#zeus-amun

[mask131]

The syncretized Greek gods are always so fascinatingly strange

Replica Cast Head of Zeus-Amun, Roman Period (about 100 CE), Liverpool World Museum

Zeus-Amun was a popular god in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. He is a combination of the Egyptian god Amun and the Greek god Zeus. He is usually shown with the ram's horns of Amun and the bearded face of Zeus. In 331 BCE Alexander the Great claimed he was told by an oracle that he was the son of Zeus-Amun.

[jacobpking]

WORLD MYTHOLOGY COLOUR WHEEL - Cyan Blue is next! What animals or characters from world mythology do YOU want to see on the colour wheel?

[sarafangirlart]

There is this Egyptian tradition where Rhea is married to Ammon (not identified as Kronos) and it’s so funny to me like that’s literally and ancient crack ship. Like imagine if I shipped Hera with Sett or something.

The source is Diodorus Siculus btw

[skyfatherai]

[whencyclopedia]

Ptolemaic Egypt

Ptolemaic Egypt existed between 323 and 30 BCE when Egypt was ruled by the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty. During the Ptolemaic period, Egyptian society changed as Greek immigrants introduced a new language, religious pantheon, and way of life to Egypt. The Ptolemaic capital Alexandria became the premier city of the Hellenistic world, known for its Great Library and the Pharos lighthouse.

From Persian Rule to Alexander

In 525 BCE, Egypt was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire, beginning a period of harsh foreign rule and cultural repression. Egypt briefly regained its independence from 404 BCE until 342 BCE before it was reconquered. Discontent with the Persian government resulted in the Egyptians welcoming Alexander the Great as a liberator when he invaded in 332 BCE. Alexander had already broken the Persian army at the Battle of Issus (333 BCE), and Mazakes, the satrap of Egypt, surrendered without a fight.

Alexander demonstrated a deep respect for Egyptian culture, choosing to be crowned pharaoh according to traditional custom. He offered sacrifices to the Egyptian gods in Heliopolis and Memphis and hosted Greek athletic games to celebrate his reign. Next, he traveled south to the Oracle of Amun, whom the Greeks equated with Zeus, in the Siwa Oasis. Alexander believed himself to be the son of Zeus, which the oracle seemingly confirmed for him. The idea had precedent in Egyptian royal ideology in which kings were considered living gods, the offspring of deities like Ra or Amun. It was an unusually grandiose claim for Greek rulers, but Alexander's reputation was great enough for the Greeks to accept him as a demigod.

Alexander's grand design will slowly have come to encompass the idea that all peoples were to be subjugated for the formation of a new world order; for this purpose, the Egyptian pharaonic system presented a very suitable ideology that was well established and has been accepted for millennia.

(Hölbl, 9)

In 331 BCE, Alexander visited the fishing village of Rhakotis where he planned the foundation of a new city, Alexandria. He intended for Alexandria to be the capital of his empire, a link between Egypt and the Mediterranean. Before leaving to continue his conquests, Alexander appointed two governors, Doloaspis and Peteisis, and named Cleomenes of Naukratis, a Greek Egyptian, as his satrap. He also left a small army to occupy and defend Egypt.

Statue of Alexander the Great as Pharaoh

Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA)

After the death of Alexander the Great in Babylon in 323 BCE, his general Ptolemy I became satrap of Egypt. He was nominally the servant of Alexander's successors Philip Arrhidaeus and Alexander IV of Macedon, but in reality, he ruled on his own initiative. Ptolemy I quickly executed Cleomenes, whose exorbitant taxation was unpopular, and began establishing royal policies to modernize the country. By 310 BCE, the last of Alexander's heirs had died, and during the Wars of the Diadochi, Alexander's generals claimed pieces of his empire. Ptolemy I was crowned king of Egypt in 306 BCE, establishing the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Continue reading...

[blueiscoool]

Excavation in Egyptian Necropolis Uncovers 63 Ancient Tombs and a Trove of Gold Artifacts

Grave goods found in 63 burials from ancient Egypt include gold foil figures, pottery and bronze coins.

Archaeologists in Egypt have found the ancient burials of more than 60 people along with bronze coins and gold foil figurines, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced in a statement.

The team found the burials in the city of Damietta on the northern coast by the Mediterranean. Some of the graves date to the 26th dynasty (688 to 525 B.C.) while others appear to date to the Ptolemaic period (304 to 30 B.C.), the statement noted. The discoveries include pottery and shabti figurines, which were meant to work for the deceased in the afterlife.

Researchers zeroed in on the 38 bronze coins found within a pottery vessel at the site. The coins date to the Ptolemaic period, a time when the descendants of one of Alexander the Great's generals ruled Egypt.

