Ivette ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ @ivetteflowerblooom - Tumblr Blog

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Respect the one who needs hospitality and a home, you folk dwelling in the steep city of lovely-eyed Hera at the foot of towering Saidene, who drink ambrosial water from the golden river, sweetly flowing Hermus, born to immortal Zeus.

— Homeric hymn №33 to Xenioi

kebriones

I keep thinking about little Dionysus being raised with satyrs in the woods and having no idea he's any different from them.

#— dionysus 🍇#— silenus 🍷

deathlessathanasia

What would you say is the purpose of Leto, as why was she worshipped and prayed to? Besides being the mother of Artemis and Apollo? Genuine question

She is a Kourotrophic deity, for one, and can be invoked to grant children as in Theokritos' Idyll 18.50: "May Leto, nurse of children (κουροτρόφος), grant you fruitful offspring". She could also have a role in initiation rituals, as at Phaistos in the Ekdysia festival. At Xanthos in Lykia, Leto/the goddess identified with Leto was invoked in inscriptions concerned with the protection of tombs, and surely her functions here must have been much broader considering the importance of her sanctuary. It's hard though to say what people generally prayed to her for in particular, since she was most often worshipped and invoked together with her children: in Eretria, according to Susan Guettel Cole's "Landscapes, Gender, and Ritual Space: The Ancient Greek Experience", collective oaths were sworn by Artemis, Apollo and Leto.

deathlessathanasia

Interestingly, Leto could even receive war implements as offerings after a battle.

The Greek Anthology 6.215 (Simonides): These shields, won from their foes the Medes, the sailors of Diodorus dedicated to Leto in memory of the sea-fight. (The battle of Salamis).

#— leto 🤱

margonika00

Aster 💐

LEGEND:

In the ancient Greek legend, the goddess Astraea descends to the earth every year and weeps for the sins of people. Her tears fall like stardust and turn into autumn flowers - asters..

#— astraea 💮

flamingartofheart

Zephyrus - oil on canvas

— Antonio Balestra (Italy, 1666–1740)

#— zephyrus 🌬️

pngcabinet

˚˖𓍢ִ 🏛️˚ athenæum

#— athena 🦉

thewhisperofzagreus

We waited for the Dawn-Star, air-roaming, white-winged fore-runner of the sun.

— Ion of Chios, Fragment 745.

#— eosphorus 🌟

hermesmoly

“caught his wife in his arms” “his wife locked in his arms” relax bro no one’s taking her away from you

katerinaaqu

So the passage goes as such:

And so quickly the child of Cronus grabbed his wife in his arms: and so the earth under them sprouted fresh grass and dewy lotus and thick hyacinths raised their heads high from the soft soil as they lay together the beautiful glittering golden cloud descended upon them

(Translation by me)

So the phrase that I absolutely adore ῥα καὶ ἀγκὰς ἔμαρπτε

Particularly the word ῥα has many translations including "easily" or "swiftly" depending on the spelling. So this scene with the phrase ἀγκὰς ἔμαρπτε "he held her in his arms" or "embraced" but with the addition of ῥα to the phrase it gives me the impression of someone literally rushing to their lover and literally taking her down to the ground! (we also love how instead of "Κρονίδης" or "Κρονίον" we have the phrase Κρόνου παῖς "son of Cronus" or "child of Cronus" since the word παῖς means "child" usually with the essence of "son" but παῖς! Hahahaha)

The word "child" here though gets me! Like he literally rushed at her almost in a childish manner from the way I see this small passage! With desire and enthusiasm! And his enthusiasm literally takes both of them down on the soil which sprouts as a result of their lovemaking. Like two kids in love! Hahaha!

Hahahaha! Also the passage that follows:

And so, lay there unmoving the father at the top of Grargarus, overpowered by sleep and lovemaking, clasping his wife tightly in his arms

(Translation by me)

Once again the word ἀτρέμας literally means "without motion" or "unmoving" but honestly also gives me the impression of someone that is sleeping soundly and without even trembling while clasping Hera against him tightly

Hahahahaha he is literally holding her like a teddy bear! Hahaha! But seriously jokes aside it is definitely a beautiful image to see! Like he lays there with his wife in his arms like that, sleeping there!

hermesmoly

Interesting how different “deep in peace” and “unmoving” are!

