#Laërtes

[twisted-dork]

Ctimene Headcanons Her Relationship With Her Family (+Polites and Ares)

(+What she mainly calls them)

Mom (Anticlea): 8/10 I can see Anticlea disapproving of Ctimene being a bit of a tomboy but loves her regardless like any good (I said good, not great) mother would but is still vocal about her wishing that Ctimene would act more like a girl than a warrior. Despite this they have a good relationship from their often gossiping together, spending time together, to the times of Ctimene having a bad day only to be held in her mother’s arms like she always did for her and Odysseus since they were infants.

Father (Laërtes): 4/10 Laërtes and Ctimene used to have a good relationship before he went crazy. He would give her gifts and treasures he knew she would like, he would tell her stories of heroes, and he often carried her around. But when he was crazy he would sometimes not recognize her and treated her like a stranger until Anticlea reminded him who Ctimene was. They would have their moments but Ctimene wishes they could go back to what they once were.

Big Brother (Odysseus): Odysseus would be to Ctimene like Fergus (Merida’s father) is to Merida. He wouldn’t care that Ctimene would ‘do things a princess shouldn’t do’ if anything I feel like he would take pride in being the first person to say teach her to shoot a bow and arrow (Merida and The Challenge reference). And despite having rival war gods as their Patrons they have a more healthy sibling relationship than Ares and Athena. Let me paint you a scenario: If Odysseus were to win against a duel between them he would help her get up before ruffling her hair and instructing her what she did wrong and how she could improve. But if Ctimene were to win the duel she would cheer in excitement before doing a victory dance and saying how she was the best (classic sibling behavior). Odysseus knew that he wanted her to be happy so when he noticed that his friend Eurylochus would look at her as though she was the only person he was seeing and she would smile awkwardly at him he knew. So when his best friend asked to marry her he knew his answer not caring to hear the rest of his friend’s claim and unknowingly accepted a dowry for Ctimene marriage that he later gifted her as a wedding present. He is the number 1 Eurymene shipper. Through it all they both know that they can at least trust each other even if it feels like everything and everyone is against them.

Polites: Best friends who annoy Odysseus for fun sake’s. The number 3 Eurymene shipper. Knows what cheers her up when she’s down. Was adopted as another brother by her. Was either the flower boy (Hercules Mulligan) or Man of Honor at her wedding.

Ares: The number 2 Eurymene shipper. Even though Ctimene knew the story of Ares as a warrior and how he represented the bad parts of war she couldn’t help but admire the god for how caring he seemed to be with Aphrodite, Artemis (helping her with the Amazon warriors), Hera, and his daughters even killing a son of Poseidon because he had assaulted his daughter if anything she was shocked that not that many people in their kingdom worship him but she did. She made a little alter dedicated to the God of war and would always make sure that it was up to standards for the god. When he chose her as his champion she was ecstatic. As he trained her she began to view him as a father figure and she knew he cared for her like a daughter even if he never admitted it.

I attempted to draw her in the traditional way but I will say I didn’t get the hair right

[aliciavance4228]

The Odyssey: Funny Moments

Most of you liked my "The Iliad: Funny Moments" post, so I decided to make this one as well.

1. When Telemachus asks Odysseus what kind of help they have for taking down the suitors, Odysseus basically says, "We've got Zeus and Athena on our side. Are you sure that'll be enough?"

2. "Brother, who blinded you?" "Nobody! Nobody did!" "...Then we're going to go back to sleep."

Taken to the logical extreme in a comic book adaptation where Odysseus and his men gave him fake names:

"Brother, who blinded you?"

"Nobody! Idontknow! Idontcare! Or maybe... Idontremember!"

"So that's why they called him Polyfool."

3. After his crew opened the bag of winds thinking it had treasure and caused a huge storm, Odysseus briefly considers suicide as valid as an option to preserving through hardship.

4. The sheer, mind-boggling, testicle-shriveling amount of crap that Odysseus and his crew get put through when trying to get back to Ithaca can be viewed as hilarious in a cringe comedy kind of way. By the time Odysseus gets home and realizes that his wife has been badgered and harangued by suitors for a decade one could be forgiven for thinking that his wanton slaughter of them all was less about their violation of guest rights and more just blowing off some steam on a morally unambiguous target.

5. When briefly visiting the Underworld, Persephone allows Odysseus to talk with his mother and other dead people. Odysseus is absolutely terrified of her and dreads staying too long and incurring her wrath, running back to his ship fearful that she'll sic Medusa's head on him.

