Canada's Public Safety Minister lets part-time non-Christian chaplains go

Look, we all know that in most Western countries, Christianity is the major religion. This means that for many people in Western countries, 'religion' is synonymous with 'Christianity'. I suspect that in the modern Pagan movement, a lot of anger towards Christianity comes from this blatant disregard of two thirds of the world's religious people. In general, I can deal with the dominant Christian worldview. I may not like it, but I respect it. In my day-to-day dealings with those of the Christian faith, I can usually find the things we have in common within our religions and we make it work. This, however, does not mean that Christianity is the same as Hellenismos, and that a Christian chaplain--by origin a word applied to a representative of the Christian faith, now applied to men and women of other religions or philosophical traditions--could accurately guide me if I should ever end up in a hospital, the military or a prison.

While I'm usually very positive about Canada, I am not so positive today. CBC reports that the federal government is cancelling the contracts of non-Christian chaplains at federal prisons across the country. This doesn't mean just the 'fringe' faiths like Buddhism and Sikh--the Wiccan chaplain that got hired, got fired right away back in September--but also Judaism, Islam and the First Nation spiritualities. Why? Because Public Safety Minister Vic Toews isn't convinced part-time chaplains from other religions are an appropriate use of taxpayer money.

I would love to go caveman batshit over this, but Hellenismos has this thing about ethics and eloquent speech, so I'm going to try and actually formulate my opinion instead of reducing my power of speech to a Lolcat.

I understand that we're in a time of economic crisis. Budget cuts are going to happen. I understand this. Letting go of about eighty part-time employees is a money saver within any company--and a government is basically a very big company. Yet, I see no request for the part-time chaplains to (temporarily) volunteer at their job, and the part-time Christian chaplains can stay. I may be jumping to conclusions, but it seems to me that Toews, who is a Mennonite, suffers from the belief that Christianity can fix everything. That Christianity is the be-all and end-all of religion.

According to the article, 'Toews' office says that [...] the part-time non-Christian chaplains will be let go and the remaining full-time chaplains in prisons will now provide interfaith services and counselling to all inmates'. One can easily see why this is an incredibly bad idea. To borrow an analogy from a close friend: this is like expecting a Volvo specialist to handle the needs of every other company's cars, just because they know 'cars'. The Christian chaplains may get some of the peripheral's right, but they'll never be able to provide religious services to all faiths, even if they tried. Why? Because doing so would go against the dogma of their own religion.

I can't imagine the Christian chaplains being happy with this decision either, honestly. Even if they were allowed/pushed to provide only Christian type services to those of other faiths, it would be a daunting and ungrateful task. If the Christian chaplains will be required to provide the services the part-time chaplains used to provide, they must feel even worse. Can you see a Christian chaplain performing a Samhain ceremony? Or a proper Sweat Lodge?  Of course, that's not exactly Toews' problem, now is it?

Honestly, I doubt this decision will stand for long. It screams religious discrimination and that, thankfully, is against the law. You can't just kick out all minority religions and leave Christianity. You either kick them all out, or leave the system as it is--preferably with a (part-time) chaplain for other fringe religions as well. Anything else is unconstitutional. It's as simple as that. And I'm pretty sure these few part-time chaplain won't burden or solve Canada's national deficit. In fact, I'm pretty sure more taxpayer money will be spent on court cases challenging this decision than would have been spent on the salary of minority chaplains for a year (with a full time chaplain salary in Canada averaging out at around C$ 40.000,- a year).

All in all, this kind of news makes me sad. So many people just do not get it. They don't get religion, or religion that is not their own. They don't get that everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe, even if you think it's utter and total bullshit. You, as a human being, have absolutely no right to decide what another person can and cannot believe. It's as simple as that. Yet, these people end up making up the rules for those who choose other vocations. And that, to put it bluntly, sucks.

I hope someone challenges Toews' decision soon. This can not stand, and will not stand for long. When that happens, it may pave the way for fringe religions to get their foot in the door. Toews may have unleashed the hounds on this one, and I'm pretty sure that was not his intention. I feel there is a growing awareness in the Pagan movement that we're nearing a point where we'll claim what is rightfully ours. Idiotic decisions like this give us a boost; it shows the public that the law is on our side. Then again, I am an eternal optimist. For now, lets see what happens. If you're in Canada: speak up. Speak to as many people as you can about these issues, get tongues wagging. Call for action. Challenge Toews. Above all: keep faith. This too, shall pass.

