#nyctimene

[aliciavance4228]

The fact that I haven't seen anyone talking about this vase painting portraying Athena's owl in an armour should be a crime.

I do not care wheter or not this was made for humoristic purposes; Nyctimene canonically has an armour just like her mommy.

[just-1-scorpio]

The thing with Medusa retellings is that, a lot of them try to make Medusa into something that she is not, when there are batter options for those things.

A woman who was a priestess, and was hated, and unfearly punished by the goddess she served, for nothing that was by her own fault? Io and Hera.

A woman who was the most beautiful, and because of her beauty she sufferd? Helen of Sparta. She was kidnapped by Theseus at age 11, and years later by Paris.

A woman who was raped, then a goddess transformed her in order to help her? Nyctimene. She was raped by her own father, fled to the forest, and refused to go into the daylight, so Athena transformd her into a nucturnal animal, an owl.

A woman who married Perseus? Andromeda. (Yes. It's here because newly I seen more then enough Perseus x Medusa stuff)

Feel free to add more, to the list.

[sarafangirlart]

Imagine Athena giving food to old owl friend Nyctaea, then sitting down and cradle a baby Erichthonis.

Aww

[rocketnbenavides]

Pulling out their true form in a crazy battle, meet Nyctimene, previously Athena's owl. An angsty lil owlin who's demi-god-like form consists of wings constructed from stellar gases and galaxies.

[sarafangirlart]

Also Little Owls sound like kittens which is adorable

People usually draw Athena with barn owls or larger great horned owls, probably because they are more well known in the United States and they are more "intimidating" by their wing span and appearance, but I find it sweet that the "owl of Athena" is the little owl, Athene noctua.

It occurs in Europe, Central Asia, and parts of Africa, making it a more obvious bird for a Mediterranean Goddess. It's also so small you can hold it on your hand/fingers (it's around 8in/22cm in length with a wingspan of 22in/56cm).

Athene noctua is also related to Athena etymologically: γλαυξ (glaux, used to describe the little owl), the word connected to γλαυκός (glaukos, "bright", "light blue", "light grey", "gleaming"), is also connected to the epithet γλαυκῶπις (glaukopis, "of gleaming eyes") that was a constant epithet of Athena. They were probably associated because of the "gleaming" eyes of the little owls. The specific shade of that "gleaming" might also be descriptive of the bluish shine on olives when they're ripe, which would connect to another specific attribute of Athena.

[cryptixotic]

🌿🦇 𝓑𝓪𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓚𝓪𝓾 𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓮𝓪 🦇🌿

Finally sharing this beautiful project, I'm thankful i got to do some illustrations for it ! Many thanks to Elise Sivault for trusting me with this 🦇 See the second poster here ! more details about the project under the cut !

Papua New Guinea is a biodiversity hotspot home to 95 species of bats that are increasingly threatened by fragmentation because of commercial logging and agricultural practices. The primary objective of this project was to enhance our comprehension of the ecology of various understudied bat species native to Papua New Guinea. Additionally, it aimed to shed light on the pivotal role these bats play in providing essential ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control within two designated conservation areas.

Such endeavors have the potential to significantly increase conservation efforts in this biodiversity hotspot, where scientific studies are scarce and the knowledge of species remains limited among the local communities residing in the towns and villages adjoining the two conservation areas.

