#wisdom of Artemis oracle

[laurusamystic]

Happy Elaphobolion!🏺

Elaphebolion was the ninth month of the ancient Attic calendar, roughly aligning with March and early April in today’s Gregorian calendar. The month was significant for the celebration of the Elaphebolia festival, dedicated to Artemis Elaphebolos, meaning Artemis the Deer-Slayer.

The Elaphebolia festival was marked by offerings and rituals to honour Artemis for her role as a huntress and guardian. A key part of the celebration was the preparation of special cakes called “elaphoi,” shaped like deer, symbolizing Artemis’ dominion over wildlife and her hunting skills. These cakes were made from flour, honey, and sesame seeds, serving as both a symbolic offering and a way for the community to come together in worship.

In addition to offerings, the Elaphebolia festival likely featured processions, prayers, and other activities aimed at gaining Artemis’ favour for successful hunts and protection from wild animals. As part of the broader religious and agricultural calendar, Elaphobolion also marked the seasonal transition and preparations for spring.

This year, 2025, the festival of Elaphebolia falls on March 6th.

March 6th is also the day that pre-orders for my indie deck, Wisdom of Artemis Oracle, will officially open to the public. As a lifelong devotee of Artemis and a dedicated Hellenic Polytheist, I chose this date to align the deck’s release with one of her most significant festivals—one that is also a personal favourite of mine. The deck features 47 of Artemis’s sacred epithets, including Artemis Elaphobolos. 🏹🦌

Hail Artemis!

[the-nerdy-libra]

Ἀπόλλων Φοῖβος, Θεὸς τοῦ Ἡλίου

Apollon, Bright One, God of the Sun

He is associated with Sunlight and the Sun, Music and Poetry, Prophecy and Oracles, Healing and Medicine, Plague and Disease, Archery, Knowledge and Wisdom, Purification and Cleansing, Order and Civilization, Protection of Herds and Flocks, Seafarers, Masculine Beauty, Music Theory and Harmony, Time and Seasons.

His symbols are the Lyre, Bows and Arrows, the Laurel Wreath, Ravens, Serpents, the Sun/Chariot of the Sun, Palm Trees, Bay/Laurel Trees, Wolves, Cypress Trees, Tripod, Lyric Poetry Scrolls, Golden Hair and Swans.

Major Sanctuaries and Temples

Delphi was the most famous sanctuary of Apollon, home to the Oracle of Delphi and the Pythian Games.

Delos was Apollon’s birthplace and celebrated Him with grand festivals like the Delia.

Didyma was known for its oracle and the Temple of Apollon, featuring massive columns.

Claros was another major oracle site, with its temple and priesthood.

Thermopylae was sacred to Apollon during the Amphictyonic League meetings.

Bassae was home to the Temple of Apollon Epikourios, renowned for its architectural innovation.

Aegina featured a Doric temple dedicated to Apollon.

Patara was an ancient Lycian city with ties to Apollon and prophecy.

Miletus’ citizens worshipped Apollon as their protector.

Rhodes revered Apollon as part of the island’s patron deities.

Athens worshipped Apollon in several roles, including Apollo Patroos (Protector of Families).

Sparta honoured Apollon as a god of order and harmony.

In Rome, Imperātor Gāius Iūlius Caesar Augustus constructed the Temple of Apollo Palatinus, aligning Apollo with imperial propaganda.

Mt. Parnassus, near Delphi, was regarded as sacred to Apollon and the Muses.

The island of Crete celebrated Apollon in various cities, such as Gortyna and Dreros.

General Epithets

Apollon (Bright, Radiant), associated with His solar and light-bearing qualities.

Delphinios (Of Delphi), linked to His sanctuary and oracle at Delphi.

Mousagetēs (Leader of Muses), celebrating His patronage of the arts and inspiration.

Loxias (Oblique, Mysterious), reflecting His cryptic oracular messages.

Pythios (Of Pythia), commemorating His victory over Python at Delphi.

Alexikakos (Averter of Evil), worshipped as a protector from harm and calamity.

Medicus (Healer), honouring His medical and healing powers, especially in Roman worship.

Catharsius (Purifier), invoked in cleansing rituals.

Smintheus (Mouse God), protector from plague and agricultural pests.

Lykeios (Wolf God), linked to His protective and wild nature.

Nomios (Pastoral), celebrating His guardianship over herds and flocks.

Karneios (Of Flocks), worshipped in rural Spartan traditions as a regional variation of Nomios.

Helios (Sun God), representing His solar connections in later traditions.

Agyieus (Of the Streets), protector of pathways and travelers.

Delios (Of Delos), celebrating His birthplace.

Didymaeus (Of Didyma), connected to His oracle in Ionia.

Festivals

The Pythian Games were held every four years at Delphi, including musical and athletic competitions in Apollon's honour.

Thargelia was an Athenian festival honoring Apollon and Artemis, featuring purification rituals and offerings of first fruits.

Delia, on Delos, was a festival that included musical contests, dances, and sacrifices sacred to Apollon.

Worship Practices

Sacrifices were often of animals such as bulls and goats, symbolic of his divine strength.

Prophecy played a central role in his worship, with priestesses and the Oracle at Delphi channeling his divine wisdom.

Apollon was invoked in rituals of cleansing and renewal, often symbolized by water.

Roman Veneration

Apollo Medicus was venerated as a god of healing during plagues.

Imperātor Gāius Iūlius Caesar Augustus claimed Apollo as his divine patron, constructing the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill of Rome.

Altars and Sacred Spaces

Altars dedicated to Apollon are typically adorned with symbols like the lyre, laurel leaves, sun motifs and representations of His sacred animals (e.g., swans, wolves, or ravens), often altars placed in sunlit areas to honor His solar aspects.

Altars are frequently decorated with golden or yellow fabrics, sun-shaped decorations, and natural materials like wood or stone are common.

Offerings

Traditional Offerings are laurel leaves, honey, olives, figs, and wine.

Music, poetry, and other creative expressions are also considered as offerings due to Apollon's role as a patron of the arts.

Frankincense and bay laurel oil are burned, while crystals like sunstone and pyrite are used to symbolize His solar and abundant aspects.

Rituals and Practices

Devotees skilled in the arts often recite prayers or compose hymns in His honor, often inspired by ancient texts, while others prefer to stay with the ancient texts themselves. Both choices are equally valid.

Practices like meditating on Apollon's attributes or using divination tools to seek His guidance are common.

The creation of or recitation of music and poetry are also acts of worship. From humming a tune to singing along to your favourite songs, it counts as an offering and is just as valid.

Apollon's teachings on balance and enlightenment inspire personal growth and artistic pursuits, often being blended with the pursuit of philosophical and sometimes even spiritual enlightenment.

Rituals for spiritual or physical healing often invoke Apollon's aid, emphasizing His role as a healer.

Devotees seek His guidance in intellectual and intuitive endeavors, reflecting His association with wisdom and oracles.

Seasonal Celebrations:

Some practitioners observe festivals inspired by ancient traditions, such as the Thargelia or Delia, adapting them to modern contexts. I have yet to find a universally agreed upon date, but April 6th or the Spring Equinox are common due to Apollon's purifying and cleansing epithets, as well as His light and solar epithets.

Personal Notes

Apollon is a deity who only very recently called to me, which is amusing to me since I would have been under His protection. It speaks to me of His integrity that rather than reach out to me then, He has waited nearly seventeen years to do so. I think that perhaps is to do with two things which actually blend hand in hand; the first being that I have a strong suspicion that when He reached out to me, it was not as His Greek self nor even His Roman self; rather, it was as Paean (𐀞𐀊𐀺𐀚, Pajawone) that He reached out.

While I try to keep the history out of the religion in these posts, I feel it is best to explain fully in the case of Hellenic deities whose Mycenaean forms call to me most (of which there is a surprising number). Apollon, as Paean, is chiefly a god of medicine and healing. However, in Troy he was a god of hunting and protection, defending the early Trojans from the beasts of the forest. It is this Trojan Apollon, whom they called Paeiōn (𐀞𐀊𐀩𐀍, Pajerone) that called to me and is still known to this day as Apollon Lykeios. For those wondering why the names changed so much, the evolution from Pajerone to Apollon is due to the language changing and evolving during the Greek Dark Ages; the earliest known midway point is Apeljōn, so the linguistic evolution would be Pajerone -> Apeljōn -> Apollon.