• Sunday, October 7, 2012
  Christianity current affairs Paganism

Meditations on Hypnos

In the interest of sharing more about my personal practice, I'll share with you a habit I have acquired in order to lace my life with the presence of the Gods. Back in ancient Hellas, everything they touched, looked at or spoken about was connected to the Gods in some way. I have various methods by which to train myself to see the Divine in everything, but one of the more prominent ones are meditations.

These meditations are usually short and sweet, about five minutes each, and serve to introduce myself to the God or Goddess there are aimed towards. They're a form of personal devotion I always follow up with a libation or sacrifice.

The ancient Hellens meditated. I'm assuming they either developed the process on their own or were influenced by their Eastern neighbors. Meditation was a tried and true practice of the ancient orators. It trained their minds to retain information and reproduce it. It was also used as a relaxation technique.

As for this specific meditation; I practice this one often enough to give sacrifice before hand, some others, I am forced to give sacrifice after. This is information I always share with the Deity at hand. In these meditations, I visit an area the Deity frequents. For the 'lesser' deities, this is often their home, but I never set foot on Olympus. For Deities who only frequent Olympus, I build one of their temples in my mind.

Hypnos (Ὕπνος) is the God of sleep. Dreams (Oneiroi - Ὄνειροι) are sons of Hypnos, sent by Zeus, and delivered by Hermes, but Hypnos is the one who lets us fall asleep. According to myth, Hypnos lives underneath one of the Greek islands, hidden away in a cave without doors. The entrance is overrun by poppies and other hypnogogic plants. The river Lethe--the river of forgetfulness--runs through the cave. Morpheus (Μορφεύς), the leader of the Oneiroi and God of dreams, stands guard to assure none wake Hypnos.

In my meditation, I take a boat out to the island, a heavy bag of offerings at my side. The jagged landscape of the island awaits me in the merciful coolness of a Greek summer's night. Selune, the moon Goddess, illuminates my way. As I run the small sailing ship ashore, I jump off of it nimbly, hoisting it further up into the sand so I will have a way home. With the heavy bag in hand, I walk the sand barefoot, accompanied by roaring sound of Oceanos' swelling waves.

The scorched and dry grass meets me feet next. I must walk to the center of the small island to find the entrance to the cave. Once I arrive, the smell of sweet poppy threatens to overwhelm me. Still, I push on, entering the cave's mouth and descending endlessly through the darkness. There is silence here, a silence so absolute, I can hear the blood running through my veins. I apologize for this small transgression.

Morpheus awaits me and bars me from entrance. I nod and--carefully, quietly-- lay out the gifts at his feet. Sweet honey and soft cheese, a chalice made of silver, with engravings of my dreams. A woolen blanket, against the chill and sweet incense in a skillfully carved box. Morpheus nods and lets me glimpse beyond. In the dimly lid cavern lies Hypnos, on a bed of feathers, with black curtains around him. The river flows gently past him. Such calm rises from the scene that I wish I could lie here forever, but alas, I am mortal and must journey back.

When I reach the small boat, I push it back into the water. I push off and cast one last look at the island before it is swallowed up by the deep of night and set sail for home, and my own bed. May the blessings of Hypnos fall upon me.

That is my meditation to Hypnos, God of sleep. Try not to do this in bed unless you can actually stay awake when meditating and lying down. If you teach yourself meditation is a tool for sleep, it's hard to use it any other way, after all.

If you like, I can share more of these meditations. If you have a similar practice, I would love to hear yours.

• Saturday, October 6, 2012
  ancient Hellenic culture Hermes Hypnos Lethe meditation Morpheus Oceanos Oneiroi Selune Zeus

PBP: Taboos in ancient Hellas

Society is an ever-chancing construct, influenced by the people living (in) it and changing those people in return. What was socially acceptable as little as ten years ago, may not be socially acceptable today. Smoking in public spaces, for example. Imagine going back hundreds of years to a society much unlike our own. Most of what we do today would have been taboo then, and much of what was daily practice then, is taboo today. This post will serve to highlight some of these taboos, from both sides of the coin. Please, remember this post is all in good fun; some of these practices may seem barbaric, but that's your culture speaking. For the ancient Hellens, it was absolutely normal: it was their culture and no modern Hellenist would try to bring back practices which are now against the law.