6. One of Odysseus's crew randomly dies by falling off a roof after a night of heavy drinking. Everyone else gets to be killed by horrible monsters and the wrath of the gods, but he instead gets to be a posthumous reminder about the dangers of alcoholism. Even better, after his death he berates Odysseus for not burying him properly when our hero goes to Hades!

7. On the way back to Ithaca, Telemachus asks a favor of Nestor's son Pisistratus, and proceeds to invoke two generations of friendship to get some help dodging Nestor's aggressive hospitality.

8. Penelope asks a disguised Odysseus to interpret a dream she had. It turns out that during the dream, one of its characters explicitly explained what it all represented, and Odysseus just repeats it back to her.

9. While disguised as a human, Athena goes to the trouble of giving a plausible explanation for her departure... then promptly blows her cover by turning into a bird and flying away in front of a boggling Nestor and Telemachus.

10. Penelope's tricks against the suitors, of which the two best known are:

At one point, she told the suitors she'd choose her next husband after she'd finish weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus's father Laërtes... And every night, she'd undo her work. She strung them along for three years and would have continued had an unfaithful maid not exposed her.

On page we see her daring them to replicate one of Odysseus's feats: she put twelve axes on the ground so that the rings in the handle would align and gave them Odysseus' unstrung bow and arrows, and told them that whoever could use that bow toshoot an arrow through all the rings would be her next husband.She also forgot to tell them it was a recurve bow that the suitors wouldn't even recognize when at rest, let alone string.

A lesser-known ploy is when she calls out the suitors for freeloading off her husband's estate instead of courting her with lavish gifts. They rush to present her with gifts, while the disguised Odysseus watches with delight.

11. Athena's response when Odysseus fails to recognize her in disguise and tells her a backstory he came up with on the spot is essentially "That's my liar! There he is!"

Credits: TV Tropes

[lyculuscaelus]

Me and my son doing shenanigans: Hermes and Autolycus

Me and my great grandson doing shenanigans: Hermes and Odysseus

Me and my dad doing murder: Telemachus and Odysseus

Me and my son and my grandson doing murder: Laërtes, Odysseus and Telemachus

Me and my grandchildren doing murder: Poseidon and the Laestrygonians (Epic addition)

[katerinaaqu]

One of the most underrated reunion scenes (Book 21 of Odyssey analysis):

Okay we all cry our eyes out in the amazing reunion between Odysseus and Telemachus or with his father Laërtes or with Penelope and for a good reason! But, if I may, I believe there is one more scene that people do not talk much about and is this one! :

"And so he spoke and he pulled the rugs aside, revealing the great scar and when they saw it they understood everything, bawling in tears both threw themselves at Odysseus shamelessly/unrestrained kissing his hands and head and shoulders and in similar manner Odysseus kissed their hands and heads. And they could remain so crying till the sunset if it weren't for Odysseus to restrain them by crying out:"

(Translation by me)

This is the moment when Odysseus has clearly as day revealed to his two loyal slaves, the swine hearder Eumaeus and his cattle herder Philoetius who he is and that he came back after 20 years and shows them his scar as proof. He also promises them each a wife and possessions and houses next to the palace for the good they do by being loyal to him. He even says they are forever considered his friends and his son's.

But the two men did not react to the gifts but they reacted upon seeing him! And their reaction is one of tye most touching, most beautiful scenes I have ever seen! 😭 and Homer describes it so beautifully that it is impossible not to get touched in my opinion.

For starters we see the unbelievable affection they both feel for their master. They do not just kiss his hands gratefully for his promises and they do not fall on their knees before him! They literally ATTACK him with kisses and embraces (δαΐφρονι) and they show their affection "shamelessly" aka without any restrain or showing the slightest regard for his royal status (κύνεον)

They do not just kiss his hands but his head his shoulders etc. They literally both have just rushed at him showing with their kisses and their tears 😢 and Odysseus responds as Homer says in a very similar manner (αύτως). You can imagine him embrace them both, kissing their heads and hands...like a caring father or a good brother.

It is as if he is not a king

It is as if they are not slaves or servants

They are all equal at that moment or almost equal. Both the men are openly showing their affection for their master and Odysseus does so back for he now sees them as family for in the middle of this great distress and web of betrayal he sees the pure love and dedication these two men show to him. Odysseus is no longer hiding his tears in shame like he did many times during the poem. He is openly showing them his gratefulness and his affection. In this time of chaos these men showed him sunshine of hope.

And as Homer says all three of them were practically inconsolable if Odysseus himself hadn't first snapped out of it to call them back to reality!

