#kore worship

[entheosareian]

Persephone

“May noble Persephone, queen of light and dark, comfort of the sorrowing and the bereft, be with us: we honor you and praise your might.” - Prayers to the Gods of Olympus

🌿Persephone loves and protects people of color, disabled people, trans people and all who are marginalized. 🌿

#Moodboard 2 #Persephone #Kore #persephone deity #persephone worship #Persephone goddess #kore deity #kore worship #Greek mythology #Hellenism #Hellenic polytheism #helpol #Hellenistic pagan #Greek pagan

[thedansemacabres]

Introduction To Supporting Sustainable Agriculture For Witches and Pagans

[ID: An image of yellow grain stocks, soon to be harvested. The several stocks reach towards a blurred open sky, focusing the camera on he grains themselves. The leaves of the grains are green and the cereals are exposed].

PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT ARE MOVEMENTS WITHIN A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CAPITALIST SOCIETY. As the world becomes more aware of the importance of sustainability, so does the duty of humanity to uphold the idea of the steward, stemming from various indigenous worldviews, in the modern era. I make this small introduction as a viticulturist working towards organic and environmentally friendly grape production. I also do work on a food farm, as a second job—a regenerative farm, so I suppose that is my qualifications. Sustainable—or rather regenerative agriculture—grows in recognition. And as paganism and witchcraft continue to blossom, learning and supporting sustainability is naturally a path for us to take. I will say that this is influenced by I living in the USA, however, there are thousands of groups across the world for sustainable agriculture, of which tend to be easy to research.

So let us unite in caring for the world together, and here is an introduction to supporting sustainable/regenerative agriculture. 

A QUICK BRIEF ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 

Sustainable agriculture, in truth, is a movement to practise agriculture as it has been done for thousands of years—this time, with more innovation from science and microbiology especially. The legal definition in the USA of sustainable agriculture is: 

The term ”sustainable agriculture” (U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3103) means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long-term:

A more common man’s definition would be farming in a way that provides society’s food and textile needs without overuse of natural resources, artificial supplements and pest controls, without compromising the future generation’s needs and ability to produce resources. The agriculture industry has one of the largest and most detrimental impacts on the environment, and sustainable agriculture is the alternative movement to it. 

Sustainable agriculture also has the perk of being physically better for you—the nutrient quality of crops in the USA has dropped by 47%, and the majority of our food goes to waste. Imagine if it was composted and reused? Or even better—we buy only what we need. We as pagans and witches can help change this. 

BUYING ORGANIC (IT REALLY WORKS)

The first step is buying organic. While cliche, it does work: organic operations have certain rules to abide by, which excludes environmentally dangerous chemicals—many of which, such as DDT, which causes ecological genocide and death to people. Organic operations have to use natural ways of fertilising, such as compost, which to many of us—such as myself—revere the cycle of life, rot, and death. Organic standards do vary depending on the country, but the key idea is farming without artificial fertilisers, using organic seeds, supplementing with animal manure, fertility managed through management practices, etc. 

However, organic does have its flaws. Certified organic costs many, of which many small farmers cannot afford. The nutrient quality of organic food, while tending to be better, is still poor compared to regeneratively grown crops. Furthermore, the process to become certified organic is often gruelling—you can practise completely organically, but if you are not certified, it is not organic. Which, while a quality control insurance, is both a bonus and a hurdle. 

JOINING A CSA

Moving from organic is joining a CSA (“Community supported agriculture”). The USDA defines far better than I could: 

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), one type of direct marketing, consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

By purchasing a farm share, you receive food from the farm for the agreed upon production year. I personally enjoy CSAs for the relational aspect—choosing a CSA is about having a relationship, not only with the farmer(s), but also the land you receive food from. I volunteer for my CSA and sometimes I get extra cash from it—partaking in the act of caring for the land. Joining a CSA also means taking your precious capital away from the larger food industry and directly supporting growers—and CSAs typically practise sustainable and/or regenerative agriculture. 

CSAs are also found all over the world and many can deliver their products to food deserts and other areas with limited agricultural access. I volunteer from time to time for a food bank that does exactly that with the produce I helped grow on the vegetable farm I work for. 

FARM MARKETS AND STALLS 

Another way of personally connecting to sustainable agriculture is entering the realm of the farm stall. The farmer’s market is one of my personal favourite experiences—people buzzing about searching for ingredients, smiles as farmers sell crops and products such as honey or baked goods, etc. The personal connection stretches into the earth, and into the past it buries—as I purchase my apples from the stall, I cannot help but see a thousand lives unfold. People have been doing this for thousands of years and here I stand, doing it all over again. 

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Farmers’ markets are dependent on your local area, yet in most you can still develop personal community connections. Paganism often stresses community as an ideal and a state of life. And witchcraft often stresses a connection to the soil. What better place, then, is purchasing the products from the locals who commune with the land? 

VOLUNTEERING 

If you are able to, I absolutely recommend volunteering. I have worked with aquaponic systems, food banks, farms, cider-making companies, soil conservation groups, etc. There is so much opportunity—and perhaps employment—in these fields. The knowledge I have gained has been wonderful. As one example, I learned that fertilisers reduce carbon sequestration as plants absorb carbon to help with nutrient intake. If they have all their nutrients ready, they do not need to work to obtain carbon to help absorb it. This does not even get into the symbiotic relationship fungi have with roots, or the world of hyphae. Volunteering provides community and connection. Actions and words change the world, and the world grows ever better with help—including how much or how little you may provide. It also makes a wonderful devotional activity. 

