#tir apollo

[yamayuandadu]

So what is the deal with Feminine Tishtrya in Sogdia? Lilla Russell-Smith in her paper on the "Sogdian Daena" painting says that Tishtrya is depicted as feminine in Sogdian art up until Islamization, but I'm having a hard time finding those examples. I know of some Sogdian influenced Chinese astrological icons that depict a Tish-influenced Mercury as feminine, but none from Sogdia itself

Great question, as usual. I’ve been obsessed with the supposed attestations of feminine Tishtrya for a bit over a year by now, so thanks for giving me an opportunity to talk more about this topic. I feel obliged to let you know right away there’s no major conclusion to draw, though.

To begin with, ultimately there is only a single indisputable depiction of more or less feminine Tish(trya)/Tir(iya), and it’s Kushan rather than Sogdian. On a coin of Huvishka only known from a single exemplar, a feminine figure armed with a bow is labeled as Teiro (TEIPO):

The feminine Teiro on a coin, British Museum (note the catalog erroneously identifies the deity as Nana despite the inscription clearly reading TEIPO…); reproduced here for educational purposes only

More under the cut.

Michael Shenkar (Intangible Spirits and Graven Images, p. 149) notes that this version of Tir/Tishtrya (I’ll try to stick to gender neutral terms through the response if you don’t mind) has been variously compared with the iconography of Artemis, Apollo and Nana(ya), and that the last of these three deities offers the closest parallel overall. However, he suggests this unusual image might simply reflect the association with Apollo attested further west, and that the deity is meant to be a youthful man, not a woman (p. 151). 

Matteo Compareti (Literary and Iconographical Evidence for the Identification of the Zoroastrian Rain God Tishtrya in Sogdian Art, p. 117) doesn’t mention Apollo as an option, though, and concludes the iconography was evidently borrowed from Artemis. Harry Falk goes even further and suggests the Teiro coin was in fact recut from a Nanaya one of the Artemis-like variety (Kushan rule granted by Nana: the background of a heavenly legitimation, p. 290). The example he uses as evidence is indeed remarkably similar, and similarly was minted during the reign of Huvishka:

Nana on a coin of Huvishka, British Museum; reproduced here for educational purposes only.

Of course, this raises a question of how the relationship between Nana and Teiro was imagined. Based on the attested equivalence between their western counterpart and Nabu it is generally accepted they formed a couple, but this doesn’t really explain why they would be depicted so similarly, especially given that character-wise Nanaya has very little in common with them. As far as I am aware no serious attempts have been made to explain this, though I’ll return to this matter for a bit later on.

While I don’t necessarily think Shenkar is wrong to be skeptical about the gender of Teiro, I will note a difference in gender between western and eastern versions of an Iranian deity would not be unparalleled - Vanant is male in the Avesta, and I’m pretty sure the same holds true for Middle Persian sources, but on Kanishka’s coins the cognate name “Oanindo” (OANINΔO) pretty clearly designates a goddess visually patterned after winged Nike (Intangible spirits, p. 151-152). Drvaspa’s eastern counterpart Lrooaspo (ΛPOOACPO), on the other hand, is male in contrast with the female Avestan version (p. 96-97). Shenkar himself admits that “it is easy to envisage the same divinities being perceived not only as having different functions, but also being of different sex” (p. 97).

That’s essentially it for the Kushan evidence.

As for Sogdia - there’s quite a large repertoire of deities in Sogdian art who appear fairly consistently, but are not provided with any textual identifications, in contrast with Kushan art where everyone is neatly labeled.It’s probably safe to assume that some depictions of Tish are available to us already, and simply have yet to be identified with certainty. An argument in favor of this would be Tish’s popularity reflected in theophoric names - if Nanaya, Weshparkar or Sraosha can serve as parallels for comparative purposes, it does seem popular devotion translated into being commonly depicted in art as well.

For specific candidates, I’ll go back to Literary and Iconographical Evidence (...), since it's the most recent I have. The core criteria for identifying depictions of Tish in Sogdian art Compareti uses is fairly sound. Based on the commonly accepted assumption that they were closely associated with Nana(ya), armored figures holding objects which might be arrows (an attribute of Tish as a divine archer) appearing alongside her in paintings, ossuaries etc. are identified as Tish (p. 111-115). While the state of preservation and quality of reproductions in literature often leave a lot to be desired, I do think it’s fair to speak of the companion of Nana as a distinct entity iconographically, and I’m not aware of any identification with an equal number of supporters as Tish. Therefore, it seems safe to say these examples listed by Compareti are indeed them:

I’m less sure about the proposed identification of a golden clasp from Tillia Tepe with a pair of hugging(?) deities as a forerunner and early example of pairing Nana and Tish, since neither deity here really has any distinct attributes, and as Comparati himself notes it is generally assumed that it’s a depiction of Dionysus and Ariadne (presumably on a very stylized big cat, if so):

I’m also not sure if I agree with the proposed identification between Tish and Vreshman (the Sogdian form of Vaiśravaṇa), though (p. 109). Frantz Grenet (Vaiśravaṇa in Sogdia. About the origin of Bishamon-ten. p. 283-285) prefers to identify him with Yima/Yamšo since the latter was depicted in lamellar armor, well attested as a feature of depictions of  Vaiśravaṇa. in Kushan art. Shenkar (The So-Called “Fravašis” and the “Heaven and Hell�� Paintings, and the Cult of Nana in Panjikent, p. 12) argues Vreshman was incorporated into Sogdian religion as himself, without identification with any other deity. The last option seems to be the most plausible one to me, since in the Sogdian translation of the Vessantara Jataka, cited by both Compareti and Grenet, Vreshman and Narayana (Vishnu) appear under their original names even though Brahma is replaced by Azruwa (Zurvan), Indra by Adhvagh (“high god”, most likely a title of Ahura Mazda), and Mahadeva/Maheshvara (Shiva) by Weshparkar. 

Anyway, back to Compareti’s paper: after establishing what he assumes to be Tish’s iconography in Sogdian art, he moves to the matter of feminine Tish (p. 117-119; “Tish in a feminine attire”, “iconographies of Tish including feminine traits”).

Things get even more shaky, tragically - he argues that Tish was associated with dragons and/or vaguely dragon-like hybrid animals and that this sort of animal symbol might have been borrowed from Nabu (p. 111; this doesn’t seem implausible at all, and matches some of the works of art discussed through the article)… and makes a jump from that to suggesting that the unique goddess on a makara from Panjikent, shown below, is in fact feminine Tish (p. 118-119):

I was overjoyed at first when I read this paper because I love that painting and, as I admitted, I’m deeply invested in the search for evidence for feminine Tish. However, after a few weeks of thinking about it I must confess it feels a bit too good to be true, so some skepticism is necessary. 

Compareti’s logic isn’t all that convoluted, to be fair. Essentially - if a feminine form of Tish existed (very probable based on the Kushan coin), and if Tish was associated with Nabu (consensus position), and if Nabu’s symbol possibly transferred to Tish was the mušḫuššu (once again, probable), and if the mušḫuššu was sometimes described as aquatic (p. 112; this is surprisingly true, see the RlA entry by Frans Wiggermann here, p. 456 for attestations; of note is that many of them are late) then the unique goddess on a makara might be a feminine version of Tish on what was originally a mušḫuššu-influenced dragon reinterpreted as a makara.

