Something nice for a bleary day!

I love this picture!!

This is a lake inside a volcano.

Mt. Etna

Greetings, A friend of mine sent me these pictures, taken in Sicily a few years ago. I feel it is only right to share them to brighten up the day, Enjoy.

Buona festa del Ringraziamento!!

That is Happy Thanksgiving to you lazy 1 language Americans!

So here we are on the eve of the biggest eating day of the year. Of all the things I'm thankful for not having "lunch duty" for 3 days is right at the top! It is always good to be around family and share some time with loved ones. Hope everyone has a oggio molto bene and is thankful!

Greek Myths.. Anyone???

Origins of Greek Mythology
Greek Myths are all that’s left of the ancient Greek religion. About 1200 b.c.e., the residents of, what we would call, Greece and Asia Minor shared a common belief in a group of deities that came to be known as The Olympians.
The distillation of the various regional beliefs into a coherent central religion was probably not as tidy and uniform as we would prefer, but it’s fair say that the stories of the Olympians survived because they had the largest number of followers and, most importantly, The Olympians did not forbid or punish the pursuit of knowledge. Beauty, poetry and creative activities are the blessings of The Immortals and are a vital part of the Greek tradition.
The Olympians are descended from the primal, self created gods, begining with Kaos. The Olympians are ruled by Zeus. He is the strongest and, as you will see, without him, the other Olympians would still be held captive inside their devious father, Kronos. The Olympians are only a small part of the family of Immortals that rule the earth and sky. The various rivers, mountains and forces of nature are the ‘bodies’ of the Immortals and proper respect must always be shown if you wish to have peace at home and safe passage when you travel.
The ancient texts we call Greek Myths are mostly from the period known as Classical Greece, circa 500 b.c.e. The stories behind the myths are from a much earlier time but written versions don’t exist before Classical times.
The oldest myths can be traced to three main sources: Homer, Hesiod and The Homeric Hymns, circa 800 b.c.e. That means that by the time they were written down, these works had survived 400 years of additions, subtractions and mutations to finally become the versions we now call ‘authentic’. The Greek Myths are our window into the distant past, a view of a world that existed not only in the mind of the Greek poets but in the hearts of the humble and long suffering natives of ancient Greece.
Where do the Greek myths STOP? At what point in time can we assume that the essence of Greek mythology was lost? The decision as to when exactly the essence was lost is strictly arbitrary, but when I read Greek myths as told by the Roman, Ovid, circa 20 B.C.E., I get a little skeptical as to the depth of his insight... after all, he was a thousand years, a language and a culture away from the origins of the myths... all he could possibly tell us is how Romans viewed Greek mythology... this is important for the study of the Romans but not of the Greeks.
I don’t even trust the Classical Greeks to keep the stories straight... the Classical Period, Athenian Greece, beginning circa 502 B.C.E., was a time of cultural and artistic freedom. The Classical Greek writers and story tellers probably embellished the myths in a way that seemed proper to them but, after all, they were five hundred years away from the harsh and brutal foundations of Greek culture and myths.
For us to try to imagine the Olympians of The Iliad we must abandon the dramatic stories of the Classical Greeks and the flights of fancy of the Romans. To use them would be like losing your car keys in a dark alley and going down the block to look for them under the streetlight because the lights’ better. Even though the Classical Greek and Roman versions of the Ancient Greek myths outnumber the authentic texts I will try to, eventually, only list the oldest stories on these pages. I hope you enjoy my effort... Xavr
Aphrodite
Aphrodite, the golden goddess of Love; born of the blood of Ouranos (the Heavens) and the foam of the sea.(Aphrodite, Venus)
Venus
Apollon
Apollon, the son of Zeus and Leto; the brother of Artemis.(Apollo, Apollon, Phoibos Apollon, the Striker from Afar)
Apollo
Ares
Ares, the god of War; the son of Zeus and Hera.(Ares, Aries, Mars, God of War)
Mars
Artemis
Artemis, Diana(Artemis, Diana)
Diana
Athene (Athena)
Athene, the goddess of Wisdom; the daughter of Zeus and Metis; the virgin goddess of intellect and invention.(Athene, Athena, Pallas Athene, Tritogeneia, Glaukopis, Minerva)
Minerva
Demeter
Demeter, the goddess of the Harvest; the daughter of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia (Rhea).(Demeter, Ceres)
Ceres
Dione
Dione, the Mother Goddess of Mount Olympos (Olympus).(Dione)

