starofmithras

[starofmithras]

Hey everyone! my illustrated book cover for John Wiswell's "Wearing the Lion," will be on bookshelves next thurs the 19th in the U.K.! Woohoo! Im super excited as this is one of my first mainstream covers to be out in wide distribution. if you see one in the wild please take a photo and tag me. xoxo

SYNOPSIS: God. Hero. Idol. Monster. Murderer. The story of Hercules is one of the most famous ever told. But what if it's wrong? Locus and Nebula Award-winning author John Wiswell brings his gentle, human storytelling to the most infamous of stories and discovers the heart inside us all.

@arcadia_books @hachettebooks @hachettebooksart

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 Reunion of Odysseus and Telemachus. 1880. Henri-Lucien Doucet French 1856-1895. http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

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Apollo. 19th.century. follower of Charles Meynier French 1768-1832. oil/canvas. http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

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Aristaeus is the son of Apollo and the huntress Cyrene. He was raised by nymphs, who taught him the rustic arts of bee-keeping, mead-making, and cheese-making. He also studied with the centaur Chiron, from whom he learned the selection and uses of medicinal herbs. Aristaeus taught these arts to humanity and was widely revered as a benevolent rustic deity.

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Today, May 20, has been designated World Bee Day by the United Nations! 

Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

You can help by:

planting a diverse set of native plants, which flower at different times of the year

buying honey from local farmers

buying products from sustainable agricultural practices

avoiding pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in our gardens

protecting wild bee colonies when possible

sponsoring a hive

making a bee water fountain by leaving a shallow bowl of water outside

helping sustaining forest ecosystems

raising awareness by sharing information within our communities and networks

The decline of bees affects us all!

World Bee Day information from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day

💛 🐝 I’m aware the vegetarian/vegan community is divided about the use of honey. I encourage everyone to make the best possible decision for themselves - and to be patient and kind with those who choose differently. 💛 🐝

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Featured Image: Antinous depicted as Aristaeus Roman statue, 2nd century C.E. Collection of the Musee du Louvre, Paris. Photo of statue by Marie-Lan Nguyen via Wikimedia Commons (X). Image license: Public Domain. Background: Honeycomb via peakpix.com (X) Background image license: Creative Commons Zero - CC0

Antinous is recognizable in this sculpture by his classic facial features and curly hair. The statue is slightly over life size - 196 cm (6 ft. 5 in.) - in height, and  is standing with his weight on the left leg and the right knee slightly bent, gaze directed at the viewer. He wears a exomis, the traditional short tunic worn by workers in ancient Greece, which could be lowered to leave one or both shoulders uncovered - here, it is knotted at the left shoulder, leaving his right upper chest and shoulder bare. The exomis is bloused at the waist over a knotted cloth belt. He also wears a petasos, the ancient Greek sun hat with a full brim all the way around, and boots or high sandals. He holds a long-handled garden implement (maybe an axe, considering the trimmed tree stump next to his left leg) with his right hand, balanced over his right shoulder, and holds a short, leafy branch in his left hand.

I placed the uncropped image in the center of a public-domain photo of dripping honeycomb for the obvious reason.

Gratuitous fact: Cardinal Richelieu purchased this statue in Rome for his personal collection. It was seized by the government during the French Revolution.

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The ancient custom of reviving Adonis, a young god of beauty and vegetation, was a widespread ritual in the Near East and Mediterranean world, often associated with the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. It involved mourning his death, followed by celebrations of his return or revival. This ritual was often linked to spring festivals and agricultural cycles.

The myth of Adonis, a beautiful youth loved by the goddess Aphrodite, is central to this custom. His death at the hands of a boar was mourned, followed by his eventual resurrection or return.

Rituals included lamentations, usually by women, and in some places, the symbolic burial and then retrieval of an image of Adonis. In other places, the ritual might involve a young man taking on the role of the god; he would lay on the ground, mimicking death. After ritual mourning provided by onlookers, he would rise to his feet and be crowned with a floral wreath, symbolizing the god's return.

The myth of Adonis' death and rebirth, as well as the revival rituals, are often interpreted as reflecting the cyclical aspect of nature, particularly agricultural cycles. The winter months represented a time of death and decay, while the spring brought the revival of life and vegetation, represented by Adonis' return.

The Adonis cult, or variations of it, were practiced in Phoenicia, Greece, and other areas of the Mediterranean and Near East. These rituals were sometimes incorporated into broader spring festivals and fertility rites.

Art: "Venus and Adonis" (1729) by François Lemoyne

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“Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And though I oft have passed them by A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

Golden Gate Talon Abraxas

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She always takes my breath away.

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The far shooter

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The Floralia 🌸🏛️🌿

honouring Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of flowers and blossoming plants. 🌸🌷🌿🌱

[starofmithras]

Polychrome terracotta sculpture of the god Dionysos, holding an egg and a rooster. The unusual attributes may hint at a connection to Orphism, which held that the first deity, Phanes or Protogonos ("First-Born"), was hatched from a cosmic egg. Adherents of Orphism saw humankind as the descendants of Dionysos (under the name "Zagreus"), created when the Titans devoured the young Zagreus and were then struck by Zeus' thunderbolt. Artist unknown; created in Tanagra, Boeotia (an important center of terracotta production) ca. 350 BCE. Now in the British Museum.

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Spring Hunt.

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Artemis Driving Her Chariot

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Saying "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take" before bed, but meaning it for Hermes

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[starofmithras]

Nazis will never be welcome in paganism. They have no space in our communities, we will have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to nazis. You have no right to the cultures, gods and religions you hijack to spread your disgusting ideologies. You will find no refuge or comraderie amongst pagans.

Reblog to let nazis know they’re not welcome here.

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Title: Young Marsyas (Marsyas Enchanting the Hares) Artist: Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923) Date: 1878 Genre: mythological painting Movement: Symbolism Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: 94.5 cm (37.2 in) high x 136.5 cm (53.7 in) wide Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, United States

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Wishing you a blessed Theogamia! 🦚

On this 27th day of the lunar month of Gamelion, the ancient Athenians celebrated the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.

"With that the son of Cronus caught his wife in his arms

and under them now the holy earth burst with fresh green grass,

crocus and hyacinth, clover soaked with dew, so thick and soft

it lifted their bodies off the hard, packed ground…

Folded deep in that bed they lay and round them wrapped

a marvelous cloud of gold, and glistening showers of dew

rained down around them both. And so, deep in peace,

the Father slept on Gargaron peak, conquered by Sleep

And strong assaults of Love, his wife locked in his arms."

--- Homer, "The Iliad," translated by Robert Fagles

Art: "Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida" (1773) by James Barry