► “Greek Myths and Graffiti Murals”: “Collaboration With Resa McConaghy”:

►“Greek Myths and Graffiti Murals”: “Collaboration With Resa McConaghy”⭐:

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⇒About This Post. Abstract:

The following article is composed of two sections, each one of them including murals from Argentina and Canada, respectively. This post aims to analyze with a with a free, but still judiciously, well-founded criteria how certain mythological greek themes and characters might be recurrent, despite time and even against it.

As Resa and I found some graffitis which seemed to have mythological and even philosophical equivalents we decided we wanted to try to show those connections. Resa´s mural is from the University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada) whilst mine are from The Planetarium (Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina). With that being said, we just wanted to say that, after finding many similarities, we are quite pleased with the outcome. Both of, Resa and I believe the convergences are striking. And being so, they broaden and deepen the value of the immortal Ancient Greek Legacy.

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⇒Section I. Murals: The Planetarium:🇦🇷

The Galileo Galilei planetarium, commonly known as Planetario, is located in Parque Tres de Febrero in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The building was officially opened to the public on April 5, 1968. It consists of a cylindrical framework with independent projectors for the Moon, the Sun and the visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) and two spheres in the extremes that project 8,900 stars, constellations and nebulas.

Nowadays the Planetarium is surrounded by a thin sheet metal with many murals on it. We´ll present here some of them, aiming to find mythological  and philosophical corollaries.

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⇒Eros and Psyche… And the Planetarium above them!:

 

This graffiti is quite the finding. It is based on an original painting “The abduction of Psyche” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1894). 

The artist included a Planetarium above the couple.

 

According to the greek myth Aphrodite was jealous due to men’s admiration for Psyche, so she asked her son, Eros, to poison men’ souls in order to kill off their desire for Psyche. But Eros fell in love with Psyche. Thus, against his mother´s wishes, he asked the west wind, Zephyr, to waft her to his palace.

They consummated their love that same night. But for that Eros had to make Psyche believe that he was an ugly beast, as the Oracle had told her parents that Psyche would marry an ugly beast whose face she would never be able to see. And apparently she firmly believed so!…

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⇒The Horned goat with human hands:

 

This mural with goat head and human hands might remind us of the constellation Capricornus .

Its name is Latin for “horned goat” or “goat horn” or “having horns like a goat’s”.

This constellation protected by Hestia, represents Pan, the god of the wild and shepherds. The myth tells us that, in order to escape Typhon, Pan cast himself into the river, making the lower part of his body look like a fish, and the rest a goat: Zeus, admiring his shrewdness, put this shape among the constellations .

However, in this mural, we lack of the sea elements… But the resemblance between hands and fins couldn´t go unnoticed, either way.

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⇒The Bull Surrounded by Snakes:

This mural seem to evoke the Great Greek Bull. It could be linked to the Minotaur.

 

According to the respective myth, after Pasiphae (the daughter of Helios, the Sun, by the eldest of the Oceanids Perse) become impregnated by a white bull, she gave birth to a sort of hybrid child, the bull-headed Minotaur.

 

Angered with his wife, Minos imprisoned the minotaur in the labyrinth of Crete in Knossos. Presumably, Minos was one of the three sons from the union of Europa and Zeus; when Zeus was in the form of a bull.

As to snakes, let´s remember the rod of Asclepius, God of Medicine and Apollo´s son. It symbolizes the healing arts by combining the serpent, which in shedding its skin is a symbol of rebirth and fertility. The Asclepius Wand, often confused with the Caduceus wand of Hermes, is the symbol of the medical profession.

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Cultic snake belonging to the god of healing Asclepius.

Statue of Asclepius with snake. 250 BC.

Pasiphae, the Mother of the Minotaur.

Roman Caduceus. 2nd century.

The Minotaur, in Greek Mythology, a monster with the body of a man and the head and tail of a bull.-

“The Passions of Pasiphae, wife of King Minos of Crete, from the Story of Theseus” by Master of the Campana Cassoni (1510).-

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⇒Tiempo- Time:

 

The words on this mural mean: Time.
But what is exactly time. St Augustine of Hippo says in his “Confessions”: “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know”… Time is such an elusive concept, indeed!.

In Greek mythology, Chronos was the personification of time, not to be confused with Cronus, the Titan and father of Zeus.
The Greeks had two different words for time: Chronos refers to numeric or chronological time, while another word kairos refers to the more qualitative concept of the right or opportune moment. The figure of Chronos was typically portrayed as a wise old man with a long grey beard: Father Time.
Furthermore, the Horae or Hours were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural flow of time, generally portrayed as personifications of nature in its different seasonal aspects, and with the cycle of the seasons themselves symbolically described as the dance of the Horae.

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Detail of an attic vase, depicting the Three Horae (Seasons). Period: Late Archaic (500 BC).

Ouroboros.

“Apollo and the Hours” by Georg Friedrich Kersting (1822).

“Chronos and his child” by Giovanni F. Romanelli, a 17th century depiction of Titan Cronus as “Father Time”.

Father Time and Baby New Year from Frolic & Fun, 1897.

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⇒Number 8. Toward Infinity… and beyond!:

This mural is certainly esoteric. The eyes, placed in circular shape, surround the central number eight (8).

Eight (8) is the Number of the perfection, the infinity. In mathematics the symbol of the infinity is represented by a 8 laid down.

The Pythagoreans believed that number 8 was the symbol of love and friendship, prudence and rational thinking. . It was the Pythagoreans who held that there are in man eight organs of knowledge; sense, fantasy, art, opinion, prudence, science, wisdom, and mind.

The person who actually introduced the infinity symbol was John Wallis, in 1655. This symbol is sometimes called the Lemniscate. It presumably evolved from the Etruscan numeral for 1000, which looked like this: CIƆ. There is another theory that he actually derived the infinity symbol from omega (ω), the last letter of the Greek alphabet. 

Ouroboros.

The ouroboros symbol, showing a a snake twisted into a horizontal figure eight (8) and biting its own tail, is also said to be a most plausible basis for the infinity symbol because it is a fitting depiction of endlessness.

As to the eyes in this mural, we could think of the Eye of Providence Symbol (which appears in the USA dollar bill). It represents the eye of God, the singular divine power that has created the entire universe. The eye is most times enclosed in a triangle. At times, the Eye is also depicted as surrounded by clouds or bursts of light. Both of these images are representative of holiness and divine glory and so, here too, the symbol signifies that the Almighty is keeping a watchful eye on His creation.

The Eye of Providence Symbol.

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⇒Section II. Murals: University of Toronto: 🇨🇦

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The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the grounds that surround Queen’s Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King’s College. It comprises twelve colleges, each with substantial autonomy on financial and institutional affairs.

The mural in question is in an underpass that runs from Hart House Circle under Queen’s Park Crescent West to Wellesley Street. Resa came across this mural as she walked under Queen’s Park Crescent. She went by Hart House and exited using the King’s Park Circle. In the slide show below you can see some photographs of the location and buildings. The mural comes soon after!. 

About Resa Mc Conaghy:

Resa is a canadian artist, costume designer and author. 

She hosts two blogs: Graffiti Lux and Murals and Art Gowns.

You can find her version of this post here. Furthermore, Resa has written a book, “Nine Black Lives”, available on Amazon. Find Resa on Twitter, too!.

(Disclaimer: All murals photographs and photographs from University of Toronto were taken by Resa and featured on her blog Graffiti Lux and Murals. © Resa McConaghy. 2017). Please check out Resa´s post regarding this collaboration here.

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⇒Damarchus / Lycanthropeis or Werewolf Man-Wolf:

This graffiti could be linked to the Werewolf Man-wolf, or Lycanthropeis. Meaning, a mythological human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction.

A few references to men changing into wolves are found in Ancient Greek literature and mythology.

For instance, Herodotus, wrote that the Neuri, a tribe he places to the north-east of Scythia, were all transformed into wolves once every year for several days, and then changed back to their human shape. 

Furthermore, we have the story of Damarchus. He was a victorious Olympic boxer from Parrhasia (Arcadia) who is said to have changed his shape into that of a wolf at the festival of Lycaea, only to become a man again after ten years. The festival of Lycaea involved human sacrifice to Zeus. A young boy was killed and then consumed by one of the participants, in this case by Damarchus, and as a result Zeus would transform the cannibal into a wolf.

