#labours of herakles

[a-modernmajorgeneral]

It has been said of Gustave Moreau's work that it was an extension of Romantic art. And yet he was not a painter of drama so much as of the image: that of a moral confrontation experienced on a personal level – for example, in the Rouen painting, the sense of distance from the murder that has been set in motion. In addition, the painter uses a universal language – that of the great Renaissance masters, particularly Michelangelo and Leonardo – through myths that are no less universal.  

Rouen's Diomedes devoured by his horses is a perfect example of this approach, even if – it has to be admitted here – it was not Moreau's favourite painting. He wrote to the curator of the Musée de Rouen, ‘I would have wished, sir, to have been able to respond to your invitation in a more satisfactory manner, by sending you a larger and more accomplished picture (…)’. His subject here is based on one of the Twelve Labours of Hercules, where the Greek hero sent the horses of Diomedes to devour the king himself, who had the regrettable habit of feeding them on human flesh. The horses are inspired by the art of da Vinci and the antique hero by the drawings of Michelangelo, while the setting is taken directly from drawings by the great Italian master Piranesi.

The result is an astonishing work that could even be described as absurd, in that its meaning may easily elude the viewer. This is because the painter seems to illustrate highly personal ideas, straight out of his dreams, with a language intended to be universal. Moreau sought both a magic drawn from his own visions and a ‘purely visual art’ which, in his words, ‘would be the most penetrating, the most profound, the most sublime expression of the visual idea.’

In other words, Moreau's art is a kind of mannerism in Romantic art that is perhaps too attached to form — Degas spoke of ‘these gods wearing bracelets and watches’ — but in this way creates symbols. But when people tried to link his art with Symbolism in literature, Moreau objected, finding this view ‘stupid and unjust’. The fact remains that his art opened up new paths, because it seemed like a possible breakaway, reconciling the expression of highly personal ideas with a conceptual language. This new path was to inspire Abstract art: a direction that Moreau in fact took at the end of his life.

---

DIOMEDES was a barbaric king of the Bistonian tribe of Thrake who fed his mares on a diet of human flesh. Herakles was sent to fetch these horses as the eighth of his twelve Labours. He captured the beasts alive and left them in the care of his young squire Abderos while he went off to deal with King Diomedes. He returned to discover the boy had been devoured by the mares and in anger fed them their master's corpse which stilled their unnatural appetites.

A variation of this myth can be found in the story of Pyraikhmes of Euboia.

Title: Diomedes Being Eaten by his Horses

Artist: Gustave Moreau

Date: 1865

Style: Symbolism

Genre: Mythological Painting

[dreamconsumer]

Heracles bringing Cerberus to King Eurystheus. Unknown artist.

[whencyclopedia]

A Visitor's Guide to Herculaneum

In the first part of our new travel series devoted to the archaeological sites around the Bay of Naples, we shared some hints and tips as to how you can best prepare for your self-guided tour of Pompeii. In this second part, we look into the fascinating history of Pompeii's "little sister", the town of Herculaneum. Located just 17 kilometres (10 miles) to the north of its more famous neighbour, the archaeological site attracts fewer tourists, but the exceptional preservation of this Roman seaside town and the compactness of its exposed remains might even offer the visitor a more satisfying experience than Pompeii.

In Herculaneum, there are two-storey buildings, wooden furniture, traces of wooden stairways and balconies, luxurious patrician villas and even merchant shops with their original wooden shelves holding amphorae. Its destruction and preservation have made Herculaneum an extraordinary place which genuinely deserves the same renown as its famous neighbour.

A Roman Seaside Resort

Herculaneum was a small walled town located a short distance from the sea, west of Mount Vesuvius. As its name suggests, it was originally dedicated to the Greek god Herakles, who, according to the legend told by Dionysius of Halicarnassus (60 BCE), founded the city after his return from one of his twelve labours. The precise early history of Herculaneum is unclear, but the urban planning suggests that it may have been connected with the Greek colony settlements in the Naples area. According to Strabo (ca. 64 BCE - 24 CE), the city was subsequently inhabited by Oscans, then Etruscans and Pelasgians, and finally by Samnites in the 4th century BCE. The town remained a member of the Samnite league until it became a Roman municipium in 89 BCE during the Social War.

Herculaneum was then transformed into a purely Roman town and prospered as a quiet, secluded seaside resort for wealthy and distinguished Roman citizens who built beachfront residences with panoramic sea views. Unlike Pompeii, which was mostly a commercial city with ca. 12,000 inhabitants, Herculaneum was relatively modest in size. The overall surface enclosed by the walls was approximately 20 hectares (one-quarter of Pompeii), for a population of roughly 4,000 inhabitants. However small, the city is remarkable in terms of its evident wealth. The city had a richer artistic life than Pompeii and had more elaborate private buildings. Many houses of Herculaneum had two or three stories with atria and peristyles and were decorated with finely executed paintings and expensive furnishings.

Continue reading...

