This painting by Ubaldo Gandalfi has to be one of my favorite images of Hermes. I feel that it captures his personality as I see it.
It depicts Hermes (as Mercury) about to kill Argus. This was to free Io, who was turned into a cow by Zeus or Hera(the cow near the foot close to the edge). She was one of Zeus’ lovers and former priestess of Hera.
I suck at motivation. I haven’t been sitting around though.
Starting June and ending in the beginning of July I was on my first archaeological dig in Jamestown NY. It was an internship with Dr Tom Greer Through Jamestown Community College. It was at the Fenton History Center and is called the Walnut Grove Archaeology Project.
The goal of the project is to find information on the Fenton family’s, who built the mansion, daily life. Since Reuben Fenton, the head of the household, was gone doing things like being governor, senator, Representative, town supervisor, ect, we are mostly learning about his wife, Elizabeth, 4 children, servants and the people who came after them.
When I got to the Center they had unearthed a footer of an add-on who’s purpose was unknown. By the second day we found a well no one knew about. After a while we moved to the carriage house and began excavation. Before my internship was up we found a small feature and an underground electric line. Not sure what was found after had to leave. (couldn’t afford gas money of bus fare)
Wallnut Grove Archeology project
“Everyone knows that Loki is the bringer of discord, that his followers are all damaged people who disrupt the community”
You know, as we grow up, we all hear and accept certain truths from our community, and that is fine. What is not fine is when we never question how far the “truth” we accept differs from the experiences we have, and the people we actually know.
“We are our deeds”
This is another of those truths we all accept, and if this latter one is true, then I am the bearer of bad news, the harbinger of woeful tidings. Loki’s kids have earned an esteem far higher in our eyes by their deeds than we have ever allowed them, and we are DEEPLY shamed by our conduct towards them in return.
I have heard “Loki killed Baldur” as the trump card about as often as “Jews killed Jesus” and…
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Bacchus
Bicorniger- Two-horned. represents the audacity alcohol inspires.
Biformis/Dimorphos- two-formed-refrences his ability to be male and female, young and old, pleasent and not so much.
Bimater-two mother-referencing Dionysus’ mother Semele and Zeus’ thigh.
Brumus/Bromios
Bucornis- references Dionysus using a drinking horn.
C
Chiropsalas- Player of the harp
Choiropsalas- Sow-seeker-referencing his virility
Choopotes- Deep-drinker
Choroimanes- Mad after dancing. Referencing trance through dance.
Chrysokeros- golden-horned. Referencing the sun
Chrysokomes- Golden-haired. Solar reference
Chrysomitres- girdle.headband of gold
Chrysopes-golden-faced
Corniger-horned
Corymbifer-Bearing a cluster of berries. Berry plants are sacred to Dionysus.
I am Heathen, which honestly is not the same as pagan. I am a hard polytheist who understands the gods and goddesses, however imperfectly we understand them, are discrete knowable entities with a nature that springs not from our need, but from their essence. The gods that I have built a relationship with are the gods of my northern European ancestors; those familiar to the Scandinavian or German, rather than the Celt, Frank, Latin, or Pict that is also in my lineage.
We build relationships with them through the gifting cycle because of our need, but I do not honestly think they are born from it, anymore than I think Oxygen is released by plants because we need to breathe it. We need much from them, and I would suggest from the length of the reciprocal gifting relationships we have built between our folk and our gods and goddesses, that…
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Euro-centrism, Afrocentrism, Ethnocentrism, it’s all BS
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Ethnocentrism limits us as a species. What is it? It’d judging your own country or culture better than everyone elses. It is somewhat a natural thing, it has a hormonal reward just like all other methods people use to make them feel better or justify being jerks. Being American I mainly come across American Exceptionalism, Eurocentrism, ans Afrocentrism.
American Exceptionalism Is basically the US saying it’s the best country in the world. That American does no wrong. The problem is that is, obviously that’s not the case. What with the infant mortality rate, shady dealing that were probably mostly unnecessary, ect.
