#Greek Retelling

[septemberkisses]

— The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

[namedforvalor]

I am never not thinking about Achilles screaming Hector’s name across the battlefield. Because Paris loved Helen enough to start a war in her name, and Hector loved Paris enough to be the face of that war in his place, and Patroclus loved Achilles enough to die for him, and Achilles loved Patroclus enough to kill a man that he knew would bring his own death. It was a culmination of love and all of it ended in blood.

[tellmeomuse]

And In The Night, I See The Stars

Phaidros is a sailor whose heart belongs more to the sea than any one port, and he’s spent his entire life being blown from place to place. But after being falsely accused of a crime in King Minos’s court, he finds himself locked away in a labyrinth that he may never escape. The halls of Minos’s maze are said to be haunted by a fearsome beast, one that feasts on the flesh of men, but Phaidros quickly learns that what is said is not always what is true — and false accusations may be more common in this kingdom than he’d previously expected.

And In the Night, I See The Stars is a new retelling of an ancient tale that is fully written and currently being serialized on both AO3 and Patreon.

Chapters are posted every Wednesday and Patreon is a week ahead of AO3. There are currently thirteen chapters on AO3 and fourteen on Patreon.

Patreon is also home to:

writer's commentary

in-depth posts about character designs and settings

supplemental scenes that didn't make it into the main story

blogs discussing the historical, mythological, and artistic background that went into the making of this story

If you're curious about all this, why not give the foreword a try? It's called We Must Imagine The Minotaur Loved and it talks about Crete, Athens, the myth of the minotaur, the nature of mythologized history, and why Theseus does not appear in this version of the story.

Anyway, please read AITNISTS on AO3 and Patreon!

I may be biased, but I think it's a really great story. 💜

[neptunesize]

𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓮

a dionysus and ariadne playlist

✦ Bedroom Hymns - Florence and the Machine

✦ Glitter & Gloss - Skott

✦ Fool - Børns

✦ Is Everybody Going Crazy - Nothing but Thieves

and more! listen here!

[thegarden-ofeden]

penelope of ithaca moodboard

greek myths masterlist <- check out other moodboards

[moony-2001]

You know who I’d like to see more stories about? Hecuba, the Queen of Troy. Her story is genuinely so tragic.

She loses her husband, all of her children, and her kingdom/title

She finds out that one of her daughters, Polyxena, was “claimed” by the ghost of Achilles’ as one of his soils of war and she is brutally murdered at his tomb

Her other daughter, Cassandra, is claimed by Agamemnon the asshole as his “bride prize” and she’s carted off, never to be seen again

Her daughter-in-law is also shipped off to be a “bride prize”

Her grandson is thrown off a roof by Odysseus, the man who Hecuba becomes the “prize” of

As she sets off for Ithaca, she finds out that the man who was supposed to be keeping guard over her last remaining son, Polydorus, has not only stolen the riches meant for him, but that Polydorus had also been murdered

But despite that, in my mind, she gets the last laugh. Not only does she claw out the eyes of and (in some interpretations) kill the man who killed her final son, she manages to be free from having to belong to Odysseus by turning into a dog and even the gods take pity on her.

Hecuba’s story is another wonderful example of the rage of a bereaved mother and the incredibly sad realities of what happened to the losing side after a war.

[tumblingdownthefoxden]

Headcannon that during Monster, Polites was watching it all go down but wouldn't do anything.

Polites stood by and watched Odysseus throw away his philosophy of "open arms" in exchange for ruthlessness. In the heat of moment, Odysseus was unreachable. It was Man vs Man. Man vs Monster. No one could intercept, nothing would stop the moral transformation.

Polites wasn't mad at Odysseus for what he was doing. He was sad but also sympathetic. Sad at the death of the man he knew since his childhood, sad at Odysseus dropping his kindness towards strangers; Sympathetic that if this was the only way for Odysseus and his remaining crew to make it home, then it must happen. Polites wouldn't jeopardize that.

So he stood at the shorelines and waved goodbye to the monster that was his best friend. Praying that even with ruthlessness as his main guide, he would remember kindness and the few times it had helped him.