With the mini history lesson out of the way, apologies for boring any of you, now to explain the significance of Pajerone/Apollon Lykeios as main epithet I worship. The Wolf God, Apollon Lykeios, is very different from the other representations of Apollon and is quite, shall we say, wild by comparison. He is still a healer, still knowledgeable in philosophy and music, but He is much more akin to His Sister Artemis and Her preference of the forest and the hunt. He is the Wolf, the hunter who struck down the Python and gained prophetic insight, the friend of Hyperborea whose bow can bring any prey low. To me, as Lykeios, he is still a God of Light, but his light is not simply the gold of the sun. It is the green of the field, the red and pink of blood on his skin. It is the purple of his robe and the blue of his eyes, dancing in the sky as the Aurora Borealis. He is the light that dances with the moon and stars, the Hunter who no prey escapes, the Wanderer who heals all with his herbs.

While far from the first Hellenic deity to call to me, He is perhaps the most important one for bridging the gap between the two main pantheons I worship, an ancient link between the northern hunters and the cradle of the West. It is through this link, through His wandering path from Hellas and Hyperborea all the way to Middungeard and beyond, that I can best reconcile worshipping two pantheons without Syncretism. He is a bridge between worlds, a fierce protector and a noble friend to all.

Orphic Hymn to Apollon

Blest Pæan, come, propitious to my pray'r,

illustrious pow'r, whom Memphian tribes revere,

Slayer of Tityus, and the God of health,

Lycorian Phœbus, fruitful source of wealth.

Spermatic, golden-lyr'd, the field from thee

receives it's constant, rich fertility.

Titanic, Grunian, Smynthian, thee I sing,

Python-destroying, hallow'd,

Delphian king:

Rural, light-bearer, and the Muse's head,

noble and lovely, arm'd with arrows dread:

Far-darting, Bacchian, two-fold, and divine,

pow'r far diffused, and course oblique is thine.

O, Delian king, whose light-producing eye views all within,

and all beneath the sky:

Whose locks are gold, whose oracles are sure,

who, omens good reveal'st, and precepts pure:

Hear me entreating for the human kind, hear,

and be present with benignant mind;

For thou survey'st this boundless æther all,

and ev'ry part of this terrestrial ball

Abundant, blessed; and thy piercing sight,

extends beneath the gloomy, silent night;

Beyond the darkness, starry-ey'd, profound,

the stable roots, deep fix'd by thee are found.

The world's wide bounds, all-flourishing are thine,

thyself all the source and end divine:

'Tis thine all Nature's music to inspire, with various-sounding, harmonising lyre;

Now the last string thou tun'ft to sweet accord,

divinely warbling now the highest chord;

Th' immortal golden lyre, now touch'd by thee,

responsive yields a Dorian melody.

All Nature's tribes to thee their diff'rence owe,

and changing seasons from thy music flow

Hence, mix'd by thee in equal parts, advance

Summer and Winter in alternate dance;

This claims the highest, that the lowest string,

the Dorian measure tunes the lovely spring.

Hence by mankind, Pan-royal, two-horn'd nam'd,

emitting whistling winds thro' Syrinx fam'd;

Since to thy care, the figur'd seal's consign'd,

which stamps the world with forms of ev'ry kind.

Hear me, blest pow'r, and in these rites rejoice,

and save thy mystics with a suppliant voice.

[cosmic-ghost-hermit]

Pick a Card: Message from your Inner-Child

Your inner baby needs you to listen. This reading will help them speak their mind clearly. Will you hear them out? Take what resonates and let go of all the rest but be willing to accept new experiences.

☀️Donate to my CashApp🌙

(fund my inner child's joy)

Feel free to drop any reading suggestions in my inbox. I'll keep them in mind when divining the wisdom that needs delivered to y'all's lil ears. Thank you in advance for all your help and support!

Decks used are The Kawaii Tarot, Pure Magic Oracle, Romantic Lenormand and The Karma Cards.

_____________________________________________________________

PILE ONE

Astrology: Capricorn, Aquarius, Libra

Song: Pantsuit Sasquatch by Molly Lewis

Vibes: Green, red, night sky, thorns, bouquet, red flowers, chess, star gazing, alligator, aroma therapy, herbal remedies, apothecary, rabbits, snake skin, olive branch, Zues, Demeter

Cards: 6 of Swords, Saturn, Tower, Lilies, Herbal Craft, Hallowed Heart

Hello, pile 1. Your inner child is really tired of having to be the adult for people who are older than them. They are tired of playing mentor for those who should be mentoring. They want to be done with those people. They are holding up a building with their tiny arms and their shaking frame. As if someone put the world on their shoulders and asked them to carry it with bones that were not developed enough to hold it and without the mental fortitude to withstand the pressure. They wish to rest. They wish to lash out at the adults who relied on them before they were ready or willing. I see your inner child resembles Alice in Wonderland. After the wicked adults in your inner child's life grew white flowers, they demanded it was your fault and made you paint the white roses, red. They took their purity. They hurt you a lot.

The main message I am hearing from them is, "Please be gentle with my little heart and my small frame. I was treated harshly purely for being alive. I need healing. I need time to rest and recuperate. Please do not yell at me for my mistakes. Please do not hurt me for my shortcomings. I did not ask to be here. I only wish for it to get better than it is now. I'm sorry I wasn't mature. I'm sorry I've been impatient but I have been patient for so long. I've spent so much time waiting for my caretakers to do their jobs. Please. I don't need structure. I need relief."

They do not hold you accountable for everything that happened to you, my dear. They are reaching their little hands out for you to help them up. They want to be more present in your life. They want to have fun again. They didn't have enough of it as a child. They want to play outside. The last message I'll leave you with is some advice I find very important.

"Play is the psychological opposite of Trauma."

____________

PILE TWO

Astrology: Scorpio, Gemini, Cancer (maybe libra)

Song: Burn Your Village by Kiki Rockwell

Vibes: Grey, pink, purple, corvids, pinecones, sage, lavender plant, grizzly bear, spider, scorpio, eagle, hummingbird, long hair, video games, D&D, law, Zephyr, Eurus, Callisto, Artemis, Hecate

Cards: Justice, Clouds, Bear, Hecate's Path, Songbirds, 8th House

Hi, pile 2. Your inner child is full of vengeance. I see that without the vengeful energy they are very respectful and kind. Their anger is extremely understandable and a reaction induced by the environment they grew up in. Your inner child has an intense sense of justice. They know they have been treated unjustly by the authority in their life. Those in control of their circumstance took their autonomy and right of trial. The authorities judged you harshly for no good reason and were unpredictable. The authority would explode at random instances making them hard to anticipate. They were dangerous. Purely because they wanted to make your life miserable to cope with their own miserable life. Your inner child did not deserve that. Your inner innocence was corrupted into a furious and resentful person. They are aware they deserved better. They were conscious of their mistreatment. I see they could have been mistreated because of their race or gender.

The message I am hearing the loudest from your inner child is, "Those filthy horrid people deserve to atone for their wrong doings. No one helped me. They didn't even listen. They took that authorities word for truth and no one heard my side of the story. I am not a liar. I am not guilty. I did nothing wrong and now my older self doesn't even believe me either. The people who did this to me will pay. They will face justice if I have to be the one to dish it out. I hate them. I hate what they turned me into. I was pure. I was innocent. Now look at what they have made me. This isn't fair. This isn't right! Why was I treated this way!? Why does no one believe me?! I will never abuse power like that person did. I will end this cycle of abuse. I release and remove everyone who blamed me without learning the whole story. I am letting go of the pain they put me through. They do not deserve me or my kindness. They only deserve my hatred and resentment. I hope they burn."

Your inner child begs you to protect them from the people who did this to you. I can feel they are still in your life. It might be a father or a brother or an uncle. I also see it could be a pastor. Your inner baby will continue to lash out at random times because they have no where to aim all this negative emotion. They want to be free of guilt that shouldn't be theirs. They want to be free of judgmental eyes. Free them from the illusion that this authority laid over everyones eyes. I leave you with one last message.

"The weakest link will target the strongest link to avoid that they're useless."

