Dionysos, Apollon, and Hermes—doodles that help me stay sane in class. I'm very happy with this, though it's unfinished right now. i hope to transfer it over to some good paper and have some fun with colors <3
. please do not repost for any reason
1. The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread
Gives you a comprehensive answer to any question
2. The Soulmate Conversation
Tells you everything about your soulmate
3. The Three Wishes Tarot Spread
Tells you which of your wishes will come true
4. The Two Paths Tarot Spread
Guides you towards making the right decision
5. The True God Shuffle
Reveals which higher power you are connected to
6. The What If Tarot Spread
Shows you alternate realities
7. The True Colors Tarot Spread
Shows you a person's true colors
8. The General Prediction Shuffle
Tells you about your life in general
9. The Life Purpose Draw
Reveals your life purpose in this incarnation
10. The Major Arcana Grand Tableau
Shows you the full year ahead
11. Your True Passion Tarot Spread
Reveals your true passion and how to live it
12. The Life Advice Shuffle
Gives you advice about life's many departments
13. The Sex Life Draw
Reveals your sex life with a current or future partner
14. The Past Life Tarot Spread
Reveals the truth about your past life
15. Allies & Enemies Tarot Spread
Reveals who your allies and enemies are
16. Your Future Children Shuffle
Tells you about any future children of yours
17. Sports Match Prediction Method
Lets you win meaningful bets
18. Age at Death Prediction Method
Tells you how long you will live
19. The High Priestess Tarot Spread
Answers any question about the future
20. The Time Prediction Method
Reveals the timing of any event
“Thou hast no power against me," said Cúchulainn. "I have power indeed," said the woman; "it is at the guarding of thy death that I am; and I shall be," said she. The Cattle-Raid of Regamna, from the Yellow Book of Lecan
The Morrígan is depicted in the Irish cycles as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the wife* of the Dagda, and a goddess ruling over the spheres of fate, death, war, and land. She is often associated with ravens, crows, and heifers, whose forms she takes.
Name & Epithets: Morrígan, Morrígu, Mórrígan (Middle Irish— “Great Queen”), Mór-Ríoghain (Modern Irish)
Role as a Goddess of War
The Morrígan is seen in the Cycles as bringing victory in war, or foretelling death in battle. In the Cath Mage Tuired, which describes how the Tuatha Dé Danann overthrew the tyrannical Fomorians, she proclaims the victory of the gods over their enemy and foretells the end of the world. In the Ulster Cycle, she is the sometimes-patron, sometimes-enemy of the hero Cúchulainn, whose death she prophesies after he offends her, and then reminded of his fate by taking the form of an old woman washing his bloodied clothes in a creek.
Role as a Sovereignty Goddess
Sovereignty goddesses in Irish tradition represent the land itself, and thus marriage to one creates a legitimate rule or guardianship over that land. In Early Medieval Ireland (and perhaps before), a king’s coronation would include a symbolic marriage to the land, thereby granting himself power and legitimacy. The Morrígan is one such sovereignty goddess, or at least perceived as one by the 12th Century, as the Book of Invasions names her the sister of Ériu, Banba, and Fódla, personifications of Ireland married to each of her three kings.
Role as a Triplicate Goddess
The Morrígan is inconsistently referred to as one of three or a combination of three figures. In the Mythological cycle, she is named as the sister of Badb (’crow’), a war goddess, and Macha, a land goddess. Together, they are called the three Morrígna. Macha is also the name of several other figures, and Badb appears barely distinguishable from the Morrígan. Whatever the case, the names appear less like the archetypal ‘Maiden, Mother, Crone’, and more like simply different aspects of the goddess given different titles, as is common in Irish religion.
*Marriage with the Dagda
The fact of her “marriage” with the Dagda is contentious but well-supported by the texts we have access to. One of her best-known stories from the Cath Mage Tuired is the Dagda’s pact with her before the battle against the Formorians. This part of the text is often mistranslated as the Dagda meeting her [for the first time] at a certain point in the year, when really a perhaps more accurate translation would be “On this day [near Samhain] the Dagda met her yearly.” Additionally, the “union” described between her and the Dagda does not appear to be purely sexual. The word used, ‘oentaith’ is difficult to translate but probably also refers to a general agreement/pact [dil.ie/33541], not unlike a modern marriage. Additionally, as a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a ceremonial marriage to a sovereignty and agricultural goddess such as the Morrígan would be appropriate for the Dagda and make sense to an early Irish audience.
