White Rose of Avalon

Myth

  • 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…

  • Dionysus

    The ancient Greek God Dionysus was the god of wine, revelry, and madness!   The Roman name of this god was Bacchus.    This party hardy deity had a huge cult following all through the ancient world.   There are several unique things about this particular god.    He is the only god of Olympus…

  • Happy Dionysia!

    In honor of the ancient Festival of Dionysia, which took place in Spring in ancient Greece, likely in March, I am declaring this week Dionysus Week at White Rose of Avalon!   Stay tuned daily for blog posts that focus on the life, loves, and world of this god of wine, revelry, and madness.   …

  • Love Goddesses

    Goddesses of love and sex appear in culture after culture around the ancient world.   Sex as a means of worship is very common and even important in ancient cultures and polytheistic religions.   In Greece and Rome she was Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart Venus.   In Celtic regions there were several Goddesses associated…