#the thing about greek stories is people always try to culture back then it when most of the stories are warnings | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

howtofightwrite · 2 years

Note

How physically active were actually "medieval" noble women? I know is a long period but I usually see people complaning about noble women in fantasy doing stuff such as hunting or riding horses. I have seen a couple of illustrations of fencing manuals with women in them too.

We, as a culture, especially in the US, have a very bad habit of using the British Regency/Victorian era as the gold standard for how women all over the world were treated throughout history. And the truth is, it ain’t that way. It never was, because women in this exact era used to duel each other in other parts of Europe and often did it topless.

Yes, this is real. We have records of it.

Was it all women, all the time? No. Was it often enough to mention? Yes.

There’s a really good article by Kameron Hurley, “Women Have Always Fought” that goes over the history of women warriors and the laziness of specular fiction in detail. This is a particularly great few paragraphs from the article that covers where our popular conception that women don’t fight comes from.

“Women have always fought,” he said. “Shaka Zulu had an all-female force of fighters. Women have been part of every resistance movement. Women dressed as men and went to war, went to sea, and participated actively in combat for as long as there have been people.”

I had no idea what to say to this. I had been nurtured in the U.S. school system on a steady diet of the Great Men theory of history. History was full of Great Men. I had to take separate Women’s History courses just to learn about what women were doing while all the men were killing each other. It turned out many of them were governing countries and figuring out rather effective methods of birth control that had sweeping ramifications on the makeup of particular states, especially Greece and Rome.

Half the world is full of women, but it’s rare to hear a narrative that doesn’t speak of women as the people who have things done to them instead of the people who do things. More often, women are talked about as a man’s daughter. A man’s wife.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Check out some of these real women below.

Empress Maude, the daughter of the English King, Henry I, was named her father’s heir after her brother died. While her cousin Stephen stole the throne after her father’s death, she raised an army and took the country into a civil war to take it back. They fought it out for the decade it took for her son to reach adulthood, and laid the groundwork for Henry II to become king. There’s a great novel by Sharon Kay Penman, When Christ and His Saints Slept which chronicles the civil war. If you’re interested in medieval history, I recommend reading it. Her daughter-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, also led an interesting life. (It should be said, real history got to the denied female heir fights for her throne before George R.R. Martin.)

There’s great videos from Xiran Jay Zhao discussing the Chinese warrior queen Fu Hao of the Shang Dynasty and Wu Zetian, who became China’s first female emperor. (Yes, you read that right. Emperor.)

There is Khutulun, the Wrestler Princess and the great-great granddaughter of Gengis Khan, who is one source of our “defeat her in battle to marry her” tropes. She issued this challenge, “defeat her in wrestling, she’ll marry.” She scammed would be suitors out of 10,000 horses. Western male authors are so threatened by Khutulun, they’ve kept trying to rewrite her history by making her fall victim to the power of love. (No, seriously.)

There’s also Hojo Masako, the Buddhist nun who deposed her own son when he proved incompetent and ruled Japan as Shogun. Here’s her wiki entry too.

The Amazons of Greek Myth were real in that they were actual Scythian women who went to war. (As Scythian women did, just like their men.) They terrified and terrorized the Greeks so much, they became immortalized in their mythology. Don’t believe me? Here’s an article from National Geographic and this one from Live Science.

There’s stories like this all throughout history from big events to small ones. (You can find more over at Rejected Princesses if you’re interested.) There are female warriors, female generals, noblewomen who took command of their husbands’ forces, widows who took to the sea to get revenge on those who wronged them, women who rode with their husbands to battle, female assassins, female leaders of rebellions, etc. The women of the Japanese samurai class were trained to fight, and fight they did. Women warriors, queens, and politicians are all over mythology too. You’ll often see these women come out of the upper echelons of society because money creates options, but they are there. Many of those stories are lost to history, in some cases purposefully, and there was a long trend among archeologists that assumed because a person was buried with male grave goods, the body had to be male. We’re now finding out that isn’t true. There’s a significant portion of warrior corpses that have turned out to be female. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla chose to post a notice about it in response to these exact criticisms you’re questioning.

Those people you see complaining online? They’re clinging to a version of history that doesn’t exist. More, we know it doesn’t, because popular culture is hungry to the point of desperate for aggressive, confident, and competent female characters. If they were truly a lie, they wouldn’t ring true for so many people.

The history we’re taught today largely downplays women’s achievements, contributions, and successes while uplifting those of men. It’s a fact. Go look at famous female figures anywhere, you’ll find the same story at play over and over. Historically, fantasy as a genre largely portrays a world that is, in fact, fantasy, but that fantasy has nothing to do with women doing things they’re not “supposed” to. There’s no clubhouse. There’s nothing unrealistic in imagining your female character is a kickass queen who defeats overconfident men in wrestling competitions and robs them of all their horses. It’s not unrealistic to come up with an ending that doesn’t conclude in tragedy, violent deaths, them “learning their place,” or even locked within the bonds of an unhappy marriage. (Shocker!) Some did, but the truth isn’t universal. It’s not even unrealistic to imagine they might have supportive male family members, love interests, and followers who happily (gasp) assist them in these endeavors. Maude, for reference, had bastard half-brothers who helped her instead of trying to take the throne for themselves.

History got here before fantasy authors. There’s nothing unrealistic about reality. Popular conceptions and common knowledge fed to us by the majority male dominated culture isn’t always the truth. Reality is, it’s the stories we see normalized across the media spectrum that are wrong. The ones that insist women are objects, who commodify their pain, and reframe their stories to ensure the focus remains on men. While this is changing, women are still often treated as the NPCs of male driven stories.

The people you hear complaining? They want storytelling traditions to stay that way, for the Great Man values countless narratives have reinforced to remain unchallenged. Funny as it sounds, they’re threatened by the very existence of narratives that countermand that centralized focus on men being superior, that there is a stratified gender hierarchy, and men taking their place as the sole, worshipful focus of a woman’s existence, much less these female characters being important in their own narratives. If these people weren’t threatened by female characters being people, they wouldn’t say anything. They’d just move on in apathy.

Reality is people are complicated. There’s room for all stripes in all colors and contexts. It’s no secret that history has suppressed and erased countless stories that don’t support the ruling narrative of the dominant culture. These same people forget there’s plenty of storytelling traditions that include women taking their place as warriors in cultures outside America. For all the sexism and misogyny, women fighting is not an alien concept, it’s not even foreign to other Western European traditions.

Believe what your own research is showing you, not what a bunch of idiots who can’t tell their ass from their elbow are whining about. They can’t handle someone who isn’t straight, male, and (most often) white being the central focus. Really, they can’t handle these characters as even a side focus. That’s their loss, it doesn’t have to be yours.

-Michi

This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get early access to new posts, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.

#Michi answers #how to fight write #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips #history

4K notes · View notes

2smolbeans · 8 months

Note

I am OBSESSED with your Obey Me writings. Would it be possible to something where one of the brothers (or others) disguises themselves as someone else in order to sleep with their darling? Imagine if you tried to run away and they're still trying to make you love them so they know they can't just force themself onto you, but at the same time they NEED your body. Maybe it's even a continuous thing, imagine the horror if every new lover you take on turns out to be them. Over and over again you try to run away but end up running right back into their arms. The gaslighting potential is perfect for a yandere who wants the more subtle approach.

ANONN THISSS 💖💖 Also sorry this took so long to finish 😭

A Demon Inside The Church

Yandere Satan x Antro/mythologist reader

Tags: Religious themes, gaslighting, manipulation, minor nsfw depictions, stalking, impersonation, minor character death, deception, body marking, paranoia, attempts at escaping, Mc has a crush on someone, branding pact mark, possessive behavior, isolation.

*This is unedited and long

___________________________

You weren't always a superstitious person. In fact, you were a person of science, an atheist. However, you were always fascinated with what stories life had to offer, its history, and, as of recently, its beliefs. Mythos, urban legends, and religions- it had caught your eye when your philosophy professor had mentioned them in his typical lesson. A one-off mention, but you decided to look more into it. For some reason, it had unlocked a childhood memory of when you used to read Greek mythology back in middle school.

As of late, you started going to the church near your university campus. You weren't Christian, and by no means did you believe in an afterlife. But you were curious about Christianity and its beliefs. In the beginning, you weren't fascinated with the repetitive worship music that sounded the same. If anything, you had a hard time staying awake as the singers kept repeating the same words and phrases over and over.

But it was worth staying as the sermons would begin after. Each sermon teaches a new belief, a new lesson, a new verse. You were in awe with how the pastor would passionately preach his words, the things you'd learn about the people in the church.

It made you curious about what it would be like to study and record the cultures, religions, and traditions of people around the world. After all, if just learning and investigating your typical local church from an academic point of view was enjoyable, imagine the possibilities of branching out! Maybe perhaps becoming an anthropologist wouldn't be so bad.

You balanced it out, your school, and then your church. For once, everything felt like it was in place, you had reconnected with your old passion, recognizing faces, making acquaintances. You were truly happy.

Funny enough, you even met this guy who happened to be around the same age as you.

Brown eyes, brown hair. He was an average looking guy, nothing made him stand out. You didn't know his name, or if he went to the same university. But every Monday at exactly 3am, he'd show up and read at the library. It was interesting- he was interesting.

Like the bored nerd you were, you started speculating in your head. Why did he always appear at 3am? Was he perhaps a ghost that would only appear in the witching hours? A vampire that walked amongst the earth when it was dark? A low ranking angel who liked to relax in the church?

Of course these were all just make believe scenarios. You had a tendency to make up backstories or scenarios about recurring people. You weren't much of a talker or socializer, you didn't have a lot of close friends, but for some reason you had a bit of courage to go up to the man and talk to him. Though funny enough, the moment you approached him, he was already smiling at you, patting a chair next to him.

Awkwardly shifting your way towards the brown haired male, not expecting him to even acknowledge you. You sat down, trying to muster up any words. But soon enough, you calmed down as he spoke, his warm eyes comforting you as he let out a chuckle.

"Hey, no need to be nervous! I'm just chilling here"

He pulled out the chair for you, his chin resting on the palm of his head as he had a small grin on his face.

"Nono- uh, I'm not nervous..Just uhhh- sorry I don't know..”

You trailed off, unsure of what to do in the small talk.

"It's fine, no sweat! Anyways It's kinda nice talking to you for once"

"Sorry? Wait, do I know you?"

You let out a chuckle, feeling your cheeks heat up from the embarrassment that began to creep up.

"Well, I mean I dunno? I mean if you're wondering how I know you, I just see you around class here and there"

You perked up, accidentally raising your voice from your excitement, immediately covering your mouth with your hands as you apologized.

"WAIT SO YOU- Oh shit sorry..Wait so you also go to Morninghaven?!"

"Always have~"

The two of you talked for hours. By the time you both parted ways, it was already six in the morning. Little by little the two of you got closer, eventually getting each other's numbers and sitting together during each lecture. Apparently, he just liked going to the library at 3am because of how empty it was.

It was funny how the both of you had so much in common.

Damien was his name. That brown haired geek, Damien. It had been at least 5 months since you've known him, and you hated to admit it, but he was the first close friend you've ever made in a while. He indulged in your hyperfixations, listening to your rambles while he also returned the favor. He was talkative, always sure to give a long answer to something so small. Even if you were to ask him about his favorite color, he would somehow turn the conversation about the meaning and ‘biology’ about colors.

“Why do you do that?”

You suddenly asked him, sipping at your drink as he sat across from you.

“Do what?”

You swayed your legs back and forth, the height of the bar stool keeping your feet from touching the ground. Listening to the jumbled up conversations that warmed the cafe, you stared at Damien. Smiling while feeling flustered, eyebrows perked up, your voice perked up - you let your mind speak as you put your drink down.

“We always talk about something small, and somehow it devolves into a whole essay of a conversation about big things!”

You exclaimed, gesturing your hands, hoping that it would help aid your poor choice of words that you thought you made.

“Oh sorry..My bad…”

“Nono! It’s not bad! I’m just wondering why? I thought it would just bore you..Or that I was boring to talk to..”

You deflated, sinking down to your seat as you sipped your drink. Damien leaned forward out, ready to retaliate.

“What?! What are you saying?”

“..Do you just ramble because I don’t bring much to the conversation..?”

The both of you stayed in silence. You were trying to hold back a laugh as you purse your lips, while Damien had a deadpan smile.

“....Stay still. I’m gonna slap you”

Immediately, Damien began to reach for you from across the bar table, nearly knowing it down as you slapped away at his hands from touching your face. You were laughing hysterically while Damien muttered to you to “stay still damn it!” and “This is what you get for being such a dumb dumb!” while he continued his efforts.

“What! Gahh! Stop!!”

“Fine, fine! But y’know, have you ever thought that maybe I like rambling to you because I want to talk more with you?”

…Being around him was one of your favorite things throughout the day. He was just so warm..So comfortable to be around. He made you feel wanted, something that you haven't felt until you met him.

"Are you an angel?"

His voice pitched from the other side of the call.

"Pfft what?! That's so random! What is this all about?"

You playfully rolled your stomach onto the bed, your feet up in the air while your legs kicked up and down slowly.

"I'm serious. Are you?"

Rolling his eyes, Damien let out a smug smirk.

"I dunno, depends on you"

You'd be lying if you said that you didn't have some sort of attraction towards Damien. Sure, it was a small crush, but you were happy with the friendship you had with him. You didn’t care if he had gotten another partner or if he didn’t share the same feelings. You were just happy being with Damien who liked talking to you.