[tylermileslockett]

Herakles labor 6: Slay the Stymphalian Birds:

Here's what (Psuedo) Apollodorus, in his book "The Library" (1-2nd century A.D.) has to say about this labor, "The sixth labour he enjoined on him was to chase away the Stymphalian birds. Now at the city of Stymphalus in Arcadia was the lake called Stymphalian, embossed in a deep wood. To it countless birds had flocked for refuge, fearing to be preyed upon by the wolves. So when Hercules was at a loss how to drive the birds from the wood, Athena gave him brazen castanets, which she had received from Hephaestus. By clashing these on a certain mountain that overhung the lake, he scared the birds. They could not abide the sound, but fluttered up in a fright, and in that way Hercules shot them."

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[deathlessathanasia]

Since Ate has no named mother in the Iliad, I've given this some thought and decided that it could be pretty fitting for her to be Hera's daughter based on a few things:

The parallel between Ate and Eileithyia in the birth of Herakles. Ate helps Hera delude Zeus into swearing a disadvantageous oath, Eileithyia helps Hera by holding back Alkmene's labour so that Eurystheus can be born before Herakles.

The parallel between Ate and Hephaistos. They both are thrown from Olympos by Zeus after offering assistance to Hera, enough said.

The parallels between Ate and Hera herself. They both excel in deceiving and even bear similar titles: Ate = πρέσβα Διὸς θυγάτηρ, Hera = πρέσβα Θεὰ, θύγατερ μεγάλοιο Κρόνοιο.

[littlesparklight]

The timeline I've constructed for my Greek myth fic 'verse has been a gradual process (and labour. so, so much labour sobs), and I wish I'd realized earlier I could use Herakles' age of death to help guide how many years I'd at the least need to put in between his birth and when Perseus kills Medusa. As it was I've had to move things earlier than Herakles' birth back by several decades at least once!

You'd think Herakles' Labours would be useful as a guideline, which they are. Sort of. Because the thing is, as fantastically ordered and neatly laid-out as the Labours and the other events afterwards are (sort of) laid out in the Bibliotheke (which is so helpful in general), I quickly had to just discard not just the order of the Labours but the idea that they happen in twelve years consecutively.

Mostly (but not only) because of the last one, with Kerberos. It needs to coincide with Theseus and Pirithous' attempt at kidnapping Persephone, which happens right after Pirithous has helped Theseus kidnap Helen - and Helen is conventionally between 9-12 years old when this happens. (Later I also realized that Odysseus needed to be somewhere between 16-20 years old when he got the bow from Iphthius right before Herakles murders him, which, fortunately, by happenstance my timeline as it was at that point could accommodate without changing any ages or moving any events!)

What's actually been really helpful as a guideline is the journey of the Argo (but even that isn't without problems (': ) and the events around it.

Given who all are most often considered a participant in the journey, it was obvious I needed to put the Calydonian boar hunt after it - specifically Akastos always being alive and on the journey, and still only a prince, therefore Peleus accidentally killing his father in law (during the hunt) and coming to Iolkos to be purified by Akastos and the mess that happens because of this cannot have happened yet.

So you have a neat connection of events, presumably in very short order after each other; the journey, the funeral games of Pelias, the hunt, Peleus going to Iolkos (and losing his wife); Peleus and Thetis' wedding. I put these within a collective two year span, of which the journey takes up most of one year.

I completely ignored that the goddesses always seem to go to Paris immediately after the wedding. It makes just as much sense, and worked better for character and timeline and age reasons, that Zeus would drag the whole thing out. Plus with the Dioskouroi as part of the journey they'd been to be teens at least.

I early on settled on a rather simple way to chop things up; the journey of the Argo is ~15 years before the start of the war (because of Achilles' age at the first muster), and Herakles' attack on Troy ended up being 39 years before the war. I think I originally had it be 30 years before but pushed it up.

I reaaallyy quickly decided I'd go with what other myths as well as the vase painting suggests when it comes to the Dioskouroi; that they're older than Helen (and Klytaimnestra). It makes more sense, so they've ended up being nine years older than Helen.

I had to fight a lot with both the myths and my timeline to try to figure out where to put Tyndareos' exile/Hippokoon usurping him.

You could probably put it much earlier than I did (especially if you're ignoring that Herakles' attacking Sparta is part of his post-Labours wars/events), since all that you need is that the Labour to fetch Geryones cattle has happened. One of the reasons given for the attack on Sparta is that Sparta/Hippokoon helped Pylos when Herakles attacked it to avenge himself of Neleus and his sons attempting to steal the cattle.

If you put it earlier, then all the kids are presumably born in Sparta (though I do know I've read a source that imply the Doskouroi were actually born during the exile...). I put Hippokoon's usurpation rather late, in conjunction with Helen and Klytaimnestra's births, so they're actually born in Pleuron (where I put exiled Tyndareos and his family). The whole family comes back to Sparta/Lakedaimon in my timeline only shortly before Helen is kidnapped by Theseus, when she's ten.

