The Roman Emperor Who Was Transgender

 

Nobody can deny that Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus) who was known by his nicknames Elagabalus and Heliogabalus (c. 204-222) was a cute, young man who would have fitted perfectly into a group of modern teenagers, at least when it comes to his pretty, boyish looks. Some 2024-teenagers would even have appreciated his life style which was voluptuous to a degree. Did he ever think of anything but sex, fun and partying? Well, becoming the Emperor of Rome in 218, i.e. at a very early age, should have made him consider state affairs and the serious business of government, but naaahhh, he was much more interested in partying at all hours and to him "partying" meant SEX. Fourteen years old he roamed the Roman bordellos and his powerful grandmother, Julia Maesa, found that a marriage to a grown woman of a good family was needed to put some kind of rein on the young man. She chose the noblewoman Julia Cornelia Paula, but she wasn't up to the job, and the young emperor divorced her as she "had something ugly on her body". 

Julia Cornelia Paula

When he himself chose his next wife he made an awful scandal: Being a vestal Aquilia Severa was considered a holy woman who should never marry anybody. Like a nun she ought to stay a virgin, but when the emperor set eyes on her she was forced to marry him.

 

Aquilia Severa

Not even that marriage made the young man behave like he was supposed to as the emperor of Rome because by now he had got the idea that he wasn't a man, but a woman. That may be as it is, but having been brought up in Syria he had been the head priest of the sun god Elagabal and he wanted a religious revolt in favor of his god that didn't sit well with either the Senate or the Roman people who already hated how he did his best to "become a woman": He wore a feminine hairdo, got the hair of his beard plucked out, wore women clothes, etc., etc.. Also he tried to find doctors who were willing to perform some kind of surgery to "build a vagina in his body". 

All of this became too much for everybody, and his short reign ended when his soldiers massacred him. After his death his corpse was dragged through the streets of Rome as a way of demeaning him and his entire reputation. However, 1,600 years later or so, writers like e.g. Oscar Wilde and Baudelaire developed a liking for him and his debauchery. For a while he became quite popular, even with painters like e.g. Lawrence Alma-Tadema. In 1888 he painted a scenery from one of the most notorious parties of the emperor: 

 

https://carpediemtours.com/blog/elagabalus-crazy-roman-emperor/

 

https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/uk-museum-declares-roman-emperor-elagabalus-was-transgender-sparking-debate-england-north-hertfordshire-art-gallery-lgbt-gender-identity 

 

https://new.coinsweekly.com/news-en/elagabalus-new-transgender-identity-and-its-consequences-on-the-coin-trade/ 

 

Wikipedia

Nostalgia For Something That Never Happened

 

It's weird how nostalgia centers around something like e.g. dresses, hairdos or food, all of which is shallow phenomenons compared to what REALLY counts: Politics and Wars, Economics, etc., etc.. Well, I take it that nostalgia always is part of a"Happy Moment of the Past", no matter the truth of that memory or not. For instance, the children of this family gathering at a restaurant some time in the seventies may remember the moment as peaceful and happy because they didn't know that the grown-ups were contemplating a divorce - one of the parents may even have thought of murdering the other one .... 

A happy moment with Daddy? Well, that's how it looks, but who knows what's going on between those two? Much more than meets the eye may be happening, from beatings to abuse. (Not that these two look that way, but that's the tricky part of it: LOOKS DOESN'T ALWAYS COVER THE TRUTH ....
 

This Puppeteer - whom I hate - really was beloved by a lot of people who thought he was the answer to their wishes for the future, and many/most even supported him in the last days of World War II because they were sure that he would "save them by using those magical, new weapons the people were lured into believing were being evolved". I saw a program which featured interviews with some of these poor deluded people who had staid in Berlin because they had been taught that this puppeteer had some kind of "Master Plan" that would save his people and his country. Alas, that was a sad and, in many cases, lethal delusion, but still, even now (!!!!) many follow his teachings. WHY? 

 
 

Religion Versus Mythology

 

Yes, and because of that faith should always be followed by this: ?????????

However, those "of faith" see a "?" as an attack on what to them is the TRUTH - and right they are because in this context a "?" is a sign of non-faith. However, for something to qualify as "truth" it must be an indisputable FACT, and that doesn't go for much in religions which, as we know, are built upon legends, dreams and wishful thinking. 

People of the West discern between RELIGION and MYTHOLOGY or, as they may put it, SUPERSTITION. Some even talk of lies when it comes to religions that are not in accordance with the book that they see as holy, i.e. "The Bible". Well, in my opinion that's very, very arrogant, but I admit that it's working in one respect: It may become the glue that keeps the structure of society together and makes it work according to the wishes of those in power. No doubt about it, religion - or a common belief in a political system??? - does make certain things easier for an emperor, a president or whoever wants to keep their position as "head of the state".