Though, you were wrong about that. Ironically, after a week of not seeing Damien. He had actually opened up to you about his feelings towards you. Telling you how he needed a break from spending time together, how he had realized he was slowly falling for you - how he didn't want to ruin the friendship between the two of you. He was scared to see you once he realized how strong his feelings were towards you. After that, the two of you started dating. The relationship felt strange at first, but you weren't complaining. Whatever you needed, Damien was there. When you were sad- Damien was there to comfort you. Whenever you walked to class, he was always right by your side.

It's always been like that, even when the two of you were just friends. But didn’t Damien also have friends to hangout with as well? He'd always go out with them every now and then, and you'd be left on your own whims.

But now?

There wasn't a time where Damien wasn't by your side.

Another thing you've noticed about Damien was that his temper sometimes got the best of him. When it came to the smallest of things- an ant crawling on one of his books, when you would hold your bible close to your chest, how you sometimes looked at other people for ‘too long’. He would either scoff or nearly pop a vein on his head.

How possessive he was towards you, always kissing you and holding you close. Sweetly convincing you to come back to bed, to always look at him, that he adores you too much for you to leave so soon. Bad mouthing the acquaintances that would take up your time from him. Jokingly wishing that they would drop dead or fall ill so that you could focus on him more.

The way he was prideful and rough he was whenever the two of you would be alone and intimate. His hands all over you, his teeth nipping at every inch of your skin. Almost as if he was in a hurry to get those marks all over your body. How he’d mutter those words into your ear, repeating it like a prayer while he shoved your face to whatever surface there was. How beautiful you looked to be ‘finally his’. How sharper his nails would feel whenever he grabbed your hips. The way he would rhythmically pump into you repeatedly, always in a trance with the purpose of cumming inside you. Always lovingly belittling you whenever you cried from the overstimulation, out matching your stamina in an inhuman amount.

It was weird how he never let you look at him whenever the two of you were doing those sorts of things..Was he trying to hide something?

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"How come you never let me see you whenever we do it?"

"...I don't want you seeing something you might not like.."

"Aww.. You know I love every part of you.. "

He hugged you, resting his head against the crook of your neck.

"If only.."

He was controlive over the little things you did.

“Why don’t you wear this? I don’t want people staring at you..”

“You have some time, right? So why don’t you just come with me instead of them?”

“Are you asking me to lock you up in this room? No? Then why are you making it so hard to just listen to me?”

He was always demanding to know where you were and what your plan for the day was. Making sure he had tabs on your daily activities.

Now that you noticed it, Damien was more..Dry. Sophisticated. Calculative. Sure, he would be somewhat expressive, smiling, and softly speaking. But, back then, he was more loud, more..Different. You felt so alienated from him at times. What happened? You couldn’t put your finger on it.

Was Damien always like this?

Damien even stopped going to the church. You found it weird since Damien loved going to church with you. It was the place you first met each other. He loved how you would study the pastor's words, making serious notes about the lessons. Sitting right next to you as he also made notes regarding the philosophy of Christianity. You were a church duo, even though the both of you weren’t religious.

But now..Damien hated it. Often complaining how annoying the pastor was with his scriptures. The thing he onced loved became the thing he despised the most. He was once friendly with the pastor. Now, you only find him staring eye to eye with the pastor, stoic towards his words.

"Be weary of the sweet temptations of the world. For Satan is cunning, speaking with honeyed words, luring you into damnation."

"But folks, we have to remember this. There is no need to fear him! He is dethroned, casted away by god. We must always declare his defeat. That is how we remove the authority of the enemy.”

You swore from the corner of your eye, and you saw Damien grin from that statement - as if it was personal to him. The next day, the pastor fell severely ill, according to his wife. You were worried, of course. You talked with the pastor here and there, and you wanted to at least send some medicine or soup for the poor man. Damien, however, just laughed at your attempts, hugging you as he pushed his face against your chest. Calling you adorable for ‘wanting to bother the old nut’.

You had a dream a few days later. You were in the church library, alone. Everything was distorted, books meshed together like liquid, people’s faces blurred out. But, Damien was there, waiting for you. The sweet angelic Damien you knew from the past, smiling and patting a chair that was next to him.

“I missed you”

Before you could say anything, you woke up. You couldn’t place on why you were feeling the way you were feeling, but you were incapable of holding back the tears from flowing. It was like you were grieving over a dead person. But, really- you were sad over nothing.

You were slowly getting paranoid over the small things that were starting to recur. Whenever you walked outside, there was always an owl there- it’s neck following your movements. The small whispers that you swore you could’ve heard calling out to you. The hands that would wrap around your waist whenever your back was turned. Your bible and church notes trashed or missing. The bite marks that would appear out of nowhere when you would wake up. Your mind pulled into a trance whenever you would stare too long into Damien’s eyes. The dreams..How your memories were vaugely replaced little by little with someone else you’ve never encountered.

The worst part was, your mind accepted it as normal - your body seemed to relax at the thought of it. But it wasn’t normal, you knew that.

You had a slight theory in your head, a terrifying thought that brought you shaking whenever you questioned its validity. Was this even Damien? He was acting so fucking weird ever since he disappeared for that week. Everything was just so odd. Like you were cursed by an unknown force. What if this wasn’t Damien? What if Damien was missing and you were dating some skin walker? When you knew Damien, he felt so warm and comfortable to be around. Now, if anything- it often felt too possessive, lustful- intense when you were with him.

It didn’t help when you found that mark behind your back.

____________

“Hey..Babe, what is this?”

"Oh that? Yeah, you're weird. I told you going to that party was a bad idea, but you didn't listen. You should've seen my face when you showed me it! Why did you think getting that tattoo was a good idea?"

But it wasn't a tattoo. The more you looked into the strange mark on your back, the more concerned you got. It was green, almost glowing. A demon marking.. A ritualistic mark that bonds you to the demon who claimed you as their own. You've read about this. The mark was equivalent to a proposal, promising an afterlife full of happiness in hell. What party did you even go to?

When did you get this?

"I don't know hun..You just showed up with it"

How the fuck do you get rid of it? Fuck, did you have to get laser surgery?

"Honey, calm down. It's not that bad. It's just a tattoo. Plus, I think it looks wonderful on you"

Nonono, you don't want this. Why was there some fucking satanic pact mark on your body?

"Maybe you should stop reading those books..Or maybe just take a break from the whole demons and angels church thing."

Why was this on your body?

"Honey, you know there’s no harm in it right? I think those books are starting to get into your head.."

Maybe...But still it was fucking creepy! But nonetheless, the constant studying and fixation of demons and hell were starting to tire you out. Maybe, you should focus on your assignments more..

___________

Time passed and it had been at least a year since you and Damien were dating. You were in your final year until graduation, and surprisingly- things were going smoothly. Though your paranoia worsened. You had tried to remove the mark behind your back, even paid for laser surgery to remove it. Explaining to the dermatologist that it was an accident tattoo. Though when the mark was removed, it appeared the next day- as if it completely healed over the treatment.

The relationship hadn’t changed..Damien was still possessive and greedy for your affection. However, Damien was somewhat back to his old self…Somewhat.

Thinking about the past, the stalking, the mark behind your back- it had brought an old familiar feeling back. The church, you wanted to go back and attend it. To at least say hi, for old times sake. To get some answers- some comfort about your fears. You contemplated on bringing Damien, but ultimately heavily decided against it. So you went at night, opening the doors to be greeted with the warmth you were once familiar with.

You smiled as you saw the pastor on the stage, cleaning up and checking up on the instruments for the worship band.

“Sir! How are you? It’s been so long”

The pastor walked towards you, extending his arms out to you as he smiled.

“It’s been so long! What happened? I thought you moved!”

You chuckled, hugging him close as you embraced him, enjoying how cozy he felt.

“Nono! Of course not! Things just got in the way. But I’m glad you’re still here”

The pastor stepped away, eying you up and down, wanting to say something before holding back as he motioned you to follow him. Walking behind him, you both ended up in the office that was located in the basement of the church.

“Sit, I want to talk to you about something”

He sat down behind the table, rummaging through the wooden desk, looking for something as you sat across him.

“I’m a bit worried for you. You disappeared for a while..Something seems off about you..Is anything bothering you?”

You sat quiet for a bit. Should you mention the mark? You wanted to, but you were scared with the answer that would come out. So you didn’t mention it, but you mentioned the other instances you felt when something was wrong.

“Well..I felt paranoid. Whenever I’m not looking it felt like someone was there, touching and whispering in my ear..There’s always there..Like-”

“An unease? That the room feels a lot heavier?”

“Yeah..Exactly like that..But it’s no longer like that! Sure it’s here and there, but it’s really nothing”

The pastor just stared at you. Biting his lip before handing you two things. Anointing oil, and a bottle of holy water..

"I think you should take these. The anointing oil will help protect whatever room, person, or thing of yours"

You took it, examining the items as he continued speaking to you.

"With the oil, you just take a bit of it on your finger and draw a cross on it. It's best that you say a prayer before it"

You nodded your head, smiling as he continued.

“I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over this room. I pray and demand that any spirits in this room be gone in the name of the lord. That this oil that is anointed with the holy spirit will shield and protect me from Satan.”

"Like that?"

Smiling, he gestured his hands, telling you to hold the items close to you.

"Of course! And with the holy water..Well I'm assuming you've watched a bunch of horror movies haha!"

Thanking the pastor, you eventually made your way back home. Promising that you would keep in touch with him as he ushered you outside the doors. When you finally arrived at your dormitory, you let out a scream as Damien stood in front of you.

“Jesus! Damien! Don’t just stand there!”

“Where were you?”

Oh right, you didn’t tell him..

“I was just out running some errands, walking around, sorry I forgot to tell you..”

You felt more worried about him finding out about going back to the church rather than his concern for you.

“Are you lying?”

You exclaimed as you dropped your bag, patting his shoulder as your lips stretched out to a thin line.

“Damien..I would never lie to you..”

You almost felt guilty for deceiving him, but you didn’t want him to know.

“..Well, let’s go back to bed okay? The bed felt cold without you..So please?”

He pleaded with you, turning off the lights, guiding you to the bed short after as his hands grabbed onto yours.

“Haha, of course.”

“I love you so much..”

______________

You’ve been thinking about it, using the oil and holy water. When Damien was gone for an hour to do an exam, he needed to pass. You, who were free from all of your work, decided to open the anointing oil. Putting a few drops of the oil on the tip of your finger, you anointed the room. Drawing a cross, as you said a small prayer.

Maybe one or two more would be best? You thought of nothing of it. It was just a gift, something that you wanted to try. Something that would perhaps ease your fear. Nothing would come out of it.

But something did.

Damien had a severe headache and reaction the moment he stepped in your room. Groaning in pain as he nearly fell to the floor. Clutching his head in pain as the ungodly sounds of wheezing came out of his throat. You were terrified as you saw Damien try to get ahold of himself. Whispering to himself while you stood there, frozen.

Adrenaline rushed through your body as a million thoughts went through your head. He was just stressed, right? He just came back from an exam, maybe he's tired. You tried to rationalize your extreme theories to calm yourself down. But even then, a few words had slipped out of your mouth - unconsciously wanting to test out your theory.

"Get behind me Satan."

He knelt as he stared at you in disbelief.

".......What?"

Your voice shook in fear, your eyes furrowing as you stared at your boyfriend.

“You heard me. Who are you?”

Fixing his composure, Damien looked at you concerned. Cautiously approaching you while also keeping a safe distance.

“Honey, what are you talking about? Calm down okay? Take a deep breath, I was just a bit stressed from staying up all night”

You sneered as you were quick to grab the holy water from your cabinet, loosening the cap as you raised your voice.

“Cut the shit. G-God..What did you do to Damien?!”

Tearing up, you shouted as you splashed the holy water at him. Making sure to throw a large amount towards his face.

“Honey what are you talkin- FUCK!”

He sneered in pain, cowering down as he tried to cover himself. Now you were panicking as your theory was confirmed. You had almost felt bad, stupid, delusional even. But now? Your fight or flight senses were triggered.

“W-Why did that hurt you?! HUH?! T-TELL ME!”

You waved the bottle frantically. Your eyes widening as you saw his skin burning in agitation from the water that hit his skin. He tried to excuse himself, to save whatever grace he had. But you weren’t having it. Screaming out scriptures, dousing him in holy water- you had eventually revealed him for what he truly was.

Blonde hair, curled horns protruding out of his head, the sharp tail that moved side to side swiftly. He wasn't human. This wasn't Damien.

“This hurts you! You’re..A demon..In the name of the holy-"

But before you could finish your sentence, your prayer, your last ditch effort to handle the situation, he interrupted you. Rushing towards you he pinned you against the cabinet that you were standing behind. His hands gripping onto the edges of the wood, your body sandwiched in between the hard surface and his chest. With nowhere to escape, you tried screaming- but he was quick to wrap a hand around your throat, threatening to squeeze deathly tight, warning you to keep quiet.

“Are you finished? I could kill you right now and take you with me for all eternity. But I would rather take my time and not hurt you... So just be good for me, okay?”

You nodded your head frantically, trying to speak as your words were whispered. He eyed you, loosening his grip around your neck.

“Why? Why are you doing this? Who are you?”

In awe, his lips softly kissed your cheek, trying to comfort you as you teared up from fear.

“Aww..Love..Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? Satan, that’s who I am. I know this is a lot for you but, I want you to know that I love you. Okay?”

Satan.

Satan?

The demon that replaced Damien, the one who made you breakfast everyday. The one who was jealous whenever you dared speak to anyone. The one you gave your virginity to..?

Satan himself was in love with you? Satan, the prince of darkness, one of the rulers of hell- was here professing his love to you. How long has he been using Damien’s face for? Where was Damien if he was taking his place?

