Greetings, myth lovers! #Easter is around the corner and to honour our egg-laying domestic birds, our theme this week is Chickens, Ducks, and Geese! Tell us a myth about fowl an tag us with #MythologyMonday for boosts. See you Monday! 🐓
“Don’t worry,” I thought, “it's only a preface; it won’t take more than an evening to translate. Put it off until later.”
It’s later.
The preface is 22 pages long. The language is old-fashioned, the argument is convoluted. It’s taken me a week so far, and I’m still only ⅔ of the way through.
On the other hand, it is one of the most interesting texts I have ever read, documenting the connection between (modern) folkloric witches and their familiars, valkyries, and the goddess Freya. The #folklore, #mythology, and writing communities need to read it.
A footnote from the text: A German journalist and poet [Julius Hammer] states in truth: “There are no poetic flowers that are so difficult to imitate as folktales and legends. Artificial flowers of this kind betray themselves as soon as they are made, even if they come from the most skilled hand.”
"#Dionysos in terror dived into the salt surf, and #Thetis took him to her bosom, frightened, with the strong shivers upon him at the man's blustering."
Homer, Iliad 6.135
It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
#Bendis is a #Thracian goddess of hunting and the moon. Thracian immigrants introduced the goddess into Attica. Some writers identified Bendis with #Artemis, but the temple of Bendis at Piraeus which was near the temple of Artemis, clearly shows that they're distinct goddesses.
Greetings, myth lovers! For a late celebration of #InternationalWomensDay our theme this week is women and girls! Tell us a myth that puts a woman or girl in the spotlight! Tag us with #MythologyMonday for boosts. See you Monday! ♀️ ⚧
It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
"They [the Aloadai giants] decided to fight the gods. [...] And they also bound up Ares. But Hermes secretly snatched Ares away."
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.54
🏛 #Hermes and #Ares, 300-200 BCE, limestone relief from Tarentum, Italy, Cleveland Museum of Art
Hello, Myth Lovers! Join us for Monday's theme: TEETH! Is there a myth that features a tooth or teeth? Write out a story and tag us with #MythologyMonday for boosts. See you Monday! 🦷
New story published on my website. Sisyphos bound #Thanatos (Death) fast, so that men ceased to die. But #Ares comes to the rescue and releases him in more ways than one:
#Dionysos is not a warlike deity but he can fight. In the Dionysiaca his father Zeus sends him to fight in India with an army of maenads and satyrs. In the Gigantomachia he slays one of the gigantes with his thyrsos as depicted in the vase painting below where he and his tiny pet panther battle Gaia's son Eurytos.
Starlings¹, derived from the Old #English word 'Staer', are known for their mesmerizing gatherings in massive flocks during autumn and winter, a breathtaking spectacle known as murmurations.
In #mythology, Starlings have an intriguing connection to Myna birds², both of which are capable of mimicking human speech. One fascinating tale from medieval #Welsh lore revolves around Branwen³, the daughter of Llyr. Mistreated by her Irish husband, Branwen teaches a tamed starling to speak and sends it across the #Irish Sea to inform her brother, Bran, who then raises an army to rescue her. This myth highlights the intelligence attributed to starlings and their association with communication and aid in #folklore.
Additionally, historical names for Starlings reflect various aspects of their behavior and appearance. For instance, the term "Sheep Stare" from #Somerset highlights their habit of alighting on the backs of sheep to pick at ticks in their coats, a behavior beneficial to both parties.
Greetings, myth lovers! To see out #BlackHistoryMonth, our theme this week is: Drums!
Which #myths involve drums or drum music? Tell us the #myth and tag us with #MythologyMonday for boosts!
Have a beautiful #DayOfAphrodite aka Venus' Day aka Frigg's Day aka Friday 🌹
For #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm introducing African deities in my daily god toots. #Hathor is a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. She has a vengeful aspect that protects the Sun God #Ra from his enemies. Her benevolent side governs music, dance, joy, love, sexuality, and maternal care. She was most commonly as a woman wearing a headdress of cow horns and a sun disk. #ancientEgypt#mythology@antiquidons
Peris¹ and Div² are creatures from ancient #Persian mythology.
The first are fairy-like beings, so delicate and beautiful that it was said they fed on good perfumes — not food.
The other ones are huge, hairy orc-like creatures, with long fangs and snakes as beard.
Many legends narrate of Div kidnapping a Peri, imprisoning it in a tiny cage on the top of a tree. Other Peris, then, carried sweet scents to the poor one until it has enough strengths to fly away.
It's the Day of Zeus / Jupiter's Day / #Thursday! ⚡
For #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm introducing African deities in my daily god toots. Min is an #EgyptianGod worshipped since predynastic times. The earliest form of the god was a barbed arrow or a thunderbolt that became the first hieroglyph in his name. Despite being a god of the desert, Min is still a fertility god, and his depictions were painted black to represent the fertile land along the Nile.
Greetings, myth lovers! In the wake of #ValentinesDay our theme this week is: Sweets and sweet things 🍬 Which #myths talk about a sweet treat or other sweet things? Tell us the #myth and tag us with #MythologyMonday for boosts!
Hello, Myth Lovers! Since #Valentinesday2024 is coming up, our weekly theme is: Love, Lust, Desire. 🏹Which #myths talk about lust or desire? Write out a story and tag us with #MythologyMonday for boosts.
Panthers, among several past civilizations, were mythical creatures¹ that emitted a very sweet odor in order to attract other beings (except the dragon, which is afraid by this animal).
About the actual feline, Leonardo Da Vinci, in his notebooks, curiously described it as... "all white and marked with black spots"!²
"It does hurt," Atalante said, "You should kiss it better."
"With pleasure."
Medea worked the rest of the magical ointment into the wound, all the while kissing up the other woman's thigh, giving small licks and gentle nibbles. When she reached the hem of her skirt, Atalante put a gentle hand on her head and drew her gaze upward.
#February was the month of purification, for ancient #Romans.
One of the old rituals is #Lupercalia: young men (luperci) were initiated, and they hit the ground with goat-skin stripes in order to chase away evil spirits.
Also, they "hit" women because the festivity was linked with #Juno, goddess of childbirth.
We were invited to an exciting #musical show in a venue near Kansai International Airport with 360° screens and sound. The #performance was by former #stars of the #Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団), a renowned #theater troupe where #women play all the roles in #musicals adapted from Western and Japanese #mythology, #folktales, movies, novels, and young women's comics.
1st photo: With family friends and staff who look a bit like anime or manga characters. My wife is second from the right.
2nd photo: The star came out from the stage and tapped me on the shoulder as she danced by.