[astrosky33]

𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬

Hello! I’m Skylar. I’m a Kepler College graduate and received my diploma from their school in 2022 but have been studying astrology for about a decade now

My mission is to inform people based on what I’ve learned and help others to gain some of the knowledge I’ve gained in order for them to use astrology as a resource for growth

There’s false stereotypes out there that can often create confusion for aspiring astrologers and I’d like to help people understand how to differentiate which sources are accurate vs which ones aren’t accurate as well

For more information about my account click here to see my masterlist

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭

◈ Planets/Houses don’t just have “a few meanings” they have many more that many people don’t know about. Otherwise astrology would probably be very basic and boring -> beginner astro help

◈ Most astrology information on Tiktok is false. Be careful who you get your information from -> tiktok astrologers with reliable info

◈ Typically twin flames will have a lot of similar placements to one another

◈ Cusps are not a real thing. Only an astrological myth made recently -> more info here

◈ If you’re noticing you don’t really have many long term relationships only flings/short term relationships it could be caused by having Uranus in the 5th/7th house

◈ Jupiter in the 4th house can indicate being the most successful person in your family - money or wealth wise (Ex: Billie Eilish)

◈ Venus sextile Mars is the most flirtatious aspect. This is because sextile aspects can have sexual energy depending on the planets involved (in this case it would), Venus rules over charm/romance, and Mars rules over flirting/lust

◈ The Sun/MC both rule over fame itself. Other placements only indicate things such as attention, attraction, idealization, glamour, etc. but do not DIRECTLY indicate fame as those things can come with OR without fame (they can still be indications depending on the sign/house/degree though)

◈ Both your South Node and Saturn can give insight about your past lives. Chiron tells about karmic wounds made in past lives that were carried into your current one

◈ Aquarius Venus/Uranus in the 7th house can indicate marrying someone that you would’ve never expected to marry

◈ Aquarius venus’ become more romantically attracted to you whenever you get along really well with their friends

◈ People with mercury in the 8th house aren’t big on gossiping typically (depending on other placements)

◈ Many people with saturn or uranus in the 9th house don’t go to college

◈ I’ve noticed a lot of libra and gemini placements are successful dancers

◈ Having your venus conjunct, trine, or sextile neptune can make many people idealize being in a romantic relationship with you

◈ Venus conjunct/square/opposite chiron can indicate a challenging love life before settling down long term

◈ The 9th house mainly rules over religion (the 12th house is more about spirituality) however, since it rules over beliefs as well it can tell a little about your spirituality

𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐬

◈ Tantalus (2102) represents having a strong desire for something that’s very out of reach and remains so

◈ Desiderata (344) represents what one desires and desirability. It can give you deeper insight beyond mars

◈ Nyctimene (2150) in the 5th/7th house in Solar Return can indicate you need to leave a relationship that year in order to be happy

◈ Deidre (165574) in the 10th house can indicate being known by the public for your immense feminine beauty - many women who are praised for their beauty have this placement

Venus aspecting someone’s Deidre Asteroid can indicate the Venus person is in love with the Deidre persons immense feminine beauty/power

◈ Actor (12238) in the 6th/10th house can indicate being an actor for a living - ex: timothee chalamet

◈ Juno (3) in the 7th house can indicate a happy marriage (whether it be the first, second, etc it will eventually happen)

◈ Eros (433) at 6° can indicate getting into your first relationship later than most

◈ Reddish (2884) represents things we easily get embarrassed over/embarrassment in general

Asteroid Reddish in cancer can indicate your mom embarrassing you often

◈ Sinon (3391) represents persuasion/convincing someone to let their guard down

◈ Tripaxeptalis (2037) in gemini/sagittarius can indicate an interest in numerology

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲

◈ Your Sun conjunct someone’s Moon can indicate you having a really good/close friendship with the Moon person

◈ Moon conjunct/trine/sextile Moon can indicate having a strong understanding of one another’s emotions

◈ Mars in someone’s 6th/11th house can indicate the Mars person struggles to get along with the 11th house persons friends -> info about 6H friends here

◈ Mercury square Venus can indicate the Mercury person doesn’t have interest in the Venus person romantically. Mercury is something under-looked in Synastry and in general when it comes to love. Not only does it rule over communication but also interests

◈ Mars conjunct Mars can indicate being able to resolve conflict with one another very well

◈ Sun conjunct Ascendant can be a challenging aspect and cause you both to resent one another

◈ Your Sun in someone’s 7th house can indicate a romantic relationship occurring

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

◈ 11th house stelliums can indicate you both have similar political views

◈ Saturn in the 11th house can indicate challenges in your relationship involving difference in desires or struggles involving friends/friend groups/socialization

◈ 9th house stelliums can indicate really good romantic chemistry with one another -> why

◈ Saturn at 0° can indicate a karmic relationship or being together long term. You likely knew one another in a past life as well

◈ If you have chiron in the 7th house you may stay together for a while out of fear of losing one another because you’re so comfortable with one another and thrive off of your partnership together

◈ Cancer ascendant can indicate meeting one another through your family or theirs

◈ Many think capricorn/aquarius stelliums are bad but they can indicate a long term relationship with one another

◈ Jupiter in the 5th house can indicate bringing one another lots of joy

◈ Uranus in the 8th house can indicate being close friends before dating

◈ Lots of 5°/14°/23° can indicate being a good looking couple together

◈ True Node at 11° is a strong indication of twin flames and experiencing multiple past lives together

◈ Mars in the 9th house can indicate having a passion for traveling together

𝗦𝗨𝗕 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗢𝗡

© 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝

[nadiresdiary]

Would it help to keep in mind a lot of those stories with Athena punishing cruely tend to come from later dates and places? Namely Ovid's Metamorphosis. Ovid was actually a Roman Poet, with a serious grudge against the Gods, especially Minerva (Romanised Athena) as he has been banished and saw Minerva/Athena is emblematic of the system he hated.

Anyway warning the following is a long ass exploration of a few of Lady Athena's myths that I thought you may be interested in, fueled by it being a special interest of mine -

In earlier Greek forms of the myths, Medusa was always a Gorgon with snake hair the same as her two sisters, and was not SAd by Poseidon but was a willing participant (Poseidon has many accounts of taking monsters as partners, and this was used to explain why the creatures of the sea were weird - "Near them their sisters three, the Gorgons, winged. With snakes for hair—hatred of mortal man.") Athena still punishes Medusa and cannot do anything about Poseidon in this version, but it is as Athena is horrified to find the lovers in the act of defiling her temple and shields her eyes from seeing the act. So she curses Medusa that everyone will have to avert her gaze or be turned to stone.

In other Greek myths, she is quite sympathetic to rape victims, and was the victim of an attempted SA herself.

She took pity on the mortal princess Nyctimene of Lesbos, who was raped by her own father and had fled to the forest and refused to leave or show her face in daylight. Athena transformed Nyctimene into the Owl so that her father could not find her and assault her again, no one would recognise her, and she would be able to fly far away from the island. This owl is thought by some to be the same as Athena's sacred owl.

Athena herself fended of a sexual assault from Hephaestus, who was convinced by Poseidon that Athena harboured secret feelings for him.

Poseidon was bitter over the loss of the patronage of Athens to Athena, so he concocted a scheme to try and strip Athena of her status as a virgin Goddess by convincing Hephaestus to have his way with her.

Athena and Hephaestus had long worked together on many projects, and she respected him for his ability and knowledge and treated him as an equal, which Poseidon convinced Hephaestus was actually her secretly being in love with the God of the forge but feeling 'unable to act' due to her vow of maidenhood. He convinced Hephaestus that he should take Athena first to bed, and then as his wife, when she would be no longer 'restrained to keeping an oath' that would have been broken.

Overcome by feelings of hope and lust, Hephaestus waits for Athena in his forge, becoming so aroused by the thought of her supposed secret affections and taking her as his wife, that when she comes in to work on their usual projects, he tries instead to assualt her. She fends him off, as she is stronger than him, but he spills his seed in some accounts straight onto the ground, and in others, onto her thigh or dress (which she cleans off with cloth in disgust and throws to the ground) in either case, accidentally impregnating the ground/the primordial Goddess Gaia (Grandmother of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades)

From this, Gaia gives birth to a snake legged child (Mirroring Hephaestus' impairments), which Athena adopts as her own and calls Erichthonius as she feels he was the 'one good thing' to come from the mess. He becomes the first king of Athens in some versions of the city's creation myth, and builds the first Chariot (Both to overcome his snake legs and in honour of his adoptive mother Athena. This is why Athena has an epithet of being the first Charioteer - Athena Hippia.) Erichthonius is the snake she protects behind her shield in some of her statues.

In other versions of this story, Poseidon convinces Zeus instead to marry Athena to Hephaestus, and unable to defy her father she complies. Hephaustus tries to consumate the marriage on their wedding bed, but Athena disappears just before Hephaestus can have his way with her, but he climaxed in anticipation and that seed fell to the ground, impregnating Gaia and also resulting in the birth of Erichthonius, and subsequent adoption by Athena who feels responsible.

As for the story with Arachne, it is only in Ovid's version once again that we see Minerva/Athena being portrayed as jealous and spiteful.

In earlier greek versions of the myth, Arachne was equally as talented at weaving as Athena but brags she is better than Athena. Bragging you were better than the Gods at something, especially at part of their domains (Athena is the Goddess of weaving and craft as well, seen by some as a counterpart to Hephaestus)

Athena comes down in the guise of an old woman and warns her not to be hubristic, as it is unwise. Arachne doubles down, saying to the 'old woman' that she would challenge Athena herself to a competition, at which point Athena accepts.

Athena and Arachne both make pieces that require incredible talent, but Arachne tries to win by making a mockery of the Gods by portraying their sexual misconduct and affairs, believing their audience will pick her daring piece over Athena's traditional one.

This enrages Athena, but instead of smiting the mortal on the spot or transforming her into a spider as punishment, which would be a fairly standard, Athena instead calls off the competition and destroys Arachne's piece while lecturing the crowd on the dangers of disrespecting the Gods. (Not saying Athena is in the right, but the spider part comes later.)

Arachne is suicidal over the whole ordeal and flings herself from her balcony, at which point Athena transforms her into an immortal spider to save her from death, saying she did not want the mortal to die as it would be a shame to loose such talent due to hubris, and this way Arachne 'would continue to be able to weave'. Arachne did not appreciate this transformation, understandably, and hates Athena and her followers to this day, which is why all spiders hate Athena, and she warns her followers to be wary of them, their hidden threat and hatred.

We see in a lot of these stories that while Athena is prideful and sees things as black and white in terms of 'Her way is the right way, and other ways are wrong' (which is very standard for the Gods), in the earlier Greek myths about her, she is largely one of the more benevolent gods. Though, on the flip side, most of the positive portrayals of her are influenced in large part by most of the surviving mythology coming from Athens, which had a vested interest in portraying Athena as incredible (and were the origins of a lot of myths that portrayed Ares and Aphrodite as 'weak/pathetic' as they were patron Gods of Sparta)

As an interesting final thought, we see a common thread in many of Athena's myths of what we would today identify as sex repulsion and asexuality. Some fragments of myths and writing suggest that this is because ancient greeks saw penetration as an act of domination, and Athena 'refused to let her walls be breached and have someone claim dominion over her'

Anyway, I hope this may spark your interest in learning more about Lady Athena and help you feel more of a connection to her.

Personally, I prefer to go with the earlier myths and disregard Ovid's Metamorphosis, as it is a later interpretation by a Roman poet, and thus more relevant to the Roman syncronisations of the Greek Pantheon (which combines various gods from various cultures and combines Greek gods/titans, like Artemis, Selene, and Hecate, into one Goddess)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Oh my goodness, thank you so so very much for this!!! I truly appreciate it, it helps a lot 🤍

I have heard about Ovid and how his versions of Lady Athena seem to be very twisted tales, coming from a spiteful man... I have also read about Lady Athena being a SA victim Herself, only that it was just yesterday!

