Hyacinthus - Tumblr Posts
Would anyone read a pjo fanfic where the main ship is Apollo x Hyacinthus (with background solangelo) where Cupid and Zephyrus r the antagonists and are trying to overthrow Hades. And Hades is incapacitated so Nico need to go down there and stop them and somehow Apollo's there ig and Hyacinthus is part of like Hades' undead army but there not just like zombies they still have like personhood and shit and Apollo and Hyacinthus fall in love all over again while trying to save the underworld....
Please tell me bc I've thought about this idea for like year lmfao
AAAAAAAA
Ok so I'm (very slowly) working on a pjo fanfic where the main ship is Apollo x Hyacinthus (with Solangelo also) and I decided to draw what I think Hyacinthus looks like. So TA-DAAAA!!!! I love him. ❤️❤️❤️
I just put a weird circle in the back ground bc Idk what to do for a background😔
Oh yeah context in my fic Hyacinthus is a general in Hades' undead army that's why he's in all black and has a spear and stuff ya
Collecting gods victims
-Hyacintus
-Narcissus
-Laurel bay (Dafne)
So I can get in their good side and not die of a plague or whatever
Hyacinthus was a hero in Sparta. Dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair but a pure heart. A heart so pure and bright that it caught the attention of the sun God himself. Apollo was everything that Hyacinthus was not. He had sun-kissed skin, hair like the sun and the sun in his eyes and like everything he was, Apollo's heart burned like the sun; his passion was fiery like the sun as was his nature. He was simply like the sun.
The sun was high and pure and ever shuns evil and searches for the pure. No wonder Apollo fell for Hyacinthus.
Whenever he dragged the sun with his chariot his eyes would search for Hyacinth from afar. He saw many suitors who came for the hero, women of great nobility, men of great strength and Gods who controlled the winds. Yet, the hero refused them all, sending them back to their homes with the strings in their hearts snapped.
He had a companion a man called Thamyris. Apollo could see how much the man loved him and how Hyacinthus was oblivious to his affection and treated him like one would do with a brother.
Not able to control his desires and affections Apollo approaches Hyacinthus. First they were good friends; Apollo taught him to shoot arrows, to write poetry, to play the lyre, to mix herbs and instead Hyacinthus showed Apollo happiness. Despite Apollo being handsome like his father he never had any great luck in love. He was charming, sure. But love? That was something Apollo couldn't fully grasp. Then again, not a lot of mortals did either.
The first time Hyacinthus kissed Apollo was when they sleeping beside each other, thinking that the God was asleep. Apollo however was not, he was awake and returned the gesture. Neither knew that would be the beginning of the end.
Apollo like many of the other Gods wished to impress his lover. It was a simple sport. To see who threw the discus further.
Hyacinthus threw for a reasonable distance, and smiled. Apollo threw it so far that it split the clouds in the skies. Apollo smiled as Hyacinthus threw his head back and cheered. And like many , Hyacinthus wished to impress his better half as well.
As the discus came down Hyacinthus moved to catch it. Only for it to ricochet and hit his head. Apollo saw as the discus came down and saw as it hit Hyacinthus' head and saw as he fell with his name on his lips.
The world always moved slow for Apollo but the moments before he fell seemed as though it moved faster. As though time was afraid that it can't kill Hyacinthus while Apollo was with him and had to hurry.
The God of healing was not able to heal the man he loves, he could only watch in horror as the blood seeped into the earth. Hyacinthus did not shudder or seize in his death, he was calm and silent with his eyes closed, only inhaling and exhaling softly. When Hyacinthus breathed his last, Apollo screamed. He screamed so loud that the nymphs ran away to their ponds and lakes, that the Sun set early that day and the moon was afraid to take its place.
He pulled at his blond hair and clutched Hyacinthus so close hoping he can breath life into him. He called out to his father asking him to take away his immortality, what was immortality without Hyacinth? He called onto all the Gods asking them to take his life, what was the reason to live on this wretched plane that has cast out Hyacinthus?
No one answered him. No God did.
Apollo didn't want to do his funeral rites. He didn't want to bury him so that he could cross river Styx and stand before the three judges. So, Apollo whispered. He whispered with his magic and Hyacinthus slowly turns into a flower.
Apollo looks at the flower before leaving. Pure and beautiful, that was how Hyacinth always has been. Even beyond his death.
Hyakinthos
Hyakinthos was a Spartan prince, most prominently known in Amyclae with a decent cult following. there are a couple of different people listed as being his parents, but the most popular is King Amyclus and Diomedes. if Amyclus was his father, that would also make Daphne, another of Apollo’s lovers, Hyakinthos’s sister. it seems like he would be quite simple, he has a relatively small story with one of the earliest written records from Hesiod. in this version there is no love rival, just an accident. written in the 7th century BC, it was merely one, albeit long, sentence.
