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Episode 173: Greek Deities pt. 3
894 Plays7 days ago
Welcome back, Witches! This week, we’re stepping into the world of Greek deities, exploring the stories, mysteries, and magic of Demeter and Ariadne. 🌿🍇✨ From the goddess of the harvest and cycles of life, to the maiden of labyrinths, transformation, and divine connection—we’re unpacking their myths, symbolism, and how their energies still echo today. 🌾🌙 So get in, Loser, we’re walking alongside the goddesses and uncovering the lessons they have to share. 🌿💫🌀
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Patreon, Supercast, & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft, or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our links below.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References:
- Huanaco, Francisco. Demeter: Goddess Offerings, Signs, Symbols, and Myths. (2025) Spells8. https://spells8.com/lessons/demeter-goddess-symbols-myth/
- Hannah, Rebecca. Demeter: How to Worship the Goddess of Harvest. (2025) A Simple Altar. https://www.asimplealtarblog.com/blog/demeter-how-to-worship-the-goddess-of-harvest
- Demeter. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Demeter.html
- The Story of Demeter & Persephone. The Fitzwilliam Museum. https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/learn-with-us/the-story-of-demeter-and-persephone#:~:text=Demeter%20was%20the%20Ancient%20Greek,a%20lot%20of%20their%20food.
- Prof Geller (2018). Ariadne. Mythology.Net. https://mythology.net/greek/greek-gods/ariadne/
- The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. (N.D.). Ariadne. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ariadne-Greek-mythology
- Theoi.com (n.d.). Ariadne. Theoi.com. https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Ariadne.html
- Jessica and the Moon (2024). Ariadne: Goddess Weaver of the Mystical Path. Jessica and the Moon. https://www.jessicaandthemoon.com/blogs/grimoire-pages/meet-goddess-ariadne-weaver-of-the-mystical-path
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft and the occult, but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey.
00:00:11
Speaker
Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we've learned about the craft.
Exploration of Greek Myths and Magic
00:00:16
Speaker
So get in witches as we step into the world of the Greek pantheon, where myths, magic, and timeless tales meet the divine.
00:00:37
Speaker
So
00:00:43
Speaker
Welcome back, witches.
Personal Updates and Challenges
00:00:45
Speaker
If this episode sounds a little different this week, it's because Sam and I are having to record our pieces solo for this episode to avoid pushing out episode release dates.
00:00:54
Speaker
For those of you that have been following along on our socials and listening to our episodes, you'll know that we've both had an insane amount of things thrown at us lately, and we've already had to take a small break on our releases. We're trying our very best to avoid doing that again,
00:01:12
Speaker
So the next few releases will be a bit different. While we're both in this episode, we did record separately. We will also both be releasing a solo episode as well.
00:01:23
Speaker
We're hoping that by the end of September, we can get back to our regular recording schedule. But with Sam's move, we may have a few more episodes like this in the future.
00:01:34
Speaker
So please just bear with us on this. And just to piggyback off of what Tiffany said, you know, we really appreciate everybody being so gracious and giving us the space to be able to take the breaks whenever we need it.
Impact of Personal Issues on Podcast Schedule
00:01:48
Speaker
Unfortunately, for my end, it is not just a move that I'm dealing with. And I really appreciate Tiffany ensuring my privacy whenever we talk about the things that are going on.
00:01:59
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But I do think that is important for you guys as our listeners to know that, you know unfortunately on my end, I'm dealing with some chronic health issues. That is the reason for the move. And so we have a lot of uncertainty right now as to when we're moving, where we're moving,
00:02:16
Speaker
and really what then our next life is going to look like here associated with the military. So all of that with just the added stressors of, you know, working full time, kids going to school, and then dealing with the chronic health condition that I have, that makes me incredibly fatigued all the time.
