μινυνθάδιος

Demeter, goddess of fertility and the harvest, an image likely based off of a Roman original. (Updated description due to deeper research!!) After doing digging this image is not in fact from the temple of Eleusis but is rather a modern version of a (possibly) Roman relief of a similar kind!

Despite the implication up above, the digging was done by me, @ahyacinthblossom and @medoisa (and several additions have been added in the comments/tags as well).

⸙gift for Lady Artemis ⸙

A devotional drawing for Lady Artemis , referencing a painting titled " Diana " by Jules Joseph Lefebvre .

Finally managed to draw something I'm actually really happy with for my Lady Artemis. I wasn't really happy with the old one I posted on here quite a while ago anymore , I really do hope she likes it too . I felt so content working on this and I loved drawing her , I really hope I managed to get the feeling of freedom I feel whenever I think of her across <33

The beautiful painting I was referencing for the posing and overall composition was definitely a good choice as the simple background didn't intimidate me for once and actually encouraged me to add more to it , like the cypress trees , the grass and the deer fur the goddess is leaning on .

I hope you guys like it too of course !!

Boy, the Zeus hashtag is as toxic as ever. So here’s a little idea I’ve got: A lot of people claim that Zeus is pretty much the most horrible person ever and others (rightfully!) point out that one must not confuse the Zeus of Greek mythology with the Zeus worshipped by ancient Greeks and Hellenic polytheists today. But I argue that the Zeus of Greek mythology is not nearly as bad as people make him out to be. Since the Iliad is the closest you can get to something like a canon, here are some of his positive characteristics as presented in the Iliad:

reluctant to use violence (he does threaten to use violence a few times but never goes through with it)

grants Thetis’ wish to help the Trojans (1, 523)

Athena is dear to his heart (5, 886) even though she once tried to overthrow him (1, 400)

helps his wounded son Ares even though he despises his love for bloodlust (5, 895)

considers to defy fate to save his son Sarpedon (16, 434)

comforts his daughter Artemis (21, 507)

ὤ μοι ἐγών, ὅ τέ μοι Σαρπηδόνα, φίλτατον ἀνδρῶν, μοῖρ᾿ ὑπὸ Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδαο δαμῆναι. διχθὰ δέ μοι κραδίη μέμονε φρεσὶν ὁρμαίνοντι, ἤ μιν ζωὸν ἐόντα μάχης ἄπο δακρυοέσσης θείω ἀναρπάξας Λυκίης ἐν πίονι δήμῳ, ἦ ἤδη ὑπὸ χερσὶ Μενοιτιάδαο δαμάσσω.

Ah! it is fated that Sarpedon, dearest of men to me, should be killed by Patroklos son of Menoitios. But my heart is divided in two by my pondering thoughts, as to whether I should steal him away from tearful combat while he is alive, and set him down in the rich land of Lycia, or whether I should let him be killed by the hand of the son of Menoitios. (Iliad 16.433-438, transl. my own)

Zeus, lord of justice and king of the Gods, genuinely debates saving Sarpedon not just despite, but regardless of the fact that Sarpedon is fated to die. In her answer, Hera brings up another important point:

αἴ κε ζὼν πέμψῃς Σαρπηδόνα ὅνδε δόμονδε, φράζεο μή τις ἔπειτα θεῶν ἐθέλῃσι καὶ ἄλλος πέμπειν ὃν φίλον υἱὸν ἀπὸ κρατερῆς ὑσμίνης

If you send Sarpedon home alive, consider that later on, another of the Gods might want to send his own dear son away from the fierce battle. (Iliad 16.445-447, transl. my own)

In other words: Zeus does not just want to defy Sarpedon’s fate. He is at risk of overturning the entire system of mortal fate itself - if he saves his son, then there is no reason for other Gods not to save their own sons, and then fate will be completely meaningless. In the end, Zeus relents and accepts Sarpedon’s death, but his hesitation is still incredibly significant.

Again, Zeus is lord of justice and king of the Gods. He is the one who weighs the scales of fate for mortals. He is responsible for divine and mortal order.