RESOURCING FOOD AND COOKING 

Buying from farmers is not always easy, however. Produce often has to be processed, requiring labour and work with some crops such as carrots. Other times, it is a hard effort to cook and many of us—such as myself—often have very limited energy. There are solutions to this, thankfully:

Many farmers can and will process foods. Some even do canning, which can be good to stock up on food and lessen the energy inputs. 

Value-added products: farms also try to avoid waste, and these products often become dried snacks if fruit, frozen, etc. 

Asking farmers if they would be open to accommodating this. Chances are, they would! The farmer I purchase my CSA share from certainly does. 

Going to farmers markets instead of buying a CSA, aligning with your energy levels. 

And if any of your purchased goods are going unused, you can always freeze them. 

DEMETER, CERES, VEIA, ETC: THE FORGOTTEN AGRICULTURE GODS

Agricultural gods are often neglected. Even gods presiding over agriculture often do not have those aspects venerated—Dionysos is a god of viticulture and Apollon a god of cattle. While I myself love Dionysos as a party and wine god, the core of him remains firmly in the vineyards and fields, branching into the expanses of the wild. I find him far more in the curling vines as I prune them than in the simple delights of the wine I ferment. Even more obscure gods, such as Veia, the Etruscan goddess of agriculture, are seldom known.

Persephone receives the worst of this: I enjoy her too as a dread queen, and people do acknowledge her as Kore, but she is far more popular as the queen of the underworld instead of the dear daughter of Demeter. I do understand this, though—I did not feel the might of Demeter and Persephone until I began to move soil with my own hands. A complete difference to the ancient world, where the Eleusinian mysteries appealed to thousands. Times change, and while some things should be left to the past, our link to these gods have been severed. After all, how many of us reading know where our food comes from? I did not until I began to purchase from the land I grew to know personally. The grocery store has become a land of tearing us from the land, instead of the food hub it should be.

Yet, while paganism forgets agriculture gods, they have not forgotten us. The new world of farming is more conductive and welcoming than ever. I find that while older, bigoted people exist, the majority of new farmers tend to be LGBT+. My own boss is trans and aro, and I myself am transgender and gay. The other young farmers I know are some flavour of LGBT+, or mixed/poc. There’s a growing movement for Black farmers, elaborated in a lovely text called We Are Each Other’s Harvest. 

Indigenous farming is also growing and I absolutely recommend buying from indigenous farmers. At this point, I consider Demeter to be a patron of LGBT+ people in this regard—she gives an escape to farmers such as myself. Bigotry is far from my mind under her tender care, as divine Helios shines above and Okeanos’ daughters bring fresh water to the crops. Paganism is also more commonly accepted—I find that farmers find out that I am pagan and tell me to do rituals for their crops instead of reacting poorly. Or they’re pagan themselves; a farmer I know turned out to be Wiccan and uses the wheel of the year to keep track of production. 

Incorporating these divinities—or concepts surrounding them—into our crafts and altars is the spiritual step towards better agriculture. Holy Demeter continues to guide me, even before I knew it. 

WANT CHANGE? DO IT YOURSELF! 

If you want change in the world, you have to act. And if you wish for better agriculture, there is always the chance to do it yourself. Sustainable agriculture is often far more accessible than people think: like witchcraft and divination, it is a practice. Homesteading is often appealing to many of us, including myself, and there are plenty of resources to begin. There are even grants to help one improve their home to be more sustainable, i.e. solar panels. Gardening is another, smaller option. Many of us find that plants we grow and nourish are far more potentant in craft, and more receptive to magical workings. 

Caring for plants is fundamental to our natures and there are a thousand ways to delve into it. I personally have joined conservation groups, my local soil conservation group, work with the NRCs in the USA, and more. The path to fully reconnecting to nature and agriculture is personal—united in a common cause to fight for this beautiful world. To immerse yourself in sustainable agriculture, I honestly recommend researching and finding your own path. Mine lies in soil and rot, grapevines and fruit trees. Others do vegetables and cereal grains, or perhaps join unions and legislators. Everyone has a share in the beauty of life, our lives stemming from the land’s gentle sprouts. 

Questions and or help may be given through my ask box on tumblr—if there is a way I can help, let me know. My knowledge is invaluable I believe, as I continue to learn and grow in the grey-clothed arms of Demeter, Dionysos, and Kore. 

FURTHER READING:

Baszile, N. (2021). We are each other’s harvest. HarperCollins.

Hatley, J. (2016). Robin Wall Kimmerer. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Environmental Philosophy, 13(1), 143–145. https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil201613137

Regenerative Agriculture 101. (2021, November 29). https://www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101#what-is

And in truth, far more than I could count. 

References

Community Supported Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/community-supported-agriculture

Navazio, J. (2012). The Organic seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production. Chelsea Green Publishing.

Plaster, E. (2008). Soil Science and Management. Cengage Learning.

Sheaffer, C. C., & Moncada, K. M. (2012). Introduction to agronomy: food, crops, and environment. Cengage Learning.

Sheldrake, M. (2020). Entangled life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures. Random House.

Sustainable Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/sustainable-agriculture

#dragonis.txt #witchcraft #paganism #hellenic polytheism #witchblr #pagan #helpol #hellenic pagan #hellenic worship #hellenic paganism #hellenic polytheist #demeter deity #demeter worship #persephone deity #kore deity #raspol #etrupol #etruscan polytheist #etruscan polytheism #rasenna polytheism #rasenna polytheist #rasenna paganism

[iliosflower]

Persephone's Abduction

"Persephone went willingly! Just check the oldest myth." - one too many a person on tiktok this morning.

