#it is not because i'm greek that i say best opening ceremony EVER

[keirahknightley]

Remembering the opening ceremony of athens 2004 💙🤍💙🤍

And because i know many of you were babies then (some even not born 😅) here is a link to watch the full ceremony. I promise it's worth it 💖💖

[katerinaaqu]

Hey there, since you're an archeologist I tought you were the best person I could ask! Do you know something about minoic/mycenean/doric clothes? Like the different kinds that exist and what they're used for or by whom, what kind of fabric are used, what colors, etc,,,

I wanted to design some mythical characters, but I cannot find a reliable source or something detailed about them, so even if you could link me to some page, it would great! (Even if you don't it's no problem, I'm just trying haha)

Thanks ^^

Oh that is a very interesting question and rather wide so I will try to keep it compressed enough so it will not be boring or tiring! Of course the periods are connected to each other and at some point we sure are to expect the styles to co-intricate with each other (for example at several occasions Mycenaeans have very similar iconography as the Minoans -see for example ceremonial images - but as years pass they develop their own style and we see more commonly images with women and men have covered torsos as opposing to the almost always bare chests of minoan men and women.

Now "doric clothes" is a very wide category. As I said Doric Greek tribes descended from the north at around 1100 BC and they stayed ever since in history. Places like north Greece like Macedonia did speak in a Doric Greek dialect. So did the Spartans in the south who are some of the most famous examples of Doric Greek so their clothing depends on the era we talk about.

Of course when it comes to the Minoans (c.a. 3100 BC-1450 BC) we know little on society and such but we have a very rich set of depictions and decorations or statuettes that depict clothing. Men and women in frescoes are generally depicted in a similar manner with the Egyptian counterparts where women are pointed out with white pigment and men with red pigment (distinction that seems very useful in the infamous bull-leaping images where both men and women are dressed in a similar manner so the color differences are needed to point out the two genders (of course there are some professors who debate that fact but this theory is the most prominient one so far), for example I have seen also the suggestion that tan was preferred for men but not for women but I wouldn't be massively convinced on that idea as much but that is up to you.

In sports images like this we see both men and women dressed in this loin-cloth material that leaves the torso bare so they will not get caught to the horns of the bull.

Of course one of the most famous ones is the so-called "Snake Goddess" which depicts a very common set of clothing:

This is what we might call a typical set of clothing for the minoan period from what we know. A classical set is the full skirt with the intricate colorings and patterns, a corset-like garment that puts emphasis on the waist and supports the bodice and a typical short-sleeved top that leaves the breasts open. Although I believe realistically speaking we should expect simpler dresses for the lower clsses of women or that we can assume these types are more official or ceremonial it does seem like the Minoan civilization has less rules for modesty XD. Women had their hair long and arranged in braids or locks (there are even people who estimate that the minoans have some of the earliest depictions of locked hair in history) More often whatnot they arranged their hair with jewelry and from the frescoes we know they had very vibrant colors.

Judging from the coloring patterns and such I would say that woolen materials were used although looming comes in popularity in later years.

Women also wore a variety of accessories in their hair and bodies with beaded necklacess and golden earrings

We have actually some really beautiful examples of golden jewelry from that time

Or the famous "bees" pendant

We can also safely assume that women wore makeup from the fresco discovered in Knossos that was named "Parisian girl" because of her red lipstick and jewelry

Now men also have very vibrant colors but by n large they are depicted bare-chested wearing usally skirts or loincloths around their waists as they perform their activities

We see intricate geometric patterns in some of their clothes and we see they keep their hair also long and carefully arranged. We also see them most of the time clean-shaven and we do discover blades that we estimate they were used as razors so it seems that shaving played a big part in their culture. For men we do not see so vibrant depictions of jewelry but we do discover impressive sigil rings in their tomb. And of course there is the infamous "Prince with the Lillies"

Of course this representation was initially suggested by Arthur Evans and there is little to no guarantee that this is how it really looked like (the hat in particular has been commented by recent professors I interracted with, with a female type of hat) but it still remains a famous depiction to this day. The loin cloth that he is wearing resembles the bull fighters

Now do I believe it is possible they had warmer clothing for winter? Absolutely even if we do not see as cold climates in southern Greece especially at those times I believe one could assume some warmer garment to be worn but unfortunately is hard to tell from iconography only.

