Flora and Familiar

Ariadne is a modern witch living in the Midwest, USA with her husband and three cats. She enjoys kickboxing, gardening, writing, and witchcraft. || The Greek Ariadne represents some variation of an older Minoan goddess—whether the Great Goddess or merely the Mistress of the Labyrinth—pertaining to the journey of the soul to the afterlife. When one considers the story of Theseus and the Minotaur without emphasizing Theseus as the hero, the myth's structure follows that of Persephone: the Descent into the underground Labyrinth; the search for a subterranean obstacle, and its subsequent defeat; and then the Ascent back into the realm of the living. The alterations of Ariadne and Persephone's roles came after the alleged Dorian invasions of Greece in which goddesses were demoted in favor of sky gods. The power of the Woman was depleted; the power of the Earth was set aside for sky worship; and mortal men suddenly became heroes.