and interpretations to our peers. In my compilation, I did leave out three poems: Breakfast of Champions, Blue Days, Nature's Itinerary, mainly because I did not think they were relevant -- but I'm always open to requests for those poems to be added to the doc if anybody gets curious. Below I've also attached a few of my favourite short poems from this anthology so people can get an idea for the content that is included in the doc.

@gotstabbedbyapen who requested a way to read these poems but could not find them, I sincerely hope you enjoy them <3

[baflegacy]

smosh #??? au: Anthony’s Funeral Roast as a Horror Anthology

(for Smosh Girlies Week Part Two Day Four: Free Day!)

The Hottest Horror Anthology: Smosh’s The Funeral Roast Now Streaming on Shudder (EXCLUSIVE LOOK & CAST INTERVIEW by Jacklyn Uweh)

Jackie: So what I’m hearing is that the first two episodes are every lesbian horror fans’ dream come true? Y’all have to spill the deets for us!

Amanda: Okay—okay, I don’t know how much I can say, but I can definitely confirm that our episodes in the series are gay as hell.

Angela: We had a wonderful time getting to read the script for The Fortune Teller & The Vessel and let me tell ‘ya—shooting that episode was fun!

Arasha: I’m still jealous that you guys got to have that homoerotic fight scene, hand around the throat and being on top of each other and everything.

Amanda: Boo, you got to make out with Courtney for your episode!

Arasha: I didn’t say I didn’t like that part!

Jackie: (Laughs) Back to the topic, y’all. What do you think sets your episodes apart from the other classic horror anthologies we’ve got like V/H/S or The ABCs of Death?

Angela: I think with The Fortune Teller & The Vessel, yes it’s still a paranormal horror but it’s also a tragic love story. We liked to describe it as The Exorcist meets Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It’s still scary; but when you really look at it it’s a love story between two people that can only meet halfway.

Jackie: And from what I’ve heard, The Coroner episode is a spin on the classic Frankenstein tale?

Courtney: Yup! Though I do think beyond Frankenstein the episode also pulls from films like Edward Scissorhands and even from the Greek myth Pygmalion and Galatea.

Arasha: We found it important that The Coroner wasn’t looking to defy science by creating Bikini Girl, but brought her to life because she felt shunned and unloved by society.

Courtney: Our episodes are kind of centered around the experience the sapphic community has when it comes to attraction and love—of feeling alienated and dirty because the rest of the world thinks that liking a girl makes you a monster.

Angela: And that’s the real horror story, am I right?

[subzeroparade]

hello there, I would just like to say that you are an inspiration to me and my own writing journey. you have such a profound way of skillfully weaving a story, I adore your works. it really reminds me a lot of madeline miller and her amazing stories (I really like a specific style of writing, lol)

may I ask what your writing process is? I myself have trouble sticking to motivation and finishing my own works. hope this message reaches you well, cheers <33

(Long post warning, and sorry to the people still languishing in my inbox, especially anon who sent me a similar writing ask - I will get to it, but hopefully in the meantime you can glean something useful from this, too.) 

Thank you! Also, yes - I came back to creative writing a few years ago (after many years of nothing but academic writing, grad and post-grad) around the same time Miller published Circe, and my ER work definitely pays tribute to that. In the genre of modernised(not modern)-greek-myth-retellings, hers are the only ones I tolerate. (That’s not true, I do like Pat Barker’s work to an extent, though she’s much less lyrical than Miller. But sometimes you need that). 

To answer your ask, here's my writing process - but first, a couple of disclaimers:

Disclaimer 1: Everyone’s method is different, etc etc; this is a given. But I also have a decade’s worth of disciplined professional writing under my belt, which is very helpful when it comes to sitting down and just choking something out on paper, even when my brain is unwilling, or the spark is not there. This takes time to cultivate. 

Disclaimer 2: No writing method or process is going to work if you are not actively reading. All the time. There is never a time I don’t have at least one book going. When I am feeling cheeky, I commit to four or five at once, all very different: novels (from disparate genres), edited volumes, anthologies, non-fiction; regardless, a wealth of different voices to draw from. If you are super busy, and we all are, at least try to read a bit before bed, it’s good for you. 