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On the Left: A man wearing a wolf-skin. Attic red-figure vase, c. 460 BC. On the Right: Zeus turning Lycaon into a wolf, engraving by Hendrik Goltzius. 16th century.

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⇒The Woman With an Extra Hand:

Following the hindu mythology pattern, according to which goddesses have many hands, we could conclude that having more than two hands is a mark of Divinity. Humans have two arms, so someone with multiple becomes special and out of the league. More hands at times also represents more strength.The multiplicity of hands also emphasizes the power and ability to perform several acts at the same time. 

As to number three, it represents the Holy Trinity. From a philosophical perspective, number  three is symbolic of the reconciliation of opposites, as with Hegel‘s dialectic: “thesis + antithesis = synthesis”.
Besides, it is both a lunar and a solar number.
The moon has three major phases – the two crescents and the full moon, while the sun has three primary points in its existence: the low winter solstice; the high summer solstice, and the two equinoxes of March and September.

⇒The Kholkikos Drakon or Colchian Dragon:

 

The Kholkikos Drakon or (Colchian Dragon) was the ever awake serpent that guarded the Golden Fleece in a grove sacred to Ares in Kolkhis. When the Argonauts came to aquire the Fleece, they had to get past it. There are two theories as towards how they past the Drakon, either Medea put the monster to sleep so Jason could grab the fleece while it slumbered or Jason slew it. There is also a belief that the monster swallowed Jason and then regurgitated him thanks to the power of Medea, so that Jason could then slay the beast. Different cultural traditions have portrayed dragons with reptilian or serpentine traits so that it may seem to resemble cobras, crocodiles or lizards. The word ‘dragon’ traces its origin in the Greek word ‘drakon’ that means a huge serpent or a giant sea fish.

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⇒Apollo (AKA previously Helios) and his Chariot:

Before Artemis became goddess of the moon, the Titaness Selene owned the Moon chariot, which she drove across the sky at night. Soon after, Artemis was the legatee of the carriage. In the same way, Apollo received the Chariot of the Sun, once Helios became identified with him.
Helios (Apollo), the Sun god, drives his chariot across the sky each day while Selene (Artemis) is also said to drive across the heavens. And, while the sun chariot has four horses, Selene´s (Artemis´) usually has two, described as “snow-white” by Ovid. 

As to the horse symbolism, it is often known as a solar symbol. Sometimes, horses are related to the sun, moon, and water. It acts as the mediator between Earth and Heaven. Horse symbolizes power, grace, beauty, nobility, strength, and freedom.

The woman looking at Apollo (former Helios) could be his twin sister, Artemis (Former Selene). Artemis was the Goddess of Hunting and of  Goddess of the Moon. In classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. Both Selene and Artemis were also associated with Hecate, and all three were regarded as Lunar Goddesses, although only Selene was considered a personification of the moon itself.

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►Links Post:

https://goo.gl/9M3yb1

https://goo.gl/25jrss

https://goo.gl/BN7KEA

https://goo.gl/N0hD0x

https://goo.gl/z0y3Mr

https://goo.gl/rhZkZj

https://goo.gl/As9dYy

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►Mythology: “Apollo”/ Poem: “Hymn to Apollo”, by Geofrey Crow (@GigglingStream) / “@Saltoalreverso #7”.-

“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.

Apollo was furthermore depicted as the God of Music. This is shown particularly on the Iliad, in which he appears delighting the immortal gods with his play on the phorminx during their repast. Besides, the Homeric bards derived their art of song either from Apollo or the Muses.

He was also considered a God related to the Foundation of Towns. His assistance in the building of Troy was very important, respecting his aid in raising the walls of Megara.

Medicine and healing  were associated with Apollo too, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son Asclepius.

Coronis was Apollo’s lover and Asclepius’ mother. She was a princess of the Thessalian kingdom of Phlegyantis. 

When she was pregant with his son, Coronis committed adultery with a man named Ischys (“the Mighty”).

