Here we go again -- once upon a time ....
Aristotle wrote: "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."
Dr. Seuss wrote: "We're all a little weird, and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."
I am not certain, but I think those two are saying the same thing in their own ways. In any event, Valentine's Day is upon us again and, with that, I bid you Happy Valentine's Day and convey wishes your love life may be smoother than, but as thrilling as, that of Eros and Psyche.
Eros (Cupid / Astrilde) was the son of Aphrodite (Venus / Freyja) and the personification of intense love. Eros is the guy running around shooting arrows of love into humankind causing them to fall in love, hence the image of Cupid. Psyche was the youngest of three daughters of a king and renowned for her beauty. She was so beautiful, in fact, that Aphrodite became jealous and ordered Eros to make her fall in love with a monster. The dutiful son set out to do that, but fell in love with the exquisite maiden himself when he saw her .... the story goes on from there and is easy to find, should anyone be curious enough to pursue it.
In fact, C.S. Lewis, author of such classics as "The Screwtape Letters" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," wrote a retelling of the "myth" of Cupid and Psyche in the form of a novel and told the tale from the perspective of one of Psyche's sisters. "Till We Have Faces" is the novel and was the last Lewis wrote. It deeply delves into religious ideas, but in the context of a pagan setting. The book has been described as reading for mystics of any and all religions.
I hope a few of you will read it, whether or not if you think of yourself as a mystic ....
For more clarity, if you wish it:
Eros or Amor is a male from the Old Greek; Cupid is a male from the Latin/Roman; Astrilde is a female from the Old Norse and a relatively late Nordic persona for Eros or Cupid. Essentially, they are names for the same "god" in their respective cultures.
Aphrodite is from the Old Greek; Venus is from the Latin/Roman; Freyja is from the Old Norse. All are female and, essentially, the same "god" in their respective cultures.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, here are two videos of young ladies singing their hearts out in the name of love: Giacomo Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Gianni Schicchi sung by Valentina Naforniță and Элизиум с Таней Малой на подиуме.
I like both performances and I hope a few of you will, as well ....
9 comments:
I read Till We Have Faces many, many years ago. I remember little about it, but I think it's still on my shelf. Perhaps I should take it down for a re-read (something I never do!)
I tried to be a fan of Valentine's Day in my youth, but I'm afraid it's just not a holiday for me. Rather than thinking about hearts, chocolates, or flowers today, I baked a King Cake (vegan, at that). Laissez les bons temps router!
I knew it couldn't be the same, but when I saw the title Elysium on that second clip, I thought of this song. It's a favorite of mine and one I might have shared with you before.
https://youtu.be/CRUsB_S9hYg
Autocorrect changed a "l" to a "t" in my greeting!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
It has been a number of years since "Till We Have Faces" was open for me, as well, Kelly, and I have to admit I only "fast read it" at the time. I have three reading speeds = fast, which is sort of skim reading; average, which is ordinary, for lack of a better descriptive word; and detail, which is slow and precise and often involves re-reading sentences/paragraphs/pages attempting to absorb the material. I do plan on re-reading "Faces" now, which I often do with books or segments of books. I have the same repetitive tendencies with some films and music.
Elysium (Elizium / Элизиум ) is a death metal band from Poland. Tanya Malaya (Таня Малая) is not a regular, but was sort of a "guest star" for this song. She does have other music on YouTube, but I have not been curious enough to try to track down any other information about her.
I did listen to your Elysium and enjoyed the song, but what I listened to of the groups other stuff seemed a bit too "rough" for my taste. I do not care for songs being "growled."
My Valentine's Day activities primarily consist of ensuring my second former wife has a supply of Lindt Lindor Assorted Chocolate Truffles on hand. It is the best way to keep her happy.
I remember the exchange of Valentine cards in grade school. For some reason, third grade in particular remains in my mind. February was a momentous month that year: In addition to the arrival of Cupid and two presidential birthdays to hold "parties" for, I was Santa Claus in the class play put on for all the elementary students. Quite a year .... hmmmm ....
I did like your last puzzle and it made me hungry. I especially favor pies -- those with all the old-fashioned, unhealthy ingredients. I am well-disciplined in my eating habits, though, and rarely indulge in seconds. Always leave the table a bit hungry is a good trait to follow ....
Thank you, Kelly, for coming here and for commenting here. Take care and be safe and has your son ever adjusted to the colder than frigid Minnnneeeeesnowta winters? This is a mean/mean February ....
Ohh lovely post friend!Special like the norse thinking of Eros and Psyke!Astrid and Frøya.Eros and Agape also is important to think of .Ilike your videos!Here we have adapted the Valentines day long time ago but it is not a big deal over here.We think it is just a business thing.But of course everyone gets they card with well know poetry on it designated to the person.
We had mothers day,valentines day and Fastelavensdag on the same day!hihi hih Much cakes!
For me ..likes to listen to Diva Dance from The Fifth Element.https://youtu.be/a7Dh5QoXv2c
And also
Ariel
https://youtu.be/Z9LPCex5ksw
Have not more much to say Very tired after work!
Hope you let me allow to comment.
Best wishes for the future
Greetings
Astrid ...Hih hih
I'll agree, Fram. When it comes to what I call "death metal", I only like the instrumentals.