“Where’s Damien then? What did you do to him?”

You asked, your lips shuddering as you thought about him. If he had disappeared, then..

“Don’t worry about him, he's fine. Better than how he was wasting his life away before”

A surge of panic coursed through your body, your hands instinctively shoved Satan away with all of your strength.

“YOU KILLED HIM?!”

Unfazed, he sighed as if you were overreacting. His palms reached out towards you, telling you to calm down from your outburst.

“Now, he wasn’t in any pain. He didn’t even see it coming, so don’t worry about him. Afterall, he became the sweet angel you always thought of him as. So either way, everyone benefits in this situation”

Your jaw clenched as your eyes wavered at the demon who stood in front of you.

“I’m not going to hurt you...I’m not doing this for the sake of destroying your life. In fact- I’m doing it for the sake of making it better! I love you, you don’t understand - I need you. You fascinate me - you're the only human on this earth I deem tolerable!"

"I had to do it, I know it’s hard for you to understand, but Damien was just a nobody in your life. There are lots of people like him out there in the world. So please, just think for a moment."

You recoiled as you felt his sharp nails softly outline the curves of your face. Cringing as you stood there fear, hearing his insane ramblings.

“You’ve read about me. Studied me. Talked about me. You were just as interested in me as I was for you. Don’t you think that's special?”

Bitterly, you spat at his face.

"I want you gone. Out of my life. I will never love you- you'll never have me. Get out."

He looked at you, almost remorseful as you glared at him- only to then smirk and roll his eyes..And with that, he disappeared in a blink of an eye. For a good year, even until graduation- you never saw him again. It was almost as if he never existed.

All the messages, the call histories, everything- they were gone.

____________________

It had been a few years ever since he stopped approaching you, only deciding to watch you from a distance. Hiding in the shadows, lurking in the small corners of your home, he admired you.

It drove him mad when observed your cute little attempts at avoiding him. Always wearing that small cross around your neck, never interacting with anyone outside of the church. Praying everyday on the edge of your bed before you go to sleep, hoping to ward him off forever.

You were such an adorable little sheep. So desperate to keep him away, not knowing it only made him want you more. Every night he watched you, hungrily devouring your body with his eyes, enjoying how meek you've become. He wanted to take you right then and there, surprising you with his presence when he would emerge from the shadows. How would your face look in fear? Would you scream at him? Attempt to perform an exorcism?

Would it be enjoyable watching you break down from the spot? Hearing you whimper when he would corner you. Watching you plead for him to leave you alone. The slow burn of you fearing him, only to reach out to him out of desperation when he's hovering over you.

You're starved aren't you? Lonely, and starved for an ounce of emotional attention. You haven't been talking to a lot of people lately, even when you're in the illusion of safety when you're in the church. He felt so bad for you, yet so eager for you. All vulnerable and alone..You're still sad about that human boy weren't you?

That's okay.

There was nothing a new face couldn't fix.

Sooner or later, he'll have you forget about him. He'll have you wrapped up around his finger. You'll live your perfect minuscule human life with him until death do you part- temporarily. After all, heaven wouldn't allow an angel with the mark of the beast into their pearly gates, would they?

A new face, a new name. He would meet you again at the church. Charming you with his words, coaxing you with his sweet voice that was hard to resist. Making you smile again, hearing that angelic laugh of yours, feeling your warmth when you cuddled underneath him.

He missed how good it felt to be with you. He loved every bit of it. How it gave him an excuse to act out on his pent up urges towards you. To have your legs so nicely wrapped around his torso, drowning in pure lust from those sweet sounds you'd make. To finally have your body all to himself.

It wouldn't last for long though.. You were smart- too smart. You always somehow found out a way to identify him through the smallest of ways. Through the subtle gestures he'd make, the appearance he decided to appear as, or even from saying an old ancient spell against him just to see his reaction. You even went as far as spraying him with holy water like some sort of cat at one point.

How intentive!

That's why he loved you. You were so intelligent, brighter than most. That's why he didn't mind doing it over and over again. Like a game of cat and mouse. You'd gain a sense of security, feeling confident that the man right next to you wasn't him- only for it to break again when you came to terms with the truth.

He didn't mind. It was exciting watching you ponder about him. It was special what the both of you had together. Seeing your face contort in pure anguish and rage when you realized that the person you had slept with, the one you had trusted your whole heart with, was only him the entire time. How you would beg, even try to bribe him with intimacy and sex- just for him to leave you alone. Pleading him to stop impersonating people and potential partners.

"But this is fun darling. Watching you break down every time~"

"I can't just give it all up for something I can do whenever we're together"

"There's really no issue here, you're the only one who's making it a problem"

"Running away, panicking for no reason…You already know I won't hurt you. I just want to love you."

"So really, when will you stop?"

No matter how much you run, he'll always have you in his arms. Even in death, you won't ever be able to escape him.

How long will it take for you to crumble and accept him? When will you stop running away from him? Time and time again, you would run away- only to come crawling back to him.

So why don't you just accept the inevitable?

_____________________________

177 notes · View notes

satuguro · 2 years

Text

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚ THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS

[ ACT I : EYES OF THE TIGER. ]

jacaerys velaryon x reader

#CONTAINS— not canon au, lady of a house! reader, flawed reader, later enemies to lovers, gore, blood, death, sexual content (later on in the series, after a time skip)

#AUTHORSNOTE— there will be some aspects of the original story that i changed. i added a new house that i created, and a lot of it has characteristics from greek and south east asian culture. reader has golden eyes purely for the plot, but remember, everything else is you. if you don’t like that i did any of these things, don’t read!

ACT I, ACT II, ACT III, ACT IV

there is very little known of house arslan.

jacaerys had only ever heard of them from stories and history books. they were the leaders of an entire group of islands, the islands of iona, in the summer sea, away from the mainland and further away from any war or politics. they were as careless about court politics as the north was, often keeping to themselves and only appearing when needed.

the first time jacaerys had ever seen someone from house arslan was when his family went to one of his grandfather’s events.

they didn’t brag, nor did they speak much about their home. they listened and observed to how some of the nobles bragged of their riches, spoke freely of their war strategies, and spoke so highly of themselves. jacaerys saw it, how they chose their words carefully and responded in such a way that left them satisfied, but made their house seem like a mystery.

it was as if they had played the game like that for all their years of reign. what was heard of them were usually rumors; whispers of strategic minds, their hidden animalistic ways, or the plague-ridden jungle of their island. but one rumor very few people have proven to be fact, were their tigers.

history books said that before the arslans, they were untamable. they ruled the jungle, and rightfully so— they were huge, fanged creatures with around 300 pounds of pure muscle. they were powerful, with the ability to rip their enemies to shreds, and the iona islands were infested with them.

he had noticed you then as he stood to the side of a snack table. you were surrounded by nobles in your gold and white clothing, standing next to your solemn father. his cane, adorned with a deep jade tiger head on the top, was gripped tightly by his left hand as he watched the other nobles around him. his hair was tied back into a low knot, and around his neck was a golden necklace of thorns.

the entire arslan house was known for their striking gold eyes, similar to that of a cat’s. and as jacaerys stared at the arslans, observing them similarly to how they were observing others, his eyes met golden ones.

you were observing him for much longer than he had been observing your family. you had mentally taken a note of him and his family upon your arrival to king's landing; the heir, princess rhaenyra, prince daemon, prince jacaerys, and his brother, prince lucerys. their names echoed in your head, mixed in with the other names; queen alicent, king viserys, lord otto hightower, prince aegon, and prince aemond.

"you are staring, brother," lucerys stated, hiding his smile behind a tart.

“she is staring too, luke,” jacaerys muttered, tearing his eyes away from the lady to send his brother a glare. “much longer than i have, actually.”

lucerys shrugged, his eyes moving to the different nobles gathered in the great hall. “i doubt that admitting it makes it any better.”

“the point is,” jacaerys huffed, fixing his clothing quickly, “she was looking first.”

their small bicker had left them distracted to your approach. you had excused yourself from your father and his conversation with princess rhaenyra and had quietly made your way to the snack table, where the two princes stood. you were trying your best to keep yourself from laughing, instead choosing to act casual.

you stood next to jacaerys, acting as though you hadn’t just snuck up to the princes. “although,” you mindlessly reached for a grape and carelessly interrupting their conversation, “i was more subtle in my staring.” you glanced at the princes, a witty smile gracing your face before you popped the grape into your mouth.

“i don’t believe you were,” jacaerys responded, raising a brow as he watched you move to stand in front of him and his brother.

“you can believe whatever you want to believe, my prince,” you clutched your hands in front of you, that witty smile of yours never once faltering, “but i am correct.”

a small snort was quickly covered by a cough. you turned your attention to lucerys, your eyes softening at the boyish charm he exuded as he tried (and failed) to hide his laughter behind his food. “it is a pleasure to finally meet you, prince lucerys.”

he reminded you of your older brother.

“luke is fine, lady arslan.”

“then feel free to call me y/n. ‘lady’ makes me feel old.” you turned your attention to the older prince, “you as well, prince jacaerys.”

“call me jace, please.” jacaerys sat up straight, holding a hand out towards you. “may i have a dance with you, lady arslan?”

you raised a brow at both his forwardness and his use of your title, “i told you, do not call me ‘lady’, my prince.”

“i will only stop if you refer to me only as jace.”

you narrowed your eyes at him, a small gesture of a challenge, before you placed your hand in his. softly, he closed his hand around your’s and led you into the dance.

“how do you like king’s landing so far, lady y/n?” jacaerys questioned, moving around you as you danced the celebration dance.

“it’s beautiful,” jacaerys lifted you up by the waist before placing you down again, “i have not been able to explore, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.” you moved around him yet again, a small smile on your face as you noticed he, like you, refused to find a different partner after that dance section. “may i ask you something, my prince?”

“jace.”

“how wonderful,” you held onto him as he lifted you once again. and yet again, you both refused to find another partner. “you know your own name.”

jacaerys rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself, “you’re a sarcastic one, aren’t you?”

“i never noticed.” you moved around him again, similarly to how a predator would move around an opponent. “as i was saying, my prince, why were you staring so intently at me and my family?”

your forwardness left jacaerys suddenly at a loss for words; the fact that he had been caught staring — intently, based on your words — was frankly, embarrassing. but he saw that ghost of a smirk on your lips as you looked at him with striking eyes. he saw the teasing glint in your irises that confirmed his assumption— you were teasing him.

he could feel his face heat up at your words, your hands reaching up to cheer a loud ‘hey!’ with the others. “you jest, lady y/n.”

“am not,” you grinned, the festivities’ contagious happiness influencing you much more than you would admit, “i’m just curious, that is all. you were so focused, ‘m just wondering what could have captivated you so much.”

your hands met in the middle, skin against skin, and you both moved in a slow circle; this time, connected. you could feel how warm he was, how his hand was larger than yours and littered with new callouses. yet, despite the callousness of his fingertips, his palm remained smooth.

he could feel the cold rings that adorned your fingers. the ring in the middle was stamped with your house’s tiger sigil, and the others were simple abstract bands. the gold was pressed against his skin, warming up at his touch, and jacaerys was captivated by it. he stared at your hands, his staring habit shining through once again before you spoke.

“you have not answered my question, my prince,” you murmured, curious eyes lingering on his face as you switched hands for the dance. yet again, skin touched skin. you swallowed thickly, a cheshire-like smile creeping onto your face, “your staring problem.. it’s showing.”

jacaerys coughed, face burning red as he mumbled, “no it is not, lady y/n.”

unbeknownst to the both of you, otto and alicent hightower sat at the front of the great hall, observing the prince blush like a school girl at your teasing. though, alicent didn’t pay much attention to you, for she was too preoccupied with the sense of pride bubbling in her chest at the success of the simple festivities. she had planned it all, for her dear husband was too sick to, and she succeeded. it was, well, festive; people were laughing and joking around, nobles were socializing, kids ran between the legs of their parents, and there was good food and music.

she invited everyone and brought everyone together. no one else did that but her.

but alicent felt her father’s presence next to her, watching her every move like a hawk, and she knew he had something to say about everything. for him, there was always something to say.

“do you not think that that sight is not even the least bit unusual?” otto asked behind his cup of wine, eyes focused on you and the young velaryon, both too drunk on the celebration to notice his stares.

“is there something unusual about it?” alicent questioned, keeping her voice as composed as ever. she sipped her wine, shaking her head to herself. “nobles have been wanting to dance with lady arslan since the dancing began.” she watched on as you and jacaerys raised your hands together, yelling out a ‘hey!’ that made you throw your head back in laughter. from the side, aemond stood almost broodingly, watching his nephew continue to dance with you. “i even overheard my boys talk about it,” alicent remarked, “aemond wanted to ask her to dance.”

otto raised a brow at that, all-too-thoughtful eyes looking down into his wine as he began to think. “house arslan is powerful, alicent. dislocated from the mainland, but powerful all the same.” he swirled his cup, gazing into the twirling red, “those tigers of theirs.. if princess rhaenyra was planning to wed them—”

“we do not know if that has been planned.”

“let us put it this way then,” otto gazed ahead of him, looking into the ending dance, “lady arslan and prince jacaerys have ended their dance together. they have left the celebration together,” his eyes lingered on the space where you and jacaerys last danced, now left empty while everyone cheered around it, “with no chaperone.”

the halls of the red keep, though normally busy with maids and guards, was quiet. echoes of the celebratory music and talking from the great hall was all that was left to ripple down the corridors. but that sound was soon accompanied by the sound of rushed footsteps.

you were almost breathless as you held your skirts up above your feet, running down the hall after jacaerys. the soles of your feet ached from the uncomfortable shoes you wore, but you were much too stubborn to let some prince beat you in a race he didn’t know he was a part of.

you slowed down to a walk as you saw him stop, your chest heaving as you made quick work of removing your tight shoes. “if i had not given you a head start, then you wouldn’t have been ahead of me.”

ignoring your comment, jacaerys tilted his head, watching you curse as you removed one shoe. “what are you doing, lady y/n?”

“these shoes,” you grumbled, reluctantly allowing the soles of your feet to touch the cold stone beneath them, “are the reason why i could not dance for much longer, and the reason why i could not run as fast as you.”

“maybe i’m better than you at both.”

“you’re funny, my prince.” you huffed as you stood back up, holding your shoes in your hands. “how long will it take for people to notice that we’ve gone?” you asked, looking at the prince.

it was a hasty decision, really. during the dance, you had made a comment about not truly getting a tour of the red keep due to your arrival the night prior, and jacaerys — ever the gentleman — asked you if you wanted one. he would be your guide through the castle, but you both had to be hasty with your stroll. it was a mutual decision; a rather irresponsible one due to your titles, but a mutual decision nonetheless.

truthfully, you didn’t think that he would be so willing to leave the festivities; much less offer to leave with you, alone.

“if we stand here and converse, i suppose not long,” jacaerys quipped, holding his hands out towards your shoes in your hands. “may i?”

“prince jacaerys wants to carry my shoes,” you stated, as though in disbelief at the thought of any prince wanting to hold another’s shoes. still, you placed your shoes in his hands, and he fixed them under one arm.

“a wonderful and correct inference, lady y/n.”

“oh, just get on with the tour.” you walked quickly ahead of him, forcing him to quicken his stride alongside you. a comfortable silence befell the both of you, the muffled sounds of the party left long behind you.

you decided that the red keep was much more serious than your home. it stood tall and proud, practically untouched and unscarred. your home in iona was nothing of the sort; your people embraced nature, and so nature became its focus. stones were accompanied by vines and vines by its flowers and thorns. the mainland, in a way, was blind to the beauty of unkempt nature.

“i assume that you haven’t seen the streets of king’s landing yet, huh?” jacaerys questioned, turning to look at you. the gold of your clips, which were shaped as thorns, on your hair glistened under the light of the torches. he had heard that only the house of arslan wore thorns as a sign of their nobility on their islands. the motif adorned your arm bands and your rings; it was beautiful, he had concluded.

“regretfully, no,” you gazed at some of the tapestries you passed, “my father is rather cautious when we are on the mainland. unfamiliar territory.”

“the streets can be fairly dangerous, lady y/n,” jacaerys hummed, “but it can be beautiful. you just have to look at it from a certain angle.”

“a certain angle,” you echoed, “what angle is that, my prince?”

“patience, lady y/n.” jacaerys grinned a boyish grin, “i’m not done getting to know you yet.”

you snorted at his poor attempt at flirting (though that was a rather strong assumption to make), nudging the prince with your shoulder as you walked. how odd was it, that you were nudging prince jacaerys — the future heir to the throne — as though he was merely a boy of ten and six years? while that last part was true, it was still an unusual idea for you to comprehend; you were walking with the prince, alone, barefoot, as he held your shoes.

“don’t do that—“ jacaerys laughed, fixing your shoes under his arm, “i thought that it was a fairly good delivery.”

“oh, quite definitely. you will have women falling at your feet in no time, my prince.” you moved to situate yourself in front of him, walking backwards down the corridor. “for a tour, there are not too many historic comments being made. nor has there been any significant landmarks.”

“that is because this isn’t a tour, lady y/n.” jacaerys swiftly moved to walk next to you yet again, forcing you to turn yourself forward. ahead of you stood a rather large door, one he opened ever so slightly. with an outstretched hand, he motioned for you to enter first. “lady y/n,” he commented, making you roll your eyes and place your hand in his yet again.

the breeze outside had some strength to it, but its temperature was moderate as you stood out on the balcony alongside jacaerys. it was completely dark except for the two torches next to the door, but the lack of light was truly worth it for the view you had.

below you, the streets of king’s landing was lit up with its street lights. even at night it was bustling with markets, entertainment, music, and people, all glowing under the lights that decorated the streets. the lines of light that went down the streets seemed to stretch on for miles, the lines getting smaller as they did, but still as bright as ever. you could see the houses and their windows, some of them open to let the breeze in. lines of the city went on for miles and almost surrounded the red keep.

“this was the angle i was speaking of,” jacaerys said, leaning against the railing as he stared at the city alongside you. your shoulders were touching with how close the two of you were, and there was a certain amount of warmth that came with it that left comfort in his heart. he looked at you, thankful that you were too enamored in the city to notice how he was staring yet again.

“it’s breathtaking,” you murmured, too focused on the lights to come up with a witty remark. you turned to him to find him staring at you already, his face unreadable. “when did you think of bringing me here?”

“you said that you have not seen the streets of king’s landing because your father was cautious,” jacaerys shrugged, tearing his eyes away from you to look at the star filled sky, “i believe that this is the best solution; a safe yet beautiful way to see king’s landing at night.”

you couldn’t help the genuine smile that appeared on your face at his words. the fact that he had thought of such a way to let you see the city was a gesture you honestly wouldn’t just let go as if it was nothing. “you’re a good man, my prince.”

“you would think that after i bring you here, you would at least call me jace,” jacaerys said, a laugh escaping him as you rolled your eyes and nudged him yet again. “c’mon, lady y/n, just call me jace.”

“okay, jace,” you grinned at him, failing to notice the blush on his face, “you are quite persuasive. you’ll make a good king some day.”

after your brother disappeared, you had learned to trust your gut instinct.

you had a horrible habit of thinking too much into things that it clouded your judgement. your older brother, magnus, always noticed when you’d ‘drift away’ from conversation whenever something hooked your mind.

he’d always nudge you softly, saying a small, “keep yourself grounded, sister,” that always brought you back.

his disappearance had left you to deal with those moments on your own. even after three years and being the age of six and ten, you still couldn’t find it in yourself to do it at times. but all those criticizing thoughts always began with that tugging feeling in your gut.

that was what you felt now, as you and jacaerys made your way back to the festivities. because in the distance, a silhouette of a tall and lanky man came into view before you both could continue down the hallway. there it was— the tugging feeling in your stomach that signaled that something was not right. hesitantly, you took your shoes from jacaerys, interrupting his talk about his dragon.

“lord hightower,” jacaerys stated, the rest of his words dying in his throat as he looked up at the hand of the king. he, too, felt that pit in his stomach, for while you knew nothing much of the man, jacaerys knew enough of him to not trust him.

“prince jacaerys, lady arslan,” otto’s stern eyes flashed your way, looking down briefly at the shoes you held, before returning to the prince, “how nice it is to find the both of you,” he clasped his hands together, towering over the both of you, “i am sure that you are missed in the celebration.” his tone was sharp, implying something else entirely as he stood in front of you.

“we were just making our way back, lord hightower,” you responded, cursing yourself for the slight waver in your voice. “it was a pleasure to see you.” ever so quickly, you moved past the man, jacaerys following closely behind you. goosebumps ran up and down your arms at the feeling of eyes behind your back, and as you turned your head to look, you saw lord otto hightower’s eyes burn holes into you.

the walk to the entrance of the great hall was quiet, the both of you basking in the relief that came with avoiding a possible consequence. you stopped to the side of the entrance, leaning down to fix your shoes back on before you stood back up. you fixed your hair the best you could (the wind from the balcony had done a number on you, you were sure of it), turning to the prince. “how do i look?”

jacaerys looked at you then, standing under a torchlight, and felt his mouth run dry. the good bands that decorated your arms shone bright under the flames, and he could see the dusting of crushed seashells on your skin that left it glittering. your golden eyes shone bright as they stared at him, waiting for his answer. “good,” he murmured, and that was (thankfully) enough for you.

“good.” you nodded your head, peeking into the great hall before turning to him, “are you ready, jace?”

“as long as you are, y/n.”

you both slipped into the great hall, easily blending in with the crowd as you made your way to where your father stood. he was in front of princess rhaenyra and prince daemon, both of whom were sitting in their respective seats at the front of the great hall. you moved to stand next to your father, your presence making him turn his head towards you and raise a brow.

“princess rhaenyra, prince daemon,” you bowed your head slightly, as your curtsied, “it is a pleasure to finally meet you both.”

jacaerys slipped into his seat next to his mother, ignoring the look daemon gave him as he quickly fixed his hair and clothes. he reached for his cup, feigning exhaustion from dancing.

rhaenyra looked at you, your hair (while honestly, still well pinned back) slightly messy, and the entrance of her eldest son with messier hair. a small smile graced the heir’s face, and she made a mental note to gently tease her son about it later. “it’s wonderful to meet you, lady arslan. i hope you enjoyed the dances as much as my son has.”

your face reddened at the comment, but you nodded in response, “indeed.”

“y/n, i was inviting princess rhaenyra and her family to stay in iona for some time,” lord aegeus commented, and you raised your brows at that.

after your brother’s disappearance, very little visitors had visited iona. there were the occasional diplomats and traders, but no one with as much importance as the heir and her family. your father had become a shadow of himself after he lost your mother upon your birth, and after magnus was gone, he threw himself into focusing only on his people and you. to hear that he was offering to house the heir was, frankly, completely unlike him.

“it would be wonderful to finally see iona’s islands,” princess rhaenyra said, “i have always wanted to go there as a child. it’s always seemed so beautiful.”

“iona will surely welcome you,” lord aegeus responded, a shadow of a smile on his lips. “how does visiting in two weeks time sound? if it is allowed in your schedule, princess.”

you felt that feeling again as they continued to talk; the feeling of eyes burning into your skull. you looked down the right of the table in front of you, gazing past the throne and to the hightowers. both of them were listening to everything princess rhaenyra and lord aegeus was saying.

ACT II, ACT III, ACT IV

#AUTHORSNOTE— surprise, i write for house of the dragon now. sorry if i get anything wrong in regards to the titles, greetings, etc! i'll start a tag list if people are interested in this. feel free to send me asks about this series!

731 notes · View notes

literallyjusttoa · 10 months

Note

Ok I have just been scrolling on your blog for like ages now and I just wanna say that I find your greek mythology rants literally so interesting bc a) they are so informative and when reading them it's obvious your dedicated abt it and b) I just love the way you write??? There's so much passion and it makes reading all your posts so interesting. I just love the info dumps especially bc I really want to know more abt greek mythology but I just don't have the time + have no idea where to start finding this information.

Plus I just really really love your art. It's so adorable?? I love your style and the way you draw your characters I just want to bundle them all up and never let go like I am literally etching every last bit into my brain.

Anyways I hope this doesn't seem like weird ☀️

These are like the kindest compliments, thank you!!!!

I'm so glad my passion for mythology comes through in my writing bc I do care so much about greek mythology and like mythology in general, if I thought I could make it in academia I would totally get a job in mythology research it is one of my favorite things. AND! I have a couple of resources I would totally recommend for a good place to start researching!

Theoi.com: oml this is such a phenomenally good resource for greek mythology. It has a whole bunch of different information and all of it is linked back to it's original source from antiquity. I will say that the writing on the website can be a bit dense, but it's not horrible and I could not recommend this site enough as a source for information.

If you have the money to buy a book I would recommend getting a copy of the Apollodorus' Library. This is a collection of mythography (It's like a mythological dictionary) that is thought to have been written around 2nd century BC. So, two plusses. 1. It's a primary source. 2. It has a lot of myths in a small package. Obviously, the original book is in ancient greek, which I sadly have not learned to read, but there are a lot of really good translations in english that are readily available. The one I have was translated by R. Scott Smith and Stephan M. Trzaskoma, and it's really cool because it also has the translated Hyginus' Fabulae, which is also mythography but this time it's roman. So like, two in one go! Woop woop!

After these two resources, I would recommend going trying to find resources that go more in depth on whatever myth catches your eye. Of course, that could be anything, so I can't really offer up a certain book or website for that, but I can give a couple of tips I use when looking into potential sources of information!

Primary resources!!! Always look for primary resources!! These are the sources that are actually from ancient greece, and have little to no additions from an author. I know these sources are usually more dense and harder to get through, but I think it's good to have an understanding of the original myth before you start looking at other people's interpretations of that myth, just so you don't get their thoughts confused with the actual original text. If you're having trouble figuring out if a book or site is a good primary research, search it up and look for reviews! Usually there's at least a couple people talking about how good the source is academic-wise.

I would always encourage researching ancient greek and roman history alongside researching mythology. These myths did not exist in a vacuum, and a lot of the time certain myths and stories are the direct result of the culture and politics of the era. I think the connections between greek mythology and history give you a greater understanding of both topics, and is always a good step!

(Also just my bias showing, but greek art history!!! is so good!!! and tells you so much about the culture!!! and then roman art history is also great!!! Because you get to see how the artists of rome used the cultural and artistic values of greece to create meaning and influence the people!! Like, Octavian purposefully had himself sculpted in a hellenistic style so that people would be less worried about him ruling from such a young age?? That's so interesting!!! I love art history!!!!)

I will say a lot of this does take a lot of time (I only really have time to research now bc it's summer so i'm not in college ;-;) but I really think it's such an interesting field, as you can probably tell by how long this was.

#ask #sunny speaks #greek mythology #long post #also you're totally not weird it's cool!

59 notes · View notes

shipcestuous · 10 days

Note

If people are looking for a good, incestuous webcomic about Greek Mythology, I can't recommend Theia Mania by A-gnosis enough. It's kind of an anthology series, with different stories about different gods, but it's currently in it's Hymn to Demeter arc, so right now there's a lot of focus on the Hades/Persephone relationship going on.

I love it because it's very well-thought-out and well researched, and the author's love for Ancient Greek literature, and history shines through every page. Plus, in it the gods are a big, messy family where everyone's flawed but (while I do have my preferences and it's easy for me to like/sympathize with some characters but not others) no one is a complete monster or a one-dimensional caricature of a villain. There is some incest-negative talk here and there, granted, but I feel it's always very justified by who's saying what and in which circumstances.

At one point, Athena fears (though that's not actually what's happening) that Zeus is going to try and come onto her because... well, I don't want to spoil it because I think the way the author went about the whole "Zeus ate Metis and then Athena came out of his head" thing is really interesting. But anyway, to me that moment feels like it's more about "I thought we were becoming close because you genuinely cared about me as a person and a family member, but now I think you might just you see me as a way to get my mom back, like I don't matter and only she does" or even "I thought you really respected me and cared about me in the platonic way I care about you, but now I suspect for you I might just be another woman to seduce and either discard or keep as a dirty little secret," plus Athena is asexual in a culture where she doesn't really have any tools or resources to help her understand what that means, so at times she's just generally uncomfortable with the way most other gods seem (from her perspective) to be constantly going on about sex and doing crazy, stupid things to get it.

Later on, Persephone is also outraged and upset with Zeus for seducing her and says that's just proof of how fucked-up their family really is... but, again trying not to spoil anything, Zeus deceived her by hiding his identity, thus taking away from her the choice of having sex with *him* or not, and then he kept disrespecting her autonomy and her ability to make her own decisions even while putting her in a very, very tough spot. Which is clearly something that has overall a bigger impact on Persephone than just the idea of having had sex with her dad.

And that's it, really, at least from what I remember. So, in conclusion, the problem is not incest so much as... Zeus.

... okay, no, that was just a joke. XD Zeus does have his good sides, too, and it's not like he's completely incapable of caring about other people, in the end. But the problem is not incest so much as men who treat women like objects, lie to them and hide things from them then expect their trust anyway, think that just because women are open about liking sex or otherwise "not respectable" in some way then they should also be "available" to them specifically, or otherwise disrespect their right to make their own decisions. Which is a point I think the entire comics makes really well, as it doesn't shy away from the problems that come with being a woman in an historical setting like this while at the same time also having plenty of nuanced, flawed female characters who never feel like they're supposed to be perfect little victims just there to show how tragic their suffering is and never have a moment of happiness or fun.

And honestly, I think that's part of what makes A-gnosis' version of Hades/Persephone just so good and engaging. They're uncle and niece, but Persephone isn't uncomfortable with that (unlike with the whole thing with Zeus) because she gets along really well with Hades, they get each other and also each other's perspectives on life, and they respect each other both when it comes to sex (which is also an interesting element on its own, as Persephone is allosexual with a high libido and generally just loves doing it, and feeling sexy, too, while Hades is demisexual and has struggled with understanding what that means to him while feeling like the odd one out among his siblings) and other things. Hades abducts her to take her as his wife after asking permission from Zeus but not her and Demeter, but he doesn't actually want to force her into anything and has a hidden motivation that he discloses right away to Persephone because it involves something that's happening to her that they have previously discussed and they're both worried about, but she's also rightfully angry at him for a bit and bluntly points out to him that he could have tried to find a better way to bring her to the Underworld and work on the problem without other people sticking their noses in their business. They have their own problems but they work through them as two people who care for and are coming to love each other, and on top of that they have very compatible personalities and even sense of humor, and it's so good to see!

Also, he's a grumpy nerd who usually gets along better with the dead (whom he's actually fiercely protective of and cares a great deal about) than the living (who he often doesn't understand, leading him to act dismissive, overly strict, or unapproachable towards them, and who don't usually offer him much understanding and compassion in return) and she's a loner with a noncomformist streak and a punk vibes. Which is an interpretation I'd never really seen before (well, not punk loner Persephone, at least) but now I'm in love with it!

Uh, and also, have you ever wished for an Hades/Persephone romance that treats Demeter as a good mother who dearly loves her daughter instead of an harpy who purposefully keeps her isolated and naive and prevents her from spreading her wings for her own gain? Well, Theia Mania's Demeter is amazing. The comic doesn't go to the opposite extreme of making her the Perfect Mom whose only personality trait is being a mother, either (if I had a nickel for every time I've seen anti Hades/Persephone people clamoring for that while somehow thinking themselves so much more progressive than the Demeter bashers... let's just say, I'd have way more than just two nickels, lol!) and so she ends up as one of the most sympathetic characters in it. She has issues and flaws and she's traumatized (and not just by the Poseidon thing I mentioned above) and, as much as she loves her, she doesn't always really get her daughter, but she's never just an annoying obstacle on the road to Hades/Persephone realizing they want to stay together, she has her own story going on that obviously intersects with theirs but is very much about her. And I just want her to clear up all the misunderstandings between her and Persephone, hopefully reconcile with Hades (she's not okay with him right now both because of his recent actions and because of something else that happened between them in the past), and be happy with her girlfriend (and I mean that in the canonical sense, btw) Hekate!

Sorry for the rant but Theia Mania is the best modern adaptation of Greek Mythology I've read in a while, and I couldn't help but spread the love!!

... er, Theia Mania anon, here again! Just realized I accidentally erase da line in my ask and forgot to rewrite it before sending! I wanted to say there's also a flashback Poseidon/Demeter thing that could maybe also be interpreted as incest-negative, as he... well, let's just say he really doesn't care about her consent, and leave it at that. She understandably feels very violated by this, but because there was a certain chemistry between them at the time and *he* interpreted it as romantic/sexual, he claims she was leading him on/only saying no out loud to protect her honor as an unmarried woman while "really" she wanted him to go on. But again, the point there is not that they're brother and sister, even if personally I got the vibe she *only* saw him as a brother she got along very well with. The point is still that he shouldn't have just taken what he wanted, he should have actually treated her as an equal and respected her wishes, without making up excuses about "what women do" and "what women really think." So, yeah, that's what I was referencing in my comment about Demeter!

How exciting to have something well written to enjoy! I love the sound of all of the nuanced characters and the complicated relationships.

Thanks so much for this detailed rec.

#asks #anonymous #first post #mythology #greek mythology #theia mania #commentary #noiv #nr #new canon #hades and persephone #comics

7 notes · View notes

demeterdefence · 3 months

Note

Previous anon here:

Hmm agreed, it's not JUST her fault but it sucks that our current cultural landscape keeps falling into the same trap of trying to make something woke, feminist, progressive, what have you but winds up so much worse instead

It's the same issue with the disney remakes, failing so hard to update the story when its original incarnation was more feminist without even trying. For example: I know a lot of people love the 2015 remake of Cinderella, and I've seen people say it's the best live-action adaptation but I will NEVER forget that, while the movie hammers home the lesson "be kind, always" they had the nerve to insert a line that says something like: It's a good thing Cinderella's stepmother was cruel, because otherwise she never would've met the prince and like EXCUSE ME?!

I think MOST people would rather have a safe home-environment where you weren't bullied, demeaned, and forced to work over the vague possibility of a special someone coming to rescue me from this situation...

Anyway this was about lore olympus... XD

i think you have a really valid point! and it circles back to how rachel is just one of many people who insists on a flawed perception of something, thinking it's "better" because it's "modern"

like with rachel's lolita fetish or the gross racism within lore olympus, this really does speak to a wider issue - the fact that webtoons promotes the content and publishes it to such a wide audience, who is so often comprised of younger teens who don't yet realize why this is an issue. i can only imagine ancient greek women who adored the hymn of demeter, finding out that modern times vilifies her and glorifies persephone's kidnapping as some kind of romance. and there are ways to portray things in a modern setting, or to create romance in a story that is more or less devoid of it; the trick is, you need to know the originals to make a retelling. one of my favourite movies is disney's hercules, which is so far from the original lore of heracles it's pretty much an entirely separate story - but it's done with such love and so many nods to the canon myth that you can acknowledge this is an offshoot inspired by the myths.

rachel's comic is just so utterly devoid of any kind of love for the original myths and legends. she uses such surface-level interpretations of the characters that removes any complexity from their motivations, and thus the story as a whole. hades and persephone are given depth, supposedly, but zeus being forced to kill his own father, or why he's a sex addict, gets thrown into the trash for cheap shots. demeter's trauma in being made for war, watching her sister torn apart, watching her mother killed, sexually abused by two of her friends, and abused / vilified by hades for centuries, who then goes on to marry her teenage daughter, is tossed away for demeter to be "overbearing mom eugh."

like, rachel wants all the modern glitz and glam of the modern era, but that's it. she does not want to tell a story - she wants to draw her ocs in hot clothes having bad sex.

#answered #anti lo #anti lore olympus #i am a FIRM believer than myths and legends can be retold in modern context #and i've personally read some absolutely stellar modern retellings!#rachel is not one of them lol

17 notes · View notes

genericpuff · 1 year

Note

I really can't wait to see how you write Demeter! Is she going to be the villain?

yaay it's a good day for asks! sorry because I'm about to go on ANOTHER HUGE TANGENT LMAO but I hope it answers your question thoroughly enough ! 😅 (and if it doesn't at all lmk LOL) Demeter's gonna be an interesting one. I think you already know the answer to this, but I really can't stand how she's villainized like some Mother Gothel archetype, especially when it comes to how Rachel portrays it, because everything Demeter thinks/does/says is honestly justified, try as Rachel might to make her seem like some insane overbearing 'evil' stepmother. Everything always comes back to "Demeter bad!" whereas reading her depiction of Persephone is like watching The Little Mermaid as an adult.

(it's very frustrating, to say the least LMAO)

Personally I'm gonna be going for what LO started with, but never followed up on - Demeter wants to see her daughter gain independence, but is fearful of her being taken advantage of and hurt the same way she, her "sisters", and her "mother" was (and yes, I have my own way of tackling the incest and familial labels in a way Rachel could have but didn't, I don't wanna reveal too much but it's very fun and I can't wait to explore it haha). All this is gonna affect how her relationship with her daughter plays out - it won't be exactly like the Hymn of Demeter, focusing solely on Demeter's grief, but it won't be exactly like LO either where it throws aside the purpose and messaging of the original myth entirely. All the gods are nuanced and morally problematic in their own way, and that includes Persephone and Hades.

Honestly, I think the reason why so many myth 'retellings' like LO end up being this Flanderized in their characterizations ("Demeter bad, Persephone good!" and "Zeus bad husband, Hades perfect husband!") is because there's so little material surrounding Persephone and Hades compared to all the others. While this can make it fun for having more freedom in re-interpretations, it unfortunately has the opposite effect as well where people tend to forgo the entire point of the original story so they can have some feel good cute story where Hades was some "soft" husband who did nothing wrong and Persephone was some "boss babe" icon with no nuance in between.

I see this type of fetishization of the original myth in a lot of these interpretations but especially Rachel's work. I'm not sure if "fandomification" is a word that can be used here, but I definitely get the feeling Rachel idolizes and fetishizes Greek myth the same way a lot of young Westerners often idolize and fetishize Japanese lore and content, or, more personally, Indigenous cultures (as I myself am Indigenous, specifically Mi'kmaq) - by reducing it down to its most "consumable" formats and turning it into something more 'palatable' and 'fandom-y' for modern audiences that almost comes across as pandering and demeaning to anyone looking for anything with more depth than a teaspoon (and especially to those who belong to the respective cultures being portrayed through this lens).

This isn't to say that creators have to stick to their lane when writing about other cultures or myths, but you can tell when someone hasn't done their research and is working from a very romanticized template they've built up in their heads. Rachel's, in this case, feels like it's definitely come from her time on Tumblr back in the day, when Hades x Persephone writing prompts were all the rage and people were coming up with all sorts of feel good AU content. The thing with AU prompts like that though is they're just that - prompts, memes, mere thought experiments or hypotheticals, not something that can necessarily work as an actual serious long form story unless you know what you're doing. I think creators who want to go so far as to 're-interpret' these stories through their own lens have a huge responsibility to still recognize and treat the original source material with some semblance of respect. In this regard, LO in its current state really should have stayed as a slice-of-life type series if it wanted to keep things light.

And I'm saying this entirely as someone who grew up on weeb content in the freaking West and got more into Greek myth because of LO. That's why I don't entirely chastise it, fandom-y type stories like LO can definitely help introduce people to cultures and stories they wouldn't have batted an eye at before (as I've started to detest LO over the last year, it's made for even better learning because I've had to research the original myths just to see how Rachel is misfiring on them entirely LMAO) but there comes the added responsibility of making sure you're not erasing or reducing the original material in favor of the silly cutesy stuff. It's an entry point, not the entire course! And that's a responsibility that falls both on the audience and the content's creator, IMO.

Yay, more text dumps! Sorry if a lot of that seems weirdly gatekeepy, it's def not what I'm trying to get across, just trying to voice my own frustrations with the depiction of LO's characters as best I can, I feel like a lot of it comes down to Rachel just not having done proper research and relying solely on tropes and self-fulfilling fantasies. If LO stayed as a slice-of-life thing that would have been fine, there's definitely a place for that sort of feel-good goofy storytelling, but by trying to be super ultra serious, it's tripped over its own feet because that's just not what Rachel is capable of depicting at this moment. She's trying to write a super serious story, but doesn't come across as if she actually takes it seriously by extension and it shows.