The Mycenaeans (c.a. 1700s BC-1100 BC) as I said before do have a very similar iconography to the Minoan times but later on they establish their own style. We do have processions such as the one discovered in the palace of Pylos in whic the procession of women is dressed up in an identical fashion with the minoan counterparts:

There seems to be the suggestion though that this kind of garments were mostly used by the elite class and/or for ceremonial purposes instead of everyday life. Which seems to be supported by the fact that we usually see heavily decorated women walk in processions. Instead we see more and more women covering their chests with bodices or with the dress itself such as below:

And this is a possible reconstruction:

We also see a variety of hairstyles like the one above with ladies wear their hair either in long locks or brushed like we saw before or gathered up in smaller buns and arrangements like the lady above. Other clothing such as this suggestion from Mycenae show even intriquette shawls or robes such as these:

Other chitons that have longer sleeves seem to be painted upon mycenaean statuettes as well.

With accessories we see also jewelry of gold or beads and on makeup we see examples of these rosettes or circular patterns on faces of women. I really like this project that seems to try and reconstruct Helen based on Mycenaean images:

and the use of the woman head depiction for the makeup. Headbands crowns or impressive plummed hats were also a thing

Men are quite similar and at the beginning they do resemble the minoan style but now there seems to be a turn towards hunting and war scene iconographically

where we see a variety of shields and weapons such as spears or bows also depictions of soldiers with armory:

which of course also has different shapes and materials from possibly leather ones such as these in the vase painting till full on bronze ones like this famous sample:

And of course the infamous boar-tusk helmet, like the one thoroughly described in the Iliad being the helmet upon the head of Odysseus:

In fact Homer seems to be rather accurate on the description of it and it corresponds to the images of the vase painting with men wearing boar tusk helmets adorned with plumes and horns (yeah sweet irony how it was uncommon for Vikings to wear horned helmets and yet media depicts them with them while ancient Greeks did have horned helmets and no one depicted them with them! Hahaha!).

We also see the existence of beards to men so it seems fashion calls for beards in older men and shaven faces for younger ones which remains kinda the norm for the later years to come. Other depictions show men clothed in short nd short-sleeved chiton with or without helmets and often their clothing have vibrant colors:

Boar tusks began being kind of like a status symbol for we find many of them to burials along with weapons so we tend to believe they were signs for warriors.

For material now it seems that Homer was rather accurate depicting his women weaving and looming. The existence of loom weight in our discoveries show the woolen threads being famously used in looming and we even discovered funeral shrouds (like the one Penelope ellegedly wanted to prepare for Laertes) in burials in burial circle B in Mycenae

patterns were often painted or loomed upon the skirts or clothing. Flax was also another material one would expect was used at that time for clothing-making. One can assume fur or other materials from hunted or farmed animals would be used for warmth at colder months especially in cities located inside the mainland.

Thankfully for us the mycenaean greek scripture (Linear B) is deciphered so we do know on products moving from and to the palace (unfortunately the scriptures we have are mainly logistics)

So to do a recap yeah minoan and mycenaean clothing had really vibrant colors and intriquate patterns. By n large Mycenaean Civilization has simpler lines to the clpothing and tend to choose options with less nudity unless we speak on ceremonial or official dresses of the upper class (of course exceptions to the rule should have existed but we do not have as much data on it). On materials we see more wool or flax that is woven in a very skillful fashion as for armory and helmets we do see a variety of shapes and material with prominient things being leather, bronze and boar tusk.

