►Greek Mythology: “Hecate, Goddess of Crossroads”:

►Literature: D.G. Kaye’s New Book: “Words We Carry”:

“Hecate” by Richard Cosway. Pen and brown ink with traces of graphite underdrawing. Early 19th century.

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Hecate ( In Greek: “influence from afar”) was the Goddess of  Crossroads, Magic, Witchcraft, The Night, Ghosts and Necromancy. 

According to the most common tradition, Hecate was a daughter of Persaeus and Asteria, whence she is also known as Perseis. Hecate’s Roman equivalent was Trivia.

She was most often shown holding two torches or a key and in later periods depicted in triple form.

Hecate has always been a deity with strong lunar associations. She was sometimes portrayed as wearing a glowing headdress of stars, while in other legends she was described as a “Phosphorescent Angel” of the Underworld.

Hecate was associated with borders, city walls, doorways, crossroads and, by extension, with realms outside or beyond the world of the living.

The idea of borders is related to the fact that she mediated between regimes – Olympian and Titan-,  but also between mortal and divine spheres.

She is mentioned in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and in Hesiod’s “Theogony”. 

She has been described as of terrible appearance, either with three bodies or three heads, the one of a horse, the second of a dog, and the third of a lion. 

She was identified with a number of other goddesses, including Selene, the Goddess of the Moon.

For being as it were the queen of all nature, she was identified with Demeter, the Goddess of the Harvest and her daughter Persephone, Hades’ wife and Queen of the Underwold.

On a note aside regarding this previous point, Hecate was also the Goddess who assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, guiding her through the darkness with flaming torches.

It is said that Hecate was the only one watching when Hades abducted Persephone and that it was Hecate who supplied her with the seeds of the pomegranate. Whence, condemning Persephone to spend part of the year with Hades, in the Underworld, being only able to meet her mother Demeter during the spring.

Hecate’s aspect of threes is also noted  as she was probably referred to as a triple Goddess. Those Goddesses were Demeter, Persephone and Hecate. Demeter represented the old crone woman, Persephone the wife woman and Hecate the maiden.

For being a huntress and the protector of youth, Hecate has also been regarded as Artemis, the haunter Goddess.

In this sense, Apollonius Rhodius in his book “Argonautica” describes her as a virgin goddess, similar to Artemis.

In Ancient Greece she was seen as a mighty divinity, to whom mysteries were celebrated, particularly in Samothrace, Aegina, Argos and at Athens.

Hecate’s magic was that of death and the underworld, but also of oracles, of herbs and poisons, protection and guidance. 

Her torches provided light in the darkness, much like the Moon and Stars do at night, taking the seeker on a journey of initiation, guiding them as the psychopomp, like she guided Persephone on her yearly journey to and from Hades. 

Hecate’s retinue included the souls of those who died before their time, particularly children, or who were killed by force.

As she was the goddess of purifications and expiations, she was usually accompanied by Stygian dogs, from Hades’s domains.

Dogs were closely associated with Hecate in the Classical world. In art and in literature Hecate is constantly represented as dog-shaped or as accompanied by a dog. Besides, her approach was heralded by the howling of a dog.

According to other less important versions, the polecat was also related to Hecate.

The frog, an animal that supposedly can cross between two elements, also has become sacred to Hecate in modern Pagan literature.  

As to the plants linked to Hecate, the most important ones were the willow, the yew and the garlic. Also a number of other plants (mostly  psychoactive o medicinal) such as the belladonna, and the mandrake were associated with Hecate.

Hekate was also associated with a curious wheel shaped design, known as Hecate’s Wheel, or the “Strophalos of Hecate”.

It was a circle which enclosed a serpentine maze with three main flanges, that in turn were situated around a central, fiery spiral. The symbolism refers to the serpent’s power of rebirth. 

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“Hecate: Procession to a Witches’ Sabbath” by Jusepe de Ribera (17th century).

“Hecate” by Maximilián Pirner (1901).

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►Slideshare: Goddess Hecate:

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“The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy” by William Blake (1795).

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►Links Post: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate

http://mythmaniacs.com/hecate.htm

http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.htm

https://home.comcast.net/~subrosa_florens/witch/hekate.html

http://hemlockandhawthorn.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/dogs-in-mythology/

http://symbolreader.net/2013/10/27/hekate-the-goddess-of-the-crossroads/

http://hekatecovenant.com/about-hekate/hekate-goddess-of-magic-sorita-deste/

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► Worth Checking Out:

►Spotlight on D.G. Kaye’s New Book, “Words We Carry”:

Canadian Author D.G. Kaye. Find her at: http://www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7

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Overview/ Synopsis: “Words We Carry” focuses around women’s self-esteem issues. She talks about how and why the issues evolve, how she recognized her own issues, and how she overcame her insecurities.

Kaye writes for the woman of all ages. Her writing is easily relatable and her insights about the complexities of being a woman are expressed in her writing.

The author says: “I have been a great critic of myself for most of my life, and I was darned good at it, deflating my own ego without the help of anyone else”.

Following the paths of her own story, D.G. takes us on a journey, unlocking the hurts of the past by identifying situations that hindered her own self-esteem. Her anecdotes and confessions demonstrate how the hurtful events in our lives linger and set the tone for how we value our own self-worth.

Words We Carry is a raw, personal accounting of how the author overcame the demons of low self-esteem with the determination to learn to love herself.

You can find D.G. at: Twitter, GoodReads, Facebook and Google Plus. 

She also owns a great blog at:  http://dgkayewriter.com/

Visit D.G.’s author page at www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7

And Check out her Three Books “Conflicted Hearts”, “Meno-What? A Memoir” and her latest release “Words We Carry”.

Last But not Least, make sure to follow D.G. Kaye’ s advice: “Live, Laugh, Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”.~

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“Words We Carry” by D.G Kaye. Click on the Book Cover to Check it out. Or Find it at: http://www.smarturl.it/bookwordswecarry

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►Greek Mythology: “The Charites” (“The Three Graces”):

Fresco from Pompeii, House of Titus Dentatus Panthera, ca 65 -79 AD; Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli – Three Graces

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The Charites (Three Graces) were reputed to be the essence of beauty, charm, and grace and were associated with the Nine Muses, who presided and inspired arts and sciences. 

The Charites were three goddesses, who were sisters between them: Aglaia (Αγλαια Brightness), Euphrosyne (Ευφροσυνη Joyfulness), and Thalia  (Θαλια Bloom). 

The character and nature of the Charites are sufficiently expressed by the names they bear: they were conceived as the goddesses who gave festive joy and enhanced the enjoyments of life

Pindar, Olympian Ode 14: “Kharites (Charites, Graces) three . . . Euphrosyne, lover of song, and Aglaia (Aglaea) revered, daughters of Zeus the all-highest . . . with Thalia, darling of harmony.”

They are said to be daughters of Zeus and Hera (or Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus) or of Helios and Aegle, a daughter of Zeus.

The Charites were also joined in the banquets, celebrations by the Horae who were the keepers of the gates to Mount Olympus.

Aglaia was the charis goddess of beauty, adornment, splendor and glory. Aglaia was a the wife of the god Hephaistos and like her she represented the creation of objects of beauty and artistic adornment.

Homer, Iliad 18. 382: “Kharis (Charis) of the shining veil . . . the lovely goddess the renowned strong-armed one [Hephaistos] had married.”

Euphrosyne was the charis goddess of good cheer, joy, mirth and merriment

Thalia was the charis goddess of festive celebrations and rich and luxurious banquets. 

Frequently the Graces were taken as goddesses of charm or beauty in general and hence were associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love; Peitho, her attendant; and Hermes, a fertility and messenger god. 

As attendants of Aphrodite they were goddesses of personal beauty and the adornments which enhanced this: makeup, oils, perfumes, fine clothing and jewellery.  

Homeric Hymn 5 to Aphrodite: “She [Aphrodite] went to Kypros (Cyprus), to Paphos, wher 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 Kharites (Charites, 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.”

Sometimes they were depicted as companions of Apollo and the Muses:

Hesiod, Theogony 53: “There [on Olympos] are their [the Muses'] bright dancing-places and beautiful homes, and beside them the Kharites (Charites, Graces) . . . live in delight.”

The Charitesia were annual competitions and games in honor of the Graces. There were athletic competitions, literary, musical and dramatic contests (which took place in the theater). The Charitesia festival was held at Orchomenos near the modern town of Kalpaki.

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►Slideshare: “The Charites” (“The Three Graces”):

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►Links post

http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Kharites.html

http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/nymphs/three-graces.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/240434/Grace

http://www.mythography.com/myth/welcome-to-mythography/greek-gods/spirits-1/graces/

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►Last but not Least: One Lovely Blog Award (x2): 

One Lovely Blog Award.

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I want to thank Shehanne Moore for nominating me for a Lovely Blog Award. Shehanne is an scottish blogger and author of “Smexy Historical romance”, “the Unraveling of  Lady Fury” and “Loving Lady Lazuli”, among others. Meet Shehanne at her blog.

I also want to thank D.G. Kaye for nominating me for this same Award. Please make sure to check out her author blog. She is a canadian author and has published “Conflicted Hearts”, “Meno-What?, a Memoir” and “Words We carry”. You can also take a peek on my latest post in which I featured her new book “Words we Carry”. 

►Here are the Award Ruless:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate ten (10) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

In this occasion, I will nominate -in no particular order- new followers and/or great bloggers I have recently met or that I haven’t nominated yet.

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►So without further ado, these are my nominees for the Lovely Blog Award:

1. Medgekorne 2. Kely has a Blog 3. Sacred Touches 4. A Universal Life 5. Dennis’ Diary of Destruction 6. Strings of Soulfulness 7. Meditation Travelogue 8. Ombreflessuose 9. Tavolozza di Vita 10. Dotedon.

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Thanks D.G Kaye and Shehanne Moore for this Award. 

By the way, I love the way Shehanne Moore featured my Lovely Blog Award nomination at her blog. 

Thank you for that, Shehanne and Hamstahs!. Aquileana :D

Source: “One lovely Blog Award”. At: http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/one-lovely-blog-award/

Source Hamsters Images: Source: http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/one-lovely-blog-award/. The third one is mine (moi).

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►Greek Mythology: “The Moirae” (“The Three Fates”):

“The Triumph of Death”, or “The Three Fates”. Flemish tapestry (probably Brussels, 1510-1520).

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In Greek Mythology The Moirae or Moirai (in Greek Μοῖραι, meaning the “apportioners”, often called The Fates), were the three white-robed personifications of  Destiny (Roman equivalent: Parcae, “sparing ones”). They assigned to every person his or her fate or share in the scheme of things. 

Their number became fixed at three: Clotho, (spinner), Lachesis (allotter) and Atropos (unturnable).

•Clotho (“spinner”) spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. Her Roman equivalent was Nona, (the ‘Ninth’), who was originally a goddess called upon in the ninth month of pregnancy.

•Lachesis (“allotter” or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod. Her Roman equivalent was Decima  (the ‘Tenth’).

•Atropos (or Aisa, “inexorable” or “inevitable”) was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person’s death; and when their time was come, she cut their life-thread with “her abhorred shears”. Her Roman equivalent was Morta (‘Death’).

Clotho carried a spindle or a roll (the book of fate), Lachesis a staff with which she pointed to the horoscope on a globe, and Atropos a scroll, a wax tablet, a sundial, a pair of scales, or a cutting instrument.

The three were also shown with staffs or sceptres, the symbols of dominion, and sometimes even with crowns. At the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life.

Being goddesses of fate, they had to necessarily know the future, which at times they revealed, and thus became prophetic divinities. 

In Homer’s “Iliad”, Moira, who was just one, acted independently from the gods. 

Only Zeus, was close to Moira. Using a weighing scale (balance,) Zeus weighed trojan hero Hector’s “lot of death” against the one of Achilles.

Zeus appeared as the guider of destiny, who gave everyone the right portion. 

In Hesiod’s  “Theogony”, the three Moirae were daughters of the primeval goddess, Nyx (“Night”).

Later, the Moirae were considered daughters of Zeus who gave them the greatest honour, and Themis, the ancient goddess of law and divine order.

According to some sources they were sisters of three of the Horae: Eunomia (lawfulness, order), Dike (Justice), and Eirene (Peace).

As goddesses of death, they appeared together with the Keres, who were Nyx’s daughters and the female spirits (daimones) of violent or cruel death and the infernal Erinnyes (or Furies), who were three goddesses who avenged crimes against the natural order.

The Moirae had sanctuaries in many parts of Greece, such as Corinth, Sparta, Olympia and Thebes.

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“The Three Fates” by Godfrey Sykes (1855).

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►Gallery: “The Moirae”:

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“The Moerae: Atropus, Clotho and Lachesis”. Frescoes (135-140 BC). Italy.

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►Poetry: Allea Jacta Est: “The Die has been Cast”. 

(A sort of Card Poem, by Aquileana).

(Painting: “The Three Fates” by Michelangelo. 1882).

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►Links Post:

^{http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Moirai.html#Zeus}

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai} 

^{http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Moira}

^{http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/boardarchives/2002/sep2002/threefates.html}

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►Last but not Least: One Lovely Blog Award: 

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I have recently been nominated from “Strings of Soulfulness” for a One Lovely Blog Award. I recommend this blog. You’ll find inspirational posts, mainly in the shape of beautiful poems. Among the introductory lines of this blog, I found these ones: “Learning to be eternal in all the ways of living”. I thought those words were both touching and wise. I bet you are nodding in agreement with me!. Hence, you’d better check out the blog in order to draw your own conclusions  and borne out the previous opinions.

►Here are the Award Ruless:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate ten to fifteen (10 to 15) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

In this occasion, I will nominate -in no particular order- new followers and/or great bloggers I have recently met or that I haven’t nominated yet.

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►And here are my nominees for the Lovely Blog Award:

 1. Judith Shaw 2. Sadness Theory 3. Profane Light 4. Il Mondo di Beatrice 5. Doris Pacheco 6. Jadi Campbell 7. Español con Virgulilla 8. A Rose in Bloom 9. Unchained Emporium 10. King-The Series 11. Pull of the Sun 12. El Duende de las Palabras 13. La Pelie 14. Palabras al Viento 15. Entelequia Efímera.

