Dionysos Kissokomes (Ivy Crowned)
“The myth says that the ivy appeared simultaneously with the birth of Dionysos in order to protect the little boy from the flames of lightning that consumed his mother." - Otto, Dionysos: Myth & Cult
"Its coolness had the power, so one said, of extinguishing the heat of the wine, and for this reason Dionysos was said to have told his fellow celebrants to wreath themselves with it." - Otto, Dionysos: Myth & Cult
“Ivy is carried by women for good luck in general, and is worn by brides for this same reason. Where ivy grows or is strewn, it guards against negativity and disaster. Ivy is also used in fidelity and love charms.” - Scott Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
Tarot Card drawn: The Two of Cups - A card of love, union, or the beginning of a relationship. The creative integration of masculine and feminine aspects. In the Rider-Waite deck, the woman has a crown of ivy, and both the man and woman hold a cup. There is a caduceus behind them which is reminiscent of a of the thyrsus wound by ivy. (And it seems that much of the symbolism behind the ivy is in the way that it resembles snakes.)
My Notes: It seems the ivy was said to cause intoxication or cure intoxication. It also has a strong association with death. And yet, it is an evergreen and therefore symbolizes immortality. And perhaps this is why we also see it as being associated with love. (I also see references to the heart shaped leaves as another reason for this.)
What does it mean for Dionysos to be *crowned* with ivy? Is he cooling his head, keeping his mind clear while he drinks and revels? Does this crown symbolize kingship? The type of kingship and sovereignty, perhaps, that is eternal because it comes from the ever-renewing power of nature itself, and not any other god or source?
The love association is what jumps out at me most at this time, since I drew the Two of Cups with this epithet.
“The myth says that the ivy appeared simultaneously with the birth of Dionysos in order to protect the little boy from the flames of lightning that consumed his mother." - Otto, Dionysos: Myth & Cult
"Its coolness had the power, so one said, of extinguishing the heat of the wine, and for this reason Dionysos was said to have told his fellow celebrants to wreath themselves with it." - Otto, Dionysos: Myth & Cult
“Ivy is carried by women for good luck in general, and is worn by brides for this same reason. Where ivy grows or is strewn, it guards against negativity and disaster. Ivy is also used in fidelity and love charms.” - Scott Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
Tarot Card drawn: The Two of Cups - A card of love, union, or the beginning of a relationship. The creative integration of masculine and feminine aspects. In the Rider-Waite deck, the woman has a crown of ivy, and both the man and woman hold a cup. There is a caduceus behind them which is reminiscent of a of the thyrsus wound by ivy. (And it seems that much of the symbolism behind the ivy is in the way that it resembles snakes.)
My Notes: It seems the ivy was said to cause intoxication or cure intoxication. It also has a strong association with death. And yet, it is an evergreen and therefore symbolizes immortality. And perhaps this is why we also see it as being associated with love. (I also see references to the heart shaped leaves as another reason for this.)
What does it mean for Dionysos to be *crowned* with ivy? Is he cooling his head, keeping his mind clear while he drinks and revels? Does this crown symbolize kingship? The type of kingship and sovereignty, perhaps, that is eternal because it comes from the ever-renewing power of nature itself, and not any other god or source?
The love association is what jumps out at me most at this time, since I drew the Two of Cups with this epithet.
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