Like many a youth, I lived fast. However, I’m still not dead; when I do go, I hope my corpse is at least presentable. While the phrase… Read more “Live fast, die young and have a good looking corpse: Sappho Laments Adonis”
Tag: Persephone
Pythagoras: Death by Beans
Many of us in modern society remember Pythagoras from early high school geometry as we desperately tried to figure out the hypotenuse of right-angled triangles. However, in… Read more “Pythagoras: Death by Beans”
Don’t Look Back: Orpheus and Eurydice
Imagine this: you are a poet, a singer, and a harpist. Perhaps your father was a Thracian king; perhaps he was Olympian God Apollo Himself, either way,… Read more “Don’t Look Back: Orpheus and Eurydice”
Charon: Old Man and the River
Charon, the ferryman of the Greco-Roman underworld, was born from a union of the primordial embodiments of night (Nyx) and darkness (Erebus). Charon’s many siblings included Aether… Read more “Charon: Old Man and the River”
Beasts are Rational, part 2: On Eating Flesh
To recap part 1: The setup: Odysseus wants Circe to disenchant his men from their animal forms, and Circe argues that they are happier as animals than… Read more “Beasts are Rational, part 2: On Eating Flesh”
Cerberus: Hound of Hades
We’ve seen many a mythical dog. There was Yudhistara and the black dog at the gates of heaven from the Mahabharata; there was Fenrir, who bit off… Read more “Cerberus: Hound of Hades”
Demeter in the Mortal Realm
In many versions of the story of Persephone and Demeter, the focus often becomes Persephone. Brutally abducted by her uncle and swept into the Underworld where she… Read more “Demeter in the Mortal Realm”
The Union of Cupid and Psyche, part 4/4: Psyche in Hell, and the Wedding of Cupid and Psyche
Psyche in Hell: So far, with the help of the ants, the reeds, and Zeus himself, Psyche had completed all of Aphrodite’s increasingly demanding tasks. For the… Read more “The Union of Cupid and Psyche, part 4/4: Psyche in Hell, and the Wedding of Cupid and Psyche”
Who Mourns the Sirens?
Sirens are often mistakenly thought of as a monstrous counterpart to the mermaid; evil temptresses lurking in the sea foam waiting to lure innocent sailors to their… Read more “Who Mourns the Sirens?”
Triptolemus: The Greek Demi-God of Agriculture.
As we sit munching on our toast each morning, there are few of us that would even think to thank the demi-god Triptolemus. The one who, according… Read more “Triptolemus: The Greek Demi-God of Agriculture.”