Anyway! Process:

STEP 1: A thing I might want to write: a scenario. A scene. An interaction between two characters. A short sequence of events. A long history. This particular climax, and its aftermath. The POV of that particular character. How am I going to do that? What do I need to know? What are the possible approaches - which POV, past or present, told or retold, and in what manner? 

Ex: before I sat down to write Litanies (Bloodborne), I knew I was interested enough to commit to a fic about the Fishing Hamlet. There are a million ways to do this. It was only while reading/watching certain material - journals, accounts of 19th century expeditions, a book about piecing together the mystery of a murder on another planet through conflicting eye-witness testimony, watching AMC’s The Terror - did it make sense to do an “interview” style, slow-burn mystery-box-esque piece, in which an interviewer has to piece together first-hand accounts of what happened (just like us, the Hunter!). Could I have done it another way? Yes. Would it have been nearly as interesting from a storytelling perspective? Not remotely. 

Tdlr; Who and what will I write about? In what way, and how will that approach make the work even stronger? How many things do I need to clarify about where and how this is going before I start writing? The tighter your plan - it doesn’t even need to be written down - the less likely you are to hit a wall later because you don’t know where you’re trying to go or what you’re trying to say. 

STEP 2: I start plotting scenes. For Vanitas (Elden Ring), I knew I wanted to write the history of Godwyn’s war and subsequent allegiance with the ancient stone dragons. I would need battle scenes, political intrigue and broader worldbuilding, alongside more intimate, dialogue-focused exchanges with Fortissax. On my shitty little notes app, I started writing these as they came to me, as I mulled over the ways to make them fight, meet, agree, quarrel, separate. Mostly, I start with the core of a scene - what is the question being answered, the main point, the crux of it? - and then build the rest of the scene around that. In that way it’s rarely, if ever, meandering and useless. Especially in short works - every scene should matter, and keep its focus where possible. You will be surprised how many disparate scenes you can merge into a single one for more impact.

Tldr; elevator-pitch style, what’s this work actually about??? And what scenes do I need for my readers to get it?

Big huge disclaimer here: at this stage, if I am starting to construct little bits and pieces in my notes app (everything from swathes of dialogue to jumbled “then he does this” reminders) they are in a very raw form. HOWEVER, at this point, I need to know how the story will end, especially if it is multi-chapter. I need to have outlined how these scenes flow into each other, and why. If it’s a vignette or one-shot, I need to know exactly what I will show, mood and message, so that it never becomes any longer than necessary, or loses the thread that holds it together, so to speak. 

STEP 3: I have a lot of material in my shitty little notes app (this will vary, depending on the size of your piece. The outline of A History of Iniquity (Elden Ring) was about 8k, which makes sense for a work that’s gonna top out at 80k). It’s time to bring it over to proper writing software. There, I start sorting my notes into scenes, as well as supplementary material (stuff that feels useful, or important, like worldbuilding tidbits, but that I have yet to weave into the story progression). Personally, separating all my notes into these individual scenes makes me feel like I have a better handle on the work, and can bounce around from scene to scene without having to work in linear progression, which I almost never do. 

Tldr; organise. Today I feel like writing scene 4, tomorrow scene 2. Because I have a handle on the work’s structure and I always know where it will end up, this is easy to do. 

STEP 4:

Write it.

Sloppily, badly, plainly. Commit to writing a scene, or x number of words per day, and get it done. A bare minimum of what happens in that scene. Dialogue. Actions. This then that and then this. Just put it down.

This is my big secret: I am a good writer, but I am a better editor (alas, a thing you could never tell from the state of some of my Tumblr posts). Writing is the painful part. Editing is a joy. It’s all there - what is left for me to do but to make it smoother, shinier, more polished? Remove what is superfluous, add a punch where needed. I much prefer making a drab paragraph sing than the initial act of writing that paragraph. 