My UPG with the Morrígan
Recommended reading + Sources
Cath Mage Tuired [Translation] [Original]
Book of Invasions
The Cattle-Raid of Regamna
This year's Saturnalia is in less than a week, meaning that the time of feasting and indulgence is not so far away either. Food was a very important part of the festivities in the Ancient Times because the entire holiday season in Ancient Rome was meant to give the people a chance of tasting delicious meals and otherwise indulging.
I am covering a few of the Roman Saturnalia recipes and, in order to give everyone a chance to celebrate, some modern recipes that match the theme and requirements of the holiday.
Some of the recipes included contain ingredients not everyone can eat, such as meats, nuts, or dairy. I will be offering substitutes for these ingredients. For cheeses, I'd like to suggest some recipes of dairy-free cheese substitutes you can make if you are allergic.
The first recipe I'd like to go over is Mustacei, or Roman Must Cakes. The first notion of it comes from Cato's De Agricultura where he says:
Mustaceos sic facito. Farinae siligineae modium unum musto conspargito. Anesum, cuminum, adipis, casei libram, et de virga lauri deradito, eodem addito, et ubi definxeris, lauri folia subtus addito, cum coques.
Translated, this recipe sounds like this:
This is how to make Mustaceos. Moisten 1 modius of wheat flour with must; add anise, cumin, 2 pounds of lard, 1 pound of cheese, and the bark of a laurel twig. When you have made them into cakes, put bay leaves under them, and bake.
While this recipe is relatively simple, the measurements is where difficulties arise since Cato uses Roman modius. There are many methods of making these cakes, here's the one I'd like to offer:
INGREDIENT LIST
400-500g plain flour (you can use gluten-free flour)
150-200ml of 2-3 day old grape juice (can be fresh)
1/2 tsp dried yeast (optional)
25-60g cheddar or pecorino cheese, grated (or vegan pecorino or cheddar)
2 tsp ground aniseed
2 tsp ground cumin
50-80g pastry lard or hard vegetable fat
olive oil
bay leaves (15 or 20)
DIRECTIONS
Prepare a bowl and add the grape juice in. Dissolve yeast in the juice. The yeast is optional, you can use just the must (grape juice).
Take a bowl, put in the flour, cumin, and aniseed. Mix. Add grated cheese into the flour mix.
Add lard or vegetable fat into the flour mix, mix until it comes together. Add the juice mix.
Knead until the dough is done. Roll the dough up and cover it with a towel. You can let it stay overnight.
Prepare and oil up your baking tray. Place bay leaves on it.
Roll the dough on a floured board until it's about 1 cm thick.
Use a pastry cutter to make individual cakes around 5 cm in diameter each.
Place the cakes on the bay leaves and bake for about 45 min at 180°C.
Serve warm.
The second meal idea follows another Ancient Roman cookbook, this time by Apicius, De Re Coquinaria. He says the following:
2Elixatas cucurbitas exprimis, sale asparges, in patina compones. Teres piper, cuminum, coriandri semen, mentam viridem, laseris radicem, suffundes acetum. Addicies cariotam, nucleum, teres melle, aceto, liquamine, defrito et oleo temperabis, et cucurbitas perfundes. Cum ferbuerint, piper asparges et inferes.
Which, if translated, sounds approximately like this:
Press the water out of the boiled pumpkin, place in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt, ground pepper, cumin, coriander seed, green mint and a little laser root; season with vinegar. Now add date wine and pignolia nuts ground with honey, vinegar and broth, measure out condensed wine and oil, pour this over the pumpkin and finish in this liquor and serve, sprinkle with pepper before serving.
Some people replace date wine with grated dates moistened with wine, some don't: that part is up to you. However, there are some general methods of cooking this recipe with modern measurements in mind:
INGREDIENT LIST
1 pumpkin, squash, or gourd
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds
3-4 mint leaves, shredded
1 garlic clove
3-4 tbsp vinegar
30-60 g dates, finely chopped
45-70 g blanched almonds, finely chopped
2 tbsp clear honey
4 tbsp Wine or Grape Juice
15-30 ml olive oil
Sea salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cut the squash or any alternative you're using. Place into a steamer or cook on the stove until done.
Remove the excess water. Transfer the pulp to a saucepan or skillet. Whilst the squash is cooking, grind the spices or prepare them if you're using grinded spices.
Add the mint and garlic, grind or mix together with spices. Add the mix to the squash.
Next add the oil, dates, almonds and the honey. Mix it all together.
Place the final mixture back on the heat and simmer for the flavours to combine.
Serve sprinkled with salt and black pepper.
The last recipe I'd like to describe is that of a beverage. You don't have to have any sort of alcohol to enjoy Saturnalia, this is completely optional. This is purely for educational purposes.
Disclaimer: Do not do this unless you are completely certain what you're of age, you're doing, and know how to properly store it.
In the original text by Apicius, or Apicio, the following is said:
Folias rosarum, albo sublato, lino inseris ut sutilis facias, et vino quam plurimas infundes, ut septem diebus in vino sint. Post septem dies rosam de vino tollis et alias sutiles recentes similiter mittis, ut per dies septem in vino requiescant, et rosam eximis. Similiter et tertio facies et rosam eximis et vinum colas et, cum ad bibendum voles uti, addito melle rosatum conficies, sane custodito ut rosam a rore siccam et optimam mittas. Similiter, ut supra, et de viola violacium facies, et eodem modo melle temperabis.
If we translate this passage, it becomes this:
Make rose wine in this manner: rose petals, the lower white part removed, sewed into a linen bag and immersed in wine for seven days. Thereupon add a sack of new petals which allow to draw for another seven days. Again remove the old petals and replace them by fresh ones for another week; then strain the wine through the colander. Before serving, add honey sweetening to taste. Take care that only the best petals free from dew be used for soaking.
INGREDIENT LIST
A bottle of dry white wine 1 1/2 cups of rose petals Honey, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Take a bottle of premade or store bought wine and pour into a large pitcher or jar.
Pluck the rose petals from the flowers and place them on a piece of cheesecloth. It's best to use freshly collected petals but you can use dry ones, too.
Tie the cheesecloth and submerge it in the wine, leaving to sit in the refrigerator for a few days up to week. After the time has passed, fish the sachet from the wine and replace with more fresh rose petals in new cheesecloth.
Repeat this twice, so the wine steeps for a total of three weeks.
Once it is done sitting, serve the wine with honey to taste (and optional rose petals for garnish).
Before we speak on modern dishes, I'd like to mark down a few honorary mentions of Roman foods that are taken from Ancient cookbooks and follow Ancient recipes but were not included in the list above to save space and time.
If you want to follow Ancient Roman recipes and have the ingredients to do so, you can make: Arrosto di maiale con salsa allo zafferano, Aliter Ius in Avibus, Dulcia Piperata, Chiacchiere, Globi Dolce, Prosciutto in crosta dell’antica Roma, and more. I will be linking all sources on these recipes as well as some cookbooks on my Navigation page.
I also want to recommend some wines as mulled wine was a very prominent part of the celebration. Here are some wine types, not brands, that I personally recommend for the Saturnalia: Chianti Riserva, Sangiovese, Primitivo, Nero d'Avola, Montepulciano, Pinot Grigio, Candoni Moscato. Only get those if you're an adult and know how to deal with alcohol.
These are modern recipes that fit the general theme of the Saturnalia. All of these recipes contain typical ingredients of the festive feast. You don't have to use meat, you can replace it with cauliflower, tofu, and any meat analogues you'd like. For sweets, you can replace eggs with yogurt or heavy cream whereas flour can be non-gluten. You absolutely can replace other gluten-containing ingredients with gluten-free alternatives, and replace nuts with crushed dried fruits or other ingredient with a similar texture.
Links to recipes will be in my Sources.
ANTIPASTO & MAIN COURSES
Rotolini di speck e fichi - Speck and fig rolls
Lonza di maiale in salsa di noci - Pork in walnut sauce Carré di maiale alle mele - Pork with apples Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin
DESSERTS & BREAD
Struffoli - Honey Balls Noci Dolci - Sweet filled walnuts Crostata di mele - Apple crust cake Buccellati - Sicilian sweet fig pastry
Lievito madre or pasta madre - Classic Italian sourdough Libum or Focaccia al Formaggio - Cheese focaccia Focaccia morbida - Soft focaccia
Sources are in my pinned.
Keys
Dice
Playing cards
Coins
Rocks/pebbles
Playing jacks (UPG)
Bouncy balls (UPG)
Lucky charms (Cereal)
Rabbit's foot
Horse shoe
Magic 8 ball
Coffee
Energy drinks
Herms
Road trip snacks (I like Hostess donuts)
Airplanes/trains/cars imagery
Foreign/new foods
Trail mix
Peanut m&ms (UPG)
Turtles
Lyres/string instruments
Sandals/shoes/running shoes
Journals
Camping gear
Survival gear, like multitools, fire starters, first aid kits etc.
Pens/pencils
Small (stolen) trinkets
Language dictionaries
Work out gear
Panpipes
Postcards
Letters
Stamps
Envelopes
Zodiac signs
Sheep/goats
Car parts
Backpacks/drawstring bags/bags
Crocos
Sticks
Saffron
Sticks
Board games (UPG)
Dominos (UPG)
Pick up sticks (UPG)
Books
Cups
Scales
Dream journals
Graveyard dirt
Cookie fortunes
Foreign money
$2 Bills
Dollar coins
Marbles
Travel souvenirs
Bikes/skateboards/skate
Old licenses/IDs
Sport trophies/jerseys/jackets/gear
Wings/feathers
Letters/numbers
Video games
Magic kits
Oranges/Lemons (UPG)
Write letters
Go for walks
Run
Road trips
Learn about alchemy, astrology, lucid dreaming/astral travel, astronomy, etc.
Learn basic car maintenance (change a tire, jump a car, change air filter, check oil etc.)
Give money/socks/cigarettes/water/food to panhandlers
Go talk to a panhandler and keep them company for a bit. I usually smoke a cigarette with them (only time I smoke) and just chat.
Pranks
Public speaking
Tip well
Stargazing
Geocaching
Learn new language
Learn ASL
Work out
Drive safely and predictably
Use your blinker fools
Bike/skate
Clean your car
Make a travel altar
Get a passport
Travel
Practice keyboarding
Have a penpal
Train your voice
Magic tricks
Check your mail/email regularly
Low risk gambling, like lotto tickets
Riskier gambling if you're mindful of it
Make sigils
Have a race
Play a tag
Be nice to wait staff
Play sports
Make maps of trails near you
Make maps of whatever you want
Play uke/string instruments
Make herms
Carpool
Uphold confidentiality
Coin tricks
Be a reliable worker
Thrifting/yard saling
Dumpster diving
Making trades and barters
Help look for missing people/pets
I feel very protective over the Sky Father today, so here’s a fair reminder that Zeus was never seen in a disrespectful light by the Ancients, and all of those stories of Him that involve kidnapping of individuals or taking of women never changed the fact He was always seen as Hospitable, Protective, and All-Giving. The trick to start seeing Him as such is to understand that Zeus’ aspects are representations of the idea of masculinity of the time, and His cult needs to be looked at diachronically.
Some of you have to start realizing that there’s a two thousand year gap between the time these stories were written and today’s reignited religion. Zeus never received negative titles, never was written off as cruel or dangerous, was never avoided. Sexual intercourse with a God (yes, even forced) in the Antiquity was not seen a bad because the God would be granting one the kharis of their presence. You can’t speak of the Old Times in modern terms. This alone should hint for you that these stories of forceful takings and kidnapping were seen as a norm for someone of His caliber: and of course they were, Ancient Greece is not comparable in terms of civil rights to our modern countries. He is the King of Gods, He can do what He desires.
Gods evolve, and perspectives change. The renewed Zeus wouldn’t be associated with such matters any longer, though He would still remain as demanding and as controlling as the Ruler of Gods can get. Zeus is not an assaulter or aggressor. These concepts were not seen as a crime or a punishable act two thousand years ago; but they are now. Let the God evolve with the society He is forever connected to and remember that Zeus represents the ideal of man, husband, and ruler.
He is not a dangerous God. You can’t possibly apply societal standards of Antiquity to the modern world, or vice versa, and believe you’ve done good analysis.
Isn't it actually so beautiful that deities take the time to try and guide and teach us? How wonderful is it that they care for us so deeply that they'd share their wisdom, knowledge, and insight so freely? I think a deity's love is something to be cherished, and I cherish this. 🧡✨
His cunty behavior and odd eyes have captivated me
Give me Hephaestus in a power chair building ramps in the old Temples. I want Him at His forge, sitting at a lowered table in His wheelchair and reaching for His tools with a hand grabber. Let Him sit in hospitals with burn care patients, showing them scars of His own. Show Him transferring from His wheelchair to His throne, some days with ease, some days with struggles. I want him sitting on a rollator, knees in braces, riding an elevator to the top of Mount Olympus.
Let’s stop portraying Hephaestus as an ‘ugly god’ and revere his disabled form.
And stop using slurs like cr*pple to describe Him.