However, it’s hard to argue the typical elephant-headed makara in the painting resembles the mušḫuššu, which I feel poses a potential problem. It also needs to be pointed out that Shenkar mentions attempts at identifying the unique goddess as a local river deity (ex. a personification of nearby Zeravshan) with iconography patterned after Ganga (Intangible spirits, p. 170)  which is less thrilling than feminine Tish but does seem fairly plausible and would offer a pretty straightforward explanation for the makara. However, Compareti proposes identifying one more Sogdian painting as feminine Tish:

I would say in this case his arguments seem stronger - the alleged feminine Tish sits on a throne supported by dragon-like hybrids which bear no particular resemblance to the distinctly accurate makara on the other painting, and while it’s hard to tell for sure given the state of preservation one of the objects held in their hands might very well be an arrow like he argues. Identification as a Sogdian form of Anahita has also been proposed, though I am not convinced by at least some of the arguments - even though it is possible to see the creatures supporting the throne as winged dogs, they sure don’t seem like beavers (even taking into account the default Middle Persian term for this animal, sag ī ābīg, means “water dog”); furthermore, there is very little evidence for worship of Anahita in Sogdia (Intangible spirits, p. 78).

Since Lilla Russel-Smith in The ‘Sogdian Deities’ Twenty Years on: A Reconsideration of a Small Painting from Dunhuang cites Compareti on p. 192 (not the same article, though) - which I assume is what you meant in your ask -  presumably the images from above are meant. Ultimately not much here pertains to the matter of Tish otherwise, though I wish the topic of possible influence of the image of Sothis was explored more. Fwiw, the author states that “sex-change in deities is important for future research” specifically with regards to one of the goddesses in the painting scroll being Tish  (p. 161, footnote 26) so… maybe one day.

For what it’s worth, Compareti also accepts the possibility that the deity from the Dunhuang painting discussed by Russel-Smith is Tish depicted as feminine because of the proposed influence of the image of Sothis (The So-Called “Pelliot Chinois 4518.24”. Illustrated Document from Dunhuang and Sino-Sogdian Iconographical Contacts, p. 15) Furthermore, he postulates the possibility of attribute swapping between them and Nanaya - and speculates it might be the original reason behind the emergence of feminine Tishtrya (p. 34). He also points out that a dual association with both both Sirius (perceived positively in Zoroastrian context) and Mercury (perceived negatively, as was the case with planets) could result in an ambiguous image extending also to an ambiguous gender; and, additionally, that in Mesopotamian astronomy Mercury, like Venus, could be described as both feminine and masculine (this was a way to reflect the fact they were visible both in the morning and the evening, see Erica Reiner’s Astral Magic in Babylonia, p. 6; however, I am not aware of any Mesopotamian deity who would embody this the way Ninsianna arguably embodied the ambiguous gender assigned to Venus; Nabu has nothing of that sort to offer, that’s for sure). 

However, I am not sure if Compareti is outright voicing support for the existence of feminine Tish in his paper, since within a single section he flip flops between describing Tish as “depicted as a woman” (p. 18) and arguing that a feminine appearance is not necessarily an indication of gender (p. 17). He also incorrectly states that the Teiro coin from the very beginning is the only example of a Kushan depiction of a feminine form of an otherwise masculine figure (p. 19); as I already mentioned earlier, this is also attested for Vanant. The article is generally very meandering and there’s a fair share of deeply puzzling statements, to be fair (“Atargatis who was sometimes confused with Nana and Ereshkigal” on p. 32 made my eyes roll, as did “Ishtar/Aphrodite/Venus” on p. 34 in context very clearly indicating he’s talking about Mesopotamian astronomy; and I’m not sure if I want to look into a cited paper which tries to link Baal Shamin and Vaisravana).

Last but not least, let’s look into the Chinese personification of Mercury.

A Chinese depiction of Mercury as a female scribe, British Museum; reproduced here for educational purposes only.

Yu Xin in Personal Fate and the Planets: A Documentary and Iconographical Study of Astrological Divination at Dunhuang, Focusing on the "Dhāraṇī Talisman for Offerings to Ketu and Mercury, Planetary Deity of the North" mentions that in the Tang period Chinese authors were evidently aware that the Sogdian (胡) name for Mercury was Tir, and the transcription Di (滴; literally “drop”) shows up as an alternative for more common Chenxing/Shuixing in astrological texts (p. 177). He also states that personifications of astral bodies only started appearing in China in the sixth century, probably under Buddhist influence (p. 184-185), and accordingly attributes foreign origin to the iconography of Mercury (p. 186). 

However, he sees Chenxing’s character (“fond of quarreling with others”, association with scribal arts, a divine messenger role) as a reflection of a hodgepodge of traits borrowed from Hermes/Mercury, Tir/Tish (only the former name is used in the article) and by extension indirectly Nabu (again p. 186). This doesn’t seem implausible, seeing as we’d be dealing not with direct transfer of a deity but with the formation of a new one from info from various astronomical and astrological treatises imported from the west and India.

Example of a Chinese depiction of Mercury from the Tang period Wuxing ji nianbaxiu shenxing tu (五星及廿八宿神形圖); Osaka Municipial Museum of art, via Yu Xin’s article. 

The article doesn’t address Chenxing’s gender beyond a footnote rejecting the proposal the personified Mercury reflected the image of an archetypal palace woman (yet again p. 186, footnote 86) and a brief comment that the gender of the personification likely changed at some point (p. 188). 

Since western images of Mercury - whether ancient or later (ex. in Qazwini's Aja'ib al-Makhluqat) - are generally masculine, the elusive feminine Tish definitely seems like a natural missing piece of the Chinese Mercury puzzle but I can’t tell how plausible such an influence would be, especially given the scarcity of examples of feminine Tish/Tir actually available. For what it’s worth: Compareti does argue in favor of this (The so-called (...) , p. 35-36).

To sum up: unless I missed something huge, it doesn’t seem like there is a single paper which would answer the initial question comprehensively. We still need a rigorous “What’s up with Tish’s gender, anyway?” study. I think the Kushan coin is virtually impossible to dismiss, so it’s a matter of establishing how common feminine Tish was and in what context they arose and spread - this might be wishful thinking on my part, though. Also note that since ultimately most of what I read and write pertains to Mesopotamia, I might be by default predisposed to accept the hypotheses which remind me of the common Mesopotamian phenomenon of deity gender change via association with a different deity or n-dimensional astronomical connections.

[etdraconis]

Updated Muse List

Bold denotes primary/main muses, underlined denotes secondary muses, Italics denotes tertiary/low muse, * denotes request only

Dragon Age Canons:

Cremisius Aclassi

Anders

Zevran Arainai

Blackwall

Eleanor Cousland

Fergus Cousland

Fenris

Bethany Hawke

Carver Hawke

Nathaniel Howe

Thomas Howe

The Iron Bull

Anora Mac Tir

Loghain Mac Tir

Josephine Montilyet

Dorian Pavus

Cassandra Pentaghast

Cullen Rutherford

Varric Tethras

Alistair Theirin

Cailan Theirin

Maric Theirin

Dragon Age OCs:

Arden Aclassi

August Amell

Elizabeth Amell

Julian Amell

Oliver Amell

Rosalie Amell

Pyke Brosca

Elysia Caius

Amara Cousland

Brennon Cousland

Lauryl Cousland

Victoire Ducet

Callum Hawke

Kenton Hawke

Leanore Hawke

Hava Lavellan

Theron Mahariel

Kalva Sabrae

Alim Surana

Aurelia Tabris

Claire Trevelyan

Declan Trevelyan

Evelyn Trevelyan

Everett Trevelyan

Maxwell Trevelyan

Persephone Trevelyan

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Elain Archeron

Feyre Archeron

Nesta Archeron

Azriel

Cassian

Jurian

Kallias

Rhysand

Tarquin

Eris Vanserra

Lucien Vanserra

Bridgerton

Sophie Beckett

Benedict Bridgerton

Colin Bridgerton

Eloise Bridgerton

Francesca Bridgerton

Gregory Bridgerton

Hyacinth Bridgerton

Felicity Featherington

Penelope Featherington

Gareth St. Claire

Gwendolyn Sinclaire

Kendall Sinclaire

Alexander Thorne

Charlotte Thorne

Lillian Thorne

Sebastian Thorne

William Thorne

Crescent City

Aidas

Juniper Andromeda

Fury Axtar

Baxian Argos

Ariadne

Hunt Athalar

Lidia Cervos

Ruhn Danaan

Declan Emmet

Hypaxia Enador

Danika Fendyr

Tristan Flynn

Connor Holstrom

Ithan Holstrom

Tharion Ketos

Bryce Quinlan

Rigelus

The Empyrean Saga

Andarna

Jack Barlowe

Imogen Cardulo

Ridoc Gamlyn

Aaric Greycastle

Liam Mairi

Sloane Mairi

Rhiannon Matthias

Brennan Sorrengail

Lilith Sorrengail

Mira Sorrengail

Violet Sorrengail

Grishaverse

Kaz Brekker

The Darkling

Jesper Fahey

Inej Ghafa

Matthias Helvar

Fedyor Kaminsky

Tamar Kir-Bataar

David Kostyk

Nikolai Lantzov

Zoya Nazyalensky

Genya Safin

Alina Starkov

Wylan Van Eck

Tolya Yul-Bataar

Nina Zenik

Percy Jackson

Annabeth Chase

Nico Di Angelo

Jason Grace

Percy Jackson

Piper McLean

Will Solace

Leo Valdez

Throne of Glass

Aedion Ashryver*

Sam Cortland

Lysandra Ennar

Aelin Galathynius

Evalin Galathynius

Dorian Havilliard

Fenrys Moonbeam

Chaol Westfall

Rowan Whitethorn*

The Witcher

Jaskier

Geralt of Rivia

Yennifer of Vengerberg

Other Book Muses

Daniel Arlington V (Ninth House)

Aziraphale (Good Omens)

Crowley (Good Omens)

Alexander Clairemont-Diaz (Red, White, and Royal Blue)

Arthur Delacey (Gwen and Art Are Not in Love)

Galaxy Stern (Ninth House)

Greek Mythology

Aphrodite

Apollo

Ares

Aristeus

Artemis

Asclepius

Hades

Hera

Hermes

Patroclus

Persephone

Poseidon

Zeus

DnD/Fantasy OCs

Jalana Astorio (human warlock)

Tarquin Auglathia (sea-elf rogue)

Nedri Autumnblaze (half-orc ranger)

Azure (water genasi monk)

Anders Brightwood (human bard)

Caerlin (tiefling arcane trickster rogue)

Drake (Wild Hunt shifter ranger)

Elianis Galonodel (half-elf druid)

Naivara Galonodel (half-elf mastermind rogue)

Taron Galonodel (wood elf bard)

Rhys Le'Quella (eladrin wizard)

Makaria (tiefling paladin)

Reya (tiefling storm sorcerer)

Alwyn Sulian (sun elf paladin)

Auryn Sulian (sun elf fighter)

Cerys Sulian (sun elf celestial warlock)

Emrys Sulian (sun elf shadow magic sorcerer)

Cloak Timbers (gnome cleric)

Hollis Tremaine (human fighter)

Other/modern OCs

Destin Michaels (merman)

Novah Michaels (mermaid)

Cassian Sage (werewolf)

Sophie Sage (werewolf)

Reina Solace (werewolf)

Hazel Thatcher (werewolf)

Nicolai Voss (vampire)

[pallweople]

Assigning Songs From My Liked Playlist To The Pall Weople!

EXPECT MORE OF THESE CAUSE I LOVE YALL <33 AGAIN! This is all based purely off of vibes! (If i offend you or make you upset, please tell me and i can fix this!)

( @arsonisticscholar ) Arsonator -> You're not welcome by Naethan Apollo

( @astral-catastrophe )Astral/Jay -> See you again by Tyler, The Creator

( @miadancer24 ) Bailey -> This December by Ricky Montgomery

( @cal-the-duende ) Cal -> Dear Arkansas Daughter by Lady Lamb

( @hero-dualies-pog ) Campfire/Zen Anon -> Habits by Genevieve Stokes

( @circusislife ) Circus -> Isabella's Lullaby by The Promised Neverland

( @frostedshadow ) Frost -> Undone - The Sweater Song by Weezer

( @justsomeghostt ) Ghost -> Almost Home by mxmtoon

( @hyperfixatezz ) Hyper/Riju -> Punk Tactics by Joey Valence & Brae

( @justanotherhighlycaffeinatednerd ) Katnip -> Money by The Drums

( @ladye-zelda ) Ladye -> Rises the moon by Liana Flores

( @linksarehere ) Link -> Hungover in the City of Dust by Autoheart

( @misc-me0707 ) -> Honey Im Home by Ghost and Pals

( @mushr0oms-and-m0ss ) Mushroom -> Posin by Glenn Gatsby

( @is-apotato ) Potato -> GUY.exe by Superfruit

( @somebody-random-lol ) Random -> Feed the Machine by Poor man's poison

( @skyward-shade ) Shade -> Inarticulation by Rio Romeo

( @soupyboiiiii (aka. 6leafclover) Clover/SOOUP -> O children by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

( @xjgbhk ) -> DARKSIDE by Neoni

( @mossy-chai ) Z -> Candle Queen by Ghost and Pals

( @link-or-sherlock ) Sherlock -> Tir na nOg by Celtic Woman

( @nancyheart11 ) Nancy -> Promise by Laufey

[queersrus]

Hello hello ^_^ what about names and titles relating to eyes/all seeing eyes/thirst for knowledge? Or something about someone who reaches unethical ends to pursue knowledge? Thank you kindly ((:

i love this theme so much i wanna see it more as a trope in media so bad

names!!

providence, providentia, phoebe, philoso, philosophy, philosopher, prophet hecate/hekate, horus, helios, hathor looker, laozi, loki seer/sear, sia, seshat, saga, snotra, Sekhmet, soph, sopho, scholar wonder, wadjet adhit, adhita, anura, anuva, arisanna, avesta, apollo, anahit, athena, alviss, antevorta, argus, amun, azreal, auto, autodi, autodidact baaqir, baldeth, bodhin, bast, bes, basar cidvilasa, cikita, cinmaya, cleary, clearvoy, clearvoya, clairvoyant, conary, conroy, coeus, chista, carmenta dansith neith, neptune, nekhbet thoth, tir/tyr, theia, tefnut isis, inquisitor ogma, odin, osiris menrva, minerva, metis, mimir, mergen, mut frigg, fauna gefjon, gamayun, gadhi, gyana vor egeria, eryl, episte, epistemo ra jina, jinan, jubilee katran

many more names meaning knowledge here(link) names related to sight/eyes here(link)

titles!!

the seeker of knowledge, the eye of knowledge, the one with bright eyes, the bright-eyed (one), the lover of knowledge, the epistemophile, the all seeing (eye/one), the pursuer of knowledge, the one with prophetic eyes, the searcher of endless knowledge, the searcher for boundless knowledge, the wise, the moraless seeker (of knowledge), the student's eyes, the follower of bright sight

(prn) who knows all, (prn) who seeks to know all, (prn) who sees all, (prn) who has keen eyes and a sharp mind, (prn) who holds the key to the fountain of knowledge, (prn) who possesses the all seeing eye, (prn) who rules over sight and knowledge

god(dess/ex) of knowledge, god(dess/ex) of true sight, god(dess/ex) of insight.

(i could probably go on forever with this /hj)

[nordseehexe]

Über die vorchristliche armenische Mythologie ist wenig bekannt. Sie wurde stark durch den Zoroastrismus (z. B. die Gottheiten Aramazd, Mitra und Anahit) und durch assyrische Traditionen (z. B. die Gottheit Barsamin) beeinflusst. Darüber hinaus lassen sich vereinzelte Spuren einheimischer Traditionen entdecken (z. B. die Gottheiten Hayk, Vahagn und Astlik). Eine der ältesten Quellen ist die Legende „Xorenatsi’s History“.