Thomas Faucher, the director of the Center for Alexandrian Studies in Egypt who was not involved in this research, said that from the released images, it appears that many of the coins are engraved with the head of Zeus Ammon. This deity is a combination of the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian god Ammon (also spelled Amun), who is associated with oracles and prophecies. At least one coin in the images seems to have an eagle engraved on it with a cornucopia (a horn) depicted to the left of the eagle. Based on these details, Faucher dated the coins to the late third century B.C.

Egypt was going through political turmoil when this coin was minted. Around 206 B.C. a large-scale revolt broke out against the Ptolemaic dynasty.

"A large number of hoards were buried at the time of the revolt in Southern Egypt in 206 B.C." Faucher said in an email, noting that there was a coin recall after this, with recalled coins being assigned new values and given new additional markings. It's unclear if the newly found coins were buried during the time of revolt, and more details from the excavations may shed light on them. In any event, the discovery of the burials and coins "is significant, especially given the region's limited known material from this period," Faucher said.

Aside from the coins, the gold foil figurines buried with the deceased are also notable. From the images released, it appears that a few of the figurines depict "ba-birds" — creatures from Egyptian mythology that have wings and a human head. The "ba" in ancient Egypt represented part of the human soul and was sometimes depicted as a bird that could gather food to feed the deceased, according to Swansea University's Egypt Centre.

In addition to the ba-birds, some of the gold foil figurines appear to depict the 'eye of Horus,' a falcon-headed god. Artifacts depicting his eyes were popular in ancient Egypt and were believed to have a protective power.

By Owen Jarus.

[reimenaashelyee]

323 BCE.

Portrait of the King of the World with Macedonian Sun and the ram-headed Zeus Amun.

Portrait of an Unknown Man with Curly Hair, damaged

Wanted to play with Fayum-style mummy portraits for Alexander and Hephaestion.

[talonabraxas]

8.8 Lion's Gate 'Zurvan Akarana' Talon Abraxas

God as ‘Time’ in the Ancient World

Once Krishna-Vishnu as Lord Nara-Hari / KALAH / TIME was worshiped as the Supreme Lord World-wide. He was the Deliverer of the Jews and Mixed-Multitude in their Biblical Exodus from slavery in Egypt. KRISHNA- VISHNU NARA-HARI Leontocephalos Lion-Headed TIME / KALAH of the Bhagavad-Gita, as the Biblical YAHU-TZABAOTH and Zeus-Jupiter Chronos-Saturus, Egyptian HERU-AUSU-Ammon-RA, Kushite Apademak, Shaivite and Buddhist Kalah-Bairab, Mithraic Zervan, etc. HE, ARYEH / HARYAH is the “Lion of Judah”, NARA-HARI, the Biblical Exodus Deliverer and Protector of the Jews.

Some Scholars of Zurvanism and Comparative Religions are well acquainted with the Form of the Supreme God as Leontopcephalos (Lion Headed) Time, surrounded by His Alter-Form or Expansion as the Ouroboros Serpent of Infinity. What they do not realize is that this Form of the Supreme Lord is both the Jews’ and Christians’ ARI-YAHU or ARI-EL YAHU-TZABAOTH (Lion-Headed Time) ‘Lord of Hosts’ of the Exodus Story, AND Krishna-Vishnu’s Central Bhagavad-gita Theophany as Narasimha KALAH / TIME, surrounded by His Alter-Form, Eternity as An-anta Un-Ending Sesha (Remainer) Naga (Biblical NACHASH).

To the ancient Africans, He was the Lion Headed AMUN (Zeus-Jupiter Chronos-Saturnus) the Supreme Lord of Egypt, Meroe and Sub Saharan Africa.

To the ancient Persians He was the Supreme Lord Zurvan.

To the ancient pre-Buddhist Tibetans He was the Lion-Headed Protector ZA.

To the ancient Eurpeans He was Zeus Chronos and Jupiter Saturnus etc.

To the Shaivites and Mahayana Buddhists He was/is the Wrathful Time-wheel Devouring Form of Kalah Bairava / Bairab Mahadeva (Shiva)

Shaivites identify the Central Theophany of KALAH in the Gita with Siva, because KALAH is one of Siva’s Names and Forms.

The Island Civilizations of Austro-Indonesia and the Pacific also worship the Lord as Lion-Headed Time. His New Year Lion Dance Blessing Festivals can still be seen there.

In the Western Hemisphere the Lion Headed JAG-WERE GOD of the earliest OLMECS ruled the TIME WHEEL of all of the subsequent Amer-Indian Civilizations.

