Destiel AU in Which Castiel Is Cupid and Dean is Psyche

The base text comes from Edith Hamilton's Mythology, taken in turn from Apuleius, an ancient Roman writer imitating the style of Ovid. You can read the full text online for free at http://misdtx.schoolwires.com/cms/lib/tx21000394/centricity/domain/312/edith%20hamilton%20-%20mythology.pdf

There was once a demon hunter who had two sons, both lovely, but the elder, Dean, excelled his brother so greatly that beside Sam he seemed a very god consorting with mere mortals.

http://thatwritererinoriordan.tumblr.com/post/102089525385#notes

The fame of his surpassing beauty spread over the earth, and everywhere men and women journeyed to gaze upon him with wonder and adoration and to do him homage as though he were in truth one of the immortals. They would even say that Venus herself could not equal this mortal. As they thronged in ever-growing numbers to worship his loveliness no one any more gave a thought to Venus herself. Her temples were neglected, her altars foul with cold ashes, her favorite towns deserted and falling in ruins. All the honors once hers were now given to a mere boy destined some day to die.

It may well be believed that the goddess would not put up with this treatment. As always when she was in trouble she turned for help to her son, that beautiful winged youth whom some call Cupid and others Love, against whose arrows there is no defense. neither in heaven nor on the earth. She told him her wrongs and as always he was ready to do her bidding. "Use your power,” she said, "and make the hussy fall madly in love with the vilest and most despicable creature there is in the whole world."

And so no doubt he would have done, if Venus had not first shown him Dean, never thinking in her jealous rage what such beauty might do even to the God of Love himself.

http://thatwritererinoriordan.tumblr.com/post/101594836850/deancasheadcanons-click-here-for-more#notes

As he looked upon him it was as if he had shot one of his arrows into his own heart. He said nothing to his mother, indeed he had no power to utter a word, and Venus left him with the happy confidence that he would swiftly bring about Dean's ruin.

What happened, however, was not what she had counted on. Dean did not fall in love with a horrible wretch; he did not fall in love at all. Still more strange, no one fell in love with him. People were content to look and wonder and worship—and then pass on to marry someone else. His brother was splendidly married, to a queen. (I believe her name was Jessica.) Dean, the all-beautiful, sat sad and solitary, only admired, never loved. It seemed that no one wanted him.

This was, of course, most disturbing to his parents. His father finally traveled to an oracle of Apollo to ask his advice on how to get him a good spouse. The god answered him, but his words were terrible. Cupid had told him the whole story and had begged for his help.

Accordingly Apollo said that Dean, dressed in deepest mourning. must be set on the summit of a rocky hill and left alone, and that there his destined husband, a fearful winged serpent, stronger than the gods themselves, would come to Dean and make him his husband.

http://thatwritererinoriordan.tumblr.com/post/104546342735#notes

The misery of all when Dean's father brought back this lamentable news can be imagined. They dressed the young man as though for his death and carried him to the hill with greater sorrowing than if it had been to his tomb. But Dean himself kept his courage.

"You should have wept for me before," he told them, "because of the beauty that has drawn down upon me the jealousy of Heaven. Now go, knowing that I am glad the end has come.” They went in despairing grief, leaving the lovely helpless creature to meet his doom alone, and they shut themselves in their palace to mourn all their days for him.

On the high hilltop in the darkness Dean sat, waiting for he knew not what terror. There, as he wept and trembled, a soft breath of air came through the stillness to him, the gentle breathing of Zephyr, sweetest and mildest of winds. He felt it lift him up. He was floating away from the rocky hill and down until he lay upon a grassy meadow soft as a bed and fragrant with flowers. It was so peaceful there, all his trouble left him and he slept.

He woke beside a bright river, and on its bank was a mansion stately and beautiful as though built for a god, with pillars of gold and walls of silver and floors inlaid with precious stones. No sound was to be heard; the place seemed deserted and Dean drew near, awestruck at the sight of such splendor. As he hesitated on the threshold, voices sounded in his ear.

He could see no one, but the words they spoke came clearly to him. The house was for him, they told him. He must enter without fear, bathe, and refresh himself. Then a banquet table would be spread for him. "We are your servants," the voices said, "ready to do whatever you desire."