[xjulixred45x]

Do you know something that honestly bothers me? that when they want to make retellings of Greek stories, they almost always go for the figures that really do not deserve their own story.

I KNOW IT SOUNDS BAD, BUT LISTEN.

Circe, for example, from this woman (who turned out to be quite controversial) Madeline, they try to sell you Circe's story as a "feminist" retelling and normally there would be nothing wrong with that.

The issue is that Circe (in the myths and from what I understand in the book) is not at all feminist.

I mean, she is a morally gray woman, I respect that, but is it really a good idea to use as an example of a "feminist" a woman who 1- killed a man who did not want to be unfaithful to his wife with her, 2- converted an innocent nymph in a MONSTER (Scylla) only for an unrequited love (again) and 3- in Telogony, after Odysseus dies (her supposed "lover" who in some versión she ENCHANTED, at the hands of the son they had together) she marries HIS ANOTHER SON.

Since when did a woman who tramples on men or hurts other women for her own benefit become a "feminist" or "girlboss"??

WITH SO MANY OTHER POSSIBLE SCENARIOS TO MAKE RETELINGS OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY AND THEY DECIDE TO GO FOR CIRCE?

"BUT JUlIx WHAT ANOTHER EXAMPLE DO YOU WANT THEM TO USE?? Circe is SUPER KNOWN, OBVIOUSLY it's easier to go for her"

other examples? let's see:

MEDUSA (old classic, a great allegory that still works today about how SA victims are re-victimized and blamed by the people who should be protecting them/they don't get justice because their attacker is more "relevant" and powerful than them). (Even if it's the Roman versión, You can't Say that a myth that reflects the reality of THOUSANDS of women and give streng to the víctims its not "feminist")

PENTHESILEA(Amazon queen who fought in the Trojan War, which she attended because she was depressed after having accidentally killed her sisters, but she did not leave without killing dozens of Trojans and fighting with Achilles himself. IMAGINE A BOOK ABOUT HER) .

THE AMAZONS IN GENERAL (Tribes of warlike women, daughters of Ares, whom he loved very much, who had a matriarchal system that existed without men, without competition, with a great sense of sisterhood and who participated in many velic encounters in mythology) .

HERMIONE OF SPARTA AND ANDROMACHA (the daughter of Helen of Troy and Menelaus and the wife of Hector of Troy respectively. Both were married against their wills to Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, who was abusive (quite graphically) and they hated him. Imagine a story where the two become friends and team up to kill Neo, Hermione takes control of Sparta and Andromache is her second in command).

ATALANTA (The only woman of the Argonauts who, when the magical boar of Calidon appeared, was the one who managed to hurt him first and kept the home trophy (but FOR SOME REASON later there are myths that kill her in the stupidest way possible, thanks Aphrodite) )

In conclusion, let's give the spotlight to Greek women who genuinely deserve to be known about them❤️ (without trowing Hate to Circe, she DESERVES TO BE KNOWN, but not as a feminist story).

________

(ESPAÑOL)

¿saben algo que sinceramente me molesta? que cuando se quieren jacer retelings de las historias griegas, casi siempre van por las figuras que realmente no se merecen una historia propia.

SE QUE SUENA MAL, PERO ESCUCHEN.

Circe, por ejemplo, de esta mujer(que resulto ser bastante polemica) Madeline, tratan de venderte la historia de Circe como un reteling "feminista" y eso normalmente no tendria nada de malo.

el tema es que Circe(en los mitos y por lo que tengo entendido en el libro) no tiene nada de feminista.

digo, es una mujer moralmente gris, eso lo respeto, pero ¿realmente es buena idea usar de ejemplo de "feminista" a una mujer que 1- mato a un hombre que no queria serle infiel a su esposa con ella, 2- convirtio a una ninfa inocente en un MONSTRUO(escilla) solo por un amor no correspondido (otra vez) y 3- en Telogony, después de que Odiseo muere(su supuesto "enamorado", a manos del hijo que tuvieron juntos) ella se casa CON SU OTRO HIJO.