_________

PILE THREE

Astrology: Virgo, Leo, Sagittarius

Song: Heart of a Dancer by The Happy Fits

Vibes: Blue, pink, forest green, androgenous, duality, 2b hair texture, robins, blue jays, coffee mugs, sculpting, yin/yang, balance, rose quartz, pearl, magnolia tree, gardening, bonfire, 3rd eye, Aphrodite, Hermaphroditus, archangel Samuel, Lucifer Morningstar, Baphomet

Cards: 8 of Cups, Birds, Woman, Pyro-kinesis, Closing Circle, Virgo, 7th House, North Node

Hey there, pile 3. I feel many complex emotions from your inner child. I see how they were conditioned is much different than how they genuinely are. They were conditioned to be quiet, serene and passive. But when they are acting genuine it is exact opposite. They are loud, angry and active. There is a need to walk away from their conditioning and those who conditioned them. They don't know how to ask that of you because of how they were taught. They do not speak unless spoken too and this makes it difficult for them to communicate with you. They are anxious they will be punished if they ask for anything of you. Invite them forward and allow them to speak their mind. They hold back a lot of emotion that needs to be expressed. You need to be open to hearing what they have to say.

The important message I need to tell you from them is, "You will benefit from our collaboration. I'm sorry for speaking up but you are not following your heart anymore. You are following what you have been told. This is not authenticity that you display. It is fake. Even if it is well-meaning you are not yourself. You are pretending to be someone else. Please let me express my rage. Please let me express my heart. I can't hold it anymore. I don't wanna feel this way anymore. Let me chatter and chirp and yell and scream. I wasn't allowed to when I was young. I need the freedom to do so now. Allow me to open doors I was never allowed to enter. Please see me in my full complexity. I am more than just a pretty face. I am more than my body. I am a person. I have personality. I have beliefs. I am a benefit to society when I can speak. I am not a waste. I am good as I am. I don't need to bottle my true self to make others comfortable. Free me, please."

They are asking you to allow yourself and your inner child to be themselves. They deserve space to exist freely without having to hide themselves away. I honestly don't need to say much more but I will leave you with one more piece of advice.

"Authenticity is the most powerful way to exist."

___________

PILE FOUR

Astrology: Taurus, Aries, Pisces (maybe aquarius)

Song: If My Heart Was a House by Owl City

Vibes: Muted colors, yellow, orange, fairies, sunflowers, barn owl, cat mint, raptors, vase, eyes, beards, lotus, candles, chimneys, diamond, playing cards, hobbits, anime, Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite

Cards: King of Pentacles, Sun, Owls, Ancestors, Gnomes, Aquarius, Venus

Hello and welcome, pile 4. Your inner child is asking me to tell you that you won't find the love you are looking for in other people. You won't find it in romance. You won't find it in friendship. At least not until you can find it in them. They didn't have the luxury of building their life on an identity that was theirs. They don't even know who they are. You need to explore them. Discover yourself in them. Be friends with them. They long for connection and the only one who can give that to them is you. They spent their whole life just trying to survive that they found identity in the pain they experienced. There is so much more to them than victimhood. So much more than their trauma. They are bright as the sun and immensely smart. They are funny and creative. Let yourself and your inner child grow beyond your collective pain and become something more. Your family isn't the pinnacle of humanity. I have a feeling that your family might have a narcissist among them. They are only a facet of humanity, my friend. There is so much more to your life than being approved by others. You are made of magic. You need to see that.

The message I hear from your inner child is, "I'm done striving for love from people who never intend on giving it to me no matter how perfectly I perform. I'm tired chasing something I'm never going to catch up too. I've always known I'm better than that. They made me feel so small though. They made me feel so pointless and useless. I worked so hard for their love but they will only ever love themselves. They will never have enough room in their heart for me. They make me feel like I'm not enough. I want to give myself the love they never could afford for me. I want to be loved so much. I want to be held and cherished the way I deserve to be. I am enough even if they say I'm not. I've always been enough even though I'm small. They are a giant black hole of emptiness and nothing. They are jealous of my light. I wish my older self could see that. I'm not selfish for wanting to be loved. I'm not wrong for wanting to be adored. I'm worth the effort. Please, see that it's true. I want to be known for who I am. I want to be discovered. I wish so deeply to be seen and appreciated. I'm the only one who can do it."

Your inner child is asking something of you. They ask you to take the role of mother and father for yourself. A role that was never filled even if you had your parents in your life. They neglected you. So much so you felt like you didn't deserve love but you desperately craved it. My dear, I will leave you with one last message and then the rest is up to you.

"You are worthy of being loved by you."

[solarlyls]

ℋow I became the ℱirst 𝒫riestess of 𝒪lympus ✶ 𝒜NCIENT 𝒢REECE 𝒟R

Eirene Ivanthe Kallistrate was born on 4th day of the Silk Snows season (basically december) in 1199 B.C. She was a child of fortune with a definite purpose in life. She is the middle daughter of the very prominent Kallistrate family. Her mother is a well-known craftswoman, and her father traded vigorously while also leading a business. She has two older brothers, a protective and loving older sister, and three younger sisters who all looked up to her.

Eirene was always fascinated by the wisdom and discipline of Athena. While her peers dreamt of future alliances through politics and marriages, Eirene spent her time at the goddess’s temple. There, she devoted herself into studying philosophy, warfare, and the divine arts. People often said that Eirene was sharp minded and warm hearted which made her a great individual.

One fateful evening, the Oracle of Delphi delivered a prophecy that would change the course of her history.

— A mortal shall walk the path of the divine, uncovering secrets lost to time. She shall bind the goddesses together and, in doing so, bind herself to them. Through her hands, Olympus shall remember what it has forgotten —

Whispers spread through Eirene’s village, and all signs pointed to her. But, before she could embark on the journey, a boy named Euryochus boldly declared himself the chosen one and set out to fulfill the prophecy. Unwilling to let another take what felt like her destiny, Eirene set off alone and unprepared, but determined.

Her journey led her across the Aegean Sea, where she braved four islands, each guarding a crucial piece of the mystery. During her trials, each challenge she overcame became a stepping stone for the next. She battled a monster on Phyrra, and managed to break off one of its razor sharp nails, unknowingly gaining a tool that would help her later. On Naxos, as she struggled to unearth a hidden flower buried deep within the islands rocky soil, the monsters nail became her tool, allowing her to dig with precision. When she retrieved the flower, its petals shimmered with divine energy, and she discovered that by pressing them against her lips, she could breathe underwater. This gift proved invaluable when she reached Samos, where she had to dive beneath the waves to claim an ancient key resting in the sunken ruins. Finally she reached an island, unlike any other—so tiny it was just a little chunk of land, a place that didn't appear in maps. Yet, as she set foot on its shores, she felt its significance in every breath of the wind.

Euryochus had arrived first. In the center of the island, half buried in the earth, sat a small and ornate music box. Impatient, Euryochus attempted to break it open, but Eirene stopped him just in time. Instead, she took the key she had fought so hard to obtain and turned it in the delicate lock.

A haunting melody filled the air. The ground beneath them trembled, the waves surged outward, and before their eyes, the island itself began to rise. What was once a speck of land transformed into something far greater. Marble columns of great heights rose out of the depths, halls of white stone that stretched up towards the heavens, and an unblemished temple stood tall in the morning light.

The sky parted, and heavens light filled the temple steps. Down from the gold light descended all the goddesses: Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hebe, Iris, Athena and more. Their eyes beheld Eirenes, and in them she read recognition. She was the one they had waited for, the mortal girl who had proven herself worthy.

But when their gaze fell on Euryochus, their reverence became contempt. Such a sacred place was not for people like him. They exiled him from the island by one command, sending him back to the world of mortals, his presence forgotten from their sacred soil.

They asked of what name Eirene would name this new born land. She did not hesitate, and said Thelyseion, in honor of her sweet sister Thelyomesse and her favorite cat Seian. The goddesses named her temple blessed, calling it Echidion, in honor of her brothers Echorogis and Diomidis.

The goddesses all had gifts to share with Eirenes newfound island. Athena bestowed her an order of owls that would protect the island at night, and olive trees, their fruit providing nourishment and their oil being used for countless purposes. Demeter blessed the earth itself, providing fertile soil and seeds. Aphrodite endowed upon the island apple trees bearing golden apples, and scattered seashells along the beach to attract water nymphs to the islands aid. Hera gave a herd of cattle for food and golden crowns, which later would be melted down to provide the islands currency. Hestia made a great fire that would burn eternally and never die out in the middle of the island. Artemis gave bows and arrows so that Eirene and her people could defend themselves against whoever would attempt to invade their sacred land. Hebe gave a fountain of pure, never failing water, with a pitcher of gold, so that no soul on the island would ever learn how to thirst, and numerous other gifts from other goddesses.