And Agamemnon and Menelaus come to Sparta for a year a couple years later, first spending time in Sikyon and then Calydon (to match up with that Aegisthos kills Atreus when he's "grown to manhood". But I've actually cheated a little and he's like... fourteen or something, but I couldn't have this happen later.

so basically: 1231 BC - The judgement, Paris goes to Sparta. He's twenty, Helen twenty four, Menelaos thirty. (In 1235 BC, the Epigoni attack Thebes, ten years after the Seven did so.) Seven years before the judgement, in 1238 BC, Helen and Menelaos marry; she's seventeen. Menelaos and Agamemnon are exiled from Mycenae between 1244-1240 BC; they spend the first couple years in Sikyon and Kalydon, until Tyndareos, sympathetic to their plight (and probably having had their character vouched for by Oeneus, since, uh, Helen's abduction by Theseus was just the year before they were exiled), offers to help them. They spend a year (between 1241-1240) in Sparta; at the end Tyndareos lends military aid to retake Mycenae and Agamemnon marries Klytaimnestra. In 1245 BC, the Seven attack Thebes early in the year and, too several campaigns of Herakles means Tyndareos can take control of Lakedaimon again. Later in the year, Helen (10) is kidnapped by Theseus and Pirithous, they then attempt to kidnap Persephone and are imprisoned. Peleus and Thetis marry the year before that, in 1246 BC, right at the start of the year; I liked the idea that he attempted for a couple months to woo her before the wrestling happens (and it also means a little time to perhaps grieve his wife committing suicide), so the mess with Akastos, the Calydonian boar hunt, and the funeral games of Pelias all happen in 1247 BC. Thus, the journey of the Argonauts are during 1248 BC, with the Dioskouroi 16 years old. At this point they're obviously still living in Pleuron, and have been for several years, as Hippokoon usurped him in 1255 BC, when they were 9.

I partially chose Pleuron because well, it'd make rather sense for Tyndareos to take refuge with his father in law, and because there is actually quite a lot of connection between Ikarios and a section of Akarnania (west of Aetolia, where Pleuron is). Which I decided to lean into, so that when Tyndareos goes back to Lakedaimon, Ikarios and his family stays, having been given land of their own in Akarnania.

[planetsandstarsandstuff]

Thoughts on Chiron in synastry?

I actually just read the book 'Chiron in Love: The Astrology of Envy, Rage, Compassion and Wisdom' (2023) by Liz Greene, and I would really recommend it to anyone who wants to do a deep dive on Chiron in synastry! The book is based on a seminar she originally gave in 2005 and it goes over: 'the nature of Chiron', 'Chiron in synastry', 'Chiron in the family,' and 'Chiron in the composite chart'. I don't think I could possibly explain anything from this book better than Liz Greene herself, so the majority of this post will be made up of excerpts (some of the quotes are very long so bear with me). And unfortunately there's a word limit on tumblr so I'll have to split this into multiple posts. This post will be focusing on Chiron alone, and the next post will delve into Chiron in synastry.

In order to understand Chiron in synastry, it's important to first develop a clear understanding of Chiron itself. In her book, Liz Greene begins by giving some background to the myth of Chiron, "The story that astrologers tend to relate to Chiron is his wounding by Herakles' poisoned arrow. But the way it's usually presented today in [astrological] circles is significantly different from older versions of the story. According to the updated version, Chiron is wounded and then becomes a healer because he has experienced deep suffering and develops compassion. I'm not suggesting that this idea is 'untrue', as it's a powerful theme connected with the emergence of genuine empathy and the capacity to turn one's suffering into a creative tool to relate to and alleviate others' pain. Chiron is a potent image of the healer who has acquired wisdom through personal pain. This version of Chiron has learned how to heal others because he has been wounded, and he reflects the process by which life's damage can enhance consciousness and put us on a path connecting us with [deeper] realities. The fact that Chiron can't heal himself is a necessary part of the story. If we could fully heal our own wounds, we might [lose] our compassion for others who are suffering. It's only the ongoing recognition of our frailty and damage that allows the continuance of empathy. There is profound truth in this interpretation. The only problem is that the idea of healing gifts emerging as a product of wounding is not what the myth of Chiron as it has come down to us from antiquity actually tells us. There are [many] sources for myths, and they inevitably mutate over time according to changing cultural contexts...I'm not suggesting that only the earliest rendition of a mythic story is the 'right' one. Myths are living entities and, because they are symbolic, many meanings may be simultaneously 'right', and different readings of a story may be especially applicable at different epochs of history. But when we're seeking astrological insights, it's always worth looking at versions of the story different to the ones we're most attached to, because they can offer us a new perspective on the pattern." (Greene, pp. 28-31)