Among the Names and Forms of Hari (Krishna) or Vasudeva (Vishnu) as the Man-Lion Nara Hari (Nara-Simha) are the Names and Forms of Kalah-Shiva!!! In Gita Jayanti and Buddhist New Year’s Festivals throughout the East, the All-devouring Universal Revelation / Theophany of the Supreme Lord as TIME / KALAH (BAIRAVA) is represented in a MAN-LION FORM. Thus Sacred Traditions from around the World, which are thousands of years old, confirm that ancient humanity worshiped the Supreme Lord in His Gita-related Revelation as Lion-Headed Time, with His Alter-Form of the Sarpa / Serpentine Anantadeva as Un-Ending Eternity.

Article by Bhakti Ananda Goswami:

[greenpanda-basicfakewitch]

Spiritual Dieties

A/N: Just realised that I've included a list of god/esses BUT Christian will be excluded because theirs is too BIG, seraphims, archangels, and the names of who is what that is it's own seperate post -_- they're christian witches so even my own opinion of christianty (I don't hate them but dont love them either) I would still respect anyone who still follows it.

_________________________________________________________

Deities: 

Divine status, quality or nature. A god or Goddess, a supreme being. Most well known in Persian/Norse/Celtic/Greek/Roman/Egyptian/Hindu/Pagan/ Christian Angels-Demons, etc.

Celtic Gods:

Alator: God of war and protection, name means “he who nourishes the people.”

Albiorix: God of protection and war, name means “King of the world.”

Belenus: God of healing, name means “Bright one.”

Borvo: God of healing waters and minerals.

Bres: God of fertility, tyrant ruler

Cernunnos: Horned god of Nature, fertility, the underworld, wealth and fruit

Esus: God of strength and human sacrifice.

Lenus: God of healing, associated with Roman god Mars

Lugh: God of the sun and craftsmanship, justice and ruleship

Maponus: God of music, poetry and youth

Nuada: God of healing, the sea and warfare.

Celtic Goddesses:

 Brigantia: Goddess of rivers and waters, poetry and crafts

Brigit: Goddess of fire, fertility, healing, cattle and poetry

Ceridwen: Goddess and sorceress, poetic wisdom, prophecy, magic and rebirth.

Epona: Horse goddess, fertility and cornucopias, horses and mules

Medb: Goddess of sovereignty and motherhood

Morrigan: Goddess of seafarers, fertility, and abundance

Nemausicae: Mother goddess, fertility and prosperity

Saitada: Goddess of grief.

_______________________________________________________

Norse Deities:

 Gods:

Baldur: God of Beauty, peace, innocence, rebirth.

Bragi: God of Poetry, music, the harp

Hodr: God of Winter, Blind God, god of Darkness.

Hoenir: God of Silence, passion, spirituality, poetry

Kwasir: God of inspiration, god of wisdom.

Loki: God of trickery, mischief

Magni: God of strength and bravery

Njord: God Of the sea, wind, fish and wealth.

Odin: The allfather, God of war, poetry, magic and wisdom.

Thor: God of Thunder and battle, protection of mankind.

Try: God of War and Justice, god of skies

Ulr: God of skis and bows, god of winter.

Ali: God of revenge and vengeance.

Goddess:

Eir: Goddess of healing and medical skill.

Eostre: Goddess of spring and dawn.

Freyja: Goddess of love, fertility, battle and witchcraft

Frigg: Goddess of marriage and motherhood, Queen of the gods.

Gefjun: Goddess of fertility and plough, abundance and prosperity.

Hlin: Goddess of consolation and protection

Jord: Goddess of the Earth, Mother Earth.

Nanna: Goddess of joy, peace, and the moon.

Nott: Goddess of the night and darkness.

Sif: Goddess of the harvest, grain and earth

Sigyn: Goddess of fidelity, mercy and mourning.

Skadi: Goddess of Winter, mountains and skiing.

Sol: Goddess of the Sun and healing

Vor: Goddess of Wisdom, knowledge and awareness. 

Greek Goddess

Aphrodite

Hera

Athena

Artemis

Demeter

Hestia

Persephone

Gaia

Greek Gods:

