Iris
In Greek mythology, Iris (Ἴρις) is the personification of the rainbow and Hera's personal messenger. As the sun unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.
In myths
According to Hesiod's Theogony, Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and the air nymph Electra. Her sisters are the Harpies, Aello, Celaeno and Ocypetes.
Iris is frequently mentioned as a divine messenger in the Iliad which is attributed to Homer, but does not appear in his Odyssey, where Hermes fills that role. Like Hermes, Iris carries a caduceus or winged staff. By command of Zeus, the king of the gods, she carries a ewer of water from the Styx, with which she puts to sleep all who perjure themselves. Goddess of sea and sky, she is also represented as supplying the clouds with the water needed to deluge the world, consistent with her identification with the rainbow.
According to Apollonius Rhodius, Iris turned back the Argonauts Zetes and Calais who had pursued the Harpies (her sister-beings) to the Strophades ('Islands of Turning'). (This eventful 'turning' may have resulted in the islands' name.) The brothers had driven off the monsters from their torment of the prophet Phineas, but did not kill them upon the request of Iris, who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the Harpies again.
Iris is married to Zephyrus, who is the god of the west wind. Their son is Pothos (Nonnus, Dionysiaca). According to the Dionysiaca of Nonnos, Iris' brother is Hydaspes (book XXVI, lines 355-365).
In Euripides' play Heracles, Iris appears alongside Madness, cursing Heracles with the fit of madness in which he kills his three sons and his wife Megara.
In some records she is a sororal twin to the Titaness Arkhe (arch), who flew out of the company of Olympian gods to join the Titans as their messenger goddess during the Titanomachy, making the two sisters enemy messenger goddesses. Iris was said to have golden wings, whereas Arkhe had iridescent ones. She is also said to travel on the rainbow while carrying messages from the gods to mortals. During the Titan War, Zeus tore Arkhe's iridescent wings from her and gave them as a gift to the Nereid Thetis at her wedding, who in turn gave them to her son, Achilles, who wore them on his feet. Achilles was sometimes known as podarkhes, or "wing-footed with Arkhe's wings". Not much is written about Iris' twin sister.
Epithets
Iris had numerous poetic titles and epithets, including Chrysopteron (Golden Winged), Podas ôkea (swift footed) or Podênemos ôkea (wind-swift footed), and Thaumantias or Thaumantos (Daughter of Thaumas, Wondrous One). Under the epithet Aellopus (Αελλόπους) she was described as swift-footed like a storm-wind. She also watered the clouds with her pitcher, obtaining the water from the sea.
Representation
Iris is represented either as a rainbow, or as a young maiden with wings on her shoulders. As a goddess, Iris is associated with communication, messages, the rainbow and new endeavors. She is the goddess of the rainbow.
Deities in the Iliad | Greek goddesses | Messenger goddesses | Greek mythology
Thursday, June 9, 1988
Saturday, February 28, 1987
Io (Greek)
Io
In Greek mythology, Io (pronounced /ˈaɪ.oʊ/ or /ˈiː.oʊ/, in Ancient Greek Ἰώ [iːɔ́ː]) was a priestess of Hera era in Argos, a nymph who was seduced by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer to escape detection. Her mistress Hera set ever-watchful Argus Panoptes to guard her, but Hermes was sent to distract the guardian and slay him. Heifer Io was loosed to roam the world, stung by a maddening gadfly sent by Hera, and wandered to Egypt, thus placing her descendant Belus in Egypt; his sons Cadmus and Danaus would thus "return" to mainland Greece.
Io's father is generally given as Inachus, a river god credited with inaugurating the worship of Hera in the countryside round Argos, thus establishing her as an autochthonous spirit of the Argolid and thus by her nature the nymph of a spring, a naiad.
The myth is told most anecdotally by Ovid, in Metamorphoses. According to Ovid, one day, Zeus noticed the maiden and lusted after her. As Io tells her own story in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, she rejected his whispered nighttime advances until the oracles caused her own father to drive her out into the fields of Lerna. There, Zeus covered her with clouds to hide her from the eyes of his jealous wife, Hera, who nonetheless came to investigate. In a vain attempt to hide his crimes, Zeus turned himself into a white cloud and transformed Io into a beautiful white heifer. Hera was not fooled. She demanded the heifer as a present.
Hera tethered Io to the olive-tree in the temenos of her cult-site, the Heraion, and placed her in the charge of many-eyed Argus Panoptes to keep her separated from Zeus. Zeus commanded Hermes to kill Argus; Ovid added the detail that he lulled all hundred eyes to sleep. Hera then forced Io to wander the earth without rest, plagued by a gadfly (Οίστρος or oestrus: see etymology of "estrus" ) to sting her into madness. Io eventually crossed the path between the Propontis and the Black Sea, which thus acquired the name Bosporus (meaning ox passage), where she met Prometheus.