Animal sacrifice: at this point, even I realize I talk about animal sacrifice too much, so I'll just leave you with a few sentences on it, and a link to more information about the practice in ancient Hellas and modern Hellenistic Reconstruction. Animal sacrifice is a controversial practice these days, although many religions, even within Paganism, practice it. Back in ancient Hellas, it was a very common practice. While I have never been to a ritual which included the sacrifice of an animal, I am not morally opposed to it in a religious setting where it makes sense and when it is done in a way that is quick and painless for the animal.

Pederasty (παιδεραστία): pederasty was a socially acknowledged erotic relationship between an adult male and a younger male usually in his teens, and was practiced mostly in the Archaic and Classical ages of Hellenic history. The courtship of the younger male (although the age difference could be neglectable in some cases) started with a ritual abduction of the younger male. The older male selected a youth and enlisted the chosen one's friends to help him, and carried off the object of his affections to his andreion, a sort of men's club or meeting hall. The whole group spent one or two months out in the countryside where they feasted, hunted and simply spent time together, enjoying life.
The next step in the process was to court the youth with gifts. Three gifts were traditional: military attire, an ox, and a drinking cup, but the youth most certainly received more expensive gifts. When the youth returned to the city, the ox was sacrificed to Zeus and and the youth and his friends feasted. The young man also received special clothing that in adult life marked him as kleinos, 'famous, renowned.' The young man was called a parastatheis, 'he who stands beside', and served as cup bearer for the older male, the philetor, during meals in the andreion. Remind you of someone? Sex was part of this relationship, although the younger male rarely carried any love for the older male. Semen was said to transfer wisdom, so this is why younger boys accepted the practice. The rise in status also helped. There was a female version of this practice, but it's much less documented.

Homosexuality: although the practice of pederasty is often interpreted as a 'homosexual practice', no ancient Greek in their right mind would see it as such. If they had known the term 'bisexual', they would not have used it. Marriage was to someone of the opposite gender. You were heterosexual. Period. While members of both sexes may have shared their beds with someone of the same gender, this had nothing to do with the way they identified on the Kinsey scale. In ancient Hellas, what mattered was the role you played in bed. The males, especially when older or higher up in the hierarchy, were supposed to be the dominant ones, the active ones, while the women, the young and those lower in the hierarchy, the passive ones. Because of the age difference and the difference in social standing, the young male assuming a passive role was permitted in pederasty, but a grown man assuming that role was a social and sexual taboo. A wife who took charge in the bedroom would have been frowned upon as well. Especially within the marriage, sex served to make babies, nothing more. Prostitutes and concubines were still supposed to assume a passive, female, role, but I am willing to bet there were some exceptions to that rule.

Adultery: although it's not exactly cheered on in modern times, both partners tend to walk away with emotional and financial pain only. In ancient Greece, the punishment was a tad more severe. If a married woman had intercourse with a man other than her husband, she could be killed. Another option was to divorce. She was then sent back to her father. If he rejected her (and he usually did), she was left to fend for herself, which often led to a life of slavery. The man she cheated with was often worse off. He was also liable to get killed, especially if caught in the act, because the husband had the right to kill him, without getting punished for it. There is another reported punishment for a man who slept with a free woman who was married: rhaphanidosis. Rhaphanidosis is the act of inserting the root of a horseradish into the anus. A mulletfish could also be inserted. The act of rhaphanidosis is part of the comic play 'Nephelai' (Νεφέλαι) of Aristophanes, but no one knows for sure if the punishment was ever really applied.
It makes sense that the male involved with the adultery was more severely punished than the woman; birth control was available in ancient Hellas, but rarely applied. To bring an illegitimate child into the oikos was a terrible offense, and one for which the male was blamed. Needless to say, the husband was free to find pleasure with any woman who was not married. Prostitution was common, and men tended to have concubines. Some even lived at the house. Demosthenes, a Hellenic writer from ancient Athens, was recorded as saying: 'we have courtesans for pleasure, concubines to provide for our daily needs, and our spouses to give us legitimate children and to be the faithful guardians of our homes'.

Slavery: I have already written about slavery in ancient Hellas, so let me copy/paste the basics and direct you to the post for further reading. A Greek slave was called a doûlos (δούλος), which would translate best as a 'servant' or 'serf'.  In ancient Greece, doûlos were the working class. They were teachers, farmers, shop owners, herders, doctors, city militia, cleaners, etc. Because many performed a public service, they had a house of their own as well as a salary. Household serfs were called oikétês (οἰκέτης). The female head of the household was charged with teaching--and keeping order amongst--the household serfs. Slavery as it is known today is a lot different than slavery in ancient Hellas. In fact, if I had the money, I could still hire a nanny for my children, a gardner for my garden, a cook for my supper and farmers to tend to my farm. All could come to life at my house if it was big enough. The only difference is that I do not have to buy these people, nor would I own them.