I grew up with Euro-centrism in school. We learned of Europe and the exploits of white Americans. Slavery was barely touched of despite helping build the country. The Native Americans were barley mentioned outside attacking settlers. We didn’t learn what instigated these attacks, we didn’t learn that no side was innocent of atrocities. The Tail of Tears was barely touched on. The “schools” weren’t touched on at all. We didn’t learn of the atrocities directed toward the mentally ill or the Japanese interment camp. The American revolution was simplifies to make America look good. The list goes on.
In other parts of the world we learned a little about Islam and less about how middle Eastern scholars contributed to the world. We barely touched on China aside from it’s old and big. Less on India, SE Asia, Australia, or Japan.
Once I got online I found out about Afrocentrism. Apparently this in mostly an American thing that is a response to discrimination as opposed the arrogance. It’s based on mostly 19th century writings now its mostly Molefi Asante . For some reason it appears to be focused on Ancient Egypt/Khemet.
Like Eurocentrism, Afrocentrism misrepresents history. Both theories seem to focus on Egypt to the point of ignoring evidence elsewhere. For example, it’s been confirmed that was a civilization that existed called Nok somewhere around Nigeria. Also the civilization that made the pottery in Ghana which shows evidence of trade relations in both Europe and Asia. As Afrocentrism says Egypt was “Black African”, Eurocentrism says that Egypt was Nordic. Evidence based on science says Egypt was/is mixed. Focus on Egypt also discounts archaeological evidence showing it as a mixed civilization. Humans have never lived in a bubble.
Also, like Eurocentrism, Afrocentrism minimizes the accomplishments of others. For example the Olmec people, best known for carving giant heads. Many look stereo-typically African but no one knows their heritage. There are legends of pale skinned people that get Eurocentric people riled up. The previously mentioned Ghanaian civilization was hushed up because archaeologists of the time couldn’t see black Africans doing what the evidence suggested. (This mindset is part of the reason there is Afrocentrism to begin with, a response to getting hidden.)
I understand why Ethnocentrism exists. It make people feel good no matter the reasons for it, like trying to empower people otherwise brushed under a rug.(Afrocentrism). Or trying to justify behavior(Euro and Sinocenrtism, Nazism). In the end I believe no one people is better than the other and history needs to based on science, always changing to suit the evidence. No matter were our ancestors came from or how often idiots try to suppress the truth, we all have a lot in common and we can learn from each other.
Related: Clarence E.Walker
https://phys.org/news/2017-01-ancient-figures-reveal-routes-prehistoric.html
6 ways anthropologists can challenge racism
One of the many misconceptions on Dionysus is that he’s a hardcore drunk. Understandable considering he’s the god of wine.
As in the above depiction, he’s usually the stupid kind of drunk. A careless idiot. all about the party. Basically a stereotypical frat boy. He’s rarely like this however.
In the Bacchae, a play were he is featured, shows him as relatively level headed in his attempt to get his family to accept him. It does show how savage he can though.
Dionysus is not care free, he’s not always cuddly. In his lore there are instances of his followers ripping apart people and other animals, overtaken by madness brought on by the god. A response to their disrespect. This disrespect can be spying on his rituals to victimizing himself(attempting to) or his followers.
The depiction of Dionyus as a drunk, for me, is disrespectful. This is due to what little I know about Ancient Greek drinking habits. First of all, alchohol, juice, and milk , were a matter a nessecity. The ancients understood that they could get hydration from other sources that didn’t cause things like dysentary as water wasn’t as clean as it often is today.
The men of Greece and Rome(Convivium) partook in something called a Symposium. A symposium was a drinking party were ideas were often exchanged, poems spoken, debate was had. It was overseen by symposiarch who decided how strong the wine was. (they mixed wine w/water) He would also prevent parties from getting out of hand, like Dionysus is often depicted. This was because mindless drunkenness was seen as a weakness as was disrespectful of oneself and the host..
Dionysus is the god of symposiums and I suppose he’s be the Symposiarch. Because of what symposiums are, he, to me, is the god of social exchange and the exchange of ideas.
Sources
The Bacchea by by Euripides
Wikipedia-Symposium