Zeus

Hermes

Ares

Poseidon

Apollo

Hephaestus

Dionysus

Hades

Cronus

Eros

Helios

Atlas

Pan

Heracles

Prometheus

Uranus

______________________________________________________________

Roman Goddess Minerva

Venus

Ceres

Juno

Vesta

Diana

Janus

Bellona

Cybele

Fortuna

Victoria

Proserpina

Roman Gods

Apollo

Mars

Jupiter

Neptune

Mercury

Vulcan

Pluto

Saturn

Faunus

Flora

Pax

______________________________________________________________

Egyptian Gods/Goddess

Horus

Anubis

Osiris

Isis

Thoth

Set

Bastet

Hathor

Amun

Sekhmet

Nephthys

Ptah

Sobek

Ma'at

Geb

Nut

Shu

Ra

Bes

Tefnut

Khnum

Khepri

Khonsu

Neith

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Persian Gods/esses

Ahura Mazda

Angra Mainyu

Mithra

Anahita

Verethragna

Atar

Vohu Manah

Haurvatat

Mitra

Ameretat

Vayu

Zoroaster

Haoma

Rashnu

Spenta Armaiti

Indra

Aka Manah

Allani

Ahurani

Kshatra Vairya

Azhi Dahāka

Arash

Apam Napat

Fereydun

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hindu Gods/esses

Shiva

Vishnu

Ganesha

Brahma

Hanuman

Krishna

Durga

Rama

Saraswati

Indra

Lakshmi

Kali

Kartikeya

Parvati

Agni

Surya

Varuna

Vayu

Chandra

Devi

Kamadeva

Sita

Kubera

Shakti

______________________________________________________________

What is similar?

One type of ‘Leader’ along with a ‘Mother’ a ‘son’ or ‘Consort’ a god of death, healing, creativity, the Sun, the Moon, wisdom, mischief, fertility. Or some deities symbolise a couple of things based on their story. Or domain that they rule over. But most do have similarities or cross over to other religions. For example the Roman gods are just the Tumblr edgy oc’s of the Greek Gods. {And the Romans twisted greek stories but those stories is what we in modern day take as 'canon' }

“Our gods are stronger and better than yours!” ha, just kidding.

[theblissfulstars]

Divine couples in Astrology(asteroids)

Selene 580 Endymion 342

Selene 580 Pan 4450

Galatea 74 Pygmalion 96189

Mary 2779 Jose 1423

Zeus 5731 Hera 103

Pluto proserpina 26

Eros 433 psyche 16

Chiron 2060 chariklo 10199

Juno 3 Jupiter

Aphrodite 1388 Adonis 2101

Gaea 1184 Uranus

Hephaistos 2212 Aglaja 47

Amphitrite 29 Poseidon 4341

Salacia 120347 Neptune

Osiris 1923 Isis 42

Amun 3554 Hathor 2340

Nepthys 287 Set 86551

QUEER

Apollo 1862 Adonis 2101

Crocus 1220 Hermes 69230

Patroclus 617 Achilles 588

Pan 4450 Daphne 41

Horus 1924 Seth 86551

Kallisto 204 Artemis 105

Sappho 80 Aphrodite 1388

Pallas Athene 2 Chariklo 10199

[hewashalfofmysoul3]

Introduction

Hello! I'm Teddy, this is my pagan-focused side blog. It used to be my writing blog but I'm repurposing it since that kinda went to shit.

My main pantheons: Hellenism, Heathenry, Kemeticism, and looking more into other african traditions and celtic spirituality.

My patrons are Aphrodite, Ares, Njordr, Thor, Tyr, Sekhmet-Hathor, Maahes, Amun-Re, and Djehuty. I'll talk about them the most on this blog, since they are so important to me, but I'll talk about others as well.

I'm really hoping making this blog as a sort of e-altar will help me to connect more with my deities. So yeah! That's about it! Main blog is @edwardallenpoe where I mostly reblog whatever comes on my feed but sometimes talk about whatever!

Dni:

• Exclusionists

•Folkists/Racists/Nazi's/Zionists

•TERF's/SWERF's/Radfems

•antitheists

•Zeus/Hera/Demeter haters

Tags:

#not paganism related - for things not related to paganism but are important

#pagan jokes - quite obvious

#personal post

Dua, Hail, and Khairete!!

[jinxstrology]

💫Mythical Astrology💫

A collection of gods and goddesses associated with each sign~ Before you say something, yes! I AM aware that some of these deities are the same entity with different names. I wanted to include all names so readers could recognize the ones they knew :) Talk to me niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

Aries

Amun (Egyptian), Anat (Mesopotamian/Ugaritic/Egyptian), Ares (Greek), Badb (Irish), Belenus (Celtic), Cybele (Anatolian), Durga (Hindu), Hecate (Greek), Hestia (Greek), Indra (Hindu), Ishtar (Mesopotamian), Khnum (Egyptian), Macha (Irish), Marduk (Babylonian), Mars (Roman), Minerva (Roman), The Morrigan (Irish Celtic), Nergal (Mesopotamian), Ra (Egyptian), Sekhmet (Egyptian), Tiamat (Babylonian)