Götter

(ggf. mit griechischer Entsprechung)

Anahit (Artemis): Göttin der Fruchtbarkeit und der Geburt, wird mit Artemis oder Aphrodite gleichgesetzt, in früherer Zeit war sie eine Kriegsgöttin. Auch als Mondgöttin bezeichnet.

Ara Geghetsik („Ara der Schöne“): Der Gott des Frühlings, der Pflanzenwelt, Landwirtschaft, des Säens und Bewässerns.

Aramazd (Zeus): Göttervater, der Himmel und Erde schuf; auch Verehrung als Sonnengott. Das Fest ihm zu Ehren hieß Am’nor oder Neujahr und wurde nach dem alten armenischen Kalender am 21. März begangen.

Hayk: Bogenschütze und Ahne des armenischen Volkes, erschlug den babylonischen Titanen Bel

Aray: ein Kriegsgott

Astlik: Göttin der Liebe, Schönheit und des Wassers, symbolisiert durch das Tageslicht. Sie war die Geliebte beziehungsweise Gemahlin von Vahagn. Ihr Fest wurde Vardevar genannt und Mitte Juni gefeiert. Dabei gießt man Wasser auf nichtsahnende Vorübergehende.

Barsamin: Gott des Himmels und des Wetters, dessen Ursprung vielleicht beim semitischen Gott Baal Shamin liegt.

Naneh (Athena): Göttin der Weisheit, des Gemeinschaftssinnes, der Mutterschaft und Beschützer des Heims, Verwahrerin der Familie.

Tir (Apollo): der Gott der Literatur, der Wissenschaft und der Kunst, auch ein Traumdeuter

Tork Angegh (Ares): Gott der Kraft, Tapferkeit, des Krieges und des Militärs

Tsovinar: auch Nar genannt, Göttin des Regens, der See und des Wassers. Sie war ein Geschöpf des Feuers, zwang den Regen und rief ihn in ihrem wilden Zorn an, vom Himmel zu fallen.

Vahagn: (Hephaistos): ein herkulischer Held, der einige Drachen erschlug und ebenfalls als Sonnengott und Gott des Mutes galt.

Vanatur: Gott der Gastfreundschaft und der freigebigen Wirte

Andere Wesenheiten

Āl: zottelige und struppige Wesen. Es sind schmutzige Geister mit glühenden Augen, die ein paar Scheren in den Händen haltend, an sandigen Plätzen sitzen. Sie haben schlangenähnliches Haar, Fingernägel aus Messing, Zähne aus Eisen und einen Stoßzahn wie bei einem Eber. Sie leben in Wasser oder Feuchtigkeit, verschmähen aber auch Hausecken oder Ställe nicht. Es waren ursprünglich Krankheitsdämonen, die sich später auf ungeborene Kinder und deren Mütter beschränkten. Sie töten Babys oder stehlen diese oder verhindern den Milchfluss der Mutter. Sie dienen einem in der Hölle lebenden König, der angekettet ist und ständig schreit.

Dev: Ein Luftgeist der seine Herkunft von den Daevas der zoroastrischen Mythologie hat. Er teilt einige ähnliche Züge mit den Engeln. Er wohnt an steinigen Plätzen und Ruinen und halten sich voneinander fern. Zu den Devs gehören:

Aralēz, ein guter Geist in der Gestalt eines Hundes, der durch Lecken an Wunden (z. B. in der Schlacht) diese heilen oder sogar Verstorbene wieder ins Leben zurückholen kann.

Ays, er dringt in die Körper der Menschen ein, wodurch sie geisteskrank oder selbst zu Dämonen werden.

Čivał, der nachts Träume stört, um die Schlafenden in Angst zu versetzen.

K’aǰk’, leben in Höhlen, Schluchten, Bergen und führen die von den Menschen festgesetzten Strafen aus.

Uruakan, die Geister der Verstorbenen, die aus den Leichentüchern emporsteigen

Vischap, wird in Schlangengestalt dargestellt

Drachen: Ihre Heimat war der früher Masis genannte Berg Ararat. Die Drachen oder die Kinder der Drachen stahlen Kinder, um an ihre Stelle eigene böse, kleine Geister zu setzen, Nachkommen ihrer eigenen Brut. Man sagt, Artawasd I., Sohn des Artaxias I., Erbauer von Artaxata und Freund von Hannibal, wusste von seiner unheimlichen Abstammung. Als er eines Tages von den Klippen fiel, hieß es, dass die Berggeister bzw. Drachen ihn aufgefangen und wieder hinauf getragen hätten.

Hambarus: mysteriöse Geister, wahrscheinlich weibliche Bewohner von verlassen Plätzen oder Ruinen.

Javerzahlareses (Nymphen). Sie waren wahrscheinlich weibliche Kaches. Es waren unsichtbare Wesen mit einem unvergänglichen Wissen, allerdings unfähig, sich weiterzuentwickeln. Sie wanderten in der Grasebene zwischen Steinen und waren an Flussbänken zu finden.

Kaches: sie bilden ein Glied zwischen den armenischen Drachen und armenischen Devs. Tatsächlich sind sie wahrscheinlich mit den Devs identisch. Es sind unkörperliche, kleine Geister. Ähnlich wie die Devs bevorzugen sie steinige Plätze. Wie die Drachen haben sie Paläste auf hohen Stätten. Sie stahlen das gedroschene Getreide und Wein. Sie lieben es ihre Opfer zu prügeln und zu foltern und übten auch auf die Männer einen unheilvollen Einfluss aus. Sie waren musikalisch und man konnte sie oft singen hören.

Nhang: Der Name leitet sich vom persischen Wort für "Krokodil" ab. Es ist ein in einem Fluss lebendes, schlangenähnliches Monster. Es konnte sich verwandeln und trank Blut. Das Wort Nhang wird manchmal noch in der armenischen Literatur für ein Seemonster verwendet.

Piatek: ein großes, säugetierähnliches Wesen, ähnlich einem flügellosen Greif.

Shahapet: freundliche, bewachende Geister, erscheinen üblicherweise in der Gestalt einer Schlange. Sie bewohnen Häuser, Obstgärten, Felder, Wälder und einige andere Orte. Die Shvaz sind landwirtschaftlich orientiert, während die Shvod Hauswächter sind. Ein gut behandelter Shvod belohnt seinen Bewohner mit Gold, während Streit ihn dazu bringt, das Haus zu verlassen.

Tukh Manuk: Kult des „schwarzen Jünglings“, dem bis heute Schreine auf dem Land gewidmet sind.

Vushkapariks: ihr Name kennzeichnet sie als halb dämonische, halb tierische Wesen, ähnlich den Devs, die eine sinnliche Neigung haben.

[phillipsgraves]

i was tagged by the lovely @leviiackrman to make some of my clowns in these meikers! [f/f | m/m | m/f ] thank you ❤️

tagging @kourumi, @queennymeria, @chuckhansen, @denerims, @florbelles, @dihardys, @unholymilf, @jackiesarch, @arklay, and anyone else who'd like to do this! no pressure as always and apologies for any double tags 🤧

capt. john price / dr. madeline ortega | cmdr. phillip graves / lt. apollo de rossi

inquisitor antonio trevelyan / dorian pavus | warden andreas cousland / queen anora mac tir

[eggshell-skull-rule]

Notes on Tyr, Dyēus, Jupiter, and runes

The Norse Tyr (Tiwaz) is suspected to have once held a more central role in the pantheon. The great sky god from before the cult of Odin. His name is supposed to come from the Proto- European Dyēus (Father Daylight Sky God). He can be linked to other Eurasian gods...

God, Sun, day, sky, weather, fertilising rain, water, thunder, lightning, fire, wisdom, writing, scholarship, scribes, messenger, war, battle, the Thing, law.

Dyēus, Dyaus, Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́.

Tiwaz, Tiyaz, Tyr, Tiw, Tir (Nabu)Tishtrya...Tirgan festival in modern Iran, water and rainbows...Archangel... Gabriel in Armenian folk tradition.

