#(phobos is one of the sons of ares. he's the god of fear and panic)

[commanderquinn]

You got a puppy and haven’t provided puppy tax??? How rude! (But also understandable if you’re uncomfy sharing) but puppy!!

What kind??

i did!! he's a black lab! full of heart, dumb of ass 😌

i keep (and will attempt to remember to keep) his nonsense in his very own tag, bc this lil bastard is Very Spoiled

[aliciavance4228]

Here Are A Few Things From Greek Mythology Which Not Only That Make Sense, But Are Actually Quite Briliant

1. The children of Ares (war, combat, bloodlust) and Aphrodite (beauty, sex) are: Eros (love), Anteros (requited love), Himeros (uncontrollable immediate desire), Pothos (longing desire), Harmonia (harmony), Phobos (fear) and Deimos (panic/terror); which are all of the emotions that can happen in a relationship between the foul-tempered abusive jock and the pretty girl. The ancient Greeks understood relationships.

2. Perseus is the son of Zeus. Why didn't Hera go after him or his mother? Because they're from Argos, and she's the patron of that city.

3. The story of Heracles states that Hera tricked Zeus into saying that the next king of Argos shall be the next male born. Of course, she manipulates events to happen so that Heracles's cousin Eurystheus is born first - thus making him the rightful king. But wait - Heracles has a twin. (Iphicles) So why go for his cousin, and not his fraternal twin to really rub salt in it with Zeus ("Hey, Alcmene's son is the next rightful king - Ain't no rule saying it had to be Heracles, haha!")? It makes a bit of sense actually - by making Eurystheus the next born child, she ensures that it's not Heracles. If she induced labour in Alcmene, there was still a chance Heracles could have been the first one born - and not Iphicles.

4. Why would the relatively amiable Hades kidnap Persephone to make her his bride? Well, according to some sources, he did that after asking Zeus for relationship advice. Given the fact that Zeus has raped and/or kidnapped plenty of women (and poor, minor Ganymede) just 'cause he felt like it, it isn't surprising that his advice would involve something like that.

5. Every source and most people tend to think Hades got the worst and Zeus the best of the deal when they divided up the world, but actually it's kinda balanced because all three of the brothers' domains come with some great perks. Zeus' is obvious, but consider this: Poseidon got the element that covers about two thirds of the planet, with earthquakes to boot, and for Greeks travelling by sea was something of a necessity, while Hades got all of the minerals and gemstones, and as many point out, the one biggest flaw of humanity is that the dead have always and will always outnumber the living.

6. Most stories of Andromeda mention that she was supposed to be eaten by a monster because her mother Cassiopeia blasphemed and made Poseidon mad by claiming Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids. All nice and good as the Nereids were supposed to be extremely beautiful, including Amphitrite, Poseidon's wife herself, but the thing comes in when you remember that the Nereids had a brother called Nerites, who was even more beautiful than them, and who was Poseidon's first serious relationship besides his wife. No wonder he got pissed off, she was badmouthing both his wife and his boyfriend!

7. There's some poetic justice in the fact that Narcissus, who saw himself as an unattainable treasure, got transformed into a flower — something that literally anybody can take and do with as they wish.

8. The anger the Olympians felt when they discovered Tantalus' crime makes even more sense when you remember that at least Hera, Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter (Hades wasn't present at the time) all know how it feels to be eaten by your own father.

For Hades' part, it certainly explains why he'd give Tantalus such a torturous punishment in the afterlife.

Made worse by Tantalus being the son of ZEUS.

9. Why are all the gods (save Hestia) prone to so much hypocrisy, violence, sexual assault, and abuse? Well, each god is typically associated with either an aspect of nature (such as the oceans, plants, weather, etc.) or emotions and biological reactions (bloodlust, love, sexuality). As such, the gods are less like people, and more akin to forces of nature; the gods, like nature, are indifferent to humanity, so sometimes they’ll harm people when they’re angry, reward people when they’re happy, etc.

10. Some of Typhon and Echidna's offspring, such as Cerberus, Ladon, the Caucasian Eagle and the Colchian Dragon were utilized by the Olympians in some way despite the fact that they were the offspring of their Nr. 1 Enemy. Sounds odd...but when you think about it, it's actually genius. It's an excellent way to prevent the monsters from running wild and destroying stuff, whilst simultaneously taking advantage of their destructive tendencies.

11. Why is Hades such a faithful husband (Leuke and Minthe were later Roman additions) when both of his brothers are pretty unfaithful? Well, Hades has a very important job that never seems to end. He’s in charge of the Underworld and since someone is always dying, Hades is always very busy which means that he didn’t have time nor interest in having affairs. Also many couples were likely to be together in death. Perhaps Hades saw through those couples what it means to be a good husband. It does help that Hades is also far more mature than his brothers.

12. Nyx is one of the few beings Zeus is too afraid to face, having let her son Hypnos get away with messing with him since he went to his mom. Why's he scared of her in particular and not other primordial deities like Gaea? Depending on the myth Nyx is the mother of many personified concepts, and that includes the Fates...aka the one force even gods like Zeus can't overcome. Imagine how outclassed Zeus'd be if he had to fight their mom!

13. Why is Hestia the least problematic deity out of all Olympians? Cronus ate five of his children, and she was in there the longest. Perhaps the reason Hestia is the sanest and nicest of the six Olympians is because she as the oldest was forced to mature faster in order to take care of her younger siblings while they were trapped in their father's stomach. Hades being the second oldest and first son similarly assumed this role as well. Then we have Demeter, then Poseidon, then Hera and Zeus. While not a perfect graph, you could graph 'reasonable behavior' as being tied to 'who spent the longest in his stomach'.

Credits: TV Tropes

[turquoisemagpie]

I’m not very familiar with greek mythology so this might be a dumb question, but are Aphrodite and Ares in love or just involved physically? from your art and description of them it seems like Ares loves her, but does Aphrodite feel the same about him or is it more transactional for her?

Their relationship is complicated, which would make sense for Love and War. Ares is a god of simplicity, what's fought is fought, what's killed is killed, what's loved is loved, and he fights for Aphrodite because that's one thing that is an undeniable cause for facing enemies- to protect those you love.

However Aphrodite is love in all its forms both good and bad. There is the slight manipulation she has as the one thing that can tame the literal horror of war, but with that same power she can lull and negotiate outcomes that aren't as disastrous. She loves Ares the same as she loves everyone else, which is both encompassing everyone in an endless well of love as well as not making anyone special. She never hates- where there is hate, she is gone entirely - so everything she does, even when painful, is an act of love. For Ares, she loves him in the way an army wife loves her solider husband; with a constant sense of loss, of time too short, of sometimes fear and panic (hence their 'sons', Phobos and Deimos), but also with a strength to carry on, and to weave something beautiful in the fragile nature of their love.

[cowboys-only]

Cobra Kai x PJO

I put out a poll for each of the "main" 6 Cobra Kai teens to determine their demi-godly parentage, and will now inundate you with head cannons for each one :)

Miguel Diaz - 50% of the vote determined his parent to be "Apollo or Asclepius (god of healing)", 32.4% for Nike (goddess of Victory), 14.7% for Tyche (goddess of luck, success, and prosperity), and 2.9% for Ares (god of war)

Son of Apollo, blessed by Asclepius, Miguel has more healing prowess than his cabin mates by far. His powers work best when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, and he often needs to recharge by being in the sun. On the summer solctice his powers work so well he could bring someone back from the brink of death, but on the winter solstice he struggles to even close up a paper cut. Miguel also has a smaller secondary power to brighten up a room with his smile, literally.

Robby Keene - 72.1% of the vote determined his parent to be "Hermes (god of athletes, travelers, and thieves)", 16% for Heracles (god of athletes), 9.3% for Ares (god of war), and 2.3% for Dionysus (god of wine)

Son of Hermes, Robby, has an innate sense of direction. His power functions as its own GPS, always guiding him to where he wants to go. He also has a fair bit of luck in the thievery department, not that this is a power he likes to disclose. Pickpocketing comes easily to him and he has never been caught. unclear if he knows about these powers or just assumes that he's good at what he does.

Tory Nichols - 47.6% of the vote determined her parent to be "Ares (god of war)" , 23.8% for Nemesis (goddess of revenge and righting wrongs), 14.3% for Zelus (god of dedication and rivalry), and 14.3% for Menoetius (god of rash actions and human mortality)

Daughter of Ares, Tory has no powers to call upon usually, but in times of dire need she is the most likely to receive Ares' blessing. Favored by her father she is often victorious in battle.

Samantha LaRusso - scoring 34.1% each, a tie between Athena (goddess of war and strategy) and Themis (goddess of judgement and justice) , 22% for Tyche (goddess of luck and prosperity), and 9.8% for Aphrodite (goddess of love)

Daughter of Themis and Legacy of Athena, Sam has a mind for strategy. She has no outward power to call upon, but is still useful in a fight.

Eli Moskowitz - 48.6% of the vote determined his parent to be Proteus (god of change and transformations), 22.9% for Menoetius (god of violent anger and rash actions), 17.1% for Hermes (god of speed and messengers), and 11.4% for Hephaestus (god of craftsmen)

Son of Proteus, Eli has the ability to shapeshift. His power is not the strongest and can really only be used in the cosmetic sense. The majority of his use goes to changing his hair color and lenght. however, being the son of a minor water god, when near bodies of water he gains the ability to turn into a hawk. He has attempted to tun into other people or animals, yet has never succeeded in doing so, much to his disappointment.

Demetri Alexopolous - 41.2% of the votes determined his parent to be "Phobos (god of fear and panic)", 32.4% for Coreus (god / titan of intellect), 20.6% for Hephaestus (god of craftsmen), and 5.9% for Hermes (god of travelers)

Son of Phobos, Demetri has the ability to make other people feel his fear. He can't instill fear into other people, but if he's scared then those around him begin to feel fearful themselves. His emotions leak out, poisoning those physically close to him.

extras-

Number of quests: Miguel 4, Robby 4, Tory 3, Sam 3, Eli 1, Demetri 0

Tory and Robby are year-round campers

Miguel, Robby, Tory, and Sam are head counselors by merit. Eli and Demetri are head counselors by way of being the only ones in their respective cabins.

Number of beads/years at camp: Sam 7, Miguel 5, Eli 5, Robby 4, Tory 3, Demetri 2

[voltronisanobsession]

Can I request Annabeth Chase x Son of Phobos or Deimos reader head canons? Thanks, in advance!