And this break of affection happens right a few rhapsodies before the murder of the suitors and these scenes of affection (both sad ones like the first meeting between disguised Odysseus and Penelope and happy ones such as this) are letting the reader relax before the violent scene that is about to follow.

This is the moment that Homer shows how loyalty is so important and that transcends status or royal blood. And it is done in no better way than this beautiful reunion between these men ✨️. Odysseus just showed them his ultimate trust by not just revealing himself but also by naming them his friends and above all his SON'S friends; whatever most precious he has and he trusts them fully with him. And they respond with the most genuine happiness not for his gifts or even his trust but because he is back and alive!

I am surprised this is not talked more or even depicted more on art (ancient or other).

[luminouslumity]

I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile now, and since it'll still be awhile before the album's fully complete, why not do it while only three are out? And what is it exactly? Essentially, comparisons. I've done quite a few similar posts with the Monkie Kid series already, in which I would talk about certain characters and the mythology behind them, with Journey to the West being my main reference point.

In this case, I'll of course be using the Iliad and the Odyssey for sources, specifically the Emily Wilson translations. I'll also be referring to other sources when necessary. They'll be pretty brief and will only cover up to where we are now, but here's your spoiler warning just in case (yes, even for a tale as ancient as this). Basically, think of this as a way to provide extra context. I intend to do this with each saga that's released.

Now, without further ado, let's begin. And as a disclaimer, I by no means claim to be an expert, I'm just someone who loves mythology and also happens to read a lot.

THE HORSE AND THE INFANT: Lots of names are being dropped here, so let's start with the main man himself, ODYSSEUS (Ὀδυσσεύς)! He is the son of LAËRTES (Λαέρτης) and ANTIKLEIA (Ἀντίκλεια), who is a granddaughter of the god HERMES (Ἑρμης), which I'm sure many would agree would probably explain a lot! In some versions, Odysseus' biological father is said to have been SISYPHOS (Σίσυφος), another mortal trickster, albeit a far more villainous one. Either way, clearly this runs in the family! He also has a sister named KTIMENE (Κτιμένη). And of course, there's his lovely wife PENELOPEIA (Πηνελόπεια), more commonly known as Penelope, and their son TELEMAKHOS (Τηλέμαχος).

Speaking of Penelope, the following story comes to us briefly from Pausanias' Description of Greece. Born in Sparta to King IKARIOS (Ικαριος) and the river nymph PERIBOEA (Περιβοια), it's said Princess Penelope was allowed to marry only after someone had beaten her father in a footrace. Of course, that someone ends up being Odysseus, but here's where the interesting part comes in: when discussing AIDOS (Αιδως), Modesty, Pausanias adds that Ikarius attempted to convince Odysseus to stay, and failing that, pleaded with Penelope. Odysseus, rather than challenge Ikarius or speak over his new bride, let her make the choice. But Penelope said nothing. Instead, she simply placed her veil over her face, her silent answer clear as day.

Next, we come to Telemachos, who was a newborn when his father left. However, it should be noted that Odysseus really didn't want to go. So much so that he feigned madness to try and get out of it, which was only foiled when PALAMEDES (Παλαμήδης) seized baby Telemachos and placed him right in front of where his father was recklessly ploughing the fields; Odysseus stopped immediately after noticing his son, but was then forced to join the war afterwards.

DIOMEDES (Διομηδης): one of the more notable Greeks during the Trojan War and a favorite of the goddess of wisdom alongside Odysseus, Diomedes was an intelligent and valiant soldier, to the point where he had even wounded the god of war himself. He also directly assisted Odysseus in Troy's downfall.

AGAMEMNON (Ἀγαμέμνων) and MENELAOS (Μενέλαος): Okay, these two have their own stories that I could make an entirely different post on, but for simplicity's sake, Agamemnon is the king of Mykenai and commander of the Akhaioí (Greeks); much of the Iliad concerns his feud with AKHILEUS (Ἀχιλλεύς) over the captive BRISEIS (Βρισηίς). Meanwhile, his brother Menelaos is king of Sparta and had been married to the reason this war started in the first place.

TEUCER (Τεῦκρος): one of the greatest archers, Teucer actually had Trojan blood through his mother HESIONE (Ἡσιόνη), who was the sister of King PRIAMOS (Πρίαμος), or Priam. Through his father TELAMON (Τελαμών), his elder half-brother is AIAS (Αἴας), or Ajax, the Greater.

