#satyros

[maurameduza]

[mercuriicultores]

1880, Carl Wendling German, Bacchus offering wine in a slver bowl to a marble satyr herm

[sillystringsimpsons]

probably isn't the best idea to have a burner phone your caporegime-slash-lover can contact at all times

[blueiscoool]

A 2,000-Year-Old Gold Greek Coin Sells for $6 Million at Auction

The coin once belonged to the State Hermitage Museum until it was sold off by Joseph Stalin.

A private collector has spent a pretty penny to get their hands on a 2,000-year-old gold Greek coin.

Known as a Panticapaeum stater, after the ancient Greek city in modern-day Crimea, the coin went for $6 million at Numismatica Ars Classica in Switzerland making it the most expensive ancient coin ever sold at auction.

The soaring price has been attributed to the coin’s quality, rarity, and the fact the supply of similar specimens is extremely limited with most already housed inside museums.

“I am extremely pleased with the phenomenal result the sale of the Panticapaeum stater achieved at our latest auction in Zurich,” Arturo Russo, co-director at Numismatica Ars Classica, said in a statement. “This is a sign the whole market for numismatics is flourishing, and is especially strong for ancients at the moment.”

The coin was minted circa 340–25 B.C.E. and features a wide-eyed satyr on the obverse and that of a griffin gripping a spear in its beak on the reverse. The presence of the satyr, a mischief-maker in Greek mythology that resembles a man with horse ears and a tail, is thought to reference king Satyros I, who ruled a Greco-Scythian empire in eastern Crimea from 432 to 389 B.C.E.

The sharp details make numismatists confident the coin is the work of a master engraver. Unlike similar coins, this Panticapaeum stater features the satyr facing three-quarters to the left, as opposed to facing fully left, a detail experts believe was altered in an attempt to follow contemporary fashions.

The coin was long part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection, but was sold off in 1934 as part of Stalin’s push to sell works of art to raise foreign currency to fund domestic industrial growth. The coin was acquired by Charles Gillet, a French industrialist who focused on collecting rare books, furniture, and antiquities, including coins.

The previous record for most expensive ancient coin sold at auction was one of only three known “Ides of March” coins, which was minted in 42 B.C.E. and commemorated the assassination of Julius Caesar. It sold at Roma Numismatics auction house for $4.2 million in 2020, though, as it turned out, with falsified provenance.

By Richard Whiddington.

[osatyro]

"Entre rosas."

Hoje, o banco da praça estava particulamemte desconfortável, talvez pela atmosfera silenciosamente solitária. Em dias como esse, desejaria temer encarar os olhos e os pensamentos de Clarice, na esperança de ganhar sentido em suas histórias, ou ser entendido no sentimento de estar tão exausto de mim. Mas estou só, literal e metafóricamente. Fantasiosamente vazio, sem inspiração. Sequer sinto vontade de escrever mais um verso, tampouco desejo me iludir com tão pouco do que tenho a oferecer. E cintilam meus olhos observando os pássaros, que voam e cantam, livremente encarcerados em sua ausência de pensar e, ao mesmo tempo, abençoados por não terem este raciocínio infeliz que tenho. São muitos pensamentos que me trateam.

E estou sentado no banco de uma praça, no meio de um bairro, dentre algumas ruas, cercado por árvores e casas. Ouvindo vozes longínquas que denunciam a vida que continua ao redor, de um cotidiano que não perturba quem não o percebe. A dez metros de um cachorro dormindo à sombra de uma amendoeira, e alheio a sensação de tocar os pés sobre a grama recém cortada. Quase que completamente imerso na missão de estar ao léu em plena tarde de quinta-feira, se não fosse fosse por estes mil pensamentos que me trateam. Senão por eles, eu estaria somente entre rosas.

—satyro.

(01.05.2024)

[thetimecrystal]

someone needs to yell at me whenever i have a semester task to actually choose something i actually enjoy and want to think about for an entire semester

[talonabraxas]

Great God Pan Talon Abraxas

Who is Pan? God of the wild, meadows, forests, fertility, rustic music, mountains, shepherds and hunters. He is the protector of the wild and all who dwell there, but also mischievous and lustful.

He is usually depicted as having the lower body of a goat, a man’s upper half, with a goatee beard and horns on his head (sometimes with the full head of a goat) a depiction that we now know as a faun.