TL ; DR: Basically, we're gonna actually hone in on Demeter's trauma from the Titanomachy and how it affects her parenting style and 'controlling' tendencies, not only of Persephone, but of the community of nymphs she's fostered over the years. It's not about whether Demeter is the hero or the villain, because that would be missing the point entirely - it's about her role and experiences as a mother and leader of her community, a woman in a struggling position of power among a patriarchal system, and a mother who lost her child to that same patriarchal system, whether by choice or through forced marriage. No matter how one wishes to tell it, whether it's in tragedy or celebration, you can't have the story of Persephone and Hades without Demeter. That is the core of what I want to focus on and bring back to the retellings of Hades and Persephone.

#keep the questions coming yo #i love answering these #lore olympus critical #lo critical #unpopularloreolympus #ask me anything #ama

60 notes · View notes

rayless-reblogs · 6 months

Note

How about 8. and/or 27. from the author ask game?

Got it!

8: How do you feel about epilogues?

It's not something I've given a lot of thought, but on reflection, I really like them. One of my chief hang-ups with media, especially books and video games, is when there's too long of a stretch between the climax and the end of the story. Sometimes there's this long dead zone, where all the energy evaporates because the author's telling us how things are being resolved, but the tension is gone and we're just getting too much information. Or, the author spins things out too long by throwing in some little last-minute conflicts that can feel distracting and irritating. In general, I want the climax-to-finale interval to be as short as possible -- but then you run the risk of leaving the story feeling unfinished.

So an epilogue can be a big help. You've had your final confrontation. The Dark Lord is dead (or maybe your spouse now, who knows?) With an epilogue, you can end the climax on an emotional high note, and then fast forward to some time in the future. There, you can show how the characters' and the world's circumstances have changed without explaining every step. You don't have to endure a period of explanation and minor problem-solving. It allows the payoff of the actual ending to arrive much quicker.

So I think they can be very useful, and, looking back, I've noticed I often use them myself, both in original and fanfic. But they aren't always called for. With both Papom and Eola, that fast-forward after the climax to see what everyone's up to felt right. The next book, on the other hand, didn't need one. It's definitely a case by case thing.

27: Do you try to do most of your research ahead of writing (when research is necessary) or do you do it as things come up?

Up until recently, I hadn't set time aside to specifically research ahead of a project. Either I was writing fic, and "research" involved happily absorbing things through the fandom. (Though in some cases, I should've researched more real-world stuff too.) Or I was writing fantasy, and I felt I had enough of a grasp on my world-building not to have to research things.

(This is not to say people shouldn't research their fantasy world-building -- being grounded in reality enriches a fantasy setting -- but Papom and Eola didn't feel like they called for it.)

Papom is based on a number of fairy tales, so I did read up on the variants before writing, but I chose not to delve too far into academic interpretations. Given Eider's double amputation, I also researched that, but that came after I'd written the first draft -- that was useful in refining her character and realizing she'd actually be more self-sufficient than I'd initially thought.

Research is good, but I think it can sometimes bog down an author's progress. Sometimes, it's good to just launch into things and get your ideas down, and then worry more about getting details right on the next draft. So in some cases, I'd recommending researching as you go, or even afterwards.

But with my third book, the Next Book, it's a fantasy, but it's not a fantasy set in a cute little universe of my own making: It's set during real-world history, involving real cultures, in a very real point in time. I don't want to get too specific yet, but this is why I've been dropping little mentions about neat things I've learned regarding Greek culture in the Roman Empire. Something I am not an expert on.

Fake fantasy setting? Yeah, I'm totally an expert on that, let's dive in and make stuff up as we go. Rome? Uh -- I've read some stuff, but not enough to world-build. I need to learn a lot before I have an idea what the setting for my characters even is.

The book's plot is also based somewhat on the writings of an ancient writer, so I had to read through all of their output. I think that started some time in 2021. Then it was time to research Rome itself. It's a huge subject, so I focused on a few areas that were most relevant to my story, and then I went after different books on those subjects. That was 2022 and into 2023. I took notes and outlined during that stage, but I didn't start properly writing until I was done with all of the reading.

But once I started writing, I kept running into little questions like -- "Did the Romans have any understanding of asthma?" "How did Romans store their books?" So in a smaller way, I kept researching all the way through.

That was maybe more answer than you bargained for, but thanks for the ask!

Meme here.

#writing #meme

6 notes · View notes

what-even-is-thiss · 1 year

Note

Roman, I'd love to hear something mythology related about the mutual evolution of mythology - when two or more cultures feature the same mythological figures despite having little/no contact with each other.

This is actually quite difficult for a layperson to research and because I do not professionally study comparative mythology and religion you're gonna have to take what I say here with that in mind.

It's partially difficult to talk about this because historically the world has always been a lot more interconnected than most people think it is. Some ideas are also way older than we think they are. For example, we have story tropes (not stories but tropes) that possibly date back to when humans first started to spread around and out of Africa. Like one of the Pleiades being hard to see and there being a reason one of the stars either left or became dim. We know this might date back all the way to Africa because while humans were still confined to Africa there was a slight shift in perspective for various reasons that made the seventh star in the Pleiades harder to see. But keeping all that in mind, Here's a couple of stories that I just think are neat.

The 7 sisters get chased into the sky:

The Kiowa people of the Great Plains tell the story of the 7 sisters or the Pleiades like this (based on a telling by I-See-Many-Camp-Fire-Places, Kiowa soldier at Fort Sill, Oklahoma,1897):

One day, seven little girls were playing together by a stream a little too far from the town. As they were playing, a bear saw them and began to rush at them. Seeing the bear coming, the girls began to run back towards town where the adults could fight the bears back. Soon they realized that they couldn't make it back in time so they scrambled up some tall rocks to try to escape, but the rocks were not tall enough. The bears began climbing. Seeing this, the girls began to yell and beg and plead with the rocks to save them, and the rocks did. They grew and grew into a steep pillar that the bears clawed at but could just not climb. And the girls? The kept rising even after the rocks had stopped growing. And they rose and rose up into the sky until they turned into stars.

Compare this to the Greek story of the 7 sisters:

The Pleiades were seven sisters, daughters of the titan Atlas. Because Atlas was stuck holding up the world, he could not protect his daughters and they did not know how to fight. So when the giant Orion saw them and became determined to rape them, all they could do was run and run and run. And they ran and ran and Orion chased them and chased them and would not give up. He was huge, his strides were huge, and he could walk on water. Eventually the sisters realized that Orion would literally never stop, so they cried out to the other gods for help. Zeus heard their cry and lifted them into the heavens to save them from Orion where they turned into stars.

Not exactly the same. The danger is different, but the result is the same.

The Earth is a dead body:

Pangu, from Chinese Mythology:

In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, there was an egg. From this egg emerged Pangu, a hairy unfathomably gigantic man with horns. Pangu separated Yin from Yang and earth and sky from each other with a swing of his mighty axe and to keep earth and sky separated he pushed them apart with his giant body, and after he died, his blood became the rivers, his eyes became the sun and moon, his breath became the wind, clouds, and mist, and his body became the mountains and valleys.

Ymir, from Norse Mythology:

In the beginning, there was ice and fire with nothing but the yawning void between them. Over time, the ice and fire mixed and together they formed a giant named Ymir, a cow, and block of salty ice. From the salty ice and the licking of the cow came a man named Buri. From Ymir came the Jotunns, and Buri's gransons were Odin, Vili, and Ve. The three brothers became tired of there being no world, and the only thing big enough to create a world with was Ymir, so they killed him and from his flesh came the earth, his bones the mountains, his hair the trees, his blood the water, his brains the clouds, and his skull the sky.

Tlaltecuhtli from Aztec mythology:

Before the creation of the 5th world, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcalipoca descended from the heavens and realized that anything they created would be eaten by the monster Tlaltecuhtli standing in the ocean so before the creation of the 5th world, Tlaltecuhtli would have to die. While wrestling with her, one of Tezcalipoca's legs was bitten off, but despite this Quetzalcoatl and Tezcalipoca each grabbed one of Tlaltecuhtli's arms and with a mighty surge of strength tore her in half. Half of her body became the land, while the other half became the sky. Her skin became the plants of the world, Her nose the hills and valleys, her shoulders the big mountains, her mouth the caves, and her eyes the freshwater springs.

So yeah, the earth as a dead body. Weirdly common.

31 notes · View notes

mask131 · 1 year

Text

I am growing more and more tired of seeing bad Greek mythology posts... But I can’t escape them and due to the popularity of the subject they’ll probably keep existing for a long time X)

So here is my five main points : the main points that make a Greek myth post “bad” (as in misinterpreting, misrepresenting, misjudging Greek mythology) ; but also the main points one can work on to gain a better handling on Greek mythology, the main points one can use to make better posts, the main points one needs to work on if they want to explore Greek myth.

1) Do not confuse Greek mythology and Roman mythology. Despite the lie everybody tells you that “Roman gods are just Greek gods by another name”, NO! That’s only good when a teacher tells that to a class of middle-schoolers. But we know better. That’s two different world eras, two different cultures, two different religions - two different pantheons, who happen to have lot of similarities (due to one copying the other) but also a lot of differences (Roman gods did exist in a very different set of incarnations before they were reshaped to imitate the Greek gods - and they later added so many new gods not present in the Greek world).

2) Do not forget that there is a difference between Greek mythology and Greek religion. The legends and myths of Greek mythology were shaped by literary and poetic works, and in them the gods are given a very human behavior, with flaws, and family drama, and it is all a question of telling stories. In Greek religion, the gods are perfect omniscient omnipotent super-beings and forces of nature always good and always right. That’s a bit of a caricatural description, but there is a reason why priests of the Greek religion though some Greek literary works depicting the gods were blasphemous.

3) Do not ignore the chronology. Always try to look at the sources you take a myth from, at the dates the texts were written, and by who. There is a huge difference between the “very old” Greek literary texts, like Hesiod and Homer back in the “Old Greece”, and the very late writers born in a Greek world heavily influenced (or under domination by) other cultures and nations (the Dionysiaka of Nonnos). Because you should remember that while the older and more ancient texts were just dealing with myths, legends and beliefs still very vivid and alive, the later texts often reconstructed or invented entire things based mostly on what we would call today “folkloric research” about things forgotten by “modern” Greeks, on reactions to famous literary works, or on a pure desire to make a new, interesting work in front of a long and heavy heritage.

4) Talking about Homer and Hesiod: do not forget that Greek mythology is not unified. It is a series of numerous traditions and variations spanning through millenia. The better example of that is Homer and Hesiod. Everybody knows that these two were the fundations of Greek mythology as we know today, the fathers (or grandfathers) of Ancient Greek literature, the leviathans and behemoths of Greek culture. But people tend to ignore that these two presented different versions of the Greek mythology, different versions and incarnations of the gods with two different genealogies, characterizations and chronologies - to the point that their work blatantly contradict each other by moment. One character I talked about previously was Eris: the Homeric Eris is the sister of Ares (and thus daughter of Zeus and Hera) ; the Hesiodic Eris is one of the numerous negative entities born out of Nyx before Zeus was even born - and thus a sister of entities such as Hypnos and Thanatos. This is an IMPORTANT difference, explained by the fact that these two writers took from two different traditions. Same way with each Greek city, which had its own variation of the mythology: each city had its own favorite god, its own local heroes, and as a result each city told a version of the myth where their favorite “shined” much better. If we have such a good point of view of Athena today, it is because Athens (her city) became THE major cultural power and political influence, resulting in the Athenian versions of the myths spreading everywhere. It is a bit similar (kind of stretch but still) to how the United-States became so influential people sometimes know better American retellings of famous stories rather than other versions.

5) One cannot fully understand Greek myths and legends without understanding Greek society. It is very important to understand Ancient Greek society because despite how “simple” it might seem at first, the truth is that it is a very alien society to us with a lot of things not obvious AT ALL. The most famous example: the myth of Hades and Persephone. How many people ignored the fact that in Ancient Greek society, the only thing you need to make a marriage legal and justified and official is the authorization of the father? That girls are technically “objects” belonging to their father and that their mother had no right or power when it came to marrying them, and that marriages were all about just transmitting the ownership of the girl from a father to a husband. It is not at all obvious for us in modern days, but it is something much needed to understand the complexity and depth of the Hades and Persephone myth. Historical and social context is NEEDED.

There’s probably more to point out, but when it comes to broad generalization, this is the best I can do for now.

#greek mythology #greek myths #greek gods #greek goddesses #understanding greek myths #ancient greece

36 notes · View notes

kebriones · 1 year

Note

are you against mythology retellings? if yes, would you mind telling me why? (in my opinion they are harmless and each one of them adds something new to the ‘source material’) just asking since i’ve seen a lot of classicists harassing people just minding their business and having fun 💀

-Absolutely not at all! I came very near to spending all my savings to go watch hadestown a couple years back, and at the very beginning I even enjoyed lore olympous (the story lost me at some point).

-Do I think they're harmless? No story is harmless and all of them are. It depends on what you consider harm.

-I don't think they add to the source material. If we're talking about ancient greek mythology specifically, it's been dead and burried for centuries. Whatever new is created, is a modern thing and seperate, in my opinion.

-However, it is the very nature of mythology, that people are meant to make their own stories inside it freely. If anything, I enjoy retellings, and even more than retellings I absolutely love the taking of characters (heroes gods, whatever) and making completely new stories with them. "retellings" as a concept can fall into the trap of trying to fix myths, to make them more palatable and enjoyable to a modern audience, which is what rubs me the wrong way.