She goes on to describe the original myth of Chiron, "Whatever version of the story we consider, the most striking difference between the one given in ancient sources and the one told in contemporary astrological circles is that in earlier sources, Chiron doesn't become a healer because he's wounded. He's already a healer, and his wounding not only puts an end to his career but also results in the relinquishing of his immortality. There seems to be agreement about the fact that the wounding occurs accidentally through the agency of Herakles; the [superhero] of Greek myth who is given 12 Labours to perform as a penance for the inadvertent murder of his wife and children, and manages [to complete all of them]. Herakles had just finished the second of his 12 Labours; the fight with the Lernaen Hydra, a poisonous snakelike monster with nine self-regenerating heads. All the hero's spent arrows were covered in the Hydra's deadly blood. After he put the arrows back in their quiver, he set off to visit his friend Pholos, the wisest and most benign of the wild centaurs. Pholos had a sealed jar of wine hidden in his cave which he had vowed to never touch because he knew that wine could drive centaurs mad. Pholos [was] determined to be civilised and loyal to his vow. Despite Herakles' insistence, he refused to open the jar of wine. But Herakles, being somewhat pushy, finally bullied Pholos into opening the wine. The other centaurs [caught a whiff of it]. They went mad from the mere scent of it, seized the jar, and started drinking. They began to tear up trees and smash boulders and hurl rocks, shooting arrows at each other and also at Herakles. Chiron, their King, rushed out of his own cave to stop the madness, because these were his people and he was responsible for them. Herakles meanwhile was pulling arrows out of his quiver and shooting them in every direction, killing many of the centaurs. In the midst of [this chaos], an arrow passed through the arm of one of the centaurs and accidentally struck Chiron. The arrow lodged in Chiron's hip, knee, foot/hoof (depending on which myth you read), all three of which belong to the horse part of him. Because the arrow was coated in the Hydra's [poisonous] blood, the wound it inflicted couldn't be healed. Chiron rushed back into his cave howling in agony. No matter what remedy he tried, his skills couldn't heal the injury. Because he was immortal, he couldn't die the way the other centaurs did. His situation was impossible and tragic. He couldn't function because of his agony, so he lay in his cave screaming in pain. Then a divine intervention occurred. The Titan Prometheus, who had offended Zeus by stealing the god's fire to give to humans, had been punished by being chained to a rock in the Caucasus mountains, where Zeus's eagle visited every day to devour Prometheus' liver. But this torture didn't quite kill the Titan because every night the liver miraculously regenerated and heralded another day of agony. Zeus, displaying his most spiteful face, decreed that this misery had to go on until some divine being was willing to surrender the gift of immortality to Prometheus. There had been no volunteers. Herakles, who felt guilty because Chiron was his friend, said to his father Zeus, 'I know someone who might be willing to do it.' Thus Chiron relinquished his immortality to take the place of Prometheus in the underworld, freeing the Titan from suffering and at the same time freeing himself from his own pain. Before his wounding, Chiron was already a healer and teacher, good and wise, gifted and kind. But through no fault of his own, he is caught in the [crossfire]. He blunders into the middle of the conflict to stop it, but [is not successful]. He can do nothing to heal himself despite all his wisdom and all his arts, because the Hydra's poison is an eternal poison." (Greene, pp. 31-34)

In this myth Chiron is faced with an impossible situation, one that he isn't personally responsible for, "Chiron can't keep his immortality without eternal misery and wretchedness and the loss of his purpose in the world. He can't remain a god. He isn't to blame, and his blamelessness seems to be one of the major themes of the astrological Chiron." (Greene, p. 35) In our natal chart, Chiron points to an area of life where we feel unfairly and irrevocably wounded, and perpetually unable to soothe the pain of this wound. It's where we feel we are "a victim of life" as Liz Greene puts it, being arbitrarily subjected to pain and suffering by something much larger than ourselves, something completely outside of our control and beyond our capabilities as individuals.

She continues, saying, "It's only when Chiron is ready to relinquish his immortality that he is granted release from his suffering. This is a disturbing denoument, and it's understandable that is has been reinterpreted so that Chiron's wounding results in compassion and healing gifts. But I think it's important to explore the myth in its original form as well as acknowledging the value of the latter version, rather than trying to convince ourselves that there will always be a happy ending to this story...The myth tells us that Chiron's wound can never be cured. But perhaps we can try to transform our way of responding to it and turn it into something more [creative and life-affirming]. That effort might itself constitute healing." (Greene, pp. 35-41) She then discusses what it might mean to 'relinquish immortality', "Audience: I think the relinquishment of immortality means a kind of humility in life, and an acceptance of your own death. Liz: Yes, I agree. The sacrifice suggests an acceptance of life's imperfections, the limits of our power as individuals, and our inevitable mortality..." (Greene, p. 47) There may be no 'cure' to Chiron's wound, but through adjusting our perception and reaction to this wound, and through profound acceptance, we can slowly begin to heal.

