On this day, October 30th, at a bend in the Nile river called Hir-Wer, a new city was founded and a new cultus was established. Antinous had plunged beneath the waves of the Sacred Nile as a boy, but had emerged as a god. At that spot, the Emperor Hadrian founded a new city, Antinoopolis, and a new cultus was established to honor the human who had become a god. We, the devotees of the Beautiful Boy from Bithynia, the Beautiful, the Just, the Benevolent, who is our Liberator, our Navigator, and Lover, celebrate this triumph over death and transmutation from the mundane to the divine. On this Foundation Day in 2016, 1886 years after the founding of the original Antinoopolis, we re-found the city of Antinous in our hearts and in the midst of our community as we practice devotion to the god together. We re-establish his cultus as we stand before his altars, each a priest or priestess at their own shrines and in their own home temples.

 
Just as the sacred waters of the Nile worked their transmutation on Antinous, so too, do those waters have their way with the devotees of Antinous and communities that have come together to honor him. We look around and find that everything has changed. The past has died. The waters of the Nile have worked their transmutation. Like Antinous, we emerge from the waves triumphant and move forward as a new body, a new community, establishing a new temple. We move forward with hope and optimism as Naos Antinoou. May we always honor Antinous, the Beautiful, the Just, and the Benevolent. May we always fight for social and political justice for those who are oppressed. May we always look to Antinous to navigate us on a path of integrity, beauty, and compassion. May we always find blessings in our devotion to the Beautiful Boy from Bithynia and joy in our participation in his sacred mysteries.

Let Naos Antinoou be established!

Ave ave Antinoe!

Ave vive Antinoe!

Haec est unde vita venit.

What is something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t yet?

Unfortunately, one of the things that many of us in devotion to Antinous wish we knew about him is something that we’ll likely never know, not with any certainty at least, namely, what were the circumstances of his death? There has been speculation about this since his death and deification, but nothing we can say for certain to be true. There were only a couple of references even then, and they swiftly became outrageous with each telling.

“During a journey on the Nile he lost Antinous, his favourite, and for this youth he wept like a woman. Concerning this incident there are varying rumours; for some claim that he had devoted himself to death for Hadrian, and others — what both his beauty and Hadrian’s sensuality suggest.” Augusta Historia Hadrian (14.5-6):

“Antinous was from Bithynium, a city of Bithynia, which we also call Claudiopolis; he had been a favourite of the emperor and had died in Egypt, either by falling into the Nile, as Hadrian writes, or, as the truth is, by being offered in sacrifice. For Hadrian, as I have stated, was always very curious and employed divinations and incantations of all kinds. Accordingly, he honoured. Antinous, either because of his love for him or because the youth had voluntarily undertaken to die (it being necessary that a life should be surrendered freely for the accomplishment of the ends Hadrian had in view), by building a city on the spot where he had suffered this fate and naming it after him; and he also set up statues, or rather sacred images, of him, practically all over the world.” Dio Cassius (69.11)

He either fell into the Nile and drowned, as Hadrian was said to believe, or he had devoted himself to death and was offered in sacrifice for the sake of Hadrian’s health or the health of the empire (i.e. so that the inundation of the Nile could come and bring fertility to the land). Or, as was insinuated in the Augusta Historia (‘what both his beauty and Hadrian’s sensuality suggest’), Antinous killed himself because his station in life as the emperor’s favorite was due to end, as his youth and beauty faded.

Now, there are some things that I would prefer to believe about his death, that it was simply a tragic accident, and not some grisly sacrifice or despairing suicide. Would knowing the true circumstances change my devotion to him? That’s hard to say. So much of what I know and love about Antinous is from what occurred after his death, so perhaps it doesn’t matter. But, it would be nice to know regardless, for every bit of knowledge increases our understanding and appreciation of our god. In this matter, though, the world may never know.

We shall never know.  His death, as his life, was his own, and all that we can know is that darkness took him, and that he ceased.

When Necessity comes, it is best to simply bring out the fresh linen and welcome her as best you can.