-But there's no storytelling police so that's up to me to avoid reading those stories of course. Others may enjoy them, and not everyone has to care about the historical contexts or original messages of specific myths. I certainly think there are benefits to it and personally I find it adds to the enjoyment , but each person enjoys different things. I have spent many years stewing in my overprotective feelings towards ancient greek mythology but recently I decided I just want people to have a nice time. I'm also trying to teach myself to understand that other people are completely different to me, so if I find somethign sickeningly bad and others like it, that's just how subjective things work. So I might complain, half-jokingly always, about stuff but it's just to blow off steam and deep down i'm chill about everything.

I specifically don't like what I've heard about the song of achilles, plus I'm extremely, extremely biased when it comes to the iliad, so I am very picky about retellings for that specific part of mythology. the iliad has been my baby since I was very young and it's the one thing I allow myself to be completely crazy over, so when I say I cannot get through the movie troy because it's too painful, I 100% mean it. if you enjoy it, that's great. I will complain and bitch about it forever. I slept with that book under my pillow for my entire childhood and to have some randos come and spend millions to butcher it and drag its corpse like achilles dragged hector, for the whole world to see is too much.

As a last point. I think sometimes with retellings, especially of ancient greek mythology, we're a bit too sensitive because it has been too oftenly taken out of its cultural context and used willy-nilly to tell stories that reflect nothing greek, be it modern or ancient. It is a flashy topic for people to use however they want, and it's been changed to fit western cultures so so much, that I wish people would just leave it alone. Ancient greek mythology isn't about flashy god powers, it's about the values and experiences of a culture (or more correctly, multiple cultures), whether those align with modern ones or not, but when "retellings" are first and foremost made to be sold as products, the stories have to be altered to hell, to be nice and tame for the audience, to sell well. Which is a whole other discussion.

so yeah that's why I prefer all-new stories that maybe use mythological characters, over straight up retellings. But, as most ancient greek myths were very regional, had a million variations of which we know a tiny amount of, and were told and made for a long period of time, I don't think that retellings now are in any way inherently bad. But all the nice marble aesthetics (tm) and hot dudes will not fix a bad story, is what I wish people understood. Also I wish they didn't think they know or even claim to like the mythology from having read only retellings.

Anyways I am not a classicist, I am a fine arts student, so I might be saying absolute nonsense, my brain is too fried. on the other hand, i am born and raised in greece, and I have grown up with these myths everywhere around me and I really like them, so I have a lot of feelings about them, but that doesn't really mean anything. And I haven't noticed much harassing going on (lots of complaining, but that's the lifeblood of the internet) but then again I'm here on tmblr only a very short time. That all said, I absolutely do not condone harassing people for what they enjoy, especially for things that can only "harm" the person doing it, like reading stories.

#on a scale of 1 to 10 #how off topic did I get this time

17 notes · View notes

alatismeni-theitsa · 2 years

Note

Hello, I've been following you for a while now. I stumbled on this thread on twitter you might like on Rick Riordan's use of Greek gods in Percy Jackson:

https://twitter.com/moniza_hossain/status/1538062438272475136?t=eiHLd0AIToG6JEjyb3ATJw&s=19

"Speaking of Greek retellings, I finally got around to reading Percy Jackson as an adult and pretty much the main thing I was thinking the whole time was how rude it was to Greek people for an entire series to exist where Greek Gods had abandoned Greece for the US"

———————————————————

Some of the comments were illustrative like this one:

https://twitter.com/javeria/status/1538292070460207105?t=jhncKSCjoOMM7k7y9Zcm3w&s=19

"I think this begs the question of why Hellenistic culture is considered the “cradle of western civilization” while the country of Greece is decidedly not considered part of the West lol"

——————————————————

Or this one:

https://twitter.com/Eurotrochilus/status/1538231749418831872?t=yI24hUwkhQSjy93Z9OKdzg&s=19

"As someone of Greek Cypriot heritage bullied for my features growing up I enjoyed the series (our ancient mythology is successful and recognized) but I find it so odd the main characters even of Greek stories all end up looking WASPy to appeal to hegemonic whiteness."

——————————————————

And this user's:

"What frustrates me the most though is when agents say no Greek mythology because it's been done before by a bunch of Americans/Brits who have never stepped foot in Greece. Not to mention it's really weird thinking all those with Greek heritage have the same story to tell, like myself as a Greek Cypriot for example having a weird dichotomous identity split between Greek & Middle Eastern which actually informed Greek mythology back in the day when Greeks settled in Cyprus. My point is: Research is golden."

https://twitter.com/Athena_Lambrou/status/1538152790287065089?t=7IRoATWsmnKmFSEIp75P5w&s=19

——————————————————

I also agree with the original thread author's statement that looking in as a person who grew up outside the West and moved to the U.S. relatively recently, it's so odd how people in the West not of Greek heritage find it natural to "reclaim" it even though it was never theirs. I've noticed this with authors particularly of WASP, British-like descent. There's also the way these authors almost always use Greek mythology and heritage to uphold "hegemonic whiteness" and conveniently ignore people like the second and third comments above who don't fit that standard. There's also the odd way people in the West of European descent that were colonized by Romans see fit to lay claim to Greek heritage by default.

see: this thread

"I think because of the influence Greece and Rome had on the rest of the West (by conquering pretty much all of Europe) the West tends to see them as "our" gods because their worship spread so far throughout the continent."

https://twitter.com/Stormblessed545/status/1538149088344014848?t=V1Fi_CMPfWMnr4qV35OLHw&s=19

see: this retweet

"I had a professor who was so obsessed with the idea that the Greek culture represented the west like this white man from southern Louisiana with no connection to Greece was walking around like he inherited it. The obsession exists in academia too.

https://twitter.com/MichaelduLiban/status/1538370921039380480?t=QQLw8Gxdiw1IgicXl6si-w&s=19

see: this comment

"Ancient Greece is always where our studies of literature, art, civilization, story, start in US. like stuff we study starting in elementary school. Maybe bc it’s western empire? Greece —> Rome —> Britain —> US…… Trying to align ourselves with them…"

https://twitter.com/PartyHkt/status/1538415013894971394?t=3D2_oC0v8vI8sXmrri5yTg&s=19

see: this comment

“stories that were never yours” —- Yet people in the North and the West have lived with these stories and somewhat internalized them for about 500 years, through art, music, literature, and today also through religious devotion. Besides that I get and sympathize with your point.”

https://twitter.com/Steppovic/status/1538240142783221760?t=_Tipro_6jtFxYPaQ3aXXQg&s=19

see: this comment

“I don't really think myths belong to anyone. They belong to whoever hears them. They're myths.”

https://twitter.com/sagebored/status/1538261975922139136?s=20&t=YZ71R103q4F8KunyZVuLJw

——————————————————

I leave you with this thread of people positively piling on this person who thinks modern Greeks have no right to their ancient heritage and it's actually for ~everyone~

https://twitter.com/bitbydog/status/1538212267120283648?t=hsofHJRyBPcTOlp0W7Pq8w&s=19

Also, my favorite comment from this thread:

"So what?" for westerners, but Greek people need to be out there sacrificing animals to merit a spot in this discussion huh. The entitlement people feel over the history of a country while completely disrespecting the current people living there is sus. No one is banning you from writing shitty retellings of myths. People are pointing out how western powers appropriated Greece's history while simultaneously wrecking havoc on the country and now you people get in their feelings bc some1 pointed out that acting like an entire country/group of people has disappeared is weird.”

——————————————————

ALSO, this comment:

https://twitter.com/sunspira_/status/1538456266581876736?t=KDYyRg1gJdlzDazMZt4CDA&s=19

"I strongly agree!! Although I do think the French and English state feeling entitled to historic Greek art and artifacts because of some vague concept the “roots of western civilization” is directly connected to French & English writers going overboard with claiming the mythology 1/3

The Greek myths are open to wild and “inaccurate” interpretation & storytelling. but the notion those gods deemed modern Greek people irrelevant and prefer the US: that's going overboard. It's the same “We appreciate it & deserve it more than them” mentality that leads to art theft 2/3

These are those signs when French and English people stop saying “my work and writing is inspired by this other culture” and start saying “this myth is actually MY culture and I’ve laid full claim to it. England is actually more TRULY Greek than Greece today” & they start looting. 3/3"

——————————————————

AND this user's comments:

https://twitter.com/peralmighty/status/1538314880251469824?t=alzQFNnTGUyspv1FVKC0lw&s=19

"I wish they did. It's so infuriating seeing my culture turned into a look, an aesthetic, a vibe but nobody truly even cares for GREECE itself. We are struggling just to live and nobody bats an eye. All we are in an aesthetic. And if you ask Americans what they know of Greece, 1/2…

I assure you, their knowledge of current modern day Greece is nonexistent besides the parties in the islands. I hate this. I hate it. I hate how my people are a ghost to the world.

Basically, everything Percy Jackson shows to kids is a bunch of made up myths mixed with the real ones. And if there is one thing worse than a lie it's a lie mixed with truth. And trust me, the vast majority in the fandom did not research further about whether what they read is true...."

——————————————————

Seriously, I hope you check out this thread, there's so many good comments, retweets, and threads to get lost in.

——————————————————

Additional threads you might like on the “who gets to write about greek myths” topic you might like:

https://twitter.com/jackdaw_writes/status/1538244585004142593

“I may say something controversial, but I'm not too fond of how the conversation shifted from "publishing should leave space for Greek people to tell their own myths" to "ONLY Greek people can talk about their myths". I'm the first to roll my eyes at anglos' hard-ons for Homer ++”

https://twitter.com/JihadalHaqq/status/1538345983867817984

“The idea that "only Greek people can talk about their myths" really revolves around the assumption that Greek mythology is a self-contained ethnic system that did not draw from nor exchange with other Mediterranean cultures, which is completely false. ++”

Wow thank you for this extensive thread!! So much material, so many Greek voices!! Nothing personal against Rick but people need to start realizing that this is a general problem!

#answered #Greek speaks #writing #retellings #greek mythology #rick Riordan #Percy Jackson #pjo #greek gods

28 notes · View notes

windandwater · 2 years

Text

still thinking about this. a while ago I went through a bunch of old papers and homework from when I was a kid, including all my old journals and stories. if you’re a writer and you’ve never gone through your childhood stories, I can’t recommend it enough, it’s both hilarious and adorable.

I used to avidly read fairy tales, folklore, and mythology as a kid (what baby queer didn’t pick up Greek, Roman, or Egyptian mythology at some point? tag yourself) and there’s a certain period of my writing where I’m just writing my own folktales. some of them are more creative than others; some are just rewrites or takes on common stories.

in one of them that’s the latter type, three sisters leave their shitty dad and go on an adventure where they happen to meet three brothers who are perfect for them and they all get married, the end. and my teacher wrote in the margins “why do they all have to get married?”

and I know that she was trying to get me to think outside the patriarchy and subvert conventions and become a better writer.

but as an adult I also read that and want to fire back “it’s the genre!” because as an adult I read that story and was like, holy shit, this 8 - 10 year old kid has managed to write a perfectly crafted folktale that follows genre conventions down to the letter.

of course there’s stuff in there that today we would find problematic. of course there is!

I’ve written entire essays as an adult about how folktales and fairy tales reveal the values of the time they were written in. nowadays if I were to write those essays there would be an entire preface about how there is no “original version” of a folktale; these stories by definition are transformative through time. they are meant to be retold. they started as oral tradition and even now that we have writing I would argue that they are intended to be retold throughout time, always changing to reflect the changing cultures they’re told in and the people they’re told by.

so what my teacher was really saying was, write according to your culture’s values.

it’s a whole genre of its own, now, to rewrite fairy tales in our modern values. she was trying to teach me to write in that genre, and I was writing straight folklore, exactly what I was reading. I think at that point I may or may not have already been reading novels like that but what’s interesting ultimately to me here is the difference between what we as writers write, and what people think we should be writing.

look, I’m not ragging on my teacher for taking a minute to push a kid to subvert genre rules and the patriarchy and question what makes a happy ending truly happy.

but ultimately--what was I trying to do? probably just complete a goddamn assignment to turn in. write in a convention I was very familiar with--which I did very very well.

if the ending didn’t sell, why not? because that’s not an ending modern readers understand as automatically “happy” anymore. but would another ending wrapped up just as neatly in a bow be any less trite? if I said they all went off to find careers would that be less abrasive? if you think about that, that’s just as bad--is work all we’re good for? why is finding work any better than ostensibly finding love?

then do I expand the whole thing into a much longer story with fleshed out characters and backstory where we get to know each of them as individuals and we understand what would truly make them fulfilled and happy so that when I give them each their own personalized ending we can understand that it’s truly happy and fulfilling? lady, I’m ten (nine? eleven?) and this assignment has a page limit. I don’t know how to do that yet.

what I learned is the narrative symmetry: three sisters, three brothers. genre rules. assignment followed. I give myself zero notes and my teacher can suck it.

but also sometimes it’s just not that deep. sure, as an adult, I would want to clarify some stuff and make sure these women had agency and personality and choice in my story--after all, these are the values of my culture, and myself.

and also when you’re a writer, christ, everyone’s agenda is not your agenda.

write in my culture’s values? why? what if my culture’s values are shit, too? what if I want to challenge my culture’s values? what if the old culture’s values have a point? what if both of them are crap and I just want to do what the fuck ever without it being, like I said, that deep?

because sometimes you’re just writing a fun little genre story and if it doesn’t work out perfectly to make everyone happy that doesn’t necessarily mean you did a bad job--sometimes you were just writing what you wanted to write. and while, yes, you should probably not write something actively offensive or where everyone gets married because that’s just how it has to go--while you should probably make that ending believable and sell that ending--sometimes that’s the genre and it’s fucking okay to write what you want to write.

