![]() If a person played a poor host to a stranger, there was the risk of inciting the wrath of a god disguised as the stranger. The custom of Xenia was really important in ancient times as people believed that the gods mingled among them. The parting gift was to show the host’s honor at receiving the guest. The guest must be courteous to their host and not be a burden.ģ) The parting gift (xenion) from host to guest. It was not polite to ask questions until the guest had stated his or her needs.Ģ) The respect from guest to host. The host must be hospitable to the guest and provide them with food and drink and a bath, if required. For this, he was known as Zeus Xenios and was at one time, the god of travelers.ġ) The respect from host to guest. Of all the attributes that Zeus is known for, he was originally the deity who presided over this custom of Xenia. Xenia is the Greek word for the concept of hospitality and forms the ancient customs of Hospitality. Once the Moirai were born, the task of men’s fates and their time of deaths were given to them. When a mortal’s time of death was carefully weighed on a set of golden scales. ![]() Of course, if we looked at them as the real power behind the throne… but that could just be inviting hubris…īefore the birth of the Moirai, it was Zeus who dispensed out fate, the good and the bad that he doled out from the jars of Fate that he kept near his feet. Themis also had the additional job of summoning all of the gods to Zeus’ courtyard when he was ready to declare a new law or edict. These goddesses were tasked with maintaining the order of the cosmos and have it function. On this council sat Themis, the goddess of law and order, along with their daughters the Moirai or Fates and the Horai or Seasons. This was slightly surprising to come across, that Zeus would have councilors. While more modern takes on Greek mythos place Hermes to this role, it belongs to Iris, goddess of the rainbow who relayed messages and commands to the other gods word for word. Hermes is often employed by Zeus to act as his personal herald and envoy for his decrees, sometimes acting as a diplomat. Zeus had two, first was his daughter Hebe and then Ganymede whose job was to serve the chalice containing the nectar of the gods. ![]() ![]() At least the version where Perseus tames the winged horse and isn’t using Hermes’ winged sandals. I can only imagine that Zeus claimed the famed winged horse to hold and carry his thunderbolts after Perseus’ adventures. Not really hounds, they were just called that, and by they, I mean the Harpies, the winged half-bird half-women creatures of Greek myth. ![]() The four siblings received this honor from Zeus as their mother, Styx was the first to come to show her support during the Titanomachy or War against the Titans. They are the winged enforcers or Sky Tides for Zeus. They are a group of four siblings: Bia (“Force”), Kratos (“Power“), Nike (“Victory”), and Zelus (“Zeal”). It is this eagle that Zeus sends to abduct and carry away a young Ganymede up to Mount Olympus to serve as Cup-Bearer to the Gods after Hebe either dropped the goblet or married his son Hercules. A giant bird that had once been the seer Phineus, was always by Zeus’ side. The Golden Eagle specifically is Zeus’ sacred bird. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |