**The Seven Deadly Sins:**
The above are the gruesome interpretations of Paul Cadmus’ The Seven Deadly Sins. They have become iconic and to my eyes, they are fascinating to look at.
> Wikipedia: Between 1945 and 1949, the American painter Paul Cadmus created a series of vivid, powerful, and gruesome paintings of each of the seven deadly sins.
The sins are a staple of modern mythology. Seen in various anime like Full Metal Alchemist or the similarly named Seven Deadly Sins, they have influenced a lot of stories. As I was researching them I found out that initially they were more, 8 in total:
[From Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins#Greco-Roman_antecedents):
Origin of the currently recognized Seven Deadly Sins. The modern concept of the seven deadly sins is linked to the works of the fourth-century monk Evagrius Ponticus, who listed eight evil thoughts in Greek as follows:
1. Γαστριμαργία (gastrimargia) gluttony
2. Πορνεία (porneia) prostitution, fornication
3. Φιλαργυρία (philargyria) avarice
4. Ὑπερηφανία (hyperēphania) pride
5. Λύπη (lypē) sadness / envy
6. Ὀργή (orgē) wrath
7. Κενοδοξία (kenodoxia) boasting
8. Ἀκηδία (akēdia) acedia / dejection
We can see how Kenodoxia can easily be folded into Pride and end up with the seven sins we are familiar with.
Initially, I wanted to go with the Greek names for the characters. Naturally that was my first impulse. But they ended up being unwieldy in the English text, so I decided to go with the Latin names:
1. Gula (gluttony)
2. Luxuria/Fornicatio (lust, fornication)
3. Avaritia (avarice/greed)
4. Superbia (pride, hubris)
5. Tristitia (sorrow/despair/despondency)
6. Ira (wrath)
7. Vanagloria (vainglory)
8. Acedia (sloth)
I folded Vanagloria into Pride and chose the sin of Envy in the place of Tristitia, ending up with:
1. Luxuria / Lust
2. Gula / Gluttony
3. Avaritia / Greed
4. Acedia / Sloth
5. Ira / Wrath
6. Invidia / Envy
7. Superbia / Pride
These are the seven divine meanies that will crash into Horace’s life and upend it completely.
[The book 7 Deadly Roommates is available here](https://meangods.com/7-deadly-roommates/)
I’m not sure how well this story will be received, but I want to believe that it is much deeper in meaning than what its naughty surface shows. It’s a story about finding your way in life, about love, about lust, greed, all those nasty emotions one feels along the way.
[Start Reading Mean Gods.](https://meangods.com/7-deadly-roommates/)
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