Alyssa Jades's Inspiration

A look into the inspirational images and research topics of a M/M writer

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Mythology

The goddess Leto is the daughter of the two Titans of the sun and moon, Coeus and Phoebe, born on the island of Kos. She is the mother of the twins Apollo and Artemis, who were fathered by Zeus. The twins, the Letoides, were conceived when Zeus fell for Leto’s hidden beauty, much to Hera’s displeasure[1]. As a consequence of the goddess’s ire, Leto was cursed to be shunned by all the lands on the earth and forced to search for an island unattached to the ocean floor to give birth on, Delos.

Tales from Aelian state that Leto transformed herself into a she-wolf and traveled twelve days and nights down from Hyperborea to Delos. It was here that the goddesses Rhea, Dione, Ichnaea, Themis, and Amphitrite witnessed the birth and the beginning of the new Olympian Pantheon, as they were goddesses of the old order. Leto remained on Delos until Artemis and Apollo were fully grown before she then returned to her place as a matronly figure on Olympus.

Reference link:

1.       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leto

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Mythology

Apollo, the son of Zeus and Leto and twin of the goddess Artemis, is depicted in Greek mythology as a kouros, a beardless, athletic youth. He is known to be the god of the sun and light, healing, truth and prophecy, music, poetry, and more[1].

Many myths have depicted Apollo as the god of Delphi (Pythian Apollo), the farsighted deity of the Delphic Oracle. In addition to being an oracular god, Apollo is also associated with the double-edged sword of healing and medicine and plague and ill-health, although it has been told that the god’s healing abilities may have been mediated through his son, Asclepius[1].

Apollo has often been depicted holding a lyre devised and given to by Hermes and has come to be associated with the name Apollon Musegetes, or the leader and director of the Muses. Hymns were often sung to the god in his honor, which were known as paeans. In addition, Apollo would also watch over the colonists and protect the herds and flocks[1].

Due to the circumstances of his birth Apollo has been often been linked to wolves and werewolves, and it has been implied that Apollo had his own wolf-form. In fact, Apollo was also worshipped on Mount Lykaion, earning him the additional title of Apollo Lykaios, or Apollo Wolf-God[2].

Legends dictate that Apollo sent a wolf to battle a bull near the city of Argosas a message to Danaus to invade, which he did with success. Afterward, Danaus built and dedicated a sanctuary to Apollo and creating the cult of Apollo Lykeios. At the Apollo sanctuary of the Delphians, there sits a bronze wolf near the altar dedicated to the god. It is said that a thief stole sacred treasure from the sanctuary and hid in the forest on Mount Parnassus where a wolf found and killed him before leading the Delphians to the gold, which lead to the erection of the bronze wolf[3].

Reference links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykaia#Apollo_Lykaios

3. https://earthandstarryheaven.com/2016/06/15/apollo-wolf/

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Mythology

Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder, rules Mount Olympus as the king of the gods. Zeus is the youngest child of Cronus and Rhea, although he is also thought to be the oldest of those reborn from Cronus’s stomach. The majority of ancient Grecian lore has Zeus married to Hera, however, the god has been linked to Dione, at the oracle of Dodona[1].

Zeus’s sexual antics are well documented throughout mythology. The god is said to have fathered Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus by Hera and Aphrodite by Dodona, according to the Iliad. He has also fathered descendants which include Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, and the Muses, making him revered as an allfather or chief of the gods[1].

Zeus has been exulted through many festivals and rituals. One such festival was Lykaia, which occurred on Mount Lykaion ("Wolf Mountain") in Arcadia and is where Zeus received the title  Zeus Lykaios ("wolf-Zeus"). In this festival, as told by Plato, clan members would gather together every nine years on the mountain and offer up a sacrifice to Zeus Lykaios. They would mix a single piece of human entrails in with the animal meat, and anyone who ate the human flesh would then turn into a wolf. Legends stated that those men would only return to human if they refrained from eating any further human flesh until the next nine-year cycle had ended [1].

However, many games associated with Lykaia were removed when Megalopolis was developed with the urbanization of Arcadia in the fourth century. Still there remained temples honoring Zeus Lykaios [1].

Reference link:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus

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Mythology

Tales of Odin can be found in both German and Norse mythology as a god of “wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet”[1]. As pictured above, he is known for having one eye, a long white beard, and wearing a cloak while carrying his spear, Gungnir. Odin is often accompanied by a pair of animal companions, the two wolves Geri and Freki, and a pair of familiars, the two ravens Huginn and Muninn[1]. 

Geri and Freki, meaning “the greedy one” or “the ravenous one”, are said, in the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál, to be hand fed by Odin while he only consumes wine. The two companions are also referenced in Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, to have roamed the battlefields for the bodies of the fallen[2].  