I'll end this post with an analogy from the book that relates to viewing life circumstances through different lenses, or, rather, through the lens of different planets, I think it's helpful in demonstrating how Chiron actually feels in a chart. Greene says, "Think about your last trip to the dentist. If you view the experience through Saturn's lens, it's an uncomfortable but necessary part of keeping your body healthy. It's unpleasant but you put up with it stoically and leave the dental surgery quite pleased because you've discharged your duty to your oral hygiene for another year. And if you have to lose a tooth or be fitted with a denture, well, that's just the hard reality of life. Viewed through Venus' lens, the important issue is having a beautiful smile, and it's worth putting up with just about anything and paying any amount of money to achieve it. And it's even more rewarding if you fancy the dentist. But viewed through Chiron's lens, it's a terrifying experience because of the expectation of suffering. You'll put off the visit for as long as possible, and the delay may worsen the condition of your teeth. The hygienist becomes a sociopathic sadist and the dentist transforms into the slasher from A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you must have a tooth extracted, it confirms your conviction that life is brutally unfair, because surely they could have saved the tooth had they cared about you enough or if you could have afforded a top-quality private dental clinic. You leave the dental surgery feeling as though you're suffering from PTSD because it was so traumatic. We can bring many different archetypal perceptions to our experience of injury. When we bring Chiron's perception to it, the experience carries all of the connotations of Chiron's myth." (Greene, p. 68)

In the next post, we'll place all of this into the context of synastry.

Greene, L. (2023) Chiron In Love: The Astrology of Envy, Rage, Compassion and Wisdom. Swanage: The Wessex Astrologer Ltd.

[hollowwhisperings]

Would that make riku the first gay Disney prince? Mickey has basically become like a surrogate father to him which would make him the Prince while also being the prince to kingdom hearts. And thinking further, then there’s potentially three x-blades. The x-blade of legend forged in the conflict of light and dark, the kingdom x-blade of both keys that might be combined later down the line, and the combined key of their hearts.

There are a lot of "First Gay Disney Character" contenders, even without going into live-action films or Disney Channel shows, and as much as Disney's take on Herakles was painful in its inaccuracies (i.e. using the Roman name 'Hercules' but Greek names for everyone else)... Greek Mythology is VERY GAY.

Like, labels of sexuality are anachronistic to the period but EVERYONE was queer: the gods, the heroes, the IRL poets. Herakles was only able to defeat the Hydra during his Labours because his boyfriend Hylas was there to cauterize its necks before it could grow new heads.

(on a sadder/more ominous note, Hylas is also noted for his role in Mythological Greece's Epic Crossover Event, the quest for the Golden Fleece: his disappearing mid-quest caused Herakles, the strongest hero of all, to ABANDON THE QUEST. Herc left the crossover event to look for his boyfriend... but failed, Hylas having been dragged off by nymphs while fetching water.)

The whole "Mythological Greece was REALLY queer" Thing makes the consistent use of Disney's Hercules within the KH series feel very Deliberate: Riku is alikened to Hercules quite consistently, if only through the Colisseum enabling Sora's competitiveness (with Riku) and his need for Validation (from Riku). Herc, like Riku, is considered the BEST of The Best, the Ultimate Hero, the Peak of Masculine Perfection... this already sounds gay & KH3 dialed that energy up to 11 by directly connecting Riku with Herc & with the Sun.

Onto the matter of x-blades... it WOULD fit within the greater mythos of KH if there were 3 x-blades but I suspect that each "version" would simply act as a stepping stone toward manifesting ONE "true" x-blade that incorporates the Kingdom Keys, the Gayblade, & the "balancing of Darkness & Light". SoRiku only have 4 hands between them after all.

Regarding the Light/Darkness part, I strongly suspect that a big factor in how previous attempts have FAILED by manufacturing a war beyween Light & Darkness is due to a Misunderstanding on what the x-blade is FOR.

The x-blade was never meant to be some Ultimate Weapon (though it can act as one): it was meant to be a Key to Kingdom Hearts. And what is the truest method to 'unlocking' a heart? Love.

That a meeting of 'Light & Darkness' is referenced in the forging of a x-blade seems, to me, something 'incidental' to the x-blade being a manifestation of Love: 'True Love' in the Disney Worlds tends to feature people embracing each other wholly, Darkness & All. The primary "Disney Couple" that the KH series uses when referencing Sora & Riku is Belle & Adam: it is Belle's embracing Beast, his Light (as a man) AND his 'Darkness' (as a beast), that makes their love story so Iconic. It's also how they end up breaking Adam's Curse.

Embracing and Balancing the Light&Darkness in oneself & in one's beloved is an Act of True Love: Love is how Riku was able to balance his own Darkness & Light, Riku's journey through Dream Drop Distance being one of 'Self-Acceptance'. Self-acceptance enabled Riku to be empowered by his love of Sora, to reconnect with Sora without pulling away because of Riku's insecurities & his self-loathing.

If not as an incidental component to 'Love', the Light&Darkness aspect of the x-blade may be in service to its actual Purpose. Not only of 'unlocking Kingdom Hearts' but perhaps also... a Reconciling of Light & Darkness?

Xehanort sought to use the x-blade & Kingdom Hearts to create a [blank slate]. The Master of Masters seems invested in DESTROYING Darkness (and its vessels with it?). Yet the Disney Worlds & the Resolution of the Seeker of Darkness saga have all kind of implied that 'reconciliation' is what everything is ideally building up to: Belle & Adam, Herc & Meg, Eraqus & Xehanort, Riku, Sora, Sora AND Riku.

Acts of True Love often show Light overcoming Darkness but, since Kingdom Hearts was recognised by Sora & Riku (in KH1) as being "light"... since Riku has been steadily taking a thematic role of 'the Sun'... since the WORD 'sora' does not only translate to 'sky' but ALSO to 'void'?