Beautiful jewelry of gold and precious stones were also worn especially in the images of women in procession (most likely for celebrations or ceremonies). We do see depictions of men with beards and often shorter hair (possibly youths that have come of age who are to let their hair grow again, if they follow the same logic as we know of future times to follow)

Hair and hair fashion does seem to change although we discover some remains of it to the later 7th century Kouroi and Kores statues where Kouroi have often long hair depicted n ringles or ropes which again could be the indication of curly, braided or locked hair to indicate the continuation of the long-haired fashion even in later years in antiquity such as the archaic period.

Now as I said before doric greek clothing highly depends on the area, the timeline and the city-state we are talking about so it could be a subject on another ask or a reblog on specific eras and areas (Sparta Macedonia etc) depending also on the era we are talking about we can detect some differences in fashion. Generally we have more scarce information on the period of the Dark Ages (after 1100s till the 7th century BC)

For Minoans and Mycenaeans I could look for more bibliography if you want. You can check these two sites where you can find much of the information I list here:

I hope this helps a bit! I will be open for more answers in more detail! ^^

[celestialices]

QUEST!

Greek Mythology x Haikyuu

Haikyuu!Ensemble x Reader

OVERVIEW. You were just a perfectly normal student at The University of Tokyo, when suddenly a bunch of 'normal boys', as they call themselves, appeared in your life and started to squeeze themselves into your life. Always saying something like "You're a goddess, we need to take you back to Olympus" (you brushed it off, saying that it was just a silly compliment) and even absurd sentences such as "You got Medusa's eyes" and "You're really Medusa's daughter!"

002: TRUTH UNTOLD

WARNINGS. Cursing, Mentions of Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks and Panic Attacks

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Alas, the most anticipated day finally came, the Ritual of Intuition. A new batch of deities will finally reap what they sown for the past 18 years.

But for Asami, it's not just that, hence also her the freedom she desired so much. No more asking for permissions to go here and there, and maybe, just maybe, she gets to explore the human world below! What an exciting day, really. Yet despite how much excitement filled her body, there's also this anxious feeling running through her. A bad intuition, some may say.

"You'll do great." Kiyoko, her half-sister who volunteered to dress her up for the occasion, suddenly said. "I know you will." Shimizu Kiyoko, the daughter of Poseidon and Aphrodite, has always been a caring sister. Although generally known to be aloof and straightforward, she’s also a passionate and responsible goddess. The next Aphrodite.

After placing a gold night star necklace on Asami's neck, the alluring goddess kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you there, okay? Take all the time you need.” Kiyoko bid her goodbye to Asami, off to check on her other friends.

Shimizu Kiyoko is the best sister you could ever ask for.

Asami stood up from her seat after a few breaths, heart hammering as she tread her way towards the large, gleaming primrose mirror in her quarters.

She stared at the mirror, not used to seeing the dead eyes. It was often said that her eyes were like the stars; always glowing whatever time it is of the day. Her usual cheery face was nowhere to be found, placed by anxiousness all over.

Why is she feeling nervous anyways? It’s just the ritual. Nothing more, nothing less.

Shaking her head, her eyes went down to the little details of her headwear and the attire she herself designed just for this day. A simple light blue, priding her father's color representation but in a lighter hue, off-shoulder lace dress that covers up her feet. A hint of turquoise flowers and embroidered silver vines dancing in the soft nude fabric, covered off with a light blue lace tulle, matching the shade of her top. A dress she chose to represent her parents, the reason why she's here today.

A sudden cool breeze passed making Asami shiver as she stared up her ceiling. What's keeping her from leaving her room were a bunch of 'what ifs' clouded in her head. Sighing deeply, "Come on, Asami. You've waited your whole life for this. Don't let the negative thoughts get you, as Sugawara always says." Asami muttered to herself, remembering the words of her friend managed to calm her nerves a bit.

"Asami, my daughter." Asami flinched upon hearing her father's voice, Poseidon. The god entered her chambers with his favored son, Iwaizumi Hajime. She gave them a look before running into her father's arms. "Aren't you excited? You should've left your room by now." Poseidon asked, a bit worried for his favorite.