Taurus

Aphrodite (Greek), Asherah (Semitic), Astarte (Middle Eastern), Ba'al (Canaanite), Bacchus (Greco-Roman), Bast (Egyptian), Cernunnos (Celtic), Dionysus (Greek), Flora (Roman), Frigg (Norse), Gaia (Greek), Hathor (Egyptian), Horus (Egyptian), Indra (Hindu), Ishtar (Mesopotamian), Isis (Egyptian), Jupiter (Roman), Krishna (Hindu), Lakshmi (Hindu), Maia (Greek), Marduk (Babylonian), Mithra (Iranian), Osiris (Egyptian), Poseidon (Greek), Ptah (Egyptian), Venus (Roman), Zeus (Greek)

Gemini

Apollo (Greek), Artemis (Greek), Dumuzid (Sumerian), Enki (Sumerian), Hermes (Greek), Inanna (Mesopotamian), Janus (Roman), Krishna (Hindu), Mercury (Roman), Odin (Norse), Seshat (Egyptian), Thoth (Egyptian)

Cancer

Artemis (Greek), Ceres (Roman), Demeter (Greek), Diana (Roman), Isis (Egyptian), Juno (Roman), Kuan Yin (Chinese/Buddhist), Luna (Roman), Mercury (Roman)

Leo

Amun (Egyptian), Anat (Mesopotamian/Ugaritic/Egyptian), Bast (Egyptian), Cybele (Anatolian), Devi (Hindu), Diana (Roman), Durga (Hindu), Freyja (Norse), Hathor (Egyptian), Helios (Greek), Hera (Greek), Inanna (Mesopotamian), Ishtar (Mesopotamian), Juno (Roman), Mithra (Iranian), Nanna (Mesopotamian), Nergal (Mesopotamian), Ra (Egyptian), Sekhmet (Egyptian), Vishnu (Hindu)

Virgo

Anat (Mesopotamian/Ugaritic/Egyptian), Artemis (Greek), Demeter (Greek), Diana (Roman), Hestia (Greek), Inanna (Mesopotamian), Iris (Greek), Ishtar (Mesopotamian), Isis (Egyptian), Kore (Greek), Nanna (Mesopotamian), Odin (Norse), Persephone (Greek), Vesta (Roman)

Libra

Aphrodite (Greek), Athena (Greek), Cernunnos (Celtic), Frigg (Norse), Hephaestus (Greek), Isis (Egyptian), Justitia (Roman), Ma'at (Egyptian), Minerva (Roman), Mithra (Iranian), Nemesis (Greek), Njord (Norse), Shiva (Hindu), Thoth (Egyptian), Venus (Roman), Vishnu (Hindu)

Scorpio

Anubis (Egyptian), Ereshkigal (Mesopotamian), Hecate (Greek), Hel (Norse), Isis (Egyptian), Mars (Roman), Njord (Norse), Osiris (Egyptian), Persephone (Greek), Pluto (Roman), Set (Egyptian)

Sagittarius

Anat (Mesopotamian/Ugaritic/Egyptian), Artemis (Greek), Athena (Greek), Diana (Roman), Epona (Gallo-Roman), Hades (Greek), Isis (Egyptian), Jupiter (Roman), Mars (Roman), Nergal (Mesopotamian), Rhiannon (Welsh), Thor (Norse)

Capricorn

Agni (Hindu), Aphrodite (Greek), Ba'al (Canaanite), Dionysus (Greek), Ea (Babylonian), Enki (Sumerian), Faunus (Roman), Freyja (Norse), Freyr (Norse), Gaia (Greek), Hecate (Greek), Juno (Roman), Loki (Norse), Pan (Greek), Perun (Slavic), Saturn (Roman), Thor (Norse)

Aquarius

Astarte (Middle Eastern), Ea (Babylonian), Ishtar (Mesopotamian), Isis (Egyptian), Juno (Roman), Nut (Egyptian)

Pisces

Aegir (Norse), Aphrodite (Greek), Cupid (Roman), Diana (Roman), Ea (Babylonian), Enki (Sumerian), Eros (Greek), Neptune (Roman), Poseidon (Greek), Sedna (Inuit), Venus (Roman), Vishnu (Hindu)

[teecupangel]

So I remember a post that I think you had about the assassin ancestor reborn in the modern day as animals and I want to see the Frye twins reborn as rooks eivor as a raven Edward a jackdaw that teams up with his fluffy cat son and Desmond being a Disney princess

Here’s the “Desmond’s ancestors gets reborn into the future as animals” idea me and @saberamane had https://www.tumblr.com/teecupangel/719043682766077952/how-about-a-reverse-of-animal-desmond-in-the-past with Altaïr as the eagle, Ezio as the bear and Ratonhnhaké:ton as the wolf (that Desmond keeps telling people is a dog even when he knew that he was a wolf). The other ancestors: Aquilus as a dog who stayed on the Farm to help Desmond escape, Haytham as a pure white fluffy cat and Edward was either a fish or a jackdaw (so we’re picking Jackdaw for this).

Other than them, I suggested the following:

Shay as a crow because of Morrígan’s primary ‘forms’

Arno as a sea otter because he shares his birthday with Rosa the Sea Otter XD

Jacob and Evie I thought of as corgis as a reference to Desmond the Dog but making them rooks would be fun. Or maybe… to mess with them. Jacob gets turned into a corgi but Evie gets turned into a rook so we have Jacob complaining that it’s not fair that Evie is the rook when the Rooks is his thing! XD

Bayek as a ram as a reference to how Amun is usually symbolized by the ram-headed sphinx.

Aya as the kind of snake she got the venom she gave to Cleopatra.

Kassandra I was going for goat because Adrestia gave goat’s milk to Zeus when he was a baby and… also… it would be funny if she thought she was being punished for the whole eye on the goat’s awss incident XD

Eivor is a raven that looks exactly like the default skin of Sýnin.

Additional ideas!

Aveline could mean ‘little bird’ so maybe some sort of small bird like a humming bird?

Adéwalé as a panther or a lion, maybe?

Nikolai as a sable.

Arbaaz as a barasingha.

Shao Jun as a red panda? Or a Chinese mountain cat?

Basim as a persian squirrel that Eivor can just grab with her beak and fly away XD

If we want Desmond to be a Disney Princess before the end of AC3, we can have them start showing up when Desmond is already in Turin. They got in the Grand Temple and Shaun is freaking out because he knows this is all Desmond’s fault but he can’t find a way to confirm it!

[olympianbutch]

What is greco-egyptian polytheism? Do you worship the Egyptian and Greek gods or their synchronisms? Like Hermes-Anubis?

Yea! It's the worship of ancient Egyptian and Greek gods—sometimes syncretized, sometimes not! :)

For instance, I worship a syncretized Zeus-Amun, but not Hermanubis or Hermes-Thoth

[chthonias-guide]

Zeus

Basic Information

Name(s): Zeus, Zef, Dias/Dios

Domain¹:

Thunder, lightning, and the sky

Law and order

Hospitality code (xenia), and by extension, protector of the home and protector of travelers

Protector of the assembly of the people

Chthonic realm

King Of The Gods

Counterparts:

Dyēus (Proto-Indo-European)

Jove/Jupiter (Roman)

Tinia (Etruscan)

Anu² (Mesopotamian)

Amun (Egyptian)

Symbols:

Thunderbolt

Royal scepter

The aigis³

A throne

Eagle

Bull

Oak tree

Olive tree

Typically Wearing:

A crown of olive leaves

A chiton⁴ and cloak (although sometimes he is depicted nude).

Parents: Kronos and Rhea.

Wife: Hera.

Lovers/Affairs:

Metis

Themis

Eurynome

Demeter

Mnemosyne

Leto

Dione

Maia

Persephone

Nemesis

Selene

Gaia⁵

Europa

Io

Semele

Callisto

Thaleia

Alkmene

Danaë

Antiope

Ganymede

Failed Lovers/Affairs:

Aphrodite

Asteria

Thetis

Children:

Hebe and Ares and Eileithyia and Hephaistos⁶ (by Hera)

Athena (by Metis)

The Horae (seasons) and The Moirae (fates) (by Themis)

The Gaces (by Eurynome)

Persephone and Lakkhos (by Demeter)

The Muses (by Mnemosyne)

Apollo and Artemis (Leto)

Aphrodite (Dione)⁷

Hermes (by Maia)

Melinoë and Zagreus (by Persephone)⁸

Helen of Sparta/Troy⁹ (by Nemesis)

Pandia and Ersa (by Selene)

Agdistis¹⁰ (by Gaia)

Minos (by Europa)

Epaphos and Keroessa (by Io)

Dionysus (by Semele)

Arcas (by Callisto)

The Palikoi¹¹ (by Thaleia)

Heracles (by Allmene)

Perseus (by Danaë)

Amphion and Zethus (by Antiope)

Retinue/Entourage:

Zeus’s throne is guarded by the four winged spirits Nike, Bia, Kratos, and Zelos.

Zeus’s personal messenger is Hermes, who also enacted Zeus’s will.

Zeus’s high councilor Themis gave him advice and is seated beside his throne.

Zeus’s personal cupbearer is Ganymede, serving him Ambrosia and Wine at feasts.