Eos
Eos, the Dawn; mother of the Winds.(Dawn, Eos, Erigeneia)

Enyo
Enyo, one of the Graiai (the Gray Sisters); the daughters of Keto (Ceto) and Phorkys (Phorcys).(Enyo, Bellona, Gray Sisters, Graiai)
Bellona
Erida
Erida, the wearisome goddess of Hate.(Erida, Hate)

Erinyes
Erinys, the Mist-Walking and the Kindly One; punisher of the unfaithful.(Erinyes, Erinys, Furiae, Furies, Tisiphone, Megaera, Alecto, Alekto)
Furiae
Eris
Eris, the goddess of Discord and Strife.(Eris, Discordia, Discord)
Discordia
Eros
Eros, the primal god of Love; using arrows of gold and lead, he would wound the hearts of mortals and Immortals alike.(Eros, Cupid)
Cupid
Eurynome
Eurynome, one of the many daughters of Ocean; the mother of the Graces.(Eurynome)

Fates
The Fates, the Daughters of Necessity; born of Zeus and Themis.(Fates, Morae, Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos, Klotho, Lakhesis, Moiras, Keras, Moirai, Moira)
Morae
Gorgons
Gorgons, the daughters of Phorkys and Keto (Ceto); with snakes about their heads and wrists, Medusa, Sthenno and Euryale were so hideous, the shock of seeing them would turn anyone to stone.(Gorgon, Medusa, Sthenno, Euryale)

Graces
Graces, the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome; the attendants of Aphrodite (goddess of Love) and the incarnations of Grace and Charm.(The Graces, Graces, Aglaia, Euphrosyne, Thalia, The Charities, Charities)
Charities
Hades
Hades, Lord of the Underworld; the son of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia (Rhea).(Hades, Underworld, Pluto)
Pluto
Hebe
Hebe, the goddess of Youth; the daughter of Zeus and Hera; the wife of Herakles (Heracles).(Hebe, Youth)

Helios
Helios, the Sun; the son of Hyperion and Eryphaesa; he sees everything his light touches.(Helios, Sun God, the Sun)
Apollo
Hephaistos (Hephaestus)
Hephaistos, the god of the Smith; the son of Hera and artificer of the Olympians.(Hephaistos, Hephaestus, Vulcan)
Vulcan
Hera
Hera, the daughter of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia (Rhea); the wife to Zeus; the most beautiful of the Immortals.(Hera, Juno)
Juno
Herakles (Heracles)
Herakles, the ultimate hero; the son of Zeus and Alkmene (Alcmene).(Herakles, Hercules, The Twelve Labors)
Hercules
Hermes
Hermes, the wing shod messenger of the Olympians; the son of Zeus and Maia.(Hermes, Mercury, Argeiphontes)
Mercury
Hestia
Hestia, the virgin goddess of the Hearth and humble domestic joy.(Hestia, Vesta)
Vesta
Hyperion
Hyperion, the Titan; father of Helios (the Sun), Eos (the Dawn) and Selene (the Moon).(Hyperion)

Hypnos
Hypnos, the god of Sleep; a child of Nix (Night) and the brother of Thanatos (Death).(Hypnos, Somnus)
Somnus
Io
Io, the Heifer-Maiden who rejected the love of Zeus.(Io, Heifer-Maiden)

Iris
Iris, the Wind-Footed messenger of the Immortals.(Iris)

Kalypso (Calypso)
Kalypso, the queenly Nymph and lover of Odysseus.(Calypso, Kalypso, Nymph, Nymphs)

Kheiron (Chiron)
Kheiron, the most righteous of the Centaurs; the powerful master of many arts and sciences.(Cheiron, Kheiron, Centaurs, Centaur, Eurytion)

