Theseus enters the world where the gods themselves have failed to agree. Athens belongs to Athena by decree, but not by consent. She gives the city the olive; Poseidon strikes the rock and leaves salt, horses, and tremor behind. The contest is decided, yet unresolved. The city will bear Athena’s name, but Poseidon does notContinue reading “Theseus”
Tag Archives: Diomedes
The Dioscuri
The myth begins with Zeus in disguise. He comes to Leda, queen of Sparta, in the form of a swan. Later poets make it salacious. The earlier versions make it necessity. Their union yields eggs. From them Castor and Polydeuces emerge, and in many traditions Helen and Clytemnestra as well. Only the brothers are calledContinue reading “The Dioscuri”
Diomedes and Aeneas
In Calydon, Oeneus made his offerings to the gods, and in the counting of names he forgot Artemis (Ov. Met. 8). The first fruits rise in smoke to Zeus, Hera, the household powers, the immortals who tolerate men so long as men remember them. It is the old economy of reciprocity, the one James FrazerContinue reading “Diomedes and Aeneas”
Protective Arts 