#priapos

[theoihalioistuff]

Nurses and Caretakers of the Gods. Part II: Ares and Hephaistos.

(As always, if you know any more sourced versions, I'd love it if you let me know!!!) Part I here.

Ares:

A quick overview of versions of his birth: he is almost universally the son of Zeus and Hera both (e.g. Hom. Il. 5.893, Hes. Th. 922–923; Apollod. 1.3.1), though he is also attested as solely born of Hera (in response to the birth of Athena after touching a prodigious flower from Olenos: Ovid. Fast. 5. 255), solely born of Zeus (after drinking the "male begetting" waters of the Nile: Schol. Aesch. Suppliant Women 855–856) or born of Enyo (Schol. Il. 5.156, Cornutus. Greek Theology. 21, see bellow, Enyo is curiously also attested as an epithet of Hera in Tzetzes ad Lycophron 493 and 519, perhaps in an attempt to reconcile both accounts). He is frequently said to have been born and/or raised in Thrace (e.g. Statius Thebaid 4.786). A fragment from a lost play by Aeschylus perhaps intends to paint a picture of his younger days:

DIKE: (...) Hera has reared a violent son whom she has borne to Zeus, a god irascible, hard to govern, an one whose mind knows no respect for others. He shot wayfarers with deadly arrows, and ruthlessly hacked ... with hooked spears ... he rejoiced and laughed ... evil ... scent of blood ... [Two lines unintelligible] ... is therefore justly called ..." (Aeschylus, Fragment 282. The passage likely seeks to etymologises the name Ares from ἀρή [bane, ruin, curse]) the vicious little psycho

1. Nursed by Thero (Beastly): "Of all the objects along this road the oldest is a sanctuary of Ares. This is on the left of the road, and the image is said to have been brought from Colchis by the Dioscuri. They surname him Theritas after Thero, who is said to have been the nurse of Ares. Perhaps it was from the Colchians that they heard the name Theritas, since the Greeks know of no Thero, nurse of Ares." (Paus. 3.19.7-8)

2. Nursed—among other things—by Enyo: "Accounts of Enyo differ; for some she is the mother of Ares, some his daughter, some his nurse" (Cornutus Compendium of Greek Theology, 21). Elsewhere she is also his sister (Quintus. Fall of Troy 424) or his lover, begetting Enyalios (Eustathius on Homer p.944) she is his everything, literally.

3. Raised and taught the arts of dance and war by Priapos (incredibly enough), a deity originally worshipped in the city of Lampsakos (in the northern Troad), who after spreading throughout the classical world was primarily known as a rustic god with massive genitals:

"According to a Bithynian legend, which agrees well with this Italian institution, Priapos, a war-like divinity (probably one of the Titans, or of the Idaean Dactyls, whose profession it was to teach the use of arms), was entrusted by Hera with the care of her son Ares, who even in childhood was remarkable for his courage and ferocity. Priapos would not put weapons into his hands till he had turned him out a perfect dancer; and he was rewarded by Hera with a tenth part of all Ares’s spoils." (Lucian. On Dance 21)

Hephaistos:

Versions of his birth are more or less split evenly between him being the son of both Zeus and Hera (e.g. Hom. Il. 1.578, 14.338, 18.396. Od. 8.312.) or solely of Hera (Hes. Theog. 929, Apollod. 1.3.5, Hygin. Fab. Praef.), likely in response to the birth of Athena, or else preceeding it due of an unexplained quarrel (Hes. Fragment 343 MW). Regarding detalis of his parthenogenic conception: "Hera, without any man, being lifted up by the wind gave birth to Hephaistos" (Lucian. De sacrificiis 6), and regarding details on the the birth, it's sometimes said to have been from her thigh (Serv. Aen. 8.454). A quaint tale that tries to reconcile both traditions (Schol.bT. Il. 14.296) claims that Zeus and Hera secretly slept together on the island of Samos before they were married. After being oficially given in marriage to Zeus by Okeanos and Tethys, Hera bore Hephaistos, and to conceal their premarital dalliance she pretended that she'd birthed him without need of a father. To finish off, odd genealogies abound which I'm not really going to include, for example Paus. 8.53.5 or Cicero. De Nat. Deor. 3.22.

1. In most accounts he's raised for nine years by Thetis and Eurynome, after being thrown off Olympos at birth by Hera for being lame (main source is Hom. Il. 18.394-405):

"She [Thetis] saved me when I suffered much at the time of my great fall through the will of my own brazen-faced mother, who wanted to hide me for being lame. Then my soul would have taken much suffering had not Eurynome and Thetis caught me and held me, Eurynome, daughter of Okeanos, whose stream bends back in a circle. With them I worked nine years as a smith, and wrought many intricate things; pins that bend back, curved clasps, cups, necklaces, working there in the hollow of the cave, and the stream of Okeanos around us went on forever with its foam and its murmur. No other among the gods or among mortal men knew about us except Eurynome and Thetis. They knew since they saved me." (Trans. Lattimore)

I ship them. Many later accounts confuse both versions of his fall (see below), and so sometimes Thetis and Eurynome recieve him after he's hurled off Olympus by Zeus, presumably as an adult (e.g. Apollod. 1.3.5). Also a variation is found where Hephaestus is raised by Thetis and the rest of the Nereids:

"But my son Hephaestus whom I bare was weakly among all the blessed gods and shrivelled of foot, a shame and disgrace to me in heaven, whom I myself took in my hands and cast out so that he fell in the great sea. But silver-shod Thetis the daughter of Nereus took and cared for him with her sisters: would that she had done other service to the blessed gods!" (Homeric Hymn 3. 311-330)

2. According to the other main variant of his fall, Hephaistos is hurled off Olympos by Zeus after he tries to intervene on his mother's behalf during one of their quarrels (Homer, Iliad 1. 568), presumably to save her from a beating (Plato, Republic 378d), or specifically to free her after she'd been chained and hung from heaven (eg. Apollod. 1.3.5). In this version he falls on the island of Lemnos, and is nursed back to health by the tribe of Sintians (V. Fl. Argonautica. 2.8.5, Hom. Il. 1.590 is quoted below):

"There was a time once before now I was minded to help you [Hera], and he [Zeus] caught me by the foot and threw me from the magic threshold, and all day long I dropped helpless, and about sunset I landed in Lemnos, and there was not much life left in me. After that fall it was the Sintian men who took care of me." (Trans. Lattimore)

As mentioned before both versions were frequently mixed up, being basically doubles of eachother (either Hephaistos is cast out because he's lame or lame because he's cast out), so sometimes he is raised as a child by the Sintians (e.g. Serv. ad. Eclog. 4.62, where he is cast out by Jupiter because Juno rejects him at birth, and so comes to fall on Lemnos).

3. Finally, there is a version where he is entrusted by Hera to the obscure Kedalion, a daimon who had his workshop on the island of Naxos. Hephaistos apprenticed and learnt to work bronze under his tutelage (Eustathius ad Homer, Il. 14.296a). Elsewhere Kedalion is an assistant in Hephaistos' workshop, who is given as a guide to the blind giant Orion so that, standing on his shoulders, he may lead him to the Sun and be healed (Serv. Aen. 10.763, Ps. Eratosthenes. Catast. fr. 32, Orion = Hes. Ast. fr 4, Hyg. Ast. 2.34.3, Sophocles also told this tale in a lost satyr play that bore Kedalion's name).

4. (Edit) Not necessarily raising, but I thought the detail of the Kyklopes teaching him and Athena "all crafts, as many as the skies contain" is really cute (Orphic Fragment 179 Kern)

[diioonysus]

surprise surprise, im back bitches

[aimee-maroux]

Ancient Erotica: Words and Sexual Terms from Greek Mythology

There are quite a few sayings and words derived from Greek mythology that we still use today. I put together this little collection of those related to sex and love:

Adonis

Adonis was so sexy, the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone fought over him. And the goddesses were not the only ones interested in beautiful Adonis: Apollon, Dionysos and Herakles all had a thing for the good-looking young man.

He was killed by a boar, in some versions a shape assumed by Aphrodite's jealous lover Ares or Apollon who was enraged that Adonis lay not only with him but Aphrodite as well.

Herakles' death also has something to do with Adonis in one version of the myth: Aphrodite, furious about Herakles seducing her lover, taught the centaur Nessos the way to kill the hero.

Today, we still use the name of Adonis to refer to a very attractive member of the male sex.

Read my story of Persephone and Adonis with Hades watching here.

Androgynous

Androgynos is a word in ancient Greek that is applied to a person doing both active, male things and passive, female ones, specifically concerning sexual intercourse.