”. . ((lacuna)) rich-tressed Diomede; and she bare Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus), the blameless one and strong . . ((lacuna)) whom, on a time Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon] himself slew unwittingly with a ruthless disk.”
however, the most famous version, and one that most will know, comes from Ovid’s Metamorphosis. written somewhere between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, this sentence long story grew to be paragraphs long. in which Ovid describes the love Apollo and Hyakinthos have for each other — which was the ultimate demise for the young prince. with parts of it coming from the perspective of a mourning Apollo, Ovid writes how Hyakinthos was turned into a flower with “ai, ai” written on the petals to express Apollo’s sadness. and the version that we all have come to know including betrayal and jealous rage from Zephyros (the West Wind), is hinted at in Pausanias’ “Description of Greece”.
”[In the temple of Apollon at Amyklai (Amyclae) Nikias (Nicias) [painter fl. c. 320 B.C.], son of Nikomedes, has painted him [Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus)] in the very prime of youthful beauty, hinting at the love of Apollon for Hyakinthos of which legend tells . . . As for Zephyros (the West Wind), how Apollon unintentionally killed Hyakinthos, and the story of the flower, we must be content with the legends, although perhaps they are not true history.”
despite this seemingly clear-cut story, there’s a lot more than meets the eye with Hyakinthos. according to many historians the -nth part of his name is pre-Hellenic and comes from the Mycenaean era. another word like that would be Corinth — a pre-Greek polis that was destroyed and rebuilt. this leads many to believe that Hyakinthos was around BEFORE Apollo. he would have been a chthonic vegetation god — almost like the male equivalent to Persephone. this leads to a few different theories, but before I get to that, let me tell you the story of Hyakinthos as told by Ovid and Lucian’s “Dialogues of the Gods”. ═══════════════════════════
⊰ The Myth ⊱
Hyakinthos was a beautiful Spartan prince. he had many lovers, but the one that had eventually won his heart was Apollo. the god taught beautiful long-haired Hyakinthos how to play the lyre, how to use a bow and arrows, a little bit on prophecies, and gave him a swan chariot. the two were incredibly in love, but sadly, there was someone who didn’t like that. Zephyros, the west wind, was jealous for he too loved Hyakinthos. he had tried to woo him but it really was no match for Apollo. he watched the two men play again and again until he had eventually had enough of it. he ultimately created one of the most tragic love stories. like most days, Apollo and Hyakinthos were together, playing around and having mild competitions throwing a discus. Apollo wanted to show off for Hyakinthos so he could see just what a god could do. he threw a discus high into the air, clearing the clouds away and it disappeared into the sky. Hyakinthos wanted to impress his lover as well, so he chased after the discus laughing. Zephyros in a fit of rage at the two men enjoying themselves changed the course of the discus. as it came to land, the force was so strong that it bounced off the ground and smashed into Hyakinthos’s face. Apollo ran to his lover and tried every kind of medicine and healing he could think of. he even placed ambrosia on his lover’s lips but blood flowed freely from the wound. there was no way for him to stop a wound of Fate. in his despair, he turned Hyakinthos into a flower, but seeing that wasn’t good enough, he wrote his grief upon the petals. ═══════════════════════════
⊰ Symbolism From The Myth ⊱
Taking A Temple as mentioned before, it’s very likely that Hyakinthos was an older deity from the pre-hellenic period. something that many Greek writers did, was create a myth of how a deity began their worship in a specific place. we know the temple that Apollo was worshipped at in Amyclae was older than when his worship would have started. one theory behind this myth then, is how Apollo came to be worshipped over Hyakinthos at the temple and area; by killing the previous deity. it sounds sad, but it’s actually happened several times, and even with Apollo specifically. the most famous example I can think of would be at Delphi. originally the temple was in honor of the titan Gaia. Apollo came in valiantly and killed the Python (which is what gives Apollo’s priestesses their name) and inevitably took the temple over with his worship. what this doesn’t account for, is the fact Hyakinthos is still worshipped at the temple heavily, his and Apollo’s worship having mingled and being near inseparable. it is even said that upon his death and burial, Apollo said to give him (Hyakinthos) all offerings first. now, if you know a thing or two about Greek worship, the first portion of the offering was incredibly important, especially considering hero worship was probably closer to chthonic sacrifices in practice; though they were not considered to be ‘dead’. within my research so far, I have yet to find this happening somewhere else, but I will update this if I ever do. now all of this is unusual with the theory that this myth symbolizes one deity taking over. if that were the case, why continue to worship Hyakinthos? Duality some of you may not know this about me, but I am a sucker when it comes to