Kirke (Circe)
Kirke, the Dread Goddess; the daughter of Helios and the mistress of potions and spells.(Circe, Kirke)

Kronos (Cronos)
Kronos, the Titan; father of the Olympians.(Kronos, Cronos, Cronus, Saturn)
Saturn
Leto
Leto, the consort of Zeus and mother of Apollon and Artemis.(Leto)

Muses
The Muses attend the festivals on Olympos and entertain and inspire the other gods with their wit and charm.(Muses, Mousai)

Nereids
The Nereids, the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris.(The Nereids, Nereids, Thetis, Agaue, Aktaia, Amphinome, Amphithoe, Apseudes, Dexamene, Doris, Doto, Dynamene, Galateia, Glauke, Halia, Iaira, Ianassa, Ianeira, Kallianassa, Kallianeira, Klymene, Kumodoke, Kumothoe, Limnoreia, Maira, Melite, Nemertes, Nesaie, Oreithyia, Pherousa, Panope, Proto, Speio, Thaleia, Thoe)

Odysseus
Odysseus, the hero of the Trojan War and the long suffering traveler in The Odyssey.(Odysseus, Ulysses)
Ulysses
Orai,The Hours
Orai, the three sisters, Eunomia (Harmony), Dyke (Justice) and Eirene (Peace) assist the Olympians by organizing the Seasons and adding balance to Nature.(Hours, The Hours, Eunomia, Dyke, Eiren, Horae, The Horae, Orai)
Horae
Pan
Pan, the Goat-God; he prances through the fertile countryside in the company of Nymphs playing his seven-reed pipe in wild abandon.(Pan, Faunus, Goat God)
Faunus
Persephone
Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus; the wife of Hades and queen of the Underworld.(Persephone, Proserpina)
Proserpina
Poseidon
Poseidon, the lord the Sea; son of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia (Rhea).(Poseidon, Neptune)
Neptune
Prometheus
Prometheus, the rebel god; in defiance of Zeus, he gave fire and other comforts to the mortals on the earth.(Prometheus)

Rheia (Rhea)
Rheia, the wife of devious Kronos (Cronos) and mother to the Olympians.(Rheia, Rhea)

Rivers
Rivers; the children of Okeanos (Ocean); Immortals who have chosen rivers as their earthly bodies.(Rivers, Acheloios, Akheloios, Aiseopos, Alpheios, Asopos, Axios, Boagrios, Grenikos, Gyge, Hermos, Hyllos, Hypereia, Karesos, Kephisos, Lykia, Maiandros, Messeis, Minyeios, Ocean, Okeanos, Parthenios, Peneios, Rhesos, Rhodios, Sangarious, Satnioeis, Simoei, Skamandros, Spercheios, Styx, Titaressos, Xanthos)

Skylla
Skylla, the man-eating she-beast with six heads.(Skylla, Charybdis, Kharybdis)

Styx
Styx, the eldest daughter of Okeanos (Ocean) and Tethys; any Immortal who pours the waters of Styx and swears an oath, is solemnly bound to tell only the truth.(Styx)

Thanatos
Thanatos, the god of Death; a child of Nix (Night) and the brother of Hypnos (Sleep).(Thanatos, Death)

Thetis
Thetis, one of the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris; the wife of Peleus and the mother of Akhilleus (Achilles).(Thetis)

Winds
The Winds are Immortals who have chosen the air as their earthly bodies.(Winds, Eos, Boreas, Eurus, Notus, Zephyros, North Wind, East Wind, South Wind, West Wind, Kaikias, Caicias, Apeliotes, Lips, Skiron, Sciron)

Zeus
Zeus, the Olympian; the son of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia (Rhea); lord of the Sky.(Zeus, Jupiter)