And he considers upturning it all just to save Sarpedon, φίλτατον ἀνδρῶν, dearest of men, his son.

Not only that, it happens again with Hektor - who isn’t even related to him. Again, Zeus considers saving them, and again, he is rebuked by another deity, this time Athena. She speaks the exact same lines as Hera did for Sarpedon:

ἄνδρα θνητὸν ἐόντα, πάλαι πεπρωμένον αἴσῃ, ἂψ ἐθέλεις θανάτοιο δυσηχέος ἐξαναλῦσαι; ἕρδ᾿· ἀτὰρ οὔ τοι πάντες ἐπαινέομεν θεοὶ ἄλλοι.

A man who is mortal, who has long been fated to die, you would yet again want to free from ill-sounding death? Do it; but not all of us other Gods approve of it. (Iliad 16.441-443 and 22.179-181, transl. my own)

Today marks the second day of my observance of the Lesser Mysteries of Eleusis. What exactly went on at these rites remains mostly just that, a mystery, but many believe that there were preparatory rites of purification that prepared someone for the Greater Mysteries.

In my worship, the Lesser Mysteries are commemorated by offerings made to Demeter, Persephone, and Hekate over the seven days of the festival. For seven days I will fast from sun up to sun down, honoring the ritual fasting believed to be part of these rites and to mirror Demeter’s refusal of food and drink while she sought for Her daughter.

Each day I will give the goddesses libations, incense, barley grain, and various fruits, along with offerings of various candles made of beeswax or filled with sacred oils and the holy herbs of Demeter. As I do so, I will recite a section of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, reading 1/7th of it each day.

I ask the goddesses for the gift of purification and renewal, both spiritual and physical, and for abundance and prosperity in the Spring. May Demeter, Kore, and Hekate look upon us with favor in these dark and cold times.

Mother 💃🏻🐍👁️‍🗨️🌿

May’s illustration is simply called ‘Mother’ as the figure depicted is not one specific goddess, but a personification of the primordial maternal deity all Ancient Mediterranean mother goddesses seem to have sprung from🪴

"Persephone went willingly! Just check the oldest myth." - one too many a person on tiktok this morning.

Alright, I will. I'll use the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (7th century BCE) for you.

"[..] but broad-pathed Earth gaped wide

On the Nysion plain where the lord, the Receiver of many, rushed forth

With his deathless horses, Kronos' son who has many a name.

He seized her against her will, and aboard his golden car

Carried her off, lamenting; she uttered a piercing scream"

(line 16-20)

"When the maiden shrieked in appeal to her father"

(line 27)

"While the goddess [Persephone] viewed earth and starry sky, and the strong-flowing sea

Teeming with fish, and the rays of the Sun, she still hoped to behold

Her dear mother again, and the tribes of gods eternal in race;

So long did hope soothe her mighty mind despite her grief."

(line 33-36)

"Sun, [Helios], as a god for a goddess [Demeter] show your regard for me,

If ever by word or deed your heart and spirit I pleased.

The daughter whom I bore, my sweet offshoot of glorious form,

I heard through the murmuring air giving vent to an anguished cry

As though overpowered by force, yet caught no glimpse with my eyes.

[...]

Who took her without my consent against her will by force

And vanished -"

(line 64-72)

"And the lord in his [Hades'] halls he [Hermes] discovered seated upon a couch,

And he had his revered spouse by him, though much against her will,

Since she longed for Demeter, her mother -"

(line 43-45)

"She [Persephone] quickly leaped up in delight, but secretly, glancing round,

He [Hades] gave her to eat a pomegranate's honey-sweet seed, so that there

By revered Demeter the dark-robed she would not for ever stay."

(line 73-75)

"I [Persephone] at once leaped up in delight, but Hades secretly put

A food as sweet as honey, a pomegranate's seed, in my hand

And using violence forced me to taste it against my will"

(line 412-412)

@bug-b0i I hope it's okay to answer your question like this, as I've seen the sentiment more often and it's really important to me.

This post was made as an (irritated) reaction to the 99th romantasy being promoted on tiktok pretending that the story of Persephone going willingly with Hades (which originated in the 70s) is secretly thousands of years old. They claimed to have knowledge of an ancient myth that does not exist.