Kingdom Hearts might be a complementary 'Light' (or Sun) to the Darkness of the 'One Sky': the 'sora' shared by all Worlds, the Night Sky that is the void of space beyond each World's atmospheric sky... the quiet Darkness of the universe within which all Light is made visible. Light & Darkness as elements of the universe, not just thematic symbols of love & acts thereof.

Afterall, 'sora' does not just/only refer to the atmospheric [sky] but to the "sky" of space: ENG typically translates THAT meaning of 'sora' to [void]. It's a double meaning that was kind of lost on International audiences but might be explored through Yozora's whole "[true king] of the [night sky]" thing.

This Ask REALLY imspired me! I got pretty caught up in how Riku's Designated World has always been Disney's Hercules (and how Gay that is) but! i think i came back to all the points? I definitely like the idea of there being 3 parts to manifesting 1 x-blade: the 'physical body' of joining the Kingdom Keys, the 'heart' made by love & dreams, the 'soul' made of Light&Darkness... any of these roles are interchangeable, given the whole "keyblades are manifestations of the heart" thing but joining the 3 parts of personhood laid out in KH1 (body, heart, soul) to the forming of the x-blade would be Very Cool. Thank you, Anon! <3

[casskeeps]

augean stables

location: temple of zeus at olympia

date: 465-457 bce

subject

herakles used a shovel to reroute the alfenos river to clean out the augean stables

this relates to the theme of the triumph of civilisation over barbarism as herakles is using his intelligence as well as his brute strength

composition

athene is upright and columnar - a very strong vertical

this contrasts herakles' diagonals - his arms and torso+straight leg form opposing diagonals

athene's right arm is parallel to herakles' shovel

herakles, striding forward, takes up more space than athene - this makes him more prevalent and dominant within the composition

athene's drapery is modest and plain - she wears an unpatterned peplos, and no armour or aegis - she does, however, have her helmet on - this makes her more identifiable

herakles has a beard in this metope - this makes him appear less youthful and more matured than the metopes depicting the previous labours

the drapery of athene's peplos is carved very shallowly - this makes the drapery feel very two-dimensional and detracts from the realism of the metope

the lack of details in the hair make it feel unnaturally smooth

scholars

woodford: "confident in the midst of action"

[aimee-maroux]

It's #NationalBirdDay so I want to talk about birds in mythology. There are many stories from ancient Greece about mythological birds and half-bird creatures.

Birds of Ares

The Birds of Ares (Ornithes Areioi in ancient Greek) were a flock of arrow-feathered birds which the god had set to guard his sacred shrine on the Black Sea island of Dia, also called Ares' Island. It had been built by the Amazons, his daughters. The birds were encountered by the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. The heroes raised their shields as a defence against the birds' deadly volleys of arrows and with a clash of shield and spear scared them away.

The Birds of Ares were sometimes identified with the Stymphalian Birds driven off by Herakles (see below).

Griffins

The Griphoi or Griffins is a hybrid creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. They guard a treasure of gold by the border to Hyperborea. Griffins were popular decorations in ancient Greek art, for example the helm of the statue of Athena Piraeus:

Source: Athens, Archaeological Museum of Piraeus © 2014. Photo: Ilya Shurygin.

Harpies

The Harpyiai or Harpies were depicted as winged women, sometimes with ugly faces, or with the lower bodies of birds. They were the spirits of sudden, dangerous gusts of wind and were sent by the gods to snatch up people and things from the dark earth. A missing person was said to have been snatched by the Harpies.

Hippalektryon

The Hippalektryon, literally "horse-cock" or "horse-rooster" (hippos = horse, alektryôn = cock) is a hybrid creature with the head and sometimes forelegs of a horse and the wings, tail and back-legs of a male chicken. @sigeel drew them most beautifully, tended to by Demeter and Persephone.

Phoenix

This bird is still well-known today through the saying "rising like a Phoenix from the ashes". It was said to resemble an eagle, with feathers partly red and partly golden. The Phoenix flies from Arabia to the Temple of the Sun (Ra) in Heliopolis in Egypt every 500 years to bury its father encased in myrrh. And there only is a father because the Phoenix begets itself. The tale of the Phoenix actually rising from its own ashes is related in a 4th century CE Roman text called "The Phoenix":

...the pyre conceives the new life; Nature takes care that the deathless bird perish not, and calls upon the sun, mindful of his promise, to restore its immortal glory to the world. Straightway the life spirit surges through his scattered limbs; the renovated blood floods his veins. The ashes show signs of life; they begin to move though there is none to move them, and feathers clothe the mass of cinders. He who was but now the sire comes forth from the pyre the son and successor; between life and life lay but that brief space wherein the pyre burned. His first delight is to consecrate his father's spirit by the banks of the Nile and to carry to the land of Aegyptus (Egypt) the burned mass from which he was born.

Sirens

The Seirenes or Sirens were depicted as birds with either the heads or entire upper bodies of women. They are well-known from the Odyssey for their enchanting song.

