Box for Pandora on my altar. Elpis (Hope) has a home inside!
"So all the good things flew away, soaring high above the earth, and Hope was the only thing left. When the lid was put back on the jar, Hope was kept inside. That is why Hope alone is still found among the people, promising that she will bestow on each of us the good things that have gone away." — Aesop's Fables Perry 312
Yes I know it was a pithos jar but the box was too gorgeous to pass up. Hope is kept inside the jar regardless of if it releases good things or bad things depending on the myth.
Etsy shop for stone, they also gave me a lil mini gnome and quartz crystal that I got as a nice surprise and they charged the stone too before shipping it out.
A part of my day yesterday was spent building a modest shrine to King Odysseus and Queen Penelope with beachcombing finds, dollar store finds, and things I had on hand. I'm still deciding on where to place it, but I do love it.
Domain: intelligence, invention, Strategy, numbers, the alphabet, the falsely accused
Epithets: Euboean prince, son of Nauplius, skillful adviser, clever, inventor of the alphabet/numbers, fair-eyed, wisest, most ingenious, brother of Oeax/Nausimedon
Devotional acts: studying, writing letters, playing Strategy games, advocating for Peace, supporting the misunderstood, collecting stones/coins, fishing, visiting a well
Epithets: Son of Odysseus/Circe, consort of Penelope, Founder of Tusculum, bitterly lamented, of the long-hilted spear, immortal, discovering, young man, pitiful, father of Italus/Mamilia
Imagery/symbolism: spear, the sea, boat, sea bird bones
I totally missed this news about the ‘School of Homer’ or ‘Homer’s Palace’ site on Ithaca last June/July: more inscriptions found that cement the idea of the site as a hero cult sanctuary, worshipping Odysseus - an Odysseion.
Archaeologists at the site of Aghios Athanasios – the “School of Homer” in northern Ithaki have unearthed new evidence of a hero cult dedica
My favourite things:
Pottery sherds/tiles with (partial) dedications to Odysseus on them: “…14 stamped tiles bear Greek and Latin inscriptions — including, crucially, pieces that mention Odysseus by name. One tile fragment carries the genitive form [ΟΔ]ΥCCEOC – meaning “of Odysseus,” perhaps to denote ownership or dedication. Another bears the partial inscription ΟΔΥC[CEI, likely a votive phrase meaning “to Odysseus.” “
This teensy head of a bronze statuette or bust identified as Odysseus that I hadn’t said before (unclear when this was found) - it has similar features to images on Ithacan bronze coins from the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE. (See the article)
Reminder of hero and other cults in Ancient Greek worship: https://greekmythcomix.com/comic/classicstober-day-21-cult/
Domain: prophecy, seers, survivorship, counsel, outcome, the coerced
Epithets: Son of Priam, Trojan prince, prophet, gentle, the greatest of augurs, twin of Cassandra, warrior, valiant, excellent, husband of Andromache, king of Epirus, priest of Apollo
Imagery/symbolism: laurel wreaths, spear, the sun, tomb
Epithets: Princess of Phaeacia, white-armed, fair-ankled, daughter of Alcinous, Maiden, granddaughter of Poseidon, graceful, beautiful, fair-roped, lady, wife of Telemachus.
Imagery/symbolism: Ships, the shoreline, ball, the sea, palm tree, hair wrap, clothes.
Devotional acts: Collecting shells, sea gazing, assisting people in need, helping children, doing laundry, veiling, reading the Odyssey, being kind, attending ball games.
Epithets: King of Phrygia, Son of Cybele, follower of Pan, of the golden touch, wealthy, delighting, donkey-eared, Fond of gold, famous, husband of Hermodice, of the Rose-Garden, Phrygian
Imagery/symbolism: Gold, Crown, roses, ox-cart, the river Pactolus
“there is a temple of Cassandra in Italy which was established by the leading men of the Daunians in her honor. It is near the lake of Salpe. Salpe is a lake in Italy, Dardanos is a city of Italy.”