Apollo knew it as he had commanded his divine messenger, the white  raven, to guard Coronis. When the raven brought news to Apollo of his lover’s infidelity, the god, angered at the bird, turned the raven’s white feathers black. Apollo killed Ischys and sent his sister, Artemis, to destroy her.

Apollo’s sister, Artemis, slew Coronis with her deadly arrows.

Whilst Coronis was burning on the pyre Apollo made sure to  remove his son (Asclepius) from her womb and he gave it to the Chiron, (son of Cronus, Zeus’ Father and God of time and the ages,  and the Oceanid Nymph, Philyra), who was as the eldest and wisest of the Centaurs, a tribe of half-horse men. 

Coronis was later placed amongst the stars as the constellation Corvus (“the Crow”).

 

In Hellenistic times, especially during the 3rd century BCE, as Apollo Helios he became identified among Greeks with Helios, God of the Sun, and his sister Artemis similarly equated with Selene, Goddess of the Moon.

Furthermore, the Horae could be related to the portions of time of the Day (twelve hours for the Ancient Greeks) These Horae oversaw the path of the Sun-God Helios (Apollo) as he travelled across the sky, dividing the day into its portions.

Apollo was worshipped throughout the Roman Empire. In the Celtic lands he was most often seen as a Healing and Sun God.

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

https://ledrakenoir.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/a-divine-day-as-apollon/

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/

https://ztevetevans.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/spirituality-the-raven-totem/

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And if you hear me, mighty god, with bow and distant eye,

but heed my voice of light turned dark, receive my weary cry!

You maker of contagion, you the master of the Muse,

set her singing through my clumsy mouth, and please do not refuse.

 

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You, the distant deadly archer

who rains his arrows on the earth,

who sees coming and departure

and who predicts both death and birth;

time sets for you no mystery,

dread harbinger of history,

who knows the subtle things that grow

in crowded towns or fields we sow.

You send us both the plagues that spread

and the uncertain art to heal;

what mysteries may you conceal,

unveiling only for the dead?

But let us know your hidden mind,

to see with courage what we find!

 

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With courage let us join in song,

in music, rise above.

A life so short and very long

we sing, and hope to love.

 

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Your flame, it burns our deepest hearts,

and each one fears it’s something wrong;

a boiling teapot sudden starts

to drown the heat in giving song.

Although it is a mark of shame,

a teapot is not much to blame.

And how much less should we be bad

to turn to song our feeling sad?

This music is your sweetest gift,

you gloried god of structured sound;

to you our song and voice resound,

in love and gratitude uplift.

For though it springs from snapping bone,

in music we are not alone.

 

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And if you hear us, mighty god, with bow and distant eye,

but heed this voice of light turned dark, receive our weary cry!

