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Later this week, I'll be publishing a post at PassionateAboutTarot.com about combining Tarot with the myth of Icarus. I first heard of the myth in high school English class. I can't remember why we were learning it, but I do remember being shown Brueghel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" (see below) and just being haunted by the story. Here's a version of it from "Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable", published in 1855.
The labyrinth from which Theseus escaped by means of the clew of Ariadne, was built by Daedalus, a most skilful artificer. It was an edifice with numberless winding passages and turnings opening into one another, and seeming to have neither beginning nor end, like the river Maender, which returns on itself, and flows now onward, now backward, in its course to the sea. Daedalus built the labyrinth for King Minos, but afterwards lost the favor of the king, and was shut up in a tower. He contrived to make his escape from his prison, but could not leave the island by sea, as the king kept strict watch on all the vessels, and permitted none to sail without being carefully searched. "Minos may control the land and sea,:" said Daedalus, "but not the regions of the air. I will try that way." So he set to work to fabricate wings for himself and his young son Icarus. He wrought feathers together beginning with the smallest and adding larger, so as to form an increasing surface. The larger ones he secured with thread and the smaller with wax, and gave the whole a gentle curvature like the wings of a bird. Icarus, the boy, stood and looked on, sometimes running to gather up the feathers which the wind had blown away, and then handling the wax and working it over with his fingers, by his play impeding his father in his labors. When at last the work was done, the artist, waving his wings, found himself buoyed upward and hung suspended, poising himself on the beaten air. He next equipped his son in the same manner, and taught him how to fly, as a bird tempts her young ones from the lofty nest into the air. When all was prepared for flight, he said, "Icarus, my son, I charge you to keep at a moderate height, for if you fly too low the damp will clog your wings, and if too high the heat will melt them. Keep near me and you will be safe." While he gave him these instructions and fitted the wings to his shoulders, the face of the father was wet with tears, and his hands trembled. He kissed the boy, not knowing that it was for the last time. Then rising on his wings he flew off, encouraging him to follow, and looked back from his own flight to see how his son managed his wings. As they flew the ploughman stopped his work to gaze, and the shepherd learned on his staff and watched them, astonished at the sight, and thinking they were gods who could thus cleave the air.
They passed Samos and Delos on the left and Lebynthos on the right, when the boy, exulting in his career, began to leave the guidance of his companion and soar upward as if to reach heaven. The nearness of the blazing sun softened the wax which held the feathers together, and they came off. He fluttered with his arms, but no feathers remained to hold the air. While his mouth uttered cries to his father, it was submerged in the blue waters of the sea, which thenceforth was called by his name. His father cried, "Icarus, Icarus, where are you?" At last he saw the feathers floating on the water, and bitterly lamenting his own arts, he buried the body and called the land Icaria in memory of his child. Daedalus arrived safe in Sicily, where he built a temple to Apollo, and hung up his wings, an offering to the god.
I think Icarus is on the bottom right. You can see his legs sticking out of the water. "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" Painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (circa 1558). In the public domain.
If we look at the myth from the point of view of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, we can see the part he calls Atonement with the Father. Although the myth of Icarus isn't about a son searching for his father, we have a father who guides his son. He's both helper and destroyer because he creates the wings that can take Icarus above the sea but does so before Icarus is ready to handle them because of his own desire for freedom.
Daedalus fills the role of the enforcer of rules. In this case, the rules involve negotiating between getting too close to the sea and getting too close to the sun. Symbolically, we might see the sea as the unconscious. He tells Icarus that if he flies too low, too near the unconscious, damp will clog his wings. In other words, the messiness of the unconscious mind will keep him down.
If, however, he flies too high, the heat of the sun will melt his wings. According to Joseph Campbell, the sun symbolizes the doorway to spiritual knowledge (among other things). Atonement with the father involves tests to make sure the son is ready to receive that knowledge, and Icarus failed his test. If he would have passed, this would have led to a second birth where he matures and gains the spiritual knowledge the father has.
We can see Icarus as representing us too eager to gain spiritual knowledge. I read somewhere that at one of his lectures, Campbell was approached by a young woman. This was perhaps in the 70s or 80s. She told him that having to go through years of suffering to gain spiritual knowledge in middle age isn't how it's done now. Young people, she said, go straight into learning spiritual knowledge. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed.
If I were in my 20s, I'd probably insist that people my age could gain spiritual knowledge as well (yes, I thought I was "so" wise). But I'll be 43 next month, and I just can't accept that. I believe that the joy that comes from feeling the oneness of all that is comes from balancing what's unique about us with surrendering to a perhaps disturbing thought: that all of nature, including all human beings, are connected.
As an abuse survivor, I feel "very" uncomfortable with the thought that I'm connected spiritually to my abusers. Any of us can feel disturbed by the thought that honest people are connected to people who commit heinous crimes or believe things we just can't accept. It's enough to want to reject all this spirituality stuff!
I think of each person as a unique spark of the Divine. What's unique about each one of us is joyful, but not more joyful than what we contribute to the Universe (which means humans and the earth). Conversely, what we contribute to the earth or others isn't more joyful than what's unique about us. If you ask me, losing the (healthy) ego entirely is easier than balancing it with the joy of oneness.
Rachel Pollack in "Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom wrote that the 6 of Pentacles could symbolize what we're ready to receive. It seems to me that the doorway to flying at a moderate height is to recognize what we're ready to receive, feel good about that, and trust that if we keep making the effort to bring spiritual knowledge into our lives (whether through study or deed), we'll receive more of it, when we're ready.
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Artemis was worshipped by the Greeks under various appellations, to each of which belonged special characteristics. Thus she is known as the Arcadian, Ephesian and Brauronian Artemis, and also as Selene-Artemis, and in order fully to comprehend the worship of this divinity, we must consider her under each aspect.
ARCADIAN ARTEMIS
The Arcadian Artemis (the real Artemis of the Greeks) was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin-sister of Apollo. She was the goddess of Hunting and Chastity, and having obtained from her father permission to lead a life of celibacy, she ever remained a maiden-divinity. Artemis is the feminine counterpart of her brother, the glorious god of Light, and, like him, though she deals out destruction and sudden death to men and animals, she is also able to alleviate suffering and cure diseases. Like Apollo also, she is skilled in the use of the bow, but in a far more eminent degree, for in the character of Artemis, who devoted herself to the chase with passionate ardour, this becomes an all-distinguishing feature. Armed with her bow and quiver, and attended by her train of huntresses, who were nymphs of the woods and springs, she roamed over the mountains in pursuit of her favourite exercise, destroying in her course the wild animals of the forest. When the chase was ended, Artemis and her maidens loved to assemble in a shady grove, or on the banks of a favourite stream, where they joined in the merry song, or graceful dance, and made the hills resound with their joyous shouts.
As the type of purity and chastity, Artemis was especially venerated by young maidens, who, before marrying, sacrificed their hair to her. She was also the patroness of those vowed to celibacy, and punished severely any infringement of their obligation.
The huntress-goddess is represented as being a head taller than her attendant nymphs, and always appears as a youthful and slender maiden. Her features are beautiful, but wanting in gentleness of expression; her hair is gathered negligently into a knot at the back of her well-shaped head; and her figure, though somewhat masculine, is most graceful in its attitude and proportions. The short robe she wears, leaves her limbs free for the exercise of the chase, her devotion to which is indicated by the quiver which is slung over her shoulder, and the bow which she bears in her hand.
There are many famous statues of this divinity; but the most celebrated is that known as the Diana of Versailles, now in the Louvre, which forms a not unworthy companion to the Apollo-Belvedere of the Vatican. In this statue, the goddess appears in the act of rescuing a hunted deer from its pursuers, on whom she is turning with angry mien. One hand is laid protectingly on the head of the stag, whilst with the other she draws an arrow from the quiver which hangs over her shoulder.
Her attributes are the bow, quiver, and spear. The animals sacred to her are the hind, dog, bear, and wild boar.
Artemis promptly resented any disregard or neglect of her worship; a remarkable instance of this is shown in the story of the Calydonian boar-hunt, which is as follows:-
Oeneus, king of Calydon in AEtolia, had incurred the displeasure of Artemis by neglecting to include her in a general sacrifice to the gods which he had offered up, out of gratitude for a bountiful harvest. The goddess, enraged at this neglect, sent a wild boar of extraordinary size and prodigious strength, which destroyed the sprouting grain, laid waste the fields, and threatened the inhabitants with famine and death. At this juncture, Meleager, the brave son of Oeneus, returned from the Argonautic expedition, and finding his country ravaged by this dreadful scourge, entreated the assistance of all the celebrated heroes of the age to join him in hunting the ferocious monster. Among the most famous of those who responded to his call were Jason, Castor and Pollux, Idas and Lynceus, Peleus, Telamon, Admetus, Perithous, and Theseus. The brothers of Althea, wife of Oeneus, joined the hunters, and Meleager also enlisted into his service the fleet-footed huntress Atalanta.
The father of this maiden was Schoeneus, an Arcadian, who, disappointed at the birth of a daughter when he had particularly desired a son, had exposed her on the Parthenian Hill, where he left her to perish. Here she was nursed by a she-bear, and at last found by some hunters, who reared her, and gave her the name of Atalanta. As the maiden grew up, she became an ardent lover of the chase, and was alike distinguished for her beauty and courage. Though often wooed, she led a life of strict celibacy, an oracle having predicted that inevitable misfortune awaited her, should she give herself in marriage to any of her numerous suitors.
Many of the heroes objected to hunt in company with a maiden; but Meleager, who loved Atalanta, overcame their opposition, and the valiant band set out on their expedition. Atalanta was the first to wound the boar with her spear, but not before two of the heroes had met their death from his fierce tusks. After a long and desperate encounter, Meleager succeeded in killing the monster, and presented the head and hide to Atalanta, as trophies of the victory. The uncles of Meleager, however, forcibly took the hide from the maiden, claiming their right to the spoil as next of kin, if Meleager resigned it. Artemis, whose anger was still unappeased, caused a violent quarrel to arise between uncles and nephew, and, in the struggle which ensued, Meleager killed his mother's brothers, and then restored the hide to Atalanta. When Althea beheld the dead bodies of the slain heroes, her grief and anger knew no bounds. She swore to revenge the death of her brothers on her own son, and unfortunately for him, the instrument of vengeance lay ready to her hand.
At the birth of Meleager, the Moirae, or Fates, entered the house of Oeneus, and pointing to a piece of wood then burning on the hearth, declared that as soon as it was consumed the babe would surely die. On hearing this, Althea seized the brand, laid it up carefully in a chest, and henceforth preserved it as her most precious possession. But now, love for her son giving place to the resentment she felt against the murderer of her brothers, she threw the fatal brand into the devouring flames. As it consumed, the vigour of Meleager wasted away, and when it was reduced to ashes, he expired. Repenting too late the terrible effects of her rash deed, Althea, in remorse and despair, took away her own life.
The news of the courage and intrepidity displayed by Atalanta in the famous boar-hunt, being carried to the ears of her father, caused him to acknowledge his long-lost child. Urged by him to choose one of her numerous suitors, she consented to do so, but made it a condition that he alone, who could outstrip her in the race, should become her husband, whilst those she defeated should be put to death by her, with the lance which she bore in her hand. Thus many suitors had perished, for the maiden was unequalled for swiftness of foot, but at last a beautiful youth, named Hippomenes, who had vainly endeavoured to win her love by his assiduous attentions in the chase, ventured to enter the fatal lists. Knowing that only by stratagem could he hope to be successful, he obtained, by the help of Aphrodite, three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, which he threw down at intervals during his course. Atalanta, secure of victory, stooped to pick up the tempting fruit, and, in the meantime, Hippomenes arrived at the goal. He became the husband of the lovely Atalanta, but forgot, in his newly found happiness, the gratitude which he owed to Aphrodite, and the goddess withdrew her favour from the pair. Not long after, the prediction which foretold misfortune to Atalanta, in the event of her marriage, was verified, for she and her husband, having strayed unsanctioned into a sacred grove of Zeus, were both transformed into lions.
The trophies of the ever-memorable boar-hunt had been carried by Atalanta into Arcadia, and, for many centuries, the identical hide and enormous tusks of the Calydonian boar hung in the temple of Athene at Tegea. The tusks were afterwards conveyed to Rome, and shown there among other curiosities.
A forcible instance of the manner in which Artemis resented any intrusion on her retirement, is seen in the fate which befell the famous hunter Actaeon, who happening one day to see Artemis and her attendants bathing, imprudently ventured to approach the spot. The goddess, incensed at his audacity, sprinkled him with water, and transformed him into a stag, whereupon he was torn in pieces and devoured by his own dogs.
EPHESIAN ARTEMIS.
The Ephesian Artemis, known to us as "Diana of the Ephesians," was a very ancient Asiatic divinity of Persian origin called Metra, whose worship the Greek colonists found already established, when they first settled in Asia Minor, and whom they identified with their own Greek Artemis, though she really possessed but one single attribute in common with their home deity.
Metra was a twofold divinity, and represented, in one phase of her character, all-pervading love; in the other she was the light of heaven; and as Artemis, in her character as Selene, was the only Greek female divinity who represented celestial light, the Greek settlers, according to their custom of fusing foreign deities into their own, seized at once upon this point of resemblance, and decided that Metra should henceforth be regarded as identical with Artemis.
In her character as the love which pervades all nature, and penetrates everywhere, they believed her also to be present in the mysterious Realm of Shades, where she exercised her benign sway, replacing to a certain extent that ancient divinity Hecate, and partly usurping also the place of Persephone, as mistress of the lower world. Thus they believed that it was she who permitted the spirits of the departed to revisit the earth, in order to communicate with those they loved, and to give them timely warning of coming evil. In fact, this great, mighty, and omnipresent power of love, as embodied in the Ephesian Artemis, was believed by the great thinkers of old, to be the ruling spirit of the universe, and it was to her influence, that all the mysterious and beneficent workings of nature were ascribed.
There was a magnificent temple erected to this divinity at Ephesus (a city of Asia Minor), which was ranked among the seven wonders of the world, and was unequalled in beauty and grandeur. The interior of this edifice was adorned with statues and paintings, and contained one hundred and twenty-seven columns, sixty feet in height, each column having been placed there by a different king. The wealth deposited in this temple was enormous, and the goddess was here worshipped with particular awe and solemnity. In the interior of the edifice stood a statue of her, formed of ebony, with lions on her arms and turrets on her head, whilst a number of breasts indicated the fruitfulness of the earth and of nature. Ctesiphon was the principal architect of this world-renowned structure, which, however, was not entirely completed till two hundred and twenty years after the foundation-stone was laid. But the labour of centuries was destroyed in a single night; for a man called Herostratus, seized with the insane desire of making his name famous to all succeeding generations, set fire to it and completely destroyed it. So great was the indignation and sorrow of the Ephesians at this calamity, that they enacted a law, forbidding the incendiary's name to be mentioned, thereby however, defeating their own object, for thus the name of Herostratus has been handed down to posterity, and will live as long as the memory of the famous temple of Ephesus.
BRAURONIAN ARTEMIS.
In ancient times, the country which we now call the Crimea, was known by the name of the Taurica Chersonnesus. It was colonized by Greek settlers, who, finding that the Scythian inhabitants had a native divinity somewhat resembling their own Artemis, identified her with the huntress-goddess of the mother-country. The worship of this Taurian Artemis was attended with the most barbarous practices, for, in accordance with a law which she had enacted, all strangers, whether male or female, landing, or shipwrecked on her shores, were sacrificed upon her altars. It is supposed that this decree was issued by the Taurian goddess of Chastity, to protect the purity of her followers, by keeping them apart from foreign influences.
The interesting story of Iphigenia, a priestess in the temple of Artemis at Tauris, forms the subject of one of Schiller's most beautiful plays. The circumstances occurred at the commencement of the Trojan war, and are as follows:-The fleet, collected by the Greeks for the siege of Troy, had assembled at Aulis, in Boeotia, and was about to set sail, when Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief, had the misfortune to kill accidentally a stag which was grazing in a grove, sacred to Artemis. The offended goddess sent continuous calms that delayed the departure of the fleet, and Calchas, the soothsayer, who had accompanied the expedition, declared that nothing less than the sacrifice of Agamemnon's favorite daughter, Iphigenia, would appease the wrath of the goddess. At these words, the heroic heart of the brave leader sank within him, and he declared that rather than consent to so fearful an alternative, he would give up his share in the expedition and return to Argos. In this dilemma Odysseus and other great generals called a council to discuss the matter, and, after much deliberation, it was decided that private feeling must yield to the welfare of the state. For a long time the unhappy Agamemnon turned a deaf ear to their arguments, but at last they succeeded in persuading him that it was his duty to make the sacrifice. He, accordingly, despatched a messenger to his wife, Clytemnaestra, begging her to send Iphigenia to him, alleging as a pretext that the great hero Achilles desired to make her his wife. Rejoicing at the brilliant destiny which awaited her beautiful daughter, the fond mother at once obeyed the command, and sent her to Aulis. When the maiden arrived at her destination, and discovered, to her horror, the dreadful fate which awaited her, she threw herself in an agony of grief at her father's feet, and with sobs and tears entreated him to have mercy on her, and to spare her young life. But alas! her doom was sealed, and her now repentant and heart-broken father was powerless to avert it. The unfortunate victim was bound to the altar, and already the fatal knife was raised to deal the death-blow, when suddenly Iphigenia disappeared from view, and in her place on the altar, lay a beautiful deer ready to be sacrificed. It was Artemis herself, who, pitying the youth and beauty of her victim, caused her to be conveyed in a cloud to Taurica, where she became one of her priestesses, and intrusted with the charge of her temple; a dignity, however, which necessitated the offering of those human sacrifices presented to Artemis.
Many years passed away, during which time the long and wearisome siege of Troy had come to an end, and the brave Agamemnon had returned home to meet death at the hands of his wife and Aegisthus. But his daughter, Iphigenia, was still an exile from her native country, and continued to perform the terrible duties which her office involved. She had long given up all hopes of ever being restored to her friends, when one day two Greek strangers landed on Taurica's inhospitable shores. These were Orestes and Pylades, whose romantic attachment to each other has made their names synonymous for devoted self-sacrificing friendship. Orestes was Iphigenia's brother, and Pylades her cousin, and their object in undertaking an expedition fraught with so much peril, was to obtain the statue of the Taurian Artemis. Orestes, having incurred the anger of the Furies for avenging the murder of his father Agamemnon, was pursued by them wherever he went, until at last he was informed by the oracle of Delphi that, in order to pacify them, he must convey the image of the Taurian Artemis from Tauris to Attica. This he at once resolved to do, and accompanied by his faithful friend Pylades, who insisted on sharing the dangers of the undertaking, he set out for Taurica. But the unfortunate youths had hardly stepped on shore before they were seized by the natives, who, as usual, conveyed them for sacrifice to the temple of Artemis. Iphigenia, discovering that they were Greeks, though unaware of their near relationship to herself, thought the opportunity a favourable one for sending tidings of her existence to her native country, and, accordingly, requested one of the strangers to be the bearer of a letter from her to her family. A magnanimous dispute now arose between the friends, and each besought the other to accept the precious privilege of life and freedom. Pylades, at length overcome by the urgent entreaties of Orestes, agreed to be the bearer of the missive, but on looking more closely at the superscription, he observed, to his intense surprise, that it was addressed to Orestes. Hereupon an explanation followed; the brother and sister recognized each other, amid joyful tears and loving embraces, and assisted by her friends and kinsmen, Iphigenia escaped with them from a country where she had spent so many unhappy days, and witnessed so many scenes of horror and anguish.
The fugitives, having contrived to obtain the image of the Taurian Artemis, carried it with them to Brauron in Attica. This divinity was henceforth known as the Brauronian Artemis, and the rites which had rendered her worship so infamous in Taurica were now introduced into Greece, and human victims bled freely under the sacrificial knife, both in Athens and Sparta. The revolting practice of offering human sacrifices to her, was continued until the time of Lycurgus, the great Spartan lawgiver, who put an end to it by substituting in its place one, which was hardly less barbarous, namely, the scourging of youths, who were whipped on the altars of the Brauronian Artemis in the most cruel manner; sometimes indeed they expired under the lash, in which case their mothers, far from lamenting their fate, are said to have rejoiced, considering this an honourable death for their sons.
