Zeus, the principle deity of heavenly Olympus and of classical Greece, appears to be a primordial entity that has been worshipped in the Balkan Peninsula from at least the third millennium BCE. His name derives from dyeu, a Proto-Indo-European word which means “to shine” and connects the god to the sky, thunder and the heavenly realm in general.
Hestia was the Olympia goddess of the hearth, domesticity and family, the latter being an entirely sacred denomination for the Greeks. Together with Artemis and Athena, she formed an exclusive association of virgin goddesses worshipped as the triune aspect of the Great Mother Goddess.
In classical myth the god Hermes acts as the messenger of the Olympians, the living, tangible connection between the heavens and the earth, as well as a psychopomp. His epithets Diaktoros and Psychopompos definitely allude to the two just mentioned qualities.
Hera is the Olympian goddess of women and feminine sovereignty, as well as the sanctity of marriage. Her epithets Akraia (She of the Heights), Basileia (Queen) and Teleia (goddess of marriage) definitely attest to such. Together with Zeus, Poseidon, Hestia and Pluton (Hades), she comprised one of the many children of Cronus, or Father Time, and Rhea, the Earth Mother.
Poseidon is one of the mightiest Olympian gods, second in prominence only to Zeus. Together with a host of other gods and goddesses that included the latter, Hades, Hestia and Hera, Poseidon is the spawn of the Titans Cronus, or Father Time and Rhea, the Earth Mother.
Ares is the Olympian god of war, slaughter and bloodshed. He is the progeny of king and queen of all gods and mortals, the mighty Zeus and the jealous Hera, respectively. It appears that both abhorred him, predominantly because of the debased, inhumane and rudimentarily based characteristics and qualities of human nature he came to epitomize.
First and foremost, I would like to commend all those who attempted one of two essay questions prescribed by the “It’s all Greek to me” writing competition, a contest which commenced at the end of July and finally concluded on the 23rd October.
I would like to thank everybody who took part in the “It’s all Greek to me” writing competition, a component of the “It’s all Greek to me” educational blog tour which ran between June and October of this year. Entrants were required to answer one of two essay questions whilst keeping to a word limit of 750-1150 words.
Aphrodite is the Olympian goddess of love, sexuality and beauty. In the Iliad, Homer puts forth the hypothesis that she is the progeny of Zeus and Dione, though in Hesiod’s Theogony and most other poetic sources she is introduced as the daughter of Ouranos, the sky, and the sea. In fact, the etymological route of her name definitely attests to the latter.
G’day and welcome to my blog! Today I’ll be discussing the demythologisation of the goddess and how the patriarchal fathers and theologians modified mythological discourse in order to subdue women and keep them “in their place”.
This is a research paper I wrote that details the theory and thought behind my recent body of work. To see images from the project as it is progressing, please go to my website to "The Csodaszarvas" heading: http://transcendentbird.com/home.html
"Banish the word 'struggle' from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we have been waiting for." — Hopi elders
