Who am I?

Sensitive themes: Violence, Mental Health

Who am I?

I’m a monster. I’m grotesque. I am, in equal measure, an alluring woman and a venomous snake, coiled and ready to strike. I surreptitiously draw men in by exposing my exquisiteness while simultaneously masking my repulsiveness. Then I attack. My poisonous venom oozes through their veins, seeps into their brains, and drives them to the brink of insanity. I slowly, but systematically destroy them. They call me Echnidia.

Whoa. Though one or two of my exes might beg to differ, I’m pretty sure that’s not who I am. So, who am I?

I’m beautiful, passionate, and singularly absorbed with giving and receiving pleasure. My long blond hair flows down my back. My bright blue eyes gaze longingly deep into your soul. My smile illuminates. I am love personified. I have so much love I simply can’t contain it all to give it to just one person. I must share it with wild and reckless abandon. They call me Aphrodite.

That doesn’t sound too bad...until you get to that promiscuous and duplicitous part at the end there. That’s definitely not me. So, who am I?

I am the night. I am all the negative forces you fear but cannot see. I am a black-robed goddess in the night. My black aura haunts you. You can’t escape me. I will destroy you. You won’t see me coming. Men fear displeasing me for it will not end well for them. I have produced offspring of doom, destruction, death, blame, pain, distress, retribution, indignation, deceit, old age, and strife. They call me Nyx.

Do I have a dark side? Sure. But this dark? I don’t think so. So, who am I?

I am divine light. I can grant the ability to see ghosts and spirits and am gifted with clairvoyance. Beams of light from my eyes allow others to see their destinies. I am the radiance that is found in precious metals and gems. Because of me, mankind has the gift of sight. My gift of these powerful tools is my endowment to mankind. They call me Theia.

Radiance? Divine light? Clairvoyance? No. Not me at all. Not even a little bit. So, who am I?

I am ruthless and cut-throat. I will never forgive you or your crimes and injustices toward me. And I will make you suffer. You think you’re punishing me? You don’t yet know what punishment looks like. And when I’m done, I will never think about you again – not for a second. I will reach the pinnacle of indifference. Because you will no longer matter. Not in the slightest. They call me Anaidei.

While sometimes people do just need to exit stage right from your life, that’s a tad overly dramatic and certainly not me. So, who am I?

I am filled with mercy, pity, clemency, and compassion. My heart is too big to contain within my chest. I will always forgive you. I love all humanity. Even the worst of it. Every human deserves compassion and understanding. I will shelter any human finding themself in a storm. They call me Eleos.

Well, that sounds awfully saccharin. Definitely not me. So, who am I?

I’m a fool. An ignoramus. I’m gifted with afterthoughts and excuses to dismiss all my episodes of imprudence and ineptitude. My shortsighted, ill-advised decisions and actions can unleash a whole Pandora’s box of nightmares on humanity. They call me Epimetheus.

Inner thoughts, every single day: ‘I’m such an idiot.’ But definitely not to the Pandora level. So, who am I?

I have practically magical cunning, wisdom, planning, and counsel. I always know the right approach and the best course of action in any situation. I’m a thinker. A problem solver. If you don’t know what to do, you can always come to me for sound advice you can rely upon. They call me Metis.

While I am reasonably good at giving sound advice to others, I’m patently terrible at advising myself, or heeding said advice. So, who am I?

I am crafty and devious. I will engage in trickery and cunning deception to get you to believe whatever it is I want you to believe and do whatever it is I want you to do. I’m toxic, draining, and dangerous to everyone around me. Are you watching your back? You ought to be. They call me Dolos.

To be fair, office politics can turn you into someone even you don’t recognize some days, but I’m not nearly this abhorrent. So, who am I?

My virtue is impeccable. I personify all that is good and valiant. I will always help you if you need a hand and will do it with a cheerful demeanor and a smile. I will nurture you and positively reinforce you all day long. I will dismiss all your insecurities and boost your confidence. They call me Arete.

Well, that’s awfully…aspirational. And so not me. So, who am I?

I am prideful, impetuous, and rash. I will act in a heartbeat when I feel it’s warranted. You don’t know what I’ll do next. But you do know it will be in my best interests and mine alone. I honestly don’t care how that makes you or anyone feel. My motto is Vive Tibe. They call me Menoetius.

It’s such a complicated world, sometimes demanding nothing more than self-preservation. But still, I’d like to think I’m better than this. So, who am I?

I want nothing more than a truce and an end to all hostilities. Stop the wars. Stop the bombs. Stop the shootings. Stop the kidnapping, the hostage-taking, and all the other human rights injustices. They call me Ececheiria.

Agreed. Why can’t we all just get along?

So, who am I? I can’t tell you. Because I don’t know. Or maybe I do know, but I can’t say it, because I don’t want you to know.

I am all the gods. I’m none of the gods. I’m a human being. I’m an enigma.