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Size matters. This is a deeply rooted belief in modern times and contemporary culture, where physical vigor, overflowing virility, and power are often associated with magnitude. We live in an era of hyperbole, where big automatically translates to better. However, this concept was radically opposite for the ancient Greeks, the very people who laid the foundations of our civilization, our politics, and, of course, our concept of beauty. In classical Greek art, most traits of a great man —a hero, a titan, a god, a warrior— were represented as developed, firm, and harmonious, from their muscular torsos to their serene features. So, why weren't these same aesthetic principles applied to their genitals?
Read more … Size Does NOT Matter: The Fascinating Reason Why Greek Heroes Have Small Genitals
Zeus, the sovereign of Mount Olympus, the one who wields the thunderbolt and rules the sky, was the most powerful god, but also the most prolific. His insatiable appetite for love—whether with goddesses, nymphs, or mortal women—made him the father of a vast progeny. This is not a simple biographical detail; Zeus's offspring is, in essence, the structure upon which all mythology, theater, and art of Western civilization are based. Each of his children, whether Olympian gods or mortal heroes, represents a fundamental facet of human and divine existence.
Read more … The Children of Zeus: The Progeny That Shaped the Universe and Classical Art
Hades, called Pluto by the Romans, was the god of the Greek underworld, the land of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology. While some modern religions view the underworld as hell and its ruler as the embodiment of evil, the Greeks and Romans saw the underworld as a place of inescapable darkness. Though hidden from daylight and the living, Hades himself was not evil. Instead, he was the guardian of the laws of death, a somber but rigorously just sovereign.
Read more … Dante and Virgil in Hell: From Hades, the Just Sovereign, to Bouguereau's Eighth Circle
The story of Cupid and Psyche is, perhaps, the most beautiful allegory ever told about the human soul's journey toward immortality. The plot begins with Psyche, a king's daughter, whose beauty was so overwhelming that the people of her kingdom spoke only of her and, in doing so, forgot to follow the cult and adoration of Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess of love and beauty. The goddess, feeling outraged by this rivalry born of mortality, sends her son, Cupid (Eros), the god of desire, to punish the insolent girl.
Read more … Cupid and Psyche: The Soul's Ascent Through Passion and Curiosity
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Layo y Yocasta, rey y reina de Tebas, son advertidos, tras consultar a la Pitia (el oráculo de Apolo), que si tuvieran un hijo, éste mataría a su padre y se casaría con su madre. Imaginen el...
¡ Grecia, la tierra de los héroes, los dioses temperamentales y las bestias más espectaculares jamás imaginadas! La mitología griega no solo nos dio a Zeus y Hércules; también nos legó un bestiario...
Read more … María y Jesús a través del tiempo, un vínculo...
Las ansias de amor pueden tornarse peligrosas, así pudo descubrirlo Deyanira. Ella era la tercera esposa y por error, verdugo de Heracles (Hércules para los amigos). Su obsesivo y tóxico amor,...
Dirce era esposa de Lycus en la mitología griega y tía de Antiope. El dios Zeus violó a Antiope, no era la primera vez, como ya te hemos contado en La Vida es Arte. Ella dio a luz a los gemelos...
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