Eros and Psyche #atozchallenge

E - Eros is the Greek God of Love and one of my all-time favorites. You might know him as his Roman counterpart, Cupid. Unlike pop culture would have you believe, however, Eros isn't that pain in the butt man-baby in a diaper. He's much more interesting than that!

And so is his story, recounted below.

Le Ravissement de Psyche, 1895

Psyche was the youngest daughter of a king, and as she grew, so did her beauty. The goddess Aphrodite (aka Venus) felt threatened by this mortal beauty, as her followers spoke so highly of Psyche, so she devised a plan to humiliate Psyche. Aphrodite sent Eros, her son, to prick Psyche with an arrow, and planned to present her an ugly beast when she woke so that she'd fall in love with this hideous creature and become the laughingstock of the kingdom.

But Eros accidentally pricked himself with the arrow, and instantly fell madly in love with Psyche, thus foiling his mother's plan.

Aphrodite was furious and sent a plague to the land, telling the people their misery would ease only if they sacrificed Psyche. In despair, her father took her into the mountains and tied her to a tree for some beast to eat. But Eros whisked Psyche away to his palace with the wind. He made himself invisible and wed Psyche, but only after making her promise never to attempt to see his face.

Psyche agreed to this condition, and for a time she and Eros were blissfully happy. But then Psyche invited her sisters to visit her new home. When she confessed to never having seen her husband's face, they convinced her to peek at him, telling her he was a monster who would kill her. Of course, their motive wasn't anything as pure as saving her life... They were simply jealous of the beautiful things Eros bestowed upon his beloved Psyche.

Armed with a knife and candle, that very night, Psyche crept into Eros's bedchamber. She lifted the candle to better see him, and when the light touched his face, she was stunned by his beauty. So stunned, in fact, she dripped candle wax onto him. The pain woke him. Realizing Psyche broke her promise, he left her to roam.

She did so for a long time before finally going to Aphrodite to beg her forgiveness. Aphrodite, not quite over her jealous rage, promised Psyche her aid if Psyche could complete four tasks. Of course, Aphrodite came up with increasingly difficult tasks. They were: sorting a massive pile of seeds, retrieving the Golden Fleece, filling a flask from the River Styx, and returning from the Underworld with Persephone's beauty cream.

Ants helped Psyche sort the seeds. A reed helped her retrieve the Fleece. An eagle helped her fill the flask.

But the fourth task was a trap.

Aphrodite knew Psyche would not be able to resist trying some of the beauty cream herself, so she cursed the box. When Psyche opened it, she fell into a deep sleep.

When Eros found her, he wept over Psyche's prone body, distraught, for he still loved her deeply. He then rushed to Olympus to beg Zeus to intervene. Zeus agreed to do so, and had Mercury bring Psyche to Olympus where he made her a Goddess. Aphrodite wasn't thrilled. But once Psyche got pregnant with Eros's child, Aphrodite reluctantly forgave Psyche. And Psyche and Eros lived happily-ever-after.

***

As I discussed in another post recounting this myth, Eros and Psyche's story is often considered one of the earliest versions of the Beauty and the Beast story we all know and love. I much prefer that tale to the annoying man-baby in a diaper, don't you?

xoxo,

Ayden

PS: Trying to find artwork of a clothed Eros not portrayed as a man-baby is hard work! This was the best I could do.

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Duat - The Egyptian Realm of the Dead #atozchallenge

D- According to Egyptian mythology, Duat is one of the many names for the realm of the dead overseen by Osiris. Other Gods who reside in Duat are Thoth, Horus, Ma'At, Hathor, and Anubis. In addition to these Gods, many creatures also reside in Duat, and each soul must enter the realm for judgment upon death. 

Duat is made up of many regions, separated by gates. Each gate represents another test or challenge of sorts a soul must pass to move on to the next. These gates are guarded by various gods and creatures. 

When a soul successfully passes through the the various gates and challenges found in Duat, his or her heart is finally weighed by Anubis with a feather. If the heart weights more or less than the feather, the heart is eaten by Ammit. Those that pass the test (those who successfully follow Ma'at - Goddess of Truth and Justice - in life) move on to Aaru, paradise.

Interestingly enough, even Ra (Egyptian Sun God) must travel through Duat each night after the Sun dies in order to reach the point where the Sun is reborn each morning. While in Duat, Ra must fight Apep, the serpent God of darkness and chaos. During these battles, Apep often hypnotizes Ra in an attempt to devour him.

When Apep comes out ahead in these nightly battles, natural disasters strike. And when Apep swallows Ra, a solar eclipse is said to occur. Luckily, Ra never travels alone, and his followers quickly free him from Apep's clutches so he can continue his journey.

It's important to note that Duat is neither heaven nor hell. It is a sort of spiritual purgatory one must enter before moving on. A journey between life and death, if you will.

If you ever have time to delve into Egyptian mythology, Duat is a fascinating aspect to explore. The Egyptians took the afterlife business very seriously and went to great lengths to record Duat. The Book of Amduat is one of the earliest known accounts of this realm between life and death. The first version of the Book of Amduat is located in Tuthmosis III's tomb in the Valley of Kings.