The monotheistic God like e.g. Yahweh of "The Bible" is considered all powerful in all matters of the world as such. As to the pagan gods they too were all powerful, but not in all aspects of life. A god like e.g. Ares was supposed to be all powerful in war, but that was about it, and sometimes that power didn't work as it was intended to do. His godly colleague and lover, the love goddess Aphrodite was all powerful in matters of love, but in the Trojan wars both of them were injured by a human, Diomedes, who had the support of a third deity, the goddess Athena. Deity against deity and a wonderful story is brought into life: The Iliad which we see as literature or a myth, but which the old Greeks saw as a religious depiction of the gods they believed in. To compare this amazing work to e.g. "The Bible" reveals an interesting fact: The gods of polytheism are very, very different from the single monotheistic god of an Abrahamic religion like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The pantheon of many gods representing each their field is gone, and the claim that myths and legends are FACTS also is a claim that now we have THE TRUTH ....

 

Magic, Do My Bidding!!!!!!

 

Voodoo doll Louvre E27145a.jpg

Not only can one buy modern "Voodoo dolls", which I take are some kind of gimmicks, but there also are several ancient dolls in museums all over the world. A fact which proves that many people at all times have met life circumstances that made them resort to magic: Not to be the abandoned vessel on a rough sea, so to speak, they set out to RULE what they felt ruled them and their destiny. In this specific case an ancient, Greek clay figurine of a nude woman, tied up, hand and foot in a painful, yes even sadistic, position, pierced with 13 nails was someone's way of obtaining the ultimate power of a woman who may not have liked him as he wanted her to do. (Actually it may be this individual's tool in handling women as such, but in this case it's considered likely that the figurine represented a special woman who was out of his reach).

The figurine was found near Thebes in Egypt in a vase with a lead plate on which one could read a spell. However, as the inscription indicates it is of Greek origin. It dates to the 3rd or 4th Century BC. The inscription reads:

"I conjure all the demons (ὁρκίζω πάντας τοὺς δαίμονας) in this place to assist this demon Antinous. Rouse yourself for me and go to each place, to each neighborhood, to each house and bind Ptolemais whom Aias bore, the daughter of Horigenes, so that she should not be fucked, buggered or should not give any pleasure to another man (ὅπως μὴ βινηθῇ μὴ πυγισθῇ μὴδὲν πρὸς ἡδονὴν ποιήσῃ ἑταίρῳ ἀνδρὶ), except to me alone Sarapammon, whom Area bore; and do not let her eat nor drink nor resist nor go out nor find sleep except with me Sarapammon, whom Area bore. I conjure you, Antinous spirit of the dead, in the name of the Terrible and Fearsome, the name at whose sound the earth opens up, the name at whose sound the demons tremble in fear, the name at whose sound rivers and rocks burst asunder. I conjure you, Antinous spirit of the dead (ὁρκίζω σε, νεκύδαιμον Ἀντίνοε), by Barbaratham Cheloumbra Barouch Adonai and by Abrasax and by lao Pakeptoth Pakebraoth Sabarbaphaei and by Marmaraouoth and by Marmarachtha Mamazagar. Do not disregard me, Antinous spirit of the dead, but rouse yourself for me and go to each place, to each neighbourhood, to each house and bring me Ptolemais, whom Aias bore, the daughter of Horigenes; prevent her from eating, from drinking, until she comes to me, Sarapammon, whom Area bore, and do not allow her to accept the advances of any man other than me alone Sarapammon. Drag her by the hair, the guts, until she does not reject me, Sarapammon, whom Area bore, and I have her, Ptolemais, whom Aias bore, the daughter of Horigenes, subject to me for the entire extent of my life, loving me, desiring me, telling me what she thinks. If you do this, I will release you (ἀπολύσω σε)."

 

Strong words of an unquenchable sexual desire which seems to have consumed the besotted Sarapammon, but did it work? Well, if one believes in magic I'm sure that one will see it as the key to the fulfillment of one's wishes, but in my opinion magic isn't anything but wishful thinking so I wouldn't resort to it no matter what ....

 

https://theconversation.com/spells-charms-erotic-dolls-love-magic-in-the-ancient-mediterranean-98459 

 

 

https://brentnongbri.com/2023/01/07/a-cursed-figurine/ 

 

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Voodoo_doll_Louvre_E27145a.jpg 

 

Blue as BALLS .....

Well, here it sure LOOKS LIKE a couple of testicles, but it does have other meanings as well, like e.g. "balls" in favorite toys. Many don't even know about other kinds of balls than the ones their dogs covet and insist on playing with, over and over ....

