2013-06-04

Love of Mythology...mermaid love.


WELCOME TO FOR THE
 
Post #3 Mermaid in search of God. Enter her consort. Think beard, bull, and Ba'al.
Atargatis as we know is a Syrian goddess who appears as part fish-bodied and may play an important role in why fish are regarded as sacred in Syria. Atargatis, goddess of creation and a protectress of the people, was depicted with flowing hair and had several temples and followers around the first century. Frequently devotees disfigured themselves. Ouch! Symbols associated with Atargatis are the lion (see the coin), crescent moon, and two fish (Pisces discussed in Post #2). Also, doves and scepters. Love and weaponry…go figure. In ancient Greece she was referred to as Aphrodite Derceto and by the Romans as Dea Syria or Goddess of Syria. Some shortened her name to Deasura.

Now, this is all about the Love of Mythology and so we must have love in our story. Atargatis indeed has several instances of being linked to love. Her consort is Hadad, the bearded god associated with the bull as well as rain and storms. Can you image what a fiery romance that could make? If I had to cast Hollywood glamour pusses I’d pick Hugh Jackson as Hadad and Blake Lively as Atargatis. Side note: Hadad also referred to a Ba’al, and his power was equivalent to the great Olympians. And yes, he’d referenced to in the Bible.
Another trivia snippet: Atargatis is attributed to Derceto, a high priestess who fell in love with a shepherd and became pregnant. Out of shame, she plunged herself into the sea but because of her great beauty, she was changed to part fish while retaining the upper torso and head of her human body.

Atargatis had several temples throughout Syria in which sacred ponds were built and prohibited from contact except by her priests or Dervishes. Up to the 1930’s there were still sacred ponds in Lebanon.
So far, I’ve put together some visuals and research on Mermaid Mythology this immensely captivating subject of sea nymphs for the sequel to Ocean of Love.

New Players:
Hadad: aka Ba'al. God who dictated weather as 
    well as kept the land fertile or not with drought.
Derceto: Goddess with a temple and Priestess in
    in Ephesus
Dervish: Priest or devout follower, pious and lead
    an ascetics life.

Thanks to
Jewish Encyclopedia

Hey, now it's time to discuss prizes.
Thank you for joining in For the Love of Mythology.
 
I'm giving away on this hop site one $5.00 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly winner. All I need is your email address in a comment below.                     And that's not all. See the Grand Prize and other donated gifts that our lovely hostesses have put together for you below.
We will be having a grand prize so far consisting of...
 $50 Amazon GC or $50 worth of books at TBD.
ebooks from Patricia Bates
a prize from Lisa Beth Darling 
Rosanna Leo wants to donate Sunburn
Danica Avet :  Ain't No Bull
Sheri Fredricks:  Remedy Maker!!
An ecopy of Mything You by Greta Buckle
an ebook by Tmonique Stephens
An ecopy of Death Blow by Jianne Carlo
Remember to leave a comment with your correct email address.
 

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for the giveaway.
    sstrode at scrtc dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the giveaway. :)
    Thorton12 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for participating in the hop!
    jmcgaugh (at) semo (dot) edu

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice giveaway, thanks! nidabland (at) msn (dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wish to thank you for making this an easy one. I enjoyed your site and books. Be happy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the giveaway <3

    funkynaz@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite myth is about Thesseus and Ariadne.

    spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much and Good luck to all! jmelter at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. thanks for the giveaway! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have to say...my fav is Greek mythology. I can't get enough :) fishinlovingal@yahoo.com Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love mythology! Thanks for the giveaway.
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amazing post! Thank you!
    verusbognar (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I do love the stories in mythology. So many to choose from...
    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for the chance to win :)

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for sharing the "mermaid" mythology. I began studying mythology when I was just a child. I devoured every kind of myth I could find and could cite the differences between the Roman and Greek gods/goddesses by age 9. Alas, life began to interfere and I forgot what I once knew. I still love it, though and my daughter has inherited that love with a passion. I hope I win; thank you so much. (I don't think I ever learned about the mermaids.) Namaste. michelle_willms@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great giveaway and great post on Mermaid myths. I love Greek mythology and my favorite book is Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I love his back story revolving around the greeks- Apollo, Artemis, Atlantis ect.
    kacidesigns AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great post! Mermaids are so unique and cool, arent they? I find them fascinating! I love the legends and stories. :D Thank you for all the info! I love reading about them! :) Thank you!!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mermaids are cool! I love two series with a basis in mythology: Cole's Immortals after Dark and Kenyon's Dark-hunter series.
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

Sharing is caring. Tell me what you think. Namaste!