Annabeth with a Child of Phobos

Ooooo new character unlocked😍😍 This is a really interesting duo and I LOVE IT

I hope you like this, I feel like I’ve been lowkey out of my game with writing😭 I have a lot of asks in my inbox rn, but I’m slowly getting through them guys, I’m getting there🙏🙏

Ok so i did a bit of reading on these gods and the POTENTIAL I SAW FOR THIS ASK WAS SO AAAAHH

I feel like this relationship would be an enemies to lovers kinda thing

OK SO

Imagine reader is the kid of Phobos cuz why not

Phobos is the god of fear, panic, all that good stuff, so obviously those traits would be passed down to his children

And a special power of Phobos is allowing those he makes eye contact with see their deepest fears,, lets say that that’s an ability that children of Phobos can do to an extent!!

So the first time you and Annabeth meet, it is NOT on good terms💀

Sent out by your father, Phobos, to mess up some quest Percy was sent on, an order from Ares himself, there's a face-off between you and Annabeth

Like, Annabeth is so ready to take you down the second you show up to disrupt their quest but she just can't seem to shake off the shivers and chills going down her body once you appear

And you already know how Percy cares for his friends so targeting someone whose close to him (Annabeth) was an open option

Cold sweat rolls down Annabeth's face at point, her heart slowly speeding up as you look toward her

The second you make eye contact with her BOOM

She immediately goes into panic mode when she feels something crawling down her hands

She can only start screaming in absolute FEAR when she sees hundreds of spiders crawling on her body, dropping her dagger to the ground and trying to swat them off her to no avail

And the worst part is that literally no one can help her because they can't even SEE what she's seeing and feeling, except you!

Yeah your meeting is the worst memory Annabeth has of you💀

Fast forwarding to after your meeting, you get caught in some trouble with a dangerous monster and dun duunn!!

Annabeth saves you because she knows its the right thing to do

And you're so touched by her action despite the literal hell you put her through after showing her worst fears that you just

Join their quest and decide to become her friend (or at least try to)

Annabeth would be super awkward and nervous around a child Phobos solely because of her first encounter with one

Whenever you try to talk to her, she just awkwardly looks at you

You see her somewhere at camp and brightly wave to her, she's doing a quick wave and speedwalking away

But it's low-key not her fault😭😭 Whenever she's around you she can't stop the way her hands get clammy and her heartbeat speeds up

It's something you can't control but you have this aura that ignites fear in anyone near you

I don't think a friendship could come from this unless you were to apologize for what happened

It could be the worst apology known to existence because you don't know how to properly express your feelings, but Annabeth appreciates the thought behind it!

After that, everything is a little smooth sailing

She would slowly get used to your presence, getting used to your aura and knowing that you most likely won't use your power to cause her harm (again)

It would take some time for you two to become close enough for her to see you in a romantic light, but you still manage to break down her walls

Your constant figure in her life makes you a part of her routine

She’d give you a nickname, something dumb like panic pants

(when Percy first heard Annabeth call you that, he made it his mission to just refer to you as ‘PP’ to ‘shorten it’💀)

Annabeth would see you as friend while on the other hand, you be quick to catch feelings for the grey eyed girl because of her witty personality

I think the small things would really matter to her if you’re wanting to up your game with her

You give her a small flower while walking to lunch because it reminded you of her

She appreciates the way you give her your undivided it attention whenever she takes about architecture

Sometimes Annabeth fees like she’s talking to much about it but seeing you listen to her with interested eyes allows her to keep talking about what she loves

She feels seen and heard when she’s around you😭

Oh my gosh if you weave her something, no matter how bad the pattern is, she’s gonna treasure it FOREVER

Having something made just for her will make her all giddy inside UGH

Annabeth is so used to being grouped with her siblings so having someone pay special attention to her makes her feel important and well, special!

This is when the game shifts, she’ll begin giving you small gifts too!!

Whether it be a small weaving of her own or a clay bowl she made herself, Annabeth wants to show that she truly appreciates as a person!!

She’s all blushy while gently giving it to you and you’re face is just RED cuz oMGGG

Let’s talk about when the relationship becomes official >:)

It could be anytime but the one I see happening is if you save her after she’s attacked while outside of camp

Inside running to get away from the threat, you stay behind and protect her while she recovers herself

Like you get BRUTALLY beat, limping towards her when she just runs to you and pulls you in a crashing cuz!!! You literally!! Risked your life to save her!!😭

“Annabeth are you alri- hmph!”

“What we’re you thinking ?! Thank the gods you’re ok! I thought- ugh don’t scare me like that again!”

Everything is HISTORY

Like you guys just naturally click after getting together

Omg wait

Ok so since Annabeth like REALLY trusts reader at this point she would let them like see what her greatest fear is, you know to solidify that trust bond😁

And what if!! What if!!!!!!!

Instead of seeing the spiders, this time you only sees glimpse of what her now current fear is, which is losing you😭😭😭

Hugging session is a must after seeing that cuz damn😭

And imagine like if your abilities were really strong you’d be able to show your own fear to someone else

And Annabeth sees your fear is the DAME except your afraid of losing her?????

UM??

That moment would leave you guys so vulnerable like??

Moving on! During battles, you both are back to back fighting together. Annabeth had full confidence in reader, like she knows she’s in good hands

No one goes near her because all the enemies are too busy panicking with what you’re doing. With a lot of concentration, you’re able to instill fear to all the monster, with the exception of your girlfriend teehee

The dating life with Annabeth wouldn’t be too different tbh

You guys still bucket with each other, throwing lighthearted, sarcastic comments but theres a more sweeter vibe

I think Annabeth still gets a little blushy with you cuz cmon! She still has a MAJOR crush on you even if you’re dating🤭

You provide her with so much confidence and happiness. You help her face her fears, calm her down when she begins panicking when something goes wrong

Despite being a child of Phobos and having such a scary ability to make people see their greatest fears, Annabeth knows that even the ‘scariest’ people have kind and gentle side

Ugh this feels like such a trope but I don’t even care cuz ITS CUTE

When Annabeth holds your hand, she no longer feels the chilling sense of fear crawling through her body, instead, now she only feels a sense of calmness and protection😭💔💔💔

[angrycloudloud]

My dear half bloods, I have a theory...

Hi, there's something that's been bugging me since the other day, when I watched the fifth episode of pjo...

Spoilers from here (and a bit of mythology)

When Ares said that he didn't like his children... Okay, I know, I know the gods in this series aren't known for paying child support, but... I think Ares case could be more heartbroken than what we can think at first.

I want to start giving a bit of context in WHY I think there's something really sad behind his words and acts. First, let's talk a bit about mythology...

Ares cares about his children... In his own way.

I'll put a couple of quick examples (just mention something and move back to my point). Ares in Greek mythology it's known for many things and one that I found interesting was that he march in battle with his sons by his side: Phobos and Deimos (fun fact 1 these two are the personification of Panic and Fear, fun fact 2 they are also sons of Aphrodite... Fun fact 3, yes, they are the little "demons" that were the minions of Hades in the Disney movie.) Ares is also known for what happened to his daughter Alcippe, who was raped by a son of Poseidon and Ares didn't took it too well... So he send that son of Poseidon to visit Hades... He unsubscribed that man from the world of the living with his spear... Ares was judged acussed by Poseidon of murder, but the goddesses voted in favor of Ares. (anyway, I invite anyone who is interested in ancient Greek mythology and culture to look up and read about women's rights in Sparta vs Athens, you might be surprised) Now, my point is that he might say that he doesn't like his kids but...

...I mean... he gave Clarisse the spear because he recognized her value as a warrior. It may sound stupid, but I think it was his way of saying that he was proud of her (and maybe he said that to her when he gave the spear to Clarisse, we don't know). What, it's clear, is the fact that she cherished that spear as if he really put all his love in it and said to her "this is my weapon, make me proud"

But why and how does he goes from "I fight with my children by my side in battle" and "don't you fucking touch my daughter" to "I hate children, even my own"?

And here's when it gets sad, I think he has lose so many of his children in battle, dying too young, that he distance himself from them on purpose to not get too attached.

We've seen, pretty well portrayed in the show, how Ares children are more reckless in battle than Athena's (it's an example because they both are deities of war) so it's more than possible that if those children are in a quest or a battle, they decide to go face to face with the big baddie just to make Ares proud or to prove themselves they are strong enough to be warriors, children of Ares... And if they survived and get older, they are the most likely to end up joining the army... aaand that exposes them to die in battle even when the monsters aren't a problem anymore.

And that's why, I think, Ares had try to detached himself from his children, because he knows demigods don't live long and even if they got to be adults, he knows his children, and probably he knows they'll become soldiers to feel the battle and feel him closer even when they already have earned a peaceful life.

And that is why I think it's sad, because he probably is so proud of them...but also, he is probably so worried about them, that he had to decide if letting himself be vulnerable and care openly for his children or bottle up all his father instincts and detach himself from his children so nobody can weaponize them against him.

Aaaaaand now I'm sad...

[leoizz]

so, a little while ago I have attempted to do some research on Phobos and Deimos and it was... rather unsatisfying but I have managed to compile this little thing (under the cut)

Phobos and Deimos are minor war‐daimones, the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite who personified fear in battle. They appear frequently in literary sources (like Homer’s Iliad) as accompanying Ares or inscribed on shields, but actual cultic devotion to them was very limited. In practice, Phobos and Deimos were invoked only in special martial contexts, and only sparsely worshipped. For example, an extant 4th‑century AD mosaic (now in the British Museum) depicts the mask of Phobos – the leonine, wide-eyed face of Fear – illustrating his role as the personification of terror in war.

No major public cult of Phobos or Deimos is documented outside of war. They were not Olympian gods with regular temples or priesthoods. Their invocation is attested primarily in military settings. Literary sources indicate that warriors might sacrifice to Phobos or call upon him to instil panic in the enemy. For instance, Plutarch reports that before fighting the Amazons, Theseus would not engage in battle until he had sacrificed to Phobos, an event remembered in the Athenian festival Boedromia. Similarly, the Spartans regarded fear as a useful discipline. Plutarch (in Sayings of Spartans) notes that the Lacedaemonians honoured Phobos with a shrine alongside Thanatos and Gelus, treating fear as “a positive force that held the state together”. Modern scholarship describes this as an “abstract cult of Phobos” unique to Sparta.

Actual rituals specifically to Phobos/Deimos are either very difficult to find, or have not been preserved if had existed at all. Apart from the Theseus anecdote above, no classical texts describe routine ceremonies exclusively for these twins. In literary oaths or poetry their names might be invoked: for example, Aeschylus (Seven Against Thebes) has warriors swear by Ares, by Enyo, and by Phobos. But such references are part of myth or drama, not evidence of regular cult activity. In practice, soldiers and generals may have offered ad hoc prayers to Phobos or Deimos for victory or fear of the enemy, but no standard liturgy or priesthood is known.

Archaeologically, Sparta is the only place with any physical dedication to Phobos or Deimos. Plutarch records that the Spartan ephors held their syssition “near the Temple of Phobos". This suggests there was indeed a sanctuary or shrine to Phobos outside the city. (Pausanias later notes only that this temple lay outside Sparta ...) The Spartan temple is interpreted as a monumental cult site for Phobos. No equivalent temples or altars to Deimos are attested anywhere. In other cities, there is no archaeological evidence of standalone shrines to either of them.

