►Greek Mythology: “Myrrha, Adonis and Persephone”(Myths and Interpretation):
“Myhrra assisted by Lucina, the Goddess of Birth” by Jean de Court (1560).
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As we know from the previous post, Adonis, Myrrha’s son, was raised up for both Goddess Persephone and Aphrodite.
Myrrha’s mother (being more precise, Adonis’ grandmother) had said that her daughter Myrrha was even more beautiful than Aphrodite herself . This was taken as offensive by the goddess of Beauty, who took revenge on that.
And in this case she took revenge of Myrrha’s mother by punishing her daughter, cursing Myrrha to fall in love and lust after her father, Cinyras.
Aphrodite appears here as a trouble maker. It is not the first time that she had looked for acknowledgment of her Beauty.
We must keep in mind here the Judgement of Paris in which Aphrodite offered Helen the most beautiful mortal woman, to Prince Paris of Troy, in exchange of that famous Golden apple labeled for the fairest one.
Retaking the preceding points, roman poet Ovid referred to Myrrha’s story in “Metamorphoses,” Book 10, lines 467-518.
Myrrha was the daughter of King Cinyras and Queen Cenchreis of Cyprus.
Myrrha felt attracted to her father. Knowing the love was forbidden she fought it as hard as she could to avoid her feelings. But as he couldn’t do so, she tried to kill herself. Just before she was goindg to commit suicide, Myrrha was discovered by her nurse who finally dissuaded her.
Myrrha confided her forbidden love to the nurse. The nurse tried to make Myrrha suppress the infatuation, but could not calm the girl. Finally the nurse agreed to help Myrrha get into her father’s bed if she promised that she would not try to kill herself again.
The women got their opportunity during a feast. Myrrha’s father, King Cinyras, was drunk in his bed. The nurse helped Myrrha to get into the bed by telling the King she was a young woman who was deeply in love with him.
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“Myrrha and Cinyras”. Engraving by Virgil Solis for Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”. Book X.
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In this manner, Myrrha and the nurse were able to deceive Cinyras. The affair lasted several nights in complete darkness to conceal Myrrha’s identity. One night, Cinyras wanted to know the identity of the girl with whom he had conducted the affair. Upon bringing in a lamp, and seeing his crime, the king drew his sword and attempted to kill her but she could escape.
After becoming pregnant of her own father Myrrha walked for nine months, lost in her own guilt.
Zeus finally took pity on her and transformed her into a myrrh tree.
When it came time for the birth, the Myrrh tree was somehow assisted by the birth goddess Lucina and six water nymphs. The tree appeared to wrench and finally cracked and delivered a baby boy, who would be later called Adonis.
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“The Birth of Adonis”. Engraving by Bernard Picart for Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”.
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Aphrodite found the baby by the myrrh tree. She sheltered Adonis as a new-born baby and entrusted him to Persephone, the wife of Hades, who was the God of the Underworld.
Aphrodite fell in love with the beautiful youth (possibly because she had been wounded by Eros’ arrow).
Persephone was also taken by Adonis’ beauty and refused to give him back to Aphrodite.
The dispute between the two goddesses was settled by Zeus
Adonis was to spend one-third of every year with each goddess and the last third wherever he chose. Thus he decided to spend two-thirds of the year with Aphrodite.
Adonis’ death was tragic. He was killed (castrated) by a wild boar and died in Aphrodite’s arms, who sprinkled his blood with nectar from the anemone.
It was said that Adonis’ blood turned the Adonis River, or Abraham River, red each spring.
After Adonis’ death, Aphrodite was so sad that Zeus decided to make Adonis immortal, allowing him to leave the underworld, to spend eight months of the year with Aphrodite.
He always, however, had to return to Hades and remain there the other four with Persephone.
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“The Death of Adonis” by Giuseppe Mazzuoli.(1709). The State Hermitage Museum
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Something worth highlighting here. There is a remarkable analogy between Adonis’ stay in both the Underworld and the World of the Living and Persephone’s myth, being also this Goddess one of the women (with Aphrodite) who raised Myrrha’s child, Adonis.
This is shown specifically by the fact that Persephone (Demeter’s virgin daughter) was abducted by Hades, King of the Underworld.
According to the myth, Hades planted a meadow full of the narcissus flowers in order to entice Persephone. When she pulled on the flower, the Underworld opened up and Hades sprang up, carrying her off.
Later on, he gave Persephone a pomegranate. As she ate it, the fruit somehow cemented her marriage to Hades. Thus, she was bound to Hades for six months of each year, winter and autumn.
Persephone was allowed by her husband to join her mother in the World of Living, but only when summer and springtime arrived.
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►”Greek Myths of Myrrha. Symbolism and Interpretation”:
Critical interpretation of this myth has considered Myrrha’s refusal of conventional sexual relations to have provoked her incest, with the ensuing transformation to tree as a silencing punishment. It has been suggested that the taboo of incest marks the difference between culture and nature and that Ovid’s version of Myrrha showed this.
Myrrha’ s love for his father may be related to the Electra complex, as proposed by Carl Jung.
The Electra complex is a girl’s psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. In the course of her psychosexual development, the complex is the girl’s phallic phase, a boy’s analogous experience is the Oedipus complex.
As a psychoanalytic metaphor for daughter–mother psychosexual conflict, the Electra complex derives from the 5th-century BC Greek Mythological character Electra, who plotted matricidal revenge with Orestes, her brother, against Clytemnestra, their mother, and Aegistus, their stepfather, for their murder of Agamemnon, their father. This story is told by Sofocles in his tragedy and by Aeschylus in his trilogy “Oresteia” (Second tragedy, “The Libation Bearers”).
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►Greek Myths of Myhrra, Adonis and Persephone. Symbols and Meanings”:
•Myrrha, transformed into a Myrrh Tree: Punishment. Myrrha is transformed and rendered voiceless making her unable to break the Taboo of Incest. The word “myrrh” in Ancient Greek was related to the word μύρον (mýron), which became a general term for perfume.
•Myrrha having sexual relationships with her father: Myrrha’s behavior here might be linked to the hero archetype, known as “The Fall”. It describes a descent in action from a higher to a lower state of being, an experience which might involve defilement, moral imperfection, and/or loss of innocence. This fall is often accompanied by expulsion from a kind of paradise as penalty for disobedience and/or moral transgression.
•Myrrha feeling guilty while she is pregnant: This attitude might be associated with, was is known in the Hero Pattern, an Unhealable Wound. Here, the wound, physical or psychological, cannot be healed fully. This would also indicate a loss of innocence or purity. Often the wounds’ pain drives the sufferer to desperate measures of madness.
•Adonis, castrated by a Wild Boar: Adonis Castration might be considered equal to a Father-Castration, performed by Cinyras (Myhrra’s father and Adonis’ father and grandfather at the same time).
Castration is here performed as an extreme punishment which leads to death. It also entrains the fact that Adonis won’t be able to have sons or daughters with his substitute mothers (Aphrodite and/or Perspehone).
The symbology of Wild Boar is that of truth, courage and confrontation.
In some native Indian tribes Wild Boar was used as a way to teach young braves how to be honest and find their courage when they told a lie to the tribe.
•Aphrodite sprinkling Adonis’ blood with nectar from the anemone: Anemone blossom stories are mostly about death – that’s why its blossom is often liken with being forsaken or left behind. In the Greek version of Adonis’ death, the Anemone is a plant that symbolizes unfading love.
For the Christian version of the meaning of anemones, it’s a symbol of the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross. That’s the reason why you’ll see a bunch of anemones on several paintings of the crucifixion.
•Adonis’ death and resurrection: The most common of all situational archetypes, Death and Rebirth grow out of the parallel between the cycle of nature and life. The cycle of death and rebirth was linked with the regeneration of vegetation and the crop seasons in ancient Greece. Besides, this myth is related to the perennial nature of beauty, as Adonis died only to be reborn in the underworld.
•Adonis’ blood, which turned the Adonis River, or Abraham River, red each spring: Red (Blood and river colors) Red represents sacrifice; violent passion, disorder, sunrise, birth, fire, emotion, wounds, death, sentiment, mother. Rivers/Streams: They represent life force and life cycle
•Adonis resurrected, spend his time with both Persephone in the Underworld and Aphrodite in The World of Living: Beyond the fact that both Goddesses raised Adonis, this metaphor might be linked to the double dichotomy Light-Life / Darkness-Death. In which Light usually suggests hope, renewal, life and intellectual illumination; whilst darkness implies the unknown, death, ignorance, or despair.
It might be also related to the opposites Hell (Underworld)/Heaven: Hell represents the diabolic forces that inhabit the universe and heaven the God Forces.
•Persephone eating the pomegranate that Hades gave her: In this myth, the pomegranate is related to the changing of seasons and might be also considered as a symbol of indivisibility of marriage. Seasons: Spring: It represents Birth and New Beginnings. Summer: Associated to maturity and Knowledge. Autumn: Linked to Decline, nearing Death, growing old. Winter: Representing Death, sleep, hibernation.
•Persephone’s realms: The Underworld: Black space. Black color: It represents darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown, death, the unconscious and evil.
•Persephone released from the Underworld by Hades: As Persephone came back to the Living World to spend six months of each year with her mother Demeter, the flowers and crops grow great.
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►Links Post:
http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/la-primavera-allegory-of-spring-by-sandro-botticelli/
http://www.iconos.it/le-metamorfosi-di-ovidio/libro-x/venere-e-adone/immagini/21-venere-e-adone/
http://spiritsymbols.blogspot.com.ar/2013/10/wild-boar.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrrha
http://ancientsites.com/aw/Post/1260902
http://www.squidoo.com/pomegranatesymbolism
http://froggey.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/the-pomegranate-the-righteous-fruit/
http://www.auntyflo.com/flower-dictionary/anemone
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_persephone.htm
http://www.paleothea.com/SortaSingles/Persephone.html
http://mythologyinfo.webs.com/theseasons.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_complex
http://www.muhsd.k12.ca.us/cms/lib5/CA01001051/Centricity/Domain/520/English%203/Unit%201%20–%20Early%20American%20Lit/ArchetypesandSymbols.pdf
Aquileana
⚡️La Audacia de Aquiles⚡️ 
Reblogged this on ElderofZyklon's Blog!.
Thanks for reblogging this post, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @MarinaKanavaki for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😀
informative and fascinating, as always… the section “Symbols and Meanings” is particularly interesting – each of you post is a special event, a new page of Knowledge… amazing illustrations. THANK YOU Aquileana :-)♥
Thank you very much for your thoughtful words…
They mean a lot to me and I much appreciate them … Good to know that you enjoyed the reading and liked the paintings, F. Best wishes to you, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @wordsinthelight for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😀
This was so interesting, especially when read after the previous post. The research you have done, including the symbols and their meaning and all the paintings, is phenomenal. Congratulations! Clare
Hi Clare…
I am really happy to know that you enjoyed the retelling and interpretation of these myths. Thank you very much for dropping by!.
Best wishes, Aquileana 😛
Wow amazing! Greek mythology always interest me! I know a lot about it because of my grandparents tell me because were from Greece
Hello Dante!,
I am pleased to know that you found this post interesting, Thanks for dropping by and commenting!. Best wishes, Aquileana 😀
Aways bring the popcorn and plan to sit a while here – great story telling
Thanks for your great comment 😛
All the very best to you, Have a great weekend!, Aquileana 😀
Hola Aquileana, como siempre, un gran y exquisito placer leerte. La verdad es que das cátedra con cada post. Me haces pensar, reflexionar, estudiar e investigar y todo aderezado con tu hermosa forma de presentar las cosas. Gracias
Existe una versión que indica que Mirra era hija de Tías rey de Esmirna o Siria, y fue ella misma la que provocó la ira de Afrodita al compararse en belleza con la diosa.
Entre los personajes heroicos semi-divinos, el incesto es aberrante y trae consigo un elemento de descomposición social y un fortísimo sentimiento de culpa o vergüenza que debe ser desahogado de algún modo. Las heterogéneas relaciones heroicas se manifiestan entre hermanos, de padres a hijos, entre primos, e incluso, tíos con sobrinas. Las causas habituales de las mismas son un repentino sentimiento amoroso, inducido, a veces, por los dioses como castigo, remarcado como perversión sexual y materializado violentamente. Como consecuencia, emergen sensibilidades vergonzosas y un sentimiento de ofensa que suele acarrear el suicidio a la parte ofendida o, en su defecto, una metamorfosis decretada piadosamente por una divinidad, como tu expones maravillosamente en tu análisis.
En la Biblia tenemos otro ejemplo de incesto provocado al emborrachar a un padre. Es el caso de Lot y sus dos hijas, que al creerse las únicas personas vivientes (luego de la destrucción de Gomorra, Sodoma, Adma y Zeboín) decidieron procrear con su padre y tuvieron a Moab, ancestro de los moabitas y a Ammon, antecesor de los amonitas. Lo curioso del caso del mito hebreo, es que el incesto de estas dos niñas no fue castigado por Yavheh.
Otros casos interesantes serían los de Gea y su hijo Urano (por supuesto Edipo y Yocasta) Tiestes y Pelopía (Egisto) Osiris e Isis, Neftis y Seth (y en el caso de los egipcios encontramos casos ya no mitológicos, sino históricos.) Cersei, Jaime y los Targayen (estos son un poco broma.) Arturo Pendragón y Morgana (que probablemente tenga bases históricas) Y hasta en la cultura Guaraní (Kerana y Tau )
Casos históricos son muy conocidos los de Agripina y Nerón además de Calígula y sus hermanitas, etc
Freud estudió del tabú del incesto a través de la teoría psicoanalítica. Partía de la idea de que existía una “horda primitiva” promiscua en la que la rivalidad entre machos por el acceso sexual a las hembras provocó el recurso a la violencia y el homicidio dentro del propio grupo de parentesco. Parece ser que según Freud el incesto es un impulso básico de la psique humana. El enfrentamiento entre individuos que pertenecían al mismo grupo sociofamiliar dio lugar a una aversión al incesto no por el tipo de relación que constituye en sí, sino por la agresividad y las muertes ocasionadas dentro del propio grupo social.
Personalmente creo que la aversión socio cultural al incesto se debió mas a que las personas se dieron cuenta, al transcurrir el tiempo, que este tipo de relaciones traía con frecuencia la falta de variabilidad genética, necesaria para el “normal” desarrollo de la sociedad. Por lo tanto estos mitos nacieron con la meta de reforzar esta idea.