★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star:

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►Greek Mythology: “The Erinyes” (The Furies):

►Poetry: Verónica Boletta: “Three”:

“Orestes and the Erynies” by Gustave Moreau (1891).

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In Greek Mythology, the Erinyes were mainly goddesses of vengeance.

The name Erinnys, which is the more ancient one, was derived by the Greeks from the erinô or ereunaô, I hunt up or persecute, or from the Arcadian word erinuô, I am angry; so that the Erinnyes were either the angry goddesses, or the goddesses who hunt up or search after the criminal

The goddesses were often addressed by the euphemistic names Eumenides (“Kind Ones”) or Semnai Theai (“Venerable Goddesses”). Eumenides signifies “the well-meaning,” or “soothed goddesses”.

They were probably personified curses, but possibly they were originally conceived of as ghosts of the murdered. 

They were depicted as ugly, winged women with hair, arms and waists entwined with serpents:

 “You handmaidens, look at them there: like Gorgones, wrapped in sable garments, entwined with swarming snakes!”. Aeschylus, “Libation Beaers” (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.).

According to the Greek poet Hesiod, they were the daughters of Gaia (Earth) and sprang from the blood of her mutilated spouse Uranus; in the plays of Aeschylus, they were the daughters of Nyx; in those of Sophocles, they were the daughters of Darkness and of Gaia. Euripides was the first to speak of them as three in number.

Later authors named them Allecto (“Unceasing in Anger”), Tisiphone (“Avenger of Murder”), and Megaera (“Jealous”).

Among the things sacred to them we hear of serpents, chthonian animals associated with the Underworld. Also their sacred bird was the screech owl, a nocturnal bird of ill omen, closely associated with curses and the gods of the dead. As to the plants, they were associated to the narcissus.

They were particularly worshipped at Athens, where a festival called Eumenideia was celebrated in their honour.

These goddesses were sometimes seen as servants of Hades and Persephone in the Underworld.

As the Erinyes not only punished crimes after death, but during life on earth, they were conceived also as goddesses of fate, who, together with Zeus and the Moirae, led such men as were doomed to suffer into misery and misfortunes.

The wrath of the Erinyes manifested itself in a number of ways.

The most severe of these was the tormenting madness inflicted upon a patricide or matricide. Murderers might suffer illness or disease; and a nation harbouring such a criminal, could suffer dearth, and with it hunger and disease.

This is mostly what happens in Aeschylus’s “Oresteia”, a three-act drama of family fate, like the “Oedipus trilogy” by Sophocles.

The three parts of “The Oresteia” are: First: “Agamemnon”. Second: “The Libation Bearers“. Third and last play: “The Eumenides”.

In “Agamemnon”, Clytemnestra herself  murders his husband Agamemnon.

In “The Libation Bearers”, Clytemnestra is murdered by his son Orestes.

In the  third and last play,”The Eumenides”, Orestes is judged because of his crime by a jury composed of Athena and twelve Athenians. Although Orestes’ actions were what Apollo had commanded him to do, Orestes has still committed matricide, a grave sacrilege. Because of this, he is pursued and tormented by the terrible Erinyes. 

In Aeschylus’ tragedy “The Eumenides”, the Erinyes introduce themselves and later on say to Orestes: 

“We claim to be just and upright. No wrath from us will come stealthily to the one who holds out clean hands, and he will go through life unharmed; but whoever sins and hides his blood-stained hands, as avengers of bloodshed we appear against him to the end, presenting ourselves as upright witnesses for the dead”. (Aeschylus’ Oresteia “The Eumenides”. 310).

“We drive matricides from their homes … Since a mother’s blood leads us, we will pursue our case against this man and we will hunt him down”… (Aeschylus’ Oresteia “The Eumenides”. 230).

“Allow us in return to suck the red blood from your living limbs. May we feed on you -a gruesome drink! We will wither you alive and drag you down, so that you pay atonement for your murdered mother’s agony”. (Aeschylus’ Oresteia “The Eumenides”. 265).

At Delphi’s Oracle, Orestes has been told by Apollo that he should go to Athens to seek the aid of the goddess Athena.

Once in Athens, Athena arranges for Orestes to be tried by a jury of Athenian citizens, with her presiding.

The Erinyes appear as Orestes’ accusers, while Apollo speaks in his defense. The jury vote is evenly split.

Athena participates in the vote and declares Orestes acquitted because of the rules she established for the trial.

Despite the verdict, the Erinyes threaten to torment all inhabitants of Athens.

Athena, however, offers the ancient goddesses a new role, as protectors of justice. Thus, she persuades them to break the cycle of blood for blood, as  as mercy should always take precedence over harshness. This threat satisfy the Erinyes, who are then led by Athena in a procession to their new city.

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“Orestes Pursued by the Furies” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1861).

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►Gallery: “The Erinyes” (The Three Furies):

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►Poetry: A poem by Verónica Boletta: “Three”:

Fate

is revenge.

Impious triad of

blood,

tears and whips.

—

Talion’s trident, (*)

incarnated in snakes:

haughty,

horrific and

unmentionable.

—

Each murder

finds punishment

in the gathering point

in which Eternity

and Infinite

turn into Hell.

—

Death

is not solace,

nor sheltering sky.

Hence…

madness.

—

©2014 Verónica Boletta.-

Note: (*) Talion: the system or legal principle of making the punishment correspond to the crime; retaliation.

●▬▬▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬▬●

Verónica Boletta.-

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►About Verónica Boletta:

Verónica lives in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a degree in Economic Sciences. 

‘Numbers’ are her Career of Currency as she says.

Regardless, she has her own “B side”. She is also a writer and therefore likes to embrace ‘Words’, particularly in the shape of great poems…

So, being this said and without further ado, make sure to check out Verónica’s blog here. Also feel free to connect with her at Twitter. 

Verónica Boletta dixit: “Abrazo los números como profesión de divisas y las palabras como profesión y esperanza de vida. Reescribo mis credenciales y mis cartas de presentación así como borroneo en bocetos, la vida. Soy la mirada y el ojo, los sonidos y el oído, las letras del abecedario y las palabras, los pies en la tierra y la esperanza en el cielo”.~

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Verónica Boletta.-

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►Links Post:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/222733/Furies

http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Erinyes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erinyes

http://dutchie.org/goddess-erinyes/ 

http://www.maicar.com/GML/ERINYES.html

http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Fi-Go/Furies.html

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►Greek Mythology: “Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge”:

“Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime” by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon. (1808).

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Nemesis (In Greek νέμειν némein, meaning “to give what is due” was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to  Hubris (arrogance before the gods).

She was also known as Rhamnusia. Another name for her was Adrasteia, meaning “the inescapable.” 

Nemesis directed human affairs in such a way as to maintain equilibrium.

Her name means she who distributes or deals out. 

She was related to the ideas of righteous anger, due enactment, or devine vengence.

The Greeks personified vengeful fate as a remorseless goddess: the goddess of revenge and righteous indignation.

Happiness and unhappiness were measured out by her, care being taken that happiness was not too frequent or too excessive. 

Nemesis has been described as the daughter of Zeus.

In the classic Greek tragedies, Nemesis appears chiefly as the avenger of crime and the punisher of hubris and as such is akin to Ate, the Greek goddess of mischief, delusion, ruin, and folly and the Erinyes.

In some metaphysical mythology, Nemesis produced the egg from which hatched two sets of twins: Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra and the Discouri Castor and Pollux.

From the fourth century onward, Nemesis, as the just balancer of Fortune´s chance, could be associated with Tyche.

Tyche (meaning “luck”; roman equivalent: Fortuna) was the presiding deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny. She was the daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus or Hermes.

The Romans sometimes named Nemesis Invidia and described her as a goddess not only of the jealous indignation aroused by hubristic boasts but also as the goddess of jealousy in general.

A festival called Nemeseia was held at Athens. Nemesis was also worshipped in Patrai, Anatolia, Rhamnos and Smyrna.

Nemesis was usually depicted as a winged goddess.

Her attributes were apple-branch, rein, lash, sword, scales, rudder, and wheel. 

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►“Nemesis” (“The Great Fortune”). Engraving by Albrecht Dürer (1502):

“Nemesis” (“The Great Fortune”) by Albrecht Dürer (1502).

 

Click to view slideshow.

 

Nemesis portrayed with a steering wheel, from a temple in Rhamnus. (Hellenistic period).

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►Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_%28mythology%29

http://www.pinterest.com/magistramichaud/gods-of-justice-retribution/

http://www.paleothea.com/Goddesses/N/

http://www.loggia.com/myth/nemesis.html

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►Last but not Least: Excellence Blog Award: 

Excellence Blog Award.-

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I want to thank Gi from Tagirrelatos for nominating me for an Excellence Award. 

Make sure to check out her blog in order to read great, creative posts in Spanish… Anyhow, you can always use the translator ;)

►Here are the Award Ruless:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate ten (10) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

Note: I will nominate -in no particular order- new followers and/or great bloggers I have recently met or that I haven’t nominated yet.

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►These are my nominees for the Excellence Blog Award:

1. Swittersb and Exploring 2. Comicsgrinder 3. The Bonny Blog 4. Zimmerbitch 5. Jude’s Threshold 6. Risty’s Breath 7. K Clips 8. Jazz You Too 9. Weggieboy’s blog 10. Joëlle Jean-Baptiste

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►Greek Mythology: “The Harpies, Winged Bird Monsters”:

“Aeneas and his Companions Fighting the Harpies” by François Perrier (17th century).

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In Greek Mythology, a harpy was a female monster in the form of a bird with a human face.

They were  the spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind.

They were known as the hounds of Zeus and were sent by him to snatch away people and things from the earth.

The harpies were also they were agents of punishment who abducted people and tortured them on their way to Hades’ domains. Like the Erinyes, the harpies were employed by the gods as instruments for the punishment of the guilty.

They seem originally to have been wind spirits. Their name means “snatchers”.

Aeschylus in The “Eumenides” (Third part of “The Oresteia”) referred to them as ugly winged bird-women. 

Later Greeks transformed Harpies into Sirens, which can be seen in depictions of Odysseus on his long trip home from Troy.

But before that, Hesiod in “Theogony” called them “two lovely-haired” creatures. He said that the harpies were winged maidens, who surpassed winds and birds in the rapidity of their flight. He also mentioned that they were the daughters of Thaumas by the Oceanid Electra. Hesiod‘s two Harpies were named Aello (storm swift) and Ocypete (The swift wing).

Virgil in (“The Aeneid” 3.209) added a third one, Celaeno (the dark).

According to Virgil, Aeneas encountered harpies, as they repeatedly made off with the feast the Trojans were setting. The harpies also cursed them, saying the Trojans will be so hungry they will have eaten their own tables before reaching the end of their journey to Italy.

On the other hand, Homer (“The Iliad” 16.148) made reference to  only to one harpy, named Podarge (“fleet-foot”). She was married to wind Zephyrus, and gave birth to the two horses of Achilles.

According to roman poet Ovid, (“Metamorphoses”. Book XIII), Zeus punished King Phineus of Trace because he had the gift of prophecy and once gave away the gods’ secret plan. The King of the Gods blinded King Phineus and put him on an island, and whenever a meal was placed before him, they darted down from the air and carried it off; later writers added, that they either devoured the food themselves, or that they dirtied it by dropping upon it some stinking substance, so as to render it unfit to be eaten.

According to Virgil (“Argonautica”. Book II) when Jason and the Argonauts came to visit, the winged Boreads gave chase, and pursued the Harpies to the Strophades Islands, where the goddess Iris, the personfication of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, commanded them to turn back and leave the storm-spirits unharmed.

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“Landscape with the Expulsion of the Harpies” by Paolo Fiammingo (1590).

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►Further Features:

•In Dante‘s “Divina Commedia” (Inferno XIII) the harpies tortured the sinners, who had their punishment in the seventh ring of Hell. 

•Later on, William Blake found inspired in Dante’s description in his pencil, ink and watercolour “The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides” (1824 /1827. Tate Gallery, London).

•In Shakespeare‘s “Much Ado about nothing”, Benedick spots the sharp-tongued Beatrice approaching and exclaims to the Prince Don Pedro that  he would do an assortment of arduous tasks for him “rather than hold three words conference with this harpy”. Here, the term “harpy” is used metaphorically to refer to a nasty or annoying woman.

•During the Middle Ages, the harpy, often called the Jungfrauenadler or “virgin eagle”, became a popular charge in Heraldy, particulalrly in Nuremberg, Rietburg and Liechtenstein.

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►William Blake’s painting “The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides”, inspired by Dante’s “Divina Commedia”:

“The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides” by William Blake (1824/1827).

•Description: Dante encounters the souls of those who have committed suicide and been transformed into trees as punishment for having relinquished their bodies. According to Lavater the tree has no physiognomy, so the figures are also stripped of any individuality. Harpies, mythological birds with the heads of women, feed upon them.

Blake gives his Harpies beaks rather than noses, thereby emphasising their bestiality. The squat shape of the Harpies and their large feet are reminiscent of owls, birds described by Lavater as particularly ‘stupid’ (contrary to modern associations of the bird with wisdom).

“Here the repellent harpies make their nests,

Who drove the Trojans from the Strophades
With dire announcements of the coming woe.
They have broad wings, with razor sharp talons and a human neck and face,

Clawed feet and swollen, feathered bellies; they caw
Their lamentations in the eerie trees” 

(Dante’s “Divina Commedia”

(Inferno XIII, Seventh ring of Hell).-

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►Gallery: “The Harpies”:

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Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Harpyiai.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpy

http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Iris.html

http://patagoniamonsters.blogspot.ca/2010/04/chilean-harpy.html

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terme_di_Diocleziano

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/aeneid/section3.rhtml

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-the-wood-of-the-self-murderers-the-harpies-and-the-suicides-n03356

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►Greek Mythology: “The Sphinx and her Riddle”:

“Oedipus and the Sphinx” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1808).

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The Sphinx  (from the greek word Σφίγξ,  meaning “to squeeze”, “to tighten up”) was a female mythical creature with the body of a lion, the breast and head of a woman, eagle’s wings and, according to some, a serpent-headed tail.