My son and his girlfriend claim to love the frigid north. I noticed this morning they were at -18. However, we were pretty darned cold, too.... it being 13 when I set out on my morning walk in the blowing snow. Quite a rarity around here. We're predicted single digits tonight. Our outside dogs seem to be taking it in stride, though. Now if we can just get through the rest of the week. We're forecast an ice storm Wednesday, which is far less welcome than snow.
Stay warm up there, Fram.
Yes, Astrid/Anita .... I do recall ....
Although the nighttime temperature has been bouncing around the -29 degree Celsius mark the past few nights, I have the sun with me for the third day in a row after seemingly endless days of a completely overcast sky .... so, young lady, my mood is relatively good.
I found it a bit disconcerting that you might think I would not want you to comment. I sometimes block all comments, but would never/never-ever block only Ms. Norway. We have too much history together to go our separate ways.
Yes, the "Diva Dance." I never really have thought about it, but you made me curious so I listened to a few variations of it by professionals and amateurs .... interesting, for a few reasons ....
As for "Ariel," I love Ritchie Blackmore and Rainbow in a musical sense and enjoy almost all his and the band's music .... Ronnie James Dio and Doogie White have been my favored vocalists with the group, followed by Graham Bonnet and David Coverdale and/and/and .... my youngest daughter is named Ariel, but her name has nothing to do with this song or the little red-headed cartoon character.
I first encountered and became enamored by the name Ariel in Willie Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest," although the character is male there. When I discovered Will Durant and saw that his wife's name was Ariel, that pushed me to the edge of the cliff. A bit of research demonstrated the name is used by both women and men. My daughter was either going to be Ariel or Grushenka, from Agrafena Svetlova in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel, "The Brothers Karamazov." Ariel won partly because of Durant's wife and partly because the thought of having a daughter with the nickname of "Gruie" -- ooooffff -- was a bit much .... although the name Grushenka still has great appeal to me ?!?!
Well, what can I say ....
A most sincere thank you for coming and for writing a comment, Anita. Yes, I think it is a "lovely post," too. I assume the root for Valentine's Day goes back in time long/long/long before the Old Greeks roamed the Earth. I think the oldest writing is cuneiform and some by the Sumerians dates back to around 4,000 BC. There, perhaps in some text yet to be found, is mention of some god running around shooting arrows of love into humankind.
Later, cutie ....
I never gave a second thought to below freezing temperatures and stiff winds or to heavy snowfalls when I was a boy or a teenager or a "young man." I still was doing winter camping regularly into my late-30s and jumping off roofs with my kids into snowdrifts. Beyond that, Kelly, I spent more than a few nights curled up in a snowdrift while hunting. I think it was driving to and from work in snowstorms and temperatures far beyond frigid which finally took the "fun" out of winter for me.
My thoughts recently drifted back to a string of February days in which the nighttime lows were all around -20 and the daytime highs mostly were -10 or -12 and driving 30 miles each way in them for work -- and, to other times driving in ground blizzards.
One occasion, in particular, when visibility was absolute zero, I had to drive on the wrong side of the road five or six miles with my head out the window and the tires on side of the road so I could hear the crunching of the gravel there to guide me. Fortunately, there were no other idiots on the road at the time.
Innumerable people thrive during winter, as is evident by those who live in places like Minnesota and are engaged in a variety of in winter activities. I no longer am among them, but always will prefer life in a region with four very distinct seasons. I do like storms, and periodically stand outside in them and shout "defiantly" into them as loudly as I am able = very primeval and very satisfying.
If your son and his girlfriend are winter enthusiasts, more power to them ....
Good luck, with your snow and your cold and your ice storms, Kelly .... try standing outdoors in the face of storms once and a while and shouting into them .... I think it will make you feel good ....
There is a saying that "love is an itch that cannot be scratched."
Love has so much space, so many kinds.
Probably the most important thing for evolution is that relationships are formed and man multiplies.
Greek mythology, which I have read some extent.
Great music performances both.
I love Valentina’s performance and music.
Greetings from the middle of the snow.
It is easy to understand and to appreciate the concept of love being an itch which cannot be scratched. Minnesota is said to be a land of 10,000 lakes. Actually, there are many more, but it is not difficult to believe/accept there are at least 10,000 forms and degrees of love. I try to be careful with my choice of words and am hesitant, for instance, to say I "love" a particular song or a special book. I am sure that I do, depending upon what definition of love I am using in those circumstances. My feelings, no doubt, are a form of love, but certainly not the same I feel toward my children.
Anyway ....
Yes, both performances are wonderful. I had planned on using an actual scene from an opera for Valentina Naforniță, but it was blocked. Tanya Malaya has grown both in size and the strength of her voice since this appearance, and is enjoyable to watch.
It was the "Old Greeks" which first drew me into archaeology. I strongly considered studying it formally, but could find no offerings in "classical archaeology" in colleges which I felt I could afford, so I settled for a double major in English and history. A bit ironically, in the not too distant past, I have participated as a volunteer on two occasions: One the retrieval of an ancient dugout canoe in Michigan and the other in a survey of a sprawling battlefield in Wyoming known as the "Fetterman Fight."
Thank you, Liplatus, for coming and for writing. I took a brief peek at your new post and will return. I "love" when I find those who understand and appreciate how game trails became human paths and often roads .... we have traveled far and, in a way, are only beginning our journey ....
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