And now for something completely different at Mythography…
I typically focus on Classical - that is, Greek and Roman - and Celtic mythology, with an emphasis on the former, on this site. Today, I am going to diverge from that path a bit and explore Japanese mythology. I should also emphasize that when I say Japanese [...]
From the category archives:
Et cetera
In honor of Mother’s Day this year, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a few famous mothers from mythology.
In the Beginning…
Gaia (or Gaea) was the original Earth Mother - or should I say, Mother Earth - in Greek mythology. Her fertility was quite literally legendary. Indeed, Gaia gave birth to [...]
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It’s the beginning of another month, and at Mythography, that means it’s also time for another exploration of this month’s name. You might already recognize the connection between May and the character from Classical myth who inspired it. Why it’s Maia, of course. However, the interesting bit is that not one but two mythical Maias [...]
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Some time ago, I wrote an introduction to river gods in Greek mythology. Today, I want to continue the theme with an exploration of wind gods in Classical myth.
Both the ancient Greeks and Romans recognized and worshipped beings that were essentially personifications of the wind. These wind gods played intriguing roles in many mythological stories.
According [...]
“Peace reigned in Heaven
Ambrosia stood
already mixed
in the wine bowl
It was Hermes
who took up the
wine jug and poured
wine for the gods”
- Sappho
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“On Hellespont, guilty of true-loves’ blood,
In view and opposite, two cities stood,
Sea-borderers, disjoined by Neptune’s might;
The one Abydos, the other Sestos hight.
At Sestos Hero dwelt; Hero the fair,
Whom young Apollo courted for her hair,
And offered as a dower his burning throne,
Where she could sit for men to gaze upon.
The outside of her garments were of [...]
For the week of April 2 - 8, 2012
The holiday edition of what’s new features a summary of what I like to call the blog style posts at Mythography. Here they are:
I started the week with a quote from a favorite Roman writer. In Mything Quotes - Ovid, I share a snippet from the Amores, [...]
No April Fools here at Mythography today - I am certain there is more than enough of that going around.
My plan for the early part of this month is to continue on with the Spring theme we started in March.
So, what exactly is a caduceus? So good that you asked! It is basically a staff decorated with two entwined serpents. I’m guessing you have seen a contemporary version of the caduceus at some point. Say, in a doctor’s office.
This strange symbol originated long ago, and yes, there is a connection to myth. Indeed, the [...]
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“My soul would sing of metamorphoses.
But since, o gods, you were the source of these
bodies becoming other bodies, breathe
your breath into my book of changes: may
the song I sing be seamless as its way
weaves from the world’s beginning to our day.”
(prologue to the Metamorphoses of Ovid)
You could say that it was love at first read. [...]