Un abrazo grande
Querido Agustín,
Tu comentario es absolutamente genial…
Me han interesado sobre todo los casos históricos que destacan, en particular el de Lot y sus dos hijas, pues me llama la atención que exista en la Biblia versiones similares en mayor o menor medida con las de la mitología griega…
El análisis respecto al tema del tabú del Incesto desde el punto de vista antropológico y psicoanalítico es concluyentemente irrefutable…
Respecto a este último tema agrego un párrafo interesante de un post del blog (Link: http://wp.me/p60vo-9G)
“Los freudianos ortodoxos, así como los disidentes sostienen que las primeras manifestaciones de la libido infantil son de carácter bisexual. Pero a partir de los cinco años ya se aprecian las diferencias sexuales, el niño advierte la diferencia del cuerpo de su madre, además se le comienza a decir que cuando crezca será como su padre, pero que por el momento no debe aspirar a ser el primero en los afectos de su madre, es su padre quien ocupa ese lugar privilegiado. El problema de cómo sofocar los celos que el padre le suscita, especialmente si su inteligencia le permite captar el triángulo amoroso en que se encuentra encerrado. Durante esa etapa del desarrollo, según el psicoanálisis, el niño -o la niña, en tensión de rivalidad directa con su madre-, atravieso el dificultoso tramo edípico. Freud,en “Tres ensayos sobre la teoría de la sexualidad” asegura que en los niños es recurrente la fantasía incestuosa de expulsar y sustituir al progenitor rival, es decir el padre para el niño, y la madre para la niña, pero esas ideas suscitan intensa culpa y temor al castigo.
El conflicto se resuelve durante la adolescencia, cuando la adolescente o el adolescente logran traspasar sus cargas afectivas del progenitor o la progenitora a un muchacho o muchacha de su edad respectivamente”.
Un abrazo y mil gracias por tu excelente aporte.
Muy buen fin de semana para vos, Aquileana 😛
Thanks @Agustinayalad for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 🙂
This is very impressive, Aquileana, and interesting. My students are now reading this special part of the literary history – so thank you for providing this help! Have a great weekend!
Hello Leya,
I am pleased to know that this post may help you somehow with your classes!. That is truly great to know!.
All the very best to you, Have a great weekend!, Aquileana 😀
Once again I’m fascinated by the complexity of all the Mythologic characters. Each one of them plagued by deviant desires and egocentricities. You do a great job to put this together Aquileana, thank you very much for your great effort! My best wishes to you and a great hug to top it! 🙂 ❤
Hi dear HJ, I loved your insights here… I agree with you when you mention deviant desires and egocentricities…. Very eloquent!.
Always a pleasure to read your comments . thanks for your support!. Best wishes, Aquileana 😀
The pleasure is mine dear Aquileana! 🙂
Thanks HJ…
Happy friday and weekend ahead to you, Aquileana 😛
Dear me, the way those Greeks went on, shocking indeed. Thank you as usual for your research and erudition.
Thank you very much for dropping by, dear Susan… I am pleased to know that you enjoyed the reading and I much appreciate your words here!,
Best wishes, Aquileana 😛
Thank you for this great detail. As a true lover of the Greek mythology, I appreciate all the scholary work you put into this. Thank you also for following my blog and hope you will visit often and feel welcomed. I feel badly because I thought I had already thanked you but apparently, I did not. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Thank you very much for dropping by… I hope that we connect more often too and will visit you as soon as possible!. Best wishes and happy weekend ahead to you, Aquileana 😀
I was not familiar with this myth. Thanks for the post. I definitely learned something today!
Thank you very much for your comment here, dear Jeff!.
I much appreciate your comment, best wishes to you, Aquileana 😀
Todas las historias son increibles, llenas de poesía, de dolor de deseo, de parafilia, de arrepentimiento, perdón y de un simbolismo que los estudiosos de sus textos mitólógicos se discuten y desentrañana. Cada una de las historias merece un comentario extenso. Adonis, que nace del pecado, parido por la mirra, termina su vida entre los colmillos de un jabalí… joder, pero él que culpa tuvo de la fiebre parafilica de su madre. Todo un agasajo literario. besos amiga y rosas rosa para ti.
Rub, me ha encantado tu comentario.
Certeza implacable y humor.. Eso es inteligencia, amigo
Un abrazo grande para vos, Aquileana 😀
Thank you for explaining the symbolism, dear Aquileana. Great job, as always!
Adonis’ beauty got him in trouble. The boar was sent just in time to stop his sinful ways… but who could stand against two powerful women-goddesses when they are in love? Adonis had no chances…
Thank you again, sweet girl, it was a wonderful story.
My best wishes, Inese 🙂
Inese, Thanks for reading in depth… You are quite right when you mention Adonis’ beauty and all the troubles involved with it… I think as you do that he didn’t have too many options, even more considering that Aphrodite’ sleights used to be certainly relentless!.
Best wishes, Aquileana 😀
I noticed that many beautiful people are often getting in trouble… not only the Gods… Such is the life.
Happy weekend sweet girl!
That is so true!!!!…
Happy weekend to you as well my dear Inese.
Hugs, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @Inessa_ie for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
Adonis was MISERABLE with Persephone. He was only happy with Aphrodite. He got what he deserved. He shouldn’t be sleeping around.
I agree with Inese. This is a scary story, and one that
my arbor-thick skull is having a hard time wrapping
its mind around. My ancestors giving birth to human babes…
Boy howdy! And Electra? My daughter’s story to a tee. Oh, my!
It all turned out for the best. 🙂 Once again,
“Thank you ladies for the lessons!” Cheerz, UT
It is a quite odd and intertwined myth… Yes, I am totally with you, dear Uncle Tree… thanks for your witty comment. It is always a pleasure to read your words!, best wishes and happy weekend ahead to you,, Aquileana 😛
Thanks @ShehanneMoore for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
I love the way you give the varying stories of each myth with their interpretation showing there was no one “story” in Greek mythology there were different stories signifying different things. I have always loved the Persephone myth and its link with the seasons.
Hi Caroline!. Thanks so much!. I am pleased that you enjoyed this post… there are many layers when it comes to myths and their meanings so in this case writing a post on them was definitely worth it!.
Have an excellent week ahead. Love & best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Wow all of these shenanigans are so complex and intertwined. Thanks for another great post that continues to fill my brain with new knowledge and the desire to see what I will learn about in your next post 🙂
Thank you very much, dear Jeri!… I am really grateful to read your comment and pleased to know that you want to keep it up with the mythological saga!…Great!
Best wishes to you!, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @JeriWB for sharing this post at Twitter, Aquileana 😀
What a complex situation. Your detailed research and wonderful story telling makes for another excellent post. Thank you.
Thanks a lot, dear Sue… I much appreciate your words over here!. All the very best to you, Aquileana 😛
Excellent post, as always, Aquileana! As I was reading this, I thought about what a particularly cruel punishment Aphrodite inflicted upon Myrrha. Not only was Myrrha attracted to her father against her will, but then when she was discovered by him, she was cast out and overcome with shame. Seems all the more ironic that Aphrodite would be one of the goddesses to take care of Adonis after he was born. It’s interesting how so many Greek myths borrow from each other. Myrrha’s mother being punished by Aphrodite reminds me of when Cassiopeia bragged that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, so Poseidon took revenge by sending a sea monster to destroy the area that Andromeda’s father ruled. Then Andromeda was offered up as a sacrifice to the sea monster to appease it. Luckily that story had a happier ending than Myrrha’s. Thanks for another informative post, Aquileana!