According to Hesiod, the Sphinx was daughter of Orthus and Chimaera, born in the country of the Arimi (Theog. 326).

According to Sophocles, when King Laius of Thebes was murdered, by an unknown in a Phocian road, the king’s brother-in-law Creon came to power.

It was during his regency that the Sphinx came to  Thebes, as a punishment, sent by Hera, or, according to other accounts, by Hades, and  and gobbling up people

The Sphinx guarded the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes, and to have asked a riddle, which allowed people come into the city.

On the other hand, she started ravaging the fields and threatening people as she declared that she would not depart unless anyone interpreted her riddle

King Creon in accordance with an oracle, issued a proclamation promising that he would give the kingdom of Thebes and his sister Jocasta in marriage to the person solving the riddle of the Sphinx.

The riddle of the sphinx was

“What is it that has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?”.

Finally, Oedipus gave the proper answer: man, who crawls on all fours in infancy, walks on two feet when grown, and leans on a staff in old age. The sphinx thereupon killed herself. From this tale apparently grew the legend that the sphinx was omniscient, and even today the wisdom of the sphinx is proverbial.

Sphinxes were popular in ancient art, especially as sculptural grave stele set upon the tombs of men who died in youth.

Decorative sphinxes also appear in animal processions on archaic Greek vases, often alongside lions and bird-bodies sirens.

The Sphinx was originally Egyptian or Ethiopian; but after her incorporation with Grecian story, her figure was variously modified.

The Egyptian Sphinx is the figure of an unwinged lion in a lying attitude, but the upper part of the body is human.

Unlike the Greek sphinx which was a woman, the Egyptian sphinx is typically shown as a man (anandrosphinx).

And the most well known among the Egyptian representations of Sphinxes is that of Ghizeh. Although the date of its construction is uncertain, the head of the Great Sphinx now is believed to be that of the pharaoh Khafra (2558 BC -2532 BC)

The common idea of a Greek Sphinx, on the other hand, is that of a monster with a head of a woman, a body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and a serpent-headed tail. Greek Sphinxes, moreover, are not always represented in a lying attitude.

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Egyptian sphinx with a human head. (Museo Egizio, Turin). 1300 BC.

Sphinx. The upper decorative element from grave stele in Kerameikos Museum in Athens. (550 BC).

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 ►Gallery: Sphinxs:

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“Oedipus and the Sphinx”, by Gustave Moreau, (1864).

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►Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx

http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Sphinx.html

http://www.maicar.com/GML/Sphinx.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/559722/sphinx

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►Last but not Least: Real Neat Blog Award:

Real Neat Blog Award.

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I want to thank my friend Christy Birmingham from Poetic Parfait for nominating me for a Real Neat Blog Award.Please, If you still haven’t done so, visit Poetic Parfait to read some beautiful poems by Christy. 

Here are the Award Rules:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee has to answer the seven (seven) questions asked by the blogger who nominated her/him.

3) The nominee shall nominate ten (10) bloggers or less, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

The seven questions and my answers are:

I) Where do most visits to your blog come from?: 1) Argentina, 2) Mexico, 3) Colombia, 4) Spain and 5) United States.

II) What is your favorite sport?: Swimming.

III) What has been a special moment for you in 2014?: My birthday!…

IV) What is your favorite quote?: “Experience is simply the name we give to our mistakes” (Oscar Wilde).

V) What was your favourite class when still at school?: Literature and History of Art, special class during my last two years of High School.

VI) Anything you had wished to have learnt earlier?: To take things easily, I guess… (I am still learning, though). 

VII) What musical instrument have you tried to play?: Guitar, but that was a long time ago…

Finally, these are my  nominees for the Real Neat Blog Award, which I picked up among new followers and commenters. 

1. Tassy Bakes 2. D Blaine’s Space 3. Chica del Panda 4.Cedric Ced 5. Unchained Emporium 6. El Lirismo del Alfabeto 7. El Cuaderno de Clara 8. Con mucho Garbo 9. Perfume de Mujer 10. Marisa Mortes escribe

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►Greek Mythology: “The Sirens, Muses of the Lower World”:

“Odysseus and the Sirens” by Herbert James Draper, (1909).

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The Sirens were sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with a bewitching song.

They parents were River Achelous and the Muse Melpomene (Pseudo-Apollodorus). For Euripides, they were virgin daughters of Gaia (the Earth). 

Their number is variously reported as between two and five.
In the “Odyssey”, Homer says nothing of their origin or names, but gives the number of the Sirens as two  on an island in the western sea between Aeaea and the rocks of Scylla.

 Hesiod says that they were three and that their names were Thelxiope or Thelxinoe, Molpe and Aglaophonos.

They are mantic creatures like the Sphinx with whom they have much in common, as they also were believed to combine women and birds in various ways.
In early Greek art, Sirens were represented as birds with large women’s heads, and bird feathers. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, usually playing musical instruments, especially harps.

Pausanias in his book “Description of Greece” makes reference to a contest between the sirens and the muses. He states that the Muses won, plucked out the Sirens’ feathers and made crowns for themselves out of them.

→The Sirens are also connected with the legends of the abduction of Persephone, with the story of the Argonauts and with Homer´s “Odyssey”.

•According to Ovid (“Metamorphoses” V, 551),they were formerly handmaidens of Persephone.

When the goddess was secretly abducted by Hades, Demeter gave the sirens the bodies of birds, and sent them to assist Demeter in the search of her daughter.

This version explains why the Sirens were called “the Muses of the Lower world”.

They eventually gave up and settled on the flowery island of Anthemoessa.

In some versions, Demeter  turned them into birds to punish them for not guarding Persephone.

•When the Argonauts passed by the Sirens, the latter began to sing, but in vain, for Orpheus rivalled and surpassed them ; and as it had been decreed that they should live only till some one hearing their song should pass by unmoved, they threw themselves into the sea, and were metamorphosed into rocks.

The Sirens were later encountered by the Argonauts who passed by unharmed with the help of Orpheus, the poet drowing out their music with his song. The sound of their songs  was once thought to be a reason for sailors meeting disaster, as their haunting voice was heard coming from the waves forecasting bad weather.

•In Homer’s Odyssey, Book XII, Odysseus, escaped the danger of their song by stopping the ears of his crew with wax so that they were deaf to the Sirens. Odysseus himself wanted to hear their song but had himself tied to the mast so that he would not be able to steer the ship off its course.

The siren song was a promise to Odysseus of mantic truths; with a false promise that he will live to tell them, they sing:

“Once he hears to his heart’s content, sails on, a wiser man.
We know all the pains that the Greeks and Trojans once endured
on the spreading plain of Troy when the gods willed it so
all that comes to pass on the fertile earth, we know it all!”
(Homer’s “Odyssey” 12.188–91).-

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“Odysseus and the Sirens” by John William Waterhouse (1891).

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Gallery: “The Sirens”:

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Roman mosaic: “Odysseus and the Sirens” at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia. 2nd century B.C.

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►Gallery: “More Sirens”:

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►Links Post:

http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Sirens/sirens.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546538/Siren

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_%28mythology%29

http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html

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►Last but not Least: Three Awards:

“Very Inspiring Blogger Award, Liebster Award

& Hearts As One~ Dreamwalker’s Drum Beat Award!”: 

I) I want to thank Micheline from Micheline´s Blog for nominating me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Please make sure to visit her blog as it is erudite and informative. A real a treat to the mind!.

II) Secondly, I also want to thank Becker A. Fernández from Mis Poemas for nominating me for a Liebster Award. Check out his blog… You’ll find impressive poems in spanish which you may enjoy as much as I do.

III) Finally, I particularly want to thank Sue Dreamwalker from Dreamwalker’s Sanctuary for nominating me for an awesome and beautiful award named Hearts As One~ Dreamwalker’s Drum Beat Award.

This award was created by Sue herself and therefore has a powerful meaning. You can check out  the meaning of the totem animals on the award here. Please make sure to visit Sue Dreamwalker’s Sanctuary, a great blog in which you may find inpiration and wise messages!.

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►I) Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

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►Here are the Awards Rules for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate fifteen (15) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

3) The nominee has to answer these seven (7)  questions.

1. Who is your favorite public figure?. Pope Francis. 

2. What do you like most?. Too many things… Don’t get me started!.

3. Do you follow trends?. It depends on my mood … Or personal trend, I guess

4. What do you do when someone gets angry?. I get angrier?… Or just try to be rational.

5. What have you loved most?. Being born. No doubts about it! :P

6. Do you have causes?. Yes, Humanity in general. Justice and Peace are my consequences, though.

7. What quality do you admire most?. Intelligence… But also Beauty.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

►These are my nominees for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

1. Let the Images Speak 2. Venomous Scribbles 3. Truel´s Blog 4. Poetic Parfait 5. Anettes Garten 6. Margaret Lynette Sharp 7. Mis Poemas 8. Biobioncino´s Blog 9. Goal Habits 10. Edge of Humanity. 11. Karen’s Nature Art 12. Words that flow like water 13. Soul Healing Art 14. Tales of a North Shore Princess 15. Love and biscuits blog.

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►II) Liebster Award:

Liebster Award.

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►Here are the Award Rules for the Liebster Award:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate ten (10) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

►And, these are the nominees for this Award:

1. The Last Half... 2. Stelle Lontane 3. Dreamwalker’s Sanctuary 4. Poesie Visuelle 5. UpChucking Words 6. Impresii din călătorie 7. Henry West 8. Micheline’s Blog 9. Gypsy in Jeans 10. Papillon 1961.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

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►III) Hearts As One~ Dreamwalker’s Drum Beat Award:

Hearts As One~ Dreamwalker’s Drum Beat Award.

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►Here are the rules for the Hearts As One~ Dreamwalker’s Drum Beat Award:

In Sue’s words: “This is an award to pass along to bloggers who are sharing posts which are helping show our empathy, Love and Kindness, or who Highlight injustice who beat their own Drum to bring awareness to the world”.

I’ll then nominate ten (bloggers) which I believe follow these special requirements.

1) The nominee will have to nominate ten (10) bloggers under the same terms.

2) The nominee shall display the award’s logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

►So, without further ado, hese are the nominees for this Award:

1. JeriWB, Author and Editor 2. D. G Kaye Writer 3. Shehanne Moore 4. Kone, Krusos, Kronos 5. En Humor Arte 6. Blue Butterflies and Me 7. Inesemjphotography 8. Kev’s Blog 9. Petals Unfolding 10. Elizabeth Melton Parsons.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

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►Greek Mythology: “The Nereids, Fifty Sea Nymphs”:

“A Mermaid” by John William Waterhouse (1900).

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The Nereids were fifty goddesses of the sea, daughters of Nereus (eldest son of Pontus, the Sea and Gaia, the Earth) and Doris (an Oceanid and Sea Nymph). They were sisters of  Nerites (a young minor sea god).

They Nereids were the patrons of sailors and fishermen, who came to the aid of men in distress.

Individually they also represented various facets of the sea, from salty brine, to foam, sand, rocky shores, waves and currents, in addition to the various skills possessed by seamen.

They often accompany Poseidon, the god of the sea, and can be friendly and helpful to sailors fighting perilous storms.

The Nereids were depicted in ancient art as beautiful young maidens, sometimes running with small dolphins or fish in their hands, or else riding on the back of dolphins, hippokampoi (fish-tailed horses) and other sea creatures.

The Nereids were different to the Sirens as those creatures we call Mermaids are, speaking properly, Nereids (fish shaped women) and not Sirens (women with bird forms).

•Sirens, Nereids and Mermaids:

The Nereids of Greek mythology gave rise to the tales of the mermaids that were so popular among later sailors’ mythology. These sea nymphs were given the features traditionally associated with the mermaid, half beautiful woman, half fish. These enchanting creatures were well known to mingle with humans and to bear children.

As to the Sirens, originally, there were only three sirens who, after being pounished, would be shaped as birds.

•The Sirens were handmaidens of Persephone, daughter of the goddess Demeter.

It is said that when Persephone was abducted by Hades, Demeter gifted the three girls with the bodies of birds so they could help search for the lost girl.

When they couldn’t find her they eventually gave up and went to live on the island of Anthemoessa, cursed by Demeter (who was angry at their abandonment of the search) to remain in their half-bird form.

The Sirens were further cursed when they entered a singing competition with the Muses and lost the contest as well as their wings and many of their feathers.

Eventually, the sirens died with the fulfillment of a prophecy that should anyone be able to resist their song, the sirens would perish.

And they did; when Odysseus had his men block their ears and then tied himself to the mast of his ship so he could listen but not interfere, the sirens hurled themselves into the sea and died as he passed.

•Poseidon and Amphitrite: One of the most well known mythological couples in which a sea- goddess related to the Nereids was involved, was that of Poseidon and Amphitrite. 

Amphitrite was a sea-goddess, daughter of Doris and Nereus and therefore sister of the Nereids. She might be also considered one of the Fifty Nereids (Sea-Nymphs), according to other sources.

Poseidon (Roman Equivalent: Neptune)  was  the God of the Sea and he was also referred to as “Earth-Shaker” due to his role in causing earthquakes. According to the references from Plato in his dialogues “Timaeus” and “Critias”, the island of Atlantis was the chosen domain of Poseidon.

So after this brief introduction and without further ado, I want to link back to Cyan Ryan’s blog as he has recently posted a “haiku-set of 20 haiku” in which he makes reference to Amphitrite and Poseidon’s love story. 

So, without further ado, make sure to read Ryan ‘s Poem: “Mermaid Wife Of Poseidon” (Haiku-Set). Also check out his remarkable poetry blog “21 Shades of Blue”. Worth Reading!~

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“Triumph of Poseidon and Amphitrite”. Detail of a mosaic from Cirta, Roman Africa (325 BC).

“Tritons and Nereids” by William Russell Flint (1911).

“The Sea Maiden” by James Herbert Draper. (1894).

“Les Sirenes visitées par les Muses” by Adolphe La Lyre (19th century).

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►Gallery: “The Nereids”:

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“Sirens by the Sea” by Victor Karlovich Shtemberg (19th century.

“Mermaids Frolicking in the Sea” by Charles Edouard Boutibonne (1883).