Alright, I will. I'll use the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (7th century BCE) for you.

"[..] but broad-pathed Earth gaped wide

On the Nysion plain where the lord, the Receiver of many, rushed forth

With his deathless horses, Kronos' son who has many a name.

He seized her against her will, and aboard his golden car

Carried her off, lamenting; she uttered a piercing scream"

(line 16-20)

"When the maiden shrieked in appeal to her father"

(line 27)

"While the goddess [Persephone] viewed earth and starry sky, and the strong-flowing sea

Teeming with fish, and the rays of the Sun, she still hoped to behold

Her dear mother again, and the tribes of gods eternal in race;

So long did hope soothe her mighty mind despite her grief."

(line 33-36)

"Sun, [Helios], as a god for a goddess [Demeter] show your regard for me,

If ever by word or deed your heart and spirit I pleased.

The daughter whom I bore, my sweet offshoot of glorious form,

I heard through the murmuring air giving vent to an anguished cry

As though overpowered by force, yet caught no glimpse with my eyes.

[...]

Who took her without my consent against her will by force

And vanished -"

(line 64-72)

"And the lord in his [Hades'] halls he [Hermes] discovered seated upon a couch,

And he had his revered spouse by him, though much against her will,

Since she longed for Demeter, her mother -"

(line 43-45)

"She [Persephone] quickly leaped up in delight, but secretly, glancing round,

He [Hades] gave her to eat a pomegranate's honey-sweet seed, so that there

By revered Demeter the dark-robed she would not for ever stay."

(line 73-75)

"I [Persephone] at once leaped up in delight, but Hades secretly put

A food as sweet as honey, a pomegranate's seed, in my hand

And using violence forced me to taste it against my will"

(line 412-412)

Photo credit here.

#can you tell i'm tired? #worship hades and persephone together - see them as a happy couple - that still does not deny what's in the myths. #you can't rewrite it and 'correct' people on the 'true story'. #it's about grief and forced marriage and being torn from your mother. it's about demeter and persephone. #persephone deity #persephone worship #demeter deity #demeter worship #hades deity #hades worship #demeter devotee #homeric hymns #kore #hellenic polytheist #eleusinian mysteries #<- as this hymn is the foundation myth of that cult and what i reconstruct

[kore-siciliana]

UPG: On the nature of the gods, ancestors, and maybe also mystery cults

What is a god but many of the blessed dead coming together in an afterlife.  Many joined together across space and time to form a consciousness. Together they can speak and act and live.  To me that is the mystery cult.  What is a blessed afterlife but joining with a god.  And when you pray and libate to a god you become part of them.  In life and death you then can join with many gods and in life they live close to you. 

They love to come together around you.  Each time you pray and give offerings you add to them as a god.  You give part of yourself and those blessed dead that are always around us can join to become part of that god to be near you. 

Giving to a god is also a way to give to the blessed dead or our ancestors.  There then is a way that ancestral gods mean something.  Our ancestors can remember what it means to be part of a god they themselves sacrificed to.  Though I should say, that doesn’t mean you cannot worship gods who are not ancestral to you.  You still help a god come together around you by giving to them. 

So libate! The gods live and they live around us. They can hear and feel us and they are always with us.

#hellenic deities #hellenic polytheism #helpol #mystery cults #Eleusis #Eleusinian mysteries #Dionysian mysteries #cthonic gods #12 olympians #zeus #hera #demeter #hestia #poseidon #hades #dionysus #hermes #apollon #apollo #artemis #ares #athena #hephaestus #persephone #kore #theoi #theoi worship #greek gods #dionysus worship #Aphrodite

[persephonesdread]

trying to find persephone content while avoiding lore olympus content, feels like im running in a mine field

#kore #hellenic polytheism #helpol #persephone worship #persephone deity #anti lore olympus

[toutoshodoroki]

Is it possible to romance Astarion with a good character?

#because i’m going to go with someone else for my lolth worshipping cleric #kore blabs #astarion #baldurs gate 3 #possible spoilers #in comments and reblogs

[thatcretanwitch]

heeyy i have some questions for the Hades, Persephone and Apollo devotees out there. actually, my question goes to anyone who i suppose has an answer.

i have a few questions about offerings: personally i feel anxious putting out obvious offerings (cause im closeted and my family constantly just gets in my room, always asking what is this and that and the other and i can nit for thw live of me say something rhat isnt the truth lol) and i can not afford much when it comes to offerings. sometimes i do, sometimes i dont.

how frequently do you give offerings?

if i give a food offering would it be ok if i at least fed the stray cats in my yard with it?

would me eating or drinking something in honor of them be considered an offering?

do you have any ideas of non physical offerings?

thank you for your time, have a good day!!

(if i dont answer your comment it is because this is a side blog)

#hades worship #hades and kore #hades #goddess persephone #persephone worship #persephone #apollo worship #apollo

[miladeywrites]

Hello everyone, have you checked out @grimdoesart on Instagram? She’s the AMAZING artist behind these wonderful Lore Olympus arts!!! Want to support an artist and her art? They are now available as stickers, DM @grimdoesart on Instagram to order yours now! Can’t buy them yet? Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and share her posts ❤️

#lore olympus #greek gods #greek mythology #hades and persephone #hades and kore #artemis #ares worship #ares #persephone #rachel smythe #artists on tumblr #artistsupport #art #digital artist #hades deity #daddyhades #aesthetic

[daggerpinknife]

coin from Aphrodite's ancient temple of Paphos (note the 8 point star, sacred to deities of the planet Venus!)

