Artful Thursday: Cronus... Like Father, Like Son- The Prophecy Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

In Greek Mythology, Cronus (also spelled Kronos) was the youngest male offspring of Gaia (The Earth) and Uranus (The Sky) and leader of the Titans, who were the second generation of deities following the primordial ones. Cronus was also known as Father Time.

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Cronus deeply envied his father, Uranus' power to rule the heavens, so he devised a plan to overthrow him. After a murderous coup in which he castrated Uranus with a sickle, Cronus became king of the gods and ushered in the Golden Age. He ruled with the help of Rhea, his sister and queen and had six children; Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus.

It was later prophesied that Cronus himself would be overthrown by one his own sons. In a fit of madness and cunning, Cronus attempted to preempt the prophesy and ate all of his children as soon as they were born... All save one; Zeus, who later fulfilled the prophesy. Rhea gave Cronus a rock in swaddling clothes whom he thought was Zeus. Meanwhile Rhea gave birth to Zeus on Crete. Zeus returned to Mount Olympus, rescued his siblings and a ten year war ensued, during which the Olympian gods overthrew the Titans.

Presenting Cronus as Art:

In case you're confused, this picture is an older version of Marvel Comics' modern interpretation of Cronus.

This is an updated Marvel Comics' interpretation of Cronus that gets back to his roots a bit.

Artful Thursday: In The Right Light, Everything Is Extraordinary~ Homage To Apollo

Into my heart's night
Along a narrow way
I groped; and lo! the light,
An infinite land of day.
~Rumi

Last week I posted about Hyperion, one of the original 12 Titans and original deity of the sun. I also posted about how his son Helios inherited the sun from him. And since we're on the subject of Sun Deities, Apollo is often considered to be God of the Sun.

I think Apollo's relationship to the Sun is blurred a bit because he is often depicted in a similar manner as Helios; both young, handsome, boyish charm and good looks (The ideal of the kouros (a beardless, athletic youth)... both with auras of light crowning their heads.

But while Helios is associated the Sun only, Apollo is in fact one of the most complex deities in any pantheon. The son of Zeus and Leto, Apollo has been widely recognized as a god of light (and the sun), truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. Apollo also became associated with dominion over colonists, and as the patron defender of herds and flocks.


Without further ado... Apollo

The Splendor of Persephone... Artful Thursday.

I'd wanted to do an Artful Thursday post featuring Persephone for a long time. But I needed to wait until the perfect moment. Ladies and Gents... it has arrived. Spring is upon us... full blown in some parts of my readership's world and just beginning in others. Believe it or not, I know people who are still getting snow... IN APRIL. Heavens To Demeter... your daughter has risen already, give these poor people a break, will ya.

So yes, Persephone is daughter of Zeus (king of the Greek gods) and Demeter (Greek goddess of harvest). The story goes that when Hades (Greek god of the Underworld) abducted Persephone, Demeter was so distraught that she cast the world into famine... there by giving us the seasons of Fall and Winter. When Persephone was allowed to return to the land of the living, Demeter blessed the earth with an amiable climate, and the flowers bloomed once again... there by giving us Spring and Summer.

So, without further ado... Persephone.

Death Becomes Him... Hades Inspired-Artful Thursday

Hades... the Dark Prince... The Unseen One... Greek God of The Underworld, Ruler of the Dead. Not many know that the term Hades refers not only to the man, but to the place (The Underworld) as well. He is one with his dominion. He's often depicted with either his trusty sidekick, Cerberus- the three-headed guard dog, or his reluctant wife, Persephone.

Which brings me around to the relevance and timeliness of this post...

I'm posting this pictorial of ole Hades because either spring has sprung, is springing, or will be springing soon where you live. His relationship to spring is wrapped in a tale as old as time itself. So the story goes... that Persephone, daughter of Demeter, was strolling in the meadow, minding her business, picking flowers in the fields of Nysa, when Hades erupted through a gap in the earth and abducted her... taking her to The Underworld. Distraught, Demeter cast the earth into a vast famine. Zeus intervened and bargained for Persephone's release. But before she left, Hades tricked her by giving her a pomegranate to eat, thereby ensuring that Persephone would have to revisit Hades for six months a year. And when she is in the Underworld, is when we have late fall and winter. But when she re-emerges... all of our flowers bloom again and we have spring.
See this post on Spring In Greece.
See this post on Demeter

And now, I give you... Hades.

 

The Art of Running... Artful Thursday

In light of my recent entry into My Very first 5k Race, I have decided to dedicate this Artful Thursday to Ancient Greek Runners. The Greeks prided themselves on physical fitness. And not simply weightlifting, or muscle building. A disproportionate, bulging, swollen appearance was definitely not the goal. But rather overall proportionate perfection. *That* was the goal.

In that spirit, they created any number of competitive physical contests and in some cases organized them into Games. The breadth and depth of ancient Greek athletics is fodder for another post. Here, let us honor some famous ancient Greek runners from mortals to Gods. These people elevated running to an art form.

First I'll list a few famous mortal runners.

Orsippos of Megara
He won the foot race in 720 BC, and distinguished himself as the first Greek to run naked in Olympia.

Ladas of Argos
He won the Dolichos race at 460 BC. He was famous for his light running. It was said, that his feet did not leave tracks on the ground.

The Death Of Ladas, The Greek Runner, Who Died When Receiving The Crown Of Victory In The Temple Of Olympia

George Murray (1899-1904)

Lasthenes of Thebes
He won the Dolichos at 404 BC. He also won a contest between him and a racehorse, who ran from Koroneia to Thebes.

Aegeus of Argos
Another famous long distance runner from Argos was Aegeus, who won at Olympia in 328 BC. He ran to Argos to bring the good news without making any stops.  

Leonidas of Rhodes
He was the only ancient Greek athlete to accomplish the impossible, winning four consecutive Olympiads.

Next we have the famous Pheidippedes who ran the legendary 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory.

Finally a few deities who were known for their running:


Atalanta (deity status disputed)

and lastly...
Hermes

Demeter- A Mother's Love... Artful Thursday

Spring is peeking it's head up from a long hibernation. Green grass appears where frost had turned it into winter wheat. Buds are forming anew on trees who'd wept their weight in lost leaves. Yes, in many areas in the northern hemisphere, Spring is just around the corner. As I look around my own city of Wilmington, NC, I see the ugly reminders of winter... bare trees, brown grass, et al... but I know that the annual Azalea Festival is in one month. And if you've never been or never seen, it's a sight to behold because azaleas are in full bloom and full regalia. More on that later.

But, it is the coming of spring that influences this Artful Thursday post on Demeter, Greek Goddess of Bountiful Harvest. Of course many of my readers are familiar with the myth in which Hades abducted Persephone, Demeter's daughter, and tricked her into staying in the Underworld for six months. And while she was down there, Demeter was so distraught that she neglected her duties to bring fertility to the Earth and nothing grew. That, my friends is how we have our seasons. Stay tuned for a more in depth post on young Persephone later.

So, without further ado... Demeter.