#minoan brother

[elhoimleafar]

Sorcery & Brujería without filters without makeup, cause there is more happening in the behind the scenes than what people actually see.

Working transmutations at @thewitchscabinetcny (on Instagram)

Xxo. Elo 🌺🌹🐒

[scriptorsapiens]

Classicstober Day 3: Asterion (𐀀𐀮𐀳𐀪𐀃)

To those who don't know (or didn't play Supergiant's Hades) the Minotaur was born with a name: Asterion. There's a lot that I take away from the name, it's history, and it's implications, but I think the shortest version is "the worst monsters are the ones we make ourselves," so for him I wanted to show a tender moment between Asterion and his mother, the nymph Pasiphaë.

My rant about the Minotaur and my design thought process is under the cut.

Asterion was not a name pulled out of nowhere. It was the name of Minos' adopted father, the man who raised him and his brothers. Pasiphaë choosing to name him that implies that either A) Pasiphaë had a really cruel sense of naming conventions, which is not unlikely given her character or B) the baby Asterion was just that; a baby. Not really a monster, not yet, just a strange child who would be ruined by his adopted father. Seeing Classical art of Pasiphaë affectionately holding a baby Asterion (which partially inspired this piece) seems to support the latter, and given Minos' characterization it makes sense that he would see more value in a monster than another son.

Something that lots of retellings leave out is the presence of nymphs and gods in these stories. Pasiphaë (𐀞𐀯𐀞𐀁) was no mortal queen, she was the daughter of the sea-nymph Perse and The Sun (Helios), as well as a powerful sorceress. To reflect her divinity I always draw Pasiphaë as a glowing, terrifying white entity with inborn red accents (that latter trait being inspired by a line from Madeline Miller's Circe).

Her clothes are mostly based on a Minoan style (ask me about my thoughts on Minos and Minoan appearances) but instead of a tailored tunic Pasiphaë wears a bit of a call-forward to a chiton. This also allows her to bare her breasts, as IMHO most goddesses keep it all out, especially such a wild, nature based child of the Sun and the Sea. The colors are very rich to show how wealthy Minos is. I know the ancient Greeks equated the sun to silver more than to gold, but I wanted Pasiphaë to wear some bright yellow-gold as her primary palette.

Modern habit die hard, I guess.

[pomefioredove]

Hi! not sure if u write for content that isn't a character x reader, if not, feel free to ignore this req!

but I'd like to req some timeskip hcs for the twst charas.. like what would they be after graduation? I could totally see Riddle being a lawyer but I'm not entirely sure for the rest of the twst cast 🤔

Thank you in advance! Take all the time u need !

ohhh actually speculation/analysis is something I write a lot of! I hail from a very literary fandom and these sorts of prompts are some of my favorites to do!

I could def give my thoughts, just based on what we already know + my own headcanons

➼Deuce: Deuce, to me, is a hands-on learner type. I could see him getting really into mechanics, but... my heart says house husband. tells his kids bedtime stories about Cauldron Deuce (with... um, better morals, we'll say)

➼Ace: professional moocher hmmm Ace is kind of a wild card (pun) to me. I can see his life going in a lot of different directions depending on how the story goes

➼Riddle: definitely something prestigious. we know his parents are doctors, it's likely he'd feel pressured to follow in their footsteps, with other high-paying professions close behind (such as lawyer)

➼Cater: trophy husband(/influencer)

➼Trey: takes on the family bakery. I can see him getting settled down relatively fast compared to everyone else. he just needs a spouse whose as weird as he is

➼Leona: professional moocher (for real this time). In an ideal world he would get fed up with his family and move out, either to another palace they own (you know how it is with royalty and their real estate) or to his own place. but that freedom might get him to really apply himself to something he cares about, independent of his family. would get married if the opportunity presented itself, would NOT have kids

➼Ruggie: Leona's little buddy. Leona assured him a job after school, sooo probably not much different from what he's doing already, but paid. sends fat checks home to his grandma every month

➼Jack: whatever it is, he's committed to it. I can't see him working a dead-end job with no hopes of improving himself, so nothing too academic. the obvious answer is athletics... but he could just as likely become a sculptor. just something that he can apply himself to and continue improving in

➼Azul: businessman. he just has a thing for it. he's running multiple restaurant chains and dabbling in retail before age thirty, and always looking for more opportunities

➼Jade: Azul definitely guarantees him a job, but I think he'd be more interested in staying on land and doing field work. mycologist... or anything that really captures his interest

➼Floyd: cliché answer, he can't decide. likely bounces between working with his brother and working with Azul. may just stay within the "family business" which is implied to be. mafia?

➼Kalim: do we even know what the al-Asims do. besides be rich. well whatever it is, he's doing that. definitely gets married fast, probably has a bunch of kids already. they're just as loud and excitable as he is

➼Jamil: oh Jamil :( please please have a happy ending. I can see him really enjoying academics, especially in positions where he can publish papers and get feedback. good for his ego. may start some insane academic drama, though (nothing he can't handle)

➼Vil: actor/model. confirmed! probably waits a while to get married, he's put off his career long enough

➼Rook: the fact that he wants to go into archaeology is so cute... being an ex archeology (now religious studies) major myself I think it's just so... Rook of him to be interested in history. I would love to talk to him about the Minoans. Or the Xia dynasty. can I marry him while we're at it? he eventually settles down somewhere in the woods

➼Epel: eughhrrggg can I say farming. sorry. I'm from a family of farmers and kinda sentimental about it. the connection to the land is very real and very emotional. but he does other stuff, too

➼Idia: [cue book 6 angst]

diasomnia fam is up in the air for now considering... *gestures to all of book 7*

➼bonus rollo: judge. because it would be funny.

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

The Garden of Innocence | Dionysus x Ariadne | 18+

Chapter 6

It would be creepy, he decided, to follow her further. Zeus behavior, really. She had a water source. She’d mapped out trails to get around. She’s be fine.

