White Rose of Avalon

Greek

  • Adonis: Lover of Goddesses

    Today I would like to talk about the Greek myth of Adonis.     He was a very beautiful young man who gained the attention of Aphrodite.   Eventually he was killed, and this is actually the story of the invention of the red rose.    When Adonis was killed Aphrodite pricked her finger on…

  • Orpheus and Eurydice

    The tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the great romantic myths of the Greco-Roman pantheon.   Orpheus was the best musician of the ancient world.  He was gifted his lyre by Apollo himself!   When Orpheus fell in love and married Eurydice their happiness was short lived. Eurydice would die not long…

  • Lamia

    Lamia was a queen in ancient Greece who had an affair with Zeus, and was cursed by Hera.    Hera turned her into a half serpent woman.   Part of the curse included that Lamia killed her own children, and was tormented by this knowledge evermore! Lamia is also a species of monster that is…

  • Cupid and Psyche

    The myth of Cupid and Psyche is a romantic tale that tells the story of the love god Cupid and the beautiful princess Psyche!   Cupid had gone on a mission by his mother Venus to kill Psyche because it was said that her beauty rivaled that of Venus herself.   Venus burned with jealousy…

  • Dionysus in Other Cultures

    Given Dionysus’ reputation as a wanderer, it is not surprising that he as seen as a cross cultural deity in a way that few are.   Dionysus also has several similar deities in other cultures. Dionysus was said to have traveled through Egypt, and India, and to have engaged in a war with the Amazons. …

  • Maenads in 21st Century Pop Culture

    For any fan of the HBO television show True Blood there is no surprise that today I am going to focus on Maryann from season two.   The second season of True Blood has long been a favorite of mine due to the way they handled the maenad storyline! The books that the television show…

  • Maenads

    Maenads were the female followers of Dionysus.   They were the ones that participated in his revelries.   Some maenads were depicted as being forced by the god to take part in often atrocious religious events.    Other maenads were happy to be a part of Dionysus’ cult!    These women were also referred to…

  • Cult of Dionysus

    The Cult of Dionysus was a very popular one in the ancient world.    Dionysus was a god who knew how to gather followers, and he reveled in partying with his followers.   He was not a god to stay high on Mount Olympus.    Instead he would go out and actively find followers to…

  • Ariadne: Wife of Dionysus

    Ariadne was the wife of Dionysus in the Greek myths.    She was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his wife Pasiphae.    Pasiphae was the daughter of the sun god Helios and Oceanid Perse (an Oceanid was a type of water nymph).    This gave Ariadne divine origins through her mother’s side. When…

  • Dionysus as Archetype

    Carl Gustave Jung introduced the theory of archetypes that impact our personalities, based in the cultural unconscious.   In the 1980’s Jungian psychologist Jean Shinoda Bolen used these archetype theories in the form of Greek gods.    First in her book Goddesses in Everywoman and then in the follow-up Gods in Everyman.    In the…