What are his associations? Pan’s elemental sign is Earth and he is associated with the natural world in general, unfortunately for us this means that there is no definitive list of what offerings are, or were used, in his worship. Certainly, a portion of a shepherd’s heard, or a hunters haul, would be sacrificed to appease the god, as was the way in ancient times, but also plants and herbs would be used in worship including:

Ivy – usually crafted into wreaths and garlands to represent his connection to the Earth and also his wild nature.

Pine and fir branches – these where often used to decorate dedicated altars and sacred spaces, Pinecones were used to signify fertility and to welcome Pan’s influence in fertility blessings.

Mandrake – along with the goddess Aphrodite and the sorceress Circe, Pan made use of Mandrake for its aphrodisiac properties. Rituals involving fertility and sexuality would often be performed in Pan’s sacred spaces.

Honey and thyme also feature heavily in Grecian rituals and worship, and Pan was no exception to this rule. The reason for this is that the gods are said to love bees and hold them in high regard, not least because they sustained Zeus as a baby during his time in hiding. As soon as he was born Zeus’ mother Rea hid him away so that his father Kronos could not devour him. The nymph Melissa (which means honey bee) kept the young god safe and nourished him with honey and milk. The gods even used bees as messengers, for they are also said to be the souls of the departed, or indeed those yet to be born.

The ancient Greeks where not known for the use of crystals in deity worship, but modern followers of the pantheon do associate certain crystals with Pan:

Green Aventurine - emits the energy of nature, fertility and growth associated with Pan.

Black Tourmaline – due to the wild and unpredictable nature of Pan, this crystal is used to help ground and balance this energy.

Carnelian - a stone associated with creativity, passion, and sexuality. Associated with the energy of Pan, who was known for his lustful and passionate nature.

His origins. Pan’s origins are, like a dense dark forest, deeply shrouded in mystery and predate recorded history, at which time pastoral and mountainous tribes worshipped a spirit or goat god that would later become known as Pan when they introduced him to the Greek world. The mountains and pastoral lands that these tribes hailed from later became known as Arcadia, and the Arcadians held Pan as their protector and provider.

In the folklore and stories of Olympia, which are often confusing and sometimes contradictory, Pan was said to be the son of either Hermes and the wood nymph Dryope or Apollo and Penelope of Arcadia, daughter of the Spartan king Icarius. Both Hermes and Apollo are known the be fast footed, Pan inherited this trait and was known to be able to run for miles with tiring.

As a sub note, Homer’s Odyssey writes of Penelope’s infidelity sleeping with 108 suitors in her husband’s absence, reflecting the meaning of Pan’s name in Greek: all.

In both cases it was said that Pan was raised in Olympia and would often delight the other gods by playing his flute, and later became extremely good friends with Dionysus, the god of wine.

In the ancient Egyptian city of Waset now known as Thebes, Callistratus (a Greek rhetorician) writes of a cave being found, in which a marble engraving of a ‘satyros’ (faun) holding a flute in his hands was discovered. Which suggests that, although not worshipped, the ancient Egyptians knew of the horned god, and that he did indeed predate the ancient Greeks.

Stories of the nymphs and pipes In mythology Pan was often depicted in the company of nymphs. Nymphs, not to be confused with faeries, where minor goddesses of the natural world depicted as beautiful and graceful females with wings, who had a natural ability to turn into plants or animals.

Pan would often fall hopelessly in love with these nymphs and tales tell of his, often tragic, pursuit of love.

Pan became infatuated with the nymph Syrinx, a companion of Artemis (goddess of the hunt), who rejected his advances and fled into the forest. At the river she prayed to the river gods who turned her into reeds. Pan, on her heels, looked on in disbelief and heartbreak. Not knowing which of the reeds was Syrinx, he gathered an armful, seven in total of various lengths, and bound them together and used them to play his mournful songs of lament. In a variation to this story, Syrinx turned herself into a lilac tree (a specific syringa genus of lilac) of which Pan cut seven branches and bound them together. Nonetheless, the Pan Pipes were created.

Another tale tells of Ekho, a talkative mountain nymph who was cursed by the gods to only repeat the last words spoken to her. Ekho encountered Pan in the forest and was immediately smitten by his beauty and charm. Pan made it clear that he only wanted her for her physical form and nothing more, so Ekho followed him through the woods repeating his words and hoping to win his heart. Eventually Pan became bored of her and banished her to the surrounding caves and mountains, causing her to retreat into a lonely existence, eventually becoming nothing more than a disembodied voice.