You maker of contagion, you the master of the Muse,

set her singing through our clumsy mouths, and please do not refuse.

~~~

©Copyright 2015. Geofrey Crow.-

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Geofrey Crow.-

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►🌟About Geofrey Crow 🌟

Geofrey dixit: I am an apprentice poet and fiction writer, working to learn the skill of turning life into words, and the even greater skill of turning words into life. I love pretty pictures, distant dreams, and silent sleep. More than anything else I am a lover of words, of the way words can bring us together and allow us, so briefly, to feel ourselves echoed in another’s thoughts. I write because literature can lift us out of ourselves, put us into another person’s mind, and, for a moment, reconcile us to our so solitary condition. If I can learn to do that, maybe in some small way I’ll have justified a part of my existence.

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•Make sure to visit Geofrey’s Blog, The Giggling Stream. 

•Feel Free to connect with Geofrey at: Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.

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►💫 Literary Magazine Salto Al Reverso #7  Is out! 💫  …

And my Brief Story “Otro Cortado” has been featured on Page 40.

►Ya está publicada la Séptima Edición de la Revista Salto Al Reverso …

Y, mi relato “Otro Cortado” ha sido publicado en la Página 40.

Revista Salto al reverso #7 (Click!).

Salto al Reverso #7. Click on the image above to Read. Hacer Click para leer.

Salto al Reverso #7. Click and Scroll down to page 40 to read my brief story. Hacer Click e ir a la página 40 para leer mi relato.

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►💫Quote Challenge💫 

My blogger friends Sylvester from Syl65’s Blog and Marlyn from Kintal have invited me for a so called 3-Day Quote Challenge.

The rules of the challenge are: ♠Post your favorite quotes or your own quotes for three (3) posts in a row. ♠Thank the person who nominated you. ♠Pass it on to three (3) other bloggers per quote, each time you post them. Or pass it to nine (9) bloggers if you choose to post all the quotes together, in the same post.

⚠ Note: I will post the three (3) quotes at once. Thus I will nominate nine (9) Bloggers. Also, I thought It would be fun to add those three quotes on personal photographs… So that’s what I did! 😀

My nominees for the Quote Challenge are: 1. Deanne’ s World 2. The Girl Has No Name 3. An Elephant Called Buddha 4. Mumbai Metro Mess 5. The Raven’s Nest 6. Mithai Mumblezz 7. Fiesta Estrellas 8. Before Sundown 9. Send Sunshine.

► 🌟Three Quotes, and some Old Photographs🌟

~(Featuring My Family and Me)~ Click on the images to read ~

“It is only with the passions of others that we are ever really familiar, and what we come to discover about our own can only be learned from them” [“Swann’s Way”. Marcel Proust]~

“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then”. [“Alice in Wonderland”. Lewis Carroll]~

“I call people rich when they’re able to meet the requirements of their imagination”. [“The Portrait of a Lady”. Henry James]~

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►💫 Last but not Least: “Three Awards”💫

I would like to thank  bloggers from Emmanuel Muema’s Blog, Don’t Cha Wanna Dream and Belinda Crane for nominating my blog for a Creative Blogger Award, and two  Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Awards, 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. ♠Add the logo to your post. ♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers of your choice and tell them about the nomination. 

•Notes:

-As always I am not answering questions. Hence, I will just nominate ten bloggers per award.

-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!.~ 💗💖💕

I. Nominees for the Creative Blogger Award: 1. Great Indie Authors 2. Debi Riley 3. A Blog Less Traveled 4. Travel Tales of Life 5. Nicodemas 6. UsefulSoul 7. Belinda Crane 8. Geo Kalpataru 9. Don’t Cha Wanna Dream 10. Badfish Out of Water.

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II. Nominees for the Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award (I): 1. Sacred Touches 2. Poetheart 3. Tales from the Fairies 4. Debbie Robson 5. Raine Fairy 6. Big Body Beautiful 7. Peaceful Warrior 8. Spicy Road 9. Of Opinions 10. Cappy Writes.

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III. Nominees for the Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award (II): 1. Scattered Thoughts 2. Le Carnet de Dame Catherine 3. LDG Luciledegodoy 4.  Loren Photography 5. Emmanuel Muema’s Blog 6. Annina Luck Wildermuth 7. Rosie Amber 8. No Wasted Ink 9. The Axis of Ego 10. Monica Byrne.

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June 2015.

June 2015.

June 2015.

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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).

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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.

★ ⭐ ⭐ ★ ⭐ ⭐ ★ ⭐

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Greek Mythology: “The Charites” (“The Three Graces”).-

►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 😀

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 Horae”.-

 ►Greek Mythology: “The Horae”:

“Apollo and the Hours” by Georg Friedrich Kersting (1822).

