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| Hebe giving drink to Jupiter's eagle (Gavin Hamilton, 1767) |
First, what is "Juice"? - That is explained below as the sort of nectar that gives the goddess her power to bestow youth on those whom she serves or those who win her favor. So we ask...
QUESTION: How shall we worship Youth?
ANSWER: Maybe the ancient Greek way? First, what is "worship"? We need to petition her for more youth of our own. Oh, please, Great Goddess, make us young! Make us healthy! Make us pretty and long-lived!
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader. Such acts may involve honoring [1, 2, 3].
ETYMOLOGY: The word is derived from the Old English weorþscipe, meaning to venerate "worship, honor shown to an object or deity [4]," which has been etymologized as "worthiness" or "worth-ship" — at its simplest, to give worth to something.
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| The Eastern ideal of devas (gods, lit. "shining ones") |
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| I'm the Western version of Sakka/Indra: Zeus |
Hebe, the daughter of Zeus [deus] and Hera, served ambrosia (amrita) and nectar to the gods of the Olympian pantheon. She later married Heracles, with whom she had two children, Alexiares and Anicetus.
Her name comes from the Greek word for youth because it she has the power to restore youth (by serving someone ambrosia).
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| Iolaus (left), the Love God Eros (center), Heracles (right), 4th century Etruscan ritual vessel |
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"Juice"? What is this deathless drink of the gods?
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| Hebe on garuda mount (Carolus-Duran) |
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| The Goddess of Justice Themis |
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The masculine word Amrit, feminine Amritā, is also a common first name for Hindus and Sikhs [4]. It is cognate to and shares many similarities with Greek ambrosia, both originating from a common Proto-Indo-European source [5, 6].
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| Hebe by Jean Coulon, circa 1886 (David Monniaux) |
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| Alabaster Shiva in white marble, triune God of India |
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| Heracles, father of Hebe |
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| Hebe in Dijon (Francois Rude) |
Hebe was initially reluctant, but the Goddess of Justice Themis told her it was a fair and just thing to do. Hebe granted Iolaus' wish, and he emerged victorious in battle.
Eventually Hebe lost her job as a cupbearer of the gods (a nectar server) when she tripped and her dress came undone, exposing her breasts.
Apollo dismissed her, and she was replaced by Prince Ganymede, Zeus' pederastic homosexual lover and protege (sugar baby).
The Buddhist Goddess of Youth: Kwan Yin
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| Avalokita transformed into a female |
If Early (pre-sectarian) Buddhism had gods and goddesses (personifications) for everything, there would surely be one for youth, vitality, health, and beauty. The Buddha was not out to found a "religion" and therefore had no need to personify and mythologize everything like a pantheistic or polytheistic tradition might. But so powerful was the influence of Hinduism (Vedic Brahmanism) on Chinese Mahayana and Tibetan Vajrayana that these later Buddhist traditions did just that, with the all-lovable Goddess of Compassion Guanyin (Chenrezig) Bodhisattva becoming the ever youthful, ever-beautiful, ever delightful "Mother Mary" and "Mary Magdalene" of Buddhism. Theravada loves her, too, as ancient Sri Lankan statuary reveals that she was venerated far and wide.
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| Youthful Buddhist fairy Kwan Yin rides a dragon |
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| Prajnaparamita of Java |
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| What is the ideal of beauty? |
That's a good question. Karuna is great. We love it and need more of it. But all the compassion in the world would not lead one to vimutti, moksha, liberation-by-wisdom. What a friend can do for one in the utmost is share the Dharma, the Dhamma, that which the historical Buddha himself taught to a benighted world hungry for light and the alleviation of suffering, disappointment, and samsara.
The Bhutanese, Nepalese, Tibetans, Russians, and Mongolians have many Vajrayana goddesses, like the multihued Taras and personifications for all kinds of popular desires -- riches, powers, magic...love and lust deities.
- Wisdom, Compassion, and Wrath: The Many Faces of Female Buddhist Deities | Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery
- Mandy Kahn: I can LOVE you regardless | Wisdom Quarterly
Good thing the West never followed ancient Greece down this road
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| Thirty-six? You're over the hill, Irene. Go back to Kiev to Vlad Zelenski's Ukraine |
SOURCES
- greekmythology.com
- Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Buddhist Dictionary of Terms
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