The image above is part of the Amduat, describing Ra's journey through Duat. 

xoxo,

Ayden

   

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Churning of the Ocean of Milk #atozchallenge

C - The Bhagavata Purana, one of the great texts of Hinduism, tells of a period in which the Hindu demigods (Devas) and demons (Asuras) waged a thousand year war with one another over Amrita, the Elixir of Life. If consumed, Amrita would make the drinker immortal, and both the demigods and the demons desperately wanted this power. They fought so long, however, they exhausted themselves.


Out of options, they went to Vishnu, who informed them they must work together to secure Amrita from the great Cosmic Ocean. But Vishnu secretly sided with the Devas and promised He would ensure only they were rewarded with Amrita.

Thus appeased, the Devas and the Asuras agreed to work together.

To do so, they needed to churn the Ocean of Milk (the Milky Way), until the treasures hidden within long ago were brought to the surface. But this wasn't exactly an easy task, so the races used Mount Mandara as a pivot, and Vasuki (a five-headed snake) as the rope. Unfortunately, when they placed Mount Mandara into the Ocean, the mountain began to sink. 

Vishnu dove into the Ocean as Kurma (a tortoise) to hold the rotating mountain upon His back. The Devas banned together to keep the mountain in place by working one end of the snake-rope while the Asuras held the other end.

In this manner, they churned the Ocean for a thousand years. As they did so, Halahal, a vicious poison, rose to the surface in a great cloud. Demigod and demon alike feared this lethal poison would destroy the Universe, so the Devas implored Shiva to help save them all. Shiva agreed to do so, and inhaled the poison into His mouth. But Halahal was so potent, Shiva began to choke on the poison. Seeing this, Parvati raced to His side and placed her hands around His throat to keep the poison from overtaking his body. The poison was effectively trapped in Shiva's throat, turning it blue, and the Universe was saved. 

The danger thus eliminated, the Devas and Asuras continued to churn the Ocean. The treasures hidden within began to rise to the surface. Among them was Amrita, Dhanvantari (physician to the Gods), Lakshmi (Goddess of riches), Chandra (the Moon), Jysetha (Goddess of poverty), Airavata (white elephant), Kalpavriksha (the Tree of desire), and Uchchaisrava (a horse). 


With the treasures thus removed from the Ocean, the Devas and Asuras once more began to battle over Amrita. As promised, however, Vishnu concealed himself as the enchantress Mohini and tricked the Asuras into handing over the Amrita. He then gave it to the Devas, and punished any Asura who attempted to drink the elixir.

And so goes the story of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. If this sounds familiar, it was one of the three myths used in the Great and Powerful Theme Reveal here. 

xoxo,

Ayden

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Bacchus #atozchallenge

B - One of the most fascinating Gods of the classical era is Bacchus (or Dionysus if you prefer the Greek name). Bacchus is the God of Wine and Madness (also agriculture and theater), and is often portrayed as a rather effeminate God.

His birth story varies depending upon whom you ask...

In one version of the tale, Bacchus was the son of Zeus and Semele. Hera, Zeus's wife, wasn't thrilled when Semele confided that she was pregnant with Zeus's child, so she tricked Semele into demanding Zeus reveal his true form. When he did so, Semele died, leaving Zeus to carry Bacchus in a womb-pocket until his birth. 

In another, he was the son of Zeus and Persephone. In this version, Hera sent the Titans to murder Bacchus. Zeus drove the Titans away, but not before they consumed all but Bacchus's heart, which was saved by one Goddess or another. Zeus used the heart to recreate Bacchus, whom he then implanted in Semele's womb, allowing him to be twice born or reborn.

Bacchus is the quintessential "heathen god" in many respects.

First and foremost, a debate still wages in some circles as to whether Jesus was modeled after Bacchus. The similarities are striking. Both were born to a God and a human mother. They were both reborn. They both turned water into wine. And so on and so forth. Given that Bacchus wasn't exactly a proper and pious God (as it were) and the theory turns a central tenent of Christianity (belief in the life and times of Jesus) on its head, this debate is particularly troubling to some. 

Bacchus was so intertwined with parties that he's said to have induced a frenzy in his followers... one they used to do very ungodly things. Massive orgies were thrown in his honor in the streets of ancient Greece and Rome. The Bacchanalia were so steeped in sex and crime, they were eventually outlawed in Rome. But not even a little thing like outlawing an orgy stopped the randy masses. The Bacchanalia continued to be held in secret. 

The Dionysian Mysteries (also referred to as the Cult of Dionysus) has also been attributed to Bacchus in Rome and Dionysus in Greece, though it's likely the cult predated Bacchus/Dionysus. Regardless, the Dionysian Mysteries was an influential religion unto itself at the time. Followers used intoxicants to lower inhibitions and return one to a "natural" state. They, for all intents and purposes, sought that frenzied, liberated state associated with Bacchus. Particularly troubling was the cults' encouragement of participation by women, slaves, and others marginalized by society, and the sacrifices they undertook in an effort to "assimilate the body of the god with his own flesh and blood" (see At a Dionysian Mystery). During these frenzied rituals, it's said that it wasn't uncommon for humans to be torn to shreds and consumed. 