00:02:34
Speaker
It's really added a lot onto our plates. And this is just outside of what Tiffany already has going on. So unfortunately, because of that, some aspects of the podcast have had to take a backseat temporarily until we can get this worked out. So we are really hoping that we don't have to take a longer break um whenever it is time for me to leave Okinawa and head back to the States. But unfortunately, it may look like that depending on what my health is looking like and how soon of a move it's going to be because
00:03:08
Speaker
We were literally told it could be four weeks, six weeks. I mean, it so it really just depends on how quickly the military informs us and where we're going.
Exciting Announcements on Social Media
00:03:21
Speaker
We have also shared something super exciting on our socials about something we have in store for October. So make sure that you're not only following us, but that you check our posts to see what's coming.
00:03:33
Speaker
So with that said, let's get into the episode.
Demeter: Goddess of Agriculture and Myths
00:03:36
Speaker
So this is a Greek deities episode. It's been a hot minute since we've done one. So for my part, i'm going to be discussing Demeter today.
00:03:46
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Demeter is one of the Olympian goddesses most widely known as the goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility, and the harvest. To the ancient Greeks, she was the divine force who ensured the crops would grow, fields would remain fertile, and humanity would be fed.
00:04:03
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Without her blessing, the earth would basically wither and famine would spread. In this way, Demeter wasn't just tied to farming. She was the goddess who sustained life itself.
00:04:15
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For family connections, Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and she is one of the Olympian siblings alongside Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
00:04:26
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She's most often associated with her daughter Persephone, born from her union with Zeus. In some traditions, she also bore Plutus, the god of wealth, with a mortal named Acyon, and Despoina with Poseidon.
00:04:43
Speaker
Unlike other Olympians, Demeter is not typically depicted with a permanent consort, though her relationships play important roles in myth. Her symbols reflect her role as the bringer of abundance and sustenance.
00:04:56
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Wheat and bread stand for nourishment and the fruits of the harvest, while the cornucopia represents overflowing plenty. The torch recalls her desperate search for her daughter Persephone, lighting the way through the darkness.
00:05:10
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Animals like pigs and serpents were sacred to her, often tied to fertility and the underworld in cycles of
Attributes and Symbols of Demeter
00:05:18
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renewal. Each of these symbols paints a picture of Demeter as both the giver and the guardian of life.
00:05:25
Speaker
If you can hear any background noise on my end, I'm just going to apologize now. um Those of you that have listened to us for a while know that I have a whole herd of chickens that live next door to us and roosters.
00:05:38
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And two of the chickens are really just like not having it today. which in turn is making my dog a little restless back here. So if you heard any of the banging, that was them jumping around.
00:05:49
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So anyways, energetically, demeanor embodies the archetype of the nurturer and protector of life. She represents the cycles of growth, death, and renewal.
00:06:01
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And her presence reminds us that nothing stays forever, but all things move in rhythm. In Myth and Worship, she held authority over the mysteries of life and death, showing how deeply entwined sustenance and mortality really are.
00:06:18
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Her role is often framed through the mother archetype. She's the life giver who provides unconditional love and care. Demeter is the divine embodiment of motherhood's joy, but also its pain.
00:06:30
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Her love is boundless, yet her grief when Persephone is taken to the underworld shows the depth of loss a mother endures. This grief becomes central in explaining the seasonal cycles.
00:06:42
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When Persephone descends into the underworld, Demeter mourns so deeply that the earth becomes barren. When Persephone returns, Demeter's joy brings fertility back to the land.
00:06:53
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Through this myth, the ancients understood the cycle of planting, harvest, death, and rebirth. It's a story not just of agriculture, but of grief, healing, and resilience.
00:07:05
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At the same time, Demeter represents a duality. On one hand, she is the nourishing mother who blesses humanity with food. On the other, she can become wrathful and destructive, withholding her gifts and plunging the earth into famine.
00:07:24
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Her myth warns of a delicate balance between plenty and deprivation, love and fury.
Comparative Analysis of Demeter and Other Deities
00:07:31
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Demeter also has a strong connection to women's mysteries, so things like fertility, childbirth, and the cycles of nature. Many of her festivals were women-only, centering on fertility of both the land and the womb, and honoring the sacred rhythms of life that women embody.
00:07:51
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She was not only a goddess of crops, but also of degenerative power within women themselves. Her archetype and stories resonate beyond Greece with parallels in other cultures.
00:08:03
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The Roman version of Demeter would be Charis with many of the same attributes. In Egypt, it was Isis who carried similar roles as a mother, fertility goddess, and protector.
00:08:16
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In Mesopotamia, it would have been inanna and Ishtar, who embodied the cycles of descent and return, tied to fertility and seasonal renewal.
00:08:28
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And these cross-cultural echoes remind us that humanity across time and place has always honored the power of the earth, the cycles of growth, and the enduring love of the mother goddess.
Significant Myths Involving Demeter
00:08:41
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So moving on to Demeter's mythology, the homework hem to Demeter is our main source for her myths, and it tells the foundational story of her daughter Persephone's abduction.
00:08:55
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Persephone is taken by Hades into the underworld, and Demeter, stricken with grief, searches tirelessly for her. In her sorrow, she withdraws her gifts from the earth, causing crops to wither and famine to spread across the land.
00:09:09
Speaker
Eventually, Zeus intervenes and a compromise is struck. Persephone would spend part of the year with her mother and part of it with Hades. The myth not only explains the seasonal cycle, fertility and growth during Persephone's return,
00:09:25
Speaker
barrenness during her absence, but also reflects the universal themes of loss, grief, and reunion. It shows Demeter's power as a mother and as a force of nature whose emotions directly affect the survival of humanity.
00:09:39
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Closely tied to this story are the Eleusinian Mysteries, which but we have talked about on the podcast a couple of times, and I just don't remember which episodes. I want to say it was the ancient Sabbath episode series that we've done.
00:09:55
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But essentially, this was a secret religion where religious rites were held at Eleusis in honor of Demeter and Persephone. These mysteries were some of the most important and long-lasting initiatory traditions in the ancient world.
00:10:13
Speaker
It promised participants deeper insight into the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. Initiates drank a sacred potion that was called Kaikion, and they took part in processions and rituals that were sworn into secrecy about these exact practices. What we do know is that the mysteries offered hope of a blessed afterlife and a stronger bond with the divine.
00:10:37
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Though much remains unknown about Eleusinian mysteries, they highlight Demeter's central role in spiritual as well as agricultural life.
Demeter's Various Roles in Myths
00:10:48
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Demeter also appears in a number of other myths. so the first one which I've kind of alluded to already, is Demeter and Acyon. So in this story, Demeter unites with the mortal Acyon in a thrice plowed field, symbolizing fertility and fruitful union of divine and human.
00:11:09
Speaker
From this union comes Plutus, the god of wealth, linking Demeter's agricultural abundance with the material prosperity. When it comes to Demeter and Poseidon, this is a little bit more of a darker myth. So Poseidon pursues Demeter and in her attempt to escape, she transforms into a mare.
00:11:29
Speaker
Poseidon, however, changes into a stallion and he catches her. This violent union brought about the horse Orion and in some versions, a daughter known as Despoinae.
00:11:40
Speaker
This myth associates Demeter with horses and gives rise to her epithet Demeter Aranus, or Demeter the Furious, showing her as a goddess capable of wrath and deep grief.
00:11:53
Speaker
So there's also a more benevolent tale of Demeter and Tryptolemus. So Demeter chooses a mortal named Tryptolemus as her messenger.
00:12:06
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She teaches him the secrets of agriculture and provides him with a winged chariot to spread this knowledge across the earth. Through him, humanity learns how to cultivate crops and sustain themselves.
00:12:19
Speaker
And this story highlights her role as both teacher and giver of civilization. Together, these myths show the many faces of Demeter, the grieving mother, the initiator and sacred mysteries, the lover, the furious avenger, and the generous teacher.
00:12:36
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She's not a one-dimensional deity. She embodies both nurturing and wrath, fertility and famine, the mysteries of life and the inevitability of
Worship Practices of Demeter
00:12:47
Speaker
death.
00:12:47
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When we look into the various cults and the ways that Demeter is worshipped, one of the most important ways Demeter was honored in the ancient world was through the Eleusinian Mysteries.
00:13:00
Speaker
So these secret initiatory rites, again, they were held in Eleusis near Athens, centered on the story of Demeter and Persephone. And they were said to offer participants a deeper understanding of the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
00:13:16
Speaker
Like I said before, the exact rituals were closely guarded secrets, but we know they included processions, ritual purification offerings, and the drinking of Kaikion, which was basically a sacred barley and mint drink that symbolized both agricultural sustenance and spiritual renewal.
00:13:36
Speaker
Initiates came away with the promise of a more blessed afterlife and a closer connection to the divine, which was a testament to how deeply Demeter resonated with the human experience of mortality and hope.
00:13:51
Speaker
Demeter was also honored through festivals, many of which focused on fertility and the rhythms of the agricultural year. So the first one was Phasmophoria, and this was a three-day fertility festival in Athens. It was celebrated exclusively by women.
00:14:10
Speaker
and it included rituals to promote fertility of both land and womb, such as burying sacrificial remains, which were often pigs, to enrich the soil, symbolizing renewal and growth.
00:14:23
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The next one was the Haloa. This was another festival that was linked to Demeter that celebrated agricultural fertility and communal feasting, often with a focus on women's sacred sexuality and the generative powers of the earth.
00:14:39
Speaker
and Other smaller festivals tied to sewing and harvesting also honored her, showing how intimately she was connected with every stage of agricultural life. Sacred animals that were tied to Demeter were the pig, which was central in her rites, often sacrificed or symbolically buried to ensure that the soil was fertile.
00:15:02
Speaker
Second was the serpent, which reflected her underworld aspect and connection to the cycles of death and rebirth.
Modern Connections to Demeter
00:15:10
Speaker
And another one was bees. bees were a representation of her industriousness, fertility, and the sweetness of abundance.
00:15:20
Speaker
And we'll talk a little bit more about some of these like correspondences when I discuss working with Demeter. So there are ah few more, but these are just the basics.
00:15:31
Speaker
So offerings to Demeter were typically drawn from the fruits of the earth, things like bread, grain, honey, seasonal produce. These were like simple but very potent gifts that reflected gratitude for nourishment and recognition that all sustenance came through her blessing.
00:15:49
Speaker
From a magical perspective, Demeter's correspondences align with abundance, fertility, the harvest, protection, and nurturing energy. In ritual work, she can be invoked for blessings of food security, agricultural successes, or the fertility of both land and family.
00:16:08
Speaker
She also embodies the cycle of grief and renewal, making her presence powerful in rituals of healing, release, or transformation. Her association with specific herbs and plants also enrich magical practice. Things like wheat and barley are central as staple crops and sacred grains.
00:16:29
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Mint is a key ingredient in kaikion and it ties to her cleansing and renewal. Poppies are also linked to Demeter. Sometimes they're depicted in her hands in any like art or statues of her and they symbolize sleep, rest, and even the boundary between life and death.
00:16:46
Speaker
In a modern spiritual lens, Demeter continues to resonate strongly. Her myth speaks to the profound bond between mother and child, to the raw pain of separation,
00:16:58
Speaker
into the strength found in resilience and renewal. She calls us to honor the cycles of nature, to grieve when loss comes, and to celebrate life's return. For modern practitioners, working with Demeter can be a way to reconnect with the land and find comfort in the natural cycles of death and rebirth, and to embrace the nourishing, protective power of the Divine Mother.
Connecting with Demeter Today
00:17:22
Speaker
So let's talk a little bit about working with Demeter. Working with Demeter means inviting her energy of nourishment, protection, and renewal into your spiritual practice.
00:17:33
Speaker
She is both a gentle, life-giving mother and a powerful force who demands respect for the cycles of the earth. So here's just a few ways that you can connect with her. First are going to be through her major correspondences.
00:17:46
Speaker
So her epithets or her other names, she's known as Cito or Cito. I could not find the correct pronunciation because it was said both ways, um which was the giver of grain.
