31 Comments
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Jordan's avatar

Ah, yes, being born in the season of dead things. We share our birthday tomorrow :)

May the next year bring further insights and uncounted blessings to you.

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Happy early birthday to us!

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Alec Beyer's avatar

So consistently brilliant. Never thought of Medusa as cool until I read this.

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Thank you!

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Craig Nixon's avatar

Happy Birthday Sara!!

I'm not sure if it's today or yesterday, but I put this piece up on my little corner of yr Wonkette too.

Don't feel bad, you're still younger than I am. :)

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Thank you so much, Craig! That is so kind of you!

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NatalyaResists's avatar

You don't need me to tell you, but your hair is gorgeous. Happy Birthday!

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Thank you!

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Zulfa Ishak's avatar

This is brilliant! The concept of emptiness has been hovering over me for a year now, and it’s coming to life this season. Thank you for this, it moved things for me. 🐍

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Oh thank you so much, you know your work means a lot to me so this is a really precious gift from you.

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Zulfa Ishak's avatar

Likewise my friend 🩵🩵

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Kris Jackson's avatar

LOVE THIS, fellow Scorpio! Have you read Circe???? I have not loved a book so hard in so many years.

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kieran's avatar

Gosh this is outstanding even for you. Many happy returns! ❤️

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Thank you Kieran!

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Barbs Honeycutt's avatar

Greek mythology is pure LOVE. (except the r*pe themes). Circe, Pandora, Arachne, Medusa, and the queen of them all, the goddess of spring and the underworld herself. Her magnificence Persephone. If she can symbolise rebirth AND death, so can we. Pretty sure she was a Scorpio too. Happy b-day to us!

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Sparker's avatar

I’m loving the trend of retelling Greek myths to expand them beyond the basic lessons and giving the victims of the gods more depth and agency. Natalie Haynes’s Stone Blind about Medusa was a good one!

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Harris Sockel's avatar

Love this and love you. And HBD!

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Love you and miss you! Thank you so much!

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alana's avatar

Medusa and Scorpios, yes! You've likely already read it, but the audiobook version of Natalie Haynes' _Stone Blind_ (yup, Medusa) is brilliant. Happy, happy birthday.

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Sara Benincasa's avatar

Oh, I have not yet! That sounds lovely, thank you.

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Juliana Finch's avatar

I've always been a Medusa fan, too. And I love that she gave birth (in a way) to a creature like Pegasus who would never be of the sea and could quite literally rise above Poseidon's bullshit. Happy birthday.

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MorganX's avatar

Ooooh, nice.

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Jonathan Cable's avatar

There is a similar character in Greek mythology, Alecto, one of the three Furies. Alecto's job as a Fury is castigating the moral crimes (such as anger) of humans, especially if they are against others.

In 1692, the English composer Henry Purcell composed a wonderful song, "Music for a While." Look at this amazing text by John Dryden from 1679:

Music for a while

Shall all your cares beguile.

Wond'ring how your pains were eas'd

And disdaining to be pleas'd

Till Alecto free the dead

From their eternal bands,

Till the snakes drop from her head,

And the whip from out her hands.

Music for a while

Shall all your cares beguile.

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MorganX's avatar

Yessss, grrrl. YES.

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pan ellington.'s avatar

ah, oh how i feel you! i’ve spent the last 2+ years clearing out all of those similar things such as you and it continues to fill me with so much joy, that feeling of lightness. i happened upon photos yesterday of my space during the pandemic, living with my ex and was struck by how many THINGS, how much NOISE i had in here.

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dalex miller's avatar

Are we bDay twins? 10/25?

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