Major Myths Of Importance

Birth & The Titanomachy: Prior to Zeus’s birth, Kronos (his father) had received a prophecy that he would be overthrown by his children. To avoid this, he began swallowing whole every child of his. Rhea (Zeus’s mother and Kronos’s wife), in fear of her husband, could only watch. Eventually, with the guidance of her mother Gaia, she hatched a plan to end Kronos’s reign. When Zeus was born, instead of presenting him to Kronos as she had done with her children in the past, she presented to him a rock, which Kronos swallowed. She had given birth to Zeus secretly at Crete, where he was given to the Curetes to be raised. The nymph Melissa and the goat Amalthea specifically played a crucial role in his upbringing. When Zeus came of age, he became the cupbearer of Kronos, who did not know his true identity. With a concoction made by Metis (who would later be his first wife), Kronos regurgitating his swallowed children in the reverse order they were eaten (ie Hestia was swallowed first and regurgitated last, hence where the phrase “Hestia first and last”). Zeus convinced his siblings to rise up against Kronos, and the Titanomachy began. Under Gaia’s guidance, he released the cyclopses and the hecatonchires (hundred-handed giants), who aided him against the titans. After ten years, the Olympian gods overthrew the titans, and established their pantheon on Mt. Olympus. Zeus divided the “universe” between him, and his brothers Poseidon and Hades. The titans were imprisoned in Tartarus, with the exception of those who had aided the gods. Zeus became the king of gods, mortals, and the skies, Poseidon became king of the ocean, and Hades became king of the dead.

The Gigantomachy: In vengeance for her children (the titans) being locked away in Tartarus, Gaia bore the giants, who began immediately hurling rocks and burning oak at the sky. There was a prophecy which stated that the giants would not be killed by the gods alone, and upon hearing this, Gaia sought to harvest a plant which could protect her children (pharmakon). Knowing this, Zeus forbade Eos (the dawn), Helios (the sun), and Selene (the moon) from shining, and harvested all the plant himself. Afterwards, he had Athena summon Heracles, who would be the mortal that would aid them in the battle. Apollodorus goes through each of the giants fates and how they were all taken down, but it is suffice to say that they were defeated (aka I do not want to go through every single giant’s death).

The Seven “Wives”: According to Hesiodic myth, Zeus had seven lovers prior to his marriage to Hera. Metis was the first wife, who was the wisest among gods and men. But, after a prophecy from Gaia and Ouranos which stated that after birthing a daughter, Metis would birth a son that would overthrow Zeus, Zeus decided to swallow the pregnant Metis. As a result, Athena would be born out of Zeus’s head later, and Metis would act as Zeus’s internal monologue and guidance. Zeus then married Themis, who gave birth to the Horae and the Moirai. Aside from Hera, Metis and Themis are the only lovers in this list Zeus is explicitly said to have married. The next lovers are as follows (you can see their respective children in the “basic info” section); Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne and Leto. Finally, he married his final wife (but not his last lover) Hera. To woo her, he turned into a Cuckoo, which is why the cuckoo is featured on her scepter.

Worship and Epithets

Primary Center Of Worship: Olympia, Greece.

Other Notable Centers Of Worship: Crete, Greece (which was widely recognized as his birthplace).

Notable Epithets:

Agathos Deos (meaning the Good God)

Agoraios (given to deities which were venerated as the protector of the assembly/agora)

Alastôr (meaning avenger of evil deeds)

Areios (either meaning the warlike or the propitiating and atoning god)

Asbamaios (meaning the protector of the sanctity of oaths, derived from the city of Asbamaeon)

Gamêlioi (meaning protecting over marriage, and was shared with Hera, Aphrodite, Peitho, Artemis, and sometimes the Moerae)

Hupatos (meaning the most high)¹²

Katharsios (meaning the purifying or atoner)

Maimaktês (meaning the stormy, and was the name the Attic month Maemacterion was derived, and a celebration to Zeus called Maemacteria was held)

Moiragetês (meaning the guider of fate, given to both Zeus and Apollo at Delphi, fitting for the cities role with their oracles)

Nomos (meaning personified law)

Olumpios (meaning the Olympian, and was a general surname given to deities who were said to live on Olympus)

Ombrios (meaning the rain-giver)

Panellênios (meaning common to/worshipped by all people)

Phuzios (meaning god that protects fugitives)

Pistios (meaning god of faith and fidelity)

Polieus (meaning protector of the city, upon which he notably had an altar at Athens)

Sôtêr (meaning the savior)

Sthenios (meaning the powerful)

Xenios (meaning hospitality and protector of strangers, which was VERY important in the time of the Ancient Greeks)

Zugios (meaning presiding over marriage, alongside Hera Zugia).