The bath was the most delightful, the food the most delicious he had ever enjoyed. There was pie. While he dined, sweet music breathed around him: a great choir seemed to sing to a harp, but he could only hear, not see, them.

Throughout the day, except for the strange companionship of the voices, he was alone, but in some inexplicable way he felt sure that with the coming of the night his husband would be with him.

And so it happened. As the sun set, the voices ushered Dean into the bedchamber. They urged him to get undressed and make himself comfortable under the sheets of a bed fit for a god. Dean did as they said and soon found himself all alone. As the candles burned down to nothing, the room became black as pitch. Dean couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. He knew when his bridegroom entered the chamber by the soft sound of feathers rustling. Dean felt his husband's weight on the bed.

"Don't be afraid," the unseen man or creature said. When he heard his voice softly murmuring in his ear, all his fears left him.

"I'm not afraid," Dean asserted. He knew without seeing him that here was no monster or shape of terror, but the lover and husband he had longed and waited for.

"Are your eyes open or closed?" Dean's bridegroom asked.

Dean wasn't sure. In the pitch blackness, he couldn't tell.

"Close them, because I'm going to kiss you now." Dean closed his eyes tightly and felt a firm hand on his cheek, turning his head slightly. A heartbeat later, lips met his in a kiss that radiated heat throughout Dean's entire body. Hands caressed his chest, and for the first time in his life, Dean knew what love felt like.

With kisses and touches the two lovers got to know one another through the night. When he grew bold enough, Dean even touched the softly feathered wings he knew his lover possessed. Dean found he liked to tug at the feathers, and that this seemed to please his lover. Yet kisses, hungry touches, and feather play alone would not satisfy them all night. When the time was right, Dean allowed his lover into the most vulnerable part of himself, and thus the marriage was consummated.

To be continued...

Adult Film Review: 'Satyr' Starring Jenna Jameson and Asia Carrera

Author's Note: I wrote this movie review in 2008. It originally appeared in the online magazine Lucrezia, which is now defunct. - Erin O'Riordan 

Satyr, directed by Michael Zen in 1997, opens with the following definitions:

     “sa-tyr, n. 1. in Mythology, a woodland deity represented as a man with goat’s legs, ears, and horns.

     2. the very essence of raw sexual desire.”

     Read these two definitions carefully, and it will appear that a word has been left out of the second one.  If a satyr is a man, then shouldn’t he embody the very essence of raw male sexual desire?  The female equivalent of satyr, we are told by Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, is the nymph, a creature that is as beautiful as the satyr is ugly.  In modern English, nymph connotes a young, innocent woman who may be sexually alluring, but isn’t consciously aware of it.  It is a passive kind of sexuality (in contrast to its use in the word nymphomania, a Victorian word for scarily aggressive female sexuality).  This is the paradox of Satyr, a provocative and troubling film: is it reinforcing traditional sex role stereotypes, or subverting them?

     Pablo Picasso understood the particular essence of the satyr myth.  “The Satyr or Faun – half man, half goat, and with a goatish disposition, lustful whenever opportunity presents itself – figures in many of Picasso’s works, often as a substitute for the artist himself,” writes the author of the Spaightwood Galleries catalog of Picasso prints.  Look at many of Picasso’s paintings or ceramic works depicting satyrs, and you will notice the aroused man-beast chasing after a nymph or a mortal woman, who flees in terror.  Indeed, among the Classical satyrs is the god Pan, from whose name derives the word “panic.”  Of course these women panicked at being pursued by satyrs; they were the unwilling victims of unbridled male sexual aggression.  In other words, they were threatened with rape.

Fangspiel (Faun and Nymph) by Franz von Stuck. Public domain image. 

  For this reason, the concept of “satyr” will be problematic for some women (and men) who watch this film.  For some, it may represent a justification or glorification of sexual assault. 

