Captivated by Fury

I’m working through Kerényi’s Gods of the Greeks right now during my daily commute. The powerful narrative is an amazing window into the connections among our Theoi. The trinities of goddesses Kerényi illuminates are amazing, and a perfect research opportunity for me to work these powerful divinities into my worship.

More specifically, I’m thinking of developing a small shrine to the Eumenides and the Charites due to the following passage:

In the region where [the tale of Orestes] was told, in the neighbourhood of Megalopolis in Arcadia, sacrifices were made to the Eumenides and the Charites simultaneously. The other name of the Erinyes, the Eumenides, means “the Benevolent”—whether it was that they really became benevolent, or simply that people wished they would do so. (The Gods of the Greeks, 47)

Something about these vengeful goddesses has always enticed me. Perhaps it began when I read the Oresteia and read the beautiful, fury-charged verse Aeschylus made them speak. Some say that Persephone is their mother, and  others that they, like the Charties, are the daughters of Eurynome. I have a weakness for goddesses who stand apart from Zeus as a sort of counterbalance to my weakness for the scions of the Thunder-Pouring Theos.

In the coming weeks, I may write more about this project. Very soon, I am moving into another room to accommodate a sister who is moving in. My entire shrine will be relocated, and this will provide an excellent opportunity to create something for them.