Knowing Asami, they expected to see her happily running around the halls with her friend, Yamaguchi. It’s one of the common occurrences inside Zeus’ Palace to catch sight of the two best friends chasing each other all over the place. Sometimes, a few other deities joins them too. Nonetheless, it cheers everyone else as well.

"Don't get me wrong, Father. I'm really excited, but also quite nervous." Asami answered genuinely, breaking the hug. "What if I really don't have the powers like everyone says? I wasn't born with powers either." She added and exhaled, fiddling with her hair.

Asami won’t be lying if she says the rumors from the other deities are getting in her head. Rumors concerning her spread like a wildfire in Mt. Olympus. She tried so hard to ignore them, but she got stuck in the uncontrolled fire that slowly burns her mind.

Before she knew it, it affected her whole life. Asami thinks about it as soon as she opens her eyes in the morning, before sleeping at night, even when peacefully eating. It was too much, her mind is as if it’s like a deity is constantly pouring water in an glass that’s already full.

How can she not worry when the common occurrence is when a deity's parent or parents unexpectedly dies, the powers are transferred to them as soon as possible. Of course, every move they make are being watched by Athena, a request of Zeus as his fear still lingers.

But that's not the case for her. At all. She's the first one to have a case like that. Oh how Asami tried so hard to find what it is, from glaring at objects to talking to snakes. Yet it was no use.

Was Medusa not fond of her? Maybe, maybe she forgot. Or maybe! Maybe Athena prevented her to! Yeah, that sounds right. The story of Medusa and Athena’s punishment are still passed on ‘til this day, every deity is aware of it.

"Don't worry too much, Asami." Iwaizumi's words snapped her out of her thoughts. "Like Father always says, you are just a rare case." He gave his sister a comforting smile. A smile from Iwaizume comforted her, even though his smile looks really weird sometimes, he tries.

"Now child, chin up. Let's get going, your friends are waiting for you." Poseidon said with pride laced all over his voice. Asami nodded and gave a short smile, just to let them know she’s fine.

The three exited Asami's chambers and made their way to the courtyard, where the ceremony will take place.

Heavy.

Every step she took became heavier and heavier. Like a brick had been put secretly on her shoes. The discomfort in her heart makes it worse, it feels like she’s voluntary walking towards her death. She used to wander around these halls so free of worries, enjoying every scenery put before her eyes.

So why? Why is this happening now?

”Asami.”

Asami felt like Mount Olympus is disappearing from her grasp, darkness slowly consuming her vision. Like a black hole miraculously popped up, swallowing her body.

“Asami.”

Her companions were talking but she can't hear anything but ringing in her ears. Her thoughts were so loud, she wants to escape but the black hole was preventing her to. Asami was stuck in her own mind.

It hurts.

“Asami!”

It hurts!

"Asami, hey!"

A voice called out to her.

A voice as clear as the skies, a voice she'll always recognize.

The voice she treats as her stars, because through the darkness, it will always be there to give her light.

Her vision leisurely went back. Enough to glimpse at Yamaguchi waving happily before making his way towards the her. Yamaguchi bowed to the sea god and his son who were about to enter the courtyard, them only nodding at him in return.

Yamaguchi was about to give Asami a hug when he saw her face that screamed distress. He immediately took a step back, knowing that's enough space she needs. He silently offered his hand for her to hold on, which Asami instantly grabbed on.

It's always like this.

After years of witnessing her panic attacks, Yamaguchi eventually learned how to act when this happens. Even if he also panicked the first time it happened.

He only watch her body shook in fear, watch her breath difficultly. He can only watch. Of course, Yamaguchi wants to do more than watch. He wants to whisper assuring words to her ears, help her breathe comfortably, he wants to help her.

But he also knows this is for the best. He doesn’t want to overstep her boundaries.

Because it’s always like that.