“Sea Maidens” by Evelyn Pickering de Morgan (1885).

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Nereides.html

http://www.maicar.com/GML/NEREIDS.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereid

http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/02/05/the-difference-between-mermaids-and-sirens/

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►Last but not Least: Two Awards:

Versatile Blogger Award and Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

Versatile Blogger Award.

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate fifteen (15) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

►These are my nominees for the for the Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Restons subversifs 2. Pursuit of Happiness 3. Jakesprinter 4. The Vigilant Lens 5. Crumpled Paper Cranes 6. Smile Calm 7. Shamagaia 8. China Soujourns Photography 9. One and the Same 10. Travels with Choppy 11. The Urban Wildlife Interface 12. Breath of Joy 13. Alacartemenus 14. My Life as an Artist 15. Catania Fashion Blog.

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II) Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

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►The Award Rules for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award are:

1) The nominee shall display the respective logo on her/his blog and link to the blogger that has nominated her/him.

2) The nominee shall nominate ten (10) bloggers she/he admires, by linking to their blogs and informing them about the nomination.

►And, these are the nominees for this Award:

1. Living the Seasons 2. Silver in the Barn 3. Heirloom 4. To Be By Your Side 5. Dunelight 6. Just Bliss 7. EuphonosBooks 8. Megan Elizabeth 9. Pictimilitude 10. My CherryBomb Nights.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

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Thanks for dropping by!.

All the best to my fellow bloggers, Aquileana :D

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►Greek Mythology: “Poseidon, The God of Sea”:

“Neptune and Triton” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1620-1622). Victoria and Albert Museum of London.

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Poseidon (Roman equivalent: Neptune), was a son of Cronos and Rhea and brother of Zeus, Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter.

Poseidon was the god of the sea, rivers, flood and drought, earthquakes, and horses.

Being the ruler of the sea, he was described as gathering clouds and calling forth storms, but at the same he has it in his power to grant a successful voyage and save those who are in danger.

He was further regarded as the creator of the horse, and was accordingly believed to have taught men the art of managing horses by the bridle, and to have been the originator and protector of horse races.

The common tradition about Poseidon creating the horse states that when Poseidon and Athena disputed as to which of them should give the name to the capital of Attica, the gods decided, that it should receive its name from him who should bestow upon man the most useful gift.

Poseidon their created the horse, and Athena called forth the olive tree, for which the honour was conferred upon her.

Homer says in the “Odyssey” that the palace of Poseidon was in the depth of the sea near Aegae in Euboea.

The symbol of Poseidon’s power was the trident, or a spear with three points, with which he used to shatter rocks, to call forth or subdue storms.

He was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a dark beard, and holding a trident. 

He was also represented on horseback, or riding in a chariot drawn by two or four horses.

Poseidon was married to Amphitrite, by whom he had three children, Triton, Rhode, and Benthesicyme, but he also had a good number of children by other divinities and mortal women.

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On the Left: Mosaic: Poseidon rides across the sea in a chariot drawn by two Hippokampoi (fish-tailed horses. 3rd century AD. On the Right: Poseidon with tirdent on hand driving a chariot, drawn by two Hippokampoi. 3rd century AD.

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►Gallery: “Poseidon, The God of Sea” (Greek Vases):

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On the Left: Head of Poseidon. Bronze Piece (between 227-200 BC). On the Right: Neptune with two hippocampus by Perino del Vaga. 16th century.

“Hear, Poseidon, ruler of the sea profound, whose liquid grasp begirds the solid ground; who, at the bottom of the stormy main, dark and deep-bosomed holdest they watery reign. Thy awful hand the brazen trident bears, and sea’s utmost bound thy will reveres. Thee I invoke, whose steeds the foam divide, from whose dark locks the briny waters glide; shoe voice, loud sounding through the roaring deep, drives all its billows in a raging heap; when fiercely riding through the boiling sea, thy hoarse command the trembling waves obey. Earth-shaking, dark-haired God, the liquid plains, the third division, fate to thee ordains. ‘Tis thine, cerulean daimon, to survey, well-pleased, the monsters of the ocean play. Confirm earth’s basis, and with prosperous gales waft ships along, and swell the spacious sails; add gentle peace, and fair-haired health beside, and pour abundance in a blameless tide”. (Orphic Hymn 17 to Poseidon).~

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►Gallery: “Poseidon, The God of Sea” (Statues and Sculptures):

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“The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite” by Frans Francken The Younger ( 17th century).

“The Return of Neptune” by John Singleton Copley (1754).

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon

http://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/gods/poseidon/

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/homepage

https://ladysighs.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/greek-god-poseidon/

https://poemsandpoemes.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/amazing-neptune/

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►Check out this Blog!~ Symbol Reader~

“Aquarius” by Johfra Bosschart. 20th century. Source: http://symbolreader.net/2014/02/12/images-of-the-zodiac-contemplating-aquarius/

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►Check out this Blog and particularly this Post:

~Poetic Parfait~ “Out Out, By Robert Frost”:

~Poetic Parfait~Click here.

“Poetry Analysis: ‘Out, Out” by Robert Frost”. Thank you for the mention Christy!.

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►Last but not Least: “Three Awards”:

I) I want to thank Euphonos from EuphonosBooks for nominating me for a “One Lovely Blog Award” (Pink Version).

II) I also want to thank for I am also very thankful to have been nominated for the “Wonderful Team Member Readership Award” by Csolisp .

III) Finally I would like to thank José Sala for nominating me for a “Liebster Award” (Pink Version).

Please make sure to check out these three great blogs I mentioned above, and to follow them If you haven’t still done so!.~

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

* Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
* Add the logo to your post.
* Nominate 1o bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. 

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►I) Nominees~”One Lovely Blog Award” (Pink Version).~

1. House of Heart 2. Writer’s Notebook 3. Después de la Media Rueda 4. Poetic Parfait 6. Comienzo de Cero 7. Shehanne Moore 8. Impractical Dreamer 9. Morning Coffee 10. The Reading Bud.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

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►II) Nominees~“Wonderful Team Member Readership Award” (Rad Version).~

1. Chrisnelson61 2. Things That Never Made It Into Print 3. José Sala 4. Litebeing Chronicles 5. Ivdorado 6. Implied Spaces 7. Merlinspielen 8. The Adventures of a 20 Something 9. Dewin Nefol 10. The Write Might.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

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►II) Nominees~”Liebster Award” (Pink Version).~

1. By the Sea 2. The Wall Gallery Blog. Csolisp 4. The Empathy Queen 5. Of Glass & Paper 6. The Cat’s Blog 7. Mieux Vivre Jardin 8. Coffee n’ Notes 9. Freed from Time 10. Marcia’s Book Talk.

:star: ★ :star: :star: ★ :star: :star: ★

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“Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge” by Willem De Poorter. (17th century).

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Athena (Roman Equivalent: Minerva) was the city protectress of Athens and goddess of war, handicraft, wisdom and practical reason.

She was the daughter of Zeus and Metis, but she was born produced without a mother, so that she emerged full-grown from his forehead. The story of Athena’s birth is perfectly told in the post “The Weirdest Births of Mythology”~ Micromythos. It is said that while Metis was pregnant, Zeus ate the fetus following Uranos’ and Gea’s advice, who told him that if a boy was born, he would snatch his father’s power. The fetus was then carried in Zeus’ skull during nine months. After that time, the god had a terrible headache and ask the blacksmith god Hephaestus to split his head with an axe in order to relieve him from his pain. Then Athena, already as a young girl came out of his head, completely dressed and armed.

Her emergence there as city goddess, accompanied the ancient city-state’s transition from monarchy to democracy. Her birth and her contest with Poseidon, the sea god, in which the Gods disputed which of them should give the name to the capital of Attica, were depicted on the pediments of the Parthenon,and the great festival of the Panathenaea.

She was also part of the Judgement of Paris, in which she competed with Hera and Aphrodite for the prize of the Golden Apple.

Athena was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation. She was usually portrayed wearing body armour and a helmet and carrying a shield and a lance.

Besides, she was said to be the creator of the olive tree, the greatest blessing of Attica.

She was associated with birds, particularly the owl, which became famous as the city’s own symbol, and with the snake. 

In Homer’s “Iliad”, Zeus, assigned the sphere of war to Ares and Athena. 

Athena’s moral and military superiority to Ares derived in part from the fact that she represented the intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill, whereas Ares represented mere blood lust. 

Athena thus appears here as war goddess, who fights alongside the Greek heroes. She is the divine form of the heroic, martial ideal: she personified excellence in close combat, victory, and glory.

Athena also appears in Homer’s “Odyssey”, representing the tutelary deity of Odysseus.

Athena also has am important role in Aeschylus’ tragedy “The Eumenides” (third and last part of Aeschylus’ “Oresteia”). There, Orestes is judged by a jury composed of Athena and twelve Athenians. After being counted, the votes on each side are equal. Athena declares that tied juries will result in the defendant (Orestes) being acquitted as mercy should always take precedence over harshness.

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“Pallas and the Vices” (Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue), by Andrea Mantegna (1502).

“Pallas and the Vices”(Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue), by Andrea Mantegna (1502). Right side: Detail Athena, trying to Expel the creatures who represent the many vices from the Garden of Virtue and To rescue the “Mother of the Virtues” from her stone prison (to the far right of the painting, a detail of which can be seen below). -

“Pallas and the Vices” (Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue), by Andrea Mantegna (1502). Right side, details: The fluttering banner proclaims the following in Latin: ET MIHI MATER VIRTUTUM SUCCURRITE DIVI: Gods, save me too, the Mother of the Virtues.

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Homeric Hymn 11 to Athena. (Greek Epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :
“Of Pallas Athena, guardian of the city, I begin to sing. Dread is she, and with Ares she loves the deeds of war, the sack of cities and the shouting and the battle. It is she who saves the people as they go to war and come back. Hail, goddess, and give us good fortune and happiness!”~

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►Gallery:  “Athena, Goddess of Wisdom” (Sculptures):

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Up left: “Man in Armour” or “Alexander the Great” by Rembrandt (1655). Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. Up down: “Minerva or Pallas Athena” by Rembrandt. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon. (1655).

“The Combat of Mars and Minerva” by Jacques Louis David (1711).

“The Combat of Mars and Minerva” by Suvée Joseph-Benoit (1771).

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►A Poem by LadySighs: “Greek Goddess ~ Athena”:

“Greek Goddess ~ Athena”. Poem by LadySighs. Click above. Source: https://ladysighs.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/greek-goddess-athena/

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►Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Athena.html

https://micromythos.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/the-weirdest-births-of-mythology/

https://ladysighs.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/greek-goddess-athena/

http://www.everypainterpaintshimself.com/article/rembrandts_minerva_c.1655

http://wtfarthistory.com/post/8130067131/virtue-over-vice

http://bloomlisa.com/2015/01/28/give-me-a-hoot-hoot-for-the-owl/

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I would like to thank Bella Espíritu, for nominating me for a Mental Paradise Award Blog Friends Awards.

I also want to thank Risty for confering me a Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Blossom Version).

Finally, I want to say thanks to Sadness Theory for nominating me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Fancy Version).

Thanks to these three bloggers and please make sure to check out their blogs and to follow them, If you haven’t still done so!.~

Note: In this ocassion and for the three awards, I will nominate blogs I have recently came across and like, recent followers and plussers. Also,  I will follow the nomination process without answering questions or mentioning facts about me…. 

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

* Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
* Add the logo to your post.
* Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. 

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►I) Nominees~Mental Paradise Award Blog Friends Awards~

1. Micromythos 2. Hello World 3. Bloom Lisa 4. Being Better 5. View from a Burrow 6. Arthur Penn 7. PictureS 8. M. Jean Pike’s Weblog 9. Difference Propre 10. The Ninth Life.

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►II) Nominees~ Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Blossom Version)~

1. Just Fooling Around With Bee 2. Ladyleemanila 3. Rareity 4. Sadness Theory 5. Find Your Middle Ground 6. Catherinejonapark 7. Creati-Tude 8. Festival Reviews 9. If It Was Today 10. The Alarm Clock of Love.

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►III) Nominees~Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Fancy Version)~

1. Bella Espíritu 2. Simona Prilogan 3. Risty’s Breath 4. Ruth Williams’ Blog 5. Working Girl Reviews 6. Life in the Foothills  7. Au fil-M-des Mots 8. Quebec1spire 9. L’envolée poétique 10. Le Blabla de l’ Espace.

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►I am Saying Hi & Bye!~

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“Jupiter and Europe” by Gustave Moreau (1868).

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Zeus was the supreme god in Ancient Greece, the father of the Olympian gods and the ruler of mankind. He was identified with the Roman god Jupiter and associated with other deities, such as the Egyptian god Ammon and the Etruscan god Tinia. 

He was regarded by the Greeks as the god of all natural phenomena on the sky; the personification of the laws of nature; the ruler of the state; and finally, the father of gods and men.

Zeus was the last child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Zeus had five older siblings. Two brothers (Poseidon and Hades), and three sisters (Hestia, Hera and Demeter).

Cronus had learnt that he was destined to be overthrown by his son as he had previously overthrown Uranus, his own father. His wife Rhea, knew that he would kill the baby so she sought Gaia to devise a plan to save him.

Finally, Rhea she gave birth to Zeus in Crete and hid him in a cave and he was raised by Gaia. 

As mentioned previously, Zeus’ father, Cronus, had sired several five children by Rhea, but he swallowed them all as soon as they were born.  After reaching manhood, Zeus forced Cronus to disgorge his  siblings in reverse order of swallowing.

Then he released the brothers of Cronus, the Gigantes, the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes, from their dungeon in Tartarus.

Zeus married his own sister, Hera, the goddess of marriage and monogamy, but was giving her plenty of reasons to be jealous, since Zeus was renowned of his numerous lovers As a result, Zeus fathered plenty of children.

By Hera, Zeus sired Ares and Hephaestus (who would be both Aphrodite’s lovers) and Hebe, the goddess of youth. 