In that moment, Eirene transcended mortality, becoming the First Priestess of Olympus, the bridge between gods and humankind.

ⓘ solarlyls

credits to @sweetmelodygraphics , @strangergraphics & @anitalenia for the gorgeous golden dividers !!

also comment if youd like to be added to my taglist <3

[greekmocha]

Well, timelines are confusing in Greek mythology. Very confusing. So written down how I’m doing the children of Zeus order for my fics I do in the future, possible that I missed some:

CHILDREN OF ZEUS.

ORDER OF SIBLINGS:

1. Eunomia, Dike, Eirene (The Horae) (Daughters of Zeus and Themis)

2. Algaea, Euphrosyne, Thalia (The charites) (Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome)

3. Persephone (Goddess of Vegetation and spring) Daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Figured she��d be born before most of them since it seemed like Demeter and Zeus’s romance was before Hera’s marriage?)

4. Clio, Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Urania, Calilope (The muses) (Daughters of Mynemosyne)

5. Eileithyia (Goddess of childbirth) (Daughter of Zeus and Hera)

6. Ares or Hephaestus (Son of Zeus and Hera, or technically just her, depends which myth version. Always thought of Ares being the eldest son, due to some myths and the timing of them, it just fit.)

7. Ares or Hephaestus, if going by the myth where Hephaestus was thrown off the mountain at birth, then he’d be younger then Ares + Athena. Confusing times.

8. Eris (Ares’ twin sister. Goddess of Discord and Strife) (Daughter of Zeus and Hera)

9. Athena (Goddess of Wisdom, Tactics, Strategy and war) (Daughter of Zeus and Metis)

10. Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt, Archery, Wild Forests, Wilderness, Virginity, and childbirth.) (Daughter of Zeus and Leto)

11. Apollon (God of Logic, Truth, Science, Prophecy, Oracles, Archery, Music, Poetry, Plagues, Healing, Medicine) (Son of Zeus and Leto)

12. Hermes (God of boundaries, roads and travelers, commerce, thieves, athletes, and shepherds) (Son of Zeus and Maia)

13. Hebe (Goddess of Youth) (Daughter of Zeus and Hera)

14. The Kentauroi Krypoi (Tribe of centaurs) (Sons of Zeus and Gaia when he shot his seed on the ground)

15. Melinoe (Goddess of Ghosts) (Daughter of Zeus and Persephone)

16. Dionysus (God of Wine, Revelry, etc) (Son of Zeus and Semele)

17. Ersa (Goddess of Dew) (Daughter of Zeus and Selene)

18. Nemea (minor goddess nymph) (Daughter of Zeus and Selene)

19. Pandeia (Minor goddess nymph) (Daughter of Zeus and Selene)

20. Kairos (God of Opportunity) (Son of Zeus)

21. Many mortal children (LIKE A FUCK TON, probably 30-50.)

[justafangirly]

I keep thinking about this so I have to share it:

Which Greek God would each strawhat be?

Luffy: Helios ☀️ - God of the Sun and guardian of oaths

Sun god duh. Also I like guardian of oaths as Luffy always keeps a promise and holds others to theirs as well.

Zoro: Hades ☠️ - King of the underworld, God of the dead and riches

Also pretty obvious for our king of hell. And he keeps almost dying so sure god the dead.

Usopp: Artemis 🏹 - Goddess of nature, childbirth, wildlife, healing, the hunt, sudden death, animals, virginity, young women, and archery

I mainly chose Artemis for the hunting and archery part which is closest to Usopps sniper skills. That she is the goddess of sudden death is also pretty funny though.

Nami: Hermes 🪽 - God of boundaries, roads, travelers, merchants, thieves, athletes, shepherds, commerce, speed, cunning, language, oratory, wit, and messages

Of course the god of thieves for Nami. Hermes has a lot of other jobs too and god of travellers fits with her navigator role.

Sanji: Hestia 🥘 - Goddess of the domestic and civic hearth, the home, sacred and sacrificial fire, virginity, family, and the state

Sanji was difficult, but I chose going with the goddess of the hearth for him for his cooking (and fire). Also I feel like Sanji is the most domestic person of the crew so that also fits nicely.

Chopper: Asclepius 🩺 - God of medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians

Medicine for doctor Chopper of course.

Robin: Athena 📖 - Goddess of wisdom, warfare, and handicraft

The brain of the crew has to be Athena. I also thought about Persephone as a representation of the demon child and of spring for her flowers, but ultimately I think wisdom and handiwork are more important aspects.

Franky: Hephaestus 🤖 - God of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, artisans, metallurgy, carpenters, forges, sculpting, and blacksmiths

Pretty easy choice again. It just fits sometimes.

Brook: Apollo 🎵 - God of oracles, healing, archery, music and arts, light, knowledge, herds and flocks, and protection of the young

I mainly chose Apollo for the music and arts aspect of course but protection of the young is also really fitting and cute, especially when thinking of not just the crew but also Laboon.

Jinbei: Poseidon 💧 - King of the sea, God of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and horses

Again, obvious, but for the first son of the sea really there is no choice.

[gilverrwrites]

What do you think about a PJO (Percy Jackson) x DC AU? Like who do you think would be their godly parents?

Like Jason feels like a son of Ares; Dick could be a son of Apollo, but I also like him being a son of Venus (he’s pretty but also linking to her war battle/strategy on her Roman side); Roy feels like a son of Hermes although with the archery skills, it would be easy to just say Apollo; and like Tim could be a son of Athena?

Oooohhhhh it’s been a while since I read the books, but I’m on board. Obviously, you’re welcome to your own opinions, but here’s my thoughts:

I know it seems like a cop out to say Jason is a son of Hades, but hear me out. He’s literally the black sheep pf the family. Hades does the dark things that must be done, but others won’t. He’s so often left out of Olympus that people forgot about him. He’s more than just the god of the underworld, but people are so often consumed by that single side of him that they don’t see anything else.

Dick is Apollo, cause Apollo is about more than just being pretty. Apollo is a leader and a teacher, both things Dick is known for (see Titans, and Teen Titans). He is the averter of evil. I know Apollo presides more over music and dance, but I would say those are close enough to acrobatics to be notable.

He also has close ties with Pythia, AKA The Oracle of Delphi – Hello, Babs… Oracle… It fits too well. He is the averter of evil.

Roy, I agree, could go either way. He’s got the tricksy gab of Hermes, with the wit and the cunning, but I’d lean toward Apollo again. Goodness knows he channels the healing of Apollo everyday as an ex-addict, a story of learning moderation and self-awareness much like Apollo and the sun. As well as the obvious ties, like archery and protection of children.

Tim being a child of Athena seems right. You could perhaps argue Hephaestus on account of innovation, but I think the wisdom and strategy of Athena takes it.

If you’re interested, I would also say:

Duke -> Apollo

Barbara, I’m cheating, but The Oracle of Delphi

Cass -> Athena

Alfred -> Athena

Damian -> Torn between Athena, maybe Ares

Steph -> Hermes

Bruce -> Hades (For different reasons that Jay)

Selina -> Artemis

[laurusamystic]

The Wisdom of Artemis Oracle is my pride and joy 🤍

[oniricdiary]

Hihi! I just saw your post about being bored and although I'm a bit late, here's the only question I can think of right now

Which greek gods would the aot characters be and why??

Hi hi Ally!!!

Now that’s a tricky one!! Luckily i know Ancient Greek and the whole culture… so!

Eren: Zeus of course. He was the king of the gods, judgment, sky. Despite the other gods had power, he was always the one who had the last word. Eren is the ruler of the whole aot narration, so i think it fits perfectly!

Mikasa: Hera, another perfect match. She was Zeus’ wife and sister, goddess of marriage. She was devoted to Zeus for her whole life and eternity, always by his side, just like her🥹

Levi: Ares, god of war! Humanity’s strongest soldier could be none other than the god of war

Historia: Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. Remember how anyone around fell instantly in love with her and her beauty? Also she was the one who, through the story, had active and explicit relationships/love interests.

Sasha: I feel like Artemis is perfect, she was the goddess of hunt. Also, Artemis swore to never lose her virginity, and i belive that she, despite sharing feeling with Nicolò, probably died virgin so I feel like it matches! That’s up to interpretation tho☺️

Armin: ApollooooOOOO. Apollo was many things, god of the sun, arts, knowledge. Armin had been feeding his knowledge since he was a kid, and by his adulthood he was wise and big brained ahah. Apollo also protected oracles and prophecies, i associate that with his ability to predict and plan. Also, doesn’t he remind you of the sun?