#koinon kyprion #ancient coin #aphrodite worship #i also spot what appears to be the goddess pose of Tanit here as well!!! #goddess mediterranea is a marvel to me #the crescent under the star appears to allude from whence the star of venus is born in eastern mythology #daughter of the moon #daughter of the moon is also an epithet for constellation virgo! who in the end is simply divine aphrodite! or rather #a youthful celestial kore #ancient cyprus #antiquity

[vaspider]

In defense of retellings & reimaginings

I'm not going to respond to the post that sparked this, because honestly, I don't really feel like getting in an argument, and because it's only vaguely even about the particular story that the other post discussed. The post in question objected to retellings of the Rape of Persephone which changed important elements of the story -- specifically, Persephone's level of agency, whether she was kidnapped, whether she ate seeds out of hunger, and so on. It is permissible, according to this thesis, to 'fill in empty spaces,' but not to change story elements, because 'those were important to the original tellers.' (These are acknowledged paraphrases, and I will launch you into the sun if you nitpick this paragraph.)

I understand why to the person writing that, that perspective is important, and why they -- especially as a self-described devotee of Persephone -- feel like they should proscribe boundaries around the myth. It's a perfectly valid perspective to use when sorting -- for example -- which things you choose to read. If you choose not to read anything which changes the elements which you feel are important, I applaud you.

However, the idea that one should only 'color in missing pieces,' especially when dealing with stories as old, multi-sourced, and fractional as ancient myths, and doing so with the argument that you shouldn't change things because those base elements were important to the people who originally crafted the stories, misses -- in my opinion -- the fundamental reason we tell stories and create myths in the first place.

Forgive me as I get super fucking nerdy about this. I've spent the last several years of my life wrestling with the concept of myths as storytelling devices, universality of myths, and why myths are even important at all as part of writing on something like a dozen books (a bunch of which aren't out yet) for a game centered around mythology. A lot of the stuff I've written has had to wrestle with exactly this concept -- that there is a Sacred Canon which cannot be disrupted, and that any disregard of [specific story elements] is an inexcusable betrayal.

Myths are stories we tell ourselves to understand who we are and what's important to us as individuals, as social groups, and as a society. The elements we utilize or change, those things we choose to include and exclude when telling and retelling a story, tell us what's important to us.

I could sit down and argue over the specific details which change over the -- at minimum -- 1700 years where Persephone/Kore/Proserpina was actively worshiped in Greek and Roman mystery cults, but I actually don't think those variations in specific are very important. What I think is important, however, is both the duration of her cults -- at minimum from 1500 BCE to 200CE -- and the concept that myths are stories we tell ourselves to understand who we are and what's important to us.

The idea that there was one, or even a small handful, of things that were most important to even a large swath of the people who 'originally' told the store of the Rape of Persephone or any other 'foundational' myth of what is broadly considered 'Western Culture,' when those myths were told and retold in active cultic worship for 1700 years... that seems kind of absurd to me on its face. Do we have the same broad cultural values as the original tellers of Beowulf, which is only (heh) between 1k-1.3k years old? How different are our marital traditions, our family traditions, and even our language? We can, at best, make broad statements, and of inclusive necessity, those statements must be broad enough as to lose incredible amounts of specificity. In order to make definitive, specific statements, we must leave out large swaths of the people to whom this story, or any like it, was important.

To move away from the specific story brought up by the poster whose words spun this off, because it really isn't about that story in particular, let's use The Matter of Britain/Arthuriana as our framing for the rest of this discussion. If you ask a random nerd on Tumblr, they'd probably cite a handful of story elements as essential -- though of course which ones they find most essential undoubtedly vary from nerd to nerd -- from the concept that Camelot Always Falls to Gawain and the Green Knight, Percival and the grail, Lancelot and Guinevere...

... but Lancelot/Guinevere and Percival are from Chrétien de Troyes in the 12th century, some ~500 years after Taliesin's first verses. Lancelot doesn't appear as a main character at all before de Troyes, and we can only potentially link him to characters from an 11th century story (Culhwch and Olwen) for which we don't have any extant manuscripts before the 15th century. Gawain's various roles in his numerous appearances are... conflicting characterizations at best.

The point here is not just that 'the things you think are essential parts of the story are not necessarily original,' or that 'there are a lot of different versions of this story over the centuries,' but also 'what you think of as essential is going to come back to that first thesis statement above.' What you find important about The Matter of Britain, and which story elements you think can be altered, filed off or filled in, will depend on what that story needs to tell you about yourself and what's important to you.

Does creating a new incarnation of Arthur in which she is a diasporic lesbian in outer space ruin a story originally about Welsh national identity and chivalric love? Does that disrespect the original stories? How about if Arthur is a 13th century Italian Jew? Does it disrespect the original stories if the author draws deliberate parallels between the seduction of Igerne and the story of David and Bathsheba?

Well. That depends on what's important to you.

Insisting that the core elements of a myth -- whichever elements you believe those to be -- must remain static essentially means 'I want this myth to stagnate and die.' Maybe it's because I am Jewish, and we constantly re-evaluate every word in Torah, over and over again, every single year, or maybe it's because I spend way, way too much time thinking about what's valuable in stories specifically because I write words about these concepts for money, but I don't find these arguments compelling at all, especially not when it comes to core, 'mainstream' mythologies. These are tools in the common toolbox, and everybody has access to them.

