honor the gods

Roman Frescoes + Solid Colors

I just realized i subconsciously based my Zeus design on this illustration by Carlos Bellón, like I didn’t even have it as reference for that Sing oh Muse zine my brain just did that lol

Our world map today looks completely different from how it looked a thousand years ago. Nations and empires have risen and collapsed. Wars have been waged over petty bullshit that changed names and borders. Empires that were once thought invincible and perpetual crumbled to dust within a peasant's lifetime as they tilled their fields and worried about crop failure. The invention of flight, motion pictures, and the automobile chased the coattails of WWI and the great depression. Children played mischief games and elders complained about kids these days being too soft and sensitive during the fall of the Roman empire.

World War II was uniquely terrible and we know it ended in 1945 and was followed by an era of huge economic growth in the west.

I think it's important to keep perspective on this not only to make some plans for your own life, but because there is purpose in engaging with politics and the small footprint you can leave on your community right now.

Yes it's worth it to pressure your local government to move in the right direction for important issues, yes it's worth it to come together with local non-profits, friends or neighbors to tackle an issue close to your heart. That is how change happens.

Lord Hephaestos of the Smoldering Kilns—

tamer of the flame and shaper of smoke,

lover of the ashes and crafter of unmatched skill.

i plead with thee to tame this wild beast.

quell the roaring spirits whom consume all they touch,

their greed unquenchable, destructive, and smoldering.

thus I call to you, my savior, undying Hephaestos—

Klytomêtis, Klytos, Aithalóeis Theós—

bend back this unruly beast and strike down your mighty hammer.

show mercy to us, God of the Scorching Heat,

that we may sing your praises to the unburned skies.

for i will remember you with this prayer, and again with another.

Klytomêtis (Κλυτομητις) - Famed for Skill, Crafts

Klytos (Κλυτος) - Renowed, Famed, Glorious

Aithalóeis Theós (Αιθαλοεις Θεος) - Sooty God