Your comment is absolutely marvelous, dear Miranda… I have learnt as I read through it as I am not too aware of Cassiopeia and Andromeda’s myths… I will definitely keep your words in mind to write about this one in the next future.
Thank you very much for being such a clever and enlightened reader.
Best wishes and happy weekend to you, Aquileana 😀
Because I love astronomy, I’ve learned more about the myths associated with the constellations and read that while Cassiopeia was placed in the sky and is visible year-round in many parts of the northern hemisphere, Poseidon decided to punish her a final time for her boastfulness, and so for half of every night, she appears upside down. I guess the moral of many of these stories is, don’t brag! 🙂
What a wonderful myth and symbolism behind it …
I will make sure to write about it when I am done with the Aphrodite saga and its imbricated aftermaths 🙂
All my very best wishes to you, dear Miranda!, Aquileana 😀
There is so much complexity in these amazing stories of Greek mythology. If I were to try and study it alone, I would be very confused. But, your article (and wonderful photos) explains it clearly, and also makes me very interested in the subject. Once again, many thanks!
Best wishes,
Takami 🙂
Hi dear Takami,
I am really happy to know that you enjoyed this post … I much appreciate your support and words over here!.
Knowing that my post make the myth clearer and easier to understand is certainly a great compliment… All the very best to you, always,
Aquileana 😀
Another wonderfully stimulating contribution to our intellectual and emotional lives. Aquileana, your talent is completely genuine and ever so admirable.
With great respect
John
What a praise!!!… Thanks for your support and blogger friendship, dear John…
Happy weekend ahead to you. Best wishes! , Aquileana 😛
This is so scholarly. Thanks.
Thank you very much for dropping by and for your thoughtful comment, Imelda.
Best wishes to you, Aquileana 😛
Always interesting … Always
Thank you very much, dear talker blogger.
All the very best to you, always,
Aquileana 😀
These emblems and their commentary are very thoughtfully put together, and I enjoyed reading it– as I always do with your posts! 🙂
Thanks a lot for dropping by dear Chris. Great to know that you enjoyed the post and the symbols related to these myths. Best wishes my friend, Aquileana 😀
Have a groovy weekend, Aquileana !!!!!!! 🙂
And you too dear Chris!. Enjoy it, your argentine friend, Aquileana 😀
Qué historias más escabrosas contienen a veces los mitos… como esa historia de incesto… ¡qué cosas! Luego leemos la explicación de los símbolos y todo cobra mayor sentido.
Me encantan las ilustraciones 🙂
Hola Leire,
Muchas gracias por tu genial comentari.
Coincido con vos… Historias compeljas, intrincadas y escabrosas… La explicación posterior nos ayuda a arrojar luz sobre las sombras de los sentidos ocultos.
Un abrazo, Aquileana 😛
Wow!. Very interesting work ami Aqui ;). Thanks for it. Best wishes. 😀
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your thoughtful comment, dear Isar!!!
My best wishes, Aquileana 😛
A very interesting post. It brings a whole new meaning to suggesting a man is an Adonis.
I liked very much, Aquileana, your explanations of the Electra complex and the interpretation of symbols. Super informative. 🙂
Hi Carol.
Thank you very much for dropping by… I am pleased that you enjoyed the explanation regarding the symbols and meanings on these myths…
When I read Myrrha’s myth I thought that the Electra Complex was a very interesting topic and that being so it deserved to be interpreted according to the respective original psychoanalytic sources… good to know that you also liked that part!.
Best wishes to you, Aquileana 😛
I love the first painting of Myrrha by Jean De Court. He used the Enamel painting technique which was done with powdered glass on sheets of copper on vessels, much like ceramic glaze. Then these were applied to the metal and fired in a kiln.The technique had already been used since earlier times, but used as ornament mainly, but its perfection was accomplished in Limoges, Frances. Jean de Court served as official portrait painter the to the monarchs of Scotland and France. In 1567, he is recorded as court painter of Mary Queen of Scots, although it is not clear if he had actually accompanied her to Scotland. The painting is done on an oval dish, and is found in National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. See here:
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.1450.html
The enamel painting techniques adds a striking luminosity and contrast of colors. Not much is known about Jean de Court except that he only signed one painting with his real name, the others he used the “I.D.C.” and initialed workshop pieces “I.C.” Enameling painting was still “decorative” since it was still done on vases, trays and dishes, but it became highly sophisticated at Limoges, where Jean De Court directed the workshops.
It is amazing to see how these family conflicts are intertwined with the cycles of Nature, could it really be? Persephone was the goddess queen of the underworld, but she was also the goddess of spring growth. Aphrodite was the great Olympian goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and procreation. Myhrra is the link between them both, through Adonis, and so through adulterous and incestuous affairs, the four seasons came to be? So the wraths and punishments from the Gods for these “sins” where the underworld (autumn and winter), but the reward for obeying was “Primavera’, or could it be, resurrection?
Hi dear Maria…
You are so clever to find the link between Persephone and Aphrodite… I believe that spring and beauty are related one to the other… And as a matter of fact Botticelli’s painting “The Allegory of Spring” or “Primavera” (see gallery above) tends to highlight the connection here!…
Adonis being dead and then resurrected is a clear symbol for the cycles of nature (seasons) and also his rebirth proves that Beauty as an essence is everlasting…
Thanks for dropping by and for your continuous support, my friend.
Best wishes to you, Aquileana 😀
“Adonis was a beautiful baby, so beautiful in fact that Aphrodite placed him in a closed chest, which she delivered for security to Persephone, queen of the underworld. Persephone was also entranced by his unearthly beauty and fell in love with the youth, refusing to give him back to Aphrodite. An argument ensued between Aphrodite and Persephone, resulting in an appeal to Zeus, the heavenly monarch (or Calliope in other versions). Zeus decreed that Adonis should spend four months of the year with Aphrodite, four months with Persephone, and four months of the years to himself. Thus, the myth of Adonis provided ancient Greeks with an explanation for the changing seasons.”-
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Adonis
Hi dear Maria,
Great source and good highlighted excerpt… have you noticed that there are equivalents for Adonis in other cultures.
Particularly what caught my attention was the fact that (quoting that site)… “he was later exported to Germania, identifying parallels between he and Balder, the Norse god of spring and renewal who was also resurrected after his death”.
I found that odd because I don’t think there are actually too many hookups between greek and german mythology!.
Thank you very much for adding more information over here.
Happy sunday and week ahead to you. Best wishes, Aquileana 😛
I think the remark that he was “exported to Germania” is not really referring to Adonis per se, but to the Germanic myth that is comparatevly “similar”, as with all these “dying-and-rising deities” were all part of what has constituted the field of “Comparative Mythology”, which in the 19C and 20C began a lot of scholarly research of what in fact was considered a “dying-and-rising god” or “death-rebirth-deity” which have appeared in diverse cultures.
“In the more commonly accepted motif of a dying god, the deity goes away and does not return. The less than widely accepted motif of a dying-and-rising god refers to a deity which returns, is resurrected or is reborn, in either a literal or symbolic sense.”