Nudity: the ancient Hellens were very proud of their bodies. Both men and women worked hard to retain or attain beauty. The men were warriors and athletes, women could be athletes as well. Both had the highest beauty ideals one could ever look to live up to: the Theoi themselves. Men went to school at a gymnasium. A large part of the curriculum consisted of sports, and these were practiced in the nude. Most often, the young men didn't dress again for the lectures on mathematics, astronomy and other sciences that were taught afterwards; the climate didn't require it, nor did society. Even women were fully or partially naked when practicing sports. Nudity--especially for men--was completely normal in ancient Hellas. When they felt the urge to dance, make music or practice sports, they threw off the loosely draped cloth they wore as clothing and went for it. Measuring how free women were with their nudity is more difficult as ancient Hellenic women rarely left the house, except for religious festivals. It is recorded, however, that nudity during festivals happened quite often. Although there were undoubtedly situations in which nudity was frowned upon, public nudity was very much an accepted practice.

Minor taboos: although these were not minor back in the day, to write an entire paragraph on each would make this post entirely too long. Fallatio was a big taboo in ancient Hellas. It was performed, on occasion, but the young boy, prostitute or lover would always refuse to do it, get beaten about some, and then surrender. To just perform the act was shaming for both, so the ritual needed to be included. A man never made his wife perform the act. Sex before marriage was also frowned upon. Eating meat from domesticated animals and drinking milk was also taboo. Eating meat from an animal which was not sacrificed to the Gods was also not done. Not performing the proper rituals to purify yourself for the Gods was also a big taboo.

There were a lot of other taboos in ancient Hellas, but since many of these prevail to this day, I have not listed them. Incest is one that comes to mind. Taboos say a lot about a culture and the people in it. The boundaries of what is, and what is not, socially accepted bind people together. They also give clues about Hellenistic Reconstruction. I have said before that reconstruction separates religion from culture, but when reconstructing a religion where religion defined the culture, one is invariably bound to it by some extend. While pederasty was a big thing in ancient Hellas, no one is saying we need to bring it back today. There are laws against it, and those are justly in place. Yet, taking a second look at our bodies--especially in this age of prudishness, distorted body images and obesity--and our reaction to it, may not be such a bad thing.

This was a small sampling of ancient Hellenic taboos and modern practices which would have shocked the ancient Hellens. I hope it was a source of information and amusement. Take from it what you will, and--perhaps--take a look at our modern taboos and practices to say what it says about our culture and society. Which taboos and practices will future humans frown, laugh or gawk at? What will we change or leave behind... and what will--and should--we hold on to as long as possible?

• Friday, October 5, 2012
  adultery ancient Hellenic culture animals Hellenismos 101 miasma nudity Pagan Blog Project pederasty slavery

What can I get you?

Writing is hard. Any kind of writing is incredibly hard, be it books, blogs, role plays, magazine articles, or anything else. To come up with the basics--subjects, characters, setting, goal--takes a lot of imagination. Then you need to decide who you're writing for. When you've managed to figure all of that out, you need to do the actual writing.

I have come to realize I write best when a subject inspires me, and I have received enough positive reinforcements to get into the writing flow. At that point, the pay-off will be worth the effort. When I feel I'm talking into the empty pit of the internet, my desire to write goes down. At that point, coming up with subjects to write about becomes more like a marathon than a treasure hunt. Because writing--when I'm in the right mindset--is like a treasure hunt as a six year old: the most awesome thing in the world.

Theo Bishop, over at Patheos' Bishop in the Grove, wrote a brilliant article with the title 'what do Pagans want to read in their blogs, magazines and books?'. In it, he says the following:

"When you visit this blog — any blog — what are you looking for? Do you want testimonials about lived experiences? Accounts of ritual, whether they be successful or fall-on-your-face-like? Do you want to read about the nuts and bolts of someone’s practice?

[...] Please, enlighten me. Shine a little light on the inside of your reader’s brain. Throw this writer a digital bone."

So, I am asking you the same thing: what are you looking for on this blog? What are the articles you like best? What should I write more about? Or less. This blog functions within the framework of Hellenistic practice, so that limits the number of subjects, but there is still a lot to talk about that I haven't discussed yet. Do you like the series, or would you prefer I do more one-shots?

