America Peals

I am a fan of True Blood. During this season, the sultry town of Bon Temps became a Bacchanalian romper room. The culprit: a Maenad.

In Greek Mythology the maenads were licentious devotees of Dionysus. Inspired by said god, the maenads were known to devolve into maniacal entities engaging in wild dalliances, swallowing plentiful libations and eating the raw organs of animals and men.

From the bountiful Wikipedia:

The goal was to achieve a state of enthusiasm in which the celebrants’ souls were temporarily freed from their earthly bodies and were able to commune with Bacchus/Dionysus and gain a glimpse of and a preparation for what they would someday experience in eternity. The rite climaxed in a performance of frenzied feats of strength and madness, such as uprooting trees, tearing a bull (the symbol of Dionysus) apart with their bare hands, an act called sparagmos, and eating its flesh raw, an act called omophagia.

I bring up the maenad because in the soul of every CrossFitter lurks a complete devotion to Bacchus (Roman mythology)/ Dionysus (Greek mythology). I could wax poetically about the Illiad or even Dan Simmon’s science fiction rendition, Illium, however, I will taker greater delight in sharing a photo essay of the CFNE at play.

Interpret at will.

First, a winsome virgin whose biceps launched a thousand ships. This lithe creature was small in frame, mighty in power:

Next, our play introduces Zeus, holding the ankles of a mere mortal, encouraging her to drink of libations:

An Army General loved by many, egregiously displaying his Achilles’s heel:

Your scribe on the arm of  Spartan warrior dressed to the nines:

And, the nectar of the CrossFit gods: