Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 61

 Zeus

According to ancient Greek mythology, Zeus led the gods of Mount Olympus in a battle with a bunch of earlier gods called Titans.  The Titans were defeated and fell into the underworld where they were banished.  Above, The Fall of the Titans by Cornelis van Haarlem c.1588 depicts the Titans falling, and interestingly, they're all naked males.

Zeus then became the king of the gods.  He was also the god of thunder.  The bronze statue above, c. 460 BC, depicts either Zeus wielding a thunderbolt or the god Poseidon wielding a trident – nobody is sure which.

This statuette from the 5th century BC shows Zeus wielding a thunderbolt.  Note that this ancient Greek representation of a thunderbolt is spindle-shaped, not a jagged line like a bolt of lightning.

A Roman statue of Jupiter with a thunderbolt, 2nd-3rd century AD.  The Romans identified their god Jupiter with the Greek god Zeus.

A statue of Jupiter c. 150 AD, in the Louvre, Paris, holding a thunderbolt in his right hand.  His upraised left hand probably held a scepter, now broken off, to show his kingship.  Zeus/Jupiter was also identified with the eagle.  Any time you see a Greek or Roman statue with an eagle, it's Zeus or Jupiter.

Jupiter Tonans (Jupiter the Thunderer), 1st century AD, in the National Museum in Warsaw.  The thing that looks like a sponge in his right hand is probably a thunderbolt.

Zeus, a Roman (175-200 AD) copy of a Greek original (350-300 BC).  Again, his right hand holds a thunderbolt, and the thing in his left hand that looks like an ice cream cone is probably part of a royal scepter.

A Roman statue of Jupiter/Zeus copied from a Greek original, in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.  The eagle shows that it's Zeus, and what looks like a bar of soap in his right hand might be part of a thunderbolt.

There are many, many myths involving Zeus.  Previously, we looked at the myth of Zeus and Ganymede, shown on this Greek dish from 460 BC.  Ganymede, at right, was a beautiful mortal youth whom Zeus brought to Mount Olympus to serve forever as his cupbearer and his toy boy.  Yes, Zeus was bisexual.

We end with this modern painting of Zeus with an organ in a state not seen in the ancient artworks but implied by all the stories of Zeus fathering children by a bevy of women as well as being Ganymede's sugar daddy.

To quote the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes: "Open your mouth and shut your eyes and see what Zeus will send you."

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 70

 Portland, Oregon 2018

My friend Rick (see his blog Sicko Ricko's Crap) recently made a comment on my blog mentioning the World Naked Bike Ride in Portland, where Rick lives.  I realized that I've never featured the Portland WNBR.  So today, we're entering Portland.

These photos are from the 2018 WNBR in Portland.  Riders gathered in Cathedral Park under the impressive St Johns Bridge that spans the Willamette River.

More riders gathering in the park.

Another rider in the park.  Rick, I know you appreciate rear views, so I've included some for you.

Then the ride began.

The route went uphill, slowing the riders down.

Some local youths at the side of the road taking in the event.

Still going uphill.  Riding the bikes ...

became walking the bikes ...

which became a traffic jam going up the hill.  But they all made it.

We end with some good advice: keep calm and love a dog (note the doggy passenger on the bike).

Testicular Self-Check

 Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.  Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer for men age 15 to 35, but the cure rate is excellent (98%) if it is detected early, which is the reason to do a monthly self-check.

On the 15th of every month, my friend Pat reminds the readers of his blog Big Whack Attack to check their balls. (And you'll find lots of other good stuff on his blog, too.)  Thanks, Pat!

But how exactly should you check your balls?

Unfortunately, the U.S. is so prudish about the naked body that public information on this subject doesn't actually show testicles.  For example, the illustration above is from the website of the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation, substituting a different kind of nuts in their photos.

Luckily, the British are not so prudish.  Above is part of a British YouTube video showing exactly how to do the self-check (it's easy, as you'll see).

April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day

In San Francisco, April 1 is the date of the annual St. Stupid's Day parade, sponsored by the First Church of the Last Laugh.  The event celebrates everything stupid.  People wear stupid costumes and carry stupid signs.  Being San Francisco, there are always a few naked guys.

Above, one of the naked participants in the 2009 parade, wearing a birthday cake hat, waits in Embarcadero Plaza where people gather for the parade to start.

Another 2009 participant is wearing body paint but nothing else.

This one has a pig nose.

This one is putting on a performance, swinging weights around.

The parade stops at six Stations of Stupid, a parody of the Catholic Stations of the Cross.  The first Station of Stupid is the Federal Reserve building, where parade goers bless the Fed by throwing away their losing lottery tickets (above).

Then parade-goers head for the next station (above).  The naked guy wearing a bowler hat is a regular, appearing in each annual St. Stupid's Day parade.

The second Station of Stupid, above, is the Tomb of Saint Stupid.  It's actually a utility door at an office building at 101 California Street.  Above, we see Bishop Joey (real name Ed Holmes) who founded the First Church of the Last Laugh.  He's at center, wearing his bishop's hat and banging on a drum.  Someone knocks on the door of the Tomb (the utility door below the bishop) to see if St. Stupid is there.  Of course nobody ever answers.  The bishop then says "I guess we missed him; he must be out to lunch."

The third Station of Stupid is the Mechanics Monument, above, which the bishop calls the Statue of the Bare Butt Mechanics (which it is).

Above, a bare butt parade participant seems to be wiping the ass of one of the bare butt mechanics.

At this station, the bishop asks the parade-goers to take a "leap of faith", i.e. everybody jumps up in the air a few inches.

The fourth Station of Stupid is the Sunken Plaza of Slack, a.k.a. One Bush Plaza, where parade-goers get to sit down and rest.

The fifth Station of Stupid is the former Pacific Stock Exchange building.  Parade-goers bring socks and throw them up in the air (above) – that's their sock exchange.

The last Station of Stupid is this modern sculpture in front of the former Bank of America building, which the bishop calls the Banker's Black Heart.  Parade-goers toss pennies at the Banker's Black Heart.

Then the parade is over until next year.

Estonian Photos - Part 26

 Estonian Photos

We continue our series of photos from the Tartu Ülikooli museum of anthropology in Estonia.

For those who haven't seen my previous posts in this series, a few words of explanation.  The museum provides no information about the men, other than the photos came from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tartu.  In particular, it does not say who these men are, or when or why the photos were taken.

My best guess is that they are military recruits.  The very short haircuts suggest that these photos were taken during or shortly after the enlistment process.

Many of the men have dark faces and hands.  Are they are tanned from working outside like farmers, or are they dirty from some dirty occupation?  We don't know.

When were the photos taken?  My assumption has been between World War I and World War II, when Estonia was an independent country with its own military.  Before WWI, Estonia was part of the Russian Empire, and after WWII, Estonia was part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

A clue to the time frame is that these photographs were made on glass plates, not film.  Dry glass-plate photography started in 1871 and began to fall out of use in the 1920s.  I found some references to it in Estonia through the 1930s.

One other clue to the time frame of these photos is that in a previous batch, one of the men is wearing a wristwatch.   Wristwatches were considered to be for ladies before World War I.  (Men used pocket watches.)  However, during the war, wristwatches proved very useful for soldiers and pilots.  After WWI, wristwatches came into fashion for men.

Although wristwatches were evidently rare in Estonia (only two men wore a wristwatch among the hundreds that were photographed), it suggests that these photos are post-World War I.

Since the use of glass plates fell out of use in the 1920s, I think the photos were most likely taken shortly after World War I.

Although these appear to be military recruits, these may not not be military photos.  We know that the museum that currently has the photos got them from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tartu.  If these are military photos, why would they end up at the Institute of Anatomy?

A more likely possibility is that the photos were taken by academics.  Scientists at the Institute of Anatomy were doing studies to try to measure what they considered racial characteristics of the population by measuring the body, including phrenology (measuring the skull), ideas which are now discredited.

I think that the scientists at the Institute of Anatomy may have persuaded the military to let them take photographs of the naked new recruits for "research" purposes.  I have no written evidence to support this idea, but since the photos were at the Institute of Anatomy, and the photo subjects appear to be military recruits, it's now my best guess as to what happened.

One other question that perennially arises from these photos is: why were the men photographed in pairs?  Was it to save film?

The answer is that these photos were made on glass plates, not film, but glass plates were more expensive and involved more labor than film, so yes, it's likely that the men were photographed in pairs to save on glass plates.

So, bottom line: My best guess is that these photos were taken after World War I, the subjects are new or recent Army recruits, and the Estonian military allowed scientists from the Institute of Anatomy to take photos of the naked recruits for "research".

Olympics - Part 15b

2020 Tokyo Olympics, part 2 of 2

Spanish karate competitor Damian Quintero won a silver medal in 2020.

Did you know that skateboarding was an Olympic sport?  It was added as an Olympic event in 2020.  This is American skateboard competitor Nyjah Huston.

British diver Noah Williams competed in 2020 and won silver in 2024.

French diver Alexis Jandard.

German diver Timo Barthel having a slight wardrobe malfunction.

We end with Italian rower Andrea Panizza after he just got out of the shower.