"Good?" He asked after noticing that her breathing went back to normal. A smile finally made it's way on Asami's lips as she looked at her best friend in the eyes. Yamaguchi only smiled in return.

It was always like this.

An unspoken habit of them both once something happens to one another. Smile like nothing happened. It became a comfort for them, assured that it’ll never change. The constant in a world full of changes.

"Are you excited to receive your powers? I'm really excited!" Yamaguchi gave her a quick embrace, his heart relieved that he finally did what he’s dying to do.

"I'm nervous, Tadashi." Asami answered. "But yes, after waiting for years, we'll finally receive the blessing. I can't wait!" She stated with a big smile plastered on her face, making Yamaguchi chuckle. Back to her original self.

The two entered the courtyard after a few minutes of catching up and went to their respective places, Yamaguchi with the Aeolians, placed at the Doric columns, and Asami with the Atlanteans, next to where Zeus' podium stands.

The ceremony started instantly, starting with the children of minor gods and goddesses residing in Hestia's place, Eophertia. Yachi Hitoka was the first one to go, the daughter of Aletheia, the goddess of truth.

Asami watched with anticipation, since Yachi is a good friend of hers. But the anxious feeling never left her, at all, making her tense every second of the event. "You good?" Iwaizume whispered to Asami, feeling the tense the second he looked at her.

She only gave a look of appreciation to Iwaizume, thanking every deity there is for giving her Iwaizume as her step-brother. She really got blessed with the most caring siblings in her immortal life.

Minutes passed, more deities received their blessings and are already privately trying their new profound powers.

Finally, the batch of Aeolians were asked to line up. Asami visibly stiffened, realizing the Atlanteans were next. As Yamaguchi stood in the center, he peeked at Asami, giving a nervous grin. Asami gave him two thumbs up, forgetting her own anxiety for a moment.

"Atlanteans." Flinching when she heard Hera's voice after the wind deities left the center, Asami didn't notice that her mind flew while the blessing took place. She only started walking after Shirofuku Yukie, daughter of Poseidon and Demeter, nudged her.

Whispers erupted as the year's batch of Atlanteans made their way to the center. Asami stood in the center, as she is the daughter of the ruler of Atlantis. Poseidon gave his daughter a tap in the back once everyone settled down.

"Begin." Hera tiredly announced, thankful that this was the second to the last batch. She was already itching to rest, irritated just like every ceremony.

The god of sea raised his trident, starting the blessing by giving a fair share of powers for his people. In the middle of Poseidon mumbling his spell, Hinata Shoyo, the son of Helios and Perse, detected an unusual reaction from the person beside him, Yachi. "What's wrong?" He immediately asked.

Yachi let out a quiet shriek after Hinata spoke. "I.. I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is right." She answered. Since she just got her powers hours ago, she's having second thoughts on what her eyes is showing her. Maybe it's just her imagination? She tend to do that a lot.

"What do you see?" Tsukishima Kei, son of Selene and Endymone, butted in. Curious of what's happening.

Yachi shook her head. "My eyes.." She took a deep breath, contemplating if this was the right thing to do. "..are telling me that Asami's a human."

Hinata's eyes widen after hearing that, even Tsukishima was taken aback. "Are.. are you sure? That can't be possibly true."

"Check again." Tsukishima uttered.

Hearing the three's conversation, Hermes quietly laughed. He internally praised himself for sitting behind the goddess of truth this year. Kunimi Akira, his son, frowned upon hearing this. "Father, this entertains you?" He asked. His hatred for his father grew in just mere seconds.

Hermes looked at his son before whispering to his ear, "I'm the cause. The real goddess lives with the mortals." Kunimi's eyes immediately widened for a second, he's disappointed but deep down, he's not surprised. Only his father can pull shits like this. "That's just what Poseidon deserves after what he did to Medusa."