Beyond Sparta, epigraphic or archaeological dedications to Phobos/Deimos have not been found. We hear of no votive inscriptions “to Phobos” or tomb cults, for example. Outside Sparta the worship of Phobos and Deimos seems largely anecdotal. The one notable exception is the sacrifice by Theseus (see above). That episode links Phobos to the Athenian festival of Apollo Boedromios, but even there Apollo – not Phobos – was the principal deity of worship. In short, no widespread altars or temples specifically to Phobos or Deimos are documented apart from Sparta’s shrine.

In Sparta, fear was uniquely sanctified: Plutarch says the Lacedaemonians “honoured fear as a positive force”. The Spartan emphasis on courage was balanced by a ritual acknowledgement of Phobos and Thanatos. In contrast, other Greek regions show little or nothing. The Athenian story of Theseus is presented as aetiology for a local festival, not as proof of a lasting cult. No contemporary inscriptions or altars in Attica mention Phobos or Deimos. Similarly, in the Peloponnese and elsewhere, no local cult is recorded. If the twins were invoked outside Sparta, it was as part of war magic rather than formal worship.

Classical literature frequently portrays Phobos and Deimos on the battlefield, but this does not mean Greeks had regular temples for them. In Homer and Hesiod they are personified spirits: on Agamemnon’s shield, or chasing heroes in battle. Greek tragedy or epic (Aeschylus, Euripides) use them allegorically. These literary roles are therefore not evidence of cult. Actual historical practice is much slimmer. Aside from the late anecdote about Theseus (which I'm mentioning for like the forth time, grasping at straws here), and the Plutarch note on Sparta, near-zero evidence exists that ordinary Greeks offered sacrifices or built altars to these gods. Scholars emphasise this gap: Phobos and Deimos appear everywhere in war narratives, yet hardly at all in religious records. They are not major war gods like Athena or Ares, but personifications of states of mind in battle. Their “worship” – where it existed – was essentially functional: to invoke terror or avert panic. Aside from Sparta’s unique attitude, however, the general Greek approach was not to address Phobos or Deimos in formal cult. In practice, Greeks seeking victory in war tended to call on deities like Athena or Apollo, or to use rites of divination, rather than pray to Phobos/Deimos themselves. Thus, apart from a few literary anecdotes and a single Spartan shrine, Phobos and Deimos remain mostly literary figures and only occasional objects of religious acts.

I have spent way too much time on this, and, sadly, did not manage to find anything new. Regardless, I hope it is informative to whomever reads it.

And as for my sources, Homer, Plutarch and Aeschylus provide literary context,

Kulesza R., Sparta: History, State and Society, "Studies in Classical Literature and Culture", [link].

Stewart A., Long G., Plutarch's Lives Vol. I., "George Bell & Sons", 1894, kept as an ebook by the Project Gutenberg, [link].

Deimos & Phobos, Theoi Project, [link].

Shamefully, I admit I have not found many additional sources; if anyone has any, I'd appreciate sharing.

[jacquelinesbookclub]

The Strange – Nathan Ballingrud

Fear. It’s often what drives us, as human beings. Fear of pain, fear of being alone, fear of the unknown. When I first read this book about a year ago I was in recovery following a major surgery. Alone in a hotel room on the other side of the planet, doused with heavy painkillers that did a paltry job of actually killing pain, but a bang up one of killing clarity, fear was my most present companion.

Fear is a major theme in The Strange. Unlike many stories set on Mars, Ballingrud focuses less on Mars as Roman god of war, instead turning his attention on the moons, Deimos and Phobos: in mythology the sons of the Greek god of war Ares, and representing dread preceding battle and panic in its mist respectively. This is the driving force, the great motivator throughout the story, fear looming over the people of mars, shining down on every decision they make.

The townsfolk and the sheriff's fear of the Moths and the unknown outside of New Galveston feeds Anabelle’s fear the invaders will shirk their deserved justice. Joe’s fear of the gallows is bait for Anabelle to drag him out into the crater, and Sally’s fear for Joe gets her on the hook too. But the overwhelming fear blanketing the entirety of martian society is caused by the silence, the loss of contact with earth and inability to return, its the fear of abandonment, and the severed tether of safety. This is core to colonial stories, both from history and fiction. Left on your own without support from the homeland, food supply is scarce and tenuous, everything outside your compounds walls is a perceived threat, fear is bombarding from every angle. And the characters in this book act as we unfortunately do in real life: with violence. It’s fight or flight when there’s nowhere to flee. It always begins with outsiders; Anabelle’s father, Sam, kills a miner from Dig Town to protect his own from what he believes is an active threat, but then it becomes their own, their friends and neighbours and customers, that strip the diner clean immediately when Sam is arrested. Towards the conclusion, we see the end result, suicide: a man’s fear turning the violence back on himself.

In the acknowledgements section of the book, Ballingrud says “This book is also a love letter to westerns, a genre which has only become richer as it grapples with historical realities instead of indulging in mythology.” This, I think, perfectly describes the books tone. For something that is ostensibly a science fiction novel meets pulp serial, it reads like historical fiction. Alternative history, sure, but the premise never feels ridiculous, Ballingrud seems to fully understand the time and place, and constructs the characters accordingly. It all feels very real, very… Plausible. And it’s that colonial anxiety that roots this story in reality, a fear that colonists bring with them from home.

With the benefit of time removed I can see that I was never in any real danger in that hotel room post operation. I was safe, surrounded by friends, and under the care of one of the best surgery teams in the world. The fear was mine alone, the anxiety disorder I pack with me every day charged up with new circumstances. I think this is the origin of most of the fear we experience day-to-day, it’s the assumption of danger, writ large, the perceived potential for pain that makes us turn our backs on logic and dolly zoom on our imagination.

I’m not saying that all fear is baseless and fake, of course not. If I were actively being attacked by a tiger then I have every reason to fear for my life, in that moment, but if I head into the jungle every time expecting an attack, that’s fear I’ve bought in with me. There may not even be tigers in this jungle, who knows? I’ve never been attacked by a tiger, I’ve never even seen a tiger, the fear of being attacked has stemmed from my imagination, from countless “what ifs”. These passive fears we create are far more prevalent than the active fears we experience, and far more damaging.

We create these fears as a defence mechanism, being afraid of the tiger ahead of time means I’ll be more alert in the jungle and ideally avoid being attacked, but where does it end? Somewhere along the line, fear for self defence becomes self harm, and harm of others. It’s one thing to be afraid to see a doctor for the flu on the unlikely off chance it’s cancer and you’re dying, and quite another to murder vast swathes of native peoples because you’re afraid they’ll do you first. It’s absolutely insidious, this passive fear, it’s infected every aspect of our culture and made us sanitise ourselves of any sign of the real “natural” world, just like we’ve always wanted. Build a wall, keep the tigers out. An excuse, surely, but in trying to solve for potential tigers, we unwittingly (or not) feed real human lives to the jungle, people who need shelter from the active tigers, and then we tell ourselves they’re all tigers, that there’s no humanity there at all and the walls are working as intended and keeping us all safe. We don’t have to think about tigers anymore, we’ve removed the threat, don’t worry about it, there’s no tigers in here with our reverse cycle air conditioning and our car traffic at 9 and 5 and our perfectly straight #ed9121 orange carrots and pre-washed refrigerated eggs. We’ve solved the passive fear, as ever, through violence; and ignorance. We all know this is the case, but we’re too afraid of facing our passive fears to really change anything. “But what if there are tigers?” remains the most convincing argument for the continuation of global suffering, we have become the tiger that we fear, and perhaps we always were.

So then, what’s the solution? I don’t know, I’m just a white woman in her thirties with anxiety who’s tired of seeing tigers around every corner, and frustrated that no one will admit they see them too. Perhaps that’s the way forward, to see the tigers and recognise them, filter out which ones are real and which are imaginary, and manage them accordingly, but first and foremost, admit that you’re afraid. We’re all afraid, you’re not alone. Go into the jungle and see that it is safe, I’ll come with you.

What really compels me about The Strange is this idea that we bring our fears with us. Take Phobos and Deimos for example. They’re moons, right? Moons don’t create light, they passively reflect the sun and are perceived to shine in the nights sky. Similarly, Phobos and Deimos do not create fear, they’re just big rocks in the sky, we gave them that role, we named them after our own mythological imaginations of fear and now they reflect that back on us. Silas talks about humanity as an infection on Mars, and I think he’s right. Mars itself is only able to communicate through humanity using the Strange, and so it’s forced to integrate with the ideals humanity brought from earth. Through the war engines and the cultists and miners of Dig Town, through the cylinders indoctrinated with human needs and voices, Mars never had a chance to speak for itself. Humans bought fear and pain and suffering along as building blocks for colony and forced it into every crevice available. And the result, in the final words Anabelle hears from her mother as spoken by Mars itself:

“...I’M AFRAID…” she said. “...I’m afraid...”

[snehagoogle]

Just like Earth's moon

Just like Earth's moon, Mars' Phobos and Deimos were also created.

You know friends, Phobos and Deimos do not collide with each other, probably due to a smokey debris between them.

Is that debris ring between Mars' two moons Phobos and Deimos or a nebula?

The debris ring visible between Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos is not a nebula, but rather is theorized to be a ring of dust particles created by impacts on the moons themselves, not a large-scale interstellar cloud like a nebula; scientists believe Mars might have once had a more substantial ring system that contributed to the formation of its moons, Phobos and Deimos, through debris accretion. 

Key points to remember: 

No current ring:

While there might be faint dust rings around Phobos and Deimos, Mars does not currently have a visible ring system like Saturn. 

Origin of the debris:

The dust particles likely come from impacts on the moons' surfaces, creating a small debris field in the space between them. 

Nebula vs. debris ring:

A nebula is a vast cloud of gas and dust in space, much larger and more diffuse than the small debris ring that might exist around Mars' moons.

NASA's Hubble Sees Martian Moon Orbiting the Red Planet

NASA Science (.gov)

https://science.nasa.gov › missions › nasas-hubble-sees-...

20 Jul 2017

NASA’s Hubble Sees Martian Moon Orbiting the Red Planet

The sharp eye of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured the tiny moon Phobos during its orbital trek around Mars. Because the moon is so small, it appears star-like in the Hubble pictures.

Over the course of 22 minutes, Hubble took 13 separate exposures, allowing astronomers to create a time-lapse video showing the diminutive moon's orbital path. The Hubble observations were intended to photograph Mars, and the moon's cameo appearance was a bonus.

A football-shaped object just 16.5 miles by 13.5 miles by 11 miles, Phobos is one of the smallest moons in the solar system. It is so tiny that it would fit comfortably inside the Washington, D.C. Beltway.