Now, whether that's true or not... I can't begin to tell you. My psychometric power never developed (dang it all!) so I wasn't there and I didn't see it. But the story is pretty heathen, even for the followers of a "heathen" god. Of course, that could also be one of the many tales spread by the Church in an attempt to demonize Pagan practices of the time and further distance Bacchus from Jesus. Either way, the scandalous Dionysian Mysteries is pretty fascinating, don't you think?

xoxo,

Ayden

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

The Æsir and Asynjur #atozchallenge

A - My theme for the A to Z Challenge this year is mythology. Over the course of April, I'll be blogging one myth or myth related subject a day (excluding Sundays). As per the A to Z Challenge rules, we'll begin with A and work our way through the alphabet.

Today's mythical topic of choice is the Æsir (Aesir) and the Asynjur. 

The term Æsir is derived from the Germanic word áss (ase), which means god. The Æsir, of course, are the principal gods who make up the Norse pantheon. The Asynjur are their female counterparts. For the sake of simplicity, we're going to refer to both groups as the Æsir here.

The Æsir generally includes:

Odin - All Father (aka Papa God)
Baldr - God of Beauty
Bragi - God of Eloquence
Forseti - God of Mediation
Freya - Goddess of Fertility
Freyr - God of Fertility
Frigg -  Goddess of Marriage and Odin's wife
Heimdall - God of Light and Guardian of the Bifrost (bridge to Asgard)
Hod - God of Darkness (also known as The Blind God)
Idun - Goddess of Eternal Youth and Keeper of the Apples of Youth
Loki - God of Fire
Njord - God of the Sea
Sif - Thor's wife, possibly a fertility Goddess
Thor - God of Thunder
Tyr - God of War
Vili and Ve - Odin's brother who helped create the cosmos, humans, the Twelve Realms (consisting of the three levels and nine worlds)
Vidar - God of Silence (also Odin's son)

In total, fourteen gods and fourteen goddesses make up the Æsir, but good luck getting everyone to agree on which gods/goddesses should be included. Many lists, including that found in Gylfaginning (first book of the Prose Edda) leave Loki off the list because he's a pain in the áss (see what I did there? ;P). Others exclude Njord, Freyr and Freya who were, for all intents and purposes, hostages traded to the Æsir from the Vanir during the Æsir-Vanir wars. Yet others include the Vanir when speaking of the Æsir since the two pantheons combined after the war. This mighty war for dominion was one of the three myths used in the Great and Powerful Theme Reveal, found here. 

In Voluspo (a book of the Poetic Edda) we learn the history of the Æsir... from the creation of the world to its eventual prophesied doom at Ragnarök.

While Odin, Vili, and Ve created the world initially, the Æsir (and all other races as well for that matter) continue to shape the Nine Worlds, building upon what came before. As a result, the Twelve Realms (Nine Worlds on Three Levels) are in a constant state of change... a concept that remains constant in Norse mythology, right up to the eventual destruction of the Æsir during Ragnarök (yep, they all die in a great big battle that rips the worlds apart and casts us back into Ginungagap - an endless, empty abyss... the Norse equivalent of chaos) and beyond, when the world is remade with Baldr (who returns from the underworld) at the helm.

One of my favorite myths involving the Æsir (aside from the Ragnarök myth, of course) is the kidnapping of Idun.

Far from the comforts of Asgard, Odin, Loki and Hœnir find themselves in a bit of a jam when the ox they killed won't cook. While they try to sort this out, the giant Thiazi, disguised as an eagle, snatches Loki away for a little chat. Thiazi desperately wants Idun and her magic apples for himself, so he convinces Loki to bring the goddess to him.

Loki agrees to this dastardly plan. He is Loki, after-all. 

Upon his return to Asgard, Loki tricks the Goddess into leaving the safety of Asgard, where Thiazi waits for her. The giant grabs the Goddess and flies her away to his home in Thrymheim (an area inside Jotunheim). 

With Idun gone, the Æsir begin to age. Alarmed by this, the Æsir gather together to sort out where Idun has disappeared to. They eventually realize that she was last seen with Loki, and threaten all sorts of inventive torture and death upon him unless he returns Idun to Asgard. 

Freya helps Loki transform into a hawk (or an eagle depending on whom you ask), and he flies away to rescue Idun from Thiazi. When he gets to Thrymheim, he finds Idun alone. He quickly snatches her away, hoping to elude Thiazi altogether, but Loki's plans never work exactly like he hopes. 

When Thiazi returns and finds the Goddess missing, he races toward Asgard to take her back. But by the time Thiazi finds Loki and Idun, they are almost to Asgard. The other gods quickly build a fire along the walls of Asgard. Once Loki is safely through with Idun, they light the fire and poor Thiazi is torched.

Safely home, Idun restores the Æsir to youth, and they're off on their next problematic adventure (also likely caused by Loki).

If I related all those adventures to you, we'd be here forever. But if you'd like to read them for yourself, the Prose and Poetic Eddas are a great place to start. You can find them here.

Do you have a favorite Norse myth?

xoxo,

Ayden

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million