as I reread and annotate my own ideas of what was truly occuring in the odyssey, I've realized that odysseus had only been assaulted/co-erced forcefully because the lives of his men were held over his head, which was circe's doing. however, there was no mention of calypso assaulting of forcing odysseus to elope with her, and only that she had kept him on her island. however, this may just be the translations I'm reading and not a analytical problem to be expanded on.
'guys don't call odysseus a cheater' 'guys he was assaulted' 'guys he was imprisoned with his life over his head, what was he supposed to do?' are all valid points, but I can tell these people aren't aware of the fact that odysseus had sex slaves in the original homeric tales. he is a cheater, but that doesn't make him any less of an assault victim either.
I’ve mentioned a few times that I’ve developed my own schedule of ritual and holy days, and that I’ve used the traditional eight sabbats of Neo-Wicca as markers for when to honor the gods of my pantheon. Beltaine belongs to Gilfaethwy, who is one of the hardest deities for me to understand, while Yule belongs to Goewin.
In the Mabinogion, Gilfaethwy is the brother (sometimes listed as the twin) of Gwydion. Their exploits kick off all the events of the Fourth Branch; to simplify it, Gilfaethwy lusts after Goewin, an avowed virgin, and Gwydion starts a war so Gilfaethwy has an opportunity to take Goewin for His own.
I’ve seen translations of the myth that state that Gilfaethwy “seduced” Goewin, but the translations that ring more true to me (and this seemed to be corroborated by the small amount of work I’ve done with Them) say that Gilfaethwy raped Goewin, that She had no voice or agency in what happened to Her. That interpretation of events definitely colors my view both of the Mabinogion and of the gods themselves. (Disclaimer: UPG ahoy!)
I consider Gilfaethwy (who, to me, appears as an extremely genderfluid being) as the Primal Force; the id of the gods. Xhe goes after what Xhe wants, with no thought to consequences or what anyone else thinks or feels about it. Xir energy is almost destructive in its force; supremely creative but with underpinnings of danger. It’s the closest to ecstatic creative madness as I’ve ever come. Xir feast is Beltaine; a time of primal urges and setting aside rational thought to use mindless passion.
Goewin, in contrast, is the Lady of Sorrows. Of the goddesses in my pantheon, Goewin is the one who understands pain and trials and tears, and She is the one who brings comfort in dark times. She is the veil that drops down to separate you from the world, and within that veil She gives you the strength to heal your hurts. She is the lady of Yule; She is the seemingly endless darkness, and She is the spark of light and hope at dawn.
↪ Anne Sexton / James Patterson, The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, #1) / Moral of the Story by Ashe / Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers/ Ranata Suzuki / The New Thing Dies by Ray Bull
↪ dm for credit or removal of images
Parallels: Medraut/Turunesh from The Winter Prince and Claude/Diana from Who Made Me A Princess
Messenger Bunny
"For very special deliveries!"
Ko-fi / Instagram
When I read the story of Mohammed Alanqer ( @famousturtlebanana ) I was reminded of my own dear father, Christopher, and how much he protected me during my childhood, so I dedicated this poem to them both. There are more similarities between the Alanqar family in Gaza and my family in Australia than there are differences.
Mohammed was supporting his young family (wife Enas, and children Layan, Sarah and Adam) with a tech startup when war broke out in Gaza. During the war, young Amir was born.
His son Adam has hepatitis and his son Amir has blisters on his feet. He is struggling to provide food for his children because the prices of groceries in Gaza are so high, and there is no aid coming in.
You can help by donating to his GFM. If you cannot afford that, you can share this post. If you're a creative of any type, he would love you to create art for him.
His campaign is number #174 on el-shab-hussein and nabulsi's google doc as well as being reblogged by 90-ghost here
Tagging for reach
@wellwaterhysteria @cuntylouis @appsa @paper-mario-wiki @eastgaysian @a-shade-of-blue @ana-bananya @schoolhater @stuckinapril @thatsonehellofabird @roadimusprime @c-u-c-koo-4-40k @imjustheretotrytohelp