¿¿desde cuando una mujer que pisotea a los hombres o hace daño a otras mujeres por beneficio propio paso a ser "feminista" o "girlboss"??

CON TANTOS OTROS POSIBLES ESCENARIOS PARA HACER RETELINGS DE LA MITOLOGÍA GRIEGA Y DECIDEN IR POR CIRCE?

"PeRo jUlIx ¿¿QuE oTrO eJeMpLo QuIeReS qUe UsEn?? Circe Es sUpEr cOnOcIdA, OBVIamente es mas facil ir por ella"

¿otros ejemplos? veamos:

MEDUSA(viejo clasico, una gran alegoria que sigue funcionando hasta hoy sobre como las victimas de SA son re-victimizadas y culpadas por la gente que deberia protegerlas/no obtienen justicia porque su agresor es mas "relevante" y poderoso que ellas).

PENTESILEA (Reina amazona que peleo en la guerra de Troya, a la cual asistio por estar deprimida al haber matado accidentalmente a sus hermanas, pero no se fue sin matar a decenas de troyanos y pelear con el propio Aquiles. IMAGÍNENSE UN LIBRO SOBRE ELLA).

LAS AMAZONAS EN GENERAL (Tribus de mujeres guerraras hijas de Ares, a las cuales el amaba mucho, que tenian un sistema matriarcal que existia sin hombres, sin competencia, con un gran sentido de hermandad y que participaron en muchos encuentros velicos en la mitología).

HERMÍONE DE ESPARTA Y ANDROMACA(la hija de Helena de Troya y Menelao y la esposa ee Hector de troya respectivamente. ambas se casaron en contra de sus voluntades con Neoptolemo, el hijo de Aquiles, que era abusivo(bastante gráficamente) y lo odiaban. imaginense una historia donde ambas se hacen amigas y se alian para matar a Neo, Hermíone toma el control de Esparta y Andromaca es su segunda al mando).

ATALANTA(La unica mujer de los argonautas que cuando aparecio el jabali magico de calidon fue quien logro lastimarlo primero y se quedo con el trofeo de casa(pero POR ALGUNA RAZON después hay mitos que la matan de la forma mas estupida posible, gracias Afrodita))

en conclusión, demosle el reflector a mujeres griegas que genuinamente merecen que se sepa de ellas❤️(sin titarle Hate a Circe, MERECE SER CONOCIDA, pero no como historia feminista).

[laladanefilm]

"Achilles, prince of Phthia, swiftest of all the Greeks, best of the Achaian warriors at Troy. Beautiful, brilliant, born from the dread nereid Thetis, graceful and deadly as the sea itself."

"Then the best part of him died, and he was even more difficult after that."

"What was his best part?"

"His lover, Patroclus. He didn't like me much, but then the good ones never do. Achilles went mad when he died; nearly mad, anyway."

– excerpts from "Circe" by Madeline Miller

[hecates-corner]

Telemachus to his mother after Odysseus had slain all of the suitors:

[gingermintpepper]

In honour of finishing my hellish academic semester, I present to thee:

A Brief Introduction to 'In Pursuit of Daybreak'

First things first: What is In Pursuit of Daybreak?

A post-apocalyptic fantasy reimagining of the story of Hyacinthus and Apollo! Set in a world thrown into chaos after the sudden disappearance of The Radiant God, it follows three sons of the Radiant as they try their best to bring light back to the world.

Sons of the Radiant? Meet the leading men!

Aristaeus: A pastoral god and eldest of the brothers. Due to having a strained relationship with his venerated father, he is not exactly eager to track him down and have him return to clean up his mess. After being tricked by Asclepius however, he has only one choice: protect his brothers at all costs.

Orpheus: The grieving bard and second son; with the wounds of losing Eurydice still fresh, all his songs have become bitter sorrow. Coaxed by Asclepius to help restore the beautiful world Eurydice loved, Orpheus embarks on this journey in the hopes of rediscovering himself after his greatest loss.

Asclepius: The world's best healer and the youngest son; he is intent on healing the world of its ailment for the sake of his wife and children. Though others might curse his father for abandoning the world to the beasts of Erebus, Asclepius knows better and he will cure this malady even if it costs him his life.

