Goddess of the Week: Sophrosyn

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I have promised Bellis a goddess of tact, and holy cow, there really is one: Sophrosyne, the Greek goddess of discretion.

Remember Pandora?  She's the Greek Eve. The gods made her and sent her down to earth to wreck havoc on men by releasing every bad and good thing into the world.  She was given this box, and she was told, "Whatever you do, don't open this box!"

So she leaves it alone, goes shopping, blah, blah, blah.  She comes home. There is the box.  Now the box has a big bow on it and a big card that says: For Pandora.  But Pandora remembers what she was told: "Don't open this box."

She goes out, comes back.  Now there is a neon sign over the box.  "The coolest thing EVER!  INSIDE!"  But still, she remembers.  She leaves it alone. Later she comes back, now there is the sound of a mewing kitten inside.  And the neon sign says, "ACT NOW!  TWO FOR ONE."

It sounded like a mewing kitten for godsake!  Of course she opened it, and of course she realized it wasn't a kitten.  It was the beginning of every very good and bad thing in the world.  Among the good things, there was Sophrosyne, the goddess of discretion, who said to Pandora, "This might not go well for you, darling, but at least that tunic makes you look very thin."

Sophrosyne reminds us to think before we speak, which is not a strength of mine, but that's all right. Your hair looks fabulous today!

Channel this goddess: When tact and discretion are called for, when you've stuck your foot in your mouth, when you must break unpleasant news or remind your beloved that combovers are so last century.


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