Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Cybele Essays - Cybele, Attis, Galli, Phrygia, Ma, Rosalia

Cybele Cybele, officially known as Mater Deum Magna Idea (Great Idean Mother of the Gods). The Great Mother was especially prominent in the art of the empire. She usually appears with a mural crown and veil, seated on a throne or in a chariot, and accompanied by two lions. Cybele was the Phrygian form of the nature deity of all Asia Minor, she was a universal mother, parent not only of the gods but also human beings and beasts. She was called the Mountain Mother, and special emphasis was placed on her maternity over wild nature; this was manifested by the orgiastic character of her worship. Her mythical attendants, the Corybantes were wild, half-demonic beings. Her priests, the galli, castrated themselves on entering her service. The self-mutilation was justified by the myth that her lover, the fertility god Attis, had emasculated himself under a pine tree, where he bled to death. At Cybele's annual festival (March 15-27), a pine tree was cut and brought to her shrine, where it was honoured as a god and adorned with violets considered to have sprung from the blood of Attis. On March 24, the "Day of Blood," her chief priest, the archigallus, drew blood from his arms and offered it to her to the music of cymbals, drums, and flutes, while the lower clergy whirled madly and slashed themselves to bespatter the alter and the sacred pine with their blood.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Essay about Beauty, the True Beast

Essay about Beauty, the True Beast Essay about Beauty, the True Beast Beauty, the True Beast Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. As such, beauty is not so easy to define. There are many definitions of beauty based on shape, size, age or even color, as beauty can describe inanimate objects, sounds, or just plain sights such as landscapes as well. Because art comes in many different forms, it is hard to classify any one person or thing as beautiful, as it truly is up each individual person to decide whether or not beauty is present. Any usage of art can bring a form of emotion to the recipient. The emotions felt are a formed by the beauty of the art itself. A canvas has no limits, and any strokes of a paint brush could be described as beautiful, in one’s eyes. A picture of a sunset over the horizon of a lake on a warm crisp summer evening, a homeless woman shielding her child from the tear gas of an oppressive government officer, or something as simple as a dog rolling in the grass can create an aesthetic feeling that some would call beauty. Seeing as how music is a form of art as well, it is not surprising that the voice of an artist belting out the notes of an emotionally driven song can bring out the tears in the listener. Or the familiar groove of a bass line unconsciously forcing a dancer to move their body, while the guitar solo brings a feeling of hopefulness with its arrangements of notes. Even abstract ideas of art can be considered beautiful. A string of events, whether it be a life itself can b e beautiful, or the life of another can be just as artistic and beautiful. Even fictional lives can be beautiful as well. Plots in stories, the thoughts of characters, their outlooks on lives, or even the personalities given to them can be just as artistic, and bring a longing feeling to them. Art in itself can invoke emotion, and make the viewers or listeners feel an overwhelming sense of true beauty radiating from the piece of art. Besides art, many find beauty in other human beings. In the United States for example, most would portray women like Mila Kunis, or Emma Stone as the ideal of beauty. They are slim, curvy, well dressed, and famous. However, the media is the one to credit the public’s belief that this is true beauty. Hollywood creates fantasy worlds in which men fall head over heels for women with â€Å"these† ideal physical traits, and create a false image in their viewer’s minds that is more toxic than most like to admit. Not all women have to appear like Megan Fox to be considered beautiful though. Most times, you find true beauty in the one you love. They don’t need make-up, money, clothes, fame, or the lifestyle of the rich and famous in order to cast a spell of love on somebody, just their pure inner beauty. Sometimes, just one’s personality, or the way that they treat you can be beautiful. To trump an old clichà ©, true beauty is NOT skin deep. In some Africa n cultures, beauty is portrayed in a different way. For instance, the day