More important to me than the idea that these core elements of any given story must remain constant is, to paraphrase Dolly Parton, that a story knows what it is and does it on purpose. Should authors present retellings or reimaginings of the Rape of Persephone or The Matter of Britain which significantly alter historically-known story elements as 'uncovered' myths or present them as 'the real and original' story? Absolutely not. If someone handed me a book in which the new Grail was a limited edition Macklemore Taco Bell Baja Blast cup and told me this comes directly from recently-discovered 6th century writings of Taliesin, I would bonk them on the head with my hardcover The Once & Future King. Of course that's not the case, right?

But the concept of canon, historically, in these foundational myths has not been anything like our concept of canon today. Canon should function like a properly-fitted corset, in that it should support, not constrict, the breath in the story's lungs. If it does otherwise, authors should feel free to discard it in part or in whole.

Concepts of familial duty and the obligation of marriage don't necessarily resonate with modern audiences the way that the concept of self-determination, subversion of unreasonable and unjustified authority, and consent do. That is not what we, as a general society, value now. If the latter values are the values important to the author -- the story that the author needs to tell in order to express who they are individually and culturally and what values are important to them* -- then of course they should retell the story with those changed values. That is the point of myths, and always has been.

Common threads remain -- many of us move away from family support regardless of the consent involved in our relationships, and life can be terrifying when you're suddenly out of the immediate reach and support of your family -- because no matter how different some values are, essential human elements remain in every story. It's scary to be away from your mother for the first time. It's scary to live with someone new, in a new place. It's intimidating to find out that other people think you have a Purpose in life that you need to fulfill. It's hard to negotiate between the needs of your birth family and your chosen family.

None of this, to be clear, is to say that any particular person should feel that they need to read, enjoy, or appreciate any particular retelling, or that it's cool, hip and groovy to misrepresent your reworking of a myth as a 'new secret truth which has always been there.' If you're reworking a myth, be truthful about it, and if somebody told you 'hey did you know that it really -- ' and you ran with that and find out later you were wrong, well, correct the record. It's okay to not want to read or to not enjoy a retelling in which Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere negotiate a triad and live happily ever after; it's not really okay to say 'you can't do that because you changed a story element which I feel is non-negotiable.' It's okay to say 'I don't think this works because -- ' because part of writing a story is that people are going to have opinions on it. It's kind of weird to say 'you're only allowed to color inside these lines.'

That's not true, and it never has been. Greek myths are not from a closed culture. Roman myths are not sacrosanct. There are plenty of stories which outsiders should leave the hell alone, but Greek and Roman myths are simply not on that list. There is just no world in which you can make an argument that the stories of the Greek and Roman Empires are somehow not open season to the entire English-speaking world. They are the public-est of domain.

You don't have to like what people do with it, but that doesn't make people wrong for writing it, and they certainly don't have to color within the lines you or anyone else draws. Critique how they tell the story, but they haven't committed some sort of cultural treachery by telling the stories which are important to them rather than the stories important to someone 2500 years dead.

****

*These are not the only reasons to tell a story and I am not in any way saying that an author is only permitted to retell a story to express their own values. There are as many reasons to tell a story as there are stories, and I don't really think any reason to create fiction is more or less valid than any other. I am discussing, specifically, the concept of myths as conveyors of essential cultural truths.

[alpaca-clouds]

Let me just be a mythology geek for a minute...

So... Persephone...

So, Stray Gods establishes that the gods for the most part do not remember their pasts too well. Because some knowledge gets lost each time the eidolon passes on.

To me this kinda makes for a fun option, though. Because... I am too much of a mythology geek not to look at this from the perspective of the development of the mythology. ESPECIALLY when it comes to Persephone.

You see, Persephone as a goddess is older than Hades. As in: Myths about her have been around for a much longer time than myths about Hades. Originally Persephone and Demeter were worshiped as "the two queens" by some old cults. We do not know much in detail what that worship entailed, but we know that for some people in the very, very early days of these gods, the two in their duality were very, very important.

You also might know that Persephone has the alternative name of Kore. Well, Persephone translated means Bringer Of Destruction, while Kore just means "the girl". And given that there is power in names and what not it is believed that the name Persephone was not spoken because people were afraid of summoning her. (Just as later on the name Hades was not spoken, with him being referred to as Ago, Aner or Laos.)

Now, the name Hades translates to "the Unseen". And... that brings me to one big thing.

Mythologically speaking Hades was originally not the god of the underworld or the dead. Again, he as a god came on fairly late and originally he was probably just an aspect of Poseidon, that after a while became worshiped as an individual deity. But even as such... If we look at the "three godly brothers" they are in fact God of the Sky, God of the Sea, and God of the Earth. Hades as a god is fairly new, but his association with the underworld and him being the king of the dead is even newer...

What I am getting at: There is a good chance that it was in fact Persephone who originally was the Goddess of Dead and Queen of the Underworld - with her and Demeter as the "two Queens" taking a kinda Yin-Yang theme of Demeter as a goddess of life and Persephone as a goddess of death.

Because let me make one thing clear: Persephone (you know, BRINGER OF MOTHERFUCKING DISTRUCTION) was never a goddess of spring. She just became associated with spring through the entire Hades and Persephone myth, with her returning to Demeter being the reason for spring. But she, as a goddess, is not a bringer of spring.

So, why am I rambling about this here?

Well, because if we took in this information... There is a good chance that at some point too long ago for them to remember Hades and Zeus usurped the throne of the underworld from Persephone, who was originally the queen.