The little moon completes an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes, which is faster than Mars rotates. Rising in the Martian west, it runs three laps around the Red Planet in the course of one Martian day, which is about 24 hours and 40 minutes. It is the only natural satellite in the solar system that circles its planet in a time shorter than the parent planet's day.

About two weeks after the Apollo 11 manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969, NASA's Mariner 7 flew by the Red Planet and took the first crude close-up snapshot of Phobos. On July 20, 1976 NASA's Viking 1 lander touched down on the Martian surface. A year later, its parent craft, the Viking 1 orbiter, took the first detailed photograph of Phobos, revealing a gaping crater from an impact that nearly shattered the moon.

Phobos was discovered by Asaph Hall on August 17, 1877 at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., six days after he found the smaller, outer moon, named Deimos. Hall was deliberately searching for Martian moons.

Both moons are named after the sons of Ares, the Greek god of war, who was known as Mars in Roman mythology. Phobos (panic or fear) and Deimos (terror or dread) accompanied their father into battle.

Close-up photos from Mars-orbiting spacecraft reveal that Phobos is apparently being torn apart by the gravitational pull of Mars. The moon is marred by long, shallow grooves that are probably caused by tidal interactions with its parent planet. Phobos draws nearer to Mars by about 6.5 feet every hundred years. Scientists predict that within 30 to 50 million years, it either will crash into the Red Planet or be torn to pieces and scattered as a ring around Mars.

Orbiting 3,700 miles above the Martian surface, Phobos is closer to its parent planet than any other moon in the solar system. Despite its proximity, observers on Mars would see Phobos at just one-third the width of the full moon as seen from Earth. Conversely, someone standing on Phobos would see Mars dominating the horizon, enveloping a quarter of the sky.

From the surface of Mars, Phobos can be seen eclipsing the sun. However, it is so tiny that it doesn't completely cover our host star. Transits of Phobos across the sun have been photographed by several Mars-faring spacecraft.

The origin of Phobos and Deimos is still being debated. Scientists concluded that the two moons were made of the same material as asteroids. This composition and their irregular shapes led some astrophysicists to theorize that the Martian moons came from the asteroid belt.

However, because of their stable, nearly circular orbits, other scientists doubt that the moons were born as asteroids. Such orbits are rare for captured objects, which tend to move erratically. An atmosphere could have slowed down Phobos and Deimos and settled them into their current orbits, but the Martian atmosphere is too thin to have circularized the orbits. Also, the moons are not as dense as members of the asteroid belt.

Phobos may be a pile of rubble that is held together by a thin crust. It may have formed as dust and rocks encircling Mars were drawn together by gravity. Or, it may have experienced a more violent birth, where a large body smashing into Mars flung pieces skyward, and those pieces were brought together by gravity. Perhaps an existing moon was destroyed, reduced to the rubble that would become Phobos.

Hubble took the images of Phobos orbiting the Red Planet on May 12, 2016, when Mars was 50 million miles from Earth. This was just a few days before the planet passed closer to Earth in its orbit than it had in the past 11 years.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington, D.C.

For images and more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2017-29

www.nasa.gov/hubble

Contacts:

Ann Jenkins / Ray Villard

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

410-338-4488 / 410-338-4514

jenkins@stsci.edu / villard@stsci.edu

Zolt Levay

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

410-338-4907

levay@stsci.edu

However, terrestrial Mars is identified with the help of its two moons, Phobos and Deimos.

Translate Hindi

वही धरती की चांद की तरह मंगल की भी फोबोस डेमोस जगह बनाई थी

आपको पता है दोस्तों फोबोस और डेमोस आपस में टकराते नहीं है शायद ही दोनों के बीच एक धुएं वाली डेवरिस के कारण

क्या मंगल की दो चांद फोबोस और डेमोस की बीच की वो डेबरिस रिंग है या नेवुला

मंगल के चंद्रमाओं फोबोस और डेमोस के बीच दिखाई देने वाला मलबे का छल्ला एक नेबुला नहीं है, बल्कि यह माना जाता है कि यह धूल के कणों का छल्ला है जो चंद्रमाओं पर पड़ने वाले प्रभावों से बना है, न कि नेबुला जैसा कोई बड़े पैमाने का अंतरतारकीय बादल; वैज्ञानिकों का मानना ​​है कि मंगल के पास कभी एक अधिक ठोस वलय प्रणाली रही होगी जिसने मलबे के संचय के माध्यम से इसके चंद्रमाओं, फोबोस और डेमोस के निर्माण में योगदान दिया।

याद रखने के लिए मुख्य बिंदु:

कोई वर्तमान वलय नहीं:

जबकि फोबोस और डेमोस के आसपास धुंधले धूल के छल्ले हो सकते हैं, मंगल के पास वर्तमान में शनि की तरह कोई दृश्यमान वलय प्रणाली नहीं है।

मलबे की उत्पत्ति:

धूल के कण संभवतः चंद्रमाओं की सतहों पर पड़ने वाले प्रभावों से आते हैं, जिससे उनके बीच के स्थान में एक छोटा मलबा क्षेत्र बनता है।

नेबुला बनाम मलबे का छल्ला:

नेबुला अंतरिक्ष में गैस और धूल का एक विशाल बादल है, जो मंगल के चंद्रमाओं के आसपास मौजूद छोटे मलबे के छल्ले से बहुत बड़ा और अधिक फैला हुआ है।

नासा के हबल ने मंगल ग्रह के चंद्रमा को लाल ग्रह की परिक्रमा करते देखा

नासा विज्ञान (.gov)

https://science.nasa.gov › missions › nasas-hubble-sees-...

20 जुलाई 2017

नासा के हबल ने मंगल ग्रह के चंद्रमा को लाल ग्रह की परिक्रमा करते देखा

नासा के हबल स्पेस टेलीस्कोप की तेज नजर ने मंगल ग्रह के चारों ओर परिक्रमा करते हुए छोटे चंद्रमा फोबोस को कैद किया है। चूँकि चंद्रमा बहुत छोटा है, इसलिए हबल की तस्वीरों में यह ��क तारे जैसा दिखाई देता है।

22 मिनट के दौरान, हबल ने 13 अलग-अलग एक्सपोज़र लिए, जिससे खगोलविदों को छोटे चंद्रमा के परिक्रमा पथ को दिखाने वाला एक टाइम-लैप्स वीडियो बनाने में मदद मिली। हबल के अवलोकन का उद्देश्य मंगल ग्रह की तस्वीरें लेना था, और चंद्रमा की कैमियो उपस्थिति एक बोनस थी।

16.5 मील गुणा 13.5 मील गुणा 11 मील की दूरी पर एक फुटबॉल के आकार की वस्तु, फोबोस सौर मंडल के सबसे छोटे चंद्रमाओं में से एक है। यह इतना छोटा है कि यह वाशिंगटन, डी.सी. बेल्टवे के अंदर आराम से फिट हो सकता है।

छोटा चंद्रमा केवल 7 घंटे और 39 मिनट में एक परिक्रमा पूरी करता है, जो मंगल की परिक्रमा से भी तेज़ है। मंगल के पश्चिम में उगते हुए, यह मंगल के एक दिन में लाल ग्रह के चारों ओर तीन चक्कर लगाता है, जो लगभग 24 घंटे और 40 मिनट का होता है। यह सौरमंडल का एकमात्र प्राकृतिक उपग्रह है जो अपने ग्रह की परिक्रमा मूल ग्रह के दिन से कम समय में करता है।

20 जुलाई, 1969 को अपोलो 11 के मानवयुक्त चंद्र लैंडिंग के लगभग दो सप्ताह बाद, नासा के मेरिनर 7 ने लाल ग्रह के पास से उड़ान भरी और फोबोस का पहला कच्चा क्लोज-अप स्नैपशॉट लिया। 20 जुलाई, 1976 को नासा के वाइकिंग 1 लैंडर ने मंगल की सतह पर स्पर्श किया। एक साल बाद, इसके मूल यान, वाइकिंग 1 ऑर्बिटर ने फोबोस की पहली विस्तृत तस्वीर ली, जिसमें एक प्रभाव से एक बड़ा गड्ढा दिखाई दिया जिसने चंद्रमा को लगभग चकनाचूर कर दिया।

फोबोस की खोज असफ़ हॉल ने 17 अगस्त, 1877 को वाशिंगटन, डी.सी. में यू.एस. नेवल ऑब्ज़र्वेटरी में की थी, जिसके छह दिन बाद उन्होंने डेमोस नामक छोटे, बाहरी चंद्रमा को खोजा था। हॉल जानबूझकर मंगल ग्रह के चंद्रमाओं की खोज कर रहे थे। दोनों चंद्रमाओं का नाम युद्ध के यूनानी देवत�� एरेस के बेटों के नाम पर रखा गया है, जिन्हें रोमन पौराणिक कथाओं में मंगल के नाम से जाना जाता था। फोबोस (आतंक या डर) और डेमोस (आतंक या खौफ) अपने पिता के साथ युद्ध में गए थे। मंगल की परिक्रमा करने वाले अंतरिक्ष यान से ली गई नज़दीकी तस्वीरों से पता चलता है कि मंगल के गुरुत्वाकर्षण खिंचाव के कारण फोबोस को टुकड़े-टुकड़े किया जा रहा है। चंद्रमा पर लंबे, उथले खांचे हैं जो संभवतः अपने मूल ग्रह के साथ ज्वारीय अंतर्क्रियाओं के कारण हैं। फोबोस हर सौ साल में मंगल के करीब 6.5 फीट की दूरी पर आता है। वैज्ञानिकों का अनुमान है कि 30 से 50 मिलियन वर्षों के भीतर, यह या तो लाल ग्रह ��े टकरा जाएगा या टुकड़ों में बिखर जाएगा और मंगल के चारों ओर एक वलय के रूप में बिखर जाएगा। मंगल ग्रह की सतह से 3,700 मील ऊपर परिक्रमा करते हुए, फोबोस सौरमंडल के किसी भी अन्य चंद्रमा की तुलना में अपने मूल ग्रह के अधिक निकट है। इसकी निकटता के बावजूद, मंगल ग्रह पर पर्यवेक्षक पृथ्वी से देखे जाने पर पूर्णिमा की चौड़ाई के केवल एक तिहाई पर फोबोस को देख पाएंगे। इसके विपरीत, फोबोस पर खड़े किसी व्यक्ति को मंगल ग्रह क्षितिज पर हावी दिखाई देगा, जो आकाश के एक चौथाई भाग को घेरे हुए है।

मंगल की सतह से, फोबोस को सूर्य को ग्रहण करते हुए देखा जा सकता है। हालाँकि, यह इतना छोटा है कि यह हमारे मेजबान तारे को पूरी तरह से नहीं ढक पाता है। सूर्य के पार फोबोस के पारगमन की तस्वीरें कई मंगल-यात्रा करने वाले अंतरिक्ष यान द्वारा ली गई हैं।