SELENE-ARTEMIS.
Hitherto we have seen Artemis only in the various phases of her terrestrial character; but just as her brother Apollo drew into himself by degrees the attributes of that more ancient divinity Helios, the sun-god, so, in like manner, she came to be identified in later times with Selene, the moon-goddess, in which character she is always represented as wearing on her forehead a glittering crescent, whilst a flowing veil, bespangled with stars, reaches to her feet, and a long robe completely envelops her.
Text:
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
Author: E.M. Berens
Published: 1880
The Project Gutenberg E-Book
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Athena was the state patroness Goddess of Athens in ancient Greece. The famous temple The Parthenon on the Acropolis was made in her honor and was said to house an enormous statue of Athena inside. She was seen as a Goddess of wisdom, courage, strength and war. The myth of her birth is quite interesting. Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis. Once Zeus found out Metis was pregnant with a girl, when if she had been pregnant with a boy, the child would have been more powerful, he was raged. So he tricked Metis and ended up swallowing her. Soon after, Zeus became plagued with horrendous headaches, so he ran to Hephaestus, the Smith God, and asked him to open his head. So he opened Zeus's head and out popped Athena fully grown and ready for battle.
To quote J. E. Harrison, a British classical scholar and feminist, Athena's birth "is a desperate theological expedient to rid her of matriarchal conditions". This was a time when the male power was taking over, and this myth shows their force of dominance. This would give the males more authority and power since the act of giving birth is only part of the feminine make up. All the same, she was still a very powerful and loved Goddess in ancient Greece.
Often depicted with a bronze helmet and a spear, Athena was talented in many different areas including crafts. She was said to have invented the trumpet, was a master weaver and maker of metal work weapons. She was said to lead battles and help many heroes such as Odysseus and Heracles. She was also a virgin Goddess. Her sacred animal is the owl and her beloved Ericthonius, her serpent. Athena became foster mother to this snake when Hephaestus tried to rape her, but she got away, and his semen fell to the earth and impregnated Gaia, who then gave birth to Ericthonius. Some of her statues often depict her with this serpent along with her spear and helmet. I actually saw two of these statues in the Vatican museum when we were in Italy this past Spring.
Call on Athena when you need wisdom in your own life. Or the strength and courage to overcome any battles, inner our outer. She can teach us to be strong and confident in ourselves in the face of adversity. To learn how to form our inner strength and make us wiser in the end. Also call on her when making crafts.
Her sacred tree in the Olive tree, sacred animals are the owl and the serpent. On your altar to Athena, have colors of silver red and white, crystals of azurite and lapis lazuli, A picture or statue of the Goddess, some olive oil, representation of an owl or serpent, and/or an athame.
Enjoy gaining some of your strength and wisdom from this powerful Greek Goddess!
For more on this great Goddess check out Paleothea.com and Theoi.com
Photo courtesy of HranaJanto.com
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This is out first proper look of Sam Worthington in action as Perseus and it does look pretty cool. Looks like he will be kicking serious ass and makes me wish they would do a David Gemmell adaption with this kind of look.
Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny. Louis Leterrier is directing from a script by Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark).
Source:: http://master-of-tarot.blogspot.com
These two stories have fascinated me since I was a kid; Medusa and Pandora's Box.
Here's a basic description of Medusa: The medusa was an ugly creature. Let's have a look at how she came into existance, for she wasn't always that ugly... Again, the Gods played their role. The Medusa was the daughter of Phorkys and Keto, the children of Gaia (Earth) and Okeanos (Ocean). She was one of the three sisters known as the Gorgons. The other two sisters were Sthenno and Euryale. Medusa was the only mortal out of the three. She was once very beautiful and lived far in the north were the sun didn't visit. Being very curious, she wanted to see the sun, and asked the Goddess Athena for permission to visit the south. Athena refused to allow her to visit. The medusa got angry and dared to say that Athena hadn't given her permission because she was jealous of her beauty. that was it! Athena was angered and punished her by turning her hair into snakes and cursing her by making her so ugly that who ever looks at her eyes would turn into stone.
"The Gorgon"
Here's the story of Pandora's Box: "Prometheus was a Titan who really liked humans. He helped them in any way he could. When he saw them shivering at night and eating raw meat, he knew they needed fire. But the gods did not allow man to have fire. They knew that man would misuse it and destroy with it. Prometheus was sure that the good man did with fire would outweigh the bad, so he stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. Zeus decided to punish Prometheus with trickery. He called Aphrodite to pose while Hephaestus made a clay figure of a woman. Then he brought the statue to life. The gods granted the woman with many gifts including beauty, charm, cunning, wit, eloquence, deceit, skill, and curiosity. Then Zeus gave her a box and told her she was never to open it. Zeus then offered Pandora as a wife to Prometheus. The Titan wanted her, but he refused because he knew it must be a trick of the gods. Zeus became angry and punished Prometheus. The Titan was chained to a rock. There, a vulture came daily to feed on his flesh. Prometheus's brother, Epimetheus, accepted Pandora as his wife, and the couple settled down for a happy life. But Pandora always wondered what was in the box Zeus gave her. Finally she couldn't hold her curiosity down anymore. She opened the box, and from it flew hate, anger, sickness, poverty, and every bad thing in the world. She slammed the lid down and managed to trap the final evil still in the box: hopelessness. So today, even when the going gets tough, every human still has hope."
"Pandora's Box"
Source: http://ceremonial-magic.blogspot.com
As dying and rising gods go, Dionysus is quite a spectacular example. So it is fitting that the lusty wine god handily won my Greek Pantheon poll. (See below on side bar) Rest assured that I only voted for him once. The god of wine received 41 percent of the vote, with Hermes coming in second with 24 percent.
Other than being a very sensual archetype, the giver of viticulture and viniculture is very obviously bound up in the early Christian development of the sacraments. The chalice, the wine, the dying and rising, all of it meshed very well with the imagery later employed by the Church.
The Dionysian Mystery parties of ancient Greece were not to be missed.
Hymns to the diety called "phallicae" were sung by throngs of half-naked revellers...accompanied by a procession of worshipers bearing gigantic..."ahem"...knobs...known as "phalos". Just imagine the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with lots more skin, drunk dancers, and ding-dong shaped balloons - and you'd be halfway there.
Underneath the very entertaining rituals, however, there was more than a desire to throw a naughty bash. The adherents of Dionysus were onto something that the contemporary Gnostic will no doubt appreciate. The festivities in honor of this god began in the woods by sacrificing a wild boar or hog. Curiously, pork was also roasted and offered to another dying and rising god - Osiris in Egypt. Pigs were not eaten by the Egyptians except in honor of their resurrected god. These traditions would make interesting dinner conversation the next time you slice the Easter ham at mum's house.