00:17:59
Speaker
Desmophoros, which is the bringer of law Chloe, which I thought was kind of funny because it was such a like natural normal name. And that one stood simply for the green one. Anesadora, which stood for she who sends up gifts.
00:18:13
Speaker
Potnia, which was the mistress or lady, and it was used in reverence to her. Maliforos, which was the apple bearer, and it was tied to fertility and fruitfulness.
00:18:24
Speaker
And Kedaria, which was also used as a reference to a sacred mask that was used in her rituals. Symbols for Demeter would be wheat, a torch, bread, cornucopia, poppies, a plow, and a sickle.
00:18:39
Speaker
Her animals were pigs, serpents, bees, and horses. Plants and herbs are wheat, barley, mint, Pennyroyal, poppies, corn, and fruits of the harvest.
00:18:55
Speaker
Colors are gold, green, deep red, yellow, and brown. And really just like colors of the earth and of the harvest. Her element is earth for fertility and growth.
00:19:06
Speaker
but also fire because of like the torch for her search for Persephone. Offerings could include wheat, barley, corn, cakes, bread, honey, grain, fruits and vegetables, flowers, ah especially poppies, wine, milk, olive oil, and frankincense.
00:19:25
Speaker
For non-traditional offerings, you could do things like gardening, baking, cooking, um baking bread specifically and cakes. For crystals, you could include things like peridot, emeralds, and just really any green colored stones.
00:19:43
Speaker
For altar and ritual ideas, you could decorate your altar with any of the correspondences. So things like wheat stalks, bread, seasonal produce to honor her role as the goddess of grain and nourishment.
00:19:57
Speaker
You could place a torch or a candle to symbolize her search for Persephone and her guiding light in the dark. You can add poppies or barley to your altar or even prepare a simple version of the Kaikion drink, which was barley and mint, as a devotional act.
00:20:14
Speaker
Offerings of home-baked bread, fresh fruit, or honey are particularly sacred, especially if shared with others in the spirit of generosity. Mm-hmm. honor her seasonally. Apparently there's a plane flying by, which normally is a Sam thing, but I guess today they decided to fly over us. so you can honor her seasonally by celebrating the cycles of sowing, harvesting, and resting, making offerings of gratitude,
00:20:43
Speaker
at mealtimes or during seasonal festivals. You can create rituals with Demeter when working through things like grief, loss, or the cycles of renewal. She teaches us that sorrow has its season, but joy and abundance also return.
00:20:58
Speaker
So some ways that you might feel that Demeter is calling to you, you might be feeling drawn to themes of motherhood, nurturing, or the bond between mother and child, even if in symbolic or non-literal ways.
00:21:14
Speaker
You might be noticing repeated imagery of wheat, poppies, or torches in dreams, meditation, or just your everyday life. You might be feeling a strong pull towards the cycles of nature, wanting to live more seasonally,
00:21:28
Speaker
garden, or deepen your relationships with the land. You might be experiencing your own journey of grief and healing, especially around themes of separation, loss, or renewal.
00:21:40
Speaker
you might have a a sudden interest in bread baking and grains or agricultural symbolism that feels spiritual rather than just practical.
00:21:51
Speaker
You might be feeling a sense of a motherly presence in meditation or ritual Something comforting, but also firm when you need accountability or or a presence that's very grounding.
00:22:04
Speaker
Demeter calls us back to the earth and its rhythms, reminding us that loss and abundance are both part of the same cycle. Working with her can deepen not only your spiritual practice, but also your relationship with food, family, and the land that sustains us.
00:22:20
Speaker
So that is my piece on Demeter. Hopefully for anyone that has been wanting to learn more about her or has been interested in working with her, or maybe you already work with her. Hopefully this gave you some new perspectives or some new information to help you along your way.
Ariadne's Transformation and Symbolism
00:22:44
Speaker
So switching gears a little bit, I'm going to be talking about the Greek goddess Ariadne. So to start out with some background in mythology, there are many different versions of stories surrounding Ariadne, and I found at least three different versions of just her death alone.