I had hoped, however, to make one last prayer at his altar,

Just one last exultation in praise of his beauty and benevolence

Yet she comes, and it seems too soon;

Always too soon.

The inexorable rush of the River current.

And so my altar remains barren –

The brazier is empty, no sweet incense rising, carrying my prayers and praises, bathing the temple with their fragrance

The candles are unlit, no light to keep the darkness of death at bay

His image is veiled, covered in a black shroud, all opportunities lost to catch glimpses of that enigmatic smile on that beautiful face

And so we lament – My god is dead!

And so we cry out – My god is dead!

And so we rend our hair and beat our breast – My god is dead!

My god is dead

My god is dead

MY GOD IS DEAD

Even the land cries out, the heavens rent as the rain falls down

And though these tears bring healing and life to the earth, they are no less painful in the shedding

There will be a new dawning, a new day of celebration

But it is not this day.

On this day we mourn.

— Jay Logan (2015) ©

How has your relationship with Antinous changed over time?

I’ve been practicing devotion to Antinous for some time now.  I think I first became aware of him as a god and became interested in him in 2004 or 2005.  I’ve shared before how one of the things that initially appealed to me was his homoerotic relationship with Hadrian.   I think that is initially what my relationship with him was.  I was a gay man practicing devotion to a queer god.  At the time, my theology was definitely more neopagan/wiccan in nature.  “All gods are one god.  All goddesses are one goddess”  I even saw gods a something as embodiments of cosmic forces and of nature.  So I related to Antinous as a god who embodied homosexuality.  I even saw the relationship between Antinous and Hadrian as something of a metaphor of how gay men progress through life.  We all experience the youth and beauty and desirableness that is Antinous and eventually become the Hadrian, who is older, mature, accomplished.

My relationship with Antinous, as well as my theology, have evolved quite a bit over the years.  Just like any person you might spend quite a bit of time with, over the years you are going to come to understand them better and even discover things about them that you had never known before.  As a devotional polytheist who believes that the gods are real, I believe a relationship with a god is similar to one that you might have with a human being.  I’ve spent time with Antinous and I’ve come to see him as more than just a stereotype of a gay god.  There is more to him than just the fact that he had a homoerotic relationship with Hadrian.  He’s not just a god of homosexuality, he’s a god who has a variety of characteristics.  Some of them are quite chthonic and relate to movement through the Underworld.  Some characteristics relate to fertility.  Some characteristics relate to fighting against oppression.  Some relate to beauty.  To justice.  To compassion.  And I’ve found over and over this relationship is built on my willingness to come to him in simple devotion.

Share a time when this deity has helped you.

A few years ago, I was preparing a trip to visit some friends from college who I hadn’t really seen since graduation. We’ve kept in touch through social media, but that’s so often such a shallow connection which really doesn’t substitute for in-person interaction. The plan was to stay a few days with friends who had moved to Virginia (near where I lived for a short time in my youth), travel to Michigan where I went to school, and then travel around the state visiting people before reuniting with the rest of my family for a family reunion. It was to be my first real vacation since I started working, too, so I wanted to make sure that I was able to make the most of the time that I had with my friends – days at most, and sometimes only hours. I wanted to renew the bonds of frith between us, ensure that the wellspring of friendship flowed easily, not obstructed by awkwardness and small-talk.

To this end, I called upon Antinous, often known in our circles as a god of peaceful connections, as well as Hermes, to help with some social lubrication, as it were. I also called upon some nymphs, spirits of the land, to help me be grounded wherever I traveled, to help me know that I am connected.

And, it worked – beautifully, and in surprising ways. First, there were these little instances that surprised me, for instance, people recognizing the town where I’m from, i.e. Poulsbo. This is broadly in the Seattle area, and I frequently come across people in that city who I have to explain where that is. But then there was the TSA agent who was from Spokane, and the clerk at the service desk of the Montiecello House (you know, Thomas Jefferson’s eccentric home), both who recognized where I was from. And, again while I was in Virginia, we went to this old comic shop I frequented as a child. Talking with the owner, I learned he was originally from Bremerton, not ten miles from my town. Small world, eh? Things like this to help a young traveller know he’s being looked after.

Second, there was this beautiful moment on Buckroe Beach, the first time I’d felt the warm waters of an ocean in over a decade. Just walking there on the shore at dusk with my friends, when one of them asked if I could help them with a headache, since I knew some Reiki. Headaches were already kind of my specialty, but in this instance, the magic proved…. effortless. I placed my hands in the aura above her head, the warm wind from the sea going through our hair, and I tapped, ever so gently, into the power of the land, asking for their aid, and then I lifted that headache right from her head, the energy of it dispersing in the wind. We were both surprised at how quickly the pain had fled, and I felt intimately connected to that place. I can’t wait to go back, actually.

Finally, there were the great connections I rekindled with my friends. When I landed in Michigan, I experienced what under normal travelling circumstances would be incredibly inconvenient and frustrating – my flight was incredibly late and my luggage didn’t arrive with me. As a consequence, I arrived late to the first gathering of the trip. But, my host was generous and invited me to stay for an extra day until my luggage arrived, which gave us an opportunity in disguise to really spend time together. All of my connections with friends during that trip proved very deep, no matter how long the duration. I spent an evening with my ex, a lunch with a couple from my alma mater, an afternoon performing a Wiccaning for my Sister Dearest’s baby, and a couple of days with my artsy friend in Kalamazoo, checking out the farmer’s markets and drinking in the heat and sight of fireflies, something we don’t get in Cascadia.

I left my little sojourn feeling so full, the channels between me and my friends flowing strong and clear. I hadn’t really known before that friendships could be sustained over such long distances and across such a significant span of time, as if no time had passed at all. And this gift, this realization, is something that I have Antinous to thank for. He heard me when I called upon him, and helped me feel and be connected to my friends and the lands I travelled through. Such a gift is irreplacable, and I’m forever grateful to him.

Ave Antinoe!

Antinous by Lynn Perkins (2016)

Time to play catch up!  Looks like we missed Days 23 and 24 of 31 Days of Devotion.

Day 23: Share a quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think resonates strongly with Antinous.

“What is dead may never die” is a common saying in the religion of the Drowned God on the Iron Islands in George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series, which many people know through the popular TV show Game of Thrones.  I’ve always thought that Martin’s depiction of the religion of the Drowned God was very interesting, and there are elements that always remind me of Antinous.  Particularly the way in which priests of the Drowned God are “ordained.”   They are drowned in the waters of the sea, and then brought back to life.  This is considered a type of death and resurrection, although some are never revived. This is also how Martin Depicts Euron being crowned as king of the Iron Islands.  It has always evoked that theme of Antinous drowning in the waters of the Nile, and then defeating death through deification.  However, the similarities with the fictional Drowned God in Song of Ice and Fire may end there.  The response to “What is dead may never die” is “But rises again harder and stronger.”  The nature of the rebirth after drowning in Martin’s series is much more focused on the sea bringing hardness and solemnness.  The inhabitants of the Iron Islands are warriors and conquerors.  They are a harsh people.  Antinous seems to have emerged from the waters of the Nile as a god who is much less warlike.  Indeed, we can see a linking of the idea of fertility to Antinous as he is syncretized with Osiris and given credit for a flood shortly after his death and deification that brought relief from a long drought.  However, regardless of the differences, Martin’s initial depiction of drowning and rebirth of the Drowned God in his novels always evoked the death and deification of Antinous.

Day 24: Share your own art, music, or writing about or for Antinous.

31 Hymns to Antinous

These 31 Hymns to Antinous were written by Merri-Todd Webster, one of our Magistrates,  as a devotional offering in May 2015. They are a wonderful little resource to prayer on a daily basis as you move through the month, or taken individually for use in personal devotions.  Since we’re a day late and should have shared this yesterday, the 24^th, I’ll share HYMN XXIV:

To Antinous and Mantinoe

To Mantinoe, mother of Antinous, together with her son, the god,

let us give praise, for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the womb that bore him, a healthy son,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the breasts that nourished him with the milk of life,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the eyes that watched him with mindful care,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the mouth that kissed him and spoke his name, Antinoos,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the hands that prepared his meals and changed his diapers,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the hips that carried him before he could walk,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor the feet that walked for him and to him and with him,

for his mother’s whole body heals.

Let us honor her beauty, her strength, her wisdom, her care,

for like Semele she has been brought out of darkness and oblivion

by her devoted son to shine forever in the stern of the Boat of Millions of Years,

mother to the people of Antinous. Hail, Mantinoe! Hail, Antinous!

The semen of the gods is truly in his body, and his mother’s whole body heals!

Last night, October 24^th, was the first night of the Sacred Nights of Antinous.  These Sacred Nights mark the days leading up to the death of Antinous and his subsequent deification, and are some of the most important days in our ritual year.

October 24th – Festival of Osiris: The theme of Osiris’ death, and his eventual revivification, remains one of the most deeply symbolic and influential myths to have ever emerged from Egypt. Soon Hadrian and Antinous  would be playing out the roles of this myth and the actions of these mysteries in their very own lives, with Antinous becoming the newest Osiris.

October 25th – The Panthea: The importance of goddesses in the cultus of Antinous is celebrated. Just as Isis was essential to the story of Osiris, so too were various goddesses either paired with considered essential to Antinous’ deification. No matter how much focus there seems to be in the cultus of Antinous on the male figures of Hadrian, Antinous, there are always female goddesses and other figures alongside them.

October 26th – The Ophidia: The Serpent Path explores all aspect of potential deification, both light and dark, positive and negative, permitted and forbidden.  In many ways this is a day which seeks to honor the opposite of what the rest of the world and its order seems to be saying is good, proper, and right.

October 27th – Ananke Antínoou: As we move through the Sacred Nights and get ever closer to the death and deification of Antinous,we turn our focus to the role of fate in our lives, and living as if each day matters.

October 28th – The Death of Antinous:  This day is marked as a day of great solemnity, mourning and sadness. Many devotees of Antinous observe this day by covering or hiding any images of Antinous they might have in their home shrines or altars and leaving them covered until Foundation Day. While prayers can be offered to other gods associated with Antinous, no prayers are said to him directly.

October 29th – Antinous in the Underworld: Antinous enters the Underworld to be reunited with Persephone.  On this day the scales of Ma’at find Antinous just, and his heart is perfectly balanced with Ma’at’s feather. Thoth greets Antinous’ rising in the East, and places Antinous’ face in his own mirror, the Moon.

October 30th – Foundation Day: Antinous entered the waters of the Nile as a boy but emerged as a god. On this day a city was founded in his name, and his cultus established. This is the most prominent festival day in our ritual year.  It marks the deification of Antinous, as well as the establishment of his ancient cultus.  It’s a day of celebration and devotion.
October 31st – Antinous Triumphantus: While Antinous has conquered death, there is still the anticipation of his battle with the Archons of the universe, who keep all people in bondage. This coming battle is ushered in tomorrow as Antinous assumes his role as Liberator. This day, then, is a day where we continue our celebration, but also look forward with expectation to what is coming.

November 1st – Antinous the Liberator: The final day of the Sacred Nights celebrates the role of the aspect of Antinous as Antinous the Liberator. Over the next 90 days we see Antinous ascending through the celestial spheres to battle and ultimately conquer the Archons of the universe who keep us all in bondage. We celebrate the warrior energy in Antinous, in others, and in ourselves, especially as it is used to fight against oppression.

During these Sacred Nights, we’ll be focusing on The Death of Antinous on Friday, October 28^th, and Foundation Day on Sunday, October 30^th, and we’ll also be continuing the 31 days of Devotion we started at the beginning of the month.  We have some announcements coming, and big things planned, and we’re excited for this coming Foundation Day and the changes and opportunities it will bring.  Stay tuned!!