Only, she wouldn’t because Apollo had said she wouldn’t live long. It crossed his mind that his brother was only fucking with him, a theory he quickly dismissed. It wasn’t that gods couldn’t lie — Hermes did every day— but for Apollo it was out of character.

Dionysus didn’t ordinarily feel sorry for humans. There were too many and so few lived long enough to learn their names. But this one he’d stopped and paid attention to and now that he had, well …

At night, he found himself staring at the stars. Scrutinizing them for any information. He didn’t know how to read them. Not really. He had named the island in his days there: Naxos. It flourished. The branches were thick with fruit and the wind through the trees was as heavy and fragrant as temple incense. It knew he was there, responded to him.

And he was having fun with it. Somewhere on the island was the Minoan girl, abandoned and fated to die soon. But at least not of hunger or thirst. He’d made sure of that: every fruit she could want- figs, pomegranates, apples of every color practically dripped from the forest and none of it toxic to humans.

As for the river gods, he threatened to evaporate them if they so much as looked at her too long.

Admittedly, he was getting preoccupied with the challenge of keeping her alive. If, for no other reason, than to thumb his nose at Apollo.

The truth was, Dionysus was stuck. He could go wherever he liked, but the slightest distraction jerked him right back to Naxos.

He hadn’t actually seen Ariadne for awhile now. He didn’t want to. She was too interesting. And too pretty. The thing to do was fuck her. Get it out of his system.

It’s not that he’d never taken a mortal lover before — he had— but only for a night or so. The truth about sex with humans was it gave him a feeling he couldn’t quite name. It was in the big warm arms of a soldier, the Ephesian whore who had kissed his forehead and called him a pretty baby.

She had not been a gorgeous woman. She was heavy, her nipples pointed down and her eyebrows grew too close together. She worked for his own temple. He did not tell her this when they made love. It felt too good. The concern humans took for each other. Some of the time.

A river god never asked if it felt alright.

What would Ariadne be like? It was easy to imagine her sleek waist between his hands, her breasts firm and brown and warm as figs in the sun. Would her curls still smell of palace perfumes or only of the sea air?

He was thinking of this and more, thrusting furiously into his hand, angry at this island and its hold over him. With each thrust, the ground was firmer under his feet, the sea birds louder. It was a hot evening, as if the ocean were evaporating and trapped by the forest like a pot nearly boiling over.

And something stank. Like. Like rotten fruit. That’s when he saw the grapes. He had been lounging under an oak tree, wanking off with the fury of all Sparta. Only, the tree was nearly choked with vines. As he looked up, the sour juice dripped onto his face. As many bunches of grapes were putrid as it were ripe. The earth was littered with grapes. Some of the brown and squashy. Others molded over.

He wondered for a moment why they hadn’t simply been eaten by animals. Ants crawled over the ground and gnats hovered in the air but they wouldn’t touch the grapes. He looked around, this time really looking, as if he hadn’t idled the past week away on Naxos. It wasn’t just the grapes. Nearby, a pomegranate seemed to have swollen and burst.

Of course, he thought. The animals won’t touch it because it’s all for her. Dionysus climaxed, an underwhelming and distracted event. He wiped his hands hastily and took off. It was a pleasure to run, his godly ankles never twisting, nor his breath running out. His hair streamed in the wind, the envy of any maiden. And for the moment, he did not really care.

Without exactly planning it, he found himself at the fig tree where he had first seen her with Theseus. What he saw would ordinarily have been beautiful. The tree had nearly doubled in size, yet the branches drooped, so heavily were they loaded with figs.

And surrounding the dripping figs were more butterflies than he’d seen in one place in hundreds of years, each one vivid, peacock blue. He could feel their frustration.

“It’s alright,” he said numbly. He could almost hear them shifting around the tree, stepping their impossibly small feet. “I said it’s fine. You can eat them. No one else is.”

It was getting cooler. The awful humidity was turning clammy. He decided to falling water, find the biggest stream and let it take him uphill. He wished that he could sweat and cut his feet and be miserable running. He deserved it. Laying around pleasing himself over the mere thought of a girl who was probably dead now. By nightfall, he was feeling pretty rotten.

He’d gotten cocky. Told the animals and the leering spirits to fuck off and assuming she’d be find if only he showered her with fruit and magical fountains. He felt silly now. He hadn’t even considered exposure. Or any number of accidents. She could have drowned and oh gods, there were always those high crags.

He felt sick as he ran. He still never tripped but rather than dart around them as a fish through water, he broke branches and even shattered the small boulder he stubbed his toe on. It was his first time ever stubbing his toe.

When he reached the high crags, he scanned the beach below for a sight of her, the blue flutter of her dress, anything. The beach was empty besides a dead seal and the carrion birds surrounding it. For all the island teamed with life, there was just as much rot.

He searched carefully among the rocks. As if a whole girl could be as easy to miss as a rabbit. Should could be hurt — what if she’d struck her head? Maybe it wasn’t too late. It was dark of course. Past midnight with no moon. Not that it mattered to him. All he found were a couple of snakes, who took immediate interest in him and followed in his search.

He almost called her name. He realized he had not spoke it aloud before.

“Ariadne,” he whispered, before he could stop himself. It rustled through the tree tops, cooling the night beautifully.

Hooves clicked behind him. A stag had woken up and was following. Along with the snakes, along with the butterflies.

***

He found her, at last, huddled under a jutting outcropping of rock. It was closer to the sea cliffs than he might have liked, but slanted such that there was no way for her to roll off in her sleep.

She was sleeping. Bunched in her arms were remains of Theseus’s cloak. She looked like a baby with a blanket and for a moment he felt embarrassed, intrusive even, and then angry. He turned over the possibility of tracking Theseus down and plaguing his dreams with visions of her huddled on that cliff with that pathetic cloak. He was the god of madness after all. Dionysus could make the idiot boy suffer.

But that would mean leaving her. He bit his lip and crept forward. Dionysus wore little save for the fawn skin covering him waist down and a cloak of richest crimson. Mortals had to spill each other’s blood just to see its equal. The soft wool was combed spidery fine, blended equally with linen and silk. He didn’t know any of this, or course. These were things you paid nymphs to take think of for you.

