A Collection of Images: Part 48

Below: 143. The domina and basket with snake. Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii.

Below: 144. Dionysian cosmos. Sarcophagus in Salerno.

A Collection of Images: Part 47

Below: 139. Further scenes from the childhood of Dionysos, with silenus beating a boy satyr. Sarcophagus in Rome, Museo Capitoliono.

Below: 140. Scenes showing the setting up of a Dionysian idol. Sarcophagus in Princeton, The Art Museum of Princeton University.

Below: 141. Dionysos and Ariadne on Naxos. Sarcophagus in Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery.

Below: 142. In later versions of the childhood of Dionysos. Sarcophagus in Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery.

A Collection of Images: Part 46

Below: 137. The child Dionysos with his nurses. Detail of lid frieze of a marble sarcophagus in Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery.

Below: 138. Scenes from the childhood of Dionysos, with preparation for the bath. Sarcophagus in Munich, Glyptothek.

A Collection of Images: Part 45

Below: 135. Scene from the initiation of a man. Terracotta relief. Hanover, Kestner Museum.

Below: 136. Scene from the initiation of a maenad. Stucco relief from La Farnesina. Rome, Museo Nazionale delle Terme.

A Collection of Images: Part 44

Below: 133. Scene from the initiation of a boy. Stucco ornament from La Farnesina in Rome. Museo Nazionale delle Terme.

Below: 134. Scene from the initiation of a boy. Transcript of a ointment jar. Florence, Museco Archeologico.

A Collection of Images: Part 43

This will be a short one.

A Collection of Images: Part 42

Below: 131. Deceased woman as bride and maenad, on a skyphoid pyxis from Aderno, Sicily, Moscow, State Museum of Decorative Arts

A Collection of Images: Part 41

This is going to be a short blog post. Sorry about that.

Below: 130. Continuous pictorial text of the initiation of a woman, on an Italic pointed amphora (with transcript). Giessen, Antikensammlung.

Poseidon (2014)

Time for another Athenian month to begin, at sundown. Tonight we start the Athenian month of Poseidon and I want to look back at the previous month. One of the things that I have learned is that sometimes you have to rely on others that are far more experienced in this religion than you are. I'm still having trouble with the calendars only up until they make no sense. Like the festival of Pompaia. I had to wait until it was listed before I could even blog about it. Another thing that I would like to mention is that, and thanks to my wonderful blogger that I follow, I'm starting to read Olympus Heights.

I got the book because I wanted to see if it was better than Percy Jackson. I'll give a full book review on that this month. I'm hoping that this month will be better and that I won't have the worries that I had last month.

A Collection of Images: Part 40

Below: 128. Another version of the Dionysian exodus, on an Apulian krater. Bari, Museo Archeologico.

Below: 129. The ways of initiation of a woman and a man, on the sides of an Apulian bowl, in the possession of an art dealer. Sorry about the glare.

Hena Kai Nea (November 2014)

Tonight, at sundown, will be the end of the Athenian month of Maimakterion. I hope that all of you are going to have a good one. Getting things ready for this day has proven to be a trial in itself. With the idea that there might be a government shutdown due to stupid things, at least in my opinion, getting these things like the incense to purify the house, and other 'item's has proven to be something that's on the top of my list. I've had some challenges this month, but I think that I've met them head on.

Once again, hope that you have a good one and see you all tomorrow.

A Collection of Images: Part 39

Below: 126. A Dionysos before a divine maenad, on an Apulian krater. Lecce, Museo Provinciale. Sorry about the glare, the flash sucks on this camera.

Below: 127. Dionysian exodus, on an Apulian krater. Barletta, Museo Civico. Sorry about the glare.

A Collection of Images: Part 38

Below: 124. Youth with an egg before an Ariadne, on an Apulian bell krater. Lecce, Museo Provinciale.

Below: 125. Ascension of an Ariadne, on an Apulian bowl. Ruvo, Museo Jatta.

A Collection of Images: Part 37

Below: 122. Exodus to the Dionysian nuptials. Transcript of the painting on an Italic krater. Barletta, Museo Civico.

Below: 123. Dionysos with a bell summoning a woman, on an Apulian krater. Ruvo, Museo Jatta.

A Collection of Images: Part 36

Below: 121. Bride with a mirror, preparing to go with Hermes, on an Italic krater. Lecce, Musceo Provinciale.

Below: 121. A deceased woman as a maenad led by Eros, on an Apulian amphora. Bonn, Antikensammlung.

A Collection of Images: Part 35

Below: 118. Eros throws the ball to a hesitant woman, on an Italic krater with a Greek inscription. Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

Below: 119. A willing bride washing her hair, on an Italic bell krater. Lecce, Museo Provinciale.

A Collection of Images: Part 34

Below: 116. Boy satyr with torch and situla, on an Italic chous. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Below: 117. Dionysos and his beloved, served by a boy satyr, on an Italic chous. Brindisi, Museo Provinciale

A Collection of Images: Part 33

Below: 113. A drunken Dionysos being brought home at night by a silenus, on an Attic chous. Athens, National Museum.

114: A horned Dionysos as bridegroom in his Boukoleion, on a bell krater from Thurii, one of the Hope Vases.

Below: 115. Deceased boys playing around a krater, on an Attic sarcophagus. Ostia, Museo Archeologico.

A Collection of Images: Part 32

Below: 112A. Old silenus, from murals in the cubiculum iin the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 112B. Young Dionysos, from murals in the cubiculum in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 112C/112D. Dancing maenads, from murals in the cubiculum in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 112E. Young satyr, from murals in the cubiculum in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 112F. The domina holding a document, from murals in the cubiculum in the Villa dei Misteri.

A Collection of Images: Part 31

This is going to be a short blog post.

Below: view of the cubiculum into the hall of preparations. Villa dei Misteri.

The English Version of Hellenic Household Worship Coming Soon

I was on Facebook and the author announced that the English version of Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship is going to be available to buy next week. This fits in well with how I buy books. I really want a physical copy of this book so that I have it for the small, but beginning, library that I can go to without worry about power, internet, and so on. I also think that it’s important to buy anything that will support the Hellenic community as a whole. I’ve always believed that and this is a great way to do it.

From the sample page that they gave us I found a Full Moon ritual listed. This will be great when the Full Moon comes around. There’s also plenty of other things that I saw, listed, that makes me get a good feeling in buying it. I personally believe that we need more books out there like this to match with the Wiccan books that are flooding the market. People need to experience the difference between these two religions.

Well that’s all that I want to say. I’ll see you around and my the gods watch over you all.

A Collection of Images; Part 30

Below: 110A. A boy, standing between two women, reading in preparation for his initiiation, from murals in the hall of preparation in the Villa dei Misteri.

110B. Pregnant young women holding a tray (left); candidate bacchante running away (right). Continuation of hall of preparations murals in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below 110C. Initiation by mirroring the mask, and the divine pair. Continuation of hall of preparation murals in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 110D. Before the uncovering of the phallus. continuation of hall of preparations murals in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 110E. The novice, initiates, and the initiated maenad. Continuation of hall of preparations murals in the villa dei Misteri.

Happy Veterans Day (2014)

I just want to wish everyone that fought and family members of fallen heroes a wonderful Veterans Day. My mother served as well as my father. Of course the difference is that my father went to Vietnam and my mother served state side. Still having two parents that went into the military gives me a great since of honor and pride. I'm going to do a Hellenic ritual to Ares, Athena, and Hades. I'm also going to give an offering to the dead, including my father and Uncle. I think that it's important to honor those that have fought and died for this country.

So I hope that you all have a good one and I'll see you later.

A Collection of Images: Part 29

Below: 108. The adorning of the bride, from murals in the hall of preparations in the Villa dei Misteri.

Below: 109. View of a fantastic ritual scene, from murals in the cubiculum in the Villa dei Misteri

Collection of Images: Part 28

Below: 104. Archaic komos of men dressed as women, on an Attic cup. Amsterdam, Allard Pierson Museum. Below that, 105. Classic komos of men dressed as women, on an Attic krater. Cleveland, Museum of Art.

Below: 106. The domina, the door to the cubiculum, and the first figure of the preparations, from murals in the hall of preparations in the villa dei Misteri, Pompeii.

Below: 107. View of a rustic ritual scene, from murals in the cubiculum in the Villa dei Misteri.

The Purpose Of Defacement

One of the most startling things that I've learned over the years was the defacement of pagan images, statues and even temples. What was the purpose of doing this? The reason was ideology. It was believed that if you put a more powerful symbol over another that the power of that symbol, or image, would be broken. Now, we all know that statues didn't hold any power if they were just decorative statuary, but it was the power that the image represented that the early church feared.

This is a example of that fear. Notice the cross that's defacing the scene of a celebration.

There are examples of this in busts of former Roman Emperors, Egyptian temples, Greek scenes from the classical period, and on, and on, and on. There is even the hacking away, just like King Tut's father did, at the Temple of Isis and other temples throughout Egypt. These gods must of struck fear in the hearts of Christians to warrant this. Of course, if they feared the gods then their faith must not of been as sound.

Isn't the Christian god supposed to vanquish all these pagan idols? Why are they scared? Why are they still fearing? The answer is simple: The gods still hold the cards, they still rule over the universe, and they still have the power to make you fear them. That's the only reason that I feel that the defacement was done. Of course others will say that they were showing the power of the new religion over the old.

I say that it's more than that. They also feared the roots of the very culture that they were raised in. They feared the power that the people had and they wanted their new god feared, not loved. That's my own opinion about the defacement of these sites and symbols.

Collection of Images: Part 27

Below: 100. Visit of Dionysos to Althaia, on an Attic krater. Tarquinia, Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese.

Below: 101. Dionysian boys after death, on an Attic pitcher. Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery.

102. Boy playing with a fawn, on an Attic chous. Athens, National Museum.