The hardcore followers of Dionysus engaged in a bloody supper of raw meat (not pork) after the main festival, finding deeper communion with the divine in the surreal banquet of warm blood, flesh and wine. It is difficult for us to imagine this scene, but we must consider the reasoning behind it. To eat the sacrificial flesh and blood was to consume the divine incarnate. "Sound familiar"?
Dionysus was beloved because he returned from death and gave the people wine. He was worshipped as the god who bequeathed a tool to break away from the usual, material existence and explore (admittedly drunken) paths to other worlds and other ways of thinking.
Given the sizable margin of victory in this poll, it seems that Dionysus' cult of wine, pork and smut continues to attract its fair share of admirers.
Source: http://pagan-space.blogspot.com
Athene is one of the oldest and most beloved Deities of the Greek pantheon. She was called Athena by both the Greeks and the Romans. She was born, fully grown and clad in a glorious armor, when She sprang from Zeus's head.. after he had swallowed Her mother, Metis, the goddess of wisdom. Zeus had lived in fear that Metis would give birth to a son who would de-throne him as he had done to his own father, Cronus, so he was thrilled with Athena appeared, and there was no doubt that she was a favorite child of Zeus.
Athena is represented as quite a majestic goddess. In Her hands she holds a spear and a shield, and upon her head, a helmet; her breasts covered by a breastplate. She was educated by Triton, the river god and became good friends with his daughter, Pallas. Athena accidentally killed her during one of their games and grieved so much over Her death that she made a wooden image of her likeness...the Palladium.
Because the Greek city-states were largely military, Athena is considered a warrior goddess, and most powerful goddess of war at that...but She was also a virgin goddess; meaning that She was a whole unto herself. Her traits include the integration of both masculine and feminine qualities: strength, intellect, and compassion. Her warrior instincts made Her a symbol of matriarchal strength...and because She personified the Greek ideal of rationality and power, She became the patron Deity of Athenians...representing courage and victory.
There is a story that Athena and her uncle, Poseidon, the god of the sea, were both very fond of a specific city in Greece, and disputed which of the two could lay claim to the city. It was decided that the one who gave the finest gift should have it. On his part, Poseiden struck the side of the cliff with his staff and opened up a well on the Acropolis, but, alas, the water was very salty and not very useful. Athena, on the other hand, planted an olive tree, symbolic of the Greek Tree of Life. It decided that because Athena's gift would be far more useful to the people, Athena was the winner; hence She became the city's protectress and named the city, Athens.
Athena was a benevolent Goddess and had very few ulterior or selfish motives. She seldom did anything. 'just for spite. She was a patroness of art, science, and the crafts of women...especially weaving..and is the epitome of wisdom, enlightenment, maturity and represents the means by which wisdom is born and manifest in our world. She defied the laws of mortals and immortals alike. She is often accompanied by an owl...representing wisdom.
Think about the wisdom that you have gathered throughout your lifetime. Give yourself credit for the ways in which you have grown and for the ways you are helping others grow. Appreciating ourselves each day gives us the courage to keep our garden of wisdom growing.
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This saga intensifies the more I research it! On the heels of THE COLUMN I JUST PUBLISHED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE "BLACK AWAKENING" AND/OR THE RETURN OF THE NEPHILIM GIANTS IS IMMINENT I find this.
As it turns out, Tom Horn already established the theory that we would see (are seeing) the reemergence of the Dionysian Cult as we quickly approach the beginning of the Tribulation and Great Tribulation in his best-selling book "NEPHILIM STARGATES: THE YEAR 2012 AND THE RETURN OF THE WATCHERS".
WorldNetDaily had an article on this from back in October 2008 that I want to include here in full because it's certainly applicable to today's study and relevant more than ever:
Meet The God Of Debauchery
Sex-saturated Bacchanalia boiling up from underworld
October 07, 2008
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:28-30)."
"Whether it is the recent sexpidemic of teachers seducing students, the growing pansexual hedonism of Burning Man-like festivals worldwide, the flood of overtly sexual content on television and the big screen, the casual intimate 'hook-ups' of modern college kids, or the "DEVIANT SEX ACTS CELEBRATED BY PEOPLE PARADING FULLY NUDE ON PUBLIC STREETS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT," something has been lost between the innocent days of the Great Generation's public standards and the rapid erosion of contemporary decency.
Now, a researcher and author whose new book has skyrocketed up best-seller's lists warns that the growing trend of hedonism may be supernaturally motivated.
In "Nephilim Stargates: The Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers," Thomas Horn ties moral abandonment to an ancient spirit, known in antiquity as the Greek god Dionysus (Roman Bacchus) who represented the personification of unrestrained sexuality.
"Followers of Dionysus imagined him as the presence that is otherwise defined within man as the craving that longs to 'let itself go' and to 'give itself over' to outlaw desires," says Horn. "What puritans might resist as the lustful wants of the carnal man or the temptations of the Devil, the followers of Dionysus embraced as the incarnate power that would, in the afterlife, liberate man's soul from the constraints of the present world and from customs which sought to define respectability through obedience to moral law."
According to Horn, worshippers of Dionysus attempted to bring themselves into union with the god through ritual casting off of the bonds of sexual denial and primal constraint by seeking to attain a "higher state of ecstasy."
The uninhibited rituals of ecstasy (Greek for "outside the body") employed lascivious behavior, ecstatic communal dancing to the drums and flute, flicking of the head backward (as found in most trance inducing cults), and overt consumption of wine to bring the followers of Dionysus into a supernatural condition which enabled them to escape the temporary limitations of the body and mind and to achieve an orgiastic state of "enthousiasmos", or "outside the body and inside the god."
In this sense, Dionysus represented a dichotomy in the Greek religion, as the primary maxim of the Greek culture was one of moderation; "nothing too extreme." Yet Dionysus embodied the absolute extreme in that he sought to inflame the forbidden passions of human desire.
"As students of psychology will understand," Horn continues, "the willful abandonment of social restraints, which defined Dionysus-worship, actually gave the god of wine and revelry a stronger allure, not weaker, among many ancients who otherwise tried in so many ways to suppress and control the secret lusts of the human heart. Dionysus was a craving that demanded one partake of 'the forbidden fruit' and who threatened madness upon those who denied him free expression. Conversely, persons giving themselves over to the will of Dionysus were promised the lie of unlimited psychological and physical delights."
In Nephilim Stargates, Horn records how the Dionystic idea of mental disease resulting from suppression of secret inner desires, especially aberrant sexual desires, was later reflected in the teachings of Sigmund Freud. Freudianism is therefore the grandchild of the cult of Dionysus, Horn concludes.
Such mythical systems of mental punishment and physical rewards based on resistance and/or submission to Dionysus were symbolically and literally illustrated in the cult rituals of the Bacchae, as the Bacchae women (married and unmarried Greek women had the legal right to participate in the mysteries of Dionysus) migrated in frenzied hillside groups, dressed transvestite in fawn skins and accompanied by screaming, music, dancing, and omnisexual behavior.