It was a treasure. This much he might have known, but did not consider as he unpinned it at the shoulder. Her face looked small and cold. Curls had sprung loose from her practical braid.

Dionysus knelt cautiously. He tucked the red cloak around her without a sound, covering her feet, drawing it around her shoulders. Beneath her was merely the bare rock. Stupid girl. Cuddling the last scraps of Theseus when she might have used it for warmth. Dionysus sighed and frowned, too frustrated even to enjoy the night wind on his bare chest.

As he backed away, his eyes were met by luminous yellow ones. A lion padded onto the ledge directly above her. It could not see her, of course, but no doubt it was attracted by her scent. Dionysus could have shouted with annoyance. He’d fared better looking after himself as a mere toddler. Was there no end to the tedium of keeping one human being alive?

The lion was female, and by the looks of it old and underweight. It dared snarl at him.

“Oh, fuck off,” he said to the lion.

Its teeth glinted despite the almost total darkness.

“I mean it,” he hissed, trying not to wake her, “get out of here. Shoo, kitty. Beat it.”

The creature could not refuse a god. It yowled bitterly before it bolted. The sound startled the sleeping girl.

“Oh!” She jumped back against the rocky wall, terrified, immediately clapping a hand over her mouth. Her chest heaved but she had the sense to stay silent.

Minutes passed. Ten. Then thirty. Ariadne’s eyes showed dark and wide. He wondered absurdly why she did not move before it occurred to him that of course, she couldn’t see to navigate the ledges. He wondered if this was how humans filled up their time, how it seemed to they they had any life at all. The way fear could draw out mere flickers of existence. It was awful to watch.

Forty minutes. He felt wrong staring at her but certainly wasn’t going back down the mountain. The lion had been a bit cheeky for his taste. He watched the forest dutifully. Feeling smug at he prospect of his brother being wrong. She hadn’t drowned and she hadn’t frozen to death and now he could say she hadn’t even been eaten by a lion.

He’d wait till morning, if for no other reason than the satisfaction of another sunrise on this girl’s short little life.

@margaretkart @hycinthrt @kebriones @i-rove-rock-n-roll @sir-lancelot-du-lac @dionysian-daydream @hades-bat

[mosquito-queen]

ronance greek au 

athanasia (nancy) is a priestess of athena, she has a particular connection with some of the kids that come by the temple and often saves her offerings to feed them. ofc max is one of these kids that shows up out of the blue (we just moved here), and she especially likes to follow nancy around while she’s working, “you mean, you get to perform the sacrifices? can i help?”

nancy grows more fond of the girl, but fate always seemed close behind max. of course max befriends the group of kids with a demigod in their midsts and nancy can’t help but pray a little harder to athena for the girl’s protection. the group of kids manage to offend the fates and the keres descend upon max, they only manage to rip half her soul before el fights them off

bloodied and battered, max falls into a deep sleep and cannot be waked by mortal means. nancy is asked to perform her funeral rites and she refuses, “no, she isn’t dead yet. i’ll get her back.”

she prays again to athena, asking for guidance, for anything, to retrieve the half of max’s soul from the underworld. she searches the temple’s libraries well into the first light of dawn, until she comes across an ancient script that she hasn’t seen before, but she can’t read it

enter robin (a nickname she earned at birth from one of brothers). she is the youngest of five older brothers, she sneaks into their school lessons to learn as much as she can. she’s fluent in several languages and helps her father with his job as a merchant. she’s planning on going with him to a neighboring town when she starts getting weird dreams

she goes on the trip with her father, but is distracted by an owl that is uncharacteristically out during the day, she follows it to a temple, so engrossed that she stumbles into the temple’s priestess (who is very grumpy because has not slept more than 6 hours in three days)

after some introductions and rambling apologies, robin stoops to pick up the scroll that fell to the ground, she squints at it before nancy can snatch it back, “athena has a sword?” “wait, what? you can read that?” “i can read phoencian, persian, and akkadian. this though? minoan? no.” nancy’s face starts to fall and something in robin says ‘do not disappoint her’ so she rushes quickly, “but hey! i’ve got a really good knack with this kind of stuff. and i knew the sword part, look i can figure this out. i can, i ca-” 

and robin does figure it out. she makes up an excuse to stay longer at the temple, combing through the other pages stuffed away in the library, “it’s something about athena’s sword having the power to cut down the keres and thanatos,” she pauses, a seriousness on her face that looks out of place, “nancy, why do you want to know about killing death?”

so they go and find athena’s sword and fall in love a little bit on the way, and nancy talks about max, and she blames herself, and she blames the gods, and she has such a deep sorrow in the pit of her stomach but robin can’t help but see how beautiful she is, “We’ll get her back, I promise.”

and they get the sword with some trials and tribulations, nancy wields it as they go the long way to the underworld. “she’ll be in the river styx, not yet passed over, she should stand out with only half a soul.” and they have to slink through the cover of shadows, nancy squeezing tight to robin’s hand, “you can do this” because robin has never been sure-footed to save her life (but she’s not saving her life. she’s saving max’s and in a way nancy’s)

and when nancy sees the copper tint of max’s hair in the river, she doesn’t think and plunges in. she sees her fading soul and the sword clatters to the bank of the river. the hands of the dead hungrily digging into the threads of her cloak as she pushes her towards max. the hands are dragging her down though, the water now at her shoulders as she grabs the limp, faded form of max, scooping her towards her chest.

suddenly the hands are gone, and nancy is able to stand, picking max up with her as she turns to head back to the banks, the water back at her waist. and it’s robin there, with the sword, cutting the greedy dead away from nancy and max. it’s robin, so clumsy, so unsure, never holding a sword in her life, had freed her. shock freezes nancy (it wasn’t the sword athena had sent, it was robin), and robin is nodding her head reassuringly, “go” is a chorus that keeps spilling from her mouth, “nancy, go!” and they are stumbling out of the river, stumbling back into the dark, and away from the underworld, the shrill call of the keres growing louder with each footfall.