“Beginning in the 19th century, a number of gods who would fit these motifs were proposed. Male examples include the ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Norse deities Baal, Melqart, Adonis, Eshmun, Tammuz, Ra the Sun god with its fusion with Osiris/Orion, Jesus, and Dionysus. Female examples include Inanna/Ishtar, Persephone, and Bari.”
“… Some gods who die are also seen as either returning or bringing about life in some other form, in many cases associated with a vegetation deity related to a staple.”
“The very existence of the category “dying-and-rising-god” was debated throughout the 20th century, and the soundness of the category was widely questioned, given that many of the proposed gods did not return in a permanent sense as the same deity. By the end of the 20th century, scholarly consensus had formed against the reasoning used to suggest the category, and it was generally considered inappropriate from a historical perspective.”-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying-and-rising_god
To understand the roots of this apparent conflict with acceptance of terms, however, I think it helps to understand the meaning of the term “Paganism” in general:
“Christianity itself has been perceived at times as a form of polytheism by followers of the other Abrahamic religions because of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity (which at first glance might suggest Tritheism, or the celebration of pagan feast days and other practices – through a process described as “baptizing” or “Christianization”. Even between Christians there have been similar charges of idolatry levelled, especially by Protestants, towards the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches for their veneration of the saints and images. Some scholars think that the essential doctrines of Christianity have been influenced by pre-Christianity, paganism, or European occults-”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism
“The Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung argued that archetypal processes such as death and resurrection were part of the “trans-personal symbolism” of the collective unconscious, and could be utilized in the task of psychological integration. He also proposed that the myths of the pagan gods who symbolically died and resurrected foreshadowed Christ’s literal/physical death and resurrection.”-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism
Hi dear Maria,
You always provide me wonderful and interesting information… In this particular case linked to the category called “dying-and-rising-god” and its evolution when it comes to Compared Mythology…
Interesting fact that you highlighted Jesus as one of the main examples here… Also It is absolutely pertinent to bring the concept of paganism into the spotlight… Mainly because before being an Official well stated religion Christianity was somehow intertwined with “pagan roots”… Nowadays, we would call them non-denominational Christians ,
Thank you very much for dropping by. All my best wishes to you,
Aquileana 😛
Hello Maria,
Thank you very much for highlighting Carl Jung’ s idea regarding death and resurrection as being archetypes , hence linked to the collective unconscious,
Also it is an interesting fact that again the myths of the pagan gods -who symbolically died and resurrected- seemed to foreshadow Christ’s itinerary of death and resurrection!.
I wish you have a great day ahead. Best wishes,
Aquileana 😀
I’m so glad you didn’t misinterpret me, as it’s so difficult to understand “paganism” in itself. Another one is “pantheism”:
Some Eastern religions are considered to be pantheistically inclined, such as Buddhism.
“The first known use of the term pantheism was by the English mathematician Joseph Raphson in his work De spatio reali, written in Latin and published in 1697. In “De spatio real”, Raphson begins with a distinction between atheistic ‘panhylists’ (from the Greek roots pan, “all”, and hyle, “matter”), who believe everything is matter, and ‘pantheists’ who believe in “a certain universal substance, material as well as intelligent, that fashions all things that exist out of its own essence.” Raphson found the universe to be immeasurable in respect to a human’s capacity of understanding, and believed that humans would never be able to comprehend it. The Catholic church regarded pantheistic ideas as heresy. Giordano Bruno, an Italian monk who evangelized about an immanent and infinite God, was burned at the stake in 1600 by the Catholic Church. He has since become known as a celebrated pantheist and martyr of science. Bruno influenced many later thinkers including Baruch Spinoza, whose Ethics, finished in 1675, was the major source from which pantheism spread
Pantheism was popularized in the West as both a theology and philosophy based on the work of the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose book Ethics was an answer to Descartes’ famous dualist theory that the body and spirit are separate. Spinoza held the monist view that the two are the same, and monism is a fundamental part of his philosophy. He was described as a “God-intoxicated man,” and used the word God to describe the unity of all substance. Although the term pantheism was not coined until after his death, Spinoza is regarded as its most celebrated advocate….the 19th century pantheism was the theological viewpoint of many leading writers and philosophers, attracting figures such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge in Britain; Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in Germany; and Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau in the United States. Seen as a growing threat by the Vatican, it came under attack 1862 in the Syllabus of Errors of Pius IX….The American philosopher Charles Hartshorne used the term Classical Pantheism to describe the deterministic philosophies of Baruch Spinoza, the Stoics, and other like-minded figures. Pantheism (All-is-God) is often associated with monism (All-is-One) and some have suggested that it logically implies determinism (All-is-Now). Albert Einstein explained theological determinism by stating, “the past, present, and future are an ‘illusion'”. This form of pantheism has been referred to as “extreme monism”, in which – in the words of one commentator – “God decides or determines everything, including our supposed decisions.” Other examples of determinism-inclined pantheisms include those of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism
Some scholars believe both Einstein and Abraham Lincoln held Pantheistic philosophical point of views.
Hi Maria…
As I read your comment I noticed I hadn’t put the description on that painting by de Court… So thanks for mention it as that way I could fix it too!..
It is the first time I heard of enameling painting..
You are right when you highlight the striking lights and contrasts of colors… This style is powerful when it comes to showing details I think!.
I really appreciate you have added these notes over here regarding enameling…
All the very best to you, Aquileana 😛
There is not much known about this painter, except that he ran a workshop at Limoges, France, and that he served as official portrait painter to the monarchs of Scotland and France, but his way of initialing his works apparently have caused confusion.
Any thoughts on why and incestuous union, created through deception, would create an Adonis? Anything symbolic there?
Well I would say that as Myhrra was transformed into a tree (Myhrr) the incestuous affair was punished there…
Adonis was a symbol of Fertility (death and rebirth) and of everlasting Beauty…
There is a clear connection with the growth and death of vegetation through the story of Adonis, as he is a symbol of an annually-renewed, ever-youthful vegetation god.
Besides, he also had his punishment, as he was castrated by a wild boar. He died and was resurrected, but strictly speaking, he wouldn’t be able to have sons or daughters.
Thanks for dropping by… I much appreciated it!.
Best wishes, Aquileana 😛
Thanks @broadblogs for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 🙂
I love all the wonderful information you post here. I also love all the lovely images you post here. I will return to read everything properly when it is not so busy for me. Thanks for your interesting posts!
Thanks a lot for dropping by dear Sweet.
Great to know that you enjoyed the reading and liked the images!!!
All the very best to you, always,
Aquileana 😀
Dear friend Aquileana, now I know who is Adonis, very impressive Greek history, fantastic!
Thank you very much for dropping by and taking time to read and comment dear Passion Dew… I am glad to know that you enjoyed this post!…
Have a great friday and weekend ahead. Best wishes. Aquileana 😛
Thanks @linneatanner for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
Sad story indeed even if he was made immortal in the end,xx Rachel
Hi Rachel… You are right!… I nod in agreement with you… Sigh!.
Best wishes and happy weekend ahead to you,
Aquileana 😀
Very well explained – and yes it IS in depth as you had told me when you were writing it (I agree!). I particularly liked the part about Myrrha being transformed into the myrrh tree as I had not heard that part before. And if I were a tree then I would shelter you from any hurt, AP! My branches would keep you cool from the sun and provide you with apples from it too ((BOOM)). Excellent writing as always, BGP!!