Hange: Hermes, god of messages and oratory. He reminds me a lot of her, his fun and silly personality as well as his eloquence and his ability to mediate.

Jean and Connie: Dionysus…god of wine and parties and popularity…listen…do you see the vision?

Pieck: Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare. Pieck was in fact wise and calm, cold blooded and thoughtful. Also, an excellent warrior, always delivered results and crucial in battles.

These were the best matches in my opinion, from the 12 olympians we have some left but I really couldn’t find some good fits😩 let me know what you think!!!’

[ace-angelicpagan]

𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎!

This is the second post for an overview of various Greek deities. The formatting is the same as my post for Lord Hermes but this post will be about Lady Aphrodite! And if things seem a bit repeatative....well I apologise. I did use my Hermes post as a base and only changed the information provided.

Lady Aphrodite is fairly new to my list of deities I'm working with. She's a lovely goddess to honor and work with. Strict when needed but knows when to show you the love that you need. Praise be Lady Aphrodite!

𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜

Who is Aphrodite?

Epithets

Family Tree

Symbols & Associations

Offerings & Devotions

Festivals

Outro

Sources

Aphrodite is the Olympian goddess of love, procreation, seduction, beauty, pleasure, happiness, and war.

She is typically depicted as a beautiful woman with Eros by her side, and she is usually nude in ancient depictions of her.  

Pop Culture

Aphrodite is another fairly popular goddess. She can be seen in any media depicting Greek myths and featuring the Greek gods. Percy Jackson, Hades game, Epic the Musical, the list can go on.

There are many different epithets for Aphrrodite. What are epithets? Well they are essentially surnames for the gods to describe their different aspects. If you wish to call upon a specific aspect of a god you would use their epithet when talking with them.

Now for the different epithets of Aphrodite. I will be including the transliteration version of the names as the Greek names use special characters that I am unsure if it’ll even show up. So we’re getting close enough.

𝙲𝚞𝚕𝚝 𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚜

A

Ambologêra

Postponer of Old Age

Apatouros

Deceptive One

Apostrophia

Averter of (Unlawful Desires)

Areia

Of Ares, Warlike

D

Dôritis

Bountiful

E

Epistrophia

She who Turns to (Love)

Euploia

Fair Voyage

H

Hêrê

Of Hera (of Marriage)

Hôplismenê

Armed

K

Kataskopia

Spying, Peeping

L

Limenia

Of the Harbour

M

Makhanitis

Deviser, Contriver

Melainis

Black (of Night)

Migôntis

Union (Marital)

Morphô

Of Shapely Form

N

Nikêphoros

Bringer of Victory

Nymphia

Bridal

O

Ourania

Heavenly, Divine (Love)

P

Pandêmos

Common to all people (Love)

Pontia

Of the Sea

Praxis

Action (Sexual)

Psithyristês

Whispering

S

Symmakhia

Ally (in Love)

X

Xenia

Of the Foreigner

Location Based

Akraia

Of the Heights

Amyklaios

Of Amyclea (Laconia)

Anadyomenê

Risen from the Sea

Eyrkinê

Of Eryx (Sicily)

Kastiniê

Of Mt. Castium (Pamphylia)

Kêpois

Of the Gardens

Knidia

Of Cnidus (Caria)

Kôlias

Of Colias (Attica)

Kythereia

Of Cytherea (Laconia)

Kypria

Of Cyprus

Paphia

Of Paphos (Cyprus)

Pyrênaia

Of Pyrenees Mts. (Gaul)

Syria

Of Syria, Syrian

𝙿𝚘𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚜

A

Aphrogeneia

Foam-Born

Aphrogenês

Foam-Born

D

Dia

Divine, Shining

Diôniaia

Daughter of Dione, Daughter of Zeus

Dios thugatêr

Daughter of Zeus

E

Eustephanos

Richly-Crowned, Well-Girdled

K

Khryseê

Golden

Kythereia

Of Cytherea (Laconia)

Kyprus

Of Cyprus

Kyprogenês

Of Cyprus-Born

Kyprogeneia

Of Cyprus-Born

Kyprogenêa

Of Cyprus-Born

P

Paphia

Of Paphos (Cyprus)

Paphiê

Of Paphos (Cyprus)

Philommeidês

Laughter-Loving

Philomeidês

Laughter-Loving

Philommêdês

Genital-Loving

Pothôn Mêtêr

Mother of Desire

𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜

FATHER ; 

       Zeus - King of the Gods

       Ouranos - primordial god of the sky

MOTHER ; 

Dione - titan goddess of the oracle of Dodona 

Hemera - primorial goddess of the day

Parents depend on the myth. Can be born of the genitals of Ouranos, Zeus & Dione, or Ouranos & Hemera

𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚂𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜

*If using the myth where Zeus is Aphrodite’s father. 

Lady Artemis 

Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt, Wild Animals & Wilderness, & Virginity

Lord Apollon 

God of the Sun, Prophecy, Truth, Music & Poetry, Archery, Healing, & Light

Lord Ares 

God of War

Lady Athena 

Goddess of War, Wisdom, & Arts & Crafts

Lord Hermes 

God of herds and flocks, travellers and hospitality, roads and trade, thievery and cunning, heralds and diplomacy, language and writing, athletic contests and gymnasiums, astronomy and astrology

Lord Hephaestus 

God of Fire, the Forge, Metalworking & Sculpting, Craftsmen, & Technology

Lord Dionysus

God of Wine, Fertility, & Theatre

*If using the myth where Ouranos is Aphrodite’s father. 

Kronos

King of the Titans and god of time

Koios, Krios, Iapetos

Elder Titans

Hyperion

Titan god of heavenly light

Okeanos

Primoridal titan god of fresh water

Theia

Titan goddess of sight and the shining ether of the bright, blue sky

Rheia

Titan mother of the gods, goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation

Themis

Titan goddess of divine law and order

Mnemosyne

Titan goddess of memory and remembrance, the inventress of language and words

Tethys

Titan goddess of the primal font of fresh water which nourishes the earth

Brontes, Steropes, Arges

The Elder Kyklopes

Briareos, Kottos, Gyes

The Hekatonkheires

The Erinyes 

(Furies)

𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗

Anteros - god of reciprocal (or unrequited) love // Son of Ares & Aphrodite

Beroe - goddess of the city of Beroe // daughter of Adonis & Aphrodite // wife of Poseidon

Deimos - god of fear // son of Ares & Aphrodite

Eros - Winged god of love // son of Aphrodite 

Erotes - winged godlings of love // sons of Aphrodite

Harmonia - goddess of harmony // daughter of Ares & Aphrodite 

Hermaphroditos - hermaphroditic daimon // son of Hermes & Aphrodite

Himeros - god of desire, twin to Eros // Son of Aphrodite

Iakkhos - god of the Eleusian Mysteries // son of Dionysus & Aphrodite

Peitho - goddess of persuasion and seduction // daughter of Aphrodite in some myths

Phobos - got of panic // son of Ares & Aphrodite

Pothos - god of sexual longing // son of Aphrodite // one of the Erotes 

Priapos - god of garden fertility // son of Aphrodite & Dionysus, Zeus, or Adonis

Rhodos - goddess of the islam of Rhodes // wife of Helios // daughter of Aphrodite & Poseidon

𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚕  𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗

Aeneas - prince of Dardania // son of Aphrodite & Ankhises

Astynoos - prince of Syria // son of Aphrodite & Phaethon

Eryx - king of Sicily // son of Aphrodite & Argonaut Boutes

Herophilos - one of the sibyl prophetesses // daughter of Poseidon & Aphrodite

Lyros - prince of Dardania in the Troad // son of Aphrodite & Ankhises

𝚂𝚢𝚖𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚜

Dove

Apples

Myrtle-Wreath

Flowers

Hearts

Mirror

𝙰𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚜

Hare

Turtle Dove

Sparrow

Goose

Swan 

Bees

Dolphins

𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚋𝚜, 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚝

Red Rose

Anemone

Apple

Narcissus / Daffodil

Myrtle

Myrrh

Lettuce

Pomegranate

Strawberries

Oranges

Pears

𝙲𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚜/𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜

garnet

Ruby

Rose Quartz

Pearls

Diamond

Sapphire

Aquamarine

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚜

pink 

red

blue

green 

white

gold

𝙴𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝

Water

𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚝

Venus

Aster Aphrodites

𝙳𝚊𝚢

Friday

Hemera Aphrodites

𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚝 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜

Can really be any card that you decide to use as an identifier between you and Lady Aphrodite. These are just some suggestions. 