#adventures in text posts #I knew I'd find my thesis statement by the end

6 notes · View notes

casmong · 4 months

Text

Superstition

“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”Acts 17:22

Paul rebuked the Greek philosopher on Mars Hill in Athens for being superstitious for belief and practice of untruths they invented. Greek philosophy and culture had a profound effect on the entire Mediterranean region long after the Greek empire was replaced. The Romans may have replaced the Greeks politically and militarily, but Greek culture still dominated the Romans age. Many Greek ideas, culture and superstitions influenced the Jews.

Egypt was already an ancient civilization by the time of Moses and the exodus, and the institution of the Pharaoh was well established. They thought they were so great that their life could not merely end at death, so they invented stories about going to the region of the idol gods, and becoming divine, and constructing elaborate burial rituals to cope with the finality of their mortality. The Greeks philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle came long after learned and adopted these Egyptian ideas, and they too believed that life does not end in death, and that humans innately possess an immortal soul, and that something continued after death. Since we clearly die, they separated out the part that dies as the body, and the part that they claim doesn’t die as the soul. This is clearly not what scripture teaches, and is exactly what the serpent alleges when it convinced Adam and Eve that sin and disobedience does not cause death, and indirectly accused that God was lying: “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” - Genesis 3:3-4

The confirmation was when Adam and Eve sinned they eventually died as God said would happen. The serpent represents the various people and ideas that often show up over the ages, who think they know more than God, and try to contradict what He says.

The Greek immortal soul idea then created another downstream problem of what to do with bad people. To solve this, they invented a place called Tartarus or “the underworld”, where bad souls stay tormented forever by Hades (viz Hell) the idol 'god of the dead', and Elysium where the hero and good souls go to enjoy bliss forever. This superstition persists, and scripture is clear that there humans don't innately possess an immortal soul, nor does scripture place a distinction between body and soul. We read in scripture that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." [Ezekiel 18:20] and souls being thirsty [Psalm 42:2] and that animals have souls [Genesis 1:20-22] because as a soul [Hb. נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh) - a soul, living being, life, self, person] actually refers to a 'living creature' in its entirety, be it people or animals; we don’t have souls, but rather we are souls! Ecclesiastes mentioned that there is no difference between people and animals, as both die the same death and cease to exist[Ecclesiastes 3:19]; the only difference being that we have hope of the resurrection back to life and immortality, while animals do not.

Scripture is emphatic that the determination with regards to who will live forever, or who will die forever, will be made when Jesus - the only man who has ever ascended to heaven [John 3:13], returns from heaven to earth to raise the dead and do the judgment at the last day [John 6:40]. Scripture clarifies resurrection as always being the body coming back to life, as was the case with Lazarus (temporary) and Jesus (permanent), and no other way. Abraham sleeps, ad does king David [Acts 2:29], as also all the faithful who have "all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."[Hebrews 11:13]

- Baalzebub and demons, the source of illnesses.

The Greeks also invented the idea that sickness (devils), and especially mental illnesses (seven devils), was the result of little demons (aka devils, evil spirits {notice the plural}) and demi-gods running around making mischief and causing people to be sick. There is the example where Jesus would preach and drive out demons and evil spirits, such as "certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" [Luke 8:2] The Jews of the first century later integrated this Greek idea with the the ancient belief that Baalzebub, the idol god of Ekron, was the source of illnesses, an idea that dates back to the time of king Ahazaiah [841 BC], who was the sixth king of Judah, and the son of Jehoram and Athaliah, the daughter of king Ahab of Israel. [II Kings 1:1-16] The Jews of Jesus' time blasphemously accused Jesus' work of healing sickness as "cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."[Matthew 12:24].

- Phantoms ghosts of disembodied dead people.

There was an incident where after feeding the five thousand, Jesus had sent his disciples to the other side of the lake while he dispersed the crowd, and then he walked across the lake and caught up with the boat. Scripture mentions that “when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.”[Mark 6:49; Matthew 14:26] there is another word normally used for spirit, like when the disciples later saw him after his resurrection, “but they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit”[Luke 24:37] that is the word ‘spirit’[Gk. πνεῦμα (pneuma) - wind, breath, spirit] used to describe YAHWEH spirit and spiritual beings sent from heaven, however the word used by the disciples when saw Jesus walking on the lake is [Gk Φάντασμά (Phantasma) - an apparition, ghost, spirit, phantom; a spectre] alluding to the them believing the ancient Greek superstition, that there were disembodied ghosts who were caught in limbo between the realm of the living and the underworld of Hades for various reasons: Those who were not buried with the proper rituals (ataphoi), or those who died untimely or prematurely or otherwise unfulfilled who could turn into revenging ghosts (aōroi) or those who died by violence, especially in foreign wars that prevented proper burial (biaiothanatoi).

We know from scripture that we will be judged by what we did while we are alive, and that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”[Hebrews 9:27], that Jesus the Anointed will “judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” [II Timothy 4:1] all of which prohibits any possibility of anyone doing anything after death, “for the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”[Ecclesiastes 9:5]

- Sin before birth.

There is the curious question posed by Jesus' disciples: "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"[John 9:2] We can argue about the parents actions or inaction resulting in the birth of a child with blindness, but the disciples were reflecting a superstition that the child himself committed a sin before he was born, for which he was punished by being born with blindness. Of course this is not scriptural, as we can do nothing before we are born. Jesus further clarifies the situation by asserting that "neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. [John 9:3]

- Reincarnation

Jesus had asked his disciples who they thought he actually was, and they gave responses which presumably were the thoughts of the people with whom they interacted, as they responded "some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."[Matthew 16:14] This gives indication that it was a common superstition that people were somehow reincarnated as other people. Peter gave a good confession of faith, and the appropriate and correct answer when he declared of Jesus: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."[Matthew 16:16] Since we know "it is appointed unto men once to die" [Hebrews 9:27], people cannot be reincarnated as other people, as this would break scripture, and Jesus emphatically asserted: "the scripture cannot be broken"[John 10:35]

- Jumping over threshold

The Philistines worshipped various idol gods, including Dagon the ‘fish god’ from which they think they obtained bounty, fertility, and good harvests. When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, they put it in the temple of Dagon, next to the statue of Dagon. From what happened next, a new superstition developed.

“And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day” (1 Samuel 5:4-5).

Several hundreds years later during the reign of Josiah, the king of Judah from 640 to 609 BC [Zephaniah 1:1], the prophet Zephaniah prophesied in Jerusalem and seems to have referred to a similar superstition and God’s displeasure with it: “In the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit” [Zephaniah 1:9]. Leaping the threshold pays homage to the fish idol god, perhaps in an attempt to obtain or retain gain and worldly goods; contradicting and insulting the Father who was graciously providing for them.

- Pagan good luck charms sewn into clothes.

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?" [Ezekiel 13:18]

In Ezekiel 13:17-21 God also expressed His opposition to magic charms sewn on sleeves and to veils used to “hunt the souls of My people.” Even though it is difficult to know exactly what these occult rituals were, we know that they were doing something that they were not supposed to do, and that it was somehow related to the pagan practices of the people among whom they dwelt. God condemned as these heathen practices and abomination, and those who “maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.”, and lovingly counsels the contrary of loving obedience to His commands and instructions, that “thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.”[Deuteronomy 18:10-11, 13]

#jesus #god #love #faith #bless #bible #study #scripture #believe #salvation

0 notes

tolbachik · 6 months

Note

Hi again! How’s it going? Thank you for your kind words, I’ll be sure to give myself a break if I need it ^^

Once I finish my Latin education, I might want to go on to study ancient Greek. The language has always fascinated me, though I’ve always procrastinated on learning it. I’ve also considered making videos analyzing Roman graffiti, but I’d have to get over my camera shyness first haha. People tend to focus on the funnier graffiti, which is understandable, but I think other kinds of graffiti deserve love too :]

Are there any thing you plan on learning, or that you’d like learn if you had the means? It could be anything, a craft, a language, an instrument :D

Clemens!! I always liked Clemens, I remember being so happy when he was able to escape Pompeii, but was kinda disappointed that he only showed up for one chapter in book two :[ I remember not paying much attention to Quintus in the first book, but I really came around to him in the next two books :]

I always loved Uranus, I felt like it was such an under-appreciated planet. I remember just thinking that it looked really cool as a kid haha. I also was always interested in Neptune, partially because of its elusiveness.

In your last response you brought up being interested in space travel as well. Do you have any favorite space missions? :]

Also don’t worry about getting to my recommendations right away! I have to be in a music listening mood to appreciate an album, so I totally relate to that feeling of being in a musical rut!

Also, that video of Norma Tanega is so cute! I love when you can tell that a musician truly loves what they’re doing! I’ll have to check out the redr of her other music sometime :D

I like to write about historical topics and media analysis. I especially like to connect modern media back to ancient myths, and sorta analyze why these kinds of narratives are so appealing to people. I also like to write about misconceptions we have about the ancient world, specifically Greece and Rome, since those are what I’m most familiar with. Though looking into disproving these myths is fun in itself, I also like to try and find how the myth formed and why it was perpetuated! I just think it’s so interesting how you can tell a lot about a culture based on what stories they tell :] Sorry that this was kinda long winded, I got a little carried away haha ^^’

Also, I definitely understand having a hard time sharing writing. I always get a bit bashful when showing people my art or writing, even online. It feels very vulnerable to put your work out there, so I totally get it. Once you start looking for beta readers, I’d love to volunteer! Admittedly, I’m a bit of a slow reader, so I might not be the best at beta reading, but I’d love to give it a shot! :D

I’m glad you were able to tackle that problem! I love ruminating on things in my mind as well. There's something so satisfying about figuring out the solution to a problem after thinking about it in the shower haha

I know you’re a writer, but do you like to read as well? If so, do you have any favorite books? :D

I’m so happy these asks make your day! I always look forward to reading your responses and writing the next one. SRS came up during a kinda tumultuous time for me, and it has really helped to keep me grounded and gave me something to anticipate every day. Your responses mean a lot to me, and I always love to hear what you have to say! I hope you have a good day/night! :]

- 🎲

Hello again! So sorry for the delay; yesterday was fairly busy for me, so I didn't really get a chance to reply! Thank you for your patience, I really appreciate it.

Oh wow, that sounds like a lot of fun! If you decide to go through with it, I hope you enjoy it a lot! Now, I forget; did they have a Cambridge Greek course as well, or just Latin? And that's totally fair; with Latin alone I'm sure you had a lot on your plate, so take the time you need before you move on to Greek! If you do ever make videos, I'd love to watch them. I know very little about Roman graffiti, so it'd be fun to learn more! Any examples you'd like to share?

Hmm, well, I would really like to learn how to read sheet music and play piano if I ever got the energy or time. I know a tiny bit, and how to play a few parts of a few songs, but nothing major beyond that, really! What about you? Aside from languages, what other stuff do you want to try to learn in life?

Right? He definitely deserved more attention, I think! I forget quite a bit, but I think Quintus did some pretty good stuff towards the end of it all, right? I'm so glad people are still reading those books, they're such a good way to introduce people to the language, I think!

The ice giants are both great; I truly hope we can get something out there again soon! From what I understand, China is potentially going to have a small probe perform a flyby of Uranus in the 2040s, but I don't know if they'll go through with it or not. No clue if we'll ever get anything for Neptune, but here's to hoping! 😭 I'd have to say Skylab! Not for anything special it did, but I feel like it was one of the last things that encompassed the dreams of the 60s and 70s, y'know? Of a future with civilians living and working in space, but obviously things didn't turn out that way lol Aside from that, I think the Soviet Zond 5 was interesting scientifically, since it was the first mission to carry life to the Moon! It was two turtles, a few fruit fly eggs, and some seeds. They all survived too, thankfully! A little starved, but they made it! Ah, quite the opposite! Talking to you has gotten me back into listening to music again, and I've enjoyed it all so far! Thank you so much, I really do mean it. Sometimes I just get tired of listening to music, but having new stuff is a great help! And I hope you enjoy the rest of Norma Tanega's stuff; she's very nice to listen to, and had a great personality from what it seems. Please, talk about your interests as much as you want! I love seeing people be so passionate about things, it really warms my heart. I'd love to hear of some misconceptions people have; I'm sure I've fallen for a few, as well! On top of that, what's your favorite myth you've encountered so far? I love talking about ancient civilizations as well, although I've read more about Pre-Columbian civilizations more than I have others!

It's hard sharing anything you yourself make, isn't it? It's such a vulnerable thing to do, to have complete strangers or even friends see the things you've made. I'm sure it gets easier with time, but I'm sure there'll always be that little bit of shyness, no matter what. I'd love to see what sort of things you've made, if you ever feel like sharing! And there's no rush at all; it's a lot to read, so there's no pressure at all. I'm just thankful that you're willing, it means a lot to me! Thank you! I think the best/worst part is when it's late at night or early in the morning, and it just suddenly hits you; you have to write it down or else you'll forget and fall back asleep! It's happened to me more than I can count lol That's a good question! I like some older scifi authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Douglas Adams, but I also like some nonfiction writers like Marshall T. Savage (his "The Millennial Project" was a huge inspiration for me growing up!), Michael Pollan, and Charles C. Mann are all great too. What about you? Aww, same here! And I'm so sorry things have been rough for you lately; I hope they settle down for you, and that you can enter a calm and happy era of your life once more. I know you're on anon and we still don't know each other all too well, but if you ever need anything, let me know! Please take care, and have a great rest of your day! Talk to you again soon!

#my posts #asks #srs23 #cube #🎲

0 notes