[setteri]

The bull and its symbolism in ancient times (part one)

Much is connected with such an animal as a bull. Especially if we are talking about antiquity. The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, the island of Crete and the labyrinth with the terrible monster Minotaur. Or the rituals in which bulls were sacrificed are remembered. But I want to touch on other topics that are also related to the bull.

This is a fresco found in the palace of Knossos. Dated to the 1st half of the 15th century. BC e.

It depicts two young girls (presumably priestesses) and a young man jumping over a bull.

This is taurocatapsia. Ritual jumps of acrobats, during the movement of the bull. Apparently, the ritual of "playing with bulls" was a religious ritual that served as an integral part of the Cretan cult of the bull.

Signet depicting taurocatapsia

Something like a more complicated and impossible version of bullfighting. And in modern bullfighting, the bull is killed, not played with. Experienced theodores argue that such a game with a bull is impossible, even for the most experienced acrobats.

The sequence of performing taurocatapsy

Indirect confirmation of their words are the cemeteries of the Minoan times, where many remains of young people who were seriously injured are found in burials. Dangerous game existed in reality, it's a fact But how many managed to survive? And what was it for?

Similar images are found both in the territory of Western Asia and in Egypt. Their age reaches 5-6 millennium BC, which allows us to confidently associate them with the astrological era of Taurus, during which the main deity always appeared in the form of a bull.

The oldest texts of the Minoan civilization have not been deciphered, and we do not know what name the main god had. But in what form he appeared to the Minoans, it is known for sure. Zeus appeared in the form of a bull to the Phoenician princess Europe and took her to Crete. There, in Crete, Poseidon sent King Minos and his brothers a beautiful white bull - the future father of the mysterious Minotaur.

Could there be a symbolic meaning that man was playing a dangerous game with God? And can you win?

Taurocathapsia, bronze statuette, Crete.

Unfortunately, there are no answers to these questions. Too much time has passed and the intended meaning for us is lost.

Perhaps it was a sacrifice. The stunt acrobat tried to show his exaltation and closeness to god in this competition of death. But whether this was the case is not known for certain.

[senatushq]

Ariadne

NAME/ALIASES. UTP AGE & BIRTH DATE. Prehistoric & Unknown SPECIES. Aspect GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her or She/They AFFILIATIONS. UTP OCCUPATION. UTP

History

The daughter of King Minos and Hesperide, granddaughter of Ulthar, and step sister to the minotaur, Asterion. Ariadne was the princess of the island that had earned its namesake from her mother, Crete. Divinity flowed through her veins, distilled from her celestial parentage it pulsed like lightning through her as she wandered the palace of the most powerful nation in the ancient world. Feared by all, the Minoans were powerful warriors, blessed by the Gods themselves. In Knossos Ariadne revered Oztalun and Ulthar alike while she paid tribute to her King father, Minos. While strength flourished around her, Ariadne’s true gifts blossomed within her mind, creative and bright, when the murderer Daedalus appeared on the shores of Crete he was brought under the rule of Ariadne’s father. A frequent patron of his workshop, Ariadne did not ask of his past, but by his side she watched as he produced great wonders. Not the least of which was the wooden cow that her step mother produced Asterion from. 

To contain her beast of a brother and hide the shame of Knossos from the sights of the Gods, Daedalus was commissioned to create a labyrinth to contain the beast. Year after year Ariadne watched as tributes were brought from other lands, children left to the labyrinth only to be never seen again. Within she could feel the agonised call of her brother, so she awaited a hero to help release Asterion. Theseus did not do as she asked, even though Ariadne had prepared him in every way possible, instead The Eye’s cruel hero slayed her brother and then deceived her; only to leave her stranded on a foreign island for countless years.  Left with nothing but the clothes on her back, Ariadne was found by Eve. Theseus had strayed and Adam’s second wife needed a strong mind to bring the order into the future, Ariadne agreed and spent centuries working from behind the scenes to make The Eye a force for good: non profits, outreach, the advancement of life saving technologies. It took the world ending for the rest of The Powers That Be to finally understand the best way to help the mortal realm was not through violence, but creativity.

Connections

Circe: Outcasts and relatives, Circe is the aunt to Ariadne.

Trivia: Possessed by the power of Perses, Trivia carries the soul of Ariadne's uncle.

Hyrsam: A frequent visitor on Ariadne's island, he tried to keep her entertained until he finally introduced her to Eve.

Abilities

Minos: Able to create, manipulate, and control labyrinths. Sometimes within a physical realm with temporary constructs, other times within a person's mind.

Empathic: Able to perceive the emotions of others, she can communicate with people via empathy.  

Immortal: Ageless. Ariadne is immune to most diseases and resistant to magic.

Whispers: Able to communicate with snakes, Ariadne can compel serpents of subhuman intelligence to do her bidding.

Weaknesses

Iron: A daughter of a nymph, iron will burn her and if her skin is pierced by it it will disrupt her magic.

Descended: Descended from Ulthar, seraphim are able to detect her presence across great distances.

Divine: Ariadne's blood is divine and is nearly comparable to Keket's in terms of supernatural potency.

Seraph: A seraph blade through the heart will kill her, permanently.

THIS SKELETON IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.

[strange-lights-and-stardust]

It's been a while. Here are some updates.

I moved out of my parents house! Been living closer to chosen family for about a year.

Started a yarn dyeing business!

Now more pagan and godspouse things~

Still going strong with Gwyn! But also, weirdly, following Him has led me in the direction of a specific Minoan inspired tradition (Ariadne's Tribe) so you'll probably hear me mention that more. It's where a couple of my initiated monastic type paths are.

Somewhat related, something happened that I thought was off the table going by my pre-Dedication conversations with Gwyn. He made sure I'd be OK knowing He was the only one I'd be dedicated and (I assumed) godspouse-married to, and I was OK with that. But Gwyn's full blessing (I've checked many times, to the point where I've been asked to stop checking), I have a second God in my life who's taken on the role of Patron and Husband.