Yes, that's cute: A charming dog with his/her favorite toy, i.e a BLUE ball

However, as most of us know, and as my first picture indicate, the saying "Blue Balls" may have another meaning than being the name of favorite toys for a dog. Also they may be the name of what is known as painful testicles, and as such they are feared by many men and some women. The men fear what many present as an excruciating pain, and the main reason why some women fear them is that these bouts of pain are used by some men to make them take part in sexual acts they don't really want to have anything to do with. Actually, women may tell you that the love and care for men and boys which they were brought up to feel will get them to help the male sex to the orgasms which rid them of their painful "blue balls". I see it as a common male trick, something that shouldn't oblige women to do anything, but many of the female sex feel so bad for their menfolk that they may comply, no matter what.

Yes, the cure is an orgasm, but still, that shouldn't be the responsibility of a woman. To me it's some kind of "rape": The man may not attack the woman physically, but he uses the myth of the super-painful "blue balls" against her. She, who most probably has been conditioned to take care of the vulnerable male ego and support his feelings of "maleness" and "masculinity", becomes an easy prey for the allegedly victim of the blue balls syndrome. Something that's not OK in my opinion ....

 

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/blue-balls

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/blue-balls 

 

https://bigmouth.fandom.com/wiki/Blue_Balls 

 

https://www.webmd.com/sex/blue-balls 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10155057/ 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10155057/ 

 

Wikipedia

 

New Games of the Literary World

It seems that every agency is offering what they call "courses" or "classes" now. As always these shady agents are trying to make the authors they represent believe in promises that - hand on heart - look very much like blatant lies: No, you'll not turn into a bestselling author just by attending these expensive classes or even more costly writing conferences. Some call this strategy MLM-scams, but I think that although that may be true for some agencies or agents, it's not about everyone - at least not yet. As even some big and legit agencies offer these conferences, classes or courses which presumably aren't scams one is up against some problems: We really need to find ways to discern between the new scammers of the literary world and those who don't belong in that group, but how? All we have to go by is recommendations from people we trust, and that's not as easy as it may sound ....

Some writers have been lured into thinking that meeting an agent will do the trick and they set high hopes to such an event: "Wow, an agent is interested in my work!!!!" OK, that may be the case if you get as long as a meeting in person - even though you may have to pay e.g. $ 500 for it - but most hopeful authors only get a noncommittal reply when they write an agency or an agent which isn't quite something to build one's hopes on. Also there is another reason why this idea of a savior in the form of an agent sucks: EVERYBODY may call themselves an agent without nothing more to their name than a more or less fancy website.

When I visit some more or less literary platforms I often see questions like e.g. this one: "WHEN does one start earning money on one's book????" A good question, but the answer is heart breaking: "Maybe NEVER even though you get it published as an indie book. There it is, you see it, and you remember the many hours you invested in writing it, but somehow it's invisible to others .... Sad, but the truth ....

 

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/multi-level-marketing-businesses-pyramid-schemes

 

 

 

The Sex Offender Site

 

 

How does one recognize a sex offender like e.g. a pedophile? Well, sadly enough, he or she doesn't sprout warts, horns or anything else indicating that he/she is guilty of these sex crimes. Besides, and needless to say, an individual only becomes a culprit by committing the crime, not by thinking about or even planning it. That means that he or she must have been indicted, arrested and preferably also convicted as an offender to be one which makes it difficult or even impossible to warn his/her targets in beforehand. 

Little, innocent ones should be safe, but aren't always as some people may have sexual designs on them. That I knew before i had the VERY unpleasant experience when I, more or less for fun, some years ago Googled the name of a friend and then found out that he fits the picture only too well because there it is: One by now closed criminal case which led to his indictment, and seemingly also a conviction back in time and at least one active case a few years ago.

That was a surprise, but when I thought the matter over I remembered some covert statements about "problems" in his past, but I thought that had to do with his family situation, and his sorrow/anger at being let down by someone very close to him. I know him well enough to see that in reality it was about rage at accusations and convictions which this special and very proud man would never accept as fair. In his opinion those he had victimized must be liars and slanderers and not at all victims because that was how HE saw their "relationship". Needless to say, that man now is out of my circles, so to speak.

However, my experiment taught me something else: To get the full information from criminal files one has to pay some fees and that made me think of the situation many parents will find themselves in. They want to protect their children against predators by finding the necessary information about the activities of someone specific, but can't afford to get it. Also they may find that they risk more than money by giving out their personal information in the application form of the Sex Offender Site. Who
protects them against the criminal who may be vindictive? Nobody! What a crappy way to handle something as serious as this! I would understand this way of handling the situation had it been a shield to protect a vulnerable system, the privacy of the suspects/convicts or of the victims, but it's for earning money. That's not right and it doesn't speak well for the system as such.

As to the man I knew then IF the information I've got just by Googling his name is what it looks like then he sure is a culprit in the true sense of the word, but I can't be sure as to the extent of his crime(-s) until I've decided to pay the fees and that I don't feel like doing. Not only for the expense, but also for the principle in it: This should not be paid for. It's wrong, it's stupid and also discriminatory.

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/sex-offender-registry

https://www.probationinfo.org/sor/cost/

 

Wikipedia