Would you like posts about theology, about modern day practice, about personal experiences, about the link between ancient and modern worship, or about something else I haven't even discussed? Are there questions you would like answered? This is your chance to ask them, and I would value any advice that comes my way. I write for myself but mostly for you, so any advice is very welcome!

• Thursday, October 4, 2012
  bloggers I admire blogging this is not a real post

Delicious Greek food the ancients would have eaten as well

I have zero inspiration today for blogging, but I am hungry. When that combination comes along, this is the sort of blog post you get. Sorry, especially if you're hungry, like I am.

Greek food is best known for the heavy amounts of meat, fish and tzatziki, but did you know that many of these dishes go back centuries? Here are some of the dishes the ancient Hellens would have eaten as well.

First, some basics: the main diet of the ancient Greeks consisted of bread, olives, olive oil, figs, cheeses, fish, squid, grapes, apples and other fruits, and honey. Meat was expensive and thus rarely eaten. Domesticated animals were only eaten after being sacrificed to the Gods. To not do so was barbaric and impure. Also considered barbaric was to drink wine which was not watered down and to drink milk. Breakfast and lunch consisted of bread dipped in wine, with olives, figs, cheese or dried fish added to the lunch menu. Dinner usually consisted of vegetables, fruit, fish, and possibly honey cakes.

Skorothalmi: skorothalmi (now known as skordalia) is a purée. Currently, it is often made with potatoes, olive oil and loads and loads of garlic, but it can be made with a walnut, almond, or liquid-soaked stale bread base. It was the latter that the ancient Greeks chose. It was--and is--eaten with bread or vegetables.

Loukaniko: loukaniko is an ancient sausage, dating back to Classical times. It must include pork and garlic to count as loukaniko but can also contain fennel, leek, and any other form of meat. The meat is roughly ground, stuffed into the casting, and then roasted over a fire.

Souvlaki: souvlaki is one of those foods that come to mind right away when thinking of Greek cuisine, like gyros. But unlike gyros--which came to Greece around 1900--souvlaki has been around since antiquity. It is mentioned by the greats like Aristophanes, Xenophon and Aristotle. Souvlaki is skewered meat, grilled over a fire. Any meat can be used and the cooking process is simple. In ancient Hellas, it was known as obeliskos (ὀβελίσκος), meaning 'spit'. The dish was eaten with bread.

Dolmades: dolmades are stuffed vegetables or grape leaves--something that the ancient Greeks had no shortage of--and they can be stuffed with almost anything. Tomatoes, eggplant and peppers didn't arrive in Greece until after the discovery of the Americas in the 15th century, and neither did lemons, oranges, and rice, so in ancient Hellas, dolmades were usually stuffed grape leaves.

Tzatziki: tzatziki is an appetizer or sauce made with strained yoghurt, cucumber and large amounts of garlic. It goes with everything and was thus eaten with meat, fish, bread or even vegetables.

Kakavia: kakavia is a Greek fish soup which can be made with any type of fish, including shellfish and squid. Any vegetable on hand can be added to it. This was probably a staple food for (poor) fishing families or anyone living near the coast.

Tyrokafteri: tyrokafteri (τυροκαυτερή) is a specialty of the region of Thrace. It is a spread or dip, made from feta cheese, roasted red peppers, and garlic. It can be made to be hot or mild. Again, it was eaten with bread.

This is only a sampling of the many, many dishes which have survived the centuries. Of course, any type if grilled meat or fish would also have been served at the ancient Hellenic table, as well as a multitude of cheeses. So, has this post gotten you hungry as well? As the Greeks say: kali orexi!

• Wednesday, October 3, 2012
  ancient Hellenic culture animals food

Hearing the voices of the Gods

I've never heard the voices of the Gods and Goddesses I worship, but I have been in contact with them on numerous occasions. I know people whom the Gods actually, literally, speak to. I have never been that girl, and that is just fine by me. That way, I'm sure it's not just the inner sock puppets--a term gratefully borrowed--I'm dealing with. See, I talk to myself all the time. I talk out loud--to my dinner, my computer, my cat, my books, anything--but I also talk to myself a lot in my head. I have entire internal dialogues, especially when I'm in bed. Adding a Divine voice to that would freak me out.