फोबोस और डीमोस की उत्पत्ति पर अभी भी बहस चल रही है। वैज्ञानिकों ने निष्कर्ष निकाला है कि दोनों चंद्रमा क्षुद्रग्रहों के समान सामग्री से बने थे। इस संरचना और उनके अनियमित आकार ने कुछ खगोल भौतिकीविदों को यह सिद्धांत बनाने के लिए प्रेरित किया कि मंगल ग्रह के चंद्रमा क्षुद्रग्रह बेल्ट से आए थे। हालांकि, उनकी स्थिर, लगभग गोलाकार कक्षाओं के कारण, अन्य वैज्ञानिकों को संदेह है कि चंद्रमा क्षुद्रग्रहों के रूप में पैदा हुए थे। कैप्चर की गई वस्तुओं के लिए ऐसी कक्षाएँ दुर्लभ हैं, जो अनियमित रूप से चलती हैं। वायुमंडल फ़ोबोस और डेमोस को धीमा कर सकता था और उन्हें उनकी वर्तमान कक्षाओं में स्थापित कर सकता था, लेकिन मंगल ग्रह का वायुमंडल कक्षाओं को गोलाकार बनाने के लिए बहुत पतला है। इसके अलावा, चंद्रमा क्षुद्रग्रह बेल्ट के सदस्यों की तरह घने नहीं हैं।

फ़ोबोस मलबे का ढेर हो सकता है जो एक पतली परत द्वारा एक साथ रखा गया है। यह तब बना हो सकता है जब मंगल को घेरने वाली धूल और चट्टानें गुरुत्वाकर्षण द्वारा एक साथ खींची गई हों। या, यह एक अधिक हिंसक जन्म का अनुभव कर सकता है, जहां मंगल ग्रह में टकराने वाला एक बड़ा पिंड टुकड़ों को आकाश की ओर फेंकता है, और उन टुकड़ों को गुरुत्वाकर्षण द्वारा एक साथ लाया जाता है। शायद एक मौजूदा चंद्रमा नष्ट हो गया था, मलबे में बदल गया जो फ़ोबोस बन गया।

हबल ने 12 मई, 2016 को लाल ग्रह की परिक्रमा करते हुए फ़ोबोस की तस्वीरें लीं, जब मंगल पृथ्वी से 50 मिलियन मील दूर था। यह घटना पृथ्वी के अपनी कक्षा में पृथ्वी के इतने करीब से गुजरने से कुछ दिन पहले की है, जितना कि पिछले 11 वर्षों में हुआ था।

हबल स्पेस टेलीस्कोप नासा और ईएसए (यूरोपीय अंतरिक्ष एजेंसी) के बीच अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सहयोग की एक परियोजना है। मैरीलैंड के ग्रीनबेल्ट में नासा का गोडार्ड स्पेस फ़्लाइट सेंटर इस टेलीस्कोप का प्रबंधन करत�� है। मैरीलैंड के बाल्टीमोर में स्पेस टेलीस्कोप साइंस इंस्टीट्यूट (STScI) हबल विज्ञान संचालन करता है। एसटीएससीआई का संचालन नासा के लिए वाशिंगटन, डी.सी. में एसोसिएशन ऑफ यूनिवर्सिटीज फॉर रिसर्च इन एस्ट्रोनॉमी, इंक. द्वारा किया जाता है। हबल के बारे में छवियों और अधिक जानकारी के लिए, यहां जाएं: http://hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2017-29 www.nasa.gov/hubble संपर्क: एन जेनकिंस / रे विलार्ड स्पेस टेलीस्कोप साइंस इंस्टीट्यूट, बाल्टीमोर, मैरीलैंड 410-338-4488 / 410-338-4514 jenkins@stsci.edu / villard@stsci.edu ज़ोल्ट लेवे स्पेस टेलीस्कोप साइंस इंस्टीट्यूट, बाल्टीमोर, मैरीलैंड 410-338-4907 levay@stsci.edu

वैसे फोबोस और डेमोस दोनों चंद्रमाओं को लेकर ही टेरेस्ट्रियल मंगल ग्रह की पहचान

[screeching-0wl]

Phobos & Deimos

Let's talk about my favourite terror twins!

Who are they?

Deimos (Δειμος) represents terror and dread, while his brother Phobos (Φοβος) - panic, flight and rout.

They embody two different types of fear. Dread and panic are closely related but distinct forms of the emotion, either of which could be disastrous in a battle or fight.

As twins, the two were very alike and almost inseparable. They were often seen together.

The brothers accompanied their father into battle along with some other spirits/deities (e.g. Eris, Alke, Enyo, Ioke). They were known to harness the fire-breathing stallions of Ares as well as drive his chariot inciting fear and terror among the fighting soldiers.

When Ares fought with Heracles and was wounded it was Phobos and Deimos who drove his chariot and brought him back to Olympos.

They are the gods or personified spirits (daimones) of fear and twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite.

As children of Aphrodite, they were also known to represent the fear of loss, perhaps as in a fear of losing all that one loves.

The Roman equivalent of Phobos would be Pavot and as for Deimos - Metus

Ares, Aphrodite, Eros and Phobos, Greco-Roman Pompeii Wall Fresco C1st A.D.

History and cult

Unfortunately, the information we have about the twins today is limited. Most often we can see them in ancient texts and myths described as being their father's attendants or charging into battle alongside Ares and other war-related deities but there is more to these deities as they can be just as terrifying in their own right.

In the Iliad, their names are mentioned several times as they are depicted fighting, however, we can also see them being shown on the shield of no one other but Agamemnon himself.

Homer, Iliad 11. 36 ff :

"[Description of the shield of Agamemnon :] And he took up the man-enclosing elaborate stark shield, a thing of splendour. There were ten circles of bronze upon it, and set about it were twenty knobs of tin, pale-shining, and in the very centre another knob of dark cobalt. And circled in the midst of all was the blank-eyed face of the Gorgo (Gorgon) with her stare of horror, and Deimos (Fear) was inscribed upon it, and Phobos (Terror)."

Pausanias also mentions that Phobos was represented on the shield of Agamemnon, on the chest of Cypsellus, with the head of a lion which was a common way of depicting him, as in classical art the brothers were usually depicted as unremarkable youths, either nude or in armour, so despite their associations with overwhelming forms of fear, Deimos and Phobos were typically not represented as particularly terrifying in their appearance, though as I mentioned already, sometimes Phobos was given the head of a lion or leonine features.

Portrait of Leonine Phobos, Greco-Roman mosaic, Halicarnassus C4th A.D.

What's more, the brothers are also said to be shown on the shield of Heracles where we can also get a glimpse of how the ancient Greeks thought the two could look like:

Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 139 ff :

"[Among the images engraved on the shield of Herakles:] In the centre was Phobos (Fear) worked in adamant, unspeakable, staring backwards with eyes that glowed with fire. His mouth was full of teeth in a white row, fearful and daunting, and upon his grim brow hovered frightful Eris (Strife) who arrays the throng of men . . . Upon the shield Proioxis (Pursuit) and Palioxis (Flight) were wrought, and Homados (Tumult), and Phobos (Panic), and Androktasie (Slaughter). Eris (Strife) also, and Kydoimos (Uproar) were hurrying about, and deadly Ker (Fate)."

Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 191 ff :

"[Among the images engraved on the shield of Herakles :] And on the shield stood the fleet-footed horses of grim Ares made gold, and deadly Ares the spoil-winner himself. He held a spear in his hands and was urging on the footmen: he was red with blood as if he were slaying living men, and he stood in his chariot. Beside him stood Deimos (Fear) and Phobos (Flight), eager to plunge amidst the fighting men."

Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 216 ff :

"[Images engraved on the shield of Herakles :] And upon the awful heads of the Gorgones great Phobos (Fear) was quaking."

Historical cult:

Phobos and Deimos were not commonly venerated deities throughout ancient Greece but because they were 'a key element' of war, individuals would conduct sacrifices to their name on battlefields to earn their favour or in other places where war had taken place (Spartans were said to do this but not only).

The classical texts do speak of a few cases in relation to the worship of the twins.

According to Plutarch, Alexander the Great offered sacrifices to Phobos on the eve of the Battle of Gaugamela, perhaps asking for Darius III to be filled with fear. Darius was said to have fled from the field of Gaugamela, making Alexander's praying to Phobos seem successful as a tactic.

And again, on Plutarch's account, Theseus offered a sacrifice to Phobos before joining the battle with Amazon during their invasion of Athens.

Stesichorus claimed that Kyknos, son of Ares who lived in Thessaly beheaded strangers who came along in order to build a temple to Phobos using their skulls.

Phobos and Ares in Ares's chariot, C.6th B.C.

Modern cult and correspondences

Disclaimer: there are many of my personal UPGs as there is not much historically accurate information when it comes to these things!

Associations

Colours: red, black, silver, grey, gold

Stones: bloodstone, garnet, carnelian, fire agate, tiger's eye, red jasper

Animals: bulls, horses, lions, dogs, carnivorous birds (especially vultures)

Element: Fire

Incense: Frankincense, dragon's blood

Objects: weapons, shields, armour, chariots, bones, skulls

Tarot major arcana: The Tower, Death, The Chariot, The Devil

Offerings

Historically, soldiers were said to slaughter and sacrifice animals to Phobos and Deimos, such as bulls.

Some modern offerings could include:

Meat

Wine

Bones (fake, real, whatever tickles your fancy, I guess)

Skulls/depictions of skulls

Weapons, shields, armour/images of said things

Something resembling blood (some juice maybe?)

Depictions of horses, lions and bulls

Facing your fears

Writing down things you're afraid of on a piece of paper and offering it to them

Learning how to deal with strong emotions in a healthy manner

Learning about war and its effects

Martial arts

Physical activity

Reading their mythology

Go-cart racing (a more feral offering, cause who's got a chariot nowadays, right? 🥲)

Black coffee

Energy drinks

Honestly, it doesn't have to be extra fancy. You can get pretty creative.

Epithets

There aren't many ancient epithets related to Phobos and Deimos, however in Hesiod's Theogony they are both called "terrible" and "shield-piercing", literary epithets, both of which have also been used in ancient texts when speaking of their father, Ares.

Aeschylus also refers to Phobos as "the one who delights in blood", and paints an image of a boastful warrior who's quick to announce his victory before the battle has even truly begun.

Here's a great post with epithets you could also use: LINK and I highly recommend you check out the authors blog, too.

And another great post about devotional acts, offerings, etc. by the same person: LINK

Ares, Deimos and Nike, Greco-Roman Orbe Floor Mosaic C3rd A.D.

Some more facts

The word "phobia" derives from phobos (Φοβος), meaning fear.