Notable Fun Facts

He only “fears”¹³ one deity, which is Nyx¹⁴. In Orphic mythology, she delivers Zeus prophecies from the Adyton (a restricted cellar in a Greco-Roman temple).¹⁵

Despite being known for his various affairs and children, he does not place number one as the deity with the most kids (that would be Poseidon).

The Ancient Greeks believed the belly was wear the brain was, and therefore that when Zeus swallowed Metis, he gained her knowledge.

Zeus and Hera’e child Hebe acted as his (and the rest of the gods’s) cubearer until Zeus took Ganymede. It is debated whether or not Ganymede only acted as Zeus’s personal cupbearer or replaced Hebe in that aspect altogether.

1: Zeus's domain varies from place to place, often times the only thing that connected one version of Zeus to a different version of him from another city-state was his name. For example, some local cults venerated him as a Chthonic earth god, rather than the opposite, popularized, Olympian sky god.

2: It is disputed whether or not Anu could be considered the Mesopotamian equivalent of Zeus. Anu is also considered to be the equivalent of Ouranus.

3: Also spelled as “Aegis”. It is an animal skin or shield typically featuring the head of a Gorgon. It is also wielded by Athena, and in the Iliad by Apollo. It may also have been connected to the deity Aex, who nursed Zeus in some myths.

4: Worn in both Ancient Greece and Rome, a chiton is a unisex garment that is fashioned at the shoulders and is made of either wool (Doric) or later linen (Ionic).

5: Zeus and Gaia’s intercourse was accidental. The myth of their union is more closely related to Phrygian mythology. For my sanity’s sake, this will be the only myth that did not originate from Hellas.

6: While certain sources say Zeus fathered Hephaistos, other sources name Hera as the only parent, making him a parthenogenous child.

7: While Homer calls Dione the mother of Aphrodite, other myths say she arose out of the sea foam fully formed after Ouranos's castrated gentile was thrown into the ocean. This lead to Plato making a distinction between Aphrodite Pandemos (Common to all people, child of Dione, and goddess of earthly/sensual pleasures) and Aphrodite Ouranos (Heavenly, born from Ouranos’s castrated gentiles, and goddess of love that transcends the body/physical desires).

8: It is debated whether or not it was Zeus or Hades that fathered Melinoë and Zagreus by Persephone (although in Orphic tradition Zeus fathered Dionysus and the Erinyes by Persephone), as some myths say that Hades is unable to produce life as he is the god of the dead (despite this, some myths said that he fathered Macaria, while no mother is mentioned).

9: Although it is widely recognized that Helen is the daughter of Leda by Zeus, the lost epic called the Cypria says that Helen is the daughter of Nemesis and Zeus.

10: Agdistis was a Hermaphroditic god, but the other gods feared a two-sexed deity, so they castrated him and he became the goddess Kybele.

11: The Palikoi are twin Sicilian deities of hot springs and geysers, that also presided over the solemn oaths sworn upon their springs and provided refuge to escaped slaves in their sanctuary, this is important to note how the Ancient Greeks incorporated other pantheons into their mythology. Okay, I lied, THIS ONE will be the last non-Hellas originated myth, unless I accidentally include more.

12: This also occurs as a poetic epithet, such as in Homer’s Iliad.

13: Although the word used to describe Zeus’s reaction to seeing Nyx isn’t translatable, “fear”, or perhaps “awe-struck in respect”, is an acceptable translation given the scenario.

14: She’s my favorite deity :-}

15: This will probably be the only reference to Orphism in my posts EVER. Only added it because I thought it was important.

[alsadeekalsadouk]

Tetradrachms depicted horn of Ammon. Especially Lysimachos( Alexander head)

Apollo head , Zeus. The horn of Ammon, often associated with the diety Zeus Ammon, is a distinctive feature found on some ancient coins, particularly those from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Zeus Ammon was a syncretic deity combining the Greek god Zeus with the Egyptian god Amun. This representation often included a ram's horn, symbolizing power, fertility, and divine authority. Also Ammon was depicted with ram's horns, symbolizing strength and divinity. This representation was adopted by the Greeks, who referred to him as Zeus-Ammon, and later by the Romans as Jupiter-Ammon. The horns were not only a religious symbol but also a mark of royal authority; rulers often depicted themselves with these horns to signify their divine right to rule. #archaeology #history #ancient #art #Caesar #ancienthistory #archaeological #rome #italy #roman_empire #roma #heritage #roman_republic #archaeologylife #Orichalcum #Roman_mythology #italia #medallion #romancoin #romanarcheology #romanancientcoins#aureus #denarius #dupondius #follis #antoninianus #sestertius #fils #alsadeekalsadouk #الصديق_الصدوق