00:23:00
Speaker
What we do know about Ariadne is that she is the daughter of Queen Pasiphae and the king of Crete Minos. Her name meant most holy, and she is best known for helping Theseus to slay the Minotaur, who was her half-brother, and I will get into that in just a minute.
00:23:19
Speaker
She was also the wife of the god of wine and ecstasy, Dionysus, and throughout the different stories of Ariadne, there is a theme of transformation from princess to goddess. So going into some of the mythology surrounding Ariadne, and most notably her involvement in the killing of the Minotaur in the labyrinth in Crete, to tell that story though, we have to set the scene.
00:23:41
Speaker
So Andragius was the son of Minos and the brother of Ariadne. There are a few variations to the story, but most accounts state that Androgeus was killed in Athens after winning every event at the Panathenaic Games.
00:23:56
Speaker
There were rumors that he was killed out of jealousy and that the Athenian nobles assassinated him. Other rumors state that the king of Athens, Aegeus, sent him to fight the Marathonian bull and he died while fighting the bull.
00:24:10
Speaker
However, what we do know is that after his death, King Minos demanded vengeance for his son's death, which led to tributes of Athenian youths being sent to Crete to be sacrificed to the Minotaur.
00:24:22
Speaker
The Minotaur was Androgeus and Ariadne's monstrous half-brother who was locked away in the labyrinth. The Minotaur's actual name was Asterion, and he was born as a hybrid half-man, half-bull, and it was thought that this was done due to King Minos' offending Poseidon.
00:24:41
Speaker
So King Minos prayed for a sign that he was the rightful king of Crete and in return Poseidon sent a white bull out of the sea expecting King Minos to sacrifice the bull ands and send it back. However, King Minos refused to sacrifice the bull and kept it for himself.
00:24:56
Speaker
Because of this, Poseidon punished King Minos by causing Pasiphae to fall in love with the bull. She was so enthralled with the bull that she asked the master craftsman Daedalus to build a hollow wooden cow so she could hide inside so that when the bull mounted the hollow cow, she could conceive. Which, if you had a visual in your mind of that, as I did whenever I was researching this, fucking gross, but...
00:25:20
Speaker
I digress. As Asterion grew, his appetite for eating humans made him dangerous to be around, and King Minos couldn't bring himself to kill him, so he asked Daedalus to construct a labyrinth to contain him.
00:25:33
Speaker
Daedalus was considered a genius inventor, and it was thought to be impossible for anyone to beat the labyrinth before being killed and eaten by the Minotaur. But how does this all tie into the myth surrounding Ariadne?
00:25:46
Speaker
Ariadne fell in love with one of the Athenian tributes, a human named Theseus. She asked Theseus if he would marry her and bring her to Athens if she helped him best the Minotaur.
00:25:57
Speaker
She gave Theseus a ball of thread and sword, and Theseus used the thread to tie to the door of the labyrinth's entrance, which helped him to find his way out of the maze after he found and killed the Minotaur.
00:26:08
Speaker
From there, he was able to escape Crete with the other tributes and with Ariadne. From here, the story diverges into three different possibilities. One is that Theseus left Ariadne on the island of Naxos due to her betrayal of Crete, even though she had helped him because it was considered a deplorable act during that time to betray your own country.
00:26:28
Speaker
Another version of her legend is that after she was deserted on Naxos, She hung herself from a tree. It was also rumored that she died in childbirth while on the island of Cyprus after she and Theseus were married.
00:26:41
Speaker
And another version of her tale is that Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the Isle of Dia, and while on Dia, she was killed by Artemis or married to Dionysus and was turned immortal by Zeus.
00:26:53
Speaker
In this version of her legend, she was given a crown by Dionysus to cheer her up, and the crown ended up becoming the constellation Corona. While married to Dionysus, she had five children, and I really should have looked up the pronunciation of these children, but I didn't, and I'm gonna wing it. So the first child was called Staphylus, the second, Onopian...