duality, specifically with lovers. this myth may be a symbol for the growing season and harvest of the crops. while it may be a common motif, especially among the Greeks, I think it’s a sweet and somber story giving personification to an important aspect of Greek life. I also believe the duality is less about the exacts of what they rule over, but the way they were worshipped. the closest example I can think of also comes from Delphi with the duality between Apollo and Dionysos (who, shockingly enough, was the only other god historians believe was present during the Hyakinthia festival besides Apollo and Hyakinthos). as a hero, or simply for his chthonic aspect, the ritual and practice would have been far different than that for Apollo. while this isn’t exactly backed by anything I can find specific to duality, I personally feel a reason both Apollo and Hyakinthos were worshipped together in Amyclae is due to that duality between them. Hyakinthos would have been a chthonic deity probably for vegetation or agriculture, whereas Apollo here is a god of light (not the sun) representing life, health, and the ultimate grief. their worship in Amyclae was always together once Apollo was introduced (to some this hinted that they were possibly the same person representing a cycle, but most disagree with this theory). the duality is clearly a theme already for Apollo, and I think what happened at Delphi with Dionysos is the same for Amyclae and Hyakinthos. together they represent loss and mourning but also happiness and life — love. ═══════════════════════════
⊰ Hyakinthos Associations ⊱
okay, now that I have bored you all to death, let’s talk about some less heavy things. due to their worship being completely together, I would say that nearly anything related to Apollo can also be associated with Hyakinthos and vice versa. however, we love individuality in this house, so let’s talk about the things either associated with him through the various, limited texts we have and some UPG. Associations ➳ larkspurs/hyacinths ➳ swans ➳ bow and arrow ➳ summer! ➳ new spring growth ➳ chiton’s (they were offered to him by the women of Sparta) ➳ death ➳ rebirth/cycles ➳ chariot’s ➳ blood ➳ blue/purple/red colors ➳ discus (sorry) ➳ lavender ➳ lyre ➳ lapis lazuli ➳ amethyst ➳ black tourmaline ═══════════════════════════ Devotional Activities ➳ keeping a garden ➳ maybe even an indoor garden ➳ go to parks and feed the swans/birds ➳ archery ➳ sports ➳ making a chiton ➳ writing poems ➳ taking care of those around you ➳ growing larkspurs/hyacinths ➳ get a devotional journal ➳ create a playlist (sad songs for the most part) ➳ fall in love deeply ═══════════════════════════
⊰ Deity Or Divine Hero? ⊱
I don’t know if this question can be answered for a fact honestly. what we do know is that he was at least worshipped as a hero, that much can be said. anything further than that comes at a later time and from the outside perspective. a lot of ancient Greek writers didn’t write down certain things because they saw them as common knowledge. this doesn’t help us looking back now. what we can say, is that some of the offerings given to him were not common with hero worship and would have been reserved for the gods. this is according to Angeliki Petropoulou, a professor in ancient greek studies/religion, and the author of “Hyakinthos and Apollo of Amyklai: Identities and Cults. A Reconsideration of the Written Evidence” pages 153-161. Within this, she makes the argument that Hyakinthos has gone through ‘apotheosis’. this is the action of a mortal, usually a hero, becoming a god. note: ‘βουθυσία’ is a traditional oxen sacrifice.
“The βουθυσία for Hyakinthos, which is indicative of his new immortal status, should be placed on the third day too. Oxen are costly victims, the bull being the most “noble” sacrificial animal. After mourning for Hyakinthos’s death and making a propitiatory sacrifice at his tomb, they honoured him with a bull sacrificed as if to a god. Yet the geographical range in which he was regarded as god was rather circumscribed and did not spread beyond the borders of Lakedaimonia. The βουθυσία for Hyakinthos would have been instituted after the construction of the altar on which Apollo received sacrifices; for the only altar excavated, in an area filled with remnants of burnt sacrifices, is attributed to Apollo.”
so there you have it. most places will probably call him a hero, and that wouldn’t be wrong. others may call him a deity, which also isn’t wrong. I’ll tell you what I’m personally going to go with, and everyone can make their own decision based on the information listed through this post and the readings I’ll link at the bottom. no matter your conclusion, the relationship you have will be completely yours, and it’s ok! if anything, I encourage that over taking my word for it. ══════════════════════════ for me, I think I consider him a deity. I know that I heavily romanticize the story, and with Apollo being so near to my heart, him having a terrible love life hurts my soul. while I don’t exactly want to rewrite any myths, I won’t claim that they are married, I will say that I believe them to be happy. their worship in Amyclae was so intertwined and based completely around each other from the history we know, that, for me, it makes sense to also honor them together. I’ll leave you all on one more incredibly sad quote from Lucien’s “Dialogue of the Gods” (that I referenced from earlier).
