Dionysos with maenads, satyrs, and athletes by The Kleophrades Painter 500 BCE

“Difficulties are things that show what men are. For the future, in case of any difficulty, remember, that God, like a gymnastic trainer, has pitted you against a rough antagonist. For what end? That you may be an Olympic conqueror; and this cannot be without toil. No man, in my opinion, has a more profitable difficulty on his hands than you have; provided you will but use it, as an athletic champion uses his antagonist.

Suppose we were to send you as a scout to Rome. But no one ever sends a timorous scout, who, when he only hears a noise, or sees a shadow, runs back frightened, and says, “The enemy is at hand.” So now, if you should come and tell us: “Things are in a fearful way at Rome; death is terrible, banishment terrible, calumny terrible, poverty terrible; run, good people, the enemy is at hand”; — we will answer: Get you gone, and prophesy for yourself; our only fault is, that we have sent such a scout. Diogenes was sent a scout before you, but he told us other tidings. He says that death is no evil, for it is nothing base; that calumny is only the noise of madmen. And what account did this spy give us of pain, of pleasure, of poverty? He says, that to be naked is better than a purple robe; to sleep upon the bare ground, the softest bed; and gives a proof of all he says by his own courage, tranquility, and freedom; and, moreover, by a healthy and robust body. “There is no enemy near,” he says. “All is profound peace.” How so, Diogenes? “Look upon me,” he says. “Am I hurt? Am I wounded? Have I run away from any one?” This is a scout worth having. But you come, and tell us one thing after another. Go back and look more carefully, and without fear.”

Epictetus; Carter, Elizabeth. The Complete Works of Epictetus (pp. 73-74). Lazy Raven Publishing. Kindle Edition.

More images and sources: https://paganimagevault.blogspot.com/2022/04/dionysos-with-maenads-satyrs-and.html

sophisticatenature:

Self care is running through the forest screaming, naked and drunk, ripping apart anything that gets in your way.

Dionysus, the god of wine, vegetation, festivity, and on a darker note, madness and frenzy. Here we see our jovial deity riding a leopard and wearing a leopard skin, holding aloft his sacred wine chalice in one hand, and his pine cone tipped staff “Thyrsus”. Below him dance his attendants in the cult of Dionysus, the sileni,satyr, centaur, woman dancer, and bull and woman, with a centaur playing the two head flute pip (AULOS)  further back. In the upper right hand background we can see hanging grapes for the wine, and below; a darker representation of Dionysus; the mad frenzy. Here we see the MAENADs;(“raving ones" ), women followers who drink and dance into violent frenzies. In Euripedes play, "the Bacchae”, the Maenads, in a state of delusion, tear apart their own king Pentheus, limb from limb, thinking him a lion. Even poor Orpheus, the greatest lyre player of all, was torn apart when he refused to play for them in a state of mourning after returning from the underworld without his wife, Eurydice). 

 If you've been following along for the last 6 weeks, then you get a free cup of ambrosia! cheers! I’m currently deciding what to do next, but it will either be “heroes and monsters" or "the Tragedies.” So please stay tuned for lots more artwork in the coming weeks and months. which i’m hoping to compile into a book later in the year! ;)

And as always, if you want to share this image I would appreciate it!

You thought you’d seen the last of me but it’s Lenaia!!!!!!!

Hi!

I was gone. Life is chaos, the world is on fire, my body said “no.”

I return from my slumber to be very excited about Lenaia–it’s possibly my favorite festival of the year!

Lenaia is a four day festival, starting on the 12th of Gamelion (Janurary 15/January 16 at sunset) and ending on the 15th!

It’s in honor of Dionysos and the maenads, and is likely the origin of the Greater/City Dionysia! It stretches over the full moon/Dikhomenia too, which is wonderful and very Dionysian.

I’ll try to update and talk about it more over the course of the festival! So far, my plans are:

1. Henna historic maenad tattoos onto myself (I’ll provide details on those when/if I share them!)
2. A ritual on the 14th of Gamelion (full moon/Dikhomenia) with as many friends as I can find who are comfortable celebrating women-only festivals–I often half-joke that I’m a gyne only for festivals, and that definitely applies to the Dionysian ones!
3. Redoing my prayer beads/bracelet for Dionysos
4. Pouring Dionysos a libation (red vinegar)
5. Be gay, do crimes

Blessed Lenaia to all! Io Dionysos, and khaire!

thoodleoo:

due to personal reasons i will be holding a bacchanalia in the woods and tearing off the limbs of anyone who tries to stop me