Lovely Terpsichore, one of the Muses, had borne them [the Sirens] to Akheloos, and at one time they had been handmaids to Demeter's gallant Daughter [Persephone], before she was married, and sung to her in chorus. But now, half human and half bird in form, they spent their time watching for ships from a height that overlooked their excellent harbour; and many a traveller, reduced by them to skin and bones, had forfeited the happiness of reaching home. Apollonios Rhodios, Argonautika 4.892

The shape of the Sirens, a bird with a woman's head, was popular as a vessel for perfumes and cosmetics.

Stymphalian Birds

The Stymphalian Birds were a flock of man-eating birds of prey which lived around Lake Stymphalis in Arkadia on the Peloponnese. Herakles had to deal with them for the sixth of his twelve labours:

Herakles was stumped by the problem of driving the birds out of the woods, but Athena got some bronze noise-makers from Hephaistos and gave them to him, and by shaking these from a mountain adjacent to the lake frightened the birds. Not enduring the racket, they flew up in fear, and in this manner Herakles reached them with his arrows. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2.92

The Stymphalian Birds were sometimes identified with the arrow-shooting Birds of Ares that were encountered by the Argonauts (see above).

According to Pausanias' Description of Greece there was also an old sanctuary of Stymphalian Artemis in Stymphalos and near the roof of her temple the Stymphalian birds had been carved.

Which is your favourite birb story from mythology?

[tbtgtr-incorrectquotes]

You know the "Queen Aemma lives au"on the SB thread and on Leonie's blog?

One of the happiest AUs period

Yup, best AU really!

Early Death/Regency/Labours of Herakles is happy-ish but mostly bittersweet due to the death of both Viserys and Daemon. An Au that can avoid killing it's main cast for other members of the main cast to live usually tends to be the happiest or the 'we fucked up and now we all have to live with it'

[smythologies]

Similasis Ep 1

You knows just wild? How similar different mythologies and religions are to each other. That's why I'm gonna be doing this series, called:

Similasis

Or "Similologies" if you want.

But yeah, I'm just gonna be talking about different mythologies and their interesting similarities. Some may seem like stretches at first, but I feel like that's just part of the fun!

This first, "pilot episode" will be about:

Hinduism and Greek Mythology

So, let's start off with Krishna (Hinduism) and Herakles (Greek Mythology).

They're both "descended", in a sense, from one of the ultimate divinities in their respective pantheons; Krishna is the "avatar" of Vishnu, the Sustainer, while Herakles is one of Zeus' most popular children. They're also both incredibly powerful, with Krishna basically being a God on Earth, and Heraes having incredible strength.

From birth, they were also hunted and hated by a family member; for Krishna, it was his uncle Kansa, because of a Prophecy saying that Kansa would die at the hands of his sister's eight child. For Herakles, he was hunted by his stepmother, Hera, in her attempts to retaliate against Zeus for cheating.

As such, both faced, and defeated, assassination attempts at a young age. The she-demon Putana, sent by Kansa, attempted to breastfeed Krishna with her poisoned milk, but the young Godling bit down hard and simply sucked her dry (power move fr). On the other hand, Hera sent snakes to kill Herakles, which the child strangled with ease.

This isn't shown much in modernity, but both Krishna and Herakles were well-known for their wit and cunning; Krishna would always use his intellect to trick and confuse his adoptive mother Yashoda Ma, while Herakles has used incredible punishment to escape punishment and retribution in the past.

They've both also shown incredible feats of strength. When Vrindavan was being flooded by Indra Dev, Krishna lifted the Mount Govardhan with his little finger, so it acted like an umbrella. Similarly, while completing his Twelve Labours, Herakles held the sky on his back to allow Atlas to get him some apples.

Another major similarly is how similar the Mahabharata (Hinduism) and Trojan War (Greek Mythology) are. Many of the prominent characters share similar aspects, for example Arjuna (Mahabharata) is quite similar to Archilles (Trojan War), as they both refuse to fight (for admittedly different reasons), but eventually, due to a personal loss (Arjuna's son Abhimanyu, Achilles' lover-friend Patroclus), they both join the fray. Both Krishna and Achilles, two of the strongest beings in their wars, are also killed by an arrow to the heel. Achilles is also quite similar to Duryodhan, as they both were given blessings from their mothers (special armour for Achilles, stone body for Duryodhan) that were supposed to protect them from harm, but still didn't fully save them, due to a fatal weak point.

Of course, there are lots of other similarities between them, but for now, I think this is more than enough. Have a great day!

- Smylee

Edit: I almost forgot, both Achilles and Arjuna crossed dressed before. OK now I'm done.

[whencyclopedia]

The Twelve Labours of Herakles

A map illustrating the Twelve Labours of Herakles (Heracles, romanized as Hercules), probably the most famous of the ancient heroes in Greek mythology. Born as a demi-god (son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene,) Herakles was tricked out of his kingdom and constantly pursued by Hera, which culminated in a fit of madness that drove him to murder his wife and children. As a penance, he was urged by the Oracle of Delphi to enter into service of Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, for twelve years and perform a sequence of Twelve Labours that seemed impossible (the fixed narrative of Twelve Labours, as well as Herakles' signature lion's skin attire and a club is attributed to the ancient poet Peisander, from c. 600 BCE).