This, however, does not mean that I'm never in contact with the Gods. I have come to rely on a certain gut feeling that is impossible to describe. It feels a little like someone puts a hand on your neck and lower back at the same time and pinches. I spoke about the feeling in my post about synchronicity, and those times, I definitely feel that presence. Due to that feeling, I also know exactly which of my divinations and meditations are Divinely inspired. Then there is another thing from which I know I'm on the right path in life: déjà vu's.

I haven't figured out exactly how it works, but I am absolute rubbish at remembering my dreams. I just can not remember them. I tried training my memory to remember them for a while, trying to keep a dream diary, but as soon as I wake up, the dreams fade into my subconscious. Unlike my girlfriend, they also don't come back to me when I go to bed at night. Yet, when I get one of those Divinely inspired déjà vu's, I simply know that the situation was already shown to me in a dream.

Sometimes, these situations are situations in which I could use some help. The déjà vu shows me what to do, say or where to go. Sometimes, I get a feeling that I need to go somewhere and I get rewarded with a déjà vu on the way there, letting me know I'll experience or find something that will aid me. And I always do. Sometimes, I do, buy or try something and I get rewarded very shortly after with a déjà vu. These déjà vu's usually don't have anything to do with the situation at hand; they are simply scenes to show me that I took the right fork in the road and ended up in the right place at the right time for the Divine plan to come to fruition.

I realize this may sound very New-Agey. In fact, I don't really like talking about these things. I'm better at talking about my practice. But this is part of the kharis between me and the Theoi, and that is important to me. It's all UPG, of course, but it has been--and still is--one of the foundations of my daily religious life.

Do you interact with the Gods you worship? If so, how? If you don't, is this something that bothers you? I look forward to hearing your stories.

• Tuesday, October 2, 2012
  daily practice Paganism UPG

Constellation Aquila: the eagle

It's time for part three of the constellation series, and this time I'm tackling a constellation I had never heard of before: Aquila. It's one of the medium sized constellations, located a little 'above' Sagittarius.

Aquila is aptly named 'the eagle'. The shape it was given, as well as the mythology attached to it all relate to the bird. Aquila is the Latin for 'eagle', and from mythology, we are well aware that Zeus's favorite animal is this very bird.

This constellation is heavily linked to the constellation of Aquarius: the water carrier. This constellation is often said to represent Ganymēdēs, who was carried to Olympus by an eagle; this very eagle, in fact. It is also said that Zeus's thunderbolts are carried down by the eagle. In the Odysseia, Odysseus' son Telemachos receives oracular message from Zeus by way of the eagle:

"So Telemachus spoke, and Far-Seeing Zeus sent out two eagles from a high mountain peak. They flew for a while with outspread wings, side by side in the currents of air, but when they were above the voice-filled assembly they swiftly slanted their wings, circling round, gazing down on the heads below, and death was in their gaze. Then they clawed at each other’s head and neck with their talons, and soared away eastward over the roofs of the town. The people saw them and wondered, and considered what this might foreshadow. Then the old hero Halitherses, Mastor’s son, spoke out, for he was the wisest man of his day in bird-lore and prophecy. With goodwill in his heart he addressed the assembly:

‘Men of Ithaca, listen to me: and I say these words to the Suitors especially, since disaster approaches them. Odysseus will not be far from his friends much longer, and I believe even now he is near, sowing the seeds of dark death for all these men. Yes, and he will bring trouble to many another of us, who live in clear-skied Ithaca. Let us think in advance how we might prevent all this, or let them prevent it of their own accord, easily their best option. I am not unskilled in prophecy, but have true knowledge. I say that all things for that man will be fulfilled, just as I told him when the Argives sailed for Troy, he among them, resourceful Odysseus. I declared that, suffering many troubles, losing all comrades, he would return in the twentieth year, unknown to all: and now it is coming to pass.’"

Another prominent myth in which the eagle of Zeus features is the myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to humanity. For his efforts, he was tied to a rock by Hermes who was under orders from Zeus. Zeus then tormented him every day for the longest time, by sending an eagle to peck out his liver again and again, because as an immortal, Prometheus' liver grew back every night. In some stories, Prometheus is eventually freed by the hero Hēraklēs, after Zeus takes mercy on him.  

For all his hard work, the eagle was placed into the sky by Zeus, so it could soar through the skies for eternity. The constellation Aguila is visible at latitudes between +90° and −75°. It is best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of August.

• Monday, October 1, 2012
  astronomy Constellation series Ganymēdēs Hēraklēs Mythology 101 Odysseia Odysseus Prometheus Ptolemy Telemachos Zeus