When for instance a baby animal was too young and lacking in instinct to sense the danger and run away from the revelers, it was picked up and suckled by bare-breasted women who participated in the hillside rituals. Yet when older animals sought to escape the marauding Bacchae, they were considered "resistant" to the will of Dionysus and were torn apart and eaten alive as a part of the fevered ritual.
Horn points to parallels of this condition in today's United States. "What at one time would have been unthinkable - deviant sex acts conducted openly in major U.S. cities - is become acceptable, while 'resisters' of the new Dionysian cult are increasingly labeled enemies of free expression and threatened with hate-crime legislation."
Before the ancient Greek/Roman festival was outlawed in 186 BC by a decree of the Senate - the so-called "Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus"-as having become too debauched, human participants were increasingly subject to public orgiastic extremes, as the rule of the Bacchanalia became "anything goes," including public sex acts, S">"But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."
Friends, as the veil thins between the physical and spiritual realms more and more each day it is imperative that you cling to the Lord and Savior like never before.
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THE ANCIENT GREEK GODDESS", THEMIS," IS THE GODDESS OF GODDESS OF CUSTOM, SOCIAL ORDER, AND LAW. SHE IS THE PERSONIFICATION OF THE 'LAW OF NATURE'. ACCORDING TO THE SIGNIFICATION OF HER NAME, HER OFFICE IS TO INSTRUCT MANKIND TO DO THINGS HONEST, JUST, AND RIGHT. THEMIS WAS ONE OF THE ELDEST CHILDREN OF GAIA, THE EARTH, AND URANUS, OR HEAVEN; HENCE, SHE WAS FROM THE VERY FIRST DYNASTY OF ANCIENT GREEK GODS AND WAS THE FIRST TO INSTRUCT MORTALS IN THE LAWS OF JUSTICE AND MORALITY. CONSIDERED THE MOST POWERFUL OF THE OLYMPIANS, "THEMI"S STOOD at the side of "ZEUS."
SHE WAS ALSO THE GODDESS OF IMPORTANT ASSEMBLIES AND COUNCILS IN WHICH KINGS OF NATIONS WOULD HEAR PETITIONS AND WAS INVOKED AT EVERY ASSEMBLY IN ANCIENT GREECE. SHE HAD THE GIFT OF PROPHECY, AND SOME SAY SHE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE "ORACLES OF DELPHI" OVER WHICH SHE PRESIDED OVER WITH "APOLLO."
"THEMIS "IS OFTEN REPRESENTED ON COINS WITH A HORN OF PLENTY AND A PAIR OF SCALES
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I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find that "Ida" is not just the name of the over-hyped, so-called "Missing Link" fossil, but also the name given to a very curious asteroid.
Go figure given our focus on mythology and space lately! But wait until you seen some of the eye-brow raising facts about this planetary body that contain some definite prophetic symbolism.
The greatest discovery from the Galileo fly-by was that Ida has a natural satellite. Although Galileo flew past Ida in August 1993, the discovery wasn't made until late in February 1994 when images stored on the spacecraft's tape recorder were finally transmitted to Earth. The moon has been named "Dactyl" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
DACTYL IS THE FIRST NATURAL SATELLITE OF AN ASTEROID EVER DISCOVERED AND PHOTOGRAPHED. The tiny moon is about 1.2 by 1.4 by 1.6 km (0.75 by 0.87 by 1 mile) across.
The name is derived from the Dactyli, a group of mythological beings who lived on Mount Ida. The Dactyli protected the infant Zeus after the nymph Ida hid and raised the god on the mountain. Other mythological accounts say that the Dactyli were Ida's children by Zeus. That's the general overview. Let's dig deeper for greater symbolic meaning here.
In Greek mythology, the Dactyls (Greek for "fingers") were the archaic race of small phallic male beings associated with the Great Mother, whether as Cybele or Rhea. Their numbers vary, but often they were 10 spirit-men so like the three Curetes, the Cabiri, or the Korybantes that they were often interchangeable. The Dactyls were both ancient smiths and healing magicians. In some myths, they are in Hephaestus' employ, and they taught metalworking, mathematics, and the alphabet to humans. THEY WERE VIEWED AS DANGEROUS UNDERWORLD SMITHS AND MAGICIANS. They are demons believed to live on Mount Ida in Phrygia (Asia Minor), or on the Isle of Crete. They were considered to be the first metallurgists: they discovered iron and the art of working metals by fire.
When Rhea, the mother of the gods, knew her time of delivery was come, she went to the sacred cave on MOUNT IDA. As she squatted in labor she dug her fingers into the earth (Gaia), which brought forth these "daktyloi Idaioi" ("Idaean fingers"), thus, often 10 IN NUMBER, or sometimes multiplied into a race of 10 tens. Three is just as often given as their number. They are sometimes instead numbered as 33. When Greeks offered a most solemn oath, often they would press their hands against the earth as they uttered it. The 10 kings of the 10-horned beast in REVELATION 13 comes readily to mind for me.
So, again, we have the ever present connection between ancient Greek and Roman mythology with Bible prophecy. In addition, we have this persistent idea of things/beings/creatures coming up from beneath the ground, which resonates quite clearly with the Nephilim giants and perhaps even the Bottomless Pit. Plus, some of the accounts recall to mind what we know about the Watchers too.
Dactyl is made more or less from the same kind of material as Ida. As an S-type asteroid, Ida is composed mostly of silicate rocks. Galileo scientists believe the moon may have been created at the same time as Ida when an older, larger asteroid was shattered in a collision with another asteroid, giving birth to dozens of smaller asteroids. Alternatively, it is possible that Ida was hit by a smaller object even more recently, leaving a crater on the asteroid and throwing off the material that became the small moon.
Galileo scientists also believe it is virtually impossible that the moon is a captured object, something created completely separately from Ida that happened to wander near the asteroid and be caught by its gravitational field. According to the laws of celestial mechanics, such an event would deflect the smaller object, but it would not be captured into orbit unless a third force of some kind slowed it down.
The surreal part? In case that wasn't enough, "Dactyl" is derived from the Greek word for "finger", as a finger has one long segment and two shorter ones. What was one of the defining characteristics of Ida the "Missing Link"? Her hands, but mainly her fingers!
What in the world is going on here!?! How does one thread constantly lead to another, and another, and another like this in an endless stream of information?
Is there significance to all of this? Are we supposed to be watching for and examining such "connections" whenever and wherever we spot them? Or is this Satan's trick to distract and deceive us by leading through a labyrinth of lies that we misinterpret as some form of divine communication as "signs and wonders"?
Whatever it is, it's definitely picking up in frequency and intensity as you can tell by my work here lately.
Perhaps in God's sense of humor Ida really is the "Missing Link", but only to us students of Bible prophecy because it led us here to these findings.