The Empress

The Star

The Lovers 

These are just suggestions! You can always find a different offering or devotional act based on your own personal associations and practice. And if you can’t provide any physical offerings, that’s okay. Devotional acts or digital offerings are just as good. 

This list consists of UPG and SPG suggestions. 

Offerings

Images of associations

Jewellery

Perfume

Bath salts

Scented lotions / body or hair products 

Seawater

Seashells

Sand

Markup

feathers

Foods & Drinks

red wine

Olive oil

Fruit

Honey

Chocolate

Sweets

Vanilla

Cinnamon

water

Devotional Acts

acts of self care & self love

Caring for your mental and physical health

Collect seashells 

Visit the beach or a nearby body of water

Support sex workers

Doing things that make you feel confident/beautiful/empower you

Honor her children and Ares

Stand up for yourself and what you believe in 

Prayer to Aphrodite

Beloved Aphrodite, goddess who grants to us the greatest of joys, the harshest of sorrows, the sharpest of pleasures, the dearest of pains.

Aphrodite, freshest of Olympos’ flowers, your lightest touch can turn the hearts of men towards love; with voice sweet as honey, sweet as wine, you speak words of persuasion, we hear and heed, rapt in wonder.

O Aphrodite, grace and beauty surround you, where you pass, the roses bloom, with sweetest scent and sharpest thorn: with reckless hands we grasp them.

Aphrodite, born of blood in the cold salt sea, born of the fallen sky, goddess whose kindness can be so brutal, who cruelty we cherish, blessed are your children, blessed those your favor, blessed those who have felt your might, blessed those who dwell in your domain.

Aphrodite, honored one, incomparable one, with each breath I praise you.

Aphrodisia

Festival dedicated to Aphrodite, celebrated in a number of towns, particularly in Cyprus. no bloody sacrifices were allowed to be offered, instead, they focused more on pure fire, flowers, and incense.

Kinyrades

Summer festival celebrated in Paphos, Cyprus.

Adonia

Festival mourning the death of Adonis and celebrating him becoming a god. Adonia celebrated the return of Spring and typically includes spring flowers with other offerings.

𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚜

Adonia

Aphrodisia

Theoi Summary

Theoi

A Guide to Worship

Greek Gods Cheat Sheet

Prayers to Aphrodite

[gingermintpepper]

I don't want to bother you while you're in your art challenge, take your time to answer! I just loved your analysis and opinion of Branchus, and i saw in the post you said we could ask you for others Apollo's lovers... I want to know (they're not lovers, they're grandfather and grandmother lol, but i would like to see your thoughts) of Koios and Phoebe 👀 Not in relationship with Apollo, just your opinion of them...

We don't know so much about Koios, we know a bit more about Phoebe because of her tie to Delphi and the Oracle.

Oh, how sweet! Thank you so much for the consideration and hey, no worries at all on asking about his grandparents rather than a lover, I'm always ready to ramble about Apollo's genealogical line since I find it extremely interesting!

Since information on a lot of the older Titans in terms of how they were worshipped and seen is scarce (Phoebe does have mentions in her mantic right but very little is mentioned in reference to Koios or her daughters apart from establishing genealogy and Koios himself seems to have been more of an abstract establishment, the way a lot of Hesiod's old gods were) I won't go out of my way to quote or base my opinions here in any literature that I've been exposed to, so just keep in mind that what I'm going to say is very much my own opinions mixed with things I understand and very influenced by my own love of familial and romantic parallels in god-pairs being symbolic of various natural and abstract relationships!

I see Koios and Phoebe, like a lot of the older Titan pairs, as abstractions of the original pair of Gaia and Uranus. Power often originates with and is exerted by women in these older pairs while glory is what is passed on, and consequently fought over, by the men - in Gaia and Uranus' case, it is Gaia who is older and it is from Gaia that Uranus is born. Uranus is her match but is also her subservient and so when Uranus is unable to love his children and seeks their destruction, it's Gaia who bestows the power and means by which to silence him. This 'equal but subservient' dynamic is definitely alive and well with Koios and Phoebe and I even think they mirror their parents from a symbolic standpoint as well.

Koios and Phoebe are the knowledge duo. They represent the two sources of knowledge/wisdom in the old world - that of heavenly (male) knowledge which pertains to the nature of the physical world and its realities and earthly (female) knowledge which pertains to the nature of intangible and unobservable reality such as time and space. I like having them mirror each other; what with them both being associated with their respective world axes (Koios as the heavenly axis if you syncretise him with the Roman Polos, Phoebe as the earthly axis if you take Delphi as the centerpoint of the world), having serpent symbolism (Koios with the hundred-headed star-serpent Drakon who guards the Hesperides which is sometimes said to be located in the land of the Hyperboreans and Phoebe with Python who guards the fount of knowledge at Delphi) and splitting their essence equally across their descendants (Their children and grandchildren perfectly embody one half of their partnership - Asteria with her heavenly magic and night-prophecies and Leto with her earthly power and wisdom and their grandchildren following likewise; Hecate who works beneath her grandfather's skies and has her grandmother's wisdom but who has chosen to reside neither in the sky nor on the earth, Artemis who could not be more of a daughter of the soil and Apollo who has his place among the brightest of stars).

It all leads back to that really fun dichotomy of equal but subservient honestly! Knowledge (and wisdom/intelligence) in general in Greek myths are female in nature so already that kind of puts Koios in an interesting position as a direct male descendent of Gaia and Uranus who didn't represent some physical, tangible element (in contrast his brothers all had some level of physicality to them - Oceanus the oceans, Cronus the harvest, Crius the winds, Hyperion the light, so on and so forth) but there's also that element of Koios' glory also being female! After all, his only male descendent is two generations removed and what should be his seat of power - Hyperborea - became Leto's the moment she was born there.

In this way, I admittedly find that a lot of comfort in Koios and Phoebe's partnership. There's a lot of respect both ways between them with Koios' respect and regard of Phoebe reminding me a lot of Uranus' original adoration of Gaia (and his return to said quiet, constant adoration after his castration) while Phoebe's overseeing of her mantle being very reminiscent of Gaia's own kingmaking both for Cronus and later for Zeus. For me, theirs is a pair without ego. A lot of the friction and instability in the younger generation of gods comes from the battle between intelligence and power - toes are constantly stepped on, glory is constantly being sought and the efforts made to counteract these moves results in conflict. Koios and Phoebe seem to have it all figured out by comparison. They've both handily passed their mantles down to their children, they've both overseen and instructed them and can rest easy knowing that they will not misuse said mantles and they've both just kind of retired now, content to spend their time in the evergreen Hyperborea, wrapped up in each other's arms like their father and mother before them and like, honestly? Good for them.

[mysteriouslytransparentwitch]

tarot reading of the day, July 9, 2025

We begin with the oracle from Greek mythology: After effort comes reward, a new chapter opens for you. This chapter will be more focused on communication, calming down, and making yourself heard. On the heart side, we're talking about a long wait… we continue to hope, but there's a kind of melancholy. Despite everything, you continue to attract, grow in wisdom, attract, or build. You are told that you are protected like Artemis; stay focused on your life goals even if your inner and/or outer environment is chaotic.

With the Akashi Tarot: Ask your ancestors for help with your life path (knowing that you have a lot of information within you… ;) We talk about writing, communication, and learning. Now is the time to use them. Archangel Raphael speaks to you about your connection with the universe. It is deep and strong. You are aligned with your life path, know that. Stay grounded even if your inner or outer environment is chaotic. You are the willow. You are reborn or you give birth to something between summer and winter. Be attentive to opportunities and stay open-minded.