He had love affairs with Demeter (the Goddess of the Harvest and Perspehone’s mother), Leto (the Goddess of Motherhood), Dione (the personification of a more ancient Mother Goddess), Maia (a Nymph) and Thetis (A Sea Nymph and leader of the Fifty Nereids). Also Metis, (one of the Okeanides and the Titan goddess of good counsel and advise) was his lover and his first wife and Athena (the goddess of wisdom) was their daughter.

Among mortals she had several lovers such as Io, Leda, Europa, and even the handsome young man Ganymede, to whom Zeus granted him eternal youth and immortality. Seleme was also among them and with her Zeus sired Dionysus (The god of Wine).

Zeus was the god of regulated time as marked by the changing seasons and the regular succession of day and night, in contrast to what his father Cronus represented before him; absolute time, meaning eternity.

As the personification of the operations of nature, he represented the glaws of unchanging order, by which both the natural and the spiritual world were governed.

As the father of the gods, Zeus ascertained that each deity perform their individual duty, punished their misdeeds, settled their disputes, and acted towards them on all occasions.

The symbols of Zeus were the scepter, the throne and the thunderbolt, which was as a gift from the Cyclopes after he liberated them. Zeus’ tree was theoak tree and his sacred animal was the eagle. Using his shield, the Aegis, he could create all natural phenomena related to the air and the sky, such as storms and tempests.

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“Jupiter and Semele” by Gustave Moreau (1895).

“Zeus and Ganymede. (Ttheft of fire)” by Christian Griepenkerl (1878) .

“Jupiter and Thetis”, by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. (1811).

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“O Zeus, much-honoured, Zeus supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate, our prayers and expiations, king divine, for all things to produce with ease through mind is thine. Hence mother earth (Gaia) and mountains swelling high proceed from thee, the deep and all within the sky. Kronion king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Zeus; all-parent, principle and end of all, whose power almighty shakes this earthly ball; even nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering god. Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-formed, from whom all natures spring; propitious hear my prayer, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth”. [Orphic Hymn 15 to Zeus. (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.)]~

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“Zeus at Olympia, One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”:

“Zeus at Olympia”, sculture by Phidias. Drawings.

On the Left: A fanciful reconstruction of Phidias’ statue of Zeus, in an engraving made by Philippe Galle in 1572. On the Right: Coin from Elis district, Greece illustrating the Olympian Zeus statue.

The Statue of “Zeus at Olympia” was a giant seated figure, about 42 ft (13 m) tall, made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus. It  It was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, until its eventual destruction for unknown causes during the 5th century AD.

In the 2nd century AD, the geographer Pausanias gave a detailed description. The statue was crowned with a sculpted wreath of olive sprays. It had gold sandals, and a golden robe carved with animals and lilies. In its right hand was a small chryselephantine statue of crowned Nike, goddess of victory. Its left hand held a sceptre inlaid with many metals, supporting an eagle. The throne was decorated in gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory. 

The Roman “Seated Zeus” sculpture is considered a copy of the original Statue of Zeus, and it was created following the type established by Phidias.

“Zeus at Olympia”. Zeus enthroned holding a royal sceptre and winged Nike (Victory), and with an eagle by his side. Roman copy inspired by Greek ivory and gold statue of Zeus at Olympia by Phidias. Marble & Bronze . Imperial Roman. C1st AD Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia.

“Zeus at Olympia”. Roman copy inspired by Greek ivory and gold statue of Zeus at Olympia by Phidias. Marble & Bronze . Imperial Roman. C1st AD Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia.

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►Gallery: “Zeus, The Ruler of Gods”:

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►Links Post: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/GreekGods/Zeus/

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/hi_fidegze.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Zeus_at_Olympia

http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/zeus/#zeus-family

http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/roman-gods/jupiter.htm

http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Zeus/zeus.html

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sevens-wonders-of-the-ancient-world

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I would like to thank Purple Anais from Arwenaragornstar for nominating me for a Lovely Blog Award.

I also want to thank The Chaos Realm for nominating me for a Versatile Blogger Award.

Finally I appreciate that Unbolt nominated me for a Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award.

Thanks to these three bloggers and please make sure to check out their blogs and to follow them, If you haven’t still done so!.~ :cool:  

Note: In this ocassion and for the three awards, I will nominate blogs I have recently came across and like, recent followers and plussers. Also,  I will follow the nomination process without answering questions or mentioning facts about me…. 

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
♠ Add the logo to your post.
♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

►I) Nominees~Lovely Blog Award (True Colors Version):

1. Tina Frisco 2. The Golden Echo 3. The Peacock Feather 4. For the love of Nike  5. Speculations Impressed 6. Poet Charms 7. The Rose Hotel 8. Margaret Langstaff 9. June Kearns  10. An Honest Sinner

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►II) Nominees~Versatile Blogger Award (Flowers Version):

1. Echoes and Reflections 2. Eudaimonia 3. The Haute Mommy Handbook 4. Into the forgotten 5. Words of No Wisdom 6. Welcome to my World 7. Chronicle Me 8. Fifty Shades of Reality 9. Hiddenaltar 10. Jakariabulbul

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►III) Nominees~Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award (Cool Version):

1. Drifting through my Open Mind 2. Naponteaerea 3. Lenkalaskoradova 4. The return of the Modern Philosopher 5. 101 Half Connected Things 6. Everyday People 7. Catalina Trujillo 8. The Book Haven 9. Robin’s Real Life 10. Kultur Post

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On the Left: “Leda and the Swan” by Gustave Moreau. (1865-1875). On the Right: “Leda” by Gustave Moreau (1875-1880).

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Leda was daughter of the aetolian King Thestius and wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta.

Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda. 

In Greek tradition, the Swan is the symbol of the Muses. The swan also has erotic connotations, such as in the love affair between Zeus and Leda. Also, the Greek Goddess of Beauty and Love, Aphrodite, had a swan-drawn chariot. Besides The swan, as a symbol of music, is also dedicated to Apollo, who was said to transform into a swan.

Back to the retelling: Zeus and Leda had sexual relationships he same night she had slept with her husband. 

Their consummation, on the same night as Leda lay with her husband Tyndareus, resulted in two eggs from which hatched the four children. (Zeus’ s and Tyndareus’).

According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen (later known as Helen of Troy) and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of her husband and King of Sparta Tyndareus.

According to other sources, Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge, produced the egg from which hatched the two sets of twins: Helen of Troy and Clytenmestra and the Discouri Castor and Pollux. Worth noting that these set of twins are supposedly from different fathers….

Clytenmestra and Helen were problematic women. The Trojan War will be provoked by the abduction of Helen.

And Clytemnestra will later on kill his own husband, Agamemnon and this is another incident related to the Trojan War.

Saying it briefly, the Greek Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, was kidnapped by the Trojans, so the Greeks besieged the city of Troy; after the war, Clytemnestra, the wife of the Greek leader Agamemnon, murdered him, with teh help of her lover, Aegistus.

Leda’s twin-sons, Castor and (Polydeuces or) Pollux, were renowned for their tender attachment to each other. They were also famous for their physical accomplishments, Castor being the most expert charioteer of his day, and Pollux the coward brother.

Their names appear both among the hunters of the Calydonian boar-hunt and the heroes of the Argonautic expedition.

Zeus wished to confer the gift of immortality upon Polydeuces as he was his son but he refused to accept it unless allowed to share it with Castor.

Zeus gave the desired permission, and the faithful brothers were both allowed to live, but only on alternate days. Castor and Polydeuces, also known as The Dioscuri received divine honours throughout Greece, and were worshipped with special reverence at Sparta.

Leda also had other daughters by Tyndareus: Timadra, Phoebe and Philonoe.

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On the Left: “Helen on the Walls of Troy” by Gustave Moreau. (1885). On the Right: Up: “Castor and Pollux, The Heavenly Twins”, by Giovanni Battista Cipriani. (1783). On the Right: Down: “Clytemnestra” by Frederick Leighton. (19th century).

On the Left: “Leda and The Swan” by Leonardo da Vinci (1510). On the Right: Detail, The children of Leda.

On the Right: “Leda” by Leonardo da Vinci (1510 -1515). On the Left: Leda and the Swan by Francesco Melzi (16th century).

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►Reading: W. B. Yeats’ Poem “Leda and the Swan”:

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 ►Analysis of W. B. Yeats’ Poem “Leda and the Swan”:

William Butler Yeats (1865/1939).

“Leda and the Swan” (1924) is a Petrarchan Sonnet (*), a traditional fourteen-line poem predominantly written in Iambic Pentameter (**). [See notes below].

The poet retells a story from Greek mythology, the rape of the Princess of Sparta, Leda by the god Zeus, who had assumed the form of a swan.

Yeats combines words indicating powerful actions (sudden blow, beating, staggering, beating, shudder, mastered, burning, mastered) with adjectives and descriptive words that indicate Leda’s weakness (“caressed”, “helpless”, “terrified”, “vague”, “loosening”). By doing this, he increases the sensory impact of the poem.

The first eight lines of “Leda and the Swan” describe the act of rape from Leda’s perspective. The ninth line, appropriately enough, ends the description of the sexual act.

The last six lines of the poem, then, narrate the consequences of the it, for Leda, personally, and those ones related to the Trojan War.

“Leda and the Swan” looks a little different than other sonnets. It has three stanzas and 14 verses.

But, verse 11 appears to be broken off into two lines. Yeats probably divided this verse in order to heighten the drama of Agamemnon being dead and to show how the poem shifts back to Leda’s perspective.

•The first stanza is characterized by violent beats and pauses.

•The second stanza shifts to more flowing lines as Yeats philosophically reflects on the events. The verses here are structured by the question “how,” and there are many adjectives (“terrified,” “vague,” “feathered,” “loosening,” “white,” “strange”).

•In the third stanza, the adjectives pile up as the poem builds to the solemn declaration, “And Agamemnon dead”. 

The rhythm comes to a screeching halt as verse 11 is fractured over two lines, in order to reach emotional height. This stanza connects Leda’s hymenal wall with the walls of  the city of Troy.

The last verses of the poem become calm again. Yeats  returns to his percussive gentle beats, incorporating some alliteration (“brute blood”). Yeats will then wonder whether Leda, through her contact with Zeus, would be able to foresee how the result of their union—Helen—would bring about the fall of a great city. Hence, the poem ends with a rhetorical question, introduced as a sort of irresolvable doubt…

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(*) The Petrarchan Sonnet is named after Petrarch, a 14th century Italian poet who made the form popular throughout Europe. Like all sonnets, the Petrarchan sonnet has 14 lines. Unlike all sonnets, it also has a major thematic shift after the eighth line. At this point, the poem introduces a new subject or shifts its perspective in some way.

(**) Iambic Pentameter is closely associated with Blank Verse, Iambic is an adjective. Iamb is the noun and is short for Iambus. Iambus is from the Greek and refers to two. Therefore, Iamb refers to a foot, or any two syllable“unit”, referred to as a foot by metrists, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (or ictus).  An example of Iambic Pentameter in Yeats’ poem “Leda and the Swan” is: “He holds her help-less breast u-pon his breast“.

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►Gallery Of Paintings: “Leda and The Swan” (Leda and Zeus):

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“Leda and the Swan” by William Shackleton. (1928).

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 ►Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda_and_the_Swan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda_(mythology)

http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/myth-stories/lovers-of-zeus.htm

http://www.ionone.com/artbeystye.htm

http://www.druidry.org/library/animals/swan

http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/yeats/section7.rhtml

http://www.shmoop.com/leda-and-swan/poem-text.html

http://www.betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/leda-and-the-swan-warning-necessary/

https://poemshape.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/what-is-iambic-pentameter-the-basics/

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I would like to thank José Sala for nominating me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

I also want to thank  Optimista Blog for nominating me for a Versatile Blogger Award.

Last but not least thanks to Janet Wertman for nominating me for another Versatile Blogger Award.

Thanks to these three bloggers and please make sure to check out their blogs and to follow them, If you haven’t still done so!.~ :roll:  

Note: For the three awards, I will nominate blogs I have recently came across and like, recent followers and/or plussers. Also, I am changing the logos so that way I can include new awards among mine… And, finally, I will follow the nomination process without answering questions or mentioning facts about me…. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

►Rules for these Three Awards:

♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
♠ Add the logo to your post.
♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

►I) Nominees~Lovely Blog Award (Monkey & Sunflower Version):

1. The Wayward Warrior 2. MidiMike 3. The Spendy Pencil 4. Unbolt 5. Yadadarcyyada 6. José Sala 7. Sunshine and Shadows 8. Optimista Blog 9. Pomad 10. The Daily Rant.

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►II) Nominees~Versatile Blogger Award (Purple Version):

1. Carole Migalka 2. JoHanna Massey 3. Lightwalker’s Blog 4. Bibliobulimica 5. Life, the Universe and Lani 6. A Beautiful Mess 7. The Vanessa Chronicles 8. Allyson Lee Adams 9. Kerry’s loft 10. Mountaintop Talk.

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►III) Nominees~Versatile Blogger Award (Bird Version):

1. Cadence4life 2. The Perceptions Square 3. Arwenaragornstar  4. The Chaos Realm 5. Shehanne Moore 6. Janet Wertman 7. Extravaganza Beading 8. Autumn Melody 9. The More I Learn the More I Wonder 10. Emily Lichtenberg. 

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“Hélène glorifiée” by Gustave Moreau (1897).

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Helen of Troy, also known as Helen of Sparta, was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and sister of Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux.

Pollux shared a father with Helen (Zeus), whilst Castor’s and Clytemnestra’s father was he king of Sparta, Tyndareus.

In Greek myths, Helen was considered the most beautiful woman in the world.

By marriage she was Queen of Laconia, a province within Homeric Greece, the wife of King Menelaus, who was Agamemnon‘s brother.

When it was time for Helen to marry, many princes came to seek her hand.

During the contest, Castor and Pollux had a prominent role in dealing with the suitors, although the final decision was in the hands of King Tyndareus, Helen’s father.

Menelaus, her future husband, did not attend but sent his brother, Agamemnon on his behalf.

Before this, when Helen was a young girl she was kidnapped by Theseus. 

In most accounts of this event, this happened when Helen was seven years old.

It is said that two athenians, Theseus and Pirithous, thought that since they were both sons of gods, both of them should have divine wives; they thus pledged to help each other abduct two daughters of Zeus.

