In Enna, Sicily’s historic center is a copy of Bernini’s Abduction of Persephone in bronze (modeled after the statue in the Galleria Borghese in Rome). Its presence illustrates how pervasive this story from ancient Greek times is still today. In fact, the legend which discusses this event that sparks fall’s arrival, was set in Sicily…
Tag: sacred feminine
Persephone Leads Us To Winter
The maiden Persephone holds a dove in this 575-550 BCE votive statuette found in a tomb in Siracusa, Sicily. As we move toward winter in the northern hemisphere, we prepare to send our innocent, pure protagonist of spring and summer to the Underworld or Hades, where she will take on her adult role as the…
Climbing To The Top Of La Rocca In Cefalù, Sicily
While in Sicily in August, my cousin Evelina (and Experience Sicily colleague) and I climbed to the top of La Rocca in Cefalù to see the remains of the ancient temple of Diana and the magnificent views of the medieval town below. If you are up for the hike, it is a rewarding way to…
Obligatory Kisses In Sicily
Erice is a capital of love, so yes, it’s obligatory to kiss (even yourself!) when you come upon these signs sprinkled around the medieval Sicilian village that for centuries hosted a Sanctuary for Aphrodite and Venus.
Signs Of Rituals For Rebirth In Ancient Sicily
Unless you are a plumber, this may not look so interesting at first. Earlier this month while in Sicily, I returned to the Sanctuary of Demeter Malophoros at Selinunte to understand its placement as related to the Modione River that it flanks and the Mediterranean Sea. I was curious about water placement near and on…
Tonight! Presentation about the Divine and Sacred Feminine Sites of Eastern Sicily
Tonight! Join me at 7:30PM Eastern online for Myths and Mysteries of Sicily: Part I, Eastern Sicily. I’ll discuss the divine feminine and sacred feminine sites in Eastern Sicily. Details and registration at Myths and Mysteries of Sicily: Part I, Eastern Sicily Update: Enjoy! RECORDINGMyths and Mysteries of Sicily: Eastern Sicily, Part Ihttps://youtu.be/R5Lsbsa1q0E
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #24. The Mother Goddess’ Presence is Everywhere
Demeter, the goddess of the grain, female fertilization, and the harvest, who is the mother of Persephone, represents the great matriarch in ancient Greek mythology. Her power to cultivate the bounties on the Earth’s surface for us are illustrated significantly during the myth of Demeter and Kore/Persephone. Before the Christian era, the Eleusinian Mysteries (as…
Votive Offerings Through The Millennia
Archaeologists are very careful to identify to whom an ancient temple is dedicated until they have concrete evidence (and I don’t just mean concrete in the sense of stone!). In Siracusa, for example, we know that the temple to Apollo on Ortigia is for Apollo because there is an inscription on the east-facing stairs stating…
Persephone And Pomegranates
Pomegranates, when left on their trees, open like flowers to release hundreds of seeds. They are harvested in the fall. The maiden Kore, before she became known as Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, ate pomegranate seeds when Hades (AKA Pluto, God of the Underworld) offered them to her. The act of accepting them signified moving…
Sacred Sicily And Lago Di Pergusa
We’re halfway through autumn in the northern hemisphere. Persephone has made her way to the underworld to join her husband Pluto (AKA Hades) to continue her work as Queen of the Underworld. Meanwhile, Demeter, Persephone’s mother, is turning inward and the earth slowly begins its winter cycle. Pictured is Lago di Pergusa, or Pergusa Lake,…