Source: http://33witches.blogspot.com
"THEMES: Creativity; Knowledge; History; Art"
SYMBOLS: "Fountains; Springs; the Number Nine"
PRESIDING GODDESS: "Mnemosyne"
ABOUT MNEMOSYNE:
Mnemosyne means "memory." Remembrance is this goddess's gift to us, memories of all the wonderful moments of our lives. In Greek tradition Mnemosyne also gave birth to the Muses today (June 14) - the nine creative spirit children that give our lives so much beauty, song, stories, tradition, humor, dance, and sacred music. Greeks sometimes worshiped Mnemosyne in the form of a spring, alluding to her profuse, flowing energy.
TO DO TODAY:
Absolutely anything thoughtful, creative, or inspiring will grab Mnemosyne's attention and encourage her participation in your day. Try donning a unique combination of clothing that really motivates you to do your best, or something that provokes fond memories from the past. Wear an aroma that arouses your inventive nature or cognitive abilities (jasmine and rosemary are two good choices, respectively).
If there are special arts that you've learned from family or friends, celebrate them today. Hum that little ditty from your childhood, dust off that neglected craft item, try those recipes, listen to old songs, and let Mnemosyne fill your hours with the encouragement that comes from fond "musings."
Found in: A Daily Guide to the Magic and Inspiration of the Goddess
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The bee has been associated with the Goddess and Priestesses of the Goddess for thousands of years. The most famous culture that worshiped the bee was the Minoan culture on the island of Crete. As a symbol of The Mother Goddess, bees represented fertility and healing. Since honey has antibacterial properties, it was used in many healing remedies, this made honey sacred. It was also used during ritual by the Bee Priestesses who were called melissae which means "bees". There was a golden seal found buried in Crete, that shows Priestesses dressed as bees dancing together. The photo pictured above is the famous Minoan Bee Pendant, showing two bees carrying nectar back to there hives, and is dated 2000 BCE.
In the book "The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Image", by Anne Baring and Jules Cashford, write that "Bees have an ancient reputation as the bringers of order, and their hives served as models for organizing temples in many Mediterranean cultures. The tombs at Mycenea were shaped like beehives, as well as the omphalos at Delphi where the famous Oracle at Delphi recited her prophecies."
"In Knossos, jars were found which contained honey, and were said to be used during summer festivals. Honey was known as "the nectar of the Gods" in the ancient world and was seen as sacred all the way back to Neolithic times." The Bee was said to be viewed as a Mother Goddess and creator of life. Since bees gather nectar from flowers, and then create this wonderfully healing, sweet and sacred substance, they were highly revered. In the Homeric hymn to the God Apollo, it is said that his gift of prophecy came to him from three bee maidens. The Bee was also revered in other cultures such as in ancient Egypt. The Bee was associated with Kingship in ancient Egypt, it is said that there was even a bee King. In the ancient Mayan world, bee motifs were found, as honey was seen as food of the Gods."
"Goddesses associated with the bee are Persephone, Demeter, Artemis, Aphrodite, Rhea, Cybele and Potnia Theron, which is the Cretan "Mistress of Animals". In Ephesus where the remains of the Temple of Artemis was found along with the great statue, Artemis of Ephesus, there were bee motifs found on the statues legs and waist. Statues of the Anatolian Goddess, some believe Cybele originated in Anatolia, were shown with the Goddess wearing what looks like a beehive on her head. Possibly as some kind of crown, as some ancient Priestesses were sometimes called "The Queen Bee"
As you can see the bee was a sacred and highly revered animal in the ancient world, along with their highly prized honey. We should honor the bees as well today as givers of life as they pollinate our crops and give us food. Is it said to me to hear of all the bee deaths over the recent years. As followers of the Goddess and worshipers of nature, we need to be honoring animals in the same way the ancient priestesses before us did. "
"To attract bees to your garden plant things such as daisies, marigold, bee balm, echinacea, foxglove, goldenrod and lavender. I hope you enjoyed learning about the ancient reverence of bees and their sacred nectar!"
Photo courtesy of TheBeeGoddess.com
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Hekate's Keys - The Keys of Hades Decorative Set
Goddess of Life and Goddess of Death,
All that I seek is held in your breath.
Seasons and time call to thee Crone,
For never again, shall I walk lost or alone.
By: Lady Abigail
Many Witches work with and honor the Goddess Hekate. One of her most powerful symbols are the Keys of Hades. This magickal set of black cast iron Hekate Keys, The Keys of Hades are striking. Three excellently adorned cast iron skeleton keys approximately 4", 5", and 6" inches long. That are attracted to a superbly decorated round padlock*. Hanging 12 inches long and 4 inches wide this set will make a powerful statement of control in any room or area they are placed.
Key of Hades; symbolize that the owner of the key is ruler of underworld. It is believed that Hecate's primitive role as guardian of the cross-roads (typically the meeting place of three roads in the ancient world). Hekate as guardian meeting of roads, was facilitator of movement between worlds, particularly between earth and the underworld. Like Hades, Hecate's is often depicted her with a key or keys; but whereas the key of Hades could only lock, Hecate's key could also unlock. And this was to be the unique attribute that would firmly establish her position among the Gods.
HEKATE (or Hecate) is the Goddess of Magick, Witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. Hecate is the Goddess of the crossroads. She is most often depicted as having three heads. She is usually seen with two black hounds that were said to serve her.
* Not a working lock, Decorative Set only.
Reference: http://lilith-dark-moon.blogspot.com
This Hera Goddess Statue depicts Hera, the queen of the Olympian deities. She is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and wife and sister of Zeus. Hera was mainly worshipped as a
goddess of marriage and birth. It is said that each year Hera`s
virginity returns by bathing in the well Canathus.
The children of Hera
Zeus are the smith-god Hephaestus, the goddess of youth Hebe, and the god of war Ares. According to some sources, however, her children were conceived without the help of a man, either by slapping her hand on the ground or by eating lettuce: thus they were born, not out of love but out of lust and hatred.
This Hera Goddess Statue can be used as a center piece for rituals and spells involving purification.
Hera Goddess Statue Specifications:
Bronze casted
Approx 10 1/4" tall
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In "Clash of the Titans," the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.
"Clash of the Titans" is being directed by Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk"). Leading the international cast is Australian actor Sam Worthington ("Terminator Salvation," the upcoming "Avatar") as Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, king of the gods. Academy Award(R) nominee Liam Neeson ("Taken, Schindler's List") takes on the role of the mighty Zeus, and Academy Award(R) nominee Ralph Fiennes (the "Harry Potter" films, "The English Patient") plays the role of Hades, god of the underworld, who feeds on human fear. Rounding out the cast is Gemma Arterton ("Quantum of Solace") as Io, Perseus' mysterious spiritual guide throughout his journey; Mads Mikkelsen ("Casino Royale") as Draco, who takes up his sword to join Perseus' quest; Jason Flemyng ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") as Acrisius, a one-time king turned hideous beast; and Alexa Davalos ("Defiance") as Andromeda, a princess doomed to lose her life if Perseus does not succeed.
Based on the 1981 film of the same name, written by the late Beverley Cross, "Clash of the Titans" is directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi ("Aeon Flux"), story by Travis Beacham ("Dog Days of Summer") and Hay production designer Martin Laing ("Terminator Salvation"); editor Vincent Tabaillon ("The Incredible Hulk"); Academy Award(R)-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming ("Topsy-Turvy, The Dark Knight"); Oscar(R)-nominated visual effects supervisor Nick Davis ("The Dark Knight"); Oscar(R)-nominated prosthetics supervisor Conor O'Sullivan ("The Dark Knight, Saving Private Ryan"); Academy Award(R)-winning special effects and animatronics supervisor Neil Corbould ("Gladiator"); and Academy Award(R)-winning makeup and hair designer Jenny Shircore ("Elizabeth").
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, "Clash of the Titans," opening in March 2010. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
SAM WORTHINGTON as Perseus from Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' epic action adventure "The Clash of the Titans," distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Photo by Jay Maidment
See Also: Clash Of The Titans Filming Starts
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One of the biggest mysteries in the world of cryptozoology is a creature half-man half-fish called the Mermaid or a mermaid. Because of a strange character, creature is then more often associated with the mystical rather than science.
Mermaid is a term given to water creature that has a body from the waist up like a woman while the waist down like a fish. Although we have only ever heard of this creature from a collection of fairy tales, the existence of these creatures can be traced in the literature up to 2,000 years ago.
The word comes from the word Mere Mermaid meaning Sea (in Old English) and the word Maid, which means women. So, a creature called the Mermaid is a creature half-man half-fish are female, while the male is called Merman.In fairy tales, these creatures are called like sitting on a rock near the beach, singing, holding a mirror while admiring her own beauty. Singing contain so-called mystical power so that people who hear it will be charmed to death by drowning.In Cornwall, England, there is a stone called the stone as a Mermaid Mermaid is called once sat on the rock and sing to cause a local fisherman named Matthew Trawella died because of it.Mermaid in the culture of the nationsThe first story about these creatures could be traced to the year 1000 BC in Assyrian mythology. Goddess Atargatis, the mother of Queen Semiramis, called falling in love with a shepherd of the mortal man. One day, accidentally, the goddess killing the shepherd.Because sadly, Atargatis attempted suicide by plunging into the lake to take a way a fish. However, he refused to hide the beauty of the lake owned by the goddess. So he just turned it into the fish from the waist down.
The story of the Assyrian may be the basis of the emergence of a legend about the mermaid in the whole world.In his book Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, published in 1884, folklore expert named S. Baring Gould believes that the story of a mermaid and Merman originated from the story of a half fish god or goddess in ancient religions.God of the Chaldean Oannes and the Philistine god Dagon has such a way as Mermaid. God Coxcox and Teocipactli from Baja also has a half-fish form. American Indian legend says even if they were brought out of Asia by man of fish. Of these, perhaps the most famous is the god Triton and Siren Goddess in ancient Greek legend who also has a body half fish.In addition to Europe and the Middle East, the story of this creature can also be found in the mythology in various countries in Africa and Asia.In Africa, a similar creature called Mami Wata Mermaid is believed to cure the sick and bring good luck to those who followed him.
DUGONG AND MANATEE
Most researchers do consider the existence of creatures such as the Mermaid as a hoax. Others consider it a wrong identification. The main suspect is the animal that comes into the class Sirenian, herbivorous aquatic creature that dwells in rivers and seas.Two creatures that belong to the Sirenian include Dugong and Manatee. These creatures have a remarkable adaptation in the sea. Although it looks fat, but in some poses, these creatures can be mistaken as a Mermaid. For example, when they are nursing a baby, they would carry him in the chest so it can be mistaken for a woman's chest by witnesses who watched from a distance.
Dugong
Manatee
Although it seems many who agree with Manatee or Dugong identity as a mermaid, but, when we examine the historical record, we can find a variety of testimony that seemed to confirm the encounter with a creature who really like mermaid or Merman (not Dugong or Manatee).
MERMAID SIGHTINGS IN HISTORY
In the year 558 AD, mentioned that a mermaid was caught by a fisherman in Ireland. Mermaid was then taken to the village and was baptized by the residents. Not long later, the creature dies.Then, a monk named Ralph Coggeshall never tell if a Merman once caught by the fishermen in Suffolk in 1187. The creature was not able to speak and immediately taken to the village to be examined. Even after being tortured, the creature was still not showing signs that he could speak. Merman was later imprisoned for some time in the castle of Orford. But when the villagers wanted to bathe in the sea, he managed to escape.Still in the 12th century, Speculum Regale of Iceland noted the discovery of a mermaid near Greenland.
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MARCH 19, 2010: When the sun sets on Saturday, March 20th, a special kind of night will fall across the Earth. It's an equal night.
Or as an astronomer would say, "it's an equinox." It's the date when the sun crosses the celestial equator heading north. Spring begins in one hemisphere, autumn in the other. The day and night are of approximately equal length.
To celebrate the occasion, Nature is providing a sky show.
It begins as soon as the sky grows dark. The Moon materializes first, a fat crescent hanging about a third of the way up the western sky. Wait until the twilight blue fades completely black and you will see that the Moon is not alone. The Pleiades are there as well.
The Moon and the Pleiades are having a close encounter of rare beauty. There's so little space between the two, the edge of the Moon will actually cover some of cluster's lesser stars. According to David Dunham of the International Occultation Timing Association, this is the best Moon-Pleiades meeting over the United States until the year 2023.
RIGHT: A similar Moon-Pleiades conjunction photographed by Marek Nikodem of Szubin, Poland, in July 2009.
The Pleiades are a cluster of young stars some 440 light years from Earth. They formed from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas about 100 million years ago. By the standards of astronomy, that's "really" young. The Earth under your feet is almost 50 times older. Dinosaurs were roaming our planet long before the Pleiades popped into being.
Only about seven of the Pleiades are visible to the unaided eye. The "Seven Sisters" are Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Celaeno and Alcyone, named after daughters of the mythological Greek god Atlas. Together, they form the shape of a little dipper, which is why the Pleiades are often mistaken for the Little Dipper, an asterism of Ursa Minor.
Binoculars are highly recommended for this event.
First, scan the Moon. You'll see craters, mountains and lava seas. Note that you can see the entire Moon, not just the brightly-lit crescent. The Moon's dark terrain is illumined by a ghostly glow called "Earthshine." It is the light of our own blue planet shining down on the Moon.
Next, scan the sky around the Moon. The Pleiades come into sharp focus-and they are more than seven. Dozens of faint "sisters" can be seen through even modest optics.
This night doesn't sound equal. It sounds much better than that.
Experience the equinox!
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips
Credit: http://science@nasa