Zoyz, Ziu, Zeus, Jove, Jupiter, Pater, Father, King of the Gods...

Mars Thingsus, Mars Tiggi... some of the gods above were also likened to Hermes, Mercury, Apollo, Thoth.

[For my own reference]

In the Scandinavian context I believe Tyr is a Jötunn, not a son of Odin but of Hymir. Odin- Wotan- Wodanaz doesn't seem to have a Proto- Indo- European root.

Allfather. Ansuz- Óss can be "ash" or "oak" in futhorc. Óss, Odin...Jupiter in the Old Icelandic rune poem... Mercury, Hermes...

Jupiter also seems to circle back in the direction of Thor: Doner, Tonans, Tarhunz, Thurisaz, Thunraz, Thunor, Tarhunna, Indra, Parjanya, Perun, Perkūnos... the thunder, oaks... Donar's oak. Oaks sacred to Jupiter...Thor is a giant who defends the Asir from giants (I know, I know, everyone's supposed to be a son of Odin but I think he's rather older than Odin).

[sag-dab-sar]

This is historically attested

Well the writing/reading bit not the "of humanity" bit. Regardless this makes the OP (imo) verified personal gnosis, rather than unverified personal gnosis and seemingly shared personal gnosis.

What's important to this verification is: interpretatio Gracea— "interpretation by means of Greek models"; interpretatio Romana—"interpretation by means of Roman models"; Greco-Egyptian religion; and cultural links through Ancient Near East religious melding.

Nabû is the Babylonian God of scribes & writing, among many other things. When the Greeks arrived they looked at Babylonian religion and via interpretatio Graeca they equated Nabû to the God Hermes for his writing aspects and to the God Apollo for other aspects, such as divination. [1]

Djehuty [Thoth] is the Egyptian God that invented writing and in interpretatio Graeca he, the inventor of writing, is equated to Hermes. [2] In this interpretation & Greco-Egyptian religion he is called Hermes Trismegistos. [3]

Al-Kutba is a Nabataean Goddess of scribes. She was identified with Egyptian Djehuty [Thoth]. [3] So connecting al-Kutba -> Djehuty -> Hermes (Trismegistos)

Tir was the Armenian God who had close association with writing he was referred to as "girč Ormzdi" meaning "scribe of Ormzi," and "dpir gitut‘ean k‘rmac‘" meaning "scribe of the learning of the priests." With the role of "girč" meaning "writer" being an important Armenian folklore role. This writing deity was equated with both Greek God Apollo and Greek God Hermes. [4]

Tir(i) & Tir-Nabû were Iranian Gods who also hold connections to writing and connected to both the Armenian writing God Tir and the Greek God Hermes. In addition the obvious syncretism with the Babylonian scribal God Nabû via name so Tir(i)/Tir-Nabû -> Nabû -> Hermes. [4]

The Roman God Mercury and Greek God Hermes were equated in history thats kind of a given, I mean you can pick a plethora of sources but it leads to a further connection:

Odin is Germanic God of the Runic Alphabet [5] among many other things. Via interpretatio Romana Odin was equated with Mercury. [6] So Odin -> Mercury -> Hermes.

Also Theoi.com mentions Hermes connection to writing followed by various ancient texts:

Hermes came to be regarded as the god of language, alongside Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory). He was said to have been the inventor of writing, which in ancient Greece was first employed in the missives carried by heralds and the stock-taking of merchants and property owners. [7]

There is probably more but I just wanted to jump in and say this is historically rooted.

✏️ Sources ✏️

[1] The City of the Moon God by Tamara Green, various pages

[2] Theoi "Hemres God Of" page. Section: Identified With Foreign Gods

[3] Cornell University Press

[4] State Pantheon of Greater Armenia by Armen Petrosyan page 7-8

[5] Hávamál: The Words of Odin the High One from the Elder or Poetic Edda (Sæmund's Edda) translated by Olive Bray and edited by D. L. Ashliman. Section "Odin's Quest After the Runes"

[6] Odin of Many Devices: Jonas Ramus (d. 1718) on the Identity of Odin and Odysseus by Jonas Wellendorf page 117

[7] Theoi "Hermes God of" page. Section: God of Language, Learning, & Crafty Wiles.

-not audio proof read-

This may be a UPG for Hermes but…

Has anyone thought of Hermes in the sense of writing and reading?

Like, in my research of him to get to know him, I’ve seen the thought/myth that he helped create and maybe translate the Greek alphabet. And some of his epithets are things like “Hermeneutes” (Interpreter, Translator), “Diactorus” (Guide, Messenger), and “Angelus Athanaton” (Messenger of the Gods).

And while it seems most associate him with verbal languages and speeches and the like, I like the idea that writing and reading fall under his purview too. I usually see these things attributed to Athena and Apollo as the gods of wisdom and knowledge respectively, but I don’t think I’ve ever really seen them put into play with Hermes.

But we wouldn’t have books, wouldn’t have writing, wouldn’t have language without Hermes’ help.

And what is reading and writing if not passing some sort of information or message or story on through language, from the author to the reader?

Idk. I just… I’m really interested in reading, writing, and language; and, when I look further into witchcraft, one of the first things I’ll probably do is research sigils. And I feel like Hermes is a god that can help me with this, despite him seemingly not usually brought in to help with that kind of thing - passed over for Apollo or Athena. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But maybe remember to give Hermes some love the next time you’re reading something.

Like this post. 😂

[classicalmonuments]

Temple of Tyr-Apollo

Artashat (Artaxata), Armenia

1st century CE

The site is located on the left bank of the Arax River, next to the Taperakan (Artashat) Bridge. An earlier temple complex (189/188 BCE) was destroyed in the early 1st century, during the Roman campaign led by Domitius Corbulo, which sacked the city in 59.

A new platform was built over the old during the reign of T'rdat I (r. 53-60) and a new building was built on top. Both the platform and temple were made of limestone. Six wide steps (4.85m) led to the eastern entrance of the temple. The walls were decorated with bas relief sculptures. For a long time the locations of this site had been unknown and widely disputed. Among the artifacts found were varying sizes and types of imported and locally-made pottery including a remarkable find, a polished red lion-headed lug bowl. Also found was an eagle head made from limestone with eyes and neck painted dark red. In ancient times the lion was the symbol of the summer sun and the eagle was the symbol of both the sun and a messenger of the gods.

After Christianity was adopted as state religion the new temple, too, was destroyed.

Sources: 1, 2

[spideogbeag]

How Rick Handled The Celts

In TON Apollo says that most of the Celtic Pantheon and stuff has faded (he implied that it was totally gone actually) after we meet Lu, this always pissed me off though, and I know me and Nyan came up with a fun answer to why he might think that, but still the way Rick did that was dumb.

While nowadays we may not go around worshipping our old gods, they haven't faded from our memory, we still get taught their stories and stuff in school.