God darn it, I need to write a fic about this, don't I?

EDIT: I started writing it. Here you go.

#stray gods #hades #persephone #underworld #mythology #greek mythology #ancient greece

[big-tiddy-bi]

This is part 2 of the Danny yelling at the justice league fic. It was going to be a one shot but @phoenixdemonqueen called one of the lines I wrote cool, and I started squealing, flapping my arms and jumping around my kitchen so I had to write more <3 also hydrate or  diedrate

Tw for body horror, idk if it counts but better safe than sorry <3

——————

Greek mythology has many myths on of which is Theseus and Pirithous. Pirithous full of hubris decided, with the help of Theseus to kidnap the goddess Kore and try to forcefully marry her. Before they can enact this honestly genius plan, that was sarcasm by the way, her husband traps them in chairs with snakes and leaves them there for the furies to torture.

Most stories have a lesson And the lesson of this one is very important. Don’t Be Stupid, Stupid. 

Currently John Constantine was trying and failing to tell the justice league. “Are you fucking stupid” and deadman told them “to fight someone from the infinite realms is suicidal”.

After Danny’s stunt most of the non-magical justice league wanted to hunt him down to “set the record straight”, when they said that John and deadman left the room.

On the day the justice league stated in the email, they stood at a sign stating “welcome to Amity, the most haunted place in America”.

One of the most loved groups of people, the justice league walked through the city like ghosts. They were used to stairs and whispers, but usually of worship and maybe small insults but not like this. Could feel the distain in the air, like the city itself was trying to strangle them.

A tall blonde teen in a varsity jacket screamed at them to leave, that they weren’t wanted, but with much more explicit language.

Flash tried to make a joke, and the resulting glare from the rest of the league could have killed him on the spot, and several of the residents through things at him after they heard him.

They walked up to the building that held mayor’s office. Batman’s face was unreadable, unlike Superman’s whose expression told all his feelings of worry.

In the building they heard several voices, on of which matched phantom, ridiculing the mayor. Who just kept sighing in utter annoyance.

Wonder Woman opened the door to the office to be met with a comedic scene. Phantom floating in one corner of the room flipping of the mayor, who was also flipping him off in return. A goth girl with vine tattoos trailing from her wrist up her arms was slipping some papers onto the table, with the title mandatory vegan in bold letters while the mayor was distracted. two boys one with a tattoo around his eye similar to the eye of Ra, the other had on a shirt that said “I know all your secret identities, don’t test me” both sitting on beanbags playing a video game that was projected on of the walls of the office. one girl with beautiful curly hair was coming through the window arms filled with take out bags, a couple from a Chinese restaurant and the others a fast food place. A woman with red hair was helping her in, holding a tray full of drinks.

All of them turned their heads in unison, phantom and the two tattooed individuals eyes glowing green. the mayor and the redheaded woman’s glowed green.

The window person finished coming through, and set the bags down on the mayor’s desk next to the drinks. The pulled a toxic green knife from behind her back, the redhead woman got into a defensive position her cheeks torn open so she could her hundreds of teeth, razor sharp. The mayor leaned forward in his chair, placing a hand on his desk, mouth turned up in a grin, showing of his sharp canines.

The red headed boy quickly moved to the back of the room, while his video game partner stood up, holes appearing on his body, one of his eyes rolling back into his head leaving another hole, all dripping with sand. The goth woman slowly grew liken and moss in her shoulders, it slowly crawled up one side of her face, she opened her mouth and vines sprung from it, wrapping around her head ripping her skin a flower came out replacing her face.

Phantom was the worst, he grew into a vaguely human shape thousands of mouths opened up on his body, some in other places around the room.

Phantom asked in a distorted voice “ were our warnings not enough for you?”

Batman spoke up “we came here to” but he was interrupted.

The sand being spoke this time. Angerly “ to gravel at our feet for forgiveness, to beg in a futile attempt to win back fame?”

Batman responded again “no, we are here” but he was interrupted again this time by the flower woman

“Without our permission, without the permission of the public, you governed by none.” The flower petals began to pulse “ you who could be saving people, come here to plead like dogs praying for table scraps” she yelled.

“We are here to talk” Batman finally got to say.

The redheaded boy responded this time. “ Bruce Wayne, these actions are unbecoming of you”

The entire justice league was taken aback. “Don’t be surprised” the redheaded woman said “you and your kin’s bodies may be living, but you belong to death the same as us”

“Let’s hear them out” the mayor said “after that you can end them in anyway you wish” he was bluffing of course, none of the heroes on team phantom would ever kill someone, but the justice league didn’t need to know that.

The curly haired woman spoke “ so, if you want to talk then talk”

Superman answered this time “ we never got your messages, we only found them while cleaning out the servers”

What sounded like every voice ever heard replied “what do you mean” the voice, voices? Sounded surprised.

“Exactly that” Wonder Woman answered.

“Someone hacked into our system and deliberately hid all communications from amity” the flash continued

Phantom appeared behind Batman. Intangible hand going into his throat and wrapping around his trachea “if you are lying, I will destroy each of your families”

Phantom floated through Batman to get back in front. In the blink of an eye everyone was back to normal.