The great god Pan is dead. The philosopher Plutarch writes of the death of Pan. A sailor named Thamus, on his way to Italy, heard a divine voice call out over the seas. “The Great God Pan is dead” it proclaimed, over and over again. When Thamus reached port he rushed to the guards of the emperor Tiberius to impart the news, which was received with groans and laments. Emperor Tiberius was so concerned that he opened an official inquiry into the matter, and when investigators brought back no sign of the god, he was truly declared as dead.

Tiberius was emperor within the lifespan of Jesus Christ, son of Yahweh, and followers of Christ used this news to declare that the final Pagan gods had been defeated, the time of the true all-powerful God was at hand. It’s useful at this point to acknowledge the fact that the image of Satan is a direct reflection of Pan: a cloven footed, horn headed trickster and tempter of man. It denoted the death of an ancient order, and the beginning of a new.

However… In my heart of hearts, I know that Pan is not dead at all, he has simply receded into that of what he protects, the forest.

There is a more naturalistic explanation to this story. When the dire words “The Great God Pan is dead” was heard by the sailor Thamus, he was in fact travelling through the Mesopotamian region of Sumer. The Sumerians in this region believed in a god called Tammuz that would rise in the Spring and retreat to the underworld in winter. If he rose late from the underworld, then winter would still hold sway and his followers would spread words of warning across the lands and proclaim: “All Great Tammuz is Dead”. A phrase that would hold no meaning to any of those on board Thamus’ ship, being unfamiliar with the worship of Tammuz, so they misinterpreted it as a message from their own gods. With Pan meaning ‘all ‘we can see how that would have easily happened.

Pan’s influence on modern day language and music Pan is an ancient god, but he is still ever present in our day-to-day modern lives. The word ‘panic’ comes directly from the feeling of unreasoning fear within humans and the sudden scattering or fleeing of animals, that was caused by Pan’s tremendous shouts when he was angered. Using this shout he helped the gods defeat an attack on Olympus by the Titans.

The Greek translation of Pan is ‘all’ which we still use as a prefix to words such as pansexual, pandemic, pantheon, panorama and pandemonium.

In music, the sound of Pan’s pipes has been depicted in symphonies, operas and songs. The most famous of these include the composer Claude Debussy’s piece “Syrinx” which was composed for solo flute players, and "The Great Gig in the Sky" by Pink Floyd who referenced the deity.

The book “Wind in the Willows” and the character Peter Pan of J.M. Barrie’s “The Little White Bird” all share elements and similarities to Pan and his mythology.

So, in a nutshell, that’s Pan. I love him dearly; he’s been a protector since my childhood and a constant presence in my life.

I want to end with some words of caution from the Greek philosopher Plato:

‘Hush now, O wooded hill of the Dryads! Hush your leaping down from the rocks, Ye fountains! Hush, myriad-bleating ewes! For along his reeden pipe Now Pan himself is sweeping his supple lip To waken the sweet cry of the Muse; And with feet untired for dancing, About him gathered gleam The Dryads from the forest, The Naiads from the stream’

[chiefhellenist]

Daily Devotions with the Orphic Hymns

Today is 4th of Metageitnion (21st of August)

This modern system of daily devotions blends material from two sources: Hesiod's sacred month, as described in his Works and Days, and the Orphic Hymns. The ideas in the Orphic Hymns sometimes don't match with more mainstream beliefs of the polis. But using these hymns is worth it because it helps us honor not just the main gods, but also many smaller ones. This way, we can pay our respects to a wide range of gods throughout the whole month.

Other hymns may of course be substituted at the individual's discretion. The numbers given for the hymns correspond to those in Apostolos N. Athanassakis, The Orphic Hymns: Text, Translation and Notes

Thomas Taylor's 1792 translation of the hymns is available online, free and in its entirety, at the Internet Sacred Texts Archive. Here:

Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning

Wash hands and face

Light lamp or candle

Hymn to Hestia (#84)

Light incense

Hymn to Eos (#78)

Hymn to Helios (#8)

Hymn(s) to special god/dess(es) of the day (see chart)

Additional hymns as desired (see chart)

Pour libation

Make personal supplications and thanksgivings

"Orpheus to Mousaios" (pp. 2-5)

Extinguish lamp or candle

Evening

Wash hands and face

Light lamp or candle

Hymn to Hestia (#84)

Light incense

Hymn to Nyx (#3)

Hymn to Selene (#9)

Hymn to the Stars (#7)

Hymn(s) to patron/matron god/desses

Hymn to Sleep (#85)

Hymn to Dream (#86)

Pour libation

Make personal supplications and thanksgivings

Hymn to Zeus (#15)

Extinguish lamp or candle

A shortened version of the devotions may be done by simply lighting a candle, reading "Orpheus to Mousaios," saying any personal prayers, and extinguishing the candle.