(Hyacinthus: The long-dead lover. Slain by The Radiant's hand, he is a vengeful wraith brought back by Asclepius' dark medical rites. He too wishes to find the Radiant - not for love's sake but for the sake of his burning wrath.)

Genre?

In Pursuit of Daybreak is a fantasy/drama piece with strong romantic themes. It also has themes of family, sacrifice, self-discovery and death.

Production Status

I've been working on this project seriously for about two years! Despite not being historical fiction, I worked very hard on research and development of the concept and characters to retain an authentic feel of the mythology and traditions they come from. I'm still in the process of writing the novel but I also want to get in the habit of speaking openly and confidently about my work, so I definitely also want to talk more and more about my children and their adventures.

Thank you very much for reading this :D Any questions or comments about the concept or my interpretations of these characters is warmly welcomed. Have a wonderful day <33

[lavender-laney]

writeblr introduction!

About Me

Hey, I'm Laney! I'd love to become more active in the writing community and find some writer friends. I love reading about everyone's ideas, and I'm always happy to beta read if anyone is looking for feedback! I'm currently a reporter, but have a passion for creative writing and editing. Some of my other interests include evolutionary biology, Greek mythology, and all forms of art.

About My Writing

Although I'm still trying to find my niche and what I enjoy writing, I'm currently working in the genres of literary fiction, fantasy, and gothic horror. I'm especially inspired by mythology and folklore, finding magic and significance in the mundane, and the diversity of the human experience.

Writing tag: #my writing

Current WIPs

Choking on Sea Salt

wip intro, chapter 1, chapter 2 part one, chapter 2 part two

tag: #choking on sea salt

In the same vein as the Southern Gothic subgenre, this novel is inspired by the idea of Coastal Gothic. In a remote coastal town, a young journalist finds herself unraveling the town's foggy history and ever-growing mysteries -- why are there so few women, why is it forbidden to walk along the beaches or sail in the waters, and what is the haunting song whistling through her windows each night?

Acrylic Body

wip intro

tag: #acrylic body

Upon the passing of an eccentric and reclusive painter, his artwork is left without a keeper and lies abandoned for years. Eventually, his home is cleaned out and his paintings are sold at auction. Through the eyes of one of his paintings, we view the lives of those whose hands she is passed through.

Feathers and Wax

tag: #lysandra

Ovid's Metamorphoses detailed the devotion of Persephone's handmaidens, and their transformation into winged sirens to pursue the goddess. This retells Persephone's myth from the perspective of Lysandra, a nymph-turned-siren who would travel to the ends of the Earth for her maiden.

I'd love to find some other writeblrs to follow so feel free to comment if you think our interests may align! + feel free to reach out to me if you ever want to chat about writing or want another pair of eyes on your wip!

<3

[wargodtalk]

Working on a role reversal Trojan War thing and am researching Helen with a vengeance because I want to ensure that she stays as complex—to the best of my ability—as she always has been

[themythecho]

BLOOM OF THE SUN UPDATEEEEEE

Do you like Greek Mythology? Are you gay? Well of course you are, you are still reading after I mentioned Greek Mythology (AND you're in tumblr). Do you also like reading? Well do I have a deal for you, Bloom of the Sun is a book I'm writing about the myth of Hyacinthus & Apollo !! It is a re-telling of the ancient myth of one of the first ever recorded queer people in history !! (Is this convincing you to read it?)

[thegarden-ofeden]

circe of aeaea moodboard

greek myths masterlist <- check out other moodboards

[howhow326]

Nerites x Poseidon retelling where Nerities is a young adult and he gets saved by Poseidon which causes him to fall head over heels and everyone else tells him that he shouldn't be with Poseidon because he's too old for him and he's problematic and there's a power imbalance and and and but Nerites decides "I'm going to fuck that old man" anyway.

Bonus: Poseidon dosen't push Nerites into a relationship and allows Nerites to decide how fast their relationship is going and he dosen't kidnap him or rape him or force him to be his husband or turn him into a cup barer or whatever and yes I am shiting all over the other two ships