On the modern monument to the battle of Thermopylae, as well as the one at the city of Sparta, Leonidas' shield has a representation of Deimos.

By Semos of Delos, Deimos was attributed to being the father of Skylla by Krataiis (which was also said to be a surname of Hekate)

The two moons of the planet Mars are named Phobos and Deimos

If you have any questions about Phobos and Deimos, worshipping them or working with them, feel free to ask in DMs or wherever you want and I'll be happy to answer them! :)

Edit: Here's a slightly simplified version of this in a form of a cheet sheet

[stumacherstan]

Hi! Dont wanna bother you but i was wondering if you could maybe write something for deimos and or phobos they are my favorite Greek gods (if not thats totally understandable i just love your writing

yo let me raise your request for you if you don’t mind

Phobos x Reader x Deimos Headcanons

let me start this off with as twin sons of Aphrodite and Ares, and although they represent loss, they’re also love based

theyre worshipped on outskirts mostly so imagine them finding somebody who worships them openly

totally giving them yandere-ish characteristics for the fact that they’re probably stronger lovers

as twin brothers they’re close. they’ll be okay with sharing you as double protection

don’t get it weird tho- no incest tones between them. they’re just in a good understanding of each other

now that we have that out of the way! the way they would treat you could be seen as overbearing

“why do you feel the need to leave if you already have everything here?”

deffo gets whiny if you want to see friends or family but that’s more of Phobos than Deimos

Deimos is the more rational (?) one, i suppose the word is more patient while Phobos does thrive off a little more off chaos and more energetic

Deimos is the more cooing and belittling you and Phobos is the playful teasing dick

just slightly. they don’t push it with you. you’re their person. they could never fuck with you too much

in fact, praise kinks activated

if u have low self esteem, they’ll be so quick to fill your mind w other things

anyways remember how i said Phobos is the more playful teasing dick? considering he is panic and terror, he plays somewhat cruel pranks you

just enough to make your heart beat fast and and get ur adrenaline running

however after awhile you get tough skin around them

every time he pranks you, you summon Deimos and you both run full speed at him

Deimos is obviously faster than you it’s so more like you run for like 10 seconds and let him catch Phobos for you

Deimos makes you tea to make up for it

they’re both touchy and affectionate

thriving off cuddles with pets

Phobos loves the pets. he’s depicted w lion heads but i imagine him w lion eyes and wild hair. so he does little rumblies when you run your hand through his mane

Deimos has more of a relaxed domesticed cat demeanor so he’ll lay relaxed to you with his tummy up, his face in your neck. caress his face or his abs. doesn’t matter. he thrives

they don’t get jealous of each other. like i said they coexist greatly. powerful dynamic

that being said anyone who dares tries to fuck with you get spells of paranoia and fears so tightly they can’t breathe

the dread comes and it’ll last for however long till the fear and panic comes in enough to go mad

yeahhh not a force to be reckoned w

but oh how they melt for you

their mother approves of you for you’re able to handle them and don’t fear them

and after all she just wants her two sons to be loved

however this means she will cover up any mistakes they can make

if you ever get tired of them for some reason or try to escape.

good. luck. you’ll be found so quickly and aphrodite will cover their incident up and make it seem you went willingly without question.

only a handful for attention but they do a lot of you so u don’t have to raise as much as a hand too much yk

very good partners.

also also also you’ll be referee for their playful fights and both will try to win for your honor

it’s cute tbh till the wounds come out then you cancel their fight

enjoy your life with them <3

[nymphadorathetemplar]

WIP Challenge: dcmk deimos diamond 👀

kiwili~~ you already have private access to this in my drabbles doc hehe

or is it that you love this piece so much you need it to be shared on my blog publicly haha

(please feel free to ask for another wip if you would like kiwili)

anyways like i mentioned with #18, me and kiwili sure love seeing Kaito and angsty thoughts

WIP #30: Deimos Diamond

[ Deimos as in the god of dread & terror, one of the sons of Ares and Aphrodite, brother of Phobos (god of fear & panic; phobia) ]

While with Saguru, KID encounters a pink diamond called the Deimos Diamond. A gem that produces an entity that manifests into one’s greatest fear.

Another KID has appeared.

No it’s not KID, that’s not Kuroba. Although it looks like him, that cold look in its eyes and that sharp smirk is almost sadistic rather than smug or playful. It sends a chill down his spine.

The detective glances over at the real KID who seems to have frozen in place at the sight of his look alike.

“Oh~” The ‘other KID’ drawls in a perfect imitation of Kuroba’s KID voice, “Did you think you could get off easy with your annoying phobia?” Its pitch rises slightly to be more mocking, “Thought I’d turn into some kind of f-f-f-fish?” It gave a low chuckle, “Well looks like your luck has failed you this time.” It takes a small but intimidating step towards KID, “Too bad for you, I specialise in torture and I’m not just going to let you off with a heart attack.”

It takes another step but KID is still frozen in place, face blank of emotion, except for his deep blue eyes that are filled with fear.

“I may not instantly make you lose your cool, but I’m just as terrifying. You still fear the thought of me.” Another step. “I keep you awake at night, eating at you from the inside with all the frustration and anxiety.” Another step. “I may not be your biggest fear, but I don’t need to be when I am your deepest fear.” Another step. “And you despise me for it because you’re so helpless to do anything about it. I am all you can rely on for help.”

No. This was wrong. Saguru’s mind was begging him to run between that thing and KID. But his body was frozen. The terror that thing was radiating kept him as frozen as KID. He could only continue to watch as it now stood directly in front of KID.

It gave a wide grin of sadistic pleasure, “And you hate yourself for it.”

It raised its arms, spreading them like it was proud, and Saguru wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

“I’m the one who ripped your dear dad away from you.”

He could see KID’s shallow breathing hitch.

“With your dad gone, your mom can’t stand to be around you since you’re just a constant reminder of the dear husband she lost. That’s why she’s never home, to be anywhere but with you.”

Saguru was faintly aware of his hands starting to hurt from how hard he was clenching them, helpless to do anything as the monster dropped its arms, giving KID a look of disdain like he was just some trash.

“Not even that old man really cares for you. Where was he when your dad died? You had to catch him yourself when he finally had the guts to try to do something about your dad’s murderers. To him you’re just a young and strong able body to take revenge for his dear master’s death. Without me, he would never even bother with you.”

Saguru wanted to scream and started to tremble with not only fear but also anger at seeing that monster raise a hand to lightly caress KID’s face.

“The two people who might have cared for you, well you’ve been doing a wonderful job of pushing them away. And you’ve been doing it in such a nice and slow way, getting them more and more use to your distance, soon they won’t even realise if you disappeared. Why, they won’t even bother to care if they finally do.”

Saguru’s heart broke as tears began to slip down KID’s face. The monster mimicked Kuroba's boastful KID laugh but twisted with a terrible tone of wicked delight as it swiped at a tear with a single finger, taking an amused look at it and flicked the tear away like dust.

“And if they ever found out about me...well because of me you’ve been such an annoyance to your only real friend and such a hardship for the only adult who was there for you when your parents left you alone.”

It slowly leaned in to whisper into KID’s ear, but with the silence of the room and his senses heightened from fear, it wasn’t hard to make out.

“And most of all you’re afraid of me killing you too.”

It leaned back to give KID another sadistic grin, with a disapproving shake of one finger, “Oh but not by the murderers who got your dad, no that would be too easy, to just be shot or burned or plummet from a great height. Sure it might hurt but that’s just physical, you’re use to worse pain. And it would be over so soon, an escape from the hell I give you.”

It switched to a saccharine tone dripping with faux sympathy, “What you fear is me killing Kuroba Kaito. You have to lie to your best friend. And now you almost never see her anymore out of guilt, for using her and her dad. You’re slowly acting less and less like yourself. Becoming more consumed by me and the search for Pandora in a desperate attempt to catch the people who killed your dad because you so desperately wish that doing so might make you feel something, anything other than the pain.”

It gave a condescending shake of the head as it shrugged, “And you’re not even doing a good job at pretending like you haven’t changed, even that annoying girl has noticed.”

Aoko’s voice suddenly rang out in her annoyed tone, “Geez! You’re being weird Bakaito, what’s wrong with you lately!”

It made KID subtly wince as he grit his teeth.

“Soon there will be no Kuroba Kaito left, you only have me.”

KID finally managed to say something, giving a desperate shout, “NO! I’m not KID! You’re wrong! I will never be KID!” The now trembling boy took a step back, “I just pretend to be KID to stop more people from getting hurt. It's just an act. I am not KID. I am Kuroba Kaito.”

Normally Saguru would have laughed at having finally heard a confession from KID that he was, as the detective suspected, Kuroba Kaito. But he couldn't possibly take pride in it now, not in this situation. He never wanted to find out like this. It was wrong and all he wanted was to be rid of this evil thing that stood before them.

[inc0rrectmyths]

Heyy~~

Sorry if I'm bothering I just wanted to ask you some question if it's okay.

First: What does Thanatos and Hermes think of each other? (I kinda ship them, so that's why I wanna know. I'm sorry if it bothers you ^^')

Second: You only "use" the greek gods in incorrect quotes who you know (worship, work with, sorry I forgot which word you used) or do you put others in the incorrects too?

Third: If I'm remember right there is one twinbro pair; Phobos and Deimos, are they twins? I know they're the gods of terror, dread, flight, panic, rout and fear, and I don't know why, I just feel sad cuz usually nobody knows about them :(

I'm sorry if my English isn't perfect and you can't understand something ^^'

Anyways have a good day/night!

No no! You aren't bothering me! And I'm quite liking the questions.

First:

Hermes probably thinks Thanatos is cool. Cuz yk, Hermes is also a guide for the souls so he visits the underworld and he probably has met Thanatos. And Thanatos on the other hand probably thinks Hermes is the clown of Olympus. Idk, it just feels like their interaction would be so so chaotic!

Second:

I use the most popular gods most of the time cuz ppl will be able to relate to them more. There are many unpopular gods who the ppl don't know much about. So I mostly don't use them in my memes. Cuz my main point is to make ppl laugh, what's the point of making memes if ppl don't find it funny?

Third:

Yup! Deimos and Phobos are the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite! They both accompany their father in wars. Tho they are minor gods.

Sorry, If I answered something wrong!