AJAX THE LESSER: By the time of the Trojan War, there are two characters by the name of Ajax, with the Lesser referring to Ajax of Locris. He was known for having been a spearman and the fastest of the Greeks, but like many of his comrades, never made it back home after having earned the wrath of the gods.

NESTOR (Νέστωρ): the eldest of Greek army, he often offered wise, albeit long-winded, advice. At the end of the war, he was among the few who managed to return home safely.

HELEN (Ἑλένη): And now we get to the Reason. Well, sort of. Married to Menelaos and then PARIS (Πάρις), to blame the Trojan War solely on Helen would mean to disregard a lot of other things, such as the idea of KLEOS (κλέος)—glory—three powerful goddesses, a little golden apple, and even an entire plan to depopulate the earth. Sources vary as to whether Helen even left with Paris willingly, and that's not even getting into the versions where she didn't even make it to Troy at all! What is known, however, is that by the time we see her in the Iliad, Helen is nothing short of resentful. For example, during a confrontation with APHRODITE (Αφροδιτη), she says:

“You, goddess? Why do you want to trick me in this way? Will you keep leading me to yet more cities, in Phrygia or in fine Maeonia if any other mortal takes your fancy? Now Menelaus has defeated Paris, and wants to take me home with him again, although I am so hateful. Is that why you come to me now with these tricks of yours? Then go to him yourself and sit beside him! Give up the path of gods and let your feet never turn back again to Mount Olympus! Spend all your time on taking care of Paris, crying for him, until he makes you either his slave girl or his wife! But I will not ever go back. It would bring retribution. And I will never service that man’s bed. All of the Trojan women in the future will blame me if I do, and in my heart I will endure more pain than I can measure.”

Aphrodite threatens her immediately following this, forcing her to go and comfort her new husband, but not before Helen tells him:

“So you came back from the fighting. I wish that you had died out there, defeated by that strong man who used to be my husband. Before, you claimed you were superior to warlike Menelaus in your strength and hands and spear. So go on, challenge him! Call Menelaus back again to fight you! But no. I order you to stop. Do not make war and fight with ruddy Menelaus. It would be idiotic. You would soon lose and lie dead beneath that fighter’s spear.”

According to a fragmented poem called Ilias mikra ( Ἰλιὰς μικρά), or Little Iliad, when Odysseus and Diomedes are sneaking into the city to steal their PALLADION (Παλλάδιον)—a wooden statue fashioned by the goddess of wisdom herself and said to be Troy's protector—Helen recognizes them, but never alerts the people in the walled city.

In terms of family, Helen had at the very least a daughter—HERMIONE (Ἑρμιόνη)—who had been about nine when she left (sources vary on whether she had other children or not), and she was also a first cousin of Penelope on her father's side. Though speaking of TYNDAREUS (Τυνδάρεος), prior to Helen making her choice of husband, one of the suitors present had suggested that should she be taken by anyone else—of which there actually had been a precedent for thanks to a certain Athenian king—they would all take up arms against that person to get her back. This would become known as the Oath of Tyndareus. What a brilliant idea, Odysseus.

NEOPTOLEMOS (Νεοπτόλεμος): son of Akhileus and called PYRRHOS (Πύρρος) at birth, Neoptolemos joined towards the end of the war and helped bring about the fall of Troy. Though young when he was called to arms, many sources often emphasize his brutality during this time, while others—such as Euripides and Sophocles—show him to be kinder, albeit torn in regards to the situation he's in.

And as for his father, Akhileus had actually been killed by Paris of all people, though not without divine help. Paris himself would later be killed by the archer PHILOKTETES (Φιλοκτήτης), and of Priam's remaining sons, Neoptolemos is credited by the Roman Quintus with having killed the following: POLITES (Πολίτης), PAMMON (Πάμμων), and ANTIPHONUS (Ἀντίφονόν).

JUST A MAN: Which brings us to ASTYANAX (Ἀστυάναξ), the infant son of HEKTOR (Ἕκτωρ) and ANDROMACHE (Ἀνδρομάχη). He is indeed killed because the Greeks feared his potential retribution, but the exact details aren't entirely consistent. In one version, he's killed by Neoptolemos, in others by Odysseus, be it directly or indirectly. In Seneca's The Trojan Women, the child even leaps off the walls himself. It's only in much later traditions does he survive.

As for his father, Hektor was said to have been the greatest fighter of the Trojans and had shown great kindness towards Helen for all of the twenty years she'd spent at Troy (yes, according to the very end of the Iliad, Helen specifically had been at Troy for twenty years at that point). The poem ends with his funeral.

FULL SPEED