An Olympian Dream
© Virginia Marin
Hidden in an enchanted forest in the virtual Scottish Highlands is Dubh_Sidhe's Faerie Garden. For as far as the eye can see to the horizon, the hills are covered with lavender and heather and small yellow and purple wild flowers, bowing gracefully in the breeze as if giving homage to the faerie queen, Boadicia.
For much of the year, the sun remains at its zenith, giving warmth and sunlight to the garden where flowers are in perpetual bloom, and butterflies play tag with the bumble bees.
Here - our entrance is through this gate, and just beyond is Elderberry Cottage, which serves as the garden's pottingshed, but it is also decorated for comfort, and contains furniture that the fae's cousins, the gnomes, made. The children will be gathering here soon for story time. Let's go inside...
Just as I opened the door, a great north wind roared by and blew us off our feet. Tumbling back down the path, we both bumped head first into the gate and lay there as if sleeping...
...Entering a door that faced northeast, we found ourselves in a sun-dappled garden atrium. White gauze-like panels gently swayed in a warm breeze and we were met by the fragrance of a most pleasant potpourri, made from a mixture of cedar chips, tansy, southernwood, rosemary and other sweet-smelling herbs. The potpourri rested in elegant Grecian bowls that depicted scenes found in Greek mythology.
On a large pedestal in the center of the room was a bust of Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods and god of justice. The floor was stenciled with representations of Greek gods and goddesses, and, circling the atrium, pristine white columns stood at attention like a file formation of troops. At a south entrance to the atrium was another pedestal, this one boasting an elegant depiction of Hera, daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Upon marrying her Olympian brother, Zeus, Hera had become a jealous queen of the gods with much of her time spent giving punishment to those who showed too much affection to Zeus.
Between two columns, and in the clouds, I spied Zeus sitting on his throne in Mt. Olympus, holding his daily court. From this 98,000-foot high mountain within the confines of Macedonia and Thessaly he ruled, wielding thunderbolts against his enemies.
On this day, two of his perceived enemies were Calisto and Arcas. Calisto was an Arcadian Nymph whom Zeus metamorphosed, right before my very eyes, into a she-bear for punishment. Arcas, her son, was converted into a he-bear, and both were placed in the heavens where they would be recognized forever as the Great Bear and the Little Bear which form the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper...