Prometheus had been chained on Mt. Caucasus by Zeus for teaching Man how to make fire and tricking him into accepting the worse part of a sacrifice while the mortals kept the better part (meat); every day, a giant eagle fed on Prometheus' liver. Despite his agony, he comforted Io with the information that she would be restored to human form and become the ancestress of the greatest of all heroes, Heracles. Io escaped across the Ionian Sea to Egypt, where she was restored to human form by Zeus. There, she gave birth to Zeus's son Epaphus, and a daughter as well, Keroessa. She later married Egyptian king Telegonus. Their grandson, Danaos, eventually returned to Greece with his fifty daughters (the Danaids), as recalled in Aeschylus' play The Suppliants.
The myth of Io must have been well-known to Homer, who often calls Hermes Hermes Argeiphontes, "Hermes Argus-slayer." Walter Burkert notes that the story of Io was told in the ancient epic tradition at least four times of which we have traces: in the Danais, in the Phoronis— Phoroneus founded the cult of Hera, according to Hyginus' Fabulae 274 and 143— in a fragment of the Hesiodic Aigimios, as well as in an Oxyrhynchus papyrus fragment supplementing the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women. A mourning commemoration of Io was observed at the Heraion of Argos into classical times.
The mythic events concerning Io were transplanted, no doubt by colonists from Argos, to various far-flung sites in the Hellenic world.
The ancients connected Io with the Moon, and in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, where Io encounters Prometheus, she refers to herself as "the horned virgin", both bovine and lunar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_(mythology)
Egypt in Greek mythology | Metamorphoses in Greek mythology | Mortal parents of demigods in Classical mythology | Greek mythological priestesses | Mortal women of Zeus
In Greek mythology, Io (pronounced /ˈaɪ.oʊ/ or /ˈiː.oʊ/, in Ancient Greek Ἰώ [iːɔ́ː]) was a priestess of Hera era in Argos, a nymph who was seduced by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer to escape detection. Her mistress Hera set ever-watchful Argus Panoptes to guard her, but Hermes was sent to distract the guardian and slay him. Heifer Io was loosed to roam the world, stung by a maddening gadfly sent by Hera, and wandered to Egypt, thus placing her descendant Belus in Egypt; his sons Cadmus and Danaus would thus "return" to mainland Greece.
Io's father is generally given as Inachus, a river god credited with inaugurating the worship of Hera in the countryside round Argos, thus establishing her as an autochthonous spirit of the Argolid and thus by her nature the nymph of a spring, a naiad.
The myth is told most anecdotally by Ovid, in Metamorphoses. According to Ovid, one day, Zeus noticed the maiden and lusted after her. As Io tells her own story in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, she rejected his whispered nighttime advances until the oracles caused her own father to drive her out into the fields of Lerna. There, Zeus covered her with clouds to hide her from the eyes of his jealous wife, Hera, who nonetheless came to investigate. In a vain attempt to hide his crimes, Zeus turned himself into a white cloud and transformed Io into a beautiful white heifer. Hera was not fooled. She demanded the heifer as a present.
Hera tethered Io to the olive-tree in the temenos of her cult-site, the Heraion, and placed her in the charge of many-eyed Argus Panoptes to keep her separated from Zeus. Zeus commanded Hermes to kill Argus; Ovid added the detail that he lulled all hundred eyes to sleep. Hera then forced Io to wander the earth without rest, plagued by a gadfly (Οίστρος or oestrus: see etymology of "estrus" ) to sting her into madness. Io eventually crossed the path between the Propontis and the Black Sea, which thus acquired the name Bosporus (meaning ox passage), where she met Prometheus.
Prometheus had been chained on Mt. Caucasus by Zeus for teaching Man how to make fire and tricking him into accepting the worse part of a sacrifice while the mortals kept the better part (meat); every day, a giant eagle fed on Prometheus' liver. Despite his agony, he comforted Io with the information that she would be restored to human form and become the ancestress of the greatest of all heroes, Heracles. Io escaped across the Ionian Sea to Egypt, where she was restored to human form by Zeus. There, she gave birth to Zeus's son Epaphus, and a daughter as well, Keroessa. She later married Egyptian king Telegonus. Their grandson, Danaos, eventually returned to Greece with his fifty daughters (the Danaids), as recalled in Aeschylus' play The Suppliants.
The myth of Io must have been well-known to Homer, who often calls Hermes Hermes Argeiphontes, "Hermes Argus-slayer." Walter Burkert notes that the story of Io was told in the ancient epic tradition at least four times of which we have traces: in the Danais, in the Phoronis— Phoroneus founded the cult of Hera, according to Hyginus' Fabulae 274 and 143— in a fragment of the Hesiodic Aigimios, as well as in an Oxyrhynchus papyrus fragment supplementing the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women. A mourning commemoration of Io was observed at the Heraion of Argos into classical times.