Image by Simeon Netchev

[tylermileslockett]

HERAKLES LABOR #1: "The Nemean Lion"

Heres what Diodorus suculus, in his book "Library of History" (30-60 B.C.) had to say about Heracles 1st labor:

"The first Labour which he undertook was the slaying of the lion in Nemea. This was a beast of enormous size, which could not be wounded by iron or bronze or stone and required the compulsion of the human hand for his subduing. It passed the larger part of its time between Mycenae and Nemea, in the neighbourhood of a mountain which was called Tretus from a peculiarity which it possessed; for it had a cleft at its base which extended clean through it and in which the beast was accustomed to lurk. Herakles came to the region and attacked the lion, and when the beast retreated into the cleft, after closing up the other opening he followed in after it and grappled with it, and winding his arms about its neck choked it to death. The skin of the lion he put about himself, and since he could cover his whole body with it because of its great size, he had in it a protection against the perils which were to follow."

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[deathlessathanasia]

"Eukleia represents the personal qualities that brought a person a good reputation, as well as the reputation itself. Mythic genealogies for her come late: Ploutarkhos (Aristides 20.5) mentions she was the child of Herakles and Myrto, but Euripides notes that Ponos (Labour) was her father (fr. 474 N2): … In earlier Greek literature, eukleia refers to the glory and fame that results from military victories (Homeros, Ilias 8.285 and Odysseia 14.402). Eukleia’s meaning as the good reputation of private individuals becomes more prominent in the literature of the second half of the fifth century, and is particularly prominent in the works of Euripides (for eukleia in Hippolytos see Braund, 1980: 84-85). She is personified in Classical Athenian literature to the degree that she owns, holds, or bestows a wreath or crown, as in Sophokles’ Aias (462-465), produced in 442 or 441, when Aias bemoans his bad fortune: And how shall I present myself and appear to the eye of my father, Telamon? How will he bear it when he sees me naked, without the prize of the best and the bravest, for which he himself held the great crown of Eukleia? Sophokles’ ‘crown of Eukleia’ (στέφανος εὐκλείας), also worn by Theseus (Euripides, Hiketides 315), is recalled in the words of Bakkhylides, who calls Eukleia’ φιλοστεφάνος, ‘lover of the wreath’ (Bakkhylides, Epinikoi 13.183; see also Bakkhylides, Epinikoi 1.184 and Dithyramboi 15.54; and Pindaros, Isthmionike 5.22). With or without a wreath, Eukleia could bestow a good reputation on someone, through birth and/or marriage, as well as victory. In regard to ancestry, eukleia therefore takes on aristocratic connotations (Metzler, 1980). She was involved in marriage preparations, at least in Boiotia, Athens’ neighbour and long-term rival, where she was worshipped as an epithet of Artemis (Shapiro, 72 chapter six 1993: 70-78; Kossatz-Deissmann, 1988c). Ploutarkhos notes that Artemis Eukleia had an altar in each Boiotian marketplace (see also Sophokles, Oidipous Tyrannos 161; Schachter, 1981: 102), and that boys and girls who had become engaged would make sacrifices to Eukleia in preparation for their weddings (Ploutarkhos, Aristides 20.5-6)."

- Polis and personification in classical Athenian art by Amy C. Smith

[littlesparklight]

since we’re talking zeus’ relationships with his kids, do you think the aloadae’s kidnapping of ares could have brought a moment of understanding between him & zeus? not just because ares was seriously hurt, but because they both share a similar experience of being bound/captured (and in a way that’s a real threat)?

On a basic level, yes, I think that moment would have been grounds for bonding/some amount of sympathy, both in the moment itself (again, going to refer to that Zeus actually doesn't tolerate Ares being left suffering in the Iliad), and later.

Depending on when you set the uprising and Zeus being bound, the specific connection to/bonding over Ares' situation might only come later. The Aloadai incident was probably pretty early (as much as one can place these things by attempting some comparative observations on their mother and who her parents were etc), but the uprising can be a little floating in nature, depending on what details you use.

Like this; You can give the uprising and the attempted binding of Zeus a very specific point in time if you go with the versions that say that Poseidon and Apollo's presence in Laomedon's service was a punishment for their part in the uprising. With this, you get a pre-Herakles' sack of Troy, pre-Gigantomachy setting, but still within Laomedon's rule as king over Troy, and that would be (pretty long) after the Aloadai incident.

On the other hand, if you go with the versions that go with Poseidon and Apollo's purpose of being in Laomedon's service being a test of his piety/test of hubris (even if other such tests we have do not have the god(s) involved labour for a whole year for a mortal). In that, you can put the uprising a little whenever and it could, yes, be before the Aloadai incident and make Zeus' immediate sympathy more pointed.

I think either would work well! It just gives slightly different uses in terms of Zeus and Ares' relationship.