Kunimi sighed. "Father." The frustrated god called. "You know what will happen when-"

"I know, I know. That's the fun part." Hermes cut him off. Kunimi wants to curse his father out, so tired of bearing his own parent's tricks. "Hey, Yachi. Announce that to everyone." Hermes whispered to the overwhelmed goddess' ears.

Yachi tensed up, slowly looking back at Hermes. "I.. It's true?"

"You can't lie. How can it not be true?" Hermes smirked. Kunimi cringed at this, wanting to be swallowed to the ground right now. "Yachi, the goddess of truth, has an announcement!" Hermes suddenly exclaimed, eyes are already on him.

Everyone was confused, especially Asami. "What is it?" Zeus asked, displeasure everywhere on his face. This is the first time in years the ceremony was interrupted. "It better be important. The ceremony is not to be hecked in."

Everyone turned to Yachi who was already shaking in fear. "Uh.. I.." Yachi stuttered. "My.. my eyes are saying that.. that Asami is not a deity." She closed her eyes, afraid of how everyone will react.

The courtyard was silent. Everyone was taken aback, not sure what to react. "What kind of nonsense is that!" Poseidon yelled. The god stared at Asami, who's tears were about to fall. His eyes softened, what Yachi suddenly announced should not be true.

"Where's Aletheia? We can't just believe a goddess who got her abilities hours ago." Hera rolled her eyes.

"Aletheia went to the human world after giving the blessing for her daughter. She can’t come back immediately." Zeus exhaled. He stood up from his seat, "The ceremony shall end now. The superior gods will discuss this with the goddesses of truth later. For now, go to your respective domains." He ordered.

The deities were quick to follow, only sparing worried and disgusted glances to Asami.

Hanamaki Takahiro, son of Boreas and Oreithyia, was about to fly away but noticed Yamaguchi never moved after the devastating announcement. "Yamaguchi, hey." He called yet Yamaguchi didn't seem to hear him, gazed fixed on Asami.

Matsukawa Issei, son of Notus, tapped his Yamaguchi's back. "Asami's going to be okay." He said, capturing Yamaguchi's attention. "It's still not confirmed. Everything will be fine."

The spaced out god only nodded. Getting ready to fly, "I'm sending gods to the human world to find the real daughter of Medusa if this turns out to be true." The three heard Hera announce which made the wind deities look at her.

"Hera's right. We can't let a goddess wonder in the human world. Especially Medusa's daughter." Zeus stated. "If she doesn't want to return here, kill her." He added.

Aeolia - The Island of the Winds. It is ruled by Aeolus, the divine keeper of the winds. Aeolia is where the four seasonal Anemoi and their family lives. It is located on top of the clouds, above Poseidon's sea.

Aeolians - The people of the Winds. Every Aeolian can fly, the ability is given by their ruler, Aeolus.

Eophortia - Hestia's Residence. It is known to be the Land of Freedom. Home of minor deities. Demi-gods and Semi-gods who've got nowhere to go has been took in by Hestia. Everyone is welcome in Eophortia.

Atlantis - Poseidon's Paradise. Where sea deities, sea-nymphs, merpeople and sea animals live. It is a peaceful place, everyone gets along.

Atlanteans - What people of Atlantis call themselves. Every Atlantean can communicate with sea animals, creating a peaceful environment.

A/N:

Sorry for not updating so soon! School's been a bitch. I'll try to update regularly as much as I can. The reader insert may appear on Chapter 4! Please bear with me.

A lot of characters have been introduced in this chapter, I can't wait to show more of their side in the upcoming chapters. Also, I'm planning to release a little event here soon! It is called 'Exploring Olympus' wherein I'll post pictures of the places I took inspiration in for the places in Mt. Olympus.

I took a lot of time describing how Asami felt before the ceremony. I'm sorry if it's poorly written, but I gave my best! I will be better in the upcoming chapters.

Notes, comments and reviews are very much appreciated! It makes my heart so happy :) If you have any questions or literally anything else, please send an ask! I'd love to answer them.

Thank you for reading!