I spend more time on editing than I do writing. I read, I reread. I go away. I come back, fresh, and reread again. I reread my work until I know enormous amounts of it by heart, then I go away, put it out of my mind, read something else, come back and edit again. There is no way around this, especially if you are writing fic and you don’t have a beta (or at least a first/second reader). It can always, always, always be better. The more aggressively you edit, the better you train your critical eye, and the sharper you are on your next first draft, or if you’re kind enough to beta for someone else. I am a ruthless editor (and I can and should be even worse), only because that’s what helped me, and I’d hope anyone better than me taking the time to look at my stuff would do me the same courtesy. 

STEP 5: Publish, go away, cry. If it’s fanfic, come back and read it for some last little edits. If it’s in an academic volume, cringe and hope no one reads it (/jk. Mostly). 

To come back to your initial point about motivation and sticking the landing -  some of that is going to have to come from you, personally. On my end, I finish what I start for three reasons.

I do not truly start the honest-to-god writing unless I have that body of notes already, and it’s hefty enough to serve as a skeleton. If I’m unsure, I’ll often leave ideas in this nebulous state of notes/ideation until I can come back with a clearer vision of what it would look like as a finished piece.

I do not start unless I am 100% committed to putting this work out there. If it’s too daunting, I’ll write it as a vignette or a one-shot, which is great practice, and there’s no excuse not to finish one. 

I do not start a work unless I know exactly how I am going to finish it. I more often than not know the last sentence of my work before I make it to the first draft stage. I know in amateur circles/fic writing it’s fine to just see where the work takes you, or leave the chapter count open, or whatever - it’s all practice, anyway - BUT I do think that if your main goal is closing a piece, then you need to be strict about how you get there. There’s plenty to do along the way, but at minimum know the scenes you need to make it to the finish line, and give yourself the tools to get there. 

THIS IS SO LONG I am terribly sorry, clearly I lied about being a good editor. 

Hope this helps! 

[booksandbroomstyx]

My Favorite Podcasts

I wanted to share my favorite pagan/witchy/occult/paranormal podcasts. Some of these I've listened to for years and others I've only just started listening to more recently. Here's the list (and in no certain order): --Circle Talk (geared toward those seeking to understand British Traditional Wicca - the podcast is hosted by Alexandrian Wiccans; I'm Gardnerian, so they're basically Craft siblings.) --Glitch Bottle Podcast (explores deep topics in occultism) --Magic in the United States --New World Witchery (explores United States-based Craft practices - these hosts also run another podcast called Myth-taken, which does a deep-dive of every Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode -- another person favorite!) --Styx and Bones (great for learning about Hellenism and Greek mythology) --What Magic Is This? (explores various occult and new age practices) --WitchLit Podcast (explores various books and literature related to witchcraft and paganism, and also does author interviews) Miscellaneous Old Gods of Appalachia - this is a horror anthology podcast based on Appalachian lore and geography and it is AMAZING.

[deathlessathanasia]

Which goddesses and women are called wife of Zeus?

Honestly in order to offer a comprehensive response to this I'd have to comb through basically all ancient Greek literature, so instead I'll just give you a small list off the top of my head, sorry!

To preface this, many of the sexual unions Zeus and other gods engage in can be referred to as gamos/gamoi, a term that is often translated as marriage but doesn't necessarily imply the formality of an official marital union (Apollo's rape of Creusa in Euripides' Ion is called gamos for instance), just as the verb gamēo can mean to marry or simply to have sex with. So I'm limiting this to women who I know for sure are called "wife of Zeus" sometimes rather than including all the ones he is said to have performed a gamos with.

The only one who bears this title consistently and frequently is Hera, but there are some others who are occasionally described as his wives in some sources: Leto (Homer, Iliad 21.498-9, Homer, Odyssey 11.580, Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica 11.21, Greek Anthology 3.14, probably others); Metis (Hesiod, Theogony 886); Themis (Pindar, fragment 30, Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 6.1.9 - not explicitly called wife here but he is said to have married her and I'm including it for the sake of thoroughness since she is called his wife elsewhere); Io (Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 834); Demeter (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 6.1.9 - again not actually called a wife, but she is one of 3 women he marries in this account, the other two being Hera and Themis who are explicitly called his wives elsewhere); Semele (Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.31.2, various places in the Dionysiaca, possibly elsewhere as well); Europe (Moschos, Europa 165 - the word used here is νύμφη, "bride").