This is probably due to Rick not knowing Irish culture but still pisses me off Irish people are very supersticious, always have been, and a lot of things we do are due to old Pagan pratices that we never stopped, and based off of that the Celtic Pnatheon would still be alive and thriving

Even in an academic setting they are talked about, there are courses in college and everything for this type of study, plus history and archeology and everything cause anything you'd find that is religious has a 50/50 chance of being Pagan so you gotta know your Celtic gods for that

Plus there are still Pagans in Ireland, they didn't suddenly go poof and disappear

Idk this is just something that always annoyed me about when Rick brought up the Celts

(plus our Gods never had temples or anything, just wasn't a thing, they'd be worshipped outside at specific locations, these locations are well known (you can literally go to Macha's cave) and so even they're places of worship are still around (plus we still leave little bits and pieces in this area, as good luck, so you'd find little keepsake, coins, ribbons, all sorts of things as little offerings)

most places that exist in the pantheon are well known, a lot of them are places that exist so that helps, plus the place they reside is just a magical island called Tir na Nog (sorry donn't have the right keys on my laptop there are accents on some of those letters) which is an island to the west that you can get to via magical means (or in some myths dying, depends on the myth) thats is most of them up there, just the fact about how he implied they all faded even though there are multiple reasins why they wouldn't've via the modern Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Manx people we do have our own myth about what happened to the gods that he could've used as well like it's a well known myth considering it's connected to the myth about the Gianrs Causeway up North Basically as worship of them died down, they just made themselves smaller, turned themselves into more modern Fairies really (the good people or the little people here (they have A LOT of names)) and the worship or the heroes basically rose which made them taller and bigger (Giants) and yeah... There was a whole story Rick you could've used but nooo and he recently took a course on Irish myth with a university in Cork so he should know more now but still (made with the help of @asunnydreamer and @nyaningthroughlife thnx guys (they helped propmt me basically))

[tipsycad147]

MASTERING YOUR GRIMOIRE: WRITING YOUR DEDICATION

By Willow

Over the past week we spent time laying out our grimoires and developing a rough draft for our table of contents. There are several really great resources out there to help you figure out how to organize your grimoire. Upon doing some research, I decided to use LaPulia's Book of Shadows as a guide. Now this is a Wiccan book and therefore many sections or pages wouldn't be included in my book, but it is a really great, comprehensive table of contents. Their Traditional Witchcraft Grimoire also has some really great ideas that I will be using as well. Another great resource for organizing your grimoire is The Dance at Alder Cove's table of contents. This list is pretty comprehensive as well, providing you with some ideas if you aren't sure where to start.

Right now I have only organized and planned a couple sections. The reason for this is that planning too far in advance and jumping around while working could come back to bite you in the butt if you are working with a bound book where you can't easily move pages. This is what I am working with and as I work on a little bit at a time I have already found myself moving things around. The current sections I have planned are listed in order below:

Title Page Table of Content The Craft (section title)     Dedication     Blessing     Pentagram     Witch's Creed     What is a Hedgewitch?     13 Goals of a Witch     Self Dedication (to the craft) Basics of Magic (section title)     What is Magic?     Magical Theory and Technique     Grounding and Centering     Energy     How to Direct Energy     Meditation     Pathwalking     Hedge Riding     How to Hedge Ride     Ways to Reach Altered State of Consciousness     Three Realms of Otherworld     Hedge Riding Prep and Etiquette     Animal and Spirit Guides     My Guides The Elements (section title)     Earth Intro     Tools of Earth and How to Use with Other Elements     Earth Correspondences     Air Intro     Tools of Air and How to Use with Other Elements     Air Correspondences     Fire Intro     Tools of Fire and How to Use with Other Elements     Fire Correspondences     Water Intro     Tools of Water and How to Use with Other Elements     Water Correspondences     Spirit Sabbats (section title)     Wheel of the Year (picture)     About the Wheel of the Year     Samhain Introduction     Samhain History and Lore     Samhain Traditions     Samhain Correspondences     Samhain Plants     Samhain Recipes     Samhain Crafts *I have not finished my Sabbat planning because I am not sure how many recipes and crafts I would like to include at this time.

As I mentioned in Organizing Your Grimoire, you should have made room in the first couple pages for a dedication and a blessing, which you can see I did. One of the first things to put in your book is your dedication. Now this isn't a dedication to the craft, but a dedication to working on your grimoire and continuing to learn. Your Self Dedication will be your dedication to the craft. The dedication featured within the first page or two is basically a promise to yourself, the deities you believe in, and your grimoire that you will continue to learn and grow as a witch. During the next two weeks write your dedication and decorate the page(s). Begin your rough draft on a separate sheet of paper. If you are working with a digital format, work right in your book. Spend time reflecting on what you want to say. It can be in the form of poetry or prose; whatever speaks to you. I prefer poetry so my dedication is written in such a format. Are you going to ask the elements for guidance in the creation of your grimoire? Air is associated with wisdom, fire with inspiration, water with justice, and earth with patience. What about any deities? Apollo, Euterpe, Bragi, Kvasir, Brigid, Sarasawti, Tir, Seshat, Al-Kutbay, Nabu, and Nidaba are all gods and goddesses of writing and poetry from various traditions. Requesting their aid in the assembly of your grimoire would be wise if you follow their tradition. Are you going to dedicate the grimoire to one of these deities or just Mother Earth? What would you like the pages to be filled with? Why do you want to complete your grimoire? Remember to refer back to your Mapping Your Magical Path for guidance in the creation of your dedication. Once you have written your dedication and are happy with it, transfer it to your book in your best handwriting (or type, print, and paste it). Then proceed to decorate the page. Feel free to use symbols associated with inspiration and writing such as the rune Ansuz or the sun. Prefer more natural symbols? Draw Begonias to encourage deep thoughts, Black-Eye Susans for encouragement, Irises for inspiration, or Hazel and Maple for wisdom. Be sure to fill this page with your energy. As you work, envision your energy filling the pages. The color of your energy is entirely dependent on your personality. Mine tends to be green and gold and occasionally pink, yellow, or gray. Funny how these are the same colors I have used to decorate my entire home and my grimoire. How did you end up organizing your grimoire? Share below in the comments, email, or through Facebook. And good luck writing your dedications!

https://www.flyingthehedge.com/2017/03/mastering-your-grimoire-writing-your.html

[witchofapollo]

Magickal and Non-Magickal Tips for Writing

Fun fact! I do freelance writing as well as hobby writing, as most of my loyal followers can tell. I thought it was time that I share some tips about one of the things that I am passionate about.

Magickal

Charm your pens, using the ink as inspiration to help the words flow better

Ex. Burn a purple candle and chant, “As the ink flows, so do my words” confidently as if you are a monarch commanding their army

Practice regular meditation and visualization (if you have the ability to) to help with focus and determining your goals.

Below is a sigil to protect from writer’s block. Use it by drawing it at the top of your page or by drawing it on a sticky note and placing it on your monitor.

Incorprate color correspondences into your writing, whether it be via ink, your clothes, or even nail color. Here are some to help you out:

Yellow - Creativity

Red - Passion

Blue - Clear thoughts

Purple - Progress 

Green - Success

Keep rose quartz on your desk/working area to help with your confidence in your writing.

Appeal to various writing/creativity/art deities. Here are some listed below. I tried my best to avoid deities of closed religions, but I apologize if I didn’t realize one was closed (I got these from Wikapedia). In the end, it is up to you to determine which deities are appropriate for you to appeal to. Feel free to add some more.

Apollo (Greek and also my patron god)

Tir (Armenian)

Bao Zheng (Chinese)

Benzaiten (Japanese)

Nabu (Babylonian)

Enki (Sumerian)

Nidaba (Sumerian)

Minerva (Roman)

Ahura Mazda (Zoroastrian)

Burn incense nearby to invoke the attributes of the element of air, which is associated with creativity and freedom!

Sigil:

Non-Magickal

Read! The more you read, the more styles of writing, vocabulary, and sentence structure you are introduced to. Try to read more than one type of genre as well. Everything you read has a direct impact on your writing.

Regularly re-read your old work to see how you’ve progressed. This is especially helpful if you feel as if you are hitting a wall in your progression as a writer in general.

Practice! Writing isn’t easy. The words sometimes just don’t hit you and it can get really frustrating. Sometimes, no matter how many times you re-write the same passage, it doesn’t feel right. Practicing regularly, even if it is just to write in your journal every night, makes perservering easier. 

Re-read your work at least once! I am especially bad about this. You’d be surprised at the amount of typos you’d make. If you’re work is especially long, re-read each paragraph as you write them instead of all at once.

Take regulated breaks.

On that note, schedule times for you to sit down and write. People who schedule when they need to write have a better chance of actually sitting down and writing. This also means you won’t feel bad for not writing later. It doesn’t need to be for hours or even every day. For some, it’s in the mornings before work. For others, it’s just on the weekends. Determine what works best for you.