This definitely gave me another angle to look at, and starting points about research!! Thank you!

I think it will be easier now, to gain more perspective of who Lady Athena is. I truly will have to look up more of Her, maybe I can follow a # on here...

Do you maybe know how I can differentiate between ancient myths and "retellings" ? Or "newer interpretations" ?

Thank you again so so very much, I hope you have a wonderful (rest of your) day!!! 🌊

🕊

[hermesmoly]

what are the famous cases of gods saving their loved ones from rape?

Well I think the most famous case is Ares killing Halirrhothius, Poseidon's son, for the assault on his daughter Alcippe. There's also Apollo and/or Artemis killing the giant Tityos for their mother Leto, Heracles with the aid of Zeus killing Porphyrion when he tried to violate Hera on the battlefield, and in one version Zeus killing Eurymedon for Hera who assaulted her when she was young and before they were married. (Zeus also kills Iasion in a version where Iasion and Demeter's relationship was not consensual and in one version kills Tityos for his former lover Leto)

Athena and Artemis also have cases of protecting their favorite maidens from rape by metamorphosis: Athena transformed Nyctimene into her owl familiar, the daughter of Coroneus into a crow after being pursued by Poseidon, and by Artemis Arethusa was turned into a holy spring after being chased by the river god Alpheios. There's also Britomartis who straight up was immortalized by Artemis after being pursued by King Minos and the fisherman Andromedes.

[mytardisisparked]

Hello i’d like to become a bat be assigned a bat🦇

Me too, bud. Me too.

Happy Bat Week!

Your bat is the Eastern Tube-Nosed Bat (Nyctimene robinsoni)!

She literally has neon green eyeliner. How cool is that. This bat also has, as its name suggests, tubular nostrils extending from the face, which allows it to eat juicy fruit without getting the juice up their nostrils. I can remember some times as a small child that this adaptation would have been handy to have. It is also believed that the tube nostrils allow them to smell fruit better through a process called stereo olfaction. This bat whistles to communicate with others, and its green spots allow it to look more like a leaf when it hangs from a tree.

[mutant-distraction]

Eastern tube-nosed bat (Nyctimene robinsoni) is a type of megabat (Pteropodidae) native to north-eastern Australia. Megabats don’t use echolaction like other bats but rely on vision and olfactory to locate food. The unusual protruding tube-like nostrils can move independently from each other, which aids the bat in determining the direction of food odours (stereo-olfaction) in the forest. The tube-nosed bat is unusual among the Megabats in that it usually roosts solitarily although sometimes they roost in small groups.

Photo by Solar Whisper Daintree River Crocodile & Wildlife Cruises

[aliciavance4228]

The fact that Athena has an owl is actually way funnier than people think. Besides the fact that owls aren’t as intelligent as they were believed to be hundreds of years ago, they're also straight up hilarious.

They can do the criss-cross...

...they're basically cats with feathers...

...they're sleeping face down...

...and their walk alone is worth laughing.

[pgarfa2024manulaboss]

Athena and her owl Nyctimene

12/12/2023

[sarafangirlart]

I really dislike the idea some have that Athena doesn’t defend victims of SA when the myth of Nyctimene exists

I really dislike the idea that we cast mythological goddesses in such simplistic boxes such as “girls girl” or “pick me”. It’s just a complete misunderstanding of these characters and the mythology as a whole.

[rocketnbenavides]

Process for Nyctimene

[werehoggin]

What are the chances that if Athena showed up, she'd be an owl anthro?

I think she’d still be mostly human rather than Athena being an Owl Anthro her owl might actually be a better choice considering the owl of hers is named Nyctimene. Nyctimene was a princess that Athena saved from her father who was abusive. There’s a few Transiets that are fit that helped the hero like Guliburstii, and Tanngrisnir. However I think Aphrodite should be a Dove anthro. But Athena should definitely have Owl wings.