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The Horae were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time. 

They were originally the personifications of nature in its different seasonal aspects, but in later times they were regarded as goddesses of order in general and natural justice.

Pursuant to Homer, who neither mentions their parents nor their number, they are the Olympian divinities of the weather and the ministers of Zeus; and in this capacity they guard the doors of Olympus, and promote the fertility of the earth, by the various kinds of weather they send down. Thy were also the ones who discovered Aphrodite soon after her sea-foam birth and saved her.

The Horae are mentioned in two senses in Hesiod’s “Theogony” and the Homeric Hymns.

►First Triad: In one variant emphasizing their fruitful aspect, Thallo (Spring or new shoots), Auxo or Auxesia (Spring Growth, which equals to Summer), and Carpo (Autumn). 

These three Horae, (Thallo, Auxo and Carpo) were the daughters of Zeus and Themis. Thus they were also sisters of the Three Fates (or Moirai)

They were the goddesses of the three seasons the Greeks recognized: Spring (Thallo), Summer (Auxo) and Autumn (Carpo).

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Detail of an attic vase, depicting the Three Horae (Seasons). Period: Late Archaic (500 BC).

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As the Horae were conceived to promote the prosperity of every thing that grows, they appear also as the protectresses of youth.

Jane Ellen Harrison asserts the existence of female trinities, discusses the Horae as chronological symbols representing the phases of the Moon and goes on to equate the Horae with the Seasons, the Graces and the Fates and the three seasons of the ancient Greek year.

The Hora of Spring, Thallo, accompanied Persephone every year on her ascent from Hades’ Underworld to meet his mother Demeter. According to one of the Homeric Hymns, the attributes of spring-flowers, fragrance, and graceful freshness are accordingly transferred to the Horae; thus they adorned Aphrodite as she rose from the sea, made a garland of flowers for Pandora, and even inanimate things are described as deriving peculiar charms from the Horae. 

►Second Triad: In this variant, emphasising the “right order” aspect of the Horae. They were three Goddesses called Dike, Eunomia, and Eirene.

These three Horae were law-and-order goddesses that maintained the stability of society and were worshipped primarily in the cities of Athens, Argos and Olympia.

•Eunomia was the goddess of law and legislation. The same or a different goddess may have been a daughter of  Hermes and Aphrodite.

•Dike was he goddess of moral justice: she ruled over human justice, as her mother Themis ruled over divine justice. According to myths,  Zeus placed her on earth to keep mankind just, he quickly learned this was impossible and placed her next to him on Olympus, as the Greek constellation called The Maiden.

•Eirene was the personification of peace and wealth.

•Note regarding the number of Horae: The number of the Horae differs according to the sources, though the most ancient number seems to have been two (Thallo and Carpo). But afterwards their common number was three. 

Quintus Smyrnaeus makes Helios and Selene (the Sun and Moon) the parents of the Horae, goddesses of the seasons.

In this account of Helios’ myth, the Horae were the four handmaidens of Hera (Zeus’ wife). According to this version, their names were: Eiar (Spring), Theros (Summer), Phthinoporon (Autumn), and Cheimon (Winter).

Hyginus (Fab. 183) is in great confusion respecting the number and names of the Horae, as he mixes up the original names with surnames, and the designations of separate seasons or hours. In this manner he first makes out a list of ten Horae (Titanis, Auxo, Eunomia, Pherusa, Carpo, Dice, Euporia, Eirene, Orthosia, and Thallo), and a second of eleven (Auge, Anatole, Musia, Gymnasia, Nymphes, Mesembria, Sponde, Telete, Acme, Cypridos, Dysis). 

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►Villa Dar Buc Ammera (Rome): Mosaic depicting the Seasons:

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►In another different variant the Horae were not related with seasons but to the portions of time of the Day, twelve hours for the Ancient Greeks.

The ancient Greeks divided the hours of daylight into twelve portions, identified by the position of the sun in the sky. 

In this sense, the Twelve Horae were Goddesses of the hours of the day and perhaps also of the twelve months of the year.

These Horae oversaw the path of the Sun-God Helios as he travelled across the sky, dividing the day into its portions.

The Twelve Horae were not always clearly distinguishable from the Horae of the Seasons, who were also described as overseeing the path of the sun.

Their names were:

•Auge, first light.

•Anatole, sunrise.

•Mousika, the morning hour of music and study.

•Gymnastika, the morning hour of gymnastics/exercise.

•Nymph, the morning hour of ablutions (bathing, washing).

•Mesembria, noon.

•Sponde, libations poured after lunch.

•Elete, prayer, the first of the afternoon work hours.

•Akte, eating and pleasure, the second of the afternoon work hours.

•Hesperis, evening.

•Dysis, sunset.

•Arktos, night sky, constellation.