🍇 ✨️ Dionysus! ✨️ 🍇

He's one of the gods of the Minoan tradition I mentioned, but I also focus on His more Hellenic faces. This development is only a few months old and I'm super happy. This summer i think Gwyn has been experimenting with having me stay in Thisworld/ the Upper World (I mean emotionally and spiritually) while He sleeps in Annwn, and He can do that because I have other Gods and spirits to take care of me. In particular, both my Husbands have such deep kindness and respect, both for me and for my relationship with the other. For complicated, personal gnosis reasons I experience Them as brothers and lovers, and occasionally faces of each other. It's kind of like being in a triad.

This summer has been rough emotionally, but this part of my life is giving a lot of joy. So if you wanna talk about Dionysus, hit me up.

[sterlingarcher23]

Butterflies - the Ronance & Elmax connection

There's a lot of butterfly imagery especially related to El and Max. But there are also other moments with Robin & Nancy, Will's painting has a "butterfly" in it and of course Kali creating a butterfly projection.

"I can make people see or not see whatever I choose." - El: "Are you real?" before poking Kali's face. "I am real"

This had a very similar moment in Season 4. (Remember that El & Kali saw each other as "sisters", family because they were alike by the end)

"Are you real. Did I make you?" - "I am real."

The butterflies do appear everywhere, in Max's room, on a cushion in El's room, in Max's locker.

But what does it have to do with Robin and Nancy? Everything. It is in Steve's axe. A double-bladed axe. A Labrys.

He stands in-between Robin and Nancy holding the axe right in front of himself, connecting both girls with one another.

The Labrys also appears in Will's painting, held by a character that seems to be Dustin, however he is likely a proxy/stand-in. (The horses white leg covers his leg, making it a pale leg, a weak left leg. - Foreshadowing for this to be the case for Max in the shopping scene in Season 3- Also, a horned helmet symbolizes a leader character or commander in battlefield. And the Labrys itself looks as if the character is actually not meant who it seems to be. )

About the Labrys:

The Labrys, is an ancient symbol from the Minoan civilization, representing a stylized butterfly or the female labia. It was for example said to be the weapon of the Amazon queen Hyppolita carried by the God of the Carinas. It is the symbol of feminism, matriarchy and especially the symbol of the lesbian feminist movement since the 70s.

It is the embodiment of the female spirit.

Thinking of Hyppolita: she's the mother of Diana in the DC comics of Wonder Woman, the comic character reference of El.

The appearance of butterfly and double-bladed axes sends a clear feminist message ; taking a look at the characters the female characters are way more capable than their male counterparts, taking things in their hands, Max taking action against her brother while all the other boys just stand there and watch. Similar to Steve who freezes when Robin gets caught by the vines. Some of the boys have/had sexist and misogynistic moments ; the male driven rules are questioned for example by Max. And the antagonists are all abusive or power drunken males. - It is also a reflection of the more sexist and conservative era, in real life and pop culture, of the 80s. The few female characters that are indeed good feminist representation are those the 40+ generation likes to point out as good feminism in relation to modern pop culture while ignoring the misogynistic rest. The so called "good old times". Fucking 80s.

Exemplified is this duality between male and female by One and Eleven who are clear foils and represent darkness and light, death and life etc. (as pointed out in detail in the post attached to my account page)

Think the boys are the main driving factor saving the world? I wouldn't bet on it. Actually, I would not be surprised that Stranger Things will have a much more feminist drive and message, about female empowerment by the end. There is a clue for this in Max's skateboard park memory. And some of the scenes clearly point in this direction.

"There's more to life than stupid boys. We make our own rules.", Max in the final memory during the revival scene. (Wonder Woman was a member of the Star Sapphire Corps, a all female Latern Corps whose main powers are regeneration and resurrection. More in a different post. Their color is violet/purple)

The Labrys also gives you a clear hint that female characters, associated with butterflies are not only strong feminist characters but also sapphic and in certain relationships meant to be romantically engaged.

Elmax is meant as a feminist sapphic couple and so is Ronance (Vickie is likely just a crush ; an analysis of the "right side" character points to this). Why otherwise build this? - Besides there are two couples Ronance seems to be based on, one a fan ship because of the sapphic undertones in the dialogs. Another possible inspo is a gay couple that adopts a queer kid who carries the "soul" of their lover inside.

And there are moments of proxy dialog especially from Robin during her coming out and in her talk with Steve that link her to El & Max.

I'll talk about these elements in a different posts though. Let's just say that there are huge clues for feminist and sapphic couples in Season 5 and the butterfly/Labrys is just one of it.

[horuslupercal]

Perturabo’s home planet being based off Ancient Greece is fine. But I think it would’ve been more fun if it was based off the Minoan Civilisation

I am saying this because I recently found out how detailed their palaces/city centres are. Imagining him constructing something like that rn

ngl when I think of the minoans I always think of their bangin fashion senses but yess the architecture is also so good and I love how colourful it is. have u seen the pic with the ceiling tiles? can't believe we got perturabo with his stupid little hazard stripes legion (affectionate) when he could have them in a great colour scheme

oh oh oh!! just to add some extra Whammy to this thought:

whenever magnus thinks about the council of nikaea, he thinks about the patterns on the walls. he spent a lot of time staring at them, trying to bite his tongue when it wasn't his turn to speak (not that he's ever been too good at waiting his turn, but you don't simply speak over the emperor). even though perturabo didn't build the chambers for that purpose, he didn't show up for his favourite brother and thinking about the council makes magnus think about the patterns and it still stings.

[scriptorsapiens]

Classicstober Day 16: Circe (𐀑𐀪𐀐)

The witch-goddess of Aeaea, Circe is best known for turning sailors into animals. My take on her is partially inspired by Madeline Miller's book Circe.

I can't lie and say Madeline Miller's take on Circe was not a big part of my affection for this character, but I like to think my take on her is much more of my own.

