#MermaidMonday: Parthenŏpe

January 29, 2024

In Greek mythology, Parthenŏpe was a siren and if the name sounds familiar to you it’s because the noun is still used to indicate everything that comes from the city of Naples, which legend says she founded.

Daughter of a river-god and the muse of dance, she’s mentioned in the Orphic Argonautica alongside her sisters Lighèia and Leucosia, and she was defeated by Orpheus when he was able to surpass their luring songs with a singing of his own. She washed ashore, and that’s how she’s connected to the city of Neaples, but the Romans tell us a different story.

She’s today’s profile on my Patreon.

note to self

Disneyland Paris – A guide if you’re afraid of heights

And I don’t mean “you get slightly dizzy”, nor do I mean motion sickness, which is signalled at the entrance of the attractions but it’s a totally different thing: I mean a grip to your stomach when the attraction climbs upwards and a voice in

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books and literature

Kusa-Meikyu

Kyoka Izumi, born Kyotaro Izumi on November 4, 1873, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, was a prominent Japanese novelist, writer, and kabuki playwright active during the prewar period. He is best known for his distinctive style that contrasted with the dominant naturalist literature of his era: his

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books and literature

Fairytale Friday – The Fiend

In a certain country there lived an old couple who had a daughter called Marusia (Mary). In their village it was customary to celebrate the feast of St. Andrew the First-Called (November 30). The girls used to assemble in some cottage, bake pampushki, and enjoy

August 22, 2025 1:00 am