HUGS for Friday,
Love Chris
Hi Christy/Pie,
Thanks for your thoughtful words… I appreciate them very much as they come from YOU… If you were a tree, you would be a tall one, one of those which tend to “tree reach for the sun”..
And as you know… I would never hold you down… I bet you will get the hidden meanings over here! 🙂
Wishing you a great weekend ahead, best wishes BGP,
Aquileana 🙂
Thanks @christybis for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😀
I am back in Canada and looking forward to catching up on your wonderful posts! Many hugs…
Thank you very much, dear Rebecca…
Glad that you are back and hope to catch up with your posts too…
Hugs and best wishes for you!, Aquileana 😛
Hugs coming back across the cable wires…
Thanks @ChasingArt for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😀
BELLA HISTORIA Y EXTRAÑA A LA VEZ, DADO QUE SEGUN LA MITOLOGIA GRIEGA NO EXIXTIA ESA AVERGONZANTE SITUACION DEL AMOR DE UNA HIJA HACIA SU PADRE, HAY MUCHO EJEMPLOS ENTRE LOS PROPIOS DIOSES Y LOS HUMANOS, POR ESO ME PARECE LA GRAN EXCEPCION EN ESE MUNDO, NO CONOCIA LA HISTORIA DE MIRRA Y ME HA GUSTADO, UN SALUDO CORDIAL
Hola Lambertus, Me alegro mucho de que te haya gustado el mito de Mirra, la madre de Adonis, quien fue a la vez hijo y nieto de su padre/abuelo
Un abrazo, Aquileana 🙂
It’s less confusing to read this post after having some knowledge of Myrrha , Adonis, Aphrodite and Persephone from your previous posts. I’m definitely making progress!
Myrrha’s tragic story is quite disturbing. Some daughters do have a crush on their father, but to be attracted sexually to her own father to such a degree that she contemplated suicide must have been terrible. The nurse helped Juliet to meet Romeo, but here the nurse led Myhrra into incest. Perhaps the nurse should have been punished too!
I found on Google that though Myrrha abandoned her human feelings when she was transformed into a myrrh tree, “she still mourns her tragic fate and her tears, being the drops oozing from the tree’s bark, are today known as myrrh.”
Thank you again for a well-researched post with a great selection of artwork.
It such a joy to visit your blog, Aquileana.
Have a lovely Sunday! Cheers 🙂 Irina
Hi dear Irina,
Thank you very much for taking time to read in depth and for your consequent analysis…
You are right when you highlight that Myrrha’s myth is certainly disturbing…
And the counterpoint between the nurse’s role in this myth and in Shakespeare ‘s play Romeo and Juliet is perfectly indicated by you.
As to Myrrha, you are right she abandoned her human feelings when she was transformed into a tree … Although according to the story, she still mourns her tragic fate…
I think that, in this sense, the most relevant reason here is her own feeling of Guilt…
It is very sad, tragic and poignant myth, isn’t it?
I am truly grateful to read your comment today.
Best wishes and happy Sunday to you (it is just midday saturday here), Aquileana 😛
Yes, you’re right, Aquileana, she must have felt very guilty. I just followed your link to read about the Electra complex. We humans are complex beings.
Have a great week! 🙂 Irina
Thank you dear Irina… I hope you have enjoyed the psychoanalytic reading regarding the Electra Complex.
Wishing youy a great week ahead, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @kookadim for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😀
A very interesting article on the origins of Adonis and the consequences of incest as the ancient Greeks saw it. Enjoyed this read.
Vijay
Hi Vijay, Thanks a bunch for dropping by … I am pleased to know that you found this post interesting.
Have a great week ahead, Best wishes, Aquileana 😀
Cheers!! 🙂
Bonsoir
Coucou me voilà
Je me suis dit
Pourquoi ne pas lui faire un petit coucou
Un petit coucou sans cérémonie
Un petit coucou de joie
Un petit coucou d’amitié
Un petit coucou de fleurs
Bien me voici, me voilà
Un petit coucou pour toi,
simplement parce que je pensais à toi
Agréable dimanche
Belle semaine à venir
Bisous
BERNARD
Quel beau message et image, Bernard…
Merci beaucoup. Mes meilleurs voeux pour toi, Aquileana 😀
(✿◠‿◠)..Sa ai o seara plina de tandrete si iubire
…sa poti simti frumusetea vietii, cu toata fiinta– Have an evening full of tenderness and love
… you can feel the beauty of life, the whole being…♡◕ ‿ ◕♡
Hi dear Ileana!,
Thank you very mcuh for sharing those beautiful words and images with me.. I love them. ❤
Best wishes to you and happy week ahead, Aquileana 😀
Interesting work, Aquileana, I love it…
Thanks a lot for dropping by dear Leyla… Great to know that you liked the post.
Best wishes and hugs, Aquileana 😀
Hi my friend,
You know my thursdays are booked! Well, for your blog.. I love what you write, full of information and myths. There is a whole lot of things to explore in greek mythology from your eyes! As always, wonderful. Love the last section specifically (those are great facts!!). Cheers!
Be Bettr, Stay Bettr! 🙂
Hi Swetank,
thank you very much… I am truly glad to know that you enjoyed these myths and the hidden symbolism beneath them.
Always a pleasure to read your comments.
All the very best to you, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @IamSwetank for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
You’re welcome! Hope you visit and support back my friend 🙂 ! have a great day XOXO
Be Bettr, Stay Bettr! 🙂
Swetank.
Hi Swetank,
I already visited you at your blog…
Great updates!. Best wishes and see you around,
Aquileana 😛
I hope you have a great time, visiting Being Bettr!! Looking forward to hear more from you my friend!! How was your day?
Be Bettr, Stay Bettr!
Swetank.
All fine over here, dear Swetank… I want to congratulate you on your interesting updates at your blog.
I always find cool stuff over there.
Wishing you a great day, Aquileana 😛
Good to hear, that you are fine my friend! .. I appreciate your words truly by my heart. Thank you!! Wishing you an awesome evening! 🙂
Be Bettr, Stay Bettr! 🙂
Swetank.
Einen wunderschönen Sonntag wünsche ich wieder alles gut beschrieben schöner Text und Bilder ist immer sehr gut deine Seite,War gestern etwas Wandern endlich haben wir mal schönes Wetter in Köln.Liebe Grüße noch von mir Gislinde
Ich danke Ihnen sehr für die schönen Worte, Gislinde.
Perfekter Sonntag und tolle Woche für Sie.
Gut, dass Sie genießen Sie den Tag dort ❤
Eine Umarmung, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @OlgaNM7 for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
POSTULACIÓN PREMIOS DARDOS
Te he postulado. Tu blog es muy interesante y merece honores.
http://jagxs.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/nominacion-premio-dardos/
Muchas gracias por el reconocimiento.
Un abrazo, Aquileana 😛
Un abrazo para ti. Bendición.
Mi querida Aquileana:
Dejo que las historias maceren en mi mente. Estos mitos plantean tantas aristas, tantas jugosas interpretaciones que no me extraña sirvan de base para el andamiaje psicoanalítico.
En nuestra cultura occidental en la cual el incesto es tabú, esta transgresión merece-implica-necesita un castigo en Mirra. Con bastante saña, éste se propaga a su descendiente Adonis por vía de castración. Un círculo que se cierra mientras atraviesa sucesivamente, Luz-Oscuridad, Vida-Muerte.