Writing with a quill pen just for the aesthetic is okay and no one should judge you for that. 

I really hopes this helps anybody who is interested in writing of any kind!

[just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot]

Au in the Percy Jackson world (logicality 👀)

@patton-cake I’ve also never read any of the books, but I’m a lot more familiar with the basics of series, and I’m working on an AU that deals with Gods and such anyway!  I’ve got a little bit of ad-libbing to do so lemme know how this sounds!

- Patton is a the son of a mortal mother while his father is Dagda, the Celtic god of strength, fertility, agriculture, wisdom and time/fate; Dagda seemed the most fitting choice considering he’s considered the a cheerful fatherly god among the Tuatha Dé Danann. Logan is the son of a mortal father and his mother is Scáthach. the Celtic goddess of the dead, those slain in battle and the passage of the dead to Tir Nan Og; honestly, Scáthach is just a badass with an awesome weapon, Gáe Bulg, and we love that for Logan. Seriously, look up the Gáe Bulg, its not called the “spear of mortal death/suffering“ for nothing. - They both attend Camp Dé Danann (coming from the Tuatha Dé Danann, since I couldn’t find anything about a canonical celtic demigod camp on the wiki) and probably meet when Logan first arrives at Camp. The camp is probably somewhere in the highlands for the sake of seclusion and the vast areas to train in. Patton was probably there from a young age, so he’s the one tasked with showing Logan around at first. Likely, Logan wasn’t that impressed with Patton since he’s overly cheeful and not too keen on fighting, but during their sparring matches, Logan was absolutely blown away by how powerful Patton actually is. Which makes sense considering his dad is pretty dang powerful. But power alone doesn’t win battles, so while their first spar ends pretty closely, Logan takes the victory and Patton is surprisingly excited for him considering his opponients usually hate how smug he often comes across in most one on one matches. It’s not until later Logan finds out that Patton - while he’s great with his actual powers - is impossible to train for combat. He just can’t seem to pick it up. Sure, he’s won sparring matches using some pretty witty moves and tricks, but he always seems hesitant to hurt anyone. So Logan makes the spontaneous decision to try and train Patton who he feels almost weirdly protective over once he realises how careless the bubbly demigod actually is the longer they hang out.  At first he has no luck, but upon realising Patton is all about protecting others than holding his own, Logan tries a new approach; teaching self defense and putting Patton in a position where he would need to protect another.  And it works. Patton starts to get better with Logan’s help and finally manages to win a lot more matches than he loses. And of course, spending so much time together, they end up getting closer and closer. It probably comes to a head during a friendly one on one match; Patton and Logan up close and wanting to subtly show off to each other. Perhaps one gets pinned, there’s a moment of silence, then both lean in for a kiss. Also I know you wanted just Logicality, but I love mythos stuff, so for approval, some more basic ideas for the other sides (and Remy and Emile) as demigods: Camp Jupiter: - Roman is the son of Apollo along with Remus, but he’s blessed by Venus and chooses to attend Camp Jupiter over Camp Half-blood so he doesn’t have to deal with Remus..... he does kinda miss him tho. You can pry Healthy-If-A-Little-Competitive Sibling Creativitwins from my cold dead hands. - Virgil’s parent was hard to nail down, but Jupiter sounded most interesting (also can you just imagine Roman trying to show off around camp and Virgil just being like “oh just wait til I tell dad about this guy..”) - Janus.... okay listen, we can sit here all day and debate, but lbr, his dad is Janus sr. I like to think his mortal mother had like, a bunch of names picked out but Janus sr just went “nah, lets call him Janus jr.“, which is probably why Janus doesn’t like giving his name out. Camp Half-Blood: - Remus is the son of Apollo, as stated, but he’s blessed by Posiedon, because you tell me that man would not appreciate Remus’ love of the ocean and eccentricities. Most of the time he’s just vibing and having fun, though he does miss his brother. - Emile would be the son of Psyche, I think. It’d be an interesting idea to explore and I love the idea of Emile having motifs to do with the soul and the mind. - Remy’s mother is Nyx, you cannot convince me otherwise. Remy gets to be a scary bitch because I LOVE him and also because let’s be real, him having dream powers is a given and being the personification of the night? Hell yes. (But yeah thats what I have, I hope this at least made for good reading from someone still an outsider to the source materials but very much interested in reading them if I get the chance sometime!)

[workingwithhermes]

Finding Hermes

After spending a long time reading into different deities, and trying to find the right one for me, I ended up with a long list of deities I thought might take interest in me, and might be beneficial in helping me to become the best version of myself. 

This list included:

Tir: God of Literature, Science and Art, and interpreter of dreams in Armenian paganism.

Apollo: God of artistic knowledge, music, education and youth in Ancient Greece

Peitho: Goddess of charming speech and political persuasion - persuasion and seduction in Ancient Greece

Ganesha: God of knowledge, intellect and wisdom and patron of arts and sciences in Hinduism

Kuebiko: scarecrow God of wisdom and agriculture in Japan

Enki: God of intelligence, crafts, mischief, water, and creation in ancient Sumer

Nabu: God of wisdom and writing in ancient Babylon

Odin: God of wisdom who nevertheless relentlessly keeps searching for more knowledge; associated with the runes in Norse mythology

Minerva: goddess of wisdom and crafts, the Roman equivalent of Athena

Neptune: the god of the sea and freshwater, is said to have all the knowledge of water in Ancient Rome

Muses: in Ancient Greece, they were said to inspire creativity

Saraswati: Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning.

Huehuecóyotl: the auspicious Aztec God of music, dance, mischief, and song. He is the patron of uninhibited sexuality and rules over the day sign in the Aztec calendar named cuetzpallin and the fourth trecena Xochitl

Xōchipilli: the Dod of art, games, dance, flowers, and song in Aztec mythology.

As you can probably tell, I was keen to find a deity who promoted knowledge, creativity and intelligence. I want to work on bettering myself as a creative, focussing my mind and letting go of any stresses I have about my art form. 

After researching into the deities on the list, I decided I would try to focus on Apollo. I believed that as an all-round artist, muse and encourager of youth, he would be the perfect person to help me grow as an artist. 

Except, after first trying to establish my connection, I heard and felt nothing. 

That is, until a couple of days later. I was sat in the car, thinking about how I could better establish a connection, when a van from the company Hermes drove past. 

I thought it was a bit strange, but Hermes had not been on my list of Gods, and I wasn’t sure he was the right one for me, so I brushed it off, and continued thinking of Apollo. After all, not everything is a sign, sometimes coincidence is just that.

After this, however, a few strange events occurred.

We had gone to the beach for the day - a beach famous for its fossils and gemstone; among other things, I found a couple of pieces of marble on the beach, which I associate heavily with Greek deities. I also found hawk feathers, which upon researching Hermes, are one of his main symbols. 

After this, I was still unsure about whether Hermes was right for me. He had clearly taken interest, and I was seeing signs of him around everywhere, from birds sticking very close to me, to angel wing symbols in graffiti and shop decorations. 

It wasn’t until we were standing on a pier, looking up at the birds, that I knew he was right for me. I had almost been pooped on by a seagull, and was very glad that it had missed. Straight after this, my dog began to mess around, trying to bark at another dog (my dog is big, and I’m not, it can be a little difficult for me to control him sometimes). The only thing that stopped him messing around was when a seagull swooped down and pooped. On his face. 

And although it was annoying to wipe the mess off, I realised that even in a situation like that, maybe Hermes did have my back (and a sense of humour). So I decided to pursue a relationship with him as a patron.

[incorrect-threehouses]

more mythology references please! that was a great post!!