With the tarot: First of all, I find this reading to be hopeful. There are still some dark, rather gray clouds, but we are seeing the light. I'll start: there is a concrete beginning in the real world. We have the Ace of Pentacles + the Star = we are celebrating something or you are waiting for a response, and it is positive. You are at the beginning of creating a will. A wish is coming true here because we have created opportunities; there has been a lot of movement on your part. We have the Judgment card + the 3 of Wands + the 8 of Wands. Once again, it's very positive. There's a decision, clarity, which allows you to move forward in your life in a concrete way… things are also accelerating for you. You're in the energy of the High Priestess = learning for some, administrative paperwork for others. We continue to refine things with the 8 of Pentacles; it's becoming concrete. We have a 10 of Cups; it's accomplishment, something beautiful. We're talking about victory over your difficulties with the 6 of Wands and the 6 of Pentacles; another wish comes true… something that keeps coming back, but it's positive. It's a promising start. The number 6 appears twice.

I wish you much success for the people who read this spread.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

Masterlist

(literally just a place to put posts i've made that i consider Relevant and Should Be Easy To Access :3)

What You'll Find

The Trials of Apollo

EPIC: The Musical

Greek Mythology

ToA Metas

Jason Grace Is The Most Tragic Character in the RRverse

ToA Theory: Apollo's Waking Visions

ToA Theory: Koios's Oracle/Hyperborea

The ToA Apollo Iceberg

Love Letter to Copollo (And Attempt at Angsting it With Hyapollo)

Harpocrates: Why He Enhanced The Overall Story

Reyna & Allonormativity (1)

Apollo Staying Mortal Wouldn't Fix Anything

asking the poet to explain his poem

The Olympian Thrones & Godly Power

Apollo & Love: What Shaped His Romantic Views?

Emotions: Annabeth v Apollo's Treatment In Fandom

Gods & Humanity

TSATS: Why I Don't Like It

Mortal!Hera AU

Apollo: Clothes

Time-Travel Copollo

Apollo & Mars

Thalia Grace & The Divine Twins

Percy Is The Reader Power Fantasy & Meg is NOT A Mary Sue!

Can Titans Have Children With Mortals?

Welcome to the ToA Fandom: Starter Pack

Aromanticism & Asexuality: Rachel Elizabeth Dare Edition

Apollo's (4) Punishments

Dropping the Mask

ToA Headcanons

Apollo Angst Headcanons

Apollo w/h Athena Headcanons

Apollo w/h Ares & Hephaestus Headcanons

Apollo w/h Hera Headcanons

Apollo is Everyone's Favorite

Apollo w/h Demeter & Persephone Headcanons

Apollo w/h Dionysus Headcanons

Apollo’s Favorite Aunt and Uncle

Apollo, Koios, & Kronos Headcanons

Quick Koios & Phoebe Headcanons

Apollo, Horus, Helios, & Ra Headcanons (1)

Apollo/Boreas & Zephyrus Headcanons (1)

Meg @ Other Olympians Headcanons

Meg & Artemis Headcanons

Cross-Pantheon Headcanons (1)

The Hunters of Artemis Headcanons

Immortal Apollo Kids Headcanons (1)

Apollo & Daphne

The Gods Headcanons

Godly Divine Forms

Dadpollo Headcanons

Other ToA Things

My Top 5 Ships

Love Letter to the ToA Fandom

Message to the Wider RRVerse Fandom (Please Stop Cluttering the ToA Ao3 Tag!)

EPIC: The Musical Thoughts

Ctimene Thoughts

Thunder Saga Comic

The Wisdom Saga

God Games Idea

Song Rankings

Mythology Ramblings

My Statistics of Apollo's Lovers (My Magnum Opus <3)

Apollo Infodump-turned-Eros, Apollo, & Daphne Analysis

Apollo & Cassandra Thoughts

Apollo & Orestes Thoughts

Suspend Your Disbelief

Apollo in Anatolia

Courtship in Greece/Anatolia

This Gay Supports the People of Troy

Troilus's Death Timeframe

Artemis & Apollo: The Moon/Sun Syncretism

Roman Era Myths: My Feelings on Them

Both

Apollo Headcanon: RRverse & Mythology

Apollo-Zeus and Lucifer-God: A Comparison

[mask131]

The myth of Apollo (1)

Loose translation of the article “Antique Apollo: Shadow and Light” (Apollon Antique: Ombre et Lumière), from the “Dictionary of Literary Myths” under the direction of Pierre Brunel.

THE ANTIQUE APOLLO: SHADOW AND LIGHT

In her “Nouvelle Mythologie de la Jeunesse” (New Mythology for Youth), wrote for the French school students under the rule of Charles X, madame Tardieu-Denesle tells the story of how Jupiter charged Apollo with the mission of spreading light throughout the universe: as such, every morning the god climbs in the Sun Chariot to ride through the sky until night. These poor students were such misinformed and taught to confuse two very different gods: Apollo and Helios. But miss Tardieu-Denesle can be easily forgiven, because the confusion between the two deities has been existing since a very long time…

When we want to associate the name “Apollo” with ideas, we associate him with “light”, “harmony” or “balance (equilibrium)”. Apollo means to us the Athens of Pericles, the sunrays descending upon the Acropolis, the “sôphrosunè”, this wisdom made of moderation and whose principles had been engraved on the façade of the temple of Delphi. We usually oppose (and Nietzsche greatly helped reinforced this antithesis) Apollo’s serenity with the barbaric drunkenness of Dionysos. The idea of Apollo as a god of light and harmony existed as early as Antiquity, but it does not correspond to the original character of the god – a god which has a dark face, obscured in mysterious shadow… For Apollo is a disquieting and complex god of contrasts, solar and chthonian at the same time, a bearer of life and death.

I/ The problem of the origins

The hardships of understanding the origins and the personality of Apollo appear as early as the examination of his epithets. The god is said to be “Lukeios”, an adjective that the scholars have for a very long time tied to “lukè”, the light. This etymology fits very well the most famous nickname of Apollo, “Phoibos”, “the clear”, “the shining”, “the pure” – a name that is found as early as the first lines of Homer’s Iliad and Hesiod’s Theogony. This already paves the way for the assimilation by Apollo of Helios – a fusion that already appeared within a 7th-6th century BCE text known as “The Homeric Hymn to Apollo”: “It is there that appears the ship of Apollo, the Archer Lord, under the appearance of the celestial body that shines in bright day”. This assimilation will be later reaffirmed by Aeschylus’ “Bassarids” (Bassarae?) in the 5th century: Orpheus claims in the play that the Sun is also called Apollo. In a similar way, Aeschylus identifies within the “Xantriae” Selene, the Moon, to Artemis, the daughter of Leto and sister of Apollo.

And yet Apollo, “the light one”, is also called “Loxias”, “the skew one”, “the dark one”. According to an information within the “Etymologicum Magnum” (642), this name can be explained by the character of Loxô, a daughter of Boreas that raised the young god. Let us admit this, and let us admit that the oracles of Delphi were in truth very clear: writers, nonetheless, were more concerned with dramatic effect than reality, and as such they started spreading the idea that Apollo always expressed himself in an ambiguous way, forcing mankind to interpret his predictions, with a risk of misunderstanding them and causing disasters. Aeschylus wrote in his “Agememnon”: “Yet I speak the language of Greece. Loxias does too: yet his oracles are obscure.”

Herodotus shared numerous stories about the misfortunes of mistaken humans, such as Cresus who was unable to understand that the great empire he wanted to destroy was his own and that the “mule” he had to fear was Cyrus, son of a Mede and a Persian.

The obscurity of Apollo is also found back within his ambiguous relationships to the chthonian world. He is the killer of a female dragon (drakaina) that guarded the very ancient oracle of Gaia the Earth at Delphi (according to the “Homeric Hymn to Apollo”). A famous statue depicted him as a “sauroctonus”, a “lizard killer”. He is also “Smintheus”, the “destroyer of rats” according to “Iliad”. But at Epidaurus, within the temple of his son Asklepios (whose symbolic animal was the mole, another chthonian beast), snakes crawled among those who practiced the incubation ritual. A snake also wrapped itself around the staff of the physician-god, a deity who himself sometimes appeared as a snake (Pausanias, II, 10, 3). Another son of Apollo appeared sometimes as a snake: Trophonios, who had his own underground oracle at Lebadeia. As for Apollo “killer of rats”, he might have originally been a healing rat-god: it is implied by the numerous analogies between the Greek Apollo and the Hindu Rudra (the motifs of the bow, the disease, the mole, the rat, poetry and obliquity).