Mentioning this separately because it is quite anomalous, but the earliest description of a formal wedding among the gods (including wedding preparations, gifts and even a marriage proposal) is provided by Pherekydes of Syros and takes place between Zas/Zeus and Chthonie/Ge. The myth also serves as an etiology for the anakalypteria, the unveiling of the bride.

Again, this is by no means a complete overview, just the ones I know about.

[solar-acheron-zine]

Hello! This is Solar Acheron's FAQ page. - Submissions are open!

Submission guidelines - Designer/illustrator applications are closed.

What is this zine exactly?

Solar Acheron is a small-scale, chill zine meant to be an anthology of various works by writers of any experience level. It’s free to be printed by anyone. The theme is based in Greek mythology, so works must be inspired by or based off of existing Greek myths or stories. Artwork submissions are also accepted (see guidelines and more below).

----

What are the guidelines for writer's submissions?

Writing must be centered on a Greek myth-inspired narrative, and have to be non-fandom (no Percy Jackson, sorry :c). However, you can be as creative as you want with this, so you can totally write stories that, for example, take place in a modern setting, or explore relationships or happenings that aren't featured in actual myths. As long as the story is centered on a character, storyline or a setting derived from, clearly inspired by or accurate to a Greek myth (however obscure), it is definitely up for consideration!

Works can totally be previously published ones (whether on social media, AO3, blogs etc. or in publications, as long as you have the rights to them!).

As for word limit, there is a limit of 1600 words per work, and 4000 words for all works submitted.

What are the guidelines for artist's submissions?

Art must also be inspired by Greek myths. All forms of art (which can be printed) are welcome, however since this zine will be printable you must keep in mind that your work may be printed in greyscale, and so should be greyscale-friendly. You can submit photos of physical works, but please make sure they are high quality and/or scanned. The standard format for the zine is A5, so I heavily recommend making works that fit easily in it.

Works that feature both writing and art (comics, digital/physical collages, illustrated writing etc) are super encouraged!!!! I love these. There is a limit of 6 pages for full page works.

What is the policy on NSFW works?

Works cannot heavily feature NSFW, sorry. Nudity, foul language, violence and ludity are allowed, since they are featured in the myths to begin with, given they are not excessive. This is to ensure that authors of all ages can participate in this project safely.

-- AI IS STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED! --

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What is the application process?

The application process applies only to those seeking to have their writing illustrated or to illustrate someone else's writing, and to editorial designers.

Submissions are spontaneous and should be sent to solaracheron@gmail.com. Before sending works in, please read the guidelines!

Is there anything I need to do before sending my work in?

Nope! Unless you have any specific questions or doubts, you can send your work in directly.

How many submissions will be accepted?

I'm happy to accept the maximum amount of works, but this depends immensely on the number of submissions. There can be up to 4 accepted works per author. As for art submissions, I don't want them to exceed the number of written works, so this will depend on how many stories and poems are submitted. You can of course send in works for both artist and writer.

Submissions will be judged more on creativity and overall story, rather than style, so artists and writers of any levels are encouraged to participate!

How can I apply to be an editorial designer?

Editorial designers must reply to the applications form, and will be contacted separately. You will have to provide at least a few examples of your graphic design (you do not have to be a professional).

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Is the zine free, what are the rights and how will it be published?

The zine will be published as a PDF free and accessible to everyone.

As with a regular zine, anyone is free to print and distribute the zine as they wish. All contributors will keep 100% of the rights to their work.

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Applications will open on the 17th of September, close on October 16th, and submissions will close entirely November 18th. Everyone who has sent in contributions will be notified as to whether their work will be included in this edition by November 24th. There is no exact projected date for publication yet, but hopefully the zine will be published before February.

Any other questions? Send an ask!