Out of the Drink, Into the Wild is hosting its first ever Agon! For those who don’t know, an agon in ancient Greece was a festival in which many participants would come to compete for a prize, such as the Olympic Games or the playwriting competitions from which we got The Bacchae.
OotD, ItW has been on the web for two years now! Or, it will be two years on December 6th. As this page has primarily always (I certainly have strayed occassionally) been equal parts devotional journal and online shrine space for Dionysos, I thought it best to honor Him for this anniversary. So let’s have an agon of the arts; come and bring your best poetry, your best hymns and dithryambs, your best paintings, garments, sketches, clay work, play scripts, perfumes! Create a work of art in honor of Dionysos!
The contest rules are as follows:
1) This is not a tumblr giveaway, no amount of likes or reblogs will win you anything or up your chances of winning. This is a proper contest, and you must submit art in a format of your choosing, in honor of Dionysos.
2) All works must be ORIGINAL works of your own. Plagiarism is STRICTLY prohibited. You may not submit works of art, poetry, or essays created before the commencement of this contest. The official commencement for this contest is Wed, Nov 27 2013/23 Maimakterión 1.698. The contest will end one Gregorian month later, on December 27 2013/24 Poseideon 1.698.
3) By submitting a work you consent to it being posted on this blog, a part of the agon is that the works are meant for the community to share!
Note: you may ask to remain anonymous when your work is posted, alternatively, you ought to give me all relevant names and links you would like me to list for you.4) Entries will be submitted via email. You can email your entry to outofthedrink@gmail.com with the subject line “Agon for Dionysos (Dionysus) 2013”. This ensures you can message me at your leisure, and I have an email with which to contact the winner. Do not submit an entry to the “Submit to Big D” submission link here on OotD, ItW, or reblog this with a submission. You may feel free to reblog this or spread the word as much as you like otherwise.
5) You are not required to be a devotee of Dionysos or a Hellenic polytheist to participate, however the prize is geared towards those who would seek to honor Dionysos. When you submit your entry, please include a brief explanation of either your relationship with Dionysos or your reason for wanting to participate.
Examples:
I am a devotee of Dionysus.
I am just beginning to work with Dionysos.
I worship the Roman Bacchus.
I don’t have a particular relationship with Dionysos, but am a Hellenic Polytheist, and would like to honor Him.
I would like to acquire the prize as a gift for a Hellenic polytheist friend of mine.
I don’t want the prize, I just wanted to honor Dionysos/felt inspired/etc.
6) One winner will be chosen via divination/ communion with Dionysos. My personal opinion will not factor into this at all.
7) By making a submission you are agreeing upon your honor and your word that in the event of winning you will honor Dionysos with, at minimum, a libation of water, honey, or wine in a timely and respectful manner.
8) I am not responsible for the mail and customs sytem of whatever country you may live in. I am based out of the United States. If you know you live in a country with very srict customs control ( such as New Zealand), you enter at your own risk. Once the prize is in the mail system, it is out of my control (I will most likely be purchasing insurance on the package, however).
Now that the rules are out of the way, on to the fun stuff!
What will you win?
In honor of Dionysos Meilikhios (gentle, kindly, honey-sweet) I have created a one of a kind kyphi incense blend, which, like Dionysos Himself, is comprised of many elements and has gone through many incarnations. I’m calling this incense BloodHoney.
It is made out of figs and raisins soaked in red wine, boiled in honey, and then soaked again. This was allowed to meld together for one month. Next it was mixed with finely ground frankincense, benzoin, styrax, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cassia, then boiled in white wine. This was allowed to dry on its own for four months. Lastly, the kyphi was rolled in more frankincense, benzoin, honeyed amber, and myrrh before being rolled into portions to dry one last time. When all is said and done, it will have gone through three incarnations, like the Orphic Dionysos’ births, and six months of drying.
BloodHoney has been a labor of love, and an absolute pleasure to work on. The smell is heavenly. It is currently still drying, but pictures will come soon. This is why there are so many rules for this contest. I want this labor of love to go to hands that will appreciate the product, and give it up as an offering to Dionysos or use in their work or worship of/with Him as it was intended.
That’s everything! You have one month, should you choose, to create art in the name of Dionysos!
Remember: email your submissions with the subject line
“Agon for Dionysos 2013” to
outofthedrink@gmail.com
Thank you all and good luck!