Notes on chart:

Days mentioned by Hesiod as sacred to specific deities are marked.

Horkos is the god (or, if you like, personification) of Oath. Days sacred to this deity are considered difficult.

As the lunar calendar months range between 29 and 30 days in the Greek reckoning, it may be necessary in short months to recite all the hymns for both day 29 and day 30 on the day of the dark moon. As the last day of the month is sacred to Hekate, Her hymn should always be included.

About Incense

The Orphic Hymns specify particular types of incense to be offered to each deity. In cases where one is saying multiple hymns with differing instructions, one might either choose a single type or make a blend of all those indicated. Pure frankincense makes a good all-purpose offertory incense.

The incense specifications from the Orphic text are as follows:

Frankincense: Apollon, Ares, Artemis, Asklepios, Bakkhai, Dike, Eos, Hephaistos, Herakles, Hermes, Hygeia, Kouretes, Muses, Nike, Satyros, Silenos, Tethys, Themis, Titans

Myrrh: Leto, Nereus, Poseidon

Storax: Chthonic Hermes, Dionysos, Eleusinian Demeter, Erinues (also frankincense), Graces, Kronos, Semele, Zeus

Aromatic Herbs: Adonis, Athena, Eros, Eumenides, Fates, Hera, Hestia, Horai, Nereids, Nymphs, Okeanos, Rhea

Various: Mother of the Gods, Pan, Chthonic Dionysos (any except frankincense), Gaia (any grain; no beans or aromatic herbs)

No Incense (underworld deities): Hekate, Nemesis, Persephon

[justporo]

A Night of Song and Laughter (Big Part 9!)

So, this is it - the main idea I had in mind when starting this story. You might've noticed it has taken me eight parts to get there, but yeah... There's just so much to explore. This is a really long part and I really poured my heart into this one and finished it in the middle of the night. So I really really hope you will love it (trying hard not to be desperate here, tbh). It's really quite a lot of romance for this part - Astarion deserves it and Tav too. There's seductive music casting a spell, Tav and Astarion dance, their hearts might feel closer than they've ever felt before - but they might be changed when they stop spinning around each other.

You can read this and the parts after it on AO3!

This was the song that inspired the idea: Satyros - Faun And the song that gave me the right mood for the end (only vibes, not the lyrics): Viva La Vida - Coldplay And just for the hell of it, take one of my all time favourite love songs: Muse - Neutron Star Collision

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Astarion/Fem!Tav (You)

Phew, here we go - hope you'll enjoy!

(Gif from here!)

After that you all turned into a giggling mess from there on out. All the liquor you’d drunk was really making you light-headed. Even Astarion seemed a bit out of it even though you weren’t even sure if vampires could get drunk. But frankly – you really didn’t care.

You’d taken to tell Astarion about some of your collective memories of your adventures as thieves – but only ones that made you scream laughing when you thought about them. Like the time Eodin (“this goddamn prick”, Daegin offered) had hidden in someone’s closet and had only gotten off the hook as a thief because he had pretended to be the lover of the lady of the house – who had been 80 years old, seemingly senile and almost blind. Or the time Daegin and Lira had posed as a noble couple at a party to get to their target although they were the most terrible actors Faerun had ever seen and the dwarf didn’t seem to be able to shake the terrible practiced accent after that for months!

Astarion laughed openly at all your silly stories, asked questions about details, enjoying himself so much making friends with Lira and Daegin that your heart felt like it might burst any second. After another story about how Miyena (“Bitch”, Lira whispered, getting praised by Astarion for her efforts) had almost burned all her hair and her eyebrows off in a failed attempt to use explosives to get into a vault, you were just done wiping tears from your eyes while trying to avoid dying from laughter again, Astarion asked: “Now, come on, my friends, there must be a story about Tav completely embarrassing herself. I truly can’t believe she would never get herself into trouble. At least from my short time of enjoying her company my experience is that you can’t leave her for half an hour before she’ll run off to save some puppy or getting herself thrown into the deep end – always ending up in dire need of saving.” You pinched his side to which he reacted with a dramatic yelp. “You’re one to talk. Like it wasn’t always you having your hands in someone’s pocket who looked at you funny, trying to steal from then and then getting caught”, you spat back at him and stuck your tongue out at him making fart noises. Astarion grabbed your nose and softly shook your face. “Not you trying to sneak up on someone and knocking over the tallest candelabra around!”, he countered, his silly act making you break into giggles again. You pinched one of his pointy ears so he’d let go of your nose.

“Alright, you silly geese, rear it in”, Daegin began, rolling his eyes at the two of you. “There actually is a story.” “Oh, colour me intrigued!”, Astarion exclaimed and turned his attention towards the dwarf.

You drew your brows together because you actually had no memory of what that story could be. Then the dwarf began telling the story while Lira was already giggling: “One time, we actually hadn’t gotten lucky enough to talk ourselves out of a hairy situation. We were actually captured by the city guard and thrown into a cell, awaiting trial the next day. And we were all really panicking because we were sure that – for once – we’d all run out of luck. But” – and here he threw you a secretive glance – “Tav had a genius plan to get us out of there.” The dwarf kept smirking at you and that was, when you remembered how that story went down. Oh shit – just to be prepared you grabbed the almost empty bottle of liquor and poured yourself another generous shot. Astarion leaned back as if to signify how taken aback and interested he was in how the story would continue.

“The one thing we were actually lucky about, was, that we were guarded by a greenhorn. And so, Tav ruffled her hair a little bit, opened up the front of her shirt a little and went to press herself against the bars of the prison cell and started cooing at this boy guard. Telling him that she was actually a nymph, only captured by accident and promising him that she would gift him the most unforgettable night of his life if he let her and us others free.” You buried your face in your hands but this bastard elf grabbed your hands and held them tightly while already starting to laugh. “Don’t you dare cover your face, darling, I need to see your face for this”, Astarion laughed and raised his eyebrow at you – and was that a glint of mischief in his eyes? You were basically burning up with shame in the meantime.

Daegin continued: “Well, the boy was hesitant at first saying how he couldn’t do that since he was only a cadet and stuff but Tav layed it on so thick, sweet-talking him, telling him in incredible detail what she would do to him if only he let us free.” You tried to bury your face in your hands again, now remembering the whole scene in incredible detail as well. But Astarion just shook his head and pulled you close to his chest while holding your hands in his iron grip and raising his eyebrows at Daegin in anticipation.

“So, he finally let us free”, the dwarf continued ignoring you struggling with Astarion so he would just let you sink in the ground “and he made big happy puppy eyes at her when she was standing in front of him – absolutely bewitched by her. And Tav”, now Daegin started struggling with holding it together “just stepped close to him and told him to close his eyes to which he happily obliged and then”, Daegin and Lira could barely stop chuckeling, you winced “she kicked him so hard in the balls you could hear him howl through half the city probably. And dare I say it probably was the end for this young man’s family plans.” Lira started howling with laughter, Daegin had to bury his face in his hands and you could feel Astarion’s chest shake with hearty laughter. And then you couldn’t help but join in, your body shaking with fits of laughter although you couldn’t quite tell if it weren’t sobs after all. You felt delirious from the alcohol, from actually being alive and being so lucky to make memories with your friends again and of course with him – this elven vampire that might just had gone as insane as your two other friends.

“Oh, my little siren”, Astarion laughed while finally letting go of your wrists “please, never do that to me!” He kept chuckling: “If you ever feel the need to kick me in the balls, please just do it fair and square.” He lost it once more, his head lolling back while laughing. You didn’t think you ever saw him this relaxed before – never had he opened that much before with anyone else but you.

You hugged him and pursed your lips while everyone’s laughter was slowly reclining. “Don’t worry, darling, I will”, you promised him sweetly but mischievously to which he put a finger under your chin to make you meet his gaze. His chest was still shaking with silent laughter. You thought he was about to say something, but he just shook his head, kissed your forehead, and then leaned his own forehead to it.

You kept hugging him while the other two of your band of thieves recalled even more stories. Breathing deeply you could feel yourself getting a little tired. Your vampire rubbed circles on your back, listening to your companion’s stories but sometimes throwing a caring glance at you to check if you were still alright. He could seriously be so thoughtful and sweet – you’d never would have thought when he’d first held a knife at your throat upon meeting you.

As you were just resting your eyes a bit while leaning onto Astarion you heard a soft, seductive melody drifting up from downstairs. Single notes plucked on a lute, a deep, pleasant voice humming to it. It should have been impossible to make this out over the crowd, all the chatter and laughter, over couples snickering in the dark corners of the tavern, glasses and goblets being clinked, between threats being made and dice being rolled. But you heard it. The melody enchanting you and reminding you of more memories that had been buried deep down in your mind.