It seems to have mainly been used in a derogatory manner for effeminate men.

The god Dionysos, often depicted as an effeminate young man, is said to be androgynos, having a penchant for wearing women's clothing and perfume, but the word also implies that he likes to be fucked in the arse. Our sweet Adonis, who had sexual relations with Apollon and Aphrodite, among others, was also called androgynos because he acted "as a man for Aphrodite and a woman for Apollon".

Today, the word androgynous has lost its sexual connotaton but still relates that someone is of indeterminate sex or to a feminine man or a masculine woman. So it has pretty much preserved its original meaning over millenia.

Aphrodisiac

An aphrodisiac is, of course, a substance that is supposed to increase the libido or sex drive when consumed. It was named by the ancient Greeks for the goddess of love and lust, Aphrodite.

The ancient Greek word is ἀφροδισιακόν, aphrodisiakon, derived from aphrodisios, "pertaining to Aphrodite".

Today, certain food is said to be an aphrodisiac just like it was in ancient times. Just look at all the cook books on this topic! Chocolate would only come to Greece after Europe made contact with the American continent, though. The ancient Greeks had to make do with saffron, pomegranate juice and lentil beans.

I hope it's needless to say that the results of most aphrodisiacs are just due to the placebo effect.

Catamite

The English word "catamite" derives from the Latin Catamitus, a corruption of the Greek name Ganymede or Ganymedes (Γανυμήδης).

The modern meaning of "a boy kept for homosexual practices" is closely related to the myth of Ganymedes, a beautiful boy who was abducted by Zeus to serve as his lover and cup bearer for all eternity.

Hence a handsome cup bearer was called "Ganymedes" (or "Catamitus") in ancient times and the word was used affectionately (unless directed at a grown man). Ganymedes appears throughout Roman literature as the archetype of the beautiful, sexually desirable male slave.

Circe

Circe is the sorceress who turned Odysseus' crew into swine when he came upon her island on his arduous journey.

With the help of Hermes, Odysseus avoided the fate of his crew and the loss of his manhood, which Hermes claimed the enchantress would have stolen unless he made her swear by the gods not to do it.

Circe is maybe the original femme fatale, a beautiful and alluring but treacherous and dangerous woman who will not hesitate to steal your cock under the pretense of sweet love-making.

Today, Circe is used in synonym with temptress, siren, and the aforementioned femme fatale.

In some languages, Circe also became a verb with the meaning "to blind someone with your charms", like the enchantress did.

Read Aiaian Summer, a Circe / Penelope erotic short story, here.

Erotic(a)

Unlike the origins of pornography, erotic and erotica are really derived from Greek myth, namely from Eros, god of love and sexual desire.

Hermaphrodite

Hermaphroditos, as their name plainly reveals, is the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. According to some, they were born with both genitalia, other sources (Ovid) say he was born male but attracted the love of a Naiad nymph and their two forms were merged into one. Neither a man nor a woman, they are both.

Therefore, Hermaphroditos is depicted with both, male and female features, usually female thighs, breasts, and hairstyle, and male genitalia.

Hermaphroditos is the god of marriage, hermaphrodites and of effeminates and belongs to the winged love-gods known as Erotes, also children of Aphrodite like Eros and Anteros.

Today, the word hermaphrodite is a biological term for an organism that has complete or partial reproductive organs and produces both, eggs and sperm. Historically, the word hermaphrodite has also been used to describe ambiguous genitalia. The word intersex has come into preferred usage for humans, as the word hermaphrodite is misleading and supposedly stigmatizing.

Read more about the mythology of Hermaphroditos here!

Nymphomania

A nymph is a minor goddess or spirit bound to a particular location. There are dryads who live in trees, like the one comforting Dionysos in "Taken by Greek Gods: Dionysos and Aura", oreads who live in the hills and mountains, naiads who live in freshwater, and nereids who live in the sea. They are usually depicted as beautiful, nubile young women who love to dance and sing and fuck. Their sexual freedom stands in stark contrast to the restricted lives of wives and daughters in the Greek polis who were supposed to be chaste and faithful (not that they always were...).

Nymphs were also a part of the retinue of Dionysos and Pan, or the huntress Artemis. The latter were required to remain chaste, though, lest they were kicked out by the virgin goddess.