As such, translating “Lukeios” by “luminescent” feels incomplete, unsatisfying. The Ancients had proposed themselves another explanation. Apollo Lukeios might have meant “killer of wolves” (lukos). “And you, god that destroys the wolves, destroy the army of our enemies” (Aeschylus’ The Seven Against Thebes), “Here is the Lycian Square, dedicated to the god killer of wolves” (Sophocles’ “Electra”). This depiction of the god is not absurd, because there are many links between Apollo and the wolf. According to Pausanias, Danaos obtained the kingship of Argos because the god sent a wolf attack a flock, and the new king had a sanctuary built for Apollo Lukios. In the same city, it was known that wolves were offered in sacrifice to Apollo. The Lyceum of Athens, dedicated to Apollo, was, also according to Pausanias, named as such in homage to a hero named “Lukos”. On coins, Apollo was sometimes associated with wolves. Apollo was a master of wild beasts, like his sister Artemis. Destroyer of wolves, protector of wolves, or maybe himself a wolf, as once was Zeus Lukaios? Indeed, according to Servius, it was under the shape of a wolf that Apollo managed to get close to the nymph Cyrene… But it might be an abuse of the theriomorphism explanation, with a risk to derive into a polytheriomorphism: after all, what can prevent us to turn the Apollo of Delphi into an ancient dolphin-god, since Apollo supposedly jumped over a Cretan ship under the shape of a dolphin (Homeric Hymn of Apollo).

There is a third explanation of the epiclesis Lukeios, which is probably the most convincing of the three. Apollo is supposed to come from Lycia, a land of Asia Minor. It is why he was called Lukégenès, “Born in Lycia”. However, it is true that “Lukegenes” is sometimes translated as “born of the wolf” – according to Aristotle’s “History of Animals” Leto, to escape Hera’s jealousy, turned herself into a she-wolf. But it is also true that this version of Apollo’s birth does not correspond to the one claiming his birthland was Delos. Antoninus Liberalis, in his “Metamorphosis”, to reconcile what seemed like contradicting stories, decided to make Delos the place where Apollo was born, and Lycia the place where Apollo went immediately afterward – even adding that Lycia was named as such by Leto because wolves showed her the way. Let us note anyway that there are many sanctuaries of Apollo within Asia Minor ; that his sister Artemis is also strongly tied to Asia Minor ; that in the “Iliad” the god fights alongside the Trojans, not the Achaean ; finally, that the palm-tree of Delos under which Leto gave birth (Homeric Hymn) is an Oriental tree…

The many interpretations of the word “Lukeios” do not exhaust the many hypothesis conceived about the origin of Apollo. For some he is an Indo-European god, close to the Hindu god Rudra. Others also claim that he is Indo-European, but rather say he comes from the North, highlighting his link to the Hyperborean. These same people like to point out that the first Greeks were nomad shepherds, and that the word “apella” (“assembly/gathering of the people”, but also “sheepfold” according to Hesychius) is very close to “Apellôn”, the name of Apollo according to the Dorians. The myth comes here to the rescue of the etymology: Apollo himself owned many different flocks, and acted as a shepherd for both Laomedon and Admetus. Dumézil analyzed all three functions typical of Indo-European societies within the speech Apollo addresses to the goddesses in the Homeric Hymn: the first (magico-religious sovereignty) appears within his allusion to the oracles, and to the lyre that is tied to the songs and dances of cultural celebrations ; the second (war) appears with the mention of the shooting bow ; the third (wealth, fecundity) appears in the gold that covers Delos, as a promise of a future prosperity.

For other scholars, the name of Apollo was originally “Pelun” – the god was as such the mythical ancestors of the Pelasgian. Finally, the “Homeric Hymn” itself gives us another path: the one leading to the Aegean world, especially Crete. Apollo of Delphi entrusted his Delphi temple to the guardianship of Cretan men from Knossos. And according to Pausanias, it is a Cretan that purified both Apollo and Artemis after the murder of the dragon – and it is a Cretan too that won the first victory at the Pythian Games.

As Robbe-Grillet wrote, the successive interpretations, by being piled up onto each other, erase each other. We can only conclude that Apollo does not have a singular origin, but that his historical personality is an amalgamation of gods coming from various countries – a succession of strata. The other epithets of the god unfortunately do not enlighten us. Apollo is called “Puthios”, but is it because he allowed the corpse of the dragon to “rot” (puthein), according to the Homeric Hymn ; or is it because, as an oracular god, he “informs” (puthestai) those that ask him questions (according to Strabon). Are the names “Paian”, “Paièôn” and “Paiôn” related to healing (the most traditional reading) or to a victory song?

[thecheshirecatalice]

“Mythological Philosophical”

I will smoke you

Like the Oracle of Delphi

You want heat

I am Prometheus

I steal fire from the gods

And bring it hard

Like chains and bars

I have desire

Like I was Orpheus

With more will

Than a metal bull

Crafted by Hephaestus

A copper Colchis

Blazing hell

Spitting flames

Splitting skulls

Like Athena

Born from a headache

That only wisdom quells

Are you reasoning well

I am like Oedipus

And the sphinx

And the riddle

I am a paradox

Eldritch

And I answer myself

As man does

But I feel like a demigod

With a mythic cause

Heraclean

Laboring on and on

Fighting lions and hydras

All just to be enough

To find my place

Under the sun

Out of the cave

Done watching shadows

Flickering in front of flames

So like Kronos

I am taking time

As mine

To sow and reap

The mythic and divine

Into my destiny as I write it

Like Apollo and Artemis

Good day

And good night then

—Alice D

May 2, 2025

[sagilemiel]

Seventeen as Greek Demi-Gods

Seungcheol, Son of Zeus; God of the Sky, Lightning, Thunder, Weather, Law, Order, and Justice, King of Olympus

Godly Symbols : Eagle, Bull, Lightning, Thunderbolt, Clouds and Oak Tree

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Jeonghan, Son of Hypnos; God of Sleep

Godly Symbols : Poppy, Cottonwood and Poplar Branch Dipped in River Lethe

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Joshua, Son of Hestia; Goddess of the Hearth (both private and municipal), the Home and the Sacred and Sacrificial Fires

Godly Symbols : Hearth and its Fire, Kettle

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Junhui, Son of Ares; God of War, Battlelust, Courage and Civil Order

Godly Symbols : Dogs, Snakes/Serpents, Vulture, Boars, Spear and Helmet, Armor, Chariot and Torches

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Soonyoung, Son of Dionysus; God of Wine, Vegetation (orchards and fruits), Fertility, Festivity, Insanity, Ritual madness, Religious ecstasy, and Theatre

Godly Symbols : Panthers, Grapes, Vines, Thyrsus and Pine Cone

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Wonwoo, Son of Athena; Goddess of Wisdom, Intelligence, Good Counsel, Warfare, Fortifications and Handicraft (weaving, pottery, carpentry and other crafts)

Godly Symbols : Owl, Goose, Olives/Olive Trees, Spear and Aegis

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Jihoon, Son of Apollo; God of Prophecy and Oracles, Music, Song and Poetry, Archery, Healing, the Sun, Plague and Disease, and the Protection of the Young

Godly Symbols : Hawk, Raven/Crow, Cicadas, Wolf, Lyre, Bow and Arrow, Laurel Wreath and the Sun

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Seokmin, Son of Demeter; Goddess of Harvest, Seasons, Agriculture, Fertility and Sacred Laws (ethic and moral values)

Godly Symbols : Gecko, Pig, Serpents (rebirth), Grain, Cornucopia and Bread

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Mingyu, Son of Hephaestus; God of Fire, Smiths, Craftsmen, Metalworking, Stonemasonry and Sculpture

Godly Symbols : Donkey, Guard Dogs, Cranes, Hammer, Anvil, Volcano and Fire

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Minghao, Son of Hades; God of the Underworld, the Dead, Riches and Wealth (gems, precious stones, precious metals, etc.)

Godly Symbols : Black Ram, Snakes, Helmet, Bident/Scepter and the Horn of Plenty

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Seungkwan, Son of Aphrodite; Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sexuality

Godly Symbols : Swan, Dove, Hare, Golden Apple and Scallop Shell

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Hansol, Son of Artemis; Goddess of Nature, Wilderness, Childbirth, Wildlife, the Moon, the Hunt, Animals, Virginity and Archery

Godly Symbols : Deer, Wild Boar (to hunt), Bow and Arrow, Quiver and the Moon

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Chan, Son of Nike; Goddess of Victory (both in war and in peaceful competition)

Godly Symbols : Golden Sandals, Wings, Laurel Wreaths and Palm Branch