You untangled yourself from Astarion and slowly walked through the crowd to the railing of the gallery, ignoring your soulmate's and friends' questioning looks. You looked down at the band of elves. The drow bard had his head thrown back, his eyes closed while plucking on his lute and humming. You could see the sheen of sweat on his face and body – he was shirtless now. He was softly swaying from side to side while continuing his tune, his brows drawing together seemingly concentrating hard on his task. The female bard had put down her violin for the moment, putting her hands on his bare body from behind, openly touching him everywhere, her eyes also closed. Were they simply two artists bound by the magic of the moment or eternal, unyielding lovers? Who knew? The rest of their band just seemed as enchanted: slowly, almost silently playing their instruments.

It was like a spell started to work its sly magic on the crowd – not imprisoning it nor silencing it but making everyone hearing this wistful melody sway with its highs and lows. You felt your heart react to the song. You knew it, you’d heard it once before and had never forgotten about it – and you knew exactly what was about to happen. Your hands gripped the wood of the railing hard, your heart beating with anticipation.

Astarion stared at your back while you watched the band. He thought the song started to sound familiar – wasn’t it… elven? His brows furrowed, there was something about the tune but it was evading his mind. His eyes flicked from the back of your head to your two friends. Daegin seemed oblivious to what was happening around him, not yet captured by the spell that was being woven around everyone else. But Lira was looking at the vampire, a knowing glint in her eyes. “If I’m right about what’s happening, you’ll be in for the surprise of your life, Astarion.” His brows furrowed even more deeply. Where did he remember this tune from? It seemed impossible to wrap his head around it. Could it be… he read and heard about it from legends? He turned back to where you were still standing at the rim of the gallery.

You knew exactly what was going on and what would happen. You had seen it happen once already in your life, in what had felt a lifetime ago and on an entirely different plane of existence. Your hands clawed at the railing still, while the tune started to rise more and more.

Finally, the drow opened his eyes again, breathing deeply. He threw a soft, longing glance at his partner who continued to hug her body to his and letting her hands wander over his form. “For this next song”, he then spoke, his somber and seductive voice carrying easily through the space as if it had been amplified by magic “I will need all your help for it is not only a song, but a ritual.” He enunciated every word with care, the crowd hanging on his lips for every word. “An old elven ritual and a trial to test the strength of your earthly bonds – as old as legends, maybe as old as the Gods themselves.” The song became more intoxicating by the second, making your hairs stand on end, as you felt it’s hypnotizing pull.

“To those of you here, tonight, brave enough to undertake the ritual, I say, come and be tried”, the bard spoke, his voice rising and his eyes wandering over the crowd. “And to the rest, I say, make way for those fearless enough to put what they think of as undying love on trial.” While he spoke the last words, the drow’s eyes landed on yours. On his lips was a knowing smile when he looked up at you and you felt a shiver running down your spine. You knew what you had to do. This might just be a show, the drow’s pathos only a party trick and the ambience merely a collective delirium but you could feel somehow that there was more at work. A kind of primal and untamable sort of magic had found its way into this hellhole of a city. And as it was being summoned it demanded to be paid its due.

You threw a glance back at Astarion who looked confused and unsure about what was happening, but your decision was made. And somehow you felt it hadn’t been your choice at all; rather that it had been made for you, long before anything else, by powers beyond your understanding.

The space in front of the stage cleared slowly as being pushed back by invisible hands. You were still looking at Astarion, then mouthed “trust me” at him before you darted for the stairs to make your way to the front of the stage.

Astarion was suddenly very much on edge, the whole situation feeling unbearably and torturingly similar to one not so long ago. Although he could feel that this time around it wasn’t the same deep, dark and threatening magic at work but something much more benevolent, he couldn’t stop the freezing feeling of dread clawing its way up his spine. He started to run after you, when he felt Lira’s hand grab hold of his wrist. Her eyes were shining with anticipation and warmth. “Don’t worry, Astarion. Tav will be fine and so will you – maybe even more so”, the half-elf said ominously and knowingly. Surprisingly your friend’s words and reaction did calm him although they didn’t soothe all of his fear. Lira motioned for Astarion to walk over to the railing and watch what might happen next. The vampire stood at the railing of the gallery impatiently awaiting what would transpire.

The crowd was just as tense with anticipation. You made your way to the round space now cleared in front of the stage. You stepped past the line of the crowd, steeling yourself with a deep breath and throwing another glance over your shoulder to see Astarion stand on the gallery watching you with deep worry in his eyes. Lira was beside him, a hand on his arm in a soothing gesture. On his other side even Daegin had made his way over to watch the spectacle, climbing onto the stool he had moved over. You smiled at your lover, then turned around. Your heart had never been so sure.

With you there had been three others stepping up to take this seemingly ancient test of love: three other women, two elves and one half-elf. Of course, this all had appealed to draw those with elven heritage out of the crowd. The magic in your blood connected the four of you for as far as you might be in any other moment in your lives. The same was true for the elven musicians. The four of you eyed each other, then you looked at the drow bard who had started humming again while waiting for you to come down to the open space. The wood elf bard had picked up her violin again and begun to play slow soft chords on it.

“So, four of you, delightful”, the drow bard spoke, already speeding up the tune on his lute. “Let us begin!”, he exclaimed and threw his head back. And then they began to really play.

The four of you stepped closer to each other. You had only seen and heard the happenings of all this once, but you knew exactly what to do. And so did the others. An ancient form of magic guiding you.

The four of you grabbed each other’s elbows to start and slowly began to dance in a circle – first to your right side, then to the other. You started singing in elvish, not even remotely sure what words it were that left your mouth. Then you let go of each other and started twirling each on your own while singing and clapping your hands.

Slowly, one by one the bards and the rest of the elven musicians took up your chant and so did the crowd. As you turned and turned you could see Astarion whenever he came into your view. His eyes widening with every second, not in fear it seemed but in wonder.

You closed your eyes for a second, while still singing and dancing, magic steadying your feet. Then the first of you four women disappeared into the crowd and returning with a tiefling man in her arms. They twirled together for a few rounds while you others kept dancing and chanting. The pace and volume of the song slowly picking up speed. Then the tiefling man was twirled from his lover’s arms to each of you in turn until he was in his original lover’s arms once more.

That was the point for you and the other two lone dancers to break off into the crowd in search of your own soulmates. You threw a quick glance up to the gallery. You felt all flushed from the hypnotic dance and song. You smirked at Astarion and curled your fingers at him in a “come hither” motion before you sped towards the staircase up to the gallery. Pushing past a very confused Kirin you met Astarion, who had also rushed towards you, halfway up the stairs. He grabbed your face with both his hands, anger, worry, wonder and fear all battling in his eyes. “What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck is happening?”, he asked you desperately.

“Showing the whole world and the Gods that our love is unbreakable and that you’ll always belong to me and I to you”, you broke out breathlessly then grabbed his hands from your face and dragged him down the stairs, past a very confused Kirin – again. “Ye goddamn weirdo elves”, he shouted after you but you couldn’t care less right now.

You were the last to return with your partner to the circle of brave dancers. One other had grabbed another male elf and was already dancing and only mere moments before you the half-elf had dragged a human woman with her into the circle. As you entered the circular space you saw that Astarion could suddenly feel the pull as well of whatever it was exactly that was happening. His pupils widened, his mouth opened. You moved in close to him, grabbing his one hand and placing the other on his shoulder while he placed his other hand on the small part of your back pulling you even closer.

A slight moan left his lips when you started to move together. Not only had you never danced together – not that you even knew how to (although Astarion most certainly did) – but this suddenly felt incredibly intimate. The crowd had picked up the elvish chant even more enthusiastically than before. You heard them clapping and stomping which made everything even more ecstatic than before.

“Are you passing me on to the others as well or am I allowed to stay with you?”, Astarion asked breathlessly while twirling you, turning and turning. You let your head fall back for a moment while you laughed and shook your head no. “No, never! Now it is a competition, only one pair is actually chosen”, you explained quickly while taking quick gasps of fresh air in between. “Oh”, Astarion simply mouthed back at you.

You could feel sweat running down your face as you kept moving and turning around in circles at break-neck speed. Not sure how long it was physically possible to keep going without perishing on the spot you noticed how animated the vampire looked in your arms. All his fear was gone now, he had only eyes for you, making you almost forget that you were on display in front of a huge audience right now. If he had been able to flush and sweat you were sure he’d been just as agitated as you but even now it seemed a certain shimmer of liveliness had crept into the vampire’s face and body. Then you heard a scream coming from the crowd – it seemed one of the other couples had fallen. Shortly after you heard another shout of disappointment by the audience.

You concentrated only on Astarion now, on his piercing but soft red eyes, his loving smile, the way the wrinkles around his eyes creased when he laughed with you. How he held you steady against him to make sure you would never fall.

And he saw only you. How your face filled with warmth when you looked at him, how your eyes always openly showed your love for him, how your body felt against his, like you were made solely for him, to hold only you. How you were always the right thing he needed.