     Director Michael Zen and screenwriter Ravin Touchstone have tried to subvert the satyr myth by opening it to include women as well as men.  Dr. Isabelle Jade, played by Asia Carrera, is herself a satyr, and certainly not a helpless, passive nymph.  Dr. Jade has discovered a way to turn human beings into half-human, half-animals (sort of a porn equivalent of the “mad scientist”  in H. G. Wells’ classic novel The Island of Dr. Moreau).  She sees herself as an amoral superwoman.  In the character’s own words, “We’re more than human, less than gods.  We rut like animals.  No feelings, no emotions.”

     But even as this film gives one woman the ultimate power and control, other women play more traditionally feminine roles.  This is true of Dr. Jade’s servant Sophie (played by Missy), a satyr who acts like a nymph.  She is constantly being “put in her place,” denying her instincts and suppressing her knowledge to serve others.  In one scene, Dr. Jade carries out a sadistic sexual punishment for Sophie after Sophie has spoken up out of turn.  Sophie must wear an anal plug which sprouts hair resembling the mane of a horse.  Thus, she calls to mind both the half-horse centaurs of Classical mythology, and “pony play” erotica (familiar to readers of A. N. Roquelaure; you can also find an extensive list of related websites at http://www.ponyplaylinks.com/). 

     Sophie’s response to this “punishment” is one of pleasure rather than pain, however.  She seems to enjoy playing the bottom in her BDSM relationship with Dr. Jade.  The question of whether Sophie is the victim of an assault or a willing participant in a controlled, pleasurable activity is left to the viewer.

Asia Carrera. Creative Commons image by Tabercil. Cropped. 

     Sophie is not the only female character to experience sexual domination, however.  The film’s heroine is Fawn Deering, played by Jenna Jameson.  Fawn is a naive college student who seeks out Dr. Jade while researching a paper on “animal mythology and human sexuality.”  One of Dr. Jade’s two male companions, Adam (Brad Armstrong), is attracted to Fawn.  He invites her to a party, a bacchanal.  (“Bacchanal” has come to mean a drunken party, but it originally referred to the worship of Bacchus, or Dionysus, the Roman/Greek god of wine and king of all satyrs.)  Reluctantly, Fawn agrees to come.  She almost seems to be drawn there, irresistibly, against her will.

Jenna Jameson. Public domain image by PETA.

      At the bacchanal, Adam offers Fawn a drink which, he assures her, is not alcohol.  She drinks it and loses her memory and her inhibitions.  Within moments, she is agreeing to a threesome with Adam and with Dr. Jade’s other man, Daniel (Mickey G.).  In the morning, Fawn feels ill, thinks she has gotten drunk the night before, and vaguely remembers having sex with Adam, but not Daniel.  This scene reads just like an account of a woman who was given a drug such as Rohypnol or GHB and raped.  Although she seemed to enjoy the experience at the time, Fawn is unhappy with the after-effects the next morning.  Adam encourages her to think of the after-effects as “what happens to everyone when they fall in love.”

     Thus far, the depiction of emotionless, animal-like sexuality that Satyr presents is not an encouraging one.  It suggests that unless you are the alpha female, your sexuality will be used and possibly abused.  Males, meanwhile, seem to be immune from any punishments or consequences.  There is, however, room in this film for genuine caring and honesty to triumph over Dr. Jade’s dark vision of the sexual landscape.  In the end, Satyr redeems itself. 

     The ending, however, may not be enough for some viewers to overcome the negatives it implies.  Some may also be troubled by the ethnic stereotyping – Asia Carrera is costumed to resemble the “Dragon Ladies” played by Anna May Wong in the films of the 1930s, to go along with her ruthless personality.

Anna May Wong, photographed by Carl Van Vechten. Public domain image. 

     Other viewers, however, may find that Satyr simply allows its male and female characters to express a full range of sexual choices, including dominance and submission.  Its characters’ openness to the animal nature of human sexuality could be seen as liberating.  The characters are so close to the animal world, in fact, that they refuse to eat meat.  When Fawn asks for bacon and eggs at breakfast, she is instead served a fig.  Figs are a recurring motif in Satyr.  When we are introduced to Sophie, for example, she is pulling open and sucking at the pulp of a fresh fig while masturbating.  The fig’s insides bear a resemblance to the vagina; thus it has a long association as a symbol for womanhood.  The fig tree as nourisher and sustainer has long been a symbol for the mother-goddess as well.