Thus Theseus chose Helen, and Pirithous vowed to marry Persephone, the wife of Hades.

Hades pretended to offer them hospitality and set a feast, but, as soon as the pair sat down, snakes coiled around their feet and held them there. Helen’s abduction caused an invasion of Athens by Castor and Pollux, who captured Aethra (Theseus’ mother) in revenge, and returned their sister to Sparta.

After the Judgement of Prince Paris, she was presumably abducted by him and this led to the Trojan War. 

That is why Helen is also known as the face that launched a thousand ships.

Helen is sometimes depicted as being abducted and even raped by Paris.

However, Sappho argues that Helen willingly left behind Menelaus to be with Paris.

Homer depicts her as a wistful, even a sorrowful, figure, coming to regret her choice and wishing to be reunited with Menelaus.

Paris was killed during the Trojan War, and according to Homer’s “Iliad”, Helen was reunited with Menelaus, though other versions of the legend recount her ascending to Olympus instead, or even getting re-married with Priam’s surviving son Deiphobus, who she will betrayed hiding his sword, immediatly after the sack of Troy had begun.

During the fall of Troy, Homer says that after the Trojan Horse was admitted into the city Helen circled the Horse imitating  the voices of the Greek women left behind at home, almost like the Sirens did. Thus, she tortured  the men inside the wooden horse (including Odysseus and Menelaus) with the memory of their loved ones, and brought them to the brink of destruction.

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“Helen on the Walls of Troy” by Gustave Moreau (1895).

“Helen on the Walls of Troy”. (Two paintings dated 19th century). Both Gustave Moreau (1) and Frederick Leighton (2) depict an expressionless Helen. Blurry, anguished faces, that precisely “launched a thousand ships”.

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►Gallery: “Helen of Troy”:

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The story of Helen began in young life

As Theseus plotted to take a Divine wife

Conflict ensued as her brothers did invade

Capturing Theseus’s Mother, revenged repaid

~~~

Helen of Sparta, Daughter of Zeus

A beauty to behold blooming with youth

She attracted her suitors to ask for her hand

Menelaus won her; Becoming Queen of his land

~~~

Abducted by Paris, or did she willingly run?

As Oaths to her King another battle was begun

Her face did launch a thousand ships to sea

As Helen of Troy, another legend began to be

~~~

Helen of Troy, a beauty to behold,

A Trojan Horse, a plan so bold

Queen of Laconia, Menelaus her King

Now coupled with Paris, more tragedy to bring

~~~

Who can say what heartache transpired?

Daughter of Zeus, extremely desired

Did she find Happiness? Who can tell?

But what we do know- Men fell under her spell..

 ©2015 Sue Dreamwalker.-

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►About Sue Dreamwalker:

►Sue Dreamwalker Dixit: 

Sue Dreamwalker. Visit her Blog: https://suedreamwalker.wordpress.com/

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I would like to thank Henar de Andrés from “Pensando en la Oscuridad” for nominating me for a Black Wolf Blogger Award.

I would also like to thank  José Sala and Millie Thom for both nominating me for two Very Inspiring Blogger Awards (OMG & Puppy Versions).

please make sure to check out their blogs and to follow them, If you haven’t still done so!. :star: :star: :star:

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
♠ Add the logo to your post.
♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. 

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►I) Nominees~ Black Wolf Blogger Award (Sparkles Version):

1. Souldier Girl 2. Uninteresting Calc Equations 3. The Main Focus 4. Fedpoint86 5. Jully’s Blog 6. The Bégel’s Blab 7. It’s Jieyang! 8. Kintal 9. Underground Energy 10. Eye will not cry.

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►II) Nominees~Very Inspiring Blogger Award (OMG Version):

1. Caminando 2. Collage a la Intemperie 3. Milam Ahard 4. Mimoreliadospuntocero 5. VivalaViv 6. Americana Injustica 7. All Out of Excuses 8. Mocking Bird Down 9. My red abyss 10. Perso in Poesia 2015.

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►III) Nominees~Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Puppy Version):

1. Yesterday and today: Merril’s historical musings 2. Desertsunsaga 3. 4. The wind horse blog 5. The Cvillean 6. Ana Linden 7. Coming Out Crooked 8. Captain’s Log 9. The Dark Night Chronicles 10. Spahr Plops.

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►Links Post:

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hd/abouthelen.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy

http://whitedragon.org.uk/articles/troy.htm

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V10N2/

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/JudgementParis.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/troyilium/a/helenoftroybasc.htm

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“Jupiter and Callisto” by François Boucher. In this painting Jupiter (Zeus) takes the form of Artemis/Diana 91759).

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Callisto (also known as Parrhasia)  was a daughter of the Arkadian King Lykaon and a hunting companion of the goddess Artemis (Also known as Cynthia, roman equivalent: Diana).

Callisto’s themes are instinct and flexibility. Her symbols are a bear, a willow branch and the constellation Ursa Minor.

Callisto wanted to preserve her virginity for as long as she remained in the company of the Huntress- Goddess.

“Callisto once belonged to the sacred circle of Hamdryades and huntress Diana (Artemis). She touched the goddess’ bow : `This bow I touch,’ she cried, `Be a witness to my virginity.’ Cynthia (Artemis) praised her, and said : `Keep the pledge you vowed and you will be my companions’ princeps. [Ovid, “Fasti” 2. 155 ff. (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)].~

But later on, she was seduced by the god Zeus (also known as Jove, roman equivalent: Jupiter), in the guise of the goddess Artemis.

The god transformed himself and took Diana’s (Artemis’)  form–assumed Diana’s dress and imitating her awoke the maid, and spoke in gentle tones, `What mountain slope, O virgin of my train, hath been thy chase?’ Which, having heard, Callisto, rose and said, `Hail, goddess! greater than celestial Jove! I would declare it though he heard the words’. Jove (Zeus) heard and smiled, well pleased to be preferred above himself, and kissed her many times, and strained her in his arms, while she began to tell the varied fortunes of her hunt… But when his ardent love was known to her, she struggled to escape from his embrace: ah, how could she, a tender maid, resist almighty Jove?… [Ovid, “Metamorphoses” 2. 409 – 531. (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)].~ 

When her pregnancy was revealed in the bath, Callisto blamed the goddess of the offence. 

The Moon’s bent horns were rising from their ninth sojourn, when, fainting from her brother’s flames, the goddess of the chase observed a cool umbrageous grove, from which a murmuring stream ran babbling gently over golden sands. When she approved the spot, lightly she struck her foot against the ripples of the stream, and praising it began; `Far from the gaze of all the curious we may bathe our limbs, and sport in this clear water’. Quickly they undid their garments,–but Parrhasis (Callisto of Parrhasia) hid behind the others, till they knew her state… Cynthia (Artemis) in a rage exclaimed, `Away! Thou must not desecrate our sacred springs!’ And she was driven thence. [Ovid, “Metamorphoses” 2. 409 – 531. (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)].~ 

Artemis, in her fury, transformed Callisto into a bear. Thus, the huntress became the hunted, somehow.

And lest her prayers and piteous words might move some listening god, and give remembrance, speech was so denied, that only from her throat came angry growls, now uttered hoarse and threatening. Still remains her understanding, though her body, thus transformed, makes her appear a savage bear… Over crags, in terror, she was driven by the cries of hounds; and many a time she fled in fear, a huntress from the hunters, or she hid from savage animals; forgetting her transformed condition. Changed into a bear, she fled affrighted from the bears that haunt the rugged mountains. [Ovid, “Metamorphoses” 2. 409 – 531. (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)].~

Hunters then caught and delivered her and her son Arcas (which mans “bear”) to King Lykaon.

Sixteen years later Callisto, still a bear, encountered her son Arcas hunting in the forest. Just as Arcas was about to kill his own mother, Zeus averted the tragedy by placing mother and son amongst the stars as Ursa Major and Minor, respectively.

By fixing “those new made stars in the highest dome of space that circles the utmost axis of the world”  [Ovid, “Metamorphoses” 2. 409 – 531. (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)].~ 

Hera was not pleased with this arrangement, especially since Callisto was another of her husband’s infidelities, so with one of the Nereids, i.e Thethys‘ help, they cursed these stars to circle in the skies forever. That’s why the two constellations are circumpolar, visible all year round.

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“Jupiter (Jupiter, shaped as Diana or Artemis) and Callisto. Progressions of Two paitings. 1) Painting with Cupid up on the left. “Jupiter in the guise of Diana and the nymph Callisto” by Pietro Liberi. (17th century). Painting with Cupid down on the left: “Diana and Callisto” by Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre. (17th century).

“Jupiter seduces Callisto.” by Peter Paul Rubens. (1673).

“Jupiter and Callisto” by Caesar van Everdingen (1655).

“Diana and Callisto” by Titian (1559). The painting depicts the moment when Callisto’s pregnancy is discovered.

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►Gallery: “Zeus and Callisto”:

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►Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callisto_%28mythology%29

http://thedailyhaiku.blogspot.com.ar/2009/10/ursa-major.html

http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/ursa_major_greek.html

http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/myth-stories/lovers-of-zeus.htm

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/callisto.html

http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Kallisto.html 

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My blogger friend Marlyn Exconde from Kintal invited me to join her in the “Love in Ten Sentences~Poetry Challenge”.

I am gladly joining her for National Poetry Month. However, I took some creative licenses.

The original prompt strictly states that you should: a) Write about love using only ten (10) lines. b) Use “love” in each line. c) Each line has to be only be four (4) words long. d) Nominate ten (10) bloggers for the challenge.

I have read many poems following the Love in Ten Sentences Challenge and, as far as I am concerned, these points were put aside, or not even mentioned. 

My poem doesn’t follow the prompts of the original Challenge, either. That’s why I will nominate ten (10) bloggers, as I suggest a new version of the Challenge, therefore called: “Non-Love in More than Ten Sentences”…

•~~~ ๑۩۩๑ ~~~•

:star: Rules for the “Non-Love in More than Ten Sentences Challenge”:

If you are in, you only have to link back to my blog and add your poem on your blog, making sure to include:

~The word “Love”, at least once.

~At least one adverb. (For instance: unavoidably).

~At least one quote or motto, marked by quotation marks.

As to the poem and particularly as to Non- Love, the topics might be related to: a break up, betrayals of love, an impossible love, amorous quarrels, an unrequited love, disappointment or disbelief with regard to love, and so on… 

Finally, you shall nominate ten (10) bloggers for them to follow up this challenge, if they want to.

►Being all this said,  these are my nominees for the “Non-Love in More than Ten Sentences”~ Poetry Challenge (in no particular order):

1. Poetic Parfait 2. Americana Injustica  3. Echoes and Reflections 4. Rosey 5. Forgotten Meadows 6. Sylvester L. Anderson 7. Eva Poetex 8. Friendly Fairy Tales 9. House of Heart 10. Poemimage.

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 ©2015 Amalia Pedemonte/Aquileana.~

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This photograph is from an argentine movie called “Siete para un Secreto”(“Seven for a secret”), dated 1947. The main actor and the man above, was Carlos Cores, my grandpa´s cousin. On the other hand, my grandpa, Lito Pedemonte, was a militar. The interesting fact here is that Cores is wearing my grandpa´s military uniform. It seems that Carlos Borcosque, the film director, was trying to reduce budgets, somehow. [Credit Photo: Amalia Pedemonte ©]

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Three new awards!… I would like to thank Angie from Family Love Does More for nominating me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

I also want to thank Martes de Cuento for nominating my blog for another Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

Finally, last but least, I’d love to thank Shehanne Moore for nominating me an Infinity Dreams Award.

These three bloggers are really worth checking out!… So please, give it a shot and visit these blogs, like the posts and follow them!… :D

Note: For the three awards, I will nominate blogs I have recently came across and like, recent followers and/or plussers. Also, I am changing the logos so that way I can include new awards among mine… And, finally, I will follow the nomination process without answering questions or mentioning facts about me…. 

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
♠ Add the logo to your post.
♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. 

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►I) Nominees~Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Typing Machine Version):

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 1. Shehanne Moore 2. Martes de Cuento 3. Peg-o-Leg’s Ramblings 4. Bodhirose’s Blog 5. A Dystopian Fantasy 6. El Eco de tus Palabras 7. Art and Life Analysis 8. Diana Douglas 9. Galiana 10. Living the Dream

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►II) Nominees~Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Glitter Version):

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 1. Family Love Does More 2. En Humor Arte 3. Summerfield84’s English Blog 4. The Road to Serendipity 5. Ms. Mouse Cleans House 6. Auntie B’s Wax 7. Pensando en la Oscuridad 8. Casey Comments 9. Bloc de Notas 10. Amabile11

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►III) Nominees~ The Infinity Dreams Award:

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1. Pendragon Photos 2. Inking The Thinking 3. Cathy Sultan Blog 4. If I Could Talk I’d Tell You 5. Course of Mirrors 6. Susanne Leist 7. Sand Castle 8. Tails Around the Ranch 9. Yonezawa723 10. Life as we see it.

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“Diana the Huntress”, by Luca Penni (16th Century).

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Artemis (Roman Equivalent: Diana) was the greek goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild animals.

She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of Virginity and the girl child up to the age of marriage.

According to the Homeric account and also to Hesiod she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was the sister of Apollo. According to Pausanias, Artemis was a daughter of Demeter, and not of Leto.

Artemis as the sister of Apollo, is a kind of female Apollo.

Artemis is moreover, like Apollo, unmarried; she is a maiden divinity never conquered by love. The priests and priestesses devoted to her service were bound to live pure and chaste, and trangressions of their vows of chastity were severely punished. 

When Apollo was regarded as identical with the sun or Helios, nothing was more natural than that his sister should be regarded as Selene or the moon, and accordingly the Greek Artemis is, at least in later times, the goddess of the moon. Phoebe was one of the many names she was called. The name Phoebe means the “light one” or “bright one”.

Another earlier version of the Goddess is the Arcadian. According to it, Artemis  is a goddess of the nymphs.

There was no connexion between the Arcadian Artemis and Apollo. Her epithets in Arcadia are nearly all derived from the mountains, rivers, and lakes. Thus she was the representative of some part or power of nature. Also according to the Arcadian version, Artemis hunted with her twenty nymphs, who accompanied her during the chase, and with sixty others, daughters of Oceanus, with whom she held her dances in the forests of the mountains.