”Apollon : Well, my loves never prosper; Daphne and Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus) were my great passions; she so detested me that being turned to a tree was more attractive than I; and him I killed with a quoit. Nothing is left me of them but wreaths of their leaves and flowers.”
it’s ok to cry, I do nearly every time I read that.
⊰ For Further Reading ⊱
➳Hyakinthos theoi ➳Apollo theoi ➳Hyakinthos Wiki ➳My Hellenic Research Google Drive this also contains the Sparta book I reference and a few others worth a read.
If you like Greek mythology and tragic gay stories then please read this poem I wrote for my writer's craft class :)
I've never written proper poetry in my life until this so don't expect this to be good but hush I share it anyways
《A poem from Apollo to his mortal lover Hyacinthus》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hyacinthus
The life of a God is a lonely one.
Why try to change that, when it’s impossible to change fate?
I couldn’t change it with you.
Why would I try with anyone else, when it’s not you?
I wonder often, why mortals want to be loved by the Gods,
When it’s a death sentence in disguise.
It’s written in the stars, mortal suffering.
But the sun's beauty seems to hide the warning signs.
I thought the euphoria of love was enough to deal with the anguish.
Therefore, I let you in.
And what for? A selfish need to ease the never ending loneliness?
Was your life worth the short-lived freedom?
Do you blame me?
You should, your blood is on my hands.
Your fate lay strung between our fingers.
And I cut the string, letting you fall.
Alas, Hyacinthus, gentle Hyacinthus.
As your blood spills over my feet.
I hope you hear my songs on the way to Hades’ lair.
And I hope they ease your pain for the rest of eternity.
And as my tears, my soul, pools on the grass,
Forgive me, for all I thought of was my own grief.
Not your pain, but my loneliness.
My unavoidable fate.
My love, we are doomed to never reunite.
For I cannot die, and you won’t ever live again.
So I drown in sorrow and flower petals.
Flowers grown from spilt blood and tears.
Hyacinths
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I was browsing and found this lovely piece of work done by @my-name-is-apollo,(which is linked at the bottom of the post) providing evidence for a more effeminate version of Apollo. I personally, have already viewed him as more feminine, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to post my drawing of Apollo and Hyacinthus.
I just found out the spartans celebrated Hyacinthia each year to honor the death of Hyacithus and it was a very important festival and all.
And I get it, I stan this guy too, but why Hyacinthus of all people? He didnt do anything exept screw a god. Considering Apollo had something going on with roughly half the population of greece I wouldnt even consider that an accomplishment....
Welp. I guess I found a new holiday to eat cake at \(°-°)/
3 days into my Apollo research: Seriosly starting to feel bad for Zephyros;
-> get a bf
-> lose your bf to some shiny god
-> shiny god gets him killed and turned into a hyacith flower
-> seek out new bf
-> loose your bf to some shiny god
-> ex bf kills his pet deer & gets turned into cypress tree
-> shiny god sleeps with your brother
(Seriosly tho, he had something going with boreas, also in some versions its not even zephyros fault hyacinthus dies, Apollo just throws too
hard. After his death Zephyros seeks comfort in cypressus who...well)
Curse the ancient poets for making my hearth crack every time I see a hyacithus flower.
The river of forgetfulness
little did u all know the lethe art was just FORESHADOWING!!!!
Young Apollo,
how your passion scorches.
Melting wax on a young boy's back;
Molten iron wreathing a lover's crown;
Your tears cannot extinguish celestial storms.
Blame that vengeful wind
though it did not throw the sparrow to the sea
nor toss the disk to the sky.
No, fate does not vindicate causation.
You did this.
Sing laments from afar;
Apportion your gift to others,
but don't let them spark.
Do not ask who is there to warm you -
the feathers are gone
(Ai, ai)
The flowers are all that is left,
and those can become ashes, too.
Don't you dare threaten their mourning.
Decided that everyday for October I’m going to draw one of the Gods! First up is Apollo!
Just Apollo and Hyacinth, cause I'm obsessed
There's just something i really like abt the picture of Apollo talking abt Hyacinthus to anybody who'll listen for hours,, and the people around him have just accepted that it's the equivalent of your Mom showing you a photos of her highschool boyfriend in the 80's who died tragically in a car crash On Prom Night