YOU GOT IT BUDDY. I'll include different types of mythology this time

Most of the crests in the game have some kind of mythological origin:

Seiros- derived from the Greek word Seirios, meaning 'scorching' and is also an alternate name for the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Also, side note, the song that plays in most of Rhea's scenes is called 'Gazing at Sirius'. THEY ARE LITERALLY TELLING YOU WHO SHE IS FROM THE OFFSET THAT'S SO CLEVER

Hresvelg- comes from Hreæsvelgr (the corpse swallower), a Norse giant who was the cause of the cold winds from the north when he flapped his eagle wings

Blaiddyd- A legendary king of Briton

Riegan- the name of one of King Lear's daughters and one of the villains in the play

All the saints names (excluding Macuil, who was the grandson of The Dagda), as many people have pointed out, come from the names of fomorians; hostile supernatural beings who appeared from over the sea and the enemies of the first settlers of Ireland, the Tuatha Dé Danann (something to point out is that their pronunciations were streamlined in the game. For example: Cethleann is actually pronounced 'Kelen' and Cichol is pronounced 'Seehol')

Daphnel- may come from Daphne, a nymph the god Apollo persued in Greek mythology, who was turned into a laurel tree (the laurel representing victory and being sacred to Apollo, whose Irish counterpart was Lugh. There's a bit of speculation in this one, but it makes sense)

Charon- the ferryman of the underworld in Greek mythology, who rowed the souls of the dead across the Acheron river

Gloucester- Another character from King Lear, and also a city in England which was said to hold an entrance to the underworld in Welsh mythology

Goneril- Another character from King Lear. She was considered a villain in the play along with Regan and fell in love with Edmund (which may be one of the reasons why Hilda and Marianne can have an ending together)

The other crests in the game are either actual surnames or words in other languages as far as I'm aware

Acheron is a real river in Greece, but was said to be the river of the dead in Greek mythology, where the dead would cross over to the underworld. This may be why they draw attention to Acheron's house being on a riverbank

Eagles, lions and stags are all important symbols of Christianity (which isn't necessarily mythological, but I'm including it anyway), with eagles being the symbol of St John, "The evangelist who soars to Heaven, and gazes on the light of immutable truth with keen and undazzled eyes", lions being the symbol of St Mark, "Who stressed Christ's power and royalty", and stags representing "the soul thirsting for redemption"

Rhea was a titaness in Greek mythology and the mother of the first 6 Olympians

The alliance has a big focus on archery and deer, and the leading house's crest is related to the moon arcana. I think this is a reference to Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon and archery, and whose sacred animal was the deer

The Ochain shield is likely a reference to Oisin (pronounced Oshin) from the Irish myth of Oisin and Tir Na Nog (the land of eternal youth)

That's all I can think of for the time being. If I think of anything else I'll make another post!

[emsartwork]

Can I ask why you chose those specific fairy tales/mythological/folk figures for the Mythix redesign? Very much enjoy how unique the designs are and how they draw from multiple different cultures thnx

Yeah so Mythix was a process and had a lot of concept brain work before i ever put anything down on paper. I think I had a few ladies in mind from the very beginning (Scheherazade is one of my favorite folk lore ladies just in general lol) but i wanted to pull from as many different cultures as possible, and have fit the winx girls’ ethnicity when possible. 

So for a character like Musa, who is Asian even if she is technically from an alien planet, I wanted to draw from mostly north east asia(even tho south and south east asia have super cool stories too), and I know a good amount of japanese folklore because of...... anime reasons and at first I was trying to find a japanese figure related to music, voice, or mouth, but I kind of hit a wall with that one because the only one i could think of/find was the tongue-cut sparrow story or the Split mouth woman which, while interesting, aren’t all that fitting for a powerful magic lady. You of course have momotaro, princess kaguya, or, a personal favorite, the boy who drew cats but none of those felt right either so I expanded my range to China and IMMEDIATELY landed on Mulan, I like to think at least some of her story was true, but even if she is just a legend WHAT A FUCKING LEGEND AMIRIGHT. she was perfect for a powerful magic lady, strong, honorable, selfless, protective, and smart. Even if her “power” wasn’t realted at all to music she was a perfect fit. 

With Flora I wanted to draw from Mexican or native american(aztec or mayan) folklore, I actually did consider making her Scheherazade for a hot minute cus I draw a lot of inspo for Flora and Lynphea from Persia/the middle east in general, but ultimately decided against it. La Muerte is another favorite figure of mine, partially because she has such an interesting origin from an anthropological point of view. with the blending of catholic saints and native cultures in Mexico and possibly some influence from what would eventually become voodoo. Also, Dia de Muertos has that whole marigold flower petal association which perfectly links to Flora. 

Aisha was a little more difficult because she’s black, and black people are, ethnically, from Africa, and Africa has SO MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES AND STORIES AND EVEN JUST GEOGRAPHY. and i know from past experiences its stupidly hard to find good reliable references for any of the native cultures in Africa, or america for that matter, because racism and colonialism. So I tried going by Aisha’s name, which is of Arabic and Swahili in origin, but arabic and swahili are both spoken in many countries across south Africa North Africa and the Middle East, so I used her parent’s names Niobe and Teredor which are both Greek sounding so that pulled it towards North Africa/Saudi Arabia(where there was a lot of Greek influence). SO i thought to myself, what about egypt??? Didn’t the Cinderella story originate in Egypt with an eagle and a sandal and a prince or something?????? UNFORTUNATELY THAT’S A LIE(as far as my research showed). So I was mega stumped with Aisha, and I tried applying Scheherazade to her as a last ditch effort because Saudi Arabia, and.,,,....,, it fit???? like weirdly well???? like Aisha and Scheherazade are both BAMFs with unrelenting determination, an urge to protect the innocent, and punish the unjust they just do it very differently, but I liked the contrast between Aisha’s more active aggressive style and her switching to a more subtle story teller’s methods. So somehow I got it to work out ethnically, geographically, personality, and using my lady Scheherazade AND the design + the colors came out fantastic imo.

Stella was easier, I knew I wanted to pull from Greece, and possibly link to Apollo if possible so I looked up the temple of Delphi to see if there were any notable priestesses. Pythia came up right away, and had a gorgeous classical painting to use as reference so that was a snap tbh

Bloom was pretty easy, I’ve based Domino off of Scotland and a lil’bit of China but appearance wise she’s VERY white. But I was already pulling HEAVILY from Scotland and Ireland for Morgana and Tir Nan Og, so I broadened to Europe in general(which means I had a lot to work with because fairytales are so Eurocentric *eye roll emoji*) I decided to go with cinderella because CINDERS come from FIRE(aren’t I clever) and glass making requires a lot of heat. I mentioned earlier that there are theories as to where the “cinderella” story truly originated, The most popular being China, Egypt, or Germany(as far as I researched the Egyptian and Chinese “versions” of Cinderella barely resemble the story?).  Aschenputtle is the iconic one from Grimm Brother’s collections in 1812 but I chose to use the edition that popularized the story in 1698 by Charles Perrault since thats the “classic cinderella” modern audiences still recognize(even tho i am very partial to the more violent german version lmao). Her outfit design was a bit of challenge but I really like what I came up with.

Tecna was..... troublesome. Pink hair doesn’t exist irl unless it’s dyed, so I had only a partial appearance to base ethnicity on. I pull a lot from Russia for Zenith tho, so I figured I would start with Baba Yaga(who is already a villain in world of winx so I wasn’t gonna use her anyways) and see where that lead me. I came across Vasilisa the Fair/Beautiful/Wise, she featured in a lot of Russian folklore and had a lot of different aspects/personalities/stories so I kinda tried to pull from all of them (which gave me difficulties later on in the design process) She was one of the only Fairytale figures I could find that had a direct connection to intelligence (not that other fairytale ladies aren’t smart ofc). Because of Vasilisa’s many different roles and some physical transformations (russian frog princess) I made her the Fairy of Transformations. Tecna is probably the one I’m least satisfied but I’m not changing it lmao