     Disturbing on some levels, enlightening on others, Satyr is a complex and intriguing work of adult sexual entertainment.  DVD Avenue subscribers can find it under the Straight adult film category and judge for themselves.

(Note: the DVD Avenue website for renting DVDs is no longer in business.) 

Sources

Berkinow, Louise.  “Women, Race and Movies.”  The American Women’s Almanac: An Inspiring and Irreverent Women’s History.  NewYork: Berkeley Books, 1997. 

“Dragon Lady (Stereotype).”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Lady_%28stereotype%29.  Accessed July 22, 2008. 

Hamilton, Edith.  Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes.  NewYork: The New American Library (Mentor Books). 

“Pablo Picasso: Satyrs and Fauns.”  http://spaightwoodgalleries.com/Pages/Picasso_Satyrs.html.  Accessed July 22, 2008. 

Walker, Barbara G.  “Fig.”  The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.  San Francisco: Harper + Row, 1983.

This is an affiliate link:

All In: 25 Erotic Stories by Emily Cantore. $4.99 from Smashwords.com
25 erotic short stories from the hot and bothered mind of Emily Cantore! To buy individually would cost a bundle! More than 130,000 words of first-time lesbians, threesomes, girls experimenting, sex toys and much more. Guaranteed to warm you up and get your mind racing!

The Loki in Lughnasa

A few weeks ago, when Tom Hiddleston's erotic reading of Tennessee Williams' The Seven Descents of Myrtle came up in a prostitution-related post, I mentioned Hiddleston-portrayed Marvel Comics character Loki. The Norse god Loki, I said, sometimes has female characteristics, and is the mother of several offspring.

I got curious about the details of this story, so I turned to my trusty Hamilton's Mythology. It mentioned Loki's part in the death of the beloved god Balder, but says nothing of his children. I then turned to Myths and Folklore by Henry I. Christ, which is the textbook from which I studied mythology as a high school freshman and sophomore, ages ago. It, too, was of limited usefulness. It said, "Although handsome, he was fickle and unreliable. His three offspring were the wolf Fenris, the Midgard serpent, and Hela, or Death." 


Hela is often depicted as half alive and half dead. Hela is the death-goddess, an equivalent of Persephone and Kali. Her Celtic equivalent was Scotia, or Scatha, and Scotland was named after her. Also referred to as Skald in Norse mythology, she had to be appeased with the yearly blood sacrifice of a hero. 

I said Loki is the mother of this weird little brood, but Encyclopedia Mythica says Loki is the father and that their mother is the giantess Angrboda, Loki's mistress. Loki was the mother of the eight-legged colt Sleipnir; he took the form of a mare to distract the stallion Svadilfari, which belonged to a giant who opposed the gods. In doing so, Loki saved Freya from having to marry the giant. 


Then I went to Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Walker writes, "Like many of the oldest gods, Loki was bisexual [in the sense that he was sometimes a male and sometimes a female]. He even succeeded in becoming a mother, though only after he swallowed a woman's heart to acquire the power of birth-giving...Loki's offspring was the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, spirit of death, a symbol of the gallows tree on which Odin rode." 

Walker notes that Loki was sometimes identified as "Logi," or "flame." She associates Loki-as-Logi with Lug (or Lugh), the Celtic god of fire, who was celebrated at Lughnasa/Lughnasadh (Lug's games) on August 1st. Hey, that's tomorrow!


Lug, it seems, is an Irish version of the annually dying and returning god. He's the son of Dagda (the great Irish father-god, equivalent to Odin), but also a reincarnation of Dagda. His mother/lover throughout the incarnation cycle is Tailltiu, the earth-goddess. At her eponymous Irish city, Taillten, the annual fair resulted in temporary marriages that lasted a year and a day. Lughnasa is reminiscent of Beltane - a cross-quarter holiday (the halfway point between a solstice and an equinox) at which a stage of the harvest is celebrated with symbolic acts of human fertility - i.e. sex, and not necessarily with one's usual partner. 

However you celebrate Lughnasa - bread and blueberries are traditional symbols of this stage of the Northern Hemisphere's harvest season - have a great one!