She/they || Please Don't Interact with my blog if you're: NSFW, TERF, and/or Racist || A little bit about me: I'm a really boring teenager || Obsessed with the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars || As above, so below || Astrology (Sun: Aries, Rising: Scorpio) || Mythology || Somewhere between Cottage Core and Dark Academia || Dark Naturalism || Moon Lover
what are you even supposed to do when youre angry. cant scream at anyone cos im not a dick. cant break anything cos i paid money for that. cant rip my hair out cos i need it on my head. literally what now
I can’t stop getting emotional about how tenderly a shepherd caresses his dog’s face on this marble sarcophagus from the third century
The dog’s face is just so lovingly crafted and it’s much more finely detailed than some of the other animals in the piece. The expression is pure contentment and devotion. This scene is a tiny portion of a huge elaborate sculpture but I really feel like the artist was trying to capture a specific emotion with these two. The way that you feel when you look at your dog is thousands of years old.
An extract from
Cynegeticus [On Hunting (with Dogs)], by the Greek writer Arrian (86-160 CE), about his dog, Horme [Dash]:
While I am at home she remains by my side, and accompanies me when I go out, following me to the gymnasium, and, while I am exercising, sits by
me. On my return home, she runs in front of me, often looking to see
whether I had turned off the road; and as soon as she catches sight of
me, shows symptoms of joy, and again, turns and trots in front of me. If
I am going out on any government business, she remains with my friend,
and treats him exactly the same. If she has not seen either of us for a
short time, she jumps up repeatedly by way of greeting, and barks with
joy. At meals she pats us, with one foot and the other, to remind us to
feed fer.
Having been beaten with a whip as a puppy, if anyone, even to this day,
mentions a whip, she will come up to the speaker cowering and begging,
and will jump up and hang on their neck, applying her mouth to theirs as
if to kiss them, and will not let go until she is appeased.
Now really I do not think that I should be ashamed to write the name of this dog; so that it may be left to posterity.
[I] had a greyhound named Horme, who was of the greatest speed and intelligence and, was altogether excellent.
i will ALWAYS clap my hands excitedly and lean forward in my seat when someone tells a character to “keep your dog on a leash” only for it to turn out they’re referring to another person
the way it reframes the entire relationship dynamic between the two people being addressed. the way wilful loyalty becomes hopeless devotion. the way aggression and violence goes from honorable and rational to bestial and instinctual. the ways faith and trust intersect with codependency and reliance. the questions about power and who wields it in the relationship it opens up. the way it functions as both an insult and an expression of intimidation, of fearful submission.
it’s ok if you’re scared. or tired. or unsure. or one million billion other complicated emotions at once. but i’ve decided things are going to be ok anyway. and i will hold that belief close to my heart no matter how scared or tired or lonely or depressed or one million billion other things i am. i will hold onto that. and if you’re scared, you can hold onto me. we can carry each other through
