January 8: Wedding Month

The god Hymenaios, was one of the Erotes, winged gods of love, that were part of Aphrodite’s retinue. As wedding god, he was supposed to attend every marriage, and the ritual wasn’t complete without calling out his name and singing his special songs, or “hymns”. In anatomy, his name is associated with intimacy and the transition from young maiden to woman. As a son of Apollo, Hymenaios was a dapper boy, but since he couldn’t prove his divine descent, he wasn’t deemed god enough for the girl he was in love with. So, he started stalking her, and since we’re talking Greek myths, that worked out well for him. Disguised as a woman, he had joined one of these “women-only” processions, when they were captured by pirates. Since it’s a Greek myth, the women were only too relieved to discover a man amongst them, let him take the lead and helped him organise their escape. And since it’s a greek myth, as a reward, he then got the lady of his heart as a bride. And they lived happily ever after, no questions asked.