“Tell us about this breach” the mayor said crossing his arms. “ so we can take care of it”

————————-

Tell me what you think <3 this is my first part two

@skulld3mort-1fan @mynameisnotlaura @justwannabecat @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @thegatorsgoose @yjfk @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @iglowinggemma28 @bleuyellow93 @aconitewolfsbane @fox-sama97 @catmeowbored @stargirl1331





#fanfic #danny fenton #danny phantom #sorry for spelling mistakes #dc x dp #dp x dc #part 2 #I thought making vlad more annoying and less murder your father vibes would be fun #they we’re having a we have/going to get ghost powers club meeting #Eldridge Danny phantom

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

Okay something I wish people understood more is that folk religion and folklore is never static. It varies by region by year by storyteller. There is no Single True Canon in an oral folk tradition. Ancient Greek Religion for example was not one set thing, there is no one set version of “Greek Mythology” or Hellenic folk traditions that is correct. There are different cults that were worshipped in different regions and whose traditions changed over time, some of which had membership that was often mostly a political thing (i.e. most prominent political figures in Greece and Rome for several centuries were inducted into the Eleusinian mystery cult which worshipped Demeter and Kore) or just based in which cities worshipped which patron gods. Hesiod’s Theogeny, the Homeric Hymns, the Apollodorus, all of which are written records of tales from “Greek Mythology,” contradict each other in various ways. Most Greek and Roman plays and epics were written more in response to contemporary political situations than any adherence to a specific legend.

There is no single set canon to other folk traditions either. The body of Arthurian canon is also contradictory and was written by a variety of people across several cultures often shaped by individual political lenses.

This is Also true of the modern US equivalent of written folk tales: superhero comics canon. Written by dozens and hundreds of different people across decades responding to different sociopolitical circumstances and publishing priorities, inherently contradictory basically the whole way through.

#tagamemnon #folk traditions #dc comics #arthuriana #also marvel but I try not to care about marvel products any more #caitie speaks #ancient greek religion #hellenism #Caitie talks classics

[delightingintragedy]

Hekate Correspondences According to Hekate Liminal Rites by Sorite d'Este

Goddess of: Crossroads, thresholds, boundaries, transitions, dreams and nightmares, oracles and divination, life and death, the restless dead, witchcraft and herbalism/poisons, protection, childbirth, the heavens, sea and earth.

Epithets: Chthonia (earthly one), Dadouchos (torch-bearer), Enodia ('of the wayside' or 'of the crossroad'), Kleidouchos (key-bearer), Kourotrophos (child's nurse), Phosphorus (light-bearer), Propolos (companion), Propylaia (the one before the gate), Soteira (savior), Triformis (three bodied), Trioditis (of the three ways), Brimo (angry/terrifying), Nexichthon (she who breaks open the earth), Prytania (invincible queen).

Symbols: Keys, torches, the moon, lunar crescent diadem, bronze/brass (her sacred metal), iron (particularly nails), bronze or golden sandals, virgin, garland/wreath, scorge, whips, sickles, swords, knives, wands, things done in threes, the strophalos, white, black, red, and saffron yellow.

Animal Associations: Lions, (black) dogs, horses, cows/bulls, hydras, snakes, bats, and dragons.

Plant Associations: Rue, laurel, cumin, sesame seeds, cornels, asphodel, maidenhair, rushes, galangal, verbena, sage, hedge-mustard, purple honeysuckle, cassidony, field basil. mandrake, hulwort, dittany, saffron, nose-smart, lion-foot, greenbriar, camomile, black poppy, alcua, all-heal, white hellebore, aconite, oak, ebony, garlic, and cypress.

Deities She's Worshiped With: Demeter and Kore (Eleusinian mysteries), Poseidon, and Hermes.

Deities She Absorbed: Brimo, Despoina, Enodia, Genetyllis, Kotys, Kratais, and Kourotrophos.

Deities She's Syncretised With: Artemis, Selene, Mene, Persephone, Physis, Bendis, Bona Dea, Diana, Ereschigal, and Isis.

Offerings: Dogs, goats, lizards (this can be something in their shape), incense and fragrances, resins like frankincense, myrrh, and storax, wafers and cakes, barley cakes, honey, vegetables, first fruits, flowers, fish like sprat and mullet, wine, milk, blood, oil, water, raw eggs, bread, cheese, and cheesecakes.

Types of Magic Historically Attributed to Her: Rejuvenation of the old, control over weather, necromancy/raising the dead, purification, love/binding/relationship destroying magic, invisibility/to move unseen, shapeshifting, control over animals, herbal/poison magic, and divination.

#hekate #hecate #hellenic #hellenic polytheism #pagan #paganism #paganblr #helpol #hellenism #hellenismos #theoi #correspondences #polytheism #polytheistic #hellenic gods #hellenic religion #riley cackles

[jwirecs]

RECOMMENDED SEVENTEEN FICS OF MAY-JUNE 2023💖

hello, hello! here are my recs for seventeen for may-june! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝 (i discovered that combining atz/svt/skz&txt into one post may be too much and too long + might take too much space in the tags for each respective groups so i’ve decided to make them all separate!) 

** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **

🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite

[04:15AM] || @fairyhaos​💕✅💯💯

↳ Requested by one of their readers. (THE AMOUNT OF SOFTNESS AND FLUFF AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)

Blood Moon || @smileysuh​🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ ".....let’s just say, you’re all that matters to me now. And I’m going to worship you as if you were the moon” (idk this author personally, but i just wanna say that i love your fics and everyone needs to give atleast their fic a read! you will be seeing their fics in my nct fic recs too just saying.)

Drunk Giant || @yikesmary​​​💕✅

↳ in which you have to figure out how to transfer your drunk boyfriend to the bedroom without causing major bodily harm. and he’s not making it easy for you.