The mythic events concerning Io were transplanted, no doubt by colonists from Argos, to various far-flung sites in the Hellenic world.
The ancients connected Io with the Moon, and in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, where Io encounters Prometheus, she refers to herself as "the horned virgin", both bovine and lunar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_(mythology)
Egypt in Greek mythology | Metamorphoses in Greek mythology | Mortal parents of demigods in Classical mythology | Greek mythological priestesses | Mortal women of Zeus
Monday, September 16, 1985
Hippolyta (DC Comics)
Hippolyta (DC Comics)
Queen Hippolyta is a fictional character and DC Comics superhero, based on Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons in Greek mythology. She is also the mother of Wonder Woman and Donna Troy.
Quotes·Quotation by Hippolyta
Hero
¶ Go in peace my daughter. And remember that, in a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman. [Wonder Woman]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolyta_(DC_Comics)
Tuesday, June 5, 1984
Great White Planet (太白星, tàibáixīng)
Great White Planet (太白星, tàibáixīng)
Alternative Names (異名):
Great White Planet, Venus
Great White Planet (太白星) was a high ranking servant under that of the Jade Emperor (玉皇) during the famous Chinese novel, Journey to the West (西遊記). After hearing of the appearance of the Heaven-born monkey, Sun Wukong (孫悟空), the Jade Emperor assigned for the Great White Planet to be the one to retrieve him. Initially Great White Planet was the first person from heaven that was to see Sun Wukong. After which Sun Wukong consented to leave with the Great White Planet. However, Sun Wukong was angry at the fact that he was ranked as the Protector of the Horses and rebelled against heaven. This led to the Great White Planet once again acting as a messenger and some what of a friend towards Sun Wukong. Great White Planet was not shown of at any other time following the first few chapters of Journey to the West. The Great White Planet is also the reason for other famous members of Journey to the West, such as Friar Sand to be alive.
In Chinese Astronomy, the Great White Planet is the name for Venus (金星, jīnxīng).
Great White Planet is portrayed by Cheung Ying Choi in the 1996 Hong Kong TV series Journey to the West.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Journey to the West | Characters in written fiction | Chinese mythology
Alternative Names (異名):
Great White Planet, Venus
Great White Planet (太白星) was a high ranking servant under that of the Jade Emperor (玉皇) during the famous Chinese novel, Journey to the West (西遊記). After hearing of the appearance of the Heaven-born monkey, Sun Wukong (孫悟空), the Jade Emperor assigned for the Great White Planet to be the one to retrieve him. Initially Great White Planet was the first person from heaven that was to see Sun Wukong. After which Sun Wukong consented to leave with the Great White Planet. However, Sun Wukong was angry at the fact that he was ranked as the Protector of the Horses and rebelled against heaven. This led to the Great White Planet once again acting as a messenger and some what of a friend towards Sun Wukong. Great White Planet was not shown of at any other time following the first few chapters of Journey to the West. The Great White Planet is also the reason for other famous members of Journey to the West, such as Friar Sand to be alive.
In Chinese Astronomy, the Great White Planet is the name for Venus (金星, jīnxīng).
Great White Planet is portrayed by Cheung Ying Choi in the 1996 Hong Kong TV series Journey to the West.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Journey to the West | Characters in written fiction | Chinese mythology
Thursday, September 1, 1977
Diaochan (貂蟬)
Diaochan(貂蟬)
Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in 161 or 169 or 176, depending on the source. However, unlike the other three beauties, there is no known evidence that suggests her existence, therefore she is likely to be a fictional character.
Diaochan appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diaochan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diaochan, because "Diao" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diaochan" likely referred to the sable (diao) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chan), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Beauties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaochan
People: Diaochan (貂蟬)
Human: Diaochan (貂蟬)
人物: 貂蟬 (Diaochan)
 |
| Portrait of Diaochan from a Qing Dynasty edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms |
Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in 161 or 169 or 176, depending on the source. However, unlike the other three beauties, there is no known evidence that suggests her existence, therefore she is likely to be a fictional character.
Diaochan appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diaochan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diaochan, because "Diao" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diaochan" likely referred to the sable (diao) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chan), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Beauties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaochan
People: Diaochan (貂蟬)
Human: Diaochan (貂蟬)
人物: 貂蟬 (Diaochan)
Friday, January 14, 1977
Danae (by Rembrandt)
Danae
Title: Danae
Artist: Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
Year: 1636-1647
Dimensions: 185 × 203 cm
Baroque paintings | Female nude in paintings | Bedrooms in art | Danae | Mythology painting by Rembrandt
Friday, August 1, 1975
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