Poem

^{a mythological poetic story inspired by the Minoan religion and their sacred rites}

Black snakes coil down The Priestess’ arms,
and like fine silk in steady wind, slither upon
a stone pillar etched in Linear A,
where they entwine like DNA
alongside offerings of bull’s blood, honey, and olive oil.
All falls silent, between sky and soil.

It is then that The Priestess and her procession make a plea
to The Snake Goddess:

Hail, A-ta-no-dju-wa-ja,
Goddess of Fertility!
Bless this union as sacred as sea:
one a celebrated bull-leaper,
the other an adept healer.

May she, the contender of bulls, continue to leap unscathed.
May he, the alchemist of medicine, continue to restore the sick’s fate.
As souls united,
may their love remain requited.
May their children lead bountiful lives,
and may the lineage continue to thrive.

Both bride and groom reach their arms out towards the dual snakes,
and, as if by the Goddess’ decree, they reanimate
and start to coil up their adjacent arms and conjoin at the tails.
The blessing of Atana Potinija is now upon them!
The union shall, through devastation and elation, prevail!

a fresco of a Minoan bride and a groom. It is customary for women to be depicted as pale
and men to be depicted as tan in Minoan frescoes. — a Minoan-fresco-inspired illustration of a Minoan bride and groom by Luisa Donber. It is customary for women to be depicted as pale and men to be depicted as tan in Minoan frescoes.

The three-thousand-year-old pithoi¹,
the ancient ruins in the plateau of Lasithi²,
the crystalline Mediterranean & Aegean seas,
the sacred elder olive trees…
remnants of Krētē³ live within me,
these mortal bones and eternal soul
that intuitively, intrinsically know:
My mother and her mother and hers
have all instilled Minoan wonders
that will forever stir our matrilineage
and revivify each time I honor my heritage.

A bunch of olive trees by the sea — **Photo Credit:** Wikimedia Commons user Palauenc05

Οι πίθοι,
τα αρχαία ερείπια στο Λασίθι,
η κρυστάλλινη Μεσόγειος & το Αιγαίο Πέλαγος,
οι ιερές ελιές…
απομεινάρια της Κρήτης ζουν μέσα μου,
σε αυτά τα κόκαλα και την ψυχή
που γνωρίζουν διαισθητικά:
Η μάνα μου και η μάνα της και η δική της
έχουν ενσταλάξει Μινωικά θαύματα
που θα εμπνέουν για πάντα τη γενεαλογία μας
και αναβιώνουν κάθε φορά που τιμώ την κληρονομία μου.

While I may have acquired generational trauma, I’ve also had a rich culture passed down to me, and for that, I’m infinitely grateful. The aforementioned trauma has made it difficult to connect with my heritage in the traditional sense (i.e., discussing my lineage with my family), but I connect in my owns ways: through poetry, this blog, cooking authentic Cretan cuisine, reimagining ancient clothing, reading/learning about Minoan Crete, writing in my mother tongue, etc. 🇬🇷

large, ancient storage jars used to store and transport liquids and grains ↩︎
Located in Eastern Crete, Lasithi houses ancient sites like the Minoan palace of Zakros and the cave of Trapeza. ↩︎
In Greek, Crete is not pronounced “creet”, it’s pronounced “krEEtee”. ↩︎