However, the myths are not the gods. Hades was worshipped - conjunct with Persephone and Demeter. It was rare to find one without the others.

The confusion arises from cults where Persephone and Hades are seen as gods of marriage (such at Locri) that people then confuse with mythology. They're not the same thing. You can interpret the mythology as an allegory of the seasons, of death/marriage of young girls, of the harvest - but there is nothing wrong with worshipping Hades. I love him. He's one of the oldest gods at my altar, alongside his wife, and he's brought me nothing but comfort.

I think it's also important to consider the historical context of this myth. Myths come from the perspective of those who tell them, and our world and perspectives today are very different than ancient Greek perspectives, especially when it comes to the topic of consent.

From a Greek perspective, it doesn't really matter if Perspehpone said she was ok with the marriage. In the very beginning of the hymn to Demeter, we are told that Hades asked Zeus for permission to marry Perspehone.

Using a translation by Gregory Nagy, which I think is the one you're referencing? It's not the one I'd usually use but it's what I have access to right now

"[Persephone] was given away by Zeus, the loud-thunderer, the one who sees far and wide."

(line 3)

From an ancient Greek perspective, Hades has done everything he needed to, and his marriage is "consensual" since both he, the groom, and Zeus, the father of the bride, have consented and agreed to the marriage. For an ancient Greek person telling this story, it wouldn't have seemed like Hades did anything wrong according to their own laws and customs. The bride and mother of the bride are not asked for permission.

Persephone protests the marriage but again, there was nothing wrong with that. Marriage was often thought of as a traumatic experience, especially since it was usually younger girls (teens) married to men in their late twenties or older. So, that's also not out of the realm of normalcy from an ancient Greek perspective.

Going on a slight tangent here probably, but the part I find most interesting is the part where Demeter protests the marriage and actually gets her way. This would not have been normal by ancient Greek standards. Demeter is shown having a surprising amount of power in a myth where she is very clearly put in a female role (mother of the bride). She stops all the crops from growing so that Zeus is forced to send Hermes to get Persephone back, to prevent all humans from dying. The pomegranate seeds make it so that Persephone must spend part of her year underground with Hades, but Demeter is a lot more successful than a mortal Greek mother who protested her daughter's marriage would have been.

I'm bad at tone on the internet, so I should mention that I'm not trying to disagree with your points above! I agree with you. I just think it's interesting to also look at the historical context when we talk about myths, because that's a huge part of why they are the way they are.

"Persephone went willingly! Just check the oldest myth." - one too many a person on tiktok this morning.

Alright, I will. I'll use the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (7th century BCE) for you.

"[..] but broad-pathed Earth gaped wide

On the Nysion plain where the lord, the Receiver of many, rushed forth

With his deathless horses, Kronos' son who has many a name.

He seized her against her will, and aboard his golden car

Carried her off, lamenting; she uttered a piercing scream"

(line 16-20)

"When the maiden shrieked in appeal to her father"

(line 27)

"While the goddess [Persephone] viewed earth and starry sky, and the strong-flowing sea

Teeming with fish, and the rays of the Sun, she still hoped to behold

Her dear mother again, and the tribes of gods eternal in race;

So long did hope soothe her mighty mind despite her grief."

(line 33-36)

"Sun, [Helios], as a god for a goddess [Demeter] show your regard for me,

If ever by word or deed your heart and spirit I pleased.

The daughter whom I bore, my sweet offshoot of glorious form,

I heard through the murmuring air giving vent to an anguished cry

As though overpowered by force, yet caught no glimpse with my eyes.

[...]

Who took her without my consent against her will by force

And vanished -"

(line 64-72)

"And the lord in his [Hades'] halls he [Hermes] discovered seated upon a couch,

And he had his revered spouse by him, though much against her will,

Since she longed for Demeter, her mother -"

(line 43-45)

"She [Persephone] quickly leaped up in delight, but secretly, glancing round,

He [Hades] gave her to eat a pomegranate's honey-sweet seed, so that there

By revered Demeter the dark-robed she would not for ever stay."

(line 73-75)

"I [Persephone] at once leaped up in delight, but Hades secretly put

A food as sweet as honey, a pomegranate's seed, in my hand

And using violence forced me to taste it against my will"

(line 412-412)

@bug-b0i I hope it's okay to answer your question like this, as I've seen the sentiment more often and it's really important to me.

This post was made as an (irritated) reaction to the 99th romantasy being promoted on tiktok pretending that the story of Persephone going willingly with Hades (which originated in the 70s) is secretly thousands of years old. They claimed to have knowledge of an ancient myth that does not exist.

However, the myths are not the gods. Hades was worshipped - conjunct with Persephone and Demeter. It was rare to find one without the others.

The confusion arises from cults where Persephone and Hades are seen as gods of marriage (such at Locri) that people then confuse with mythology. They're not the same thing. You can interpret the mythology as an allegory of the seasons, of death/marriage of young girls, of the harvest - but there is nothing wrong with worshipping Hades. I love him. He's one of the oldest gods at my altar, alongside his wife, and he's brought me nothing but comfort.

Of Diô, divine mother of all, divinity with many names, Holy Dîmítîr, nurturer of children, bestower of bliss, Oh divine one, who cultivates the grain, who apportions all good things, You who rejoice in peace and our difficult labors, Presiding over seeds, bequeathing abundant grain, thresher, producing the green fruit, You dwell in the hallowed valley of Ælefsís. Oh charming, lovely one, you give nourishment to all the mortals; You were the first to yoke the ploughing oxen, And you produce a lovely and abundant life for mortals; You promote growth, familial companion of Vrómios, splendidly honored, Torch-bearing, holy one, you rejoice in the summer's fruit of the sickle. You are from the earth, you appear, you are gentle to all. You bless us with progeny, oh lover of children, holy one, maiden who nurtures the young, You yoke dragons to your chariot with a bridle, Whirling and circling about your throne as you cry out in ecstasy. Only-begotten, Goddess bearing many children, mighty queen of mortals, Creator of many things, you bloom with flowers, blooming with holiness; Come, happy one, pure one, heavy with the fruits of summer, Bring down peace and lovely order to our world, With riches and blessings and a life governed by good health.

ORPHIC HYMN TO DEMETER 🌾

Here is a list of resources for Gaza and Falasteen. Here is an even bigger list. Here’s a much smaller one. Here is one with resources for both Gaza and Sudan.

Here is the link to a GFM that is very important to me. Here is the link to a GFM for a family in urgent need of evacuation out of Gaza.

Here is a way to help out Sudan. Here are links for donations, Sudanese businesses to support, and brief education about Sudan. Here is a post with resources for education and updates about what's happening in Sudan.

Here is a post with resources for Tigray.

Here is a post with important information on boycotting for Congo. Here is a post with links to support Congo.

Here is a list of resources for education on various issues around the world, including but not limited to West Papau, Hawai'i, Kashmir, and Armenia.

You can check my resources tag for more. I know tumblr's searching system isn't the best, though, so I tried to put as many as I could from that tag here.

[ID: An image of yellow grain stocks, soon to be harvested. The several stocks reach towards a blurred open sky, focusing the camera on he grains themselves. The leaves of the grains are green and the cereals are exposed].

PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT ARE MOVEMENTS WITHIN A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CAPITALIST SOCIETY. As the world becomes more aware of the importance of sustainability, so does the duty of humanity to uphold the idea of the steward, stemming from various indigenous worldviews, in the modern era. I make this small introduction as a viticulturist working towards organic and environmentally friendly grape production. I also do work on a food farm, as a second job—a regenerative farm, so I suppose that is my qualifications. Sustainable—or rather regenerative agriculture—grows in recognition. And as paganism and witchcraft continue to blossom, learning and supporting sustainability is naturally a path for us to take. I will say that this is influenced by I living in the USA, however, there are thousands of groups across the world for sustainable agriculture, of which tend to be easy to research.

So let us unite in caring for the world together, and here is an introduction to supporting sustainable/regenerative agriculture.