The representations of the Greek Artemis in works of art are different accordingly as she is represented either as a huntress, or as the goddess of the moon; yet in either case she appears as a youthful and vigorous divinity.

~As the huntress, her attributes are the bow, quiver, and arrows, or a spear, stags, and dogs.

~As the goddess of the moon, she wears a long robe which reaches down to her feet, a veil covers her head, and above her forehead rises the crescent of the moon. In her hand she often appears holding a torch.

On one of her birthdays Artemis asked for Six wishes from Zeus, his father. These wishes were.

1. To be able to live life chaste.
2. To be able to be a lifelong bachelorette and never marry.
3. A bow and arrow like that of Apollo’s
4. Hunting dogs to assist her hunting.
5. Stags to lead her chariot.
6. And 80 virgin nymphs to be her hunting companions.

Zeus was amused by Artemis’ wishes, and being her good father, he granted her each wish she asked for.

Artemis would never marry, and would be chaste for all eternity. She roamed with her hunting dogs, nymphs, and her stags, hunting all throughout the mountains, where she resided.

Appearances of Artemis in other myths and in Homer’s “Iliad”:

•In the myth of Actaeon, he was a hunting companion of Artemis ; at some point, he saw the goddess naked bathing in a spring and tried to rape her. As a punishment, Artemis transformed him into a stag and his hounds killed him.

•In the myth of Orion which has various versions, Orion was also a hunting companion of Artemis  and the only person to have won her heart. However, he was accidentally killed either by the goddess or by a scorpion which was sent by Gaia.

In another myth, Zeus, changing his form to resemble Artemis, managed to seduce Callisto, one of Artemis’ hunting attendants. As a companion of Artemis, she took a vow of chastity. Zeus appeared to her disguised as Artemis and they had sexual relationships. As a result of this encounter she conceived a son, Arcas.

•In some versions of the story of Adonis, Artemis sent a wild boar to kill him because he was a better hunter than she. In another version, Adonis was not killed by Artemis, but by Ares, as punishment for being with Aphrodite.

In Homer’s “Iliad”, Artemis may have been represented as a supporter of Troy because her brother Apollo was the patron god of the city. At the Greek’s journey to Troy, Artemis becalmed the sea and stopped the journey until an oracle came and said they could win the goddess’ heart by sacrificing Iphigenia, Agamemnon’s daughter.

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►Gallery: “Artemis” (Ancient Greek Vases):

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” Diana’s Maidens” by Edward Robert Hughes (19th Century).

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►Gallery: “Artemis or Diana” (Paintings):

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O Artemis!

Steadfast virgin for all eternity

Out of wedlock born to Leto

Fathered by Zeus the mighty

Baby midwife to Apollo

Her twin brother;

She helped her mother

And thus became the patron saint

Of birthing mothers and their babes

~~~

The virgin Goddess of Hunting

Roamed throughout the mountains

With a hunting bow and arrow like Apollo’s

With her eighty virgin nymphs

With hunting dogs, and sacred stags

To lead her chariot

Hunting chaste in lush wilderness;

Six desired gifts from father received

The mighty ruler of Mount Olympus

~~~

The most cherished gift Virginity

Thus she turned Callisto into a small bear

Punishment for loss of chastity;

Her jealous arrow

Condemned the bear to die

But cunning Zeus, the nymph’s seducer

Turned Callisto into sparkling stars

To shine for us forever in the sky

As Callisto Bear or Ursa Minor

~~~

The Virgin Goddess for all eternity

Never loved but one, Orion, a mortal son;

Apollo, jealous, tricked his sister

Through a wager, to shoot

The “floating object” far on the horizon

It was Orion, her one and only love;

In her grief she turned him

Into brilliant stars

Forevermore to shine for her and us

~~~

O Artemis!

Goddess of Hunting

Protector of animals, trees and flowers

Goddess of Virginity, Goddess of Light

As silvery moon you joined Orion;

In the darkness, your love

Forever will shine bright

Lend us your strength, allay our fears

Lead us safely through the night.

©Copyright 2015 Irina Dimitric

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Irina Dimitric. http://irinadim.com/

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►About Irina Dimitric:

Irina dixit: “I’m a blogger. My recent passions are writing poetry and photography. Now and then I write a story… The ups and downs of my life are reflected in my poems and short stories, and the mood of the poems ranges from dark to bright and from serious to downright silly. Laughter is to me like the air I breathe. I’m a fighter and don’t give in easily to misfortune’s impact”. 

•~~~• :star: •~~~ • :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~•  :star: •~~~•

•Make sure to visit Irina’s Blog, Irina’s Poetry Corner.

•Feel Free to connect with Irina at: Twitter and Google Plus.

•Irina has recently published a poetry book, “Dreams on my Pillow”. 

You can purchase Irina’s book at Amazon or Xlibris.

•~~~• :star: •~~~ • :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~•  :star: •~~~•

Click on the book cover.

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Artemis.html

http://www.theoi.com/Summary/Artemis.html

http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Artemis/artemis.html

http://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/artemis/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis

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It is great to get these three new awards. Premio Dardos (x2) coming from Jagxs and  Sonrisas de Camaleón.

Plus, a Creative Bloggers Award, from Living a Beautiful Life.  

I want to thank these three bloggers and suggest you to please make sure to check out their blogs and follow them if you haven´t still done so.  :star: 

Note: For the three awards, I will nominate blogs I have recently came across and like, recent followers and/or plussers. Also, I am changing the logos so that way I can include new awards among mine… And, finally, I will follow the nomination process without answering questions or mentioning facts about me…. 

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award. Agradecer a la persona que te ha nominado.

♠ Add the logo to your post. Agregar el logo del premio en tu blog. 

♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform your nominees by commenting on their blogs. Nominar otros diez (10) bloggers, informándoles en sus respectivos blogs.

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►I) Nominees~Premio Dardos~Focal White & Black Version:

1. Iridediluce 2. K’ Cadences 3. A Joyful Creation 4. Alex Kiaw 5. Living a Beautiful Life 6. Writing Stories Rocks 7. Ruido Claro 8. Utopian Fragments 9. Le Rimenaute 10. RV John.

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►II) Nominees~Premio Dardos~Chameleon Version:

1. Le Trouvaille 2. Free Spirit Mystic 3. People Forward 4. Claudia Moss 5. Margie in Italy 6. Territorio Escrito 7. The Faerie Embassy 8. Presupuesto Zero 9. Your Bones & Their Lies 10. Mina Barrado. 

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►III) Nominees~Creative Bloggers Award:

1. In Sapphic Sunshine 2. Jagxs 3. Sonrisas de Camaleón 4. Bundle Post 5. Mehflowers 6. MaryAnn’s World 7. Living in the Forest 8. Daphnedawn 9. Bojenn 10. Peaks and Valleys. 

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“The Abduction of Ganymede” by Eustache Le Sueur (1650).

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Ganymede pouring Zeus a libation. 480 BC.

Ganymede was a Trojan prince in Greek mythology, known for his beauty. He was the son of the king Tros of Dardania, after whom Troy took its name, and Callirrhoe.

According to the myth, Zeus spotted Ganymede while the latter was attending to his father’s flocks and he became enchanted with his looks. Therefore, he took the form of turned into an eagle (Source: A Wing and A Day) and abducted Ganymede, bringing him to Mount Olympus.

In Olympus, Zeus granted him eternal youth and immortality and the office of cupbearer to the gods. From then on, Ganymede became water bearer to the Gods.

To compensate his father, Zeus  offered him the best horses possible, and told him that his son would now be immortal and serve as a cupbearer for the gods, as well as a lover for him:

“Ganymedes now, mixing the nectar, waits in heaven above, though Juno [Hera] frowns, and hands the cup to Jove [Zeus]”. (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 152).~

Almost all gods were content with Ganymede, except for Hera, who felt jealousy.

The idea of Ganymede being the cupbearer of Zeus subsequently gave rise to his identification with the divinity who was believed to preside over the sources of the Nile, and of his being placed by astronomers among the stars under the name of Aquarius, which is associated with that of the Eagle.

Aquarius constellation is symbolized by the water carrier or the water bearer. The sun passes through this constellation from mid February to mid March.

There is another constellation also related to this greek myth, and it is called Aquila, which is the latin word for “eagle”. Needless to say that Aquila was the eagle that in Greek mythology actually bore Ganymede (Aquarius) up to Mt. Olympus. The eagle was also the thunderbolt carrier for Zeus.

Besides, Ganymede is the largest moon of Jupiter and in the Solar System. Still an extra fact is that according to observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists have recently found that the largest moon in the Solar System is hiding an ocean under its surface.

“[Constellation] Aquila (Eagle). This is the eagle which is said to have snatched Ganymede up and given him to his lover, Jove [Zeus]. And so it seems to fly above Aquarius, who, as many imagine, is Ganymede”. (Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica, 2. 16).~

Ganymede was frequently represented as the god of homosexual love, and as such appears as a playmate of the love-gods Eros (Love) and Himeros (Desire)”.

Ganymedes was sometimes describes as the “Eros” of homosexual love and desire. Plato calls him Himeros (Sexual Desire).

“And when his feeling continues and he is nearer to him and embraces him, in gymnastic exercises and at other times of meeting, then the fountain of that stream, which Zeus when he was in love with Ganymede named Himeros (Desire), overflows upon the lover, and some enters into his soul, and some when he is filled flows out again”. (Plato, Phaedrus 255).~

Plato also mentions this myth in his dialogue “Laws”, in which he relates it to homosexuality:

“One certainly should not fail to observe that when male unites with female for procreation the pleasure experienced is held to be due to nature, but contrary to nature, when male mates with male or female with female, and that those first guilty of such enormities were impelled by their slavery to pleasure. And we all accuse the Kretans of concocting the story about Ganymedes. Because it was the belief that they derived their laws from Zeus, they added on this story about Zeus in order that they might be following his example in enjoying this pleasure as well”. (Plato, Laws, 636c).~

On the other hand, the myth was a model for the Greek social custom of Paiderastia, the socially acceptable erotic relationship between a man and a younger man.

Ganymede was depicted in Greek vase painting as a handsome boy. In the abduction scene his attributes were usually a rooster (a lover’s gift), a hoop (a boy’s toy), or a lyre. When portrayed as the cup-bearer of the gods he is shown pouring nectar from a jug.

In poetry, Ganymede became a symbol for the beautiful young male who attracted homosexual desire and love.

In Baldassare Peruzzi´s panel of “The Rape of Ganymede” (*see painting below) in a ceiling at the Villa Farnesina, Rome, Ganymede’s long blond hair and girlish pose make him identifiable at first glance, though he grasps the eagle’s wing without resistance.

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(*) “The Rape of Ganymede” by Baldassare Peruzzi. Ceiling at the Villa Farnesina, Rome, (1514).

“The Kidnapping of Ganymede” by Peter Paul Rubens (17th century).

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Zeus and Ganymede . Progressions of Two paitings. 1) Painting with Zeus as an eagle “Abduction of Ganymede” by Rembrandt (17th century). 2) Painting with Little Ganymede kissing Zeus: “Jupiter and Ganymede” by Nicolaes de Helt Stockade (17th century).

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Ganymedes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganymede_%28mythology%29

http://users.belgacom.net/bn061744/mgganymede.htm

https://awingandaway.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/ancient-flights-of-the-eternal-2/

https://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/nasa-s-hubble-observations-suggest-underground-ocean-on-jupiters-largest-moon/

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/07/jeremy-andenberg/15-constellations-every-man-should-know/

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I have been nominated for three awards. 

The One Lovely Blog Award,  from Inside the Life of Moi, the Creative Blogger Award, from Poetry and Chocolate and Books and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, from Angelo’s Universe.

I want to thank these three bloggers and suggest you to please make sure to check out their blogs and follow them.

Note: For the three awards, I will nominate blogs I have recently came across and like, recent followers and/or plussers. Also, I am changing the logos so that way I can include new awards among mine… And, finally, I will follow the nomination process without answering questions or mentioning facts about me… 

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I am saying: “Awards… Wow, awesome!”.~

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►Rules for these Three Awards:

♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award. 

♠ Add the logo to your post.

♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers you admire and inform them of the nomination. 

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►I) Nominees~One Lovely Blog Award~

1. Crissy Dean 2.Short Stories Diary 3. Italian Home Kitchen Blog 4. Robynchristi 5. Charlotte Bang Bang 6. Before Sundown 7. 100 Ways to Write 8. Yamarella 9. Poetic Darkness 10. From Midnight to Dawnlight.

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►II) Nominees~Creative Blogger Award (Pencils Version)~

1. Angelo’s Universe 2. Dorlanavann 3. Poems thrown in a shoebox 4. BlondiesBearista 5. Sesquiotica 6.Filling Spaces 7. Zen Scribbles 8. Comig East 9. Sinister Bend 10. Serenity in the City.

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►III) Nominees~Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Soft Version)~

1.Inside the Life of Moi 2. The Keys 3. Poetry and Chocolate and Books 4. The Writes of Woman 5. Ginger’s Grocery 6. Just Jen 7. Haiku Odyssey 8. Imagery of Light 9. A Little Blog of Books 10. A Writer’s Path.

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►Silvina Garré: “Palmas Azules Para Mí”:

~To Verónica Boletta, from the great Poetry Blog “En Humor Arte”~

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“The Peacock complaining to Juno”, by Gustave Moreau (1881).

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Hera (Roman equivalent: Juno) was Zeus’ wife and sister, and was raised by the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. She was the supreme goddess, patron of marriage, family and childbirth, having a special interest in protecting married women. 

Hera, like her siblings, was swallowed by her father Cronos (Rhea‘s husband) as soon as she was born.

Zeus with the help of Metis later tricked Cronos into a swallowing a potion that forced him to disgorge his offspring.

The legitimate offspring of her union with Zeus are Ares (the god of war), Hebe (the goddess of youth), Eris (the goddess of discord) and Eileithvia (goddess of childbirth).  