The Athlete (Bonus) || @sun-kore​​ 🔞💕✅💯

↳ You are assigned to do an interview with Kwon Soonyoung, the trailblazing athlete everyone calls Hoshi. But as you spend more time with him, you start to see there are more layers to him than football. (i honestly had to re-read The Athlete because i forgot how the story went. + it was a given to read the first one before the second one. i suggest yall do the same.)

How To Unsubscribe To Dating || @dropsofletters​​​💕💔✅

↳ on april 18th, hansol likes his favorite youtuber’s instagram picture. not because of her content—though, he finds himself laughing at all of her weekly videos—but because he thinks she’s gorgeous. that is how it ends. just a like on a picture that no one will see.

This Is How We Fall || @bitterie-sweetie​💕💔✅💯

↳ You should know better than to make a deal with a stranger, but the need for a date to Minghao’s party has you desperate. It can’t be too bad though; all you have to do is show Mingyu what you saw in your reading, and he would be your date for one night. Simple enough, right?

A Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing || @rubyreduji​🔞✅

↳ kim mingyu is the biggest player on campus, so why is he coming to you for sex help

Doting On You || @lovelyhan​​​​🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ a svt hhu x pets series!

Fallin’ Flowers || @leejungchans​​​💕💔🔄💯💯💯

↳ "while flowers bloom and falls, scars cure and buds shoot // we are living our first and last moments // so i won’t take you for granted // because you loved me as i am” - fallin’ flower by seventeen

I Found Love In Your Smile || @wonlouvre​​​🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ falling in love with wonwoo never felt so easy. however, when unforgivable truths test your relationship, you can’t help but think that maybe you were betrothed for all the wrong reasons.

Inflection Point || @lovelyhan​​​​🔞💕💔✅

↳ you love yoon jeonghan. no, scratch that. you fucking adore yoon jeonghan; so much that the moment he asks you to be in an exclusive set-up with his current partner, you accept the offer in a heartbeat. what you fail to consider, however, is who your boss’ boyfriend actually is.

Money Talks || @sunlightwoo​​​💕💔✅💯💯

↳ everybody needs to get by somehow, and what better way of it is through a ‘club’ full of men that are loaded with money to help pay for whatever you need help with? to put it shortly, thirteen sugar daddies are here to help you pay for what you need or give you money in exchange for something to make them feel better about life.

Puppy Parents || @yikesmary​💕✅

↳ where your golden retriever has the tendency to bring you things she has an interest in— sticks, frisbees that obviously don’t belong to you, and even the occasional bird. but this time, your dog brings… a man? and not just any man, only the most beautiful man you’ve ever met. maybe your dog is onto something…

Partner Privilege || @blue-jisungs​​​​💕💔✅

↳ (title says it all, i can honestly see this happening to their future s/o.)

Feverish Lips || @sunlightwoo​​​💔✅

↳ you’d think that because it’s the first semester of the year, it’d be like the beginning of a roller coaster when its slowly becoming climatic and stressful. however, once you’re at the top of the point you have two choices: scream your lungs or quickly hang onto your life support. sadly in your case, you can either suck it up and get through it, or get involved in its loops in tangles with trouble that is bound to be met within every corner that you turn to.

Introduce Me A Good Person || @taeyegu​​ 💕💔✅

↳ if there is a nice person, please introduce him to me. sometimes like water, sometimes like fire. someone who can love me sincerely. i hope he is someone who is mature and faithful…

What I Would Do || @sungbeam​​ 💕💔✅

↳ minghao is kinda sorta maybe in love with you, but he thinks you're so out of his league.

Meet Cute of The Century || @lovelyhan​ 🔞💕💔✅💯💯

↳ the last thing you expected when you volunteered at your city’s local animal shelter is to meet the hottest cat person in the world. now if only he’d just adopt one of them so you’d stop ogling him every time he drops by.

Do check out all of the other seventeen fics that i have reblogged as well!!

** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **

#seventeen scenarios #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #seventeen smut #seventeen social media au #seventeen reactions #seventeen established relationship au #seventeen fake dating au #seventeen fic recs #seventeen recs #seventeen strangers to lovers au

[thewrathfulwitch]

The Kharites (Charities)

The Kharites are goddesses of "grace, beauty, adornment, joy, mirth, festivity, dance and song". There are multiple Kharites in generations, separating them from the older Kharites. The older three Kharites are named Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. The younger Kharites presided over many things such as "play, amusement, banqueting, floral decoration, happiness, rest and relaxation". They are all daughters of Zeus and Eurynome.

They had a cult, where they were mainly worshipped in Northern Boiotia and Paros.

In Athens, it is quoted that they were worshipped during the Thesmophoria, which takes place in the month of Pyanepsion, alongside Demeter and Kore (Persephone). (Aristophanes).

In Elis, it is described that in their sculpture, one of them holds a rose, one holds a die, and the other holds a myrtle branch. They are attendants of Hera and Aphrodite, which explains the connection of the rose and the myrtle branch that are also connected to Aphrodite. The die shows that of youth, since it is used by the maiden young.

In Boiotia, it is quoted that the city of Orkhomenos was "The Kharites's city, home of lovely dances." (Pindar) King Eteokles was the first to sacrifice to them, establishing them amongst the city by teaching the custom of their prayer and building their temple.

In Paros, the tradition of sacrificing to them without garlands or flutes was founded by King Minos, who was told of his son's death. He was in the middle of a sacrifice and ripped both of these things away from himself. He completed the ritual, however, which began tradition.

All information is found off theoi.com.

#the kharites #helpol #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #theoi #hellenism #devotional #cult of the theoi series