No puedo menos que resaltar que la belleza de Afrodita no iba acompañada de buen tino y sensatez, casi como algún personajillo actual. 😀
Una entrada magnífica como siempre. 🙂
Un beso de nueva semana, V. 😛
Hola V,
Me encantan tus comentarios porque tienden a resaltar los puntos principales del post y a analizarlos con agudeza.
Destaco tus reflexiones sobre el tabú del incesto y sus proyecciones vía la castración (del hijo y por parte de una figura paterna: y concretamente en este caso por Zeus, o otras figuras allegadas al Superyo, sobre Adonis)…
En cuanto al tema de la Belleza de Afrodita, estoy con vos en tus observaciones sobre la relatividad de la misma y su correlato en varias mundanas figurillas en la actualidad.
Un abrazo, amiga y espero que tengas una muy buena semana,
Aquileana 😀
Danke dir für deinen schönen Worte ja ich fotografiere gerne und es macht immer wieder Freude viele Grüße Klaus
Ich danke Ihnen sehr für die schönen Worte, Klaus 😛
Viele Grüße, Aquileana 😀
I love the way you bring all the art and background together and weave an exciting story. Always a pleasure to visit you and catch up. Cheers, Brenda
Thank you very much for taking time to read and comment dear Brenda.
Great to know that you liked this post…
All the very best to you, Aquileana 😀
I love your Aphrodite stories. She’s one of my favorites of the Goddesses. 🙂
Thank you very much dear Brenda. Wishing you a great day ahead! ❤
Aquileana 😀
A really interesting text ! 🙂
Thank you very much for dropping by… I am pleased to know that you liked the post!,
best wishes, Aquileana 😀
Bonjour Aquileana, je parcoure ton magnifique blog et je tiens à te féliciter pour son superbe contenu aussi bien les textes que les photos. J’ai cliqué sur la traduction françaises. Ton blog est très intéressant. Merci.
Belle fin de journée.
Salut Denise,
Merci beaucoup de visiter. Cela signifie beaucoup pour moi 🙂
J’espère que les futures traduction soient relativement bonnes!…
Je suis heureuse de t’ avoir par ici.
Bonne journée pour toi!, Aquileana 😀
¡Hola! (Lo dejo en una de mis entradas favoritas) 😀
Quería darte una noticia:
¡Te he nominado para el PREMIO DARDOS!
Porque me encanta tu blog, por tu creatividad y originalidad expresada a través de las palabras, imágenes, etc…
Puedes revisar mi entrada en:
http://emocionesencadenadas.wordpress.com/2014/09/09/bremarila-relanzo-el-dardo/
¡Nos leemos!
Un saludo,
Gema Albornoz
Muchas gracias por el reconcimiento. Es un honor, realmente.
Un abrazo, Aquileana 😀
Interesting. I’d never heard of Myrrha before this.
Thank you very much dear Julie… I am really glad to know that you learnt new facts on Greek Mythology.
Best wishes, Aquileana 😀
Thank you Aquileana! Great post with a lot of work behind it.
I read it last night, but there is so much to the story that I had to read it again with a fresh brain. “lol”
The idea of Myrrha tricking her father into sex is as sensational as any R-rated movie.
I find also through this post a better understanding of the Electra and Oedipus Complexes.
Again, thank you and be well!
_Resa
Hi dear Resa,
I love your comment, particularly the R-rated movie digression regarding Myrrha and his father on bed…
Great to know that you found new information over here.
Thank you very much for dropping by. Best wishes to you, Aquileana 😀
😀 😀
Aquileana, you know I am always so fascinated by these revelations of Myths within these interwoven stories of lust, treachery, jealous rages etc… . It does not surprise me about this latest story here..
I agree with you about the Fall… So many portray the woman as being the one who was the wrong doer!.. I had never come across this rendition of this story before… And had not even heard of the Myrrh tree .. I really must seem quite ill educated to you.. LOL 🙂 and I was haha…. Reading writing and arithmetic, the three R;s lol.. With a little History and Science, Lots of practical Home Craft skills, in those days 🙂 … But I am so enjoying your posts..
Its late and I know I have others here on your blog to catch up on.. and I do like to absorb them,.. SO I will say good night for tonight and hope to be back Very soon… 🙂 as I catch up bit by bit with every one.. Hugs to you Love Sue xxx
Hi Sue.
Thank you very much for dropping by.
It is interesting that you have highlighted the hero’ stage called The Fall and linked it to women as their roles in myths in this case.
I also find that the weight of Guilt here have been Myrrha’s major punishment … Of course, she was later on transformed into a myrrh tree, but I think that her own bad conscience after having sexual relationships with his father was an ever worst punishment for her.
As regard to your crafts, callings and or similar, you are truly talented and a brightful human being. I wanted to thank you for your post and for spreading light and inSpiration!.
Many hugs, Aquileana 😀
Bless you Aquileana.. you have no idea how much I so admire you! and your knowledge of such mystical myths of by-gone times.. I hope you teach! for you have a wonderful way of holding my attention,.. If I were to read this info from a text book I would have never have got past the few few pages.. Here you bring them to life, as you also explain their stories, histories and the reasoning’s behind their actions..giving your own interpretation .. I love reading…. Thank you.. xox 🙂
Hi dear Sue, Your words back to me mean a lot to me… ❤
You made my day (I can say it in advance as it is still early here!)
I much appreciate your comment and support.
Sending you many hugs and much love, Aquileana 😀
Fascinating stuff Aquileana. I always feel smarter for having read your posts. 😉
Woot! 🙂 Thanks a lot for that wonderful comment, dear Kourt!.
I’ll visit you soon, okay… Hope you have a great day ahead, Aquileana 😀
Reblogged this on eolo and commented:
Excelente
Muchas gracias por reblogear este post, querida Teresa. Un abrazo, Aquileana 😛
😀 siempre me haces sonreír… gracias a ti
Un abrazo grande ❤ Aquileana 😛
❤
Goddesses will be Goddesses! Great presentation! ❤
Hi Sindy… I have tried at least three times to add a comment in your latest post (which I truly loved)
This was meant to be my comment there (I wonder why I can’t post it)
______
Hi dear Sindy,
This one is certainly a deep and truly interesting post…
I enjoyed it very much . Particularly the musings regarding Matter as a perceptual division of the vacuum itself… Which, although informs space.
Pascal’s approach is interesting…
In my opinion, Kant was clever when he held that Time and Space were pure intuitions of our faculty of sensibility, thus not objective. As you have well said: “The vacuum creates us, but we inform the vacuum. We are interacting with the structure of the vacuum over and over again”..
Thanks for sharing… Best wishes to you, Aquileana 🙂
_____
Let me know if you don’t get them as spam or something… I leave the comment here so that way you don’t miss it … And if you tell me how I post it at your blog. All the best to you, Aquileana 😀
Hey sister! There has been trouble in the force, weird technical glitches everywhere. Thanks! My computer is sick, and at hospital. I am at school. I will catch up when the world rights itself. So much love!
Sindy
Hi Sister Sindy!…
Okay then … I thought so… It is bad when glichtes come across our ways, isn’t it… Anyway, I hope you get it all fixed as soon as possible… Sending you hugs for your weekend. All the very best to you, Aquileana 😀
Bonjour ou bonsoir
Nous voici déjà au milieu de semaine
Je te dis Que !!!!