[nobodylovespercy10]

List of people Percy Jackson has scared the shit out of:

Clarisse, daughter of Ares, Drakon Slayer: “Believe me, revenge is coming. One of these days, he’s going to be sorry. Why am I waiting? Just strategy. Biding my time and waiting for the right moment to strike. I am not scared, okay? Anybody says different, I’ll rearrange their dental work.” - Demigod Files (Interview with Clarisse LaRue, Daughter of Ares)

Luke Castellan: “‘Luke feared you,’ the Titan’s voice said. ‘His jealously and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you.’” -BotL

Kronos himself: “"Perseus Jackson," one of them said. "Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat." "Who said I was a threat?" The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee." She pointed at Thalia.” -TTC

Leneus, a member of The Council of Cloven Elders: ”I didn't push him very hard, but he was kind of top-heavy. He fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling.” - TLO

Hades, Lord of the Underworld: “Hades swallowed. ‘Now, Jackson, listen here…’ He was immortal. There was no way I could kill him, but gods can be wounded.” -TLO 

Phobos, the God of Fear himself: “I couldn’t kill him. He was immortal. But you wouldn’t have known that from his expression. The fear god looked afraid.” -Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot) 

Leo Valdez: “Leo’s legs trembled. The way Percy looked at him made him feel the same as when Jason summoned lightning. Leo’s skin tingled, and every instinct in his body screamed, Duck!” -MoA

Piper McLean: “Piper guessed that Percy hadn’t meant to cause so much damage, but his glowering expression made her want to leave the ship as soon as possible.” -BoO

fucking Annabeth Chase: “Since she’d come back from Tartarus, Annabeth had told Piper about a lot of scary things that had happened down there. At the top of her list: Percy controlling a tide of poison and suffocating the goddess Akhlys.”- BoO

And let’s not forget:

How Percy looks when he fights: “My expression in the picture was fierce—disturbing, even—so it was hard to tell if I was the good guy or the bad guy, but Rachel said I’d looked just like that after the battle.” - TLO

Hazel’s first impression of him: “Then she’d met Percy. At first, when she saw him stumbling up the highway with the old lady in his arms, Hazel had thought he might be a god in disguise. Even though he was beat up, dirty, and stooped with exhaustion, he’d had an aura of power. He had the good looks of a Roman god, with sea-green eyes and wind blown black hair.”

Hephaestus’s words to him in BotL: “The god grunted. “Not that powerful, eh? Could have fooled me. You’re the son of the Earthshaker, lad. You don’t know your own strength.””

“Nico twisted his silver skull ring. “Percy is the most powerful demigod I’ve ever met. No offense to you guys, but it’s true. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he’s got Annabeth at his side.“ -MoA

“Part of their problem was Percy. He fought like a demon, whirling through the defenders’ ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with his sword instead of stabbing like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and generally causing mass panic.” -SoN

[dzpenumbra]

3/16/23

It's 4:15 AM. I just got done with my stream. I started streaming around 11:30ish, I was planning on just doing a quick little stream I guess. "Quick little Rimworld stream." Riiiiiiiiiight...

People... showed up. I got 3 new followers! Some dude came by and chatted and I introduced him to Rimworld and gave him the lowdown, it was really nice connecting a new person to the game. And a guy from my past, from literally a past life (different username, back when I'd get really high and play Wreckingball in Overwatch QuickPlays), he dropped in and reconnected. Literal fucking strangers from 4 years ago dropped by my stream and my "friends", shit... my own brother who also games... wouldn't. I guess that's why they're... ex-friends, eh? Enough mourning that shit, I'll save my grief for those who actually wanted to spend time with me.

Today was just... super different. A very different vibe to it. Like light was shining into my life. Like... I had this golden light pouring into my apartment in my preview cam on Betterhelp today, and it caught my eye. And that feels very symbolic of my day. My new desk came today. It is really cool, it's electric and it saves certain heights, so I can press a button and switch it from sitting desk to standing desk. Super fucking fancy, big thanks to my mom for splurging on that one as a christmas gift that literally just got here. I spent most of the day putting it together and relocating my computer. It's weird having the whole desktop tower sitting on top of the table, but I think I really need to do that... because I don't know how I'm going to have the cables rigged if it's on the floor... so it can still adjust, you know? I don't know, it works for now, that's the important part.

In therapy, I talked about grief. About how I haven't really had the opportunity to grieve my cat the way I grieved my dog, no one to really process it with. And those around me haven't really treated it with the same delicate nature they did when Cerry passed. People near me were thoughtful and gentle then. This time, not so much. At least it feels that way.

I tried to communicate that... like... I haven't really let myself engage with the loss feelings as much with Max. Which sucks. I'm just... very geographically far away from anyone who might even pat me on the back, you know? And it's hard to be emotionally vulnerable in that way... even with myself... when comfort is not available if the grief gets too deep. Like existential-freakout-deep. Maybe I'm reading into that too much. That, in itself, feels like a PTSD response. And I think it is.

This whole "I can't let myself feel sad unless I have someone around to comfort me" thing. Why? Because of Spring/Summer 2019. When I didn't give a fuck. When I didn't let Fear make decisions for me. When I made a blood oath with myself in my Zen garden to never let Fear make decisions on my behalf ever again. And then Fear consumed me, like I challenge the God of Fear himself. Ironically, Phobos is the greek god of Fear/Panic... accompanying his brother Deimos, god of Terror/Dread. Both moons of Mars, and sons of Ares, the god of War. Perfectly natural that both anticipatory dread and frenzied panic would be born of war. And, interestingly enough, I was going to name Maxine "Phobos". That was initially going to be her name, when I originally got her... until I decided it was a bit too dark, and not really fitting to name such a friendly and confident cat as her after Fear itself. I came up with Max as a backup, which just fit a bit better. Then, when the vet gave me an impromptu gender reveal... the name was going to change to "Phoebe", but the name just didn't fit either. And when the vet asked what to put on her records? We went with Maxine, and it was kinda serendipitous that my backup name happened to be androgynous.

I am seeing very clearly now why there are two gods there - panic and terror. They are different feelings, aren't they? Panic being like... being on a battlefield and needing to flee. And terror/dread being... impending doom, anticipation, the unknown, something lurking outside your door. And I have definitely gotten a healthy dialogue going with Phobos. For a while now. And I can stare that fucker in the eyes and have a chat with him now. Much better than before. But Deimos and I, on the other hand...

It seems like that's really my problem. It's not that I'm in the middle of a freak out right now and I want to run the fuck away. It's that I'm scared of putting myself in that situation... and not having the proper tools... or having it go very wrong. And I don't even have a clear image of what "wrong" looks like there. What... I get really sad and my heart feels like a black hole and I cry uncontrollably and I just want someone to hold me and reminisce on how cool of a cat she was... and how hard it was to see her suffer so much... and... there's just no one available to do that with? Like... that's right now. I literally just did that... and the world didn't end... Why the fuck am I so scared of it? Why will I avoid grieving... just to avoid acknowledging that I am forced to grieve alone? That I have no choice but to grieve alone.

I guess it's avoiding that reality.

I connected that intuitively to 2019, that was when I still had a friend or two in the bank. Or at least the losses were very fresh, at least it felt like I had friends in my back pocket. By the end of that summer, I had run through them all. I reached out AA-style to literally everyone. My good friend I met through Minecraft, who I was Best Man for. My college friend who I was also groomsman for. My former best friend in college, whose daughter I was godfather to. Her husband, who I was better friends with than I was with her... My ex-girlfriend from college, the only one I ever really - I typed "loved" and deleted it, I don't think it was love, it was very intense infatuation. Love is mutual. My former best friend from highschool, who was a deadbeat mom of 5 working at an audio company that catered concerts and shit, living with a boyfriend she was clearly using to pay her rent for her while she spent all her cash buying cocaine and fucking local wannabe rappers. (Don't worry, things worked out great with that plan, last time I saw her she was homeless, lost like 100 lbs and was being summoned to court on charges of accessory to trafficking fentanyl across state lines). I even reached out to my old bandmate in college, who used to be my actual best friend... who blew me off time and time again, and that time was no exception. I mean, I reached out to everyone. I even reached out to my most recent ex, at that point, it was probably about 6 months that we had been broken up and she still lived in the same small town. Everyone.

And I struck out.

So... that fucked me up. My panic and dread went haywire after that. Because I learned first-hand that if something bad happened, if I needed a friend, anything... no one was coming. It was a weird transition. It used to be "I don't want to bother them", or "they've got enough going on". Now? Uh-uh. Nope. That anxiety of "shit is hitting the fan, you need to call someone"... that number is getting dialed. Only... there's no number to dial! XD

So yeah. I guess that's a complicated emotion to engage with. And it makes me avoid really big, difficult things... because I know at a very intuitive level that if something goes wrong, I'm on my own. And that's risky. Like... detoxing off of meds. I would actually keep myself on meds I hated, that I really wanted to be off of... just so I could buy time to get someone into my life to create a safe environment for me to detox off. Not just physically, but emotionally. I would just... not detox... rather than detox alone and risk my life or my sanity. Because I've had it go bad before.

But with this... I just... I can't. I have to let myself go there. Like... the dream journal the other day. I hate recording nightmares in a dream journal. I have to make myself do it. I have to force my hand over to grab it and start writing. I want nothing more than to just forget it. But those are the most important dreams. And I keep... forgetting that. I keep forgetting that really important lesson. The dreams you want to forget, that repulse you and make you feel really uncomfortable and disturbed. They're the most important. Maybe not literally, but in their message. Emotions themselves are not bad. They are just different degrees of feeling. Anger is not innately bad. Fear is not innately bad. Depression... well... we're not gonna talk about that one, that's the exception, the rule applies to the rest of it! Grief is not bad. It's what you do with it that determines whether it becomes something harmful or helpful.

And I think I've been stuffing my grief down. And avoiding it. And waiting for a person who isn't coming to process it, to engage with it, to talk about it. And... that is never healthy. Repression is never healthy. Fighting yourself is never healthy. My self looks at the bathmat where my cat was hiding in her last days, and remembers her, and wrenches my heart. My self sees the particles of litter on the banjo case next to my desk that she loved to sit on when I was gaming. And when I see those things, and feel the pain and loss that comes with it... I turn away and say "not now". "I can deal with that feeling later." But there has been no "later" for over a month, nearly a month and a half now. There was no later. I guess... later is now.

And I'll tell ya. It's not that bad. The initial shock of it is kinda the worst part. And I really hate that I'm running from her memory like this, it feels so fucking unfair to her.

Like... picture a ghost movie, right? I fucking love this analogy because it's so accessible. Any ghost movie, take your pick, but like... a true "lost soul" haunted house ghost movie. It's always someone who died unexpectedly or of tragic means. It's rarely granny who passed peacefully in her sleep. They are usually trying to communicate, and really frustrated that they can't. They don't even know they're dead half the time. They're like... stuck in time. And these memories, these visceral memories of my cat on the bathmat and on the banjo case, and sitting in her cat tree. They are my ghosts of her... er... her ghost to me? And they are trying to communicate with me, to interact with me, to engage my memory. The spirit of my cat. The essence, the memory, the remainder. And what do I do with that memory? I reject it. How fucking cruel of me. That poor girl suffered so fucking much, and I reject her memory?! -_- I feel selfish.