In this moment you were both completely sure of each other and each other’s love: that you would always walk by each other’s side and that no matter what might happen in this plane of existence, your souls would always find their way back to each other.

And as you were about to forget completely where you were, the world just rushing by in drifts of colours and snippets of sounds, you heard another scream coming from the crowd. The last other couple had not made it.

Realization only slowly dawned on the two of you. Astarion kept twirling you for a few more rounds but slowing down. When the vampire finally slowed you down completely, he suddenly dipped you impossibly deep down to give you the most pure kiss he’d ever given you, while the female bard dragged out one long and final note on her violin.

The spell was over, the crowd erupted, impossibly loud, stomping and cheering and clapping. People rushed to you to touch you and cheer you. You felt tears stream down your face and laughter bubble up your throat and you saw Astarion felt very much the same. Whatever had happened it had brought you together even closer. As Astarion lifted you up again, eyes blazing with love and passion, you let your eyes wander over the crowd. You saw that the wood elf had her arms around the drow again, standing behind him. And you were pretty sure now they were lovers by the knowing and appreciative smiles and nods they offered you. You saw Daegin and Lira cheer and clap up on the gallery.

Then you looked at Astarion again, tears still leaving wet trails down your face. He leaned in to kiss you again and you let him, wanting to be as close as possible to him.

The crowd broke into jubilant cries once more. But you didn't care, for you, there was only Astarion. And for him, there was only you.

[apollomes-supremacy]

Ampelos 🍇🐂🍃

AMPELOS was a handsome, young Thrakian Satyros (Satyr) loved by the god Dionysos. There were two accounts of his death. In one he was slain by a wild bull and transformed by the grieving god into the first grapevine. In the other Ampelos fell from an elm tree while picking grapes and was set amongst the stars as the constellation Vindemitor or Vindiatrix (better known as Bootes).

THEOI

Some more sketches ;p

[alsadeekalsadouk]

A 2,000-Year-Old Gold Greek Stater Just Fetched $6 Million at Auction.

The coin once belonged to the State Hermitage Museum until it was sold off by Joseph Stalin. The coin was minted circa 340–25 B.C.E. and features a wide-eyed satyr on the obverse and that of a griffin gripping a spear in its beak on the reverse. The presence of the satyr, a mischief-maker in Greek mythology that resembles a man with horse ears and a tail, is thought to reference king #Satyros I, who ruled a Greco-Scythian empire in eastern #Crimea from 432 to 389 B.C.E. Obverse of stater from #Panticapaeum, circa 340-325 B.C.E. Reverse of stater from Panticapaeum, circa 340-325 B.C.E. #archaeology #history #ancient #art #alsadeekalsadouk #ancienthistory #travel #archaeological #rome #italy #museum #greek #arthistory #culture #antiquity

#4thcentury #photography #tetradrachm #greekcoin #greekarcheology #greekancientcoins #stater #الصديق_الصدوق

#Greek_mythology

[waermeflasche]

9 6 People to Get to Know Better tagged by @femalegothic

last song: satyros by faun

favorite color: wine red

currently watching: i have genuinely watched nothing but my nightly 20 min news show in over a week. Therefore zeit im bild i guess 😔

sweet/savory/spicy: sweet

currently playing: hayday

current obsession: making cocktails, learning french, reading through all the classics one should have read I can find in my library

last thing googled: malta cities where to stay

Tagging @newtrenchcaot @banannasposts @liskie @lightflame @mountaincryptid @pointlesseffigy

[arkeolog]

Attika siyah figür amphora. Asma dalları ve üzüm salkımları arasında şarap tanrısı Dionysos ile çevresinde on iki küçük Satyros (Arkaik Dönem, MÖ 540-530).

[osatyro]

“Liniker tocando ao fundo, tocando fundo,

une nossas almas com o suor que escorre o corpo,

partindo dos teus olhos, deus criou o mundo...

e todo o universo tem um pouco de você 💙”

(...)

—satyro.

(19.08.2024)

(trecho de um poema inacabado. bloqueio criativo e afins...)

[apocalypsewolfmusic]

Tape 107: Realm of the Fae (August 2023)

Celebrating Labyrinth Masquerade Ball XXV.

The Dreamside - Song of the Sirenes Xandria - Sisters of the Light Faun - Satyros Agnes Obel - Parliament of Owls Emilie Autumn - What If (Celtic Mix) Flutter - As The World Falls Down Alessandra - Queen of Kings Corvus Corax - Filii Neidhardi Unto Ashes - One World One Sky (Club Mix) David Bowie & Trevor Jones - Magic Dance