Poetmeister …on the road to Parnassus

Somewhere in the miasma of your terrific blog was the challenge to describe one’s self in just (6) words; quite a task indeed. Here is my shot at it.

Me:

Bright,
Lover,
Compassionate,
Liberal,
Spiritual,
Poet.

I also am a heavy duty Gemini, ex-professional actor who now works with blind people. If you have browsed my blog site, Feel Free To Read, you also find that I love to post other people’s poetry alongside my own, much as you do, and that I have written over 100 long and interesting film reviews.

Glenn

Oh, how wonderful of you to take the challenge, Glenn. At first glance it seems like a lark – but it’s not that simple, is it? How does one reduce one’s life essence into 6 words? Well, I guess you saw mine – humor overrides sophistication for this country girl, I’m afraid. LOL

Your memoir says a lot about you, and you came up with a very concise one at that..:) All admirable qualities, too. Aha, a Gemini! With which we Aquarians get along famously. (Say that 5 times fast! ;) I have been browsing your site, and to tell you the truth, the fact you so highly esteem Alex makes you A-OK in my book. She’s great talent, too. You’re very generous in highlighting other people’s poetry and you’re an amazing film reviewer, Glenn. No doubt about that. Hear up, dear readers. :) Glenn is a most erudite writer and poet. You can visit him on Feel Free to Read, a most delightful blogsite!

I give you a 9.7 out of 10, Glenn..:)
I hope you know I’m pulling your leg, too. I’m a bit of an imp, if you hadn’t noticed by now. (And you are, too; I know Geminis ;) I don’t mean you no harm, as Leroy used to say, bless his heart.

And thank you so much for all the time you’ve spent browsing and commenting so kindly about my blog!

For those of us less schooled in the classics, I had to look up data on Parnassus.

Mount Parnassus is a mountain of barren limestone in central Greece that towers above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth, and offers scenic views of the surrounding olive groves and countryside. According to Greek mythology, this mountain was sacred to Apollo, the Corycian nymphs, and the home of the Muses. The mountain was also favored by the Dorians. The name Parnassos seems etymologically related to the pre-Greek Substratum language (some call Pelasgian) that made use of *-ssos in placenames (eg. Knossos). *Parna- it has been suggested is derived from the same root as the word in Hittite meaning House.

Mount Parnassus is named after Parnassos, the son of the nymph Kleodora and the man Kleopompus. There was a city of which Parnassos was leader, which was flooded by torrential rain. The citizens ran from the flood, following wolves’ howling, up the mountain slope. There the survivors built another city, and called it Lykoreia, which in Greek means “the howling of the wolves.” While Orpheus was living with his mother and his eight beautiful aunts on Parnassus, he met Apollo who was courting the laughing muse Thalia. Apollo became fond of Orpheus and gave him a little golden lyre, and taught him to play it. Orpheus’s mother taught him to make verses for singing. As the Oracle of Delphi was sacred to the god Apollo, so did the mountain itself become associated with Apollo. According to some traditions, Parnassus was the site of the fountain Castalia and the home of the Muses; according to other traditions, that honor fell to Mount Helicon, another mountain in the same range. As the home of the Muses, Parnassus became known as the home of poetry, music, and learning.

Parnassus was also the site of several unrelated minor events in Greek mythology.

In some versions of the Greek flood myth, the ark of Deucalion comes to rest on the slopes of Parnassus.
Orestes spent his time in hiding on Mount Parnassus.
Parnassus was sacred to the god Dionysus.
The Corycian Cave, located on the slopes of Parnassus, was sacred to Pan and to the Muses.
Parnassus was also the home of Pegasus the winged horse of Bellerophon.

[edit] Parnassus as metaphor

Mount Parnassus.The name “Parnassus” in literature typically refers to its distinction as the home of poetry, literature, and learning.

Thus, it receives mention in such works as:

The Parnassus Plays (referring to the University of Cambridge)
John Clare’s “To the Rural Muse”
Christopher Morley’s Parnassus on Wheels (referring to a mobile bookseller)
The “New Parnassus,” the salon of Marguerite of Navarre.
Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Simmons
Le Parnasse contemporain, an influential 19th century French poets’ journal, gave its name to an entire literary style known as “Parnassianism” (or less commonly “Parnasism”), which is placed between romanticism and symbolism
Parnassus: Poetry in Review, an influential American literary magazine founded in 1973
In The Magus by John Fowles, Mount Parnassus is the destination for a trip taken by two estranged lovers
Mount Parnassus is mentioned in the purgatory section of The Divine Comedy, at the terrestrial paradise on the summit of the holy mountain
The national epic of Belarus is “Taras on Parnassus” (author unknown)
In Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, [1] Parnassus is also mentioned in this manner
In Jo’s Boys, the final sequel to Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Amy and Laurie’s house is nicknamed “Parnassus” because they patronize young and struggling artists
The Parisian region of Montparnasse has its name from the Greek location, and indeed many “muses” lived there.
Used in The Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift as the mountain that is the works of the ancients
Meantioned in the sonnet titled “Sonnet” by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Within the Poetry of “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg”, by Richard Wagner. (Act 3, scene 5).

See how learned we become just endeavoring to translate your heading for this blog site. Mythology can put us in touch with our muses, and to filter our experiences richly, while connecting us to the music, the humanity, or lack of it, from the past. How fortunate we all are that you have worked so hard on this blog, and we can just stop by, like a warm road house built of poetry, and the finger sandwiches and the coffee and tea are delicious; and nice that you keep the fire alive for when we need the warmth.

Glenn