I hope I can just... remember. Remember that the first bit is the worst part. That you have to ride that memory roller coaster, and make sure it covers the good memories too. Don't just cling to the trauma memory, or block out all memory to spare the difficult ones. Erasing one's existence is... kinda overkill, and kinda not something kind to do to one that you love. I think, at least. So... I hope to, eventually, get to the point where I can look at the bathmat and go "that's where she hid when she was about to die... but also where she would prepare to jump up on the sink to get water, and where she'd rub up against me when I was brushing my teeth, and sit in the sink waiting for me to turn it on, which she did since she was a tiny little kitten." And that first memory will be painful, but it's isn't the end-all be-all of the thought pattern, it's the entryway to a beautiful tapestry of memories. An access point to her whole story. Not just the tragic end.

Deeply overdue for a vibe reset. The Rimworld playthrough is getting really good. The story is forming itself in really miraculous ways, as only Rimworld can. And I've already impressed several new people with my storytelling, it meant a lot to me. Like... someone told me they could see it as an "actual sci-fi story" that I was writing, which... I mean, technically I'm co-writing, but... like... that's exactly what I'm doing in front of you, bud! XD Good read! It's always very heartwarming and confidence boosting to have someone openly appreciate your skill set. Hopefully it engaged them enough that they return!

I'm going to go to bed, it's past 5 now. I'd say worth it.

[piristephes]

Gods and their epithets - Ares

Ending our first part of posts about the epithets of the Gods, we bring today the mighty Ares - God of war, violence, courage, civil protection and conflict. Among the Olympians, Ares is one of the most wronged by the popular media today, always portrayed as villainous for his voracious nature as a warrior deity, often antagonizing the heroic Athena.

One of the sons of Zeus and Hera, Ares was primarily worshiped in times of war in the classical period, with relatively few temples and shrines. He was most worshiped in the region of Thrace, Thesprotia, Lacedaemon (region of Sparta) and Thessaly. Often represented naked or in battle ornaments, Ares is present in the arts as a vigorous young man or a mature man, accompanied by the Gods and children he had with the Goddess Aphrodite: Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Panic), in addition to the Goddess Eris ( Discord), as well as several other daimones (spirits) related to his domain.

Famous for his bloodthirsty potency and for his favor to those who lived by battles, Ares figures as a God of undeniable potency with important aspects to be discussed here.

With a well-established domain in the field of war, Ares has a considerable number of aspects that represent His war power. His cultic epithets that we have access to are relatively few when compared to poetic ones, that is, those used as descriptors in literature.

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Enyalios - "The Warlike"/"Belligerent", is used as a replacement name for Ares throughout the Iliad. In a later period, he is seen as a differentiated deity, the son of Ennius (The Conflict) and Ares.

CULTIC EPITHETS

Thereitas - "Ferocious"/Relating to "Thero" (nurse of the God). Pausanias relates this epithet to the brutality and truculence characteristic of the God. It is also assumed to be a relationship to the nymph Thero, who nursed him.

Stratos - "Warrior/Warlike", an epithet relating to his mastery of war. It is also an epithet of Zeus, according to Strabo.

Hippios - "Of horses", is a common epithet of various deities related to the equestrian domain. Chariots and chariots with horses were common instruments of war.

Aphneios - "Abundant", Pausanias describes the origin myth of this epithet where a newborn son of Ares was in danger of dying of hunger, as his mother had died in childbirth. However, the God makes her breast give the food necessary for the child's sustenance, saving him.

Gynaecothoenas - "God feasted by women", a curious epithet that describes how the women of Tegea ambushed the enemy army in a decisive act against King Carilius of Lacedaemon. The women then celebrated with sacrifices to Ares, excluding men from the ceremony.

POETIC EPITHETS

Ares' poetic epithets describe him in appearance, bearing his weapons and dressed as a warrior. The God appears in homeric myths such as the Iliad and in several others.

Khalkeos/Khalkokorustes - "Bronze/Armed with bronze"

Teikhesiplêtês/Aatos Polemoio - "Destroyer of Cities"/"Insatiable in War"

Obrimos/Thouros/Dinos - "Powerful"/"Violent"/"Terrible"

Enkhespalos/Rhinotoros/Oxis - "Armed with the Spear/Flesh Piercer/Sharp"

Talaurino Polemistes- "He who fights under the shield"

A virile God of undeniable potency, Ares is described in the Homeric Hymns as the father of Victory (Nike), savior of cities, and ally of Themis, the Goddess of sacred customs and divine laws. His hymns plead with Him to guide men's hearts to peace before they come out of violent war.

In myths, He is also known to be the lover of the Goddess Aphrodite, having been caught by Hephaestus during adultery. Another myth also tells of how He was judged by the Gods for his murder of one of Poseidon's sons, who had raped one of His Amazon daughters. Ares was often worshiped by warrior tribes, and the fierce Amazons had a special devotion to him.

There is relatively little or nothing about festivals specific to Ares, but it was common to make sacrifices to the God before a battle.

Mighty and vigorous, may Ares be propitious to us, offering strength in victories and advice in defeat! Let's close with his Homeric hymn:

"Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defender of Olympos, father of warlike Nike (Victory), ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of the righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere [the star Mars] among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aither wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death."

Deuses e seus epítetos - Ares

Finalizando nossa primeira parte de posts acerca dos epítetos dos Deuses, trazemos hoje o poderoso Ares - Deus da guerra, violência, coragem, proteção civil e conflito. Dentre os Olimpianos, Ares é um dos mais injustiçados pela mídia popular atual, sempre posto como vilanesco por sua natureza voraz de deidade guerreira, frequentemente antagonizando a heroica Atena.

Um dos filhos de Zeus e Hera, Ares era principalmente cultuado em tempos de guerra no período clássico, com relativamente poucos templos e santuários. Ele era mais cultuado na região da Trácia, Tesprótia, Lacedemônia (região de Esparta) e Tessália. Representado frequentemente nu ou em ornamentos de batalha, Ares é presente nas artes como um jovem vigoroso ou um homem maduro, acompanhado dos Deuses e filhos que teve com a Deusa Afrodite: Fobos (Medo) e Deimos (Pânico), além da Deusa Éris (Discórdia), além de vários outros daimones (espíritos) relativos a seu domínio.

Famoso por sua potência sanguinolenta e por seu favor àqueles que viviam de batalhas, Ares figura como um Deus de potência inegável com importantes aspectos a serem discutidos aqui.

Com um domínio bem estabelecido no âmbito da guerra, Ares tem um considerável número de aspectos que representam seu poderio bélico. Seus epítetos de culto que temos acesso são relativamente poucos quando comparados aos poéticos, ou seja, os utilizados como descritores na literatura.

NOMES ALTERNATIVOS

Enyalios - "O guerreiro"/"Beligerante", é utilizado como nome substituo para Ares ao longo da Ilíada. Em um período mais tardio, é visto como uma deidade diferenciada, filho de Ênio (O conflito) e Ares.

EPÍTETOS DE CULTO

Thereitas - "Feroz"/Relativo a "Thero" (a nutriz do Deus). Pausânias relaciona esse epíteto com a brutalidade e truculência característica do Deus. Supõe-se também que seja uma relação à ninfa Thero, que o amamentou.

Stratos - "Guerreiro/da Guerra", epíteto relativo a seu domínio da guerra. Também é um epíteto de Zeus, segundo Estrabão.

Hippios - "Dos cavalos", é um epíteto comum de várias deidades relacionadas ao domínio equestre. Bigas e quadrigas com cavalos eram comuns instrumentos de guerra.

Aphneios - "Abundante", Pausânias nos descreve o mito de origem deste epíteto onde um filho de Ares recém-nascido corria risco de morrer de fome, pois sua mãe havia falecido no parto. Entretanto, o Deus faz o seio dela dar o alimento necessário para o sustento da criança, salvando-o.

Gynaecothoenas - "Deus festejado pelas mulheres", é um epíteto curioso que descreve como as mulheres de Tégea emboscaram o exército inimigo em um ato decisivo contra o rei Carílio da Lacedemônia. As mulheres então celebraram com sacrifícios a Ares, excluindo homens da cerimônia.

EPÍTETOS POÉTICOS

Os epítetos poéticos de Ares o descrevem em aparência, portando suas armas e vestido como um guerreiro. O Deus aparece em mitos homéricos como a Ilíada e em vários outros.

Khalkeos/Khalkokorustes - "Brônzeo/Armado com bronze"

Teikhesiplêtês/Aatos Polemoio - "Destruidor de Cidades"/"Insaciável na Guerra"

Obrimos/Thouros/Dinos - "Poderoso"/"Violento"/"Terrível"

Enkhespalos/Rhinotoros/Oxis - "Armado com a lança/Perfurador da Carne/Afiado"

Polemistes Talaurinos- "Aquele que luta sob o escudo"

Um Deus viril de inegável potência, Ares é descrito nos Hinos Homéricos como pai da Vitória (Nike), salvador de cidades e aliado de Têmis, a Deusa dos costumes sagrados e leis divinas. Seus hinos suplicam que Ele guie o coração dos homens para a paz antes que provem da violenta guerra.

Nos mitos, ele é conhecido também por ser amante da Deusa Afrodite, tendo sido apanhado por Hefesto durante o adultério. Outro mito também conta de como Ele foi julgado pelos Deuses por seu assassinato a um dos filhos de Poseidon, que havia violado uma de suas filhas amazonas. Ares era frequentemente cultuado por tribos guerreiras, e as ferozes Amazonas tinham especial devoção a Ele.

Há relativamente pouco ou nada sobre festivais específicos a Ares, mas era comum a feitura de sacrifícios para o Deus antes de uma batalha.

Poderoso e vigoroso, que Ares lhes seja propício ofertando força para vitórias e conselho nas derrotas! Encerremos com seu hino homérico, traduzido por Alexandra Nikaios, fundadora do site politeísta Helenos.

Ares, de força extraordinária, condutor da biga, de elmo dourado, valente de coração, portador do escudo, salvador das cidades, de brônzea armadura, braço forte infatigável, poderoso com a lança. Ó defensor do Olimpo, pai da Vitória bélica, aliado de Têmis, severo governante dos rebeldes, líder dos homens justos, Rei com o cetro da virilidade, que gira sua feroz esfera entre os planetas em seus sétuplos cursos através do éter, no qual seu corcel flamejante sempre te leva acima do firmamento do céu; ouça-me, auxiliar dos homens, doador da destemida juventude! Verta um gentil raio de cima sobre a minha vida, e a força de guerra, que eu possa ser capaz de afugentar a amarga covardia de minha cabeça e de esmagar o doloso engano em minha alma. Retenha também a afiada fúria de meu coração, a qual me provoca a trilhar os caminhos da disputa de pavoroso sangue. Antes, ó abençoado, dê-me coragem para perseverar dentro das inofensivas leis da paz, evitando a contenda e o ódio e o violento espírito maligno da morte.