Dans chaque cœur on a un petit tiroir secret
ou l’on cache ses petits bonheurs
Dans le mien brille une petite étincelle
qui est ton amitié
A l’intérieur de mon cœur
Se trouve un monde de tendresse
rempli de bonheur
J’y enfouie tes mots plein de chaleur
par ta gentillesse quand je viens lire tes écris
Ceux-ci sont pour moi un rayon de soleil
je te souhaite une agréable soirée
Belle fin de semaine ,bisous
Bernard
Salut Bernard, Je te remercie pour tes merveilleuses paroles…
Vraiement… Si poetique!!!…
J’ aime bien le petit ours et j”espère que tu aies un douce et belle fin de semaine. Bons voeux, Aquileana 😀
Hola! Me complace informarte que te he nominado a los Premios Dardos. Aqui la entrada: http://laimagendelespejo.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/nuevas-nominaciones/
Mil gracias por el reconocimiento.
Un abrazo y lo mejor para vos, Aquileana 😀
More fascinating stories and images – I particularly like the sculpture of the boar because you can really sense the animal’s energy. Amazing to make the stone alive like that.
And poor Adonis – his dad was his granddad and his mum was a tree! Enough to mess up any kid, surely?!
Thanks for sharing all this 🙂
Your comment is so ready-witted… You are clever to unravel Adonis’ genealogy over here, dear Blake… Indeed to mess up amy kind as you have very well pointed out !!!.
All the very best to you. And I will visit your blog very soon!,
Aquileana 😀
Beautiful, well researched work Aquileana…so very well done and gripping. What a dark tale! 🙂 x
Thank you very much for dropping by. I am absolutely happy to read your words today.
Sending you all my best wishes, Aquileana 😛
Haiku to Persophene
Apples are great but
beware of Greeks bearing gifts
fruit can get you hitched
Thank you for another illuminating read Aquileana.
Great haiku dear Mike… You are truly marvelous…
Thank you very much for sharing. I am wishing you all the very best!, Aquileana 😛
A fascinating and almost complicated story. Certainly much more involved than just the average, ‘love triangle’ 🙂
You are right, dear D.G. There are certainly many layers in this myth and it is far more strange in its complexity than a strange “love triangle”
Thanks for dropping by. Happy sunday and week ahead to you, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @pokercubster for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
Dear Aquileana
What a fabulous post! So many of the stories do have parallels. The part where Myrrh falls in love or lust with her father is similar to Phaedra who falls in love with her husband’s son. The trials and tribulations of erroneous love.
Wonderful to read 😀
grazie
Luciana
Buon pomeriggio cara Luciana.
I am truly pleased to read your comment!… And so happy to know that you enjoyed the reading!.
You are right regarding Phaedra… I will have to write about her in a future post.
Thanks for dropping by. Happy sunday and week ahead to you, Aquileana 😀
Thanks @ClucianaLuciana for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
[…] Aphrodite most notable lovers were the gods Ares (God of War. Roman equivalent: Mars), Dionysius, Greek God of Wine and Fertility, Hermes, (Greek God of herds and herald of the gods. Roman equivalent: Mercury), Zeus (King of Gods. Roman equivalent: Jupiter), Nerites (A young Sea-God who was the very first love of Aphrodite). Poseidon (Greek God of the Sea. Roman equivalent: Neptune), and the mortal, Adonis, who was Myhrra’son. […]
Hi there Aquileana, so informative and interesting. Greek mythology seems to have a thing about incest and then the guilt and suffering of the afflicted, afterwards.
You always work very hard on your posts and make sure you cover everything with an enthusiasm and dedication which is magnetic to those who read, they are superb.
Take care my friend, James 😀
Thanks @Supernova1c for sharing this post at Twitter,
Aquileana 😛
Hi James!… I love your comment and you are right when you point the effects and punishment appearing after incest… This one should have been studied by Sigmund Freud, don’t you think?
Thank you very much for dropping by Wishing you a great weekend ahead, Aquileana 😀
Amazing, I love this! I am working on writing a response to your email, and wanted to say you did great on the explanation at the end you struggled with!
The lore about Hades and the becoming a tree, reminds me so much of a recent poetry project I started at http://21shadesofblue.com/2014/10/11/the-seasoning-of-willow-elysia-part-1-1-3-of-21-by-me-the-lay-of-the-brown-rosary-part-1-1-3-of-21-by-elizabeth-barrett-browning/ where I make reference to a beverage made by Hades using a mixture of the underworld river Lethe (I referred to it as Leathean rivulets), a river that if drank from causes forgetfulness! I will have to look up the Lethe on your blog before I start working on the next part of the poem, to do my due diligence with my research! For some reason I am fixated on the Leathe and the underworld lately 🙂
Is it ok if in the next part of the poem, with a link to this post, I quote your saying what’s in quotes below?:
“There is a remarkable analogy between Adonis’ stay in both the Underworld and the World of the Living and Persephone’s myth, being also this Goddess one of the women (with Aphrodite) who raised Myrrha’s child, Adonis.
This is shown specifically by the fact that Persephone (Demeter’s virgin daughter) was abducted by Hades, King of the Underworld.
According to the myth, Hades planted a meadow full of the narcissus flowers in order to entice Persephone. When she pulled on the flower, the Underworld opened up and Hades sprang up, carrying her off.
Later on, he gave Persephone a pomegranate. As she ate it, the fruit somehow cemented her marriage to Hades. Thus, she was bound to Hades for six months of each year, winter and autumn.
Persephone was allowed by his husband to join her mother in the World of Living, but only when summer and springtime arrived.”
PS
I think you meant in the last line in the quote above, Persephone was allowed by her husband, not his husband, and I would want to change that if I quoted you!
Hi dear Ryan!.
I’ll start by the end …. I fixed the pronoun… That was a sort of distraction I guess. Like when I write feature instead of feature, loose instead of lose, etc.
I am happy to know that according to your parametres I did fine at the end and much appreciate you took time to read this post.
As to your poetry project, I am following the link leading to the underworld river Lethe. Hope to be able to get back to the earthly domains after that 😀
Sending you all my best wishes, always, Aquileana 😛
No problem 🙂
Liebe Aquileana wünsche dir einen schönen Start in dir neue Woche hertliche Grüße Klaus
Gute Woche für dich Klaus. Vielen Dank für den Kommentar ⭐
Viele Grüße, Aquileana 🙂
[…] first one features Myrrha, who was Adonis biological […]
[…] Love and Beauty, and Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, when both fell in love with the handsome Adonis. As a result of her decision, Adonis was to spend one-third of every year with each goddess and […]
[…] mother was Myrrha, the beautiful daughter of king […]
[…] fell in love with Hades, but Persephone, Hades’ wife became enraged with jealousy, turning Minthe into a crawling plant so Persephone […]
[…] Myrrha, the nurse, and Cinyras […]
[…] pomegranates on the tapestry are sacred to Persephone. They are a symbol of duty (because Persephone ate a pomegranate seed in the underworld which […]
In the ACTUAL tale, he WASN’T revived. And Zeus CAN’T even do that. Only Hades can. And I doubt he would that, for various reasons. Especially since, it goes against the rules of the underworld.
Thanks for joining in with your comment. Interesting, for sure. Best wishes ☀️👋