Odin’s two ravens are said to be messengers that deliver information from around Midgard, while he rides an eight-legged, winged steed, Sleipnir, into the underworld. Later mythology tells of Odin leading the Wild Hunt, a procession of ghostly figures that ride through the winter night sky[1].                   

Reference links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geri_and_Freki

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Mythology

While wolves play an intricate role in Greek mythology, they are most often tied to the Greek gods Zeus, Apollo, Artemis, and Leto. There are often portrayed as messengers of the gods[1].

One such tale came from Ovid's Metamorphoses about an ancient town called Lykoreia, meaning “the howling of the wolfs”. It was situated at the top of Mount Parnassus where it led villagers to the mountain peak and saved them from Deucalion’s flood[2].     

Yet another tale found in late 16th century literature was of Thiess of Kaltenbrun, also known as Theis, from the town of Jürgensburg, Swedish Livonia who reported to the church that he and other men were werewolves or “hounds of God”. He claimed that for three night every year they would travel down to hell to fight the Devil and his minions for crops for a bountiful harvest that year. 

Reference links:

1 .https://ralphhaussler.weebly.com/wolf-mythology-italy-greek-celtic-norse.html

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Parnassus

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiess_of_Kaltenbrun

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Backyard Fun

Imagine having a cookout on this patio.

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Expansive Beauty

Such beautiful gardens for the mates to enjoy.

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Not a bad laundry room, but not big enough for Tristan ;)

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Tristan’s favorite room…

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Mythology

In the majority of werewolf lore, Lycanthropy is a result of a punishment meted out by the gods, as seen in the tale of King Lycaon of Arcadia, who was punished by  Zeus for killing one of his sons to feed his flesh to the god as a test of his divinity. While another myth, although not as sane, is that those who have been denounced by the Roman Catholic Church were also fated to become lycans[1].

In addition to the Roman Catholic Church,  Christian saints were also said to have transformed sinners into wolves as punishment. St. Patrick supposedly transformed a King Vereticus, a Welsh man, while Natalis  was said to have punished an entire Irish family to become wolves for seven years[1].

In other mythologies, it has been found that lycanthropy was an ability found to occur within infant children, as in Hungarian lore in the region of Transdanubia. This folklore talks of children who have been abused by their parents or, again, cursed by the gods that transform into wolves at the young ages of six or seven. It is said that the children have the ability to change forms at will and leave their homes to hunt in the woods[1].

Another my about shape-shifting children comes from the South Slavs and the Kashubs, from what is now northern Poland. They believed that children born with a birthmark, a hair, or caul on their heads would possess the ability to change forms. While not specific to wolfs per se, it was thought to be a form they preferred[1].

These folklore also translate into modern day fiction, in which lycanthropy is a genetic hereditary trait or transmitted through the bite of a human infected with the werewolf disease. Other myths state that werewolf abilities are translated through human form, such as advanced healing, making them resistant to injuries, enhanced speed and strength, and the ability to land on their feet from high falls. They would also have more intense responses to basic to hunger and arousal, making those urges harder to control[1].

To be continued... 

Reference links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf#Becoming_a_werewolf

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Now this is a play room for grown men

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Hmmm, such a cozy den, perfect for naps and cuddling…

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You need a table as big and long as this to feed all those men.

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Mythology

One of the first mentions in Greek lore about werewolves comes from the myth about Lycaon (Arcadia), the king of Arcadia written in the works Bibliotheca (3.8.1) and Ovid (Metamorphoses I.219-239), . He, along with his children, were turned into wolves as punishment for trying to feed human flesh to the godZeus[1] . Another Ancient Greek mythology was about a tribe near the north-east of Scythia, the Neuri , known for transforming into wolves for several days every year before returning to their human form. This myth was mentioned byHerodotus in his literature Histories[2] .

While there was no widespread mythology regarding werewolves in 14th century Europe, there was a poem written by  Marie de France entitled Bisclavret (c. 1200), about court lore. Within this tale was a nobleman who would transform into a wolf weekly and return to human form by donning human clothing. However, he was trapped in wolf form when his wife hid his clothing and was able to survive by gaining the King’s favor. When his odd behavior in court led to the truth of his former wife’s treachery, his clothing was then returned to him and he was able to return to human form[2].

The Viking Age showed the longest tales of werewolves with Harald I of Norway, who was known for having a body of Úlfhednar, or wearing a wolf’s coat. These men were said to channel the spirit of the wolf in battle to fight savagely and with resistance to pain, much like a berserker of legend. The Ulfhednar legends were found in the Vatnsdœla saga, Haraldskvæði, and the Völsunga saga, and were said to be closely related to Odin, a Norse god[2].

To be continued….

Reference links:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaon_(Arcadia)

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaon_(Arcadia)

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I wouldn’t mind playing video games in this living room

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Mythology and Modern View of Werewolves

These myths are a loose representation of the background of the wolves in my series.

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Fateful Meeting

This is the inspiration behind the first meeting of two soul mates...