Greek mythology consists in part in a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. These accounts were initially fashioned and disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition; our surviving sources of Greek mythology are literary reworkings of this oral tradition. Greek mythology was also reflected in artifacts, some of them works of art, notably the repertory of vase-painters. The Greeks themselves referred to the myths and associated artworks to throw light on cult practices and ritual traditions that were already ancient and, at times, poorly understood.
The span of stories and characters in Greek mythology ranges from the atrocities of the early gods to the brutal wars of Troy and Thebes, from the youthful pranks of Hermes to the heartfelt grief of Demeter for Persephone, all depicted in minute detail in a bewildering range of media. In addition to the above, the cast of characters includes many monsters, daemons, nymphs, satyrs, and centaurs.
The Greek gods
In the wide variety of legends and stories that constitute ancient Greek mythology, the deities that were native to the Greek peoples are described as having essentially human but ideal bodies. Although each god's physical appearance is distinct, they have the power to take on whatever form they choose. The few composite or chimerical beings that occur, such as the Sphinx, had their origins in Anatolia or the Near East and were imported into the Greek culture.


Perseus with the head of Medusa.
Regardless of their underlying forms, the Greek gods have many fantastic abilities: they can disguise themselves or make themselves invisible to humans, they can instantly transport themselves to any location, and are able to act through the words and deeds of humans, often without the knowledge of the human through whom the gods act. Most significantly, the gods are not affected by disease, can be wounded only under highly unusual circumstances, and are immortal. Even though each of the gods was born, most of them growing from infancy to adulthood, once they reach their physical peak of maturity they do not age beyond that point.
Each god descends from his or her own genealogy, pursues differing interests, has a certain area of expertise, and is governed by a unique personality; however, these descriptions arise from a multiplicity of archaic local variants, which do not always agree with one another. When these gods were called upon in poetry, prayer or cult, they are referred to by a combination of their name and epithets, that identify them by these distinctions from other manifestations of themselves. A Greek deity's epithet may reflect a particular aspect of that god's role, as Apollo Musagetes is "Apollo, [as] leader of the Muses." Alternatively the epithet may identify a particular and localized aspect of the god, sometimes thought to be already ancient during the classical epoch of Greece.
In such mythic narratives, we are told that the gods are all part of a huge family, spanning multiple generations. The oldest of the gods were responsible for the creation of the world, but younger gods usurped their power. In many familiar epic poems set in the "age of heroes," the twelve Olympians are said to have appeared in person. In order to help out the Greeks' primitive ancestors, the gods performed miracles, instructed them in various areas of practical knowledge, taught them proper methods of worship, rewarded good behavior and chastised immorality, and even had children with them.
A survey of mythic history
While self-contradictions in the stories make an absolute timeline impossible, an approximate chronology may be discerned. There was first an age of gods, then an age when men and gods mingled freely, followed by an age of heroes, where divine activity was more limited.