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“Apollo and the Continents. Details of Frescoes in the Würzburg Residenz (1751-53)
by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1752-53 ). Description: Apollo (Helios) has left his palace and is floating slowly downward, accompanied by two of the Horae, while the rising sun shines out behind him. Sun rising over the Earth, symbolized by the surrounding Continents. The sun appears as a life-giving force which determines the course of the days, months and years.

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►Two Paintings by Sandro Botticelli (1444/1510), featuring the Seasons (Greek Horae):

1)”The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli (1486):

“The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli (1486).

“The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli (1486). Detail. On the Right: One of the Greek Horae waits for Aphrodite with a flower covered robe .

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Description: The wind gods Boreas and Zephyrus waft the Goddess of Love to shore. There, one of the Horae, probably Thallo, who represented Spring, waits to receive Aphrodite (Venus) as she spreads out a flower covered robe in readiness for the Love Goddess’ arrival.

The picture hung in the country villa of the Medici along with “Primavera” (see painting below), indicating that the work was commissioned by the Medici family.

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2) “Primavera”, by Sandro Botticelli (1482):

“Primavera” by Sandro Botticelli (1482).

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Description: This painting depicts a tale from the fifth book of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” in which the wood nymph Chloris‘ charms attracted the first wind of Spring, Zephyr.

Zephyr pursued her and as she was ravished, flowers sprang from her mouth and she became transformed into Flora, goddess of flowers.

Aphrodite presides over the garden – an orange grove (a Medici symbol). She stands in front of the dark leaves of a myrtle, which was a sacred plant to her.  

According to Botticelli, the woman in the flowered dress is Primavera (a personification of Spring thus probably link to Thallo) whose companion is Flora.

The Three Graces accompanying her are being targeted by Eros (Cupid in Roman Mythology).

In Greek Mythology, the Three Graces represent beauty, joy and plenty.

They are usually shown holding hands, smiling at each other or dancing, forming a close-knit group.

Hermes, the Greek god of herds and herald of the gods, keeps the garden safe from threatening clouds. 

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“Primavera” by Sandro Botticelli (1482). Details. On the Left: Mercury (Hermes). On the Right: Chloris and Zephyrus.

“Primavera” by Sandro Botticelli (1482). Details. On The Left: Flora, the goddess of flowers. In the Middle: Venus (Aphrodite) standing in her arch. And according to Botticelli, The Goddess of Spring, which in Greek Mythology was one of the Horae: Thallo. On the Right: The Three Graces.

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Horai.html 

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horae 

http://www.greek-gods.info/ancient-greek-gods/horae/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primavera_(Painting)

http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Birth-of-Venus.html

http://noellevignola.com/2014/11/02/horae/ (Thoughts on the Horae By Noelle)

http://toritto.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/channeling-botticelli-2/  (A poem By Toritto)

http://www.livius.org/vi-vr/villa/villa_dar_bur_ammera_seasons.html

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►Worth Reading:

“A Great Post on Malala Yousafzai at When Women Inspire“:

I want to thank Christy Birmingham for letting me be part of her very special tribute to Malala Yousafzai… A girl who is an example of resistance and overcoming, who fights against extremism and inequality and who has recently become the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Please make sure to check out the post here: Spotlight on Women’s Rights Activist Malala Yousafzai

Malala Speaks out loud. Read the post here: http://whenwomeninspire.com/2014/10/24/malala-yousafzai-womens-activist/

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►Last but not Least: Challenge Workplace Blog Hop:

I have been invited for this Blog Hop by Kevin from Kev’s Blog and by Inese from Inesemjphotography.

The main idea here is to spot the place where you usually blog. It aims to give other bloggers a general overview on your blogger workspace (just to satisfy their curious minds)… 

So, with that purpose, I took some photos and attached them below. 

Finally I’d like to invite the following five bloggers to join the challenge. Of course, as all the blog challenges, this one is not compulsory either… 

1) Verónica from “En Humor Arte” 2) Irina from “Irina’s Poetry Corner” 3) Dulcinea from “Hodgepodge4thesoul” 4) Angie From “Family Life is More” 5) Francis from “Qhapaq”.

The rules are basically to spot your personal blogging space through a few photos, to link back to the blogger who invited you and to invite a bunch of bloggers to join you. Enjoy it!, Aquileana 😀

 

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