00:27:16
Speaker
Thoas, Euanthes, and Maron. So was she a goddess or heroine? That is one of the biggest questions regarding Ariadne, as it appears she was worshipped as both, depending on the location.
00:27:29
Speaker
So in Minoan Crete, Ariadne was worshipped as a vegetation, fertility, and renewal goddess. There are even some scholars who think she's a survival of a Minoan mistress of the labyrinth who predates Olympian religion.
00:27:44
Speaker
However, the Greeks remember her partly as a heroic mortal princess and partly as a minor goddess due to her marriage to Dionysus. As a goddess, she symbolizes transformation, rebirth, and initiation into the mysteries.
00:27:59
Speaker
Because she is tied to themes of the labyrinths, she is an ideal goddess to call upon to navigate life's paths, literally and metaphorically.
Worship and Symbols of Ariadne
00:28:08
Speaker
She represents not only any physical mazes we encounter, but also spiritual journeys as well.
00:28:14
Speaker
Ariadne has been seen as a goddess associated with autonomy, courage, and reclaiming of ancient feminine knowledge. One of her correspondences that I will discuss soon is the golden thread, and this symbolizes the thread of women's wisdom that has been passed down through generations.
00:28:31
Speaker
So let's look at how ancient Greeks worshipped her. Ariadne was worshipped, however, she wasn't worshipped everywhere, and worshippers didn't devote to her in the same ways.
00:28:42
Speaker
In Crete, her worship was most likely connected to seasonal renewal, the wine harvest, and possibly with labyrinth initiation rituals. In Naxos and Delos, festivals were held to honor her marriage to Dionysus, and the Dionysia sometimes included an Ariadne rite celebrating death and rebirth.
00:29:01
Speaker
In Corinth and Argos, there were cult sites found dedicated to Ariadne as heroine or goddess. And in Athens, hero shrines were made where offerings were left for her and Theseus.
00:29:15
Speaker
So as far as correspondences go, Ariadne is tied to both vegetation and to the theme seen with her husband
Connecting with Ariadne
00:29:22
Speaker
Dionysus. So her correspondences mix fertility, wine, and labyrinth motifs.
00:29:27
Speaker
As far as her domain, this would include vegetation, fertility, wine, dance, initiation, death, and rebirth, and of course, labyrinths. Her symbols are thread or cord, especially gold thread,
00:29:40
Speaker
labyrinths, grapes, ivy, dance floors, crowns or diadems, snakes, and the double axe. The colors associated with Ariadne are deep green, wine red, and gold.
00:29:52
Speaker
The plants associated with her are ivy, vine, myrtle, pomegranate, flowers, tied to spring renewal especially. Animals would be doves, bulls, and serpents, and offerings include things like honey cakes, wine, flowers, crowns, woven cords, and dancing rituals.
00:30:10
Speaker
So how can you work with Ariadne? One of the easiest ways to honor Ariadne is by dancing or even visiting a labyrinth. A few ancient sources describe a dance floor of Ariadne in Crete that could have possibly been an an initiatory dance that symbolized the path of the labyrinth.
00:30:28
Speaker
You could also create a shrine or altar dedicated to her using any of the correspondences I just mentioned, um and you can place any offerings I mentioned on the altar as well. Additionally, you can celebrate seasonal cycles, so you can offer prayers or or rituals at the spring equinox and the late summer,
00:30:46
Speaker
um or fall to call to her vegetation and fertility aspects. And you can work with her in shadow or transformation processes. Her myths involve betrayal, death, and divine union, which are all symbolic of personal change and rebirth.
00:31:01
Speaker
And then lastly, you can invoke her with Dionysus. Some honor Ariadne and Dionysus together as divine partners, representing love and liberation. And that, my friends, is the Greek goddess Ariadne.
Conclusion and Promotions
00:31:26
Speaker
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00:31:37
Speaker
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00:31:57
Speaker
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00:32:11
Speaker
Join us next week as we trace the mysterious paths of ley lines, where folklore, landscapes, and magic intersect. Until next time, stay magical, stay curious, and as always, blessed be witches.