While the age of gods has often been of more interest to contemporary students of myth, the Greek authors of the archaic and classical eras had a clear preference for the age of heroes. For example, the heroic Iliad and Odyssey dwarfed the divine-focused Theogony and Homeric Hymns in both size and popularity.
The age of gods
Topics in Greek mythology
Gods
Primordial gods and Titans
Zeus and the Olympians
Pan and the nymphs
Apollo and Dionysus
Sea-gods and Earth-gods
Heroes
Heracles and his Labors
Achilles and the Trojan War
Odysseus and the Odyssey
Jason and the Argonauts
Perseus and the Gorgon
Oedipus and Thebes
Theseus and the Minotaur
Triptolemus and theEleusinian Mysteries
Related
Satyrs, centaurs and dragons
Ancient Greek religion
Like their neighbors, the Greeks believed in a pantheon of gods and goddesses who were associated with specific aspects of life. For example, Aphrodite was the goddess of love, while Ares was the god of war and Hades the god of the dead. Some deities, such as Apollo and Dionysus, revealed complex personalities and mixtures of functions, while others, such as Hestia (literally "hearth") and Helios (literally "sun"), were little more than personifications. There were also site-specific deities: river gods, nymphs of springs, caves, and forests. Local heroes and heroines were often venerated at their tombs by people from the surrounding area.
Many beings described in Greek myths could be considered "gods" or "heroes." Some were recognized only in folklore or were worshipped only at particular locales, (e.g. Trophonius) or during specific festivals (e.g. Adonis). The most impressive temples tended to be dedicated to a limited number of gods: the twelve Olympians, Heracles, Asclepius and occasionally Helios. These gods were the focus of large pan-Hellenic cults. It was, however, common for individual regions and villages to devote their own cults to nymphs, minor gods, or local heroes. Many cities also honored the more well-known gods with unusual local rites and associated strange myths with them that were unknown elsewhere.
The first gods
One type of narrative about the age of gods tells the story of the birth and conflicts of the first divinities: Chaos, Nyx (Night), Eros (Love), Uranus (the Sky), Gaia (the Earth), the Titans and the triumph of Zeus and the Olympians. Hesiod's Theogony is an example of this type. It was also the subject of many lost poems, including ones attributed to Orpheus, Musaeus, Epimenides, Abaris and other legendary seers, which were used in private ritual purifications and mystery-rites. A few fragments of these works survive in quotations by Neoplatonist philosophers and recently unearthed papyrus scraps.
The earliest Greek thought about poetry considered the theogony, or song about the birth of the gods, to be the prototypical poetic genre—the prototypical muthos—and imputed almost magical powers to it. Orpheus, the archetypal poet, was also the archetypal singer of theogonies, which he uses to calm seas and storms in Apollonius' Argonautica, and to move the stony hearts of the underworld gods in his descent to Hades. When Hermes invents the lyre in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, the first thing he does is sing the birth of the gods. Hesiod's Theogony is not only the fullest surviving account of the gods, but also the fullest surviving account of the archaic poet's function, with its long preliminary invocation to the Muses.
The Olympian gods
After the overthrow of the elder gods by the Olympians, another set of myths tells the story of the birth, struggles and exploits, and eventual ascent into Olympus of one of the younger generation of gods: Apollo, Hermes, Athena, etc. The Homeric Hymns are the oldest source of this kind of story. They are often closely associated with cult-centers of the god in question: the Homeric Hymn to Apollo is a compound of two earlier narratives: one telling of his birth at Delos, the other of his establishment of the oracle at Delphi. Similarly, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, with its tale of the abduction of Persephone by Hades, narrates the back-story of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
The age of gods and men
Bridging the age when gods lived alone and the age when divine interference in human affairs was limited was a transitional age in which gods and men moved freely together.
The most popular type of narrative that confronts gods with early men involves the seduction or rape of a mortal woman by a male god, resulting in heroic offspring. In a few cases, a female divinity mates with a mortal man, as in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, where the goddess lies with Anchises to produce Aeneas. The marriage of Peleus and Thetis, which yielded Achilles, is another such myth.
Another type involves the appropriation or invention of some important cultural artifact, as when Prometheus steals fire from the gods, when Tantalus steals nectar and ambrosia from Zeus' table and gives it to his own subjects - revealing to them the secrets of the gods, when Prometheus or Lycaon invents sacrifice, when Demeter teaches agriculture and the Mysteries to Triptolemus, or when Marsyas invents the aulos and enters into a musical contest with Apollo.
Myths centered around households and lineages were particularly popular, and grouped by historians under the name of the key ancestor, such as Atreus, whose household passed a curse that touched the Trojan war.
Yet another type belongs to Dionysus: the god wanders through Greece from foreign lands to spread his cult. He is confronted by a king, Lycurgus or Pentheus, who opposes him, and whom he punishes terribly in return. A similar theme echoes in a myth about Demeter: The maternal goddess in search of her kidnapped daughter stops in a kingdom and out of love tries to make the royal family's son immortal by dipping him into a magical fire. When the matron finds her son being held in a fire by his nurse, the woman turns on the disguised Demeter, causing Demeter to throw him down on the floor. Before the enraged mother, Demeter strips her mortal guise and punishes the woman for her faithlessness.


