L.E. ATAIRE
  • Home
  • About
  • Archive
    • Blog
    • DIED AND WENT TO MANGA
    • Folklore Glossary
    • Stories

Nerites (minor sea deity)

9/16/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Greek folklore.
Nerite is most commonly found among sailor folklore. He is the only son of Nereus and Doris, and brother to 50 sister (the Nereids). Nerite is an extremely attractive and charming youth, which unfortunately lead to him being turned into a shellfish.

There are two version of how the beautiful Nerite was turned into a shellfish.

In the first, the goddess of love herself, Aphrodyte fell for him. Prior to her ascension to Olympian, she lived in the sea where she became close with Nerite. When it came time for her to go, she asked Nerite to join her in Olympus. The only son of Nereus, wishing to stay with his family, refused.  Not used to rejection, Aphrodite offered him wings if he'd come, but again he declined. So she did what any self-respecting love goddess does when spurned--turned him into a shellfish.

The second version, Nerites has again attracted the affection of a powerful god, but this time it is the God of the sea Posedion, and the love is reciprocated. Nerites became of of Posedion's charioteer and his quickness won the admiration of the sea's creatures.  Unfortuntely, his beauty and athleticism also attracted the attention of Helios (personification of the sun). Helios wanted Nerite to be with him, and when his advances were spurned, turned him into a shellfish 
0 Comments

Abas / Ascalabus (divinely punished)

6/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picturephoto: Egor Kamelev
Greek Myth.
​
Ascalabus son of Misme (also known as Abas son of Metaneira) was changed by the Greek goddess Demeter into a lizard. 

While searching for her daughter Persephone in Attica, Demeter came to the small thatched roof cottage of an old peasant woman named Misme. Misme offered the goddess a sweet barley drink of barley (pennyroyal and barley groats), and Demeter accepted.

It was all going well until Misme's son Ascalabus mocked the goddess for drinking so much, so quick. He laughed at her and ordered for a cask to be brought up.   In response to his rudeness, Demeter threw what remained of her drink in his face and turned the boy into a lizard.



Sources:
Antoninus Liberalis (2  CE) Metamorphoses, Greek
Ovid (1 BCE - 1 CE) Metamorphoses, Latin/Roman
0 Comments

Achelous  (River  Deity)

6/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Greek Mythology.
"My suitor was the river Achelous,
who took three forms to ask me of my father:
a rambling bull once, then a writhing snake
of gleaming colors, then again a man
with ox-like face: and from his beard's dark shadows
stream upon stream of water tumbled down.
Such was my suitor"
​
 ~
Deianeira, Sophocles, The Trachinia
Achelous, god of fresh water, prince of all rivers, deity of the Achelous river, son of Gaia and Oceanus and father of the sirens. Often portrayed as a man-faced bull, sometimes with a serpent-like body. He is described as having long hair wreathed with reeds and has been depicted as both old and in his prime.

An important deity, invoked in prayers, sacrifices and oaths, Acheleous ran into trouble when Hercules became his rival for love.

Achelous sought to marry Deianira, daughter of the king of Calydon and famed beauty. But he wasn't the only suitor. To determine who would become Deianira's husband, The king held a contest of strength which attracted the attention of Hercules. During the match, Hercules broke off one of Archelous' horns (which later became the legendary cornucopia/horn of plenty) forcing him to surrender. 
0 Comments

Achates  (companion)

6/18/2019

0 Comments

 
​Roman Folklore.
From Virgil's The Aeneid, Achates was the best friend of the Trojan Hero Aeneas.
​Achates is renown for his loyalty and being a faithful companion.
0 Comments

​Acestes (Hero)

6/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Acestes was the son of a Trojan woman Egesta, and a Sicilian river deity named Crimisus. 

When the Trojans refused to pay thanks to Poseidon and Apollo, whom helped them with their wall. The gods punished Troy by sending monsters to infest the city and devour it's citizens.

​Egesta's father feared for his daughter's safety. He sent her to Sicily where she met the river god Crimisus and conceived the hero Acestes.

In Virgil's epic, The Aeneid, Jupiter shows favour to Acestes during a a trial of skill by setting aflame the arrow Acestes had shot.

Acestes went on to become one of the founders the Sicilian city of Segesta.

0 Comments

Apsyrtus (grandson of Helios)

6/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Greek Mythology.
Absyrtus was a Colchian prince (modern day Georgia), grandson of Helios (sun god), and a younger brother of Medea--a sorceress who married the Greek hero Jason. 

Apsyrtus had golden armour and a golden shield that reflected the sun's rays. To look upon him in his gear could cause eye pain. His weapon was a quivering spear and he drove the golden cart of his grandfather Helios. During the brother's war (between his father and uncle) he fought bravely on the frontline. 

He was murdered by his own sister, Medea in the town of Tomi (Romania). In order to escape her father, Medea killed Absyrtus, sliced him up and scattered his pieces on the road. She'd hoped this would slow down her father, as he'd need to collect all the parts of his son in order to give a proper burial.
0 Comments

    FOLKLORE GLOSSARY

    An ABCs of Gods, Myths,  and Superstitions. 

    (Check back for updates!)

    Archives

    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All
    A
    African Diaspora
    Afterlife
    C
    Celtic
    Christian
    Chthonic Deities
    Divine Punishment
    Egyptian Mythology
    Etruscan Mythology
    Greek Gods
    Greek Mythology
    Heroes
    Intermediary Spirits
    L
    LGBT+
    Locations
    N
    Protection
    River Deities
    T
    V
    Voodoo
    Water Deities
    Welsh Mythology

    RSS Feed

Picture
"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." 

- Horace
Roman Poet
(65 bce - 8 bce)

  • Home
  • About
  • Archive
    • Blog
    • DIED AND WENT TO MANGA
    • Folklore Glossary
    • Stories