Despite popular imaginings of her as a human witch, Circe is actually a full-blooded goddess. She is another child of Helios, the sun, and the ocean-nymph Perse (her sister Pasiphaë we have already met and her brother Aeëtes was the possessor of the Golden Fleece that Jason was looking for (and also Medea's father)). While she is full-blooded, I decided to make her look a lot more human than her sister. It makes it easier to imagine her and Odysseus together, as well as how their son Telegonus might have looked too. Like all children of Helios, Circe gets his shining yellow eyes, which help to keep her from looking too human. I think her hair is more like her mother's.

For clothing, I again borrow from Helios' palette by giving her purple. Coincidentally, for a modern audience this also mixes well with her witchy, magical role in her stories. Her clothes themselves were something I struggled with; living on an island I doubt she would be up to date on the latest Mycenaean/Minoan fashions, but I definitely wanted to evoke those shapes for her. I also wanted to stay away from the classical draped look of the chiton. Instead she wound up in this 'sheet-tied-in-the-front' kind of shawl thing.

Her wand borrows from much later art depictions of her (John William Waterhouse in particular comes to mind). For various reasons I dislike Hairy-Podder, and their short wands always kind of irked me. A wand in ancient sources is usually depicted as much larger than something a modern magician might use, so I went with that for this depiction of Circe. Her magic also derives heavily from the use of herbs, and you can see some of them in the bowl she is coaxing her spell from.

Anyhoo, happy birthday to meeeeeeeahahahaha

[luwupercal]

I’ve been pondering Minoan Perturabo for a while now and my brain has thought of something. The dynamic between Perturabo and his sister Calliphone kind of resemble the Minotaur and Ariadne

Like for example: Calliphone was supposed to be the successor for the throne of her kingdom but only being remembered as Perturabo’s sister. And Ariadne being seen by a lot of archeologists as a very important Minoan goddess but only being remembered as a side character in the Minotaur story. (Also the whole completely normal sister and giant sort-of nonhuman brother trope both those stories have)

OH THOSE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD PARALLELS...

i'm thinking now about a minotaur au w perturabo and calliphone as the minotaur and ariadne. i think that'd be so swell... (thinking so hard about minotaurturabo!!!!!!! i lub minotaurs) i really like this it's very fitting

actually quick ping @horuslupercal i feel like you'd enjoy this concept

[rgraves1]

Prometheus, the Titan God of Fire. Source: mythnerd.com

Atlas and Prometheus

PROMETHEUS, the creator of mankind, whom some include among the seven Titans, was the son either of the Titan Eurymedon, or of Iapetus by the nymph Clymene; and his brothers were Epimetheus, Atlas and Menoetius.

Gigantic Atlas, eldest of the brothers, knew all the depths of the sea; he ruled over a kingdom with a precipitous coastline, larger than Africa and Asia put together. This land of Atlantis lay beyond the Pillars of Heracles, and a chain of fruit-bearing islands separated it from a farther continent, unconnected with ours. (Atlas and Prometheus, The Greek Myths by Robert Graves, pp 143-149)

Atlantis was an exceptional civilisation with baths, race courses, palaces, fearsome armies and great harbours, but its people were filled with self regard and pride so the gods sent a deluge that submerged the mighty kingdom in a sea of mud. In the meantime Atlas joined the ill-fated Titans’ assault on Olympus. Menoetius was killed in that battle and after the Titan’ defeat, Atlas was required by Zeus to hold up the heavens on his huge shoulders, which he has done ever since. Prometheus was wiser than his brothers and fought on the Olympians’ side in that war. Embraced by Athene, Prometheus learned much about architecture, mathematics, navigation, medicine, astronomy and the arts from the goddess and he passed his knowledge onto mankind, whom he loved. One night, the Titan lit a torch from the Chariot of the Sun and taking a glowing shard of charcoal, he crept out of Olympus and gave mankind the gift of fire.

Zeus was infuriated at this betrayal. The King of Heaven was already doubtful about mankind and with fire, he feared men may one day challenge the gods. Zeus therefore designed a gruesome punishment for Prometheus. He had the Titan chained naked to a pillar in the Caucasus Mountains where a vulture tore out his liver every day, and each night it grew again so the torture could continue. Without Prometheus, woes befell mankind. The capricious and immature Pandora, created by Zeus as a foolish and superficial woman, was wife to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus. The curious woman opened a sealed jar that Prometheus had ordered her husband to keep shut at all costs and so released the Spites of Old Age, Labour, Sickness, Mental Illness, Vice and Lust which swarmed out of the jar to afflict all mortals.

Graves believes the Atlantis legend was a memory of the attested Bronze Age flood of the Minoan island of Pharos, although more recent study is of the view that the entire Atlantis story was an invention of the philosopher Plato who wished to parody the states of Athens, Sparta and Persia of his own time.

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

The Garden of Innocence

Pairing: Dionysus x Ariadne

M

CW: mention of death, sexual reference, language

Summary: Dionysus accidentally summons Aphrodite. She warns him not to grow too attached to a mortal lover.

Chapter 2

Dionysus’s dreams were scattered. Somewhere in the world, some women thought of him, some called his name. Elsewhere a panther sprung from a branch. It’s teeth sunk into the throat of a deer. It’s hot blood—

A fire burned for him, singeing the hands of—

A shudder ran through the deer. The last of its struggle. Hind feet faint against —

Dionysus, Dionysus! Prayers to him sounded amid sweating bodies, dancers clutching one another’s hands. He was their pleasure, the staining wine in their throats.

Dionysus. His father’s face, granite stern. And he is gone.

It is not difficult for a god to be in multiple places at once. That is why it came as a surprise when for days — mortal days— no sight or sound could hold him. A thunderclap, and it was raining on the fig tree again.

At first, he was relieved. Finally, something waking, vivid. He stirred, alert now, for he was surprised to find himself fully embodied, back uncomfortably pressed to the fig’s forked trunk. He has not meant to return.

It was a very nice tree. But that was all. And moreover, the mortal Theseus had annoyed him here. The world was full of trees— many of them possessed by gorgeous women.

He thought about it. Maybe there was a nymph in there. She might have drawn him in, grown bashful at the sight of such a one as he, and vanished. He liked this idea. He turned around, examines the trunk and gave a knock. “Hello,” he said, “It is the great god Dionysus. Perhaps you yearn for me?”

The tree said nothing.

The figs were ripe and smelled pleasant. He picked one and ate it. And it was quiet in the wood.

Fallen leaves rustled: She interests you.

Images of young girl entered his head. Familiar, yet dewy and gilded. Her shoulders— how gentle their slope. Her hips — how lush. A fig falls into an open hand, which stretches out to him… but he shook it off. Such thoughts were not his own.

Dionysus sighed. He was enjoying the birds and cool weather and had not wanted company, nor expected it. Nevertheless, there stood a golden woman smelling of new apples and the hot sun on drying grain.

“Aphrodite,” he said flatly.

She smiled, not her real smile, but the calculating one that spoke of court and intrigue.

“She’s pretty,” said the goddess, examining a ripe fig, “The Minoan girl.”

“She’s from Crete?” he asked.

“Oh, so you are interested.”

“She’s a girl isn’t she?” he said, “I like lots of girls … well, lots of everyone. And even you think she’s pretty.”

Aphrodite laughed. And light glittered from the surface of every wet leaf in the forest. A thousand mirrors held to the sun.

“For now.”

He knew what she meant. The girl would be dead before the goddess’s envy might fester. He pictured her hand again, this time veined and spotted with age. He felt a prickle of sadness, the sensation once again hazed with gold.

“What do you want?” he said, meeting Aphrodite’s eyes. She smiled again, soft and luminous.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just looking out for you.”

“I doubt that.”

“Why?” Her face was sweet. She was good at wearing a face. It was appealingly human, with all the little freckles and irregularities other deities disdained. He’d asked her about it once.

“What is more beautiful?” she answered, “The lyre played by a beloved hand or by an automaton?”

He had not understood.

His older brother, who loved lofty riddles, said, “It’s true. Sometimes the spotted lamb is dearest to the shepherd.”

“Oh?” Dionysus laughed at him, “Then why are you perfect?”

Apollo said simply, “I am not a lamb.”

That much he understood. Apollo was god of plague and searing heat. He did not need love.

Aphrodite didn’t either. Dionysus was pretty sure she just wanted to be special.

He looked at her critically now. Before he could speak she rolled her eyes.

“You summoned me, silly. You were dreaming of her. It’s not that complicated — or don’t you remember?”

“Look,” he said, “Isn’t it mating season somewhere? Go … pair off some swans or something.”

“If you say so,” she said, more focused on picking a tangle from her hair, “I suppose … oh, I’ll just tell you. Don’t grow too fond. She will die soon. I mean it.”

“Of course she will. She’s mortal. Bye now.”

Aphrodite winced, as if something unseen caused her visceral pain.

“Wow,” he said, distancing himself while she was too distracted to mesmerize him, “I just remembered how many important things I had to do today!”

“I like you, Dionysus.” She looked at him with pity. “I mean that too.”

“What’s that?” He cupped his ear to the empty breeze, “An orgy in Thebes? In my honor? Oh, I can’t be another minute late!”

He sauntered aimlessly, any direction away from her with her chiming voice and enveloping scent. But there was no need. She was already gone.

He was glad to be sure he was alone again. It was a beautiful day. The rain could make him neither cold nor wet and he was starting to like the look of this island. He thought he might go for an swim.

“I’ll tell you what,” he scoffed to himself, “She wants me to clear out so she can kill the girl and have that Theseus all to herself.”

He found himself at the island’s hem in a couple of godly strides. It was comprised of high crags overlooking a few miles of shale. It did not matter. He was a god and could make the leap. By the time he reached the water he had already become a pod of sea lions.

Continued: (x)

@hycinthrt @withlovefromolympus @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @silly-billy-the-bunny @dionysian-daydream @kebriones @margaretkart

[mysticarcanum]

12, 58, 98!

12. name of your favorite playlist?

call me a sinner for wondering why - it's a playlist for my wild west preacher oc (one day I'll actually get to play him in a friends d&d game, but right now i just rotate him in my mind). the title's a lyric from Sleeping on the Blacktop by Colter Wall.

58. four talents you're proud of having?

BIG NUMBER ONE is that ive memorized pi to 50 digits. this will never help me in life. no one finds it impressive. i look like a dork when i show off this skill. but it matters. to me.

second is my robust knowledge of the edible mushrooms and other plants of southern ontario. this one DOES have the potential to be impressive if i could ever get anyone to come into the woods for long enough with me

third is my soup making skill. not to brag or anything but my broths are ROBUST and FLAVOURFUL and rival the taste of my BABUSHKA'S soups (i have to say rivals and not surpasses. for legal reasons. babushkas are extremely deadly)

and FOURTH is my ability to spot frogs and catch them in my hands . i am so good at this. yes i AM single ladies if you're interested

98. favourite historical era?

perhaps this is just because i was talking about it the other day but i'll say the minoan empire. she is like a brother to me

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Chiron (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Trainer of Heroes, The Golden Centaur by the people of Olympius

Mr. Wise by the Centaur community

Pop by his children

Stallion by his wife

Age- 49 (immortal)

Location- Thessaly, Olympius

Personality- A "gem" of the Centaur community, he's a perfectionist through and through. He has the biggest heart & he genuinely cares for people, in and outside of his community. He's a great orator, teacher, & is remarkably patient. He's recently remarried.

He's a Centaur. His lower half is that of a white stallion.

Chiron's immediate family includes his new wife Paean (goddess of physicians), his younger brother Dolops (who owns his own business), and his children from his first marriage- a son Carystus (nicknamed Cary) & daughters Melanippe (nicknamed Melanie), Endeïs, and Oycrhoe. Their mother (Chiron's ex-wife) is Chariclo, an Oread (mountain nymph). The two still maintain a friendship.

He, his wife, and children reside at their picturesque woodland estate in the state of Thessaly with an equally breathtaking view of Mt. Pelion. Inside the interior colors are dark shades of blue, green, orange, & brown. There's lots of leather furniture, various decorative animal pelts, and taxidermed animal mounts. His Imperial Gold bow and arrow (a gift from Apollo which is purely decorative) is on proud display in the main living room. The basement is converted into a "man cave" of sorts- complete with leather armchairs, a pool table, a flat screen television (which is rarely turned on), & several upon several shelves filled with books of various subjects (including the rare leather bound editions). Chiron owns a canoe as well as many hunting rifles. He & Paean also have the pleasure of having an apartment suite in the royal palace on Mt. Olympus.

Because he has the favor of King Zeus and Queen Hera as well as the general respect & admiration of the pantheon, he was granted with the gift of immortality. Chiron & his family also has a security detail provided by the King.

Chiron is the only non-deity to have a star on the Pantheon Walk of Fame. Many Thessilian Centaurs came to the official ceremony!

He's fluent in Old Greek (self-taught), Latin, and Minoan (after an eight month stay in Crete).

He always starts of his morning with a run, a workout session at the nearby gym, followed by a nice hot cup of roast coffee at home while reading The Oracle newspaper.

Other go-to drinks for him include water, aloe vera juice, grapefruit soda, mango juice, & his "special" milkshake that he makes often. He's more so of a social drinker- enjoying a glass of brandy or champagne.

Not much is known about how Chiron started out, but his intelligence and way with words were always praised. He started teaching early on as a young man- first in secret in an underground school towards the end of the Titanomachy (when the Titan God & King, Kronos ordered that all schools should be burnt down and destroyed). Several hundred years later, Chiron was still an educator in Thessaly teaching at a low funded public school. His talents with the sword and bow & arrow also became gossiped about!

It's said that his archery skills are on par with Apollo and Artemis! Chiron also knows his way around a shotgun, almost never missing his target.

His favorite dessert is the carrot cake from Hollyhock's Bakery. He also likes his wife's vegan flourless chocolate cake!

There's several scholarships at the University in his honor.

Chiron's op-ed piece titled "A Trail of Tears" garnered nationwide attention. He offers his thougths and possible solutions on the heightened violence in the Centaur community. It all stemmed from daily news reports a couple years ago of many centaurs losing their lives in various violent crimes. It was known as "The Summer of Blood."

For his career, he recently did the grand opening of his training academy- most notable students being Jason & his fellow Argonauts. The school is open to all creeds. His main career though is being a public speaker. Chiron travels throughout Olympius (sometimes out-of-realm) where he gives speaking engagements. It's said that he earns up to a million drachmas per speech! He's also an accomplished author having published a few books- his best seller being Letters From Thessaly. For other work he also writes for The Oracle newspaper as well as the magazines O Dianooumenos & Modern Olympus. Personally, Chiron and his brother co-founded an organization that's set up to help promote education & literacy in the youth of the Centaur community. Summers in Thessaly are always filled with charity basketball and football (soccer games), an archery contest, and barbeques open to the public! A personal highlight of his career was when he was in attendance at the swearing in ceremony of the newest police cheif of the New Olympus Police Department- a centauress (female centaur) named Dorotea Tsopei.

In the pantheon, he's friendly with all of the deities, but he's especially good friends with Ktesios (god of the household), Eudaimonia (goddess of happiness), Karmanor (demi-god of the harvest), Neicus (god of debate & appeal), Apólafsi (god of enjoyment), Lelantos (Lantos) (Titan god of air, the unseen, & hunting), Pathos (god of emotion), Eikono (goddess of iconography & literature), Pan (god of the wild, satyrs, shepherds, & rustic music), and Favian (god of philosophy).

His favorite guilty pleasures is the BLT on a hero (on whole wheat bread) from The Bread Box & the veggie burger from Olympic Chef with olympian sized sweet potato fries.

Even though Chiron is immensely blessed and grateful for the many opportunities that came his way, he does feel this insurmountable burden to be the best Centaur he can be, carrying all the responsibilities & varying issues within the Centaur community on his back. He can think back to every moment at any social function when someone made an ignorant comment towards him disguised as compliments- "Oh, you're not a true Centaur" or "You're the best one." A viral sketch on The Agnostic Network said it best- "This shining beacon isn't a notorious overly indulgent drinker or greets someone with a crack of a skull. No! Not a uncultured barbarian- He's the pretty golden drachma! Intelligent! Civilized! A kind heart!"

His wife once comforted him while he was having a panic attack after nearly passing out while checking in a hotel in Naxos after seventy-two hours of no sleep.

Chiron has rejected both Clymene and Pheme's offers of filming a docuseries and a reality television show about his family.

Lately, he's been warming up to & supporting his son's decion to enter the music industry as a conscious rap artist.

Sometimes Chiron longs for the days where he'd be relaxing at his brother's barbershop, eating peanuts & chewing tobacco with the other guys all while having thoughtful and relaxing discussions about everything while playing cards & dominoes.

Despite all he's done for his community (and outside of it), controversy hasn't escaped Chiron. A main point of contention among Centauresses is his love life- the fact that he's never publicly dated or had a relationship with a female Centaur. Chiron hates how he has to defend who he fell in love with.

He knows his way around a kitchen- his most well known dish being this hearty and flavorful meat & potato stew (added with beef, pork, chicken, russet potatoes, green beans, okra, bell peppers, carrots, spicy sausages, and broccoli). His other favorite meals include his wife's grilled lime jerk wings, his daughter Endeïs' macaroni salad (where she uses olive oil mayo and adds chopped celery, red pepper, jalapeños, and parmesan & feta cheese), pastitsio, kalogeros, and wild rice salad (added with chopped pecans & pomegranate seeds).

Bonding time for Chiron and his daughters happen when they re-tighten his locs.

In his free time he enjoys archery, basketball, football (soccer), canoeing, hunting (with his son & brother), reading, writing, mountain climbing, gardening, baseball, chess, and playing pool. Chiron rarely watches televison (except for news & documentaries).

"You can help a person aquire knowledge, but you can't make them think."