Achilles binds the wound of Patroclus, on a late archaic Kylix by the Sosias painter.
The age of heroes
The age of heroes can be broken down around the monumental events of Heracles as the dawn of the age of heroes, the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War. The Trojan War marks roughly the end of the Heroic Age.
Heracles
Among heroes, Heracles is in a class by himself. His fantastic solitary exploits, with their many folk tale themes, provided much material for popular legend. His enormous appetite and rustic character also made him a popular figure of comedy, while his pitiful end provided much material for tragedy.
The descendants of Heracles, known as the Heracleidae, were the mythical ancestors of the Dorian Greek kings.

Other early heroes
Other members of the earliest generation of heroes, such as Perseus, Deucalion and Bellerophon, have many traits in common with Heracles. Like him, their exploits are solitary, fantastic and border on fairy tale, as they slay monsters such as the Chimera and Medusa. This generation was not as popular a subject for poets; we know of them mostly through mythographers and passing remarks in prose writers. They were, however, favorite subjects of visual art.
The Argonauts
Nearly every member of the next generation of heroes, as well as Heracles, went with Jason on the expedition to fetch the Golden Fleece. This generation also included Theseus, who went to Crete to slay the Minotaur; Atalanta, the female heroine; and Meleager, who once had an epic cycle of his own to rival the Iliad and Odyssey.
The Seven against Thebes and royal crimes
In between the Argo and the Trojan War, there was a generation known chiefly for its horrific crimes. This includes the doings of Atreus and Thyestes at Argos; also those of Laius and Oedipus at Thebes, leading to the eventual pillage of that city at the hands of the Seven Against Thebes and Epigoni. For obvious reasons, this generation was extremely popular among the Athenian tragedians.


"The Rage of Achilles" by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
The Trojan War and its aftermath
The Trojan War, including its causes and consequences, was the turning point between the heroic age and what the ancient Greeks considered to be their historical era. Vastly more attention was paid to this struggle than to all the many other contemporaneous events combined. The lasting popularity of the tales related to the Trojan War have kept them in circulation for millennia. The Trojan cycle includes:
The events leading up to the war: Eris and the golden apple of Kallisti, the Judgement of Paris, the abduction of Helen, the sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis.
The events of the Iliad, including the quarrel of Achilles with Agamemnon and the deaths of Patroclus and Hector.
The ruse of the Trojan Horse and the destruction of Troy.
The homecomings of heroes from Troy, including the wanderings of Odysseus (the Odyssey) and Aeneas (the Aeneid), and the murder of Agamemnon
The children of the Trojan generation: e.g. Orestes and Telemachus
Theories of origin
In antiquity, historians such as Herodotus theorized that the Greek gods had been stolen directly from the Egyptians. Later on, Christian writers tried to explain Hellenic paganism through degeneration of Biblical religion. Since then, the sciences of archaeology and linguistics have been applied to the origins of Greek mythology with some interesting results.
Historical linguistics indicates that particular aspects of the Greek pantheon were inherited from Indo-European society (or perhaps both cultures borrowed from another earlier source), as were the roots of the Greek language. Thus, for example, the name Zeus is cognate with Latin Jupiter, Sanskrit Dyaus and Germanic Tyr (see Dyeus), as is Ouranos with Sanskrit Varuna. In other cases, close parallels in character and function suggest a common heritage, yet lack of linguistic evidence makes it difficult to prove, as in the case of the Greek Moirae and the Norns of Norse mythology.
Archaeology and mythography, on the other hand, has revealed that the Greeks were inspired by some of the civilizations of Asia Minor and the Near East. Cybele is rooted in Anatolian culture, and much of Aphrodite's iconography springs from the Semitic goddesses Ishtar and Astarte.
Textual studies reveal multiple layers in tales, such as secondary asides bringing Theseus into tales of The Twelve Labours of Herakles. Such tales concerning tribal eponyms are thought to originate in attempts to absorb mythology of one tradition into another, in order to unite the cultures.
In addition to Indo-European and Near Eastern origins, some scholars have speculated on the debts of Greek mythology to the still poorly understood pre-Hellenic societies of Greece, such as the Minoans and so-called Pelasgians. This is especially true in the case of chthonic deities and mother goddesses. For some, the three main generations of gods in Hesiod's Theogony (Uranus, Gaia, etc.; the Titans and then the Olympians) suggest a distant echo of a struggle between social groups, mirroring the three major high cultures of Greek civilization: Minoan, Mycenaean and Hellenic.
The extensive parallels between Hesiod's narrative and the Hurrian myth of Anu, Kumarbi, and Teshub makes it very likely that the story is an adaptation of borrowed materials, rather than a distorted historical record. Parallels between the earliest divine generations (Chaos and its children) and Tiamat in the Enuma Elish are possible (Joseph Fontenrose, Python: A Study of Delphic Myth and Its Origins: NY, Biblo-Tannen, 1974).
Jungian scholars such as Karl Kerenyi have preferred to view the origin of myths in universal archetypes. Though not all readers are confident of interpretations of myth in terms of Carl Jung's psychology of dreams (by Kerenyi or Campbell for examples), most agree that myths are dreamlike in two aspects: they are not consistent, perhaps not wholly consistent even within a single myth-element, and they often reflect some epiphany which then must be assembled into a narrative thread, much as dreams are recreated as sequential happenings.
The origins of Greek mythology remain a fascinating and open question.

