Tag: Mythology
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Youdu is the capital of Hell in Chinese mythology
Youdu (ĺš˝é˝) in Chinese mythology is the capital of Hell, or Diyu. Among the various other geographic features believed of Diyu, the capital city has been thought to be named Youdu. It is generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capital city, such as Chang’an, but surrounded with and pervaded with darkness. Name “You” (ĺš˝) in Chinese means…
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Gate of the Ghosts
The Gate of the Ghosts (simplified: 鏟é¨ĺ ł; traditional: 鏟éé), or Devil’s Gate, Demon Gate, known as Guimen guan in Chinese, is a pass in the Underworld in Chinese mythology. The gate is a pailou (also known as a paifang, a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure) with the words “Gate of the Ghosts” written on the horizontal plaque. Legend has it that on their way to the Ghost Country, the…
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Diyu (‘earth prison’) is the realm of the dead in Chinese mythology
Diyu (simplified Chinese: ĺ°çą; traditional Chinese: ĺ°ç; pinyin: dĂŹyĂš; lit. ‘earth prison’) is the realm of the dead or “hell” in Chinese mythology. It is loosely based on a combination of the Buddhist concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations of these two traditions. The concept parallels purgatory in certain Christian denomininations. Diyu is typically depicted as a…
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Plutus Notes
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Plutus (PloĂťtos, lit. “wealth”) is the god and the personification of wealth, and the son of the goddess of agriculture Demeter and the mortal Iasion. Family Plutus is most commonly the son of Demeter and Iasion, with whom she lay in a thrice-ploughed field. He is alternatively the son of the fortune goddess Tyche. Two ancient depictions of Plutus, one of him as a little boy standing with…
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Acharaca was a village of ancient Lydia with a Ploutonion or a temple of Pluto and a cave named Charonium
Acharaca was a village of ancient Lydia, Anatolia on the road from Tralles (modern AydÄąn, Turkey) to Nysa on the Maeander, with a Ploutonion or a temple of Pluto, and a cave, named Charonium (Ancient Greek: ΧιĎĎνξΚον ΏνĎĎον), where the sick were healed under the direction of the priests. There is some indication that it once bore the name Charax (ΧΏĎιΞ), but that name may have belonged to…
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Charonium at Aornum
Aornum was an oracle in Ancient Greece, located in Thesprotia in a cave called Charonium (ΧιĎĎνξΚον áźÎ˝ĎĎον or ĎÎŹĎΟι) which gave forth poisonous vapours. The name of the cave, “Charon‘s Cave”, reflects the belief that it was an entrance for Hades, the Greek underworld. The Greek Myths (Volume 1) by Robert Graves, 1990),page 112: “… He used the passage which opens at Aornum in…
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Tiresias was a blind prophet who was transformed into a woman for seven years
In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. Tiresias participated fully in seven generations in Thebes, beginning as advisor to Cadmus himself. Mythology Eighteen allusions to mythic Tiresias, noted by Luc Brisson, fall into three groups: the first recounts Tiresias’ sex-change episode and later his…
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In Greek mythology, Leucippus is notable for a magical gender transformation
In Greek mythology, Leucippus (Ancient Greek: ÎÎľĎκΚĎĎοϠLeukippos, “white horse”) was a young man of Phaestus, Crete. Leucippus was born to Lamprus, the son of Pandion, and Galatea, daughter of Eurytius the son of Sparton. He is notable for having underwent a magical gender transformation by the will of the goddess Leto. Due to his transition from female to male, Leucippus can be considered a transgender male figure in Greek mythology.…
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Iphis Notes
In Greek and Roman mythology, Iphis or Iphys was a child of Telethusa and Ligdus in Crete, born female and raised male, who was later transformed by the goddess Isis into a man. (/ËaÉŞfÉŞs/ EYE-fis, /ËÉŞfÉŞs/ IF-iss; Ancient Greek: áźžĎÎšĎ Ăphis [Ăi.pĘ°is], gen. áźźĎÎšÎ´ÎżĎ ÄŞĚphidos) Mythology According to the Roman poet Ovid‘s Metamorphoses, there was a humbly born, but well-respected, man named Ligdus who lived in Phaestus with his pregnant wife, Telethusa. Ligdus said he wished for two things: that his…
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Caeneus, invincible transman in Greek mythology
In Greek mythology, Caeneus was a Lapith hero of Thessaly. Family According to Book XII of Ovid‘s Metamorphoses, he was originally a woman, Caenis (/ËsiËnÉŞs/; Ancient Greek: ÎιΚνίĎ, romanized: KainĂs), daughter of Atrax. In Apollonius of Rhodes‘ Argonautica, he is briefly noted as the great father of a lesser son, Coronus, who sailed forth among the Argonauts. Caeneus was also an Argonaut in some versions. The striking mythic image of this hero is that, indomitable through…
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Car of History chariot clock features a life size statue of Clio, the muse of history
A chariot clock is a type of mantel/table figural clock in the form of a chariot whose dial is set into the wheel or elsewhere, its origins date back to the second half of the 16th century southern Germany. Normally of classical mythology subject matter, it has been made in different periods and styles such as Renaissance, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire, Napoleon…
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In classical Greek mythology, Syrinx was a nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity
Mythology Story Syrinx was a beautiful wood nymph who had many times attracted the attention of satyrs, and fled their advances in turn. She worshipped Artemis, the goddess of wilderness, and had like her vowed to remain a virgin for all time. Pursued by the amorous god Pan, she ran to a river’s edge and asked for…
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Atlantes (architecture)
In European architectural sculpture, an atlas (also known as an atlant, or atlante or atlantid; plural atlantes) is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a column, a pier or a pilaster. The Roman term for such a sculptural support is telamon (plural telamones or telamons). The term atlantes is the Greek plural of the name Atlasâthe Titan who was forced to hold the sky on his…
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Terms, not to be confused with Herms…sometimes (architecture)
In Classical architecture and in art a term or terminal figure (plural: terms or termini) is a human head and bust that continues down as a square tapering pillar-like form. It is usually distinguished from a herm, which has a head and shoulders only, but the two words may be used rather loosely and interchangeably. The god Terminus was the Etruscan and Roman deity of boundaries, and classical…
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Herma
Picture this: You’re strolling through a classical Greek agora, minding your own business, when BAM! You’re face-to-face with a square pillar sporting a head, maybe some pecs if you’re lucky, and â oh, hello there! â a rather prominent set of male genitalia at eye level. Talk about art that grabs your attention! These saucy…
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Peris
In Persian mythology, Peris are exquisite, winged spirits renowned for their beauty. Peris were later adopted by other cultures. They are described in one reference work as mischievous beings that have been denied entry to paradise until they have completed penance for atonement.[need quotation to verify] Under Islamic influence, Peris became benevolent spirits, in contrast to the mischievous jinn and evil divs (demons). Scholar Ulrich Marzolph [de] indicates an Indo-Iranian origin for peris, which were later[when?] integrated into…