Because of their attractiveness, nymphs were frequently the target of amorous satyrs and gods alike. Their attention was not always appreciated, but in general the nymphs happily made love to men or women freely and without care.

The Greek word nymphe (νύμφη) does not refer to the lustful deities in particular, but is used primarily for a "nubile young woman, bride, young wife", a young women at the peak of her sexual attractiveness, contrasting with the word parthenos (παρθένος), "a virgin (of any age)", and kore (κόρη < κόρϝα), a "maiden, girl". Unlike today, the ancient Greeks viewed women as more libidinous than men because sex doesn't stop for them after the (first) orgasm. The insatiable young wife was a popular trope in Greek and Roman comedy.

Today, nymphomania describes extremely frequent or suddenly increased libido in women. The word is no longer in use by healthcare professionals who use the unisex term hypersexuality instead, but it's still a known word with a rather derogatory baggage.

Porn(ography)

This is a bit of a cheat on my part - the word porn originates in ancient Greek culture, but not in Greek mythology. I can make the case that allegedly there were sacred prostitutes in the service of Aphrodite, who is also the goddess of prostitution, but it'd still be ancient culture rather than mythology. But I just wanted to include this word anyway :-)

The Greek word porneia is the root of the English terms porn, pornography etc. It is derived from Greek pernemi (πέρνημι), "to sell", as a pornē was a type of prostitute in ancient Greece. Pornai were the lowest kind of prostitute, but their profession was considered a source of income just like any other. They could be male (pornoi) or female (pornai). The price is often said to be "an obolos", which was 1/6 of a drachma as well as a proverbial coin of low value or a good bargain. The cheapest sex position was called kubda a rear-entry position with both partners standing or, more kolloquial, "bent over in the street".

The modern word pornography thus means "writing about prostitutes", even though it's used for visual media much, much more than for writing.

Priapism

Priapism is named for the rustic god Priapos, a son of Aphrodite who was cursed with an oversized, constant erection by Hera when he was still in Aphrodite's womb. But despite his permanently erect penis, he could not sustain the erection when the time came for sexual intercourse. His father varies from source to source, but Greek historian Diodorus Siculus makes a compelling argument that inspired me to write "Taken by Greek Gods: Aphrodite's Boy Toy":

"Now the ancients record in their myths that Priapos was the son of Dionysos and Aphrodite and they present a plausible argument for this lineage; for men when under the influence of wine find the members of their bodies tense and inclined to the pleasures of love."

Today, we remember Priapos by using his name to refer to a condition in which the penis remains erect for hours in the absence of stimulation or after stimulation has ended.

Satyrism

A satyr is a nature spirit akin to the nymph, inhabiting woodlands, mountains, and pastures. Originally, satyrs had the ears and tail of a horse, sometimes also the legs. Later they began to acquire goat-like characteristics with the legs and horns of goats. Since the Renaissance, satyrs have been most often represented with the legs and horns of goats and lost their horse features.

Satyrs are libido-driven creatures in Greek mythology, usually depicted naked with oversized erections and often attempted to seduce or rape nymphs and mortal women alike, but thankfully with little success. They are also shown masturbating or engaging in bestiality.

Despite their ridiculous appearance, satyrs were also thought to possess useful knowledge. The wise old satyr Silenos was the tutor of young Dionysos when he was still a demigod and the satyrs remained his faithful companions when he ascended to godhood.

In modern times, their notorious sex-drive gave rise to the term satyrism for extremely frequent or suddenly increased libido in men, the spear counterpart to nymphomania. Healthcare professionals use the unisex term hypersexuality for both sexes today.

to tantalise

Tantalos, who was welcomed to the feast of the gods of Olympos, took advantage of their hospitality and stole nectar and ambrosia, the food of the gods to bring to the humans. He also gossiped about the secrets of the gods he heard at their table.

But his truly wicked deed for which he deserves to be thrown into Tartaros is the serving of his own son, boiled and cut up in a banquet he threw for the gods. The gods saw through this gruesome deception and refused to eat, except for Demeter who was distraught by the loss of her daughter Persephone at the time and ate a part of the boy's shoulder.

The Fates brought the boy back to life and the gods gave him a shoulder made of ivory by the divine smith Hephaistos himself. Poseidon wanted him to live on Mount Olympos, but he was thrown out by Zeus because of his anger at Tantalos.

Tantalos himself was thrown into Tartaros, the deep abyss that is used by the gods of Olympos as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked. His punishment for his acts was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit-bearing tree with low-hanging branches. But whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches raised them just short of his grasp. And whenever he bent down to get a drink, the water receded before he could get any.

Today, the word "tantalise" stands for temptation without satisfaction, for the torment of someone with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable, akin to the fate of Tantalos in Tartaros.

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[stylishkilimdesigns]

PRIAPOS GOD OF FERTILITY KEYRING PRIAPUS KEYCHAIN

(via Rug Shape PRiAPOS GOD OF FERTiLiTY Keyring Priapus KeyChain Bizarre Weird Stuff | eBay)

[thegrapeandthefig]

Worshipping Priapus - Background info

I’ve mentionned several times in previous posts this month that my worship has evolved over the past years and is continuing to evolve. I’ve come to introduce myself or be introduced to more deities, some of which are less known than others. More recentely, my worship has been leaning towards “minor” rustic deities, all of which are linked to Dionysus either by mythical lineage or as part of his retinue. Priapus is the “latest addition” to my worship and to be fair, there’s very little to no information about him on there. This post is an humble attempt at putting some out there. Note: This post was getting too long, so I cut it in two parts. This one covers the basic info while the next will be more “practical”. 

In myth, Priapus is the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite. As always, several versions of myth exist and other lineages have been given. However, that lineage is one that is most convenient for me. Anyway, the myth tells that Priapus is cursed by Hera while in Aphrodite’s womb. When Aphrodite gives birth to him, she discovers the ugliness of her son, mostly due to the fact that he has a disgracious huge penis (a monster cock, if you will) and a constant erection. 

Now, remember the Ancient Greek stance on big dicks. They considered it ugly, but mostly, a sign of stupidity. Very grossly put, the penis was seen as an untamed thing with a mind of its own. Back to the myth: Aphrodite cannot consider keeping this monstuous child and abandons him (or throws him down a cliff, depending on the version). Either way, he gets adopted by a nearby shepherd and raised in this rural wilderness that shepherds live in.

Myth aside (you all know what I think about those), Priapus is a god who seems to have appeared later in the pantheon, during the Hellenistic era. The oldest written record are from Diodorus Siculus (1st century BC). His worship seems widespread through Greece, but the Romans were very fond of him and a lot of the information we have is actually from the Roman period.

Priapus is a god of fertility, but the fertility of the garden. He protects vegetables, beehives, vineyards, meadows and flocks against thieves and birds (for vegetables that is). In Roman sources, Priapus is also depicted as a god of carnal love and sexual prowess. 

[effulgentpoet]

mythology aesthetics

PRIAPOS

In Greek mythology, Priapos was the god of vegetable gardens. He was also a protector of beehives, flocks and vineyards. Priapos was depicted as a dwarfish man with a huge member, symbolising garden fertility, a peaked Phrygian cap, indicating his origin as a Mysian god, and a basket weighed down with fruit. Primitive statues of the god were set-up in vegetable gardens to promote fertility. These also doubled as scarecrows, keeping the birds away.

[cemalsepici]

Gölgelerimiz ve vefasızlığımızdır şimdi düşen Bütün şarkıları aldım yanıma Hadi gidelim..

PRİAPOS tan KARABİGA ya..

[greekromangods]

Dionysos and Ariadne / Dionysos and Maenad

Roman; Imperial Period, ca. 1st–2nd century AD

Marble

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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Only the body and right leg of Dionysos (perhaps once a Priapos figure) and the body and left knee of the maenad are ancient. Her right hand and wrist remain on Priapos’s draped back. The surfaces are somewhat worn and slightly weathered. They have a light yellow to buff color. Graeco-Roman copy of Hellenistic group, heavily restored in the 18th century. Most of the restorations are in the same marble, but some are in Greek mainland marble. The plinth may be Italian (Luna) marble.

An ancient Roman sculptor probably carved this work as an image of the rustic god Priapos with a maenad, a member of the wine god Bacchus’s retinue. By the 18th century, all that remained was a fragment, composed mostly of the figures’ torsos and drapery. Selectively re-carved, and with heads and legs added, it became Bacchus and his beloved, Ariadne. Sculptors on the continent made an industry creating such confections, which well-heeled travelers on the Grand Tour avidly acquired. An English “milord” purchased this one, and it became part of a famous collection of antiquities at Marbury Hall in Cheshire.