The Greeks' relationship to the myths
"Our own myths we call reality" is one of the axioms with which Carl A.P. Ruck and Danny Staples commence The World of Classical Myth; to the Greeks, mythology was a part of their history; few ever doubted that there was truth behind the account of the Trojan War in the Iliad and Odyssey. The Greeks used myth to explain natural phenomena, cultural variations, traditional enmities, and friendships. It was a source of pride to be able to trace one's descent from a mythological hero or a god.
Evolution of the myths
At the same time, the Greeks' construction of the gods changed over time to accommodate the evolution of their own culture. For example, while myths about love relationships between male gods and male heroes do not appear before the middle of the Archaic period, starting around the last third of the seventh century such stories become more and more frequent. All the gods with the exception of Ares eventually acquire pederastic beloveds, and so do many of the heroes, such as Heracles. Previously existing myths of love between men, such as that of Achilles and Patroclus, are now cast in a pederastic light, giving rise to significant confusion over whom to make the erastes and whom the eromenos. These developments were meant to legitimate the parallel development of pedagogic pederasty, thought to have been introduced around 630 BCE.
Sophisticated Greeks experienced a cultural crisis in the 5th century BC, when increased literacy and the development of logic forced a more comparative skeptical turn of mind, a crisis of which Socrates was the most famous victim.
On the other hand, a few radical philosophers like Xenophanes were already beginning to label the poets' tales as blasphemous lies in the 6th century BC; this line of thought found its most sweeping expression in Plato's Republic and Laws. More sportingly, the 5th century BC tragedian Euripides often played with the old traditions, mocking them, and through the voice of his characters injecting notes of doubt. In other cases Euripides seems to be directing pointed criticism at the behavior of his gods.
Alexandrian poets at first, then more generally literary mythographers in the early Roman Empire, often adapted stories of characters in Greek myth in ways that did not reflect earlier actual beliefs. Many of the most popular versions of these myths that we have today were actually from these fictional retellings, which may blur the archaic beliefs.
Hellenistic rationalism
The skeptical turn of the Classical age became even more pronounced in the Hellenistic era. Most daringly, the mythographer Euhemerus claimed that stories about the gods were only confused memories of the cruelty of ancient kings. Although Euhemerus's works are lost, interpretations in his style are frequently found in Diodorus Siculus.
Rationalizing hermeneutics of myth became even more popular under the Roman Empire, thanks to the physicalist theories of Stoic and Epicurean philosophy, as well as the pragmatic bent of the Roman mind. The antiquarian Varro, summarizing centuries' worth of philosophic tradition, distinguished three kinds of gods:
The gods of nature: personifications of phenomena like rain and fire.
The gods of the poets: invented by unscrupulous bards to stir the passions.
The gods of the city: invented by wise legislators to soothe and enlighten the populace.
Cicero's De Natura Deorum is the most comprehensive summary of this line of thought.
Syncretizing trends
One unexpected side-effect of the rationalist view was a popular trend to syncretize multiple Greek and foreign gods in strange, nearly unrecognizable new cults. If Apollo and Serapis and Sabazios and Dionysus and Mithras were all really Helios, why not combine them all together into one Deus Sol Invictus, with conglomerated rites and compound attributes? The surviving 2nd century AD collection of Orphic Hymns and Macrobius's Saturnalia are products of this mind-set.
But though Apollo might in religion be increasingly identified with Helios or even Dionysus, texts retelling his myths seldom reflected such developments. The traditional literary mythology was increasingly dissociated from actual religious practice.

I've discovered the secret....We are all liars!

Ok, now hear me out I don't mean liars in a bad way just a practical get through your tedious existence with your sanity way! The secret to couples staying together is LIES. When you have reached the point that you have more passion for a 50 cent coupon on toilet paper that you do for your spouse, or you get 10000000 times the pleasure from a sports team than said spouse-you know what I mean. Almost every single couple I know that is still together owe it all to lies. They pretend that their spouse is'nt a drunk, or that they are still attractive, or that it is just that early-childhood phase and things will return to normal once the kids are older...than older...than older... It never ends. Socrates redux. When you are honest with yourself you see things as they really are not as you wanted them to be, how society wants them to be, how your family or church or culture wants them to be. The blinders fall off and one day you awake to the harsh reality that it was all a lie and now what? Do you have the strength to trudge through the next 5, 10, 20, years still keeping up the facade? and for whose sake? the kids, the family, etc. ?????
Life, like time is fleeting, and to a person trying to be honest life is torture because everyone else is so tightly wrapped in their webs of lies. Unless two or more, honest people can find each other and form a friendship there is little hope of that person(s) ability to hold on to their sanity.
WHEW!

You've got to be kidding me!~

Where is this Politically correct crap going to end?
Must we become such a VANILLA society where every little pantywaist who is offended by the blowing wind is catered too?????
BASTA-ENOUGH-Stop the INSANITY!!!!!!

Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women

Wed Nov 14, 11:04 PM ET

Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

Ramblings

Hmmm.

I have come to the conclusion in my old age, that no one really cares about you as much as you think they do. It is all an illusion (Shadows and Dust) , a trick you play on yourself. But I guess it is what gets us through the day. Life is fleeting-CARPE DIEM!!!!
Please take a moment and consider the following wisdom from a stoic/sage:

A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.

Be content to seem what you really are.

Confine yourself to the present.

Death is a release from the impressions of the senses, and from desires that make us their puppets, and from the vagaries of the mind, and from the hard service of the flesh.

Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

Each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle.

He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.
Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, ''This is a misfortune'' but ''To bear this worthily is good fortune.''

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.


I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you have already.

Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.

Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.

Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.

Men exist for the sake of one another.

Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability.

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

Nothing happens to any man that he is not formed by nature to bear.

Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.

Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are, and to make new things like them.

Our life is what our thoughts make it.

Perhaps there are none more lazy, or more truly ignorant, than your everlasting readers.

Poverty is the mother of crime.

Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.

Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.

That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.

The act of dying is one of the acts of life.

The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.

The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.

The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.

The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.

The sexual embrace can only be compared with music and with prayer.

The universal order and the personal order are nothing but different expressions and manifestations of a common underlying principle.

The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.

The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it.

There is nothing happens to any person but what was in his power to go through with.

Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.

To live happily is an inward power of the soul.

To the wise, life is a problem; to the fool, a solution.

Tomorrow is nothing, today is too late; the good lived yesterday.

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that.

We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne.

What springs from earth dissolves to earth again, and heaven-born things fly to their native seat.

Whatever the universal nature assigns to any man at any time is for the good of that man at that time.

When thou art above measure angry, bethink thee how momentary is man's life.

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

Where a man can live, he can also live well.

You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

You must become an old man in good time if you wish to be an old man long.

Your life is what your thoughts make it.

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.
Marcus Aurelius

Halloween 07

A little late but hey! We've got the setting.
The Boys are ready!
Becca and Joey's creations.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN