My Myth of Nycteris

Myth of Nycteris (or Nychteris):

Nycteris was an underworld nymph, daughter of Proserpina and Jupiter (desgised as Dis Pater), sister to Melinoë. Like her sister before her, Jupiter visited and seduced Properpina, getting her pregnant. Nycteris was born near the mouth of Styx. As a child, she would climb the leafless dead trees of the underworld, which she got the nickname Chiroptera. She was also a rather rambunctious child.

When she was twenty-three, Nycteris one day went to the world of the living out of ceriousity, where, when she was wandering in the countryside of Heraclea, she came upon a strawberry farm. She also saw an apple tree and took pleasure in eating the fruit she picked from the farm. The farmer liked Nycteris, he even gave her seeds to grow her own grove of grapevines and strawberry bushes, which was located near Nola. She had black long hair, black toga (it was white, but dyed it black with the use of plants), had blue eyes in appearance. She also dabbed black paint on her lips and over her eye lids, much like Nox.

Nycteris also took pleasure in drinking wine, she loved the taste it had of the delightful fruits, such as grapes. Her sister Melinoë, wondered why Nycteris has not come back to the underworld, "Where are you Nycteris?" When summer came the next year, Proserpina found Nycteris sitting near the Pastena Caves, eating barries, eating strawberries and getting drunk off of wine. Proserpina asked, "what are you doing here my child?" Nycteris replied in a drunken state, "I...I...li...like it he... *burp* here."

Proserpina looked puzzled saying, "please come home where you belong." Nycteris replied, "No, I like it here, so much better than the underworld, I like these bats here." Proserpina did not want to deal with Nycteris at this point, she just left her with Nycteris' bat companions. One day, Nycteris came to a blood sacrifice ritual to Bacchus. She took the chalice of blood, which she mistaken for wine, that in itself was an offense to the god.

Proserpina overlooked Nycteris, saying under her breath, "I told you to come back." Bacchus came down from Olympus and stared at Nycteris, which she dropped the chalice in fright. "How dare you defile, this sacrifice? Nymph!" Bacchus said angerly. "I did not know" said Nycteris, "I am sorry." Bacchus said to her, "What shall I do with you?"

Nycteris, wondering what to say, decided to negociate with the god, "What about a drinking contest?" said Nycteris with a worried look. Bacchus, looked at her as if she was crazy, but he eagrly accepted. "If you win, you will not be punished, but if I win, you will no longer be a nymph." "What would you turn me into?" asked Nycteris. Bacchus said, "That is for I, Bacchus to know and for you to find out."

So then, the sacrifice turned into a drinking duel. Big jugs of wine were brought out, which came from the best wine makers in Rome, made with best grapes with a hint of nectar. Nycteris on one side of the table and Bacchus on the other. Nycteris thought of herself as ambitious towards the god, as Nycteris did not get drunk that quickly. Drinking at equal rates, the contest began. Bacchus' drinking represented six separate contests between mortals and the gods in which the gods punished mortals for setting themselves as equals of the gods. Nycteris' drinking depicted ways that the gods had misled and abused mortals, particularly Mercury, who helped thieves escape when they stole things.

The contest last for hours, Bacchus, said to her smirking, "Are you still sober child?" Nycteris said with a burp, "I am starting to feel the affects of drunknees. I think I give up." Bacchus, on his 54th drink, "So I, Bacchus, Son of Jupiter and Semele, win then?" Nycteris, looking humilliated said "Yes, Bacchus, you win, I have seen the error of my ways in challenging such a God, the God of Wine no less." Bacchus, smiling said to her, laughing, "No, I knew you were trying to be equal to me, that is an act of hubris."

Nycteris, humilliated, fled, she seeked refuge in her bat cave (Pastena Caves) as a means of hiding. Bacchus knew where she was, and with laughter, poured wine on Nycteris with a potion in it, metamorphosing Nycteris into a fruit bat, where she was then flying in the cave and around Latium for all eternity.