Greek Mythology: “Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge”.-

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

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

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.

But, according to Hesiod, she was a child of Erebus and Nyx. She has also been considered the daughter of Nyx alone.

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. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

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

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

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

►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

_____________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

►Last but not Least: Excellence Blog Award: 

Excellence Blog Award.-

_______________________________________________________________________________

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 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 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.

________________________________________________________________________________

►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

 ______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Read Full Post »

Greek Mythology: “The Erinyes” (The Furies) / Poetry: Verónica Boletta: “Three”.-

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

►Poetry: Verónica Boletta: “Three”:

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

_______________________________________________________________________________

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 her 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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________

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

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

_____________________________________________________________________________

►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▬▬▬▬▬▬●

___________________________________________________________________________

►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”.~

_____________________________________________________________________

Verónica Boletta.-

________________________________________________________________________

►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

________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Read Full Post »

Greek Mythology: “The Moirae” (“The Three Fates”).-

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

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

______________________________________________________________________________

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.

______________________________________________________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________________

►Gallery: “The Moirae”:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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

___________________________________________________________________________

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

(A sort of Card Poem, by Aquileana).

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

 _______________________________________________________________________________

►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}

____________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

►Last but not Least: One Lovely Blog Award: 

_______________________________________________________________________________

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.

_______________________________________________________________________________

►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.

★ ⭐ ⭐ ★ ⭐ ⭐ ★ ⭐

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Read Full Post »

Greek Mythology: “Eros, God of Love and Son of Goddess Aphrodite”.-

“Red-Figure Plate with Eros” by Ascoli Satriano (Dated 340-320 BC). Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eros was the Greek God of Love. His roman equivalent was Cupid.

In Hesiod’ s “Theogony” he is represented as a cosmic force which emerged self-born at the beginning of time to spur procreation.

Hesiod was making reference to the Protogenos (primordial deity) of procreation who emerged self-formed at the beginning of time. He was the driving force behind the generation of new life in the early cosmos.

According to Hesiod, Eros was the fourth god to come into existence, coming after Chaos, Gaia and Tartarus  (the Abyss or the Underworld).

The Orphic and Eleusinian Mysteries featured Eros as an original God, but not quite primordial, since he was one of the sons of Nyx.

The Orphics knew him as Phanes, a primal being hatched from the World Egg at creation. 

Hesiod also describes two love-gods, Eros and Himeros (Desire), accompanying Aphrodite at her birth from the sea-foam.

This second and later sense is related to Younger Eros, a boy-god armed with bow and arrows.

A minion who, according to Ovid, was son of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Beauty and Ares, the Greek God of War, whose love affair represented an allegory of Love and War.

Anteros was also the son of Ares and Aphrodite and therefore Eros’ brother.

Eros and Anteros were related to the notion of “Love returned”. But, originally, Anteros was a being opposed to Eros, and fighting against him. This conflict, however, was also conceived as the rivalry existing between two lovers, and Anteros accordingly punished those who did not return the love of others

Anteros, with Eros, was one of a host of winged love gods called Erotes, the ever-youthful winged gods of love, usually depicted as winged boys in the company of Aphrodite or her attendant goddesses.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Venus and Cupid” by Lambert Sustris (1560). In this painting, Venus (Aphrodite) is stroking some doves (her attributes) in the presence of her son Cupid (Eros) as she awaits his lover Mars (or Ares in the background, right) who is on his way to join her.

“Allegory with Venus, Mars, Cupid and Time”. by Guercino (1625). In this painting, winged Time points an accusing finger at baby Cupid, (Eros) held in a net that evokes the snare in which Venus (Aphrodite) and Mars (Ares) were caught by her betrayed husband Vulcan (hephasitos)

“Eros et Anteros” (ou “Deux Amours qui se battent”) by Alessandro Algardi. 17th century.

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________

►Eros, Greek God of Love: Attributes and Themes:

•Eros (Or Cupid), The Honey Thief: In “Idylls” of Theocritus (3rd century BC), the poet tells the tale of Cupid the honey thief, the child-god is stung by bees when he steals honey from their hive. He cries and runs to his mother, who laughs, and tells him that he also delivers the sting of love.

•Eros and the Dolphin: In later art, Eros is often shown riding a dolphin. This may be a symbol representing how swiftly love moves.

•Eros, the Blinfolded Minion: In the later satirical poets, he is represented as a blindfolded child, and this is a symbol of Love being blinkered and arbitrary.

•Eros, the winged boy: He is also described a winged boy. This may suggest that lovers are flighty and likely to change their minds. He is just a boy, because love is irrational.

•Eros’ symbols: The Arrow and the Torch: His symbols are the arrow and torch, because love is said to wound and inflame the heart”. 

According to Ovid, Cupid carries two kinds of arrows, one with a sharp golden point, and the other with a blunt tip of lead.

A person wounded by the golden arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire, but the one struck by the lead feels aversion and desires only to flee.

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Cupid, the Honey Thief” by Albrecht Dürer (1514).

“Cupid (Eros) complaining to Venus (Aphrodite)” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1525).

“Cupid riding a Dolphin” by Peter Paul Rubens (1636).

Mosaic: “Eros riding a dolphin”. Imperial Roman. (1st- 2nd Century). Eros rides across the sea on the back of a dolphin. He holds a whip in one hand, and a pair of reins in the other.

“Blindfolded, armed Cupid” by Piero della Francesca (1452/66).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

►Links Post:

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

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/eros.html 

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

 http://www.wga.hu/html_m/r/rubens/7graphic/14sketch.html

 http://gogreece.about.com/od/greekmythology/a/eros.htm 

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

http://mythologie-laverite.jimdo.com/ant%C3%A9ros/

http://hubpages.com/hub/Aphrodite-Goddess-of-Love

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read Full Post »