#— zeus ⚡#— hera 🦚#zeus and hera

theancientwayoflife

~ Pothos. Date: Roman copy of the 2nd half of A.D. 2nd century of a Greek original of the 4th century B.C. created by Scopas. Medium: White marble Provenance: Naples, National Archaeological Museum (Museo archeologico nazionale di Napoli)

#— pothos 💓

hesperiaaan

tyche eutykhia, lady of the bountiful cornucopia, giver of plenty; bless me with good fortune and good luck; bring me success and prosperity. shining goddess, may you smile at me.

eutykhia: good fortune, an epithet of tyche.

#— tyche 🍀

greekromangods

L’éducation de l’Amour par Mercure

1818

Antoine Ansiaux (1764–1840)

Oil on canvas

Château de Versailles

** Visit my Links page for my other blogs & Facebook Pages

#— hermes 👛#— aphrodite 🩷#— eros 💘

stcar-desire

Hygeia 🌙

#— hygieia 🧼

verdantlyviolet

Aphrodite’s Marjoram

It is often repeated that Aphrodite first planted Marjoram in her divine gardens on Mt Olympos. The plant was to represent joy, and in turn because of its association with Aphrodite the herb corresponds with marriage and happiness. It is also said to smell reminiscent of the goddess herself.

Marjoram is indigenous to Cypris, Turkey, and the Mediterranean, and was in fact known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness. It's botanical name, origanum, is perhaps derived from the words oros 'mountain' and ganos 'brightness', meaning 'brightness of the mountain’ or ‘mountain’s bright joy.’ [1]

Marjoram and Oregano are often mistaken and their names were used interchangeably in ancient texts - either as sampsuchum or amaracus, though there are some subtle differences between the use and description of the two. It is generally assumed that both refer to Sweet Marjoram in ancient texts. [2]

When discussing perfumes in his encyclopaedia Natural Histories XIII, Roman author and naturalist Pliny the Elder says, 'The best [marjoram for perfume oils] comes from Cyprus and Mytilene, where sampsuchum abounds in large quantities,' [3] which is why there is such a strong association of marjoram with Cypris and therefore Aphrodite. Marjoram was used often in sweet oils and perfume ointments, as well as it's more common culinary and medicinal uses.

[...] She went to Cyprus, to Paphos, where her precinct is and fragrant altar, and passed into her sweet-smelling temple. There she went in and put to the glittering doors, and there the Graces bathed her with heavenly oil such as blooms upon the bodies of the eternal gods —oil divinely sweet, which she had by her, filled with fragrance. And laughter-loving Aphrodite put on all her rich clothes, and when she had decked herself with gold, she left sweet-smelling Cyprus and went in haste towards Troy, swiftly travelling high up among the clouds. [...]

- Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite

The “divinely sweet oil” - ambrosial oil - would not be solely made from a common herb, but it would not be a stretch to assume that the sweet-smelling fragrance of Aphrodite’s temples and a component of the sweet oil would be the famed perfume herb of her homeland.

In Virgil’s Aeneid 657-694, Aphrodite (Venus) must put Ascanius to sleep so Eros (Cupid) can impersonate him:

But Venus pours gentle sleep over Ascanius’s limbs, and warming him in her breast, carries him, with divine power, to Idalia’s high groves, where soft marjoram smothers him in flowers, and the breath of its sweet shade.

We have to suppose that Virgil deliberately chose Cyprus because of its significance to Aphrodite, and therefore also deliberately named the marjoram on which Ascanius lay because of its significance.

Both Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides, a Greek physician 40-90AD, describe multiple gynaecological uses for marjoram. While Aphrodite is rarely associated with medicine, the link to gynaecology is an interesting nod to her. Referring back to marjoram supposedly carrying the divine scent of Aphrodite, the link to the sexual nature of the goddess becomes obvious, especially when considering the typical placement points for perfumes are also erogenous zones (neck, breast, inner arm and wrist, inner thigh, etc.)

🪴

Sources:

[1] Wikipedia

[2] Natural Histories Note 34 and Natural Histories Note 1

[3] Natural Histories Book XIII

Aeneid

Smell and the Ancient Senses by Mark Bradley

«Ὁ Αἰὼν παῖς ἐστι παίζων, πεττεύων· παιδὸς ἡ βασιληίη» · Τελεσφόρος διελαύνων τοὺς σκοτεινοὺς τοῦ κόσμου τόπους, καὶ ὡς ἀστὴρ ἀναλάμπων ἐκ τοῦ βάθους, ὁδηγεῖ «παρ' Ἠελίοιο πύλας καὶ δῆμον ὀνείρων».

"Time is a child — playing like a child — playing a board game — the kingdom of the child. This is Telesphoros, who roams through the dark regions of this cosmos and glows like a star out of the depths. He points the way to the gates of the sun and to the land of dreams."

#— telesphoros 💉