Johann Jakob Bachofen (“An Investigation of the Religious and Juridical Character of Matriarchy in the Ancient [1861]), considered that Hera, was originally the goddess of a matriarchal people, presumably inhabiting Greece before the Hellenes. According to this author, her activity as goddess of marriage established the patriarchal bond of her own subordination.

Her sacred animals were the cow, the lion and the peacock, and she favoured the city of  Argos.

She is usually portrayed enthroned, and crowned with the polos (a sort of crown worn by several of the Goddesses.

 ►Three Myths featuring Hera.

•The Judgement of Paris:

Hera, Aphrodite and Athena were the three goddesses who all claimed to deserved the Golden Apple of Discord, introduced by  Eris in Peleus and Thetis‘ wedding. This golden apple was labeled “For the fairest one”). Zeus chose Prince Paris of Troy to decide who was the fairest. Still, Paris could not decide, as all three were ideally beautiful, so they resorted to bribes. Hera offered Paris control over all Asia and Europe, while Athena offered wisdom, fame, and glory in battle, and Aphrodite offered the most beautiful mortal woman in the world as a wife, and he accordingly chose her. This woman was Helen of Troy, who was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta. Paris abducted Helen and her abduction would lead to the Trojan War.

•Hephaestus, the son that Hera produced alone: 

Hera was jealous of Zeus’ giving birth to Athena, without recourse to her (actually with with Metis), so she gave birth to Hephaestus without him, though in some stories, he is the son of her and Zeus. Hera was then disgusted with Hephaestus’ ugliness and threw him from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus gained revenge against Hera for rejecting him by making her a magical throne which, when she sat on, did not allow her to leave. The other gods begged Hephaestus to return to Olympus to let her go, but he repeatedly refused. Dionysus got him drunk and took him back to Olympus on the back of a mule. Hephaestus released Hera after being given Aphrodite as his wife.

•Heracles, disowned by Hera and… the Milky Way: 

Hera hated Heracles, being the scapegoat of the illegitimate offspring sired by Zeus. Heracles was the son of the affair Zeus had with the mortal woman Alcmene.

Thus, Heracles’ existence proved at least one of Zeus’ many illicit affairs, and Hera usually conspired against him, as a revenge for her husband’s infidelities.

Fear of Hera’s revenge led Alcmene to expose the infant Heracles, but he was taken up and brought to Hera by his half-sister Athena, who played an important role as protectress of heroes.Hera did not recognize Heracles and nursed him out of pity. Heracles suckled so strongly that he caused Hera pain, and she pushed him away. Her milk sprayed across the heavens and there formed the Milky Way. But with divine milk, Heracles had acquired supernatural powers. Athena brought the infant back to his mother, and he was subsequently raised by his parents, who had originally named him Alcides, being Heracles a derivated name.

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“Juno Borrowing the Girdle of Venus” by Guy Head (1771).

“Hera in the House of Hephaistos William” by Blake Richmond (1902),

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 ►Gallery: “Hera, Zeus’ Wife”:

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Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hera

http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hera/hera.html

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Click above to visit the blog / Click en el logo para ingresar al blog.~

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→On May 12th I had the honor to be part of a poetic challenge at La Poesía No Muerde, a great community blog of Poetry, hosted by . Please, make sure to also read the poems by Verónica, from En Humor Arte; José from Viajes al Fondo del ALSA and Johan from Johan Cladheart.

•~~~• :star: •~~~ • :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~•  :star: •~~~•

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 ►La Poesía No Muerde: “Imagen encontró (¡Otro!) Poema”.

~”Fragmento de un Final”.~

Corola tallada de pétalos sin flor.
una hoja con ápice impermeable.
Eterna y seca primavera,
rivera incipiente, sutilmente verde.

Una furtiva mirada azul
sobre un camino oscilante,
surcos muertos, árboles vacíos de hojas.
Bajo el sol inagotable del mediodía interminable.

~~~ 

Réplicas de galerías.
Redundantes sonidos.
Las palabras que no dijimos
te hacen una reverencia.

~~~ 

Tus fantasmas esculpen mis recuerdos.
Soy todo lo que fui en tu cautiverio,
persistes, con codicia te acumulas.
A cada nombre me retiro, te invoco y te devuelvo.

~~~

Te conjuro, brisa efímera .
Nunca volverás a ser mi aire.
Escúrrete por la puerta de las sombras y el olvido
Deja de asediarme…

•~~~• :star: •~~~ • :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~• :star: •~~~•  :star: •~~~•

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 ► Last but not Least: Special thanks to Lisardo Sobrino Fernández for his poem Aquiles, on his blog, Tiempo de Letras.

©2015. Lisardo Sobrino Fernández. Click on the image.

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“Latona and the Lycian Peasants” by David Teniers II. (17th century).

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Leto (which means”the hidden one”. Roman equivalent: Latona) was daughter of the Titans Coeus (Polus) and Phoebe and the sister of Asteria.
In the Olympian scheme, Zeus is the father of her twins, Apollo and Artemis, (The Letoides).

Zeus married is sister Hera while Leto was already pregnant. While the pregnancy started before the marriage, Hera was still jealous of Leto.

Hence, as Hyginus, in his book “Fabulae” states, Hera banned Leto from giving birth on any island at sea, or any place under the sun.

Finally, she found an island (Delos, that wasn’t attached to the ocean floor so it wasn’t considered land and she could give birth there.

Leto easily brought forth Artemis, the elder twin.  By contrast, Leto labored for nine nights and nine days in order to give birth to Apollo.

The births took place in the presence of the witnesses goddesses Dione (an Oceanid, a water-nymph, the goddess Dione, in her name simply the “Goddess”, is sometimes taken as a mere feminine form of Zeus ), Rhea (mother of the Olympian Goddesses and Gods, but not as an Olympian goddess in her own right), Ichnaea (an epithet given to Nemesis), Themis (a Titaness, who was the personification of divine order and law) and the sea-goddess Amphitrite (Poseidon‘s wife).

Hera kept apart as she used her own daughter Eileithvia, the goddess of childbirth, to prevent Leto from going into labor.

Instead Artemis, having been born first, assisted with the birth of her twin brother, Apollo.

Going further, ancient greek grammarian, Antoninus Liberalis considers that Leto sought out the “wolf-country” of Lycia.  Another sources link Leto with wolves and the Hyperboreans, people connected with the worship of Apollo at Delphi and of Artemis at Delos and named that way with reference to Boreas, the north wind.

Leto was identified from the fourth century onwards with the principal local mother goddess of Anatolian Lycia, as the region became Hellenized. 

Besides, Leto has been probably identified with the Lycian Godess of Fertility, Lada, also knwon as Kourotrophos (Rearer of Youths).

Leto’s primal nature may be deduced from the natures of her father and mother, who may have been Titans of the sun and moon. Her Titan father is called “Coeus”, and, he is in some Roman sources given the name Polus, which may relate him to the sphere of heaven from pole to pole. The name of Leto’s mother, “Phoebe” (“pure, bright”), is identical to the epithet of her son Apollo.

In Greek inscriptions, the Letoides (Apollo and Artemis) are referred to as the “national gods” of the country.

 There were two sanctuaries dedicated to Leto, the Letoon, near Xanthos and the Oenoanda, in the north of Lycia.

►Other episodes related to Leto:

In Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” (Book VI), he tells the sad story of Niobe’s children, which involves Leto, Artemis and Apollo.

•Niobe, a queen of Thebes, boasted of her superiority to Leto because she had fourteen children (The Niobids), seven sons and seven daughters, while Leto had only two. Aiming to punish Niobe due to her pride, Apollo killed her sons, and Artemis her daughters. Niobe cried so much that her tears formed the river Achelous.

Zeus seconded Leto as he made sure to turn all the people of Thebes to stone so no one buried the Niobids until the ninth day after their death, when the gods themselves entombed them.

•Leto was threatened in her wanderings by the giant Tityos who attempted to rape her. Also she was assailed by the dragon Python. In both occasions, Leto’s son, Apollo was able to eliminate the threats, even if he was just a God child.

•During her wanderings with her children, Apollo and Artemis, Leto reached Lycia (nowadays located in southern Turkey).

Exhausted, she decided to halt and saw down in a valley a pond around which peasants were busy gathering rushes and algae. Attracted by its clear water, she went to drink from it. But the peasants objected and forbade her from drinking from the pond, ordering Leto to leave the place. 

Enraged, Leto cursed them. Soon after that, the metamorphosis began and the peasants of Lycia became frogs, as they were condemned to live forever like this in the slime of their pond, fulfilling the curse of Latona.

This last episeode is depicted in the Latona Fountain, at the Château de Versailles, France. This Fountain’s construction took, over twenty years (from 1666 to 1689) and it was built during  Louis XIV’s reign.

Some historians have interpreted the Latona fountain as an allegory of the victory of Louis XIV over the Fronde, the rebellion of the nobles against the power of the monarchy during the childhood of Louis XIV. Latona, the mother of Apollo, represents Anne of Austria, the mother of Louis XIV and regent during the Fronde. The metamorphosis of the peasants into frogs illustrates the punishment reserved to those who dare to rebel against the royal authority.

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Latona Turning the Lycians Peasants into Frogs”, by Johann Georg Platzer. (1730)

“Latona Changing the Lycian Peasants into Frogs” by Jacopo Tintoretto. (16th century).

“Landscape with Latona and the Peasants”, by Sinibaldo Scorza (1620).

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►”The Myth of Leto / Latona”:

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►Gallery: “Leto” / “The Latona Fountain” [Château de Versailles]:

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“Latona (Leto) and Her children (Apollo and Diana/Artemis)”, by William Henry Rinehart (1874). Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“Latona (Leto) and Her children (Apollo and Diana/Artemis)”, by William Henry Rinehart. (1874). Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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►Links Post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leto

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/337395/Leto

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/279545/Hyperborean

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/11923

http://latone.chateauversailles.fr/en/page/the-latona-fountain/history-of-the-latona-fountain

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►Book Tour: 

“Olga Núñez Miret tells us about her Trilogy Angelic Business“:

I’ve been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller… and a few unfinished works. 

Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing, but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I’ve published twelve books (six original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish). 

I kept thinking about “Angelic Business” and, a few months later, I wrote the second novel in the series: “Shades of Greg”. (No, nothing to do with…). 

And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, “Pink, Angel or Demon?”. 

As I had written the three, I thought I’d publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much)…. [Olga Núñez Miret].-

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“Angelic Business”, the three books of the series, by author Olga Núñez Miret.

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The trilogy “Angelic Business” is already available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. You’ll find blurbs of each book on the links below. Check them out!:

•”Pink Matters” is currently available at Amazon for pre-order and will be published on June 26th.

•”Shapes of Greg” is available for pre-order at Amazon and will be published on July 15th.

•”Pink, Angel or Demon?” is available for pre-order at Amazon and will be published on July 30th.

►Connect with Author Olga Núñez Miret on her Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Wattpad.

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Author Olga Núñez Miret.

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►Last but not Least: “Three Awards”:

I would like to thank bloggers from Risty´s Breath, Life as we See It and Splashed for nominating my blog for a Versatile Blogger Award (Red Version), a Creative Blogger Award and a Sunshine Award, respectively.

I suggest you to check out these blogs and follow them, if you haven’t still done so…

•Rules for these Three Awards: ♠ Thank the person who nominated you for the award. ♠ Add the logo to your post. ♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers of your choice and tell them about the nomination. 

•Note: If you have been nominated and want to follow the Nomination Process, just click on the award for which you have been awarded to. That way you’ll be able to grab in regular size!.~ 🍒 🍒 🍒 

1. Lucinda E Clarke 2. Missing the Muse 3. Caterina Rotondi 4. The Book Haven 5. Hyperion Sturm 6. Simonjohnsonofclowne 7. Life as we See It 8. Books and Hot Tea 9. Makeup and Breakup 10. Life and Light.

II. Nominees for the Sunshine Award:

1. I.J.Keddie 2. Unbuttoned or Undone 3. View from a Burrow 4. Loujen Haxm ´Yor 5. Writing Between the Lines 6. Janna T Writes 7. Breathing Space 8. A Chaos Fairy Realm 9. The Four Rooms 10. Rambles, Writing and Amusing Musings.

III. Nominees for the Creative Blogger Award:

1. Beguiling Hollywood 2. First Night Design 3. Peak Perspective 4. Risty´s Breath 5. Splashed 6. Micheline Walker 7. A Little Bird Tweets 8. Millie Thom 9. Yadadarcyyada 10. The Woman Who.

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“Apollo Receiving the Shepherds’ Offerings” by Gustave Moreau (1895).

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Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto.

The Roman worship of Apollo was adopted from the Greeks. Apollo had no direct Roman equivalent, although later Roman poets often referred to him as Phoebus.

Apollo had a twin sister, Artemis, the Goddess of Hunting.

Mythographers agree that Artemis was born first and then assisted with the birth of Apollo, or that Artemis was born one day before Apollo, on the island of Ortygia and that she helped Leto cross the sea to Delos the next day to give birth to Apollo.

As the patron of Delphi, Apollo was an oracular go, the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle.

As the god of prophecy. Apollo exercised this power in his numerous oracles, and especially in that of Delphi. The source of all his prophetic powers was Zeus himself and Apollo is accordingly called “the prophet of his father Zeus”. According to Apollodorus, the oracle had previously been in the possession of Themis, and the dragon Python guarded the mysterious chasm, and Apollo, after having slain the monster, took possession of the oracle.

Apollo  was also known as “the god who affords help and wards off evil”. He had the power of visiting men with plagues and epidemics, so he was also able to deliver men from them.

He was often equated with Celtic Gods of similar characteristics. [Read more on the Celtic version of Apollo at Linnea Tanner’s blog, “Apollo’s Raven”: “Ancient Celtic Religion: Apollo, God of Sun” and “Apollo and Coronis; White Raven; Association with Healing”].-

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“Apollo and The Nine Muses” by Gustave Moreau (1856).

“Apollo with Urania, Muse of Astronomy” by Charles Meynier (1800).

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►Gallery: “Apollo, Zeus and Leto’s Son”:

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Apollon.html

http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Koronis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo

http://www.linneatanner.com/blog/apollo-god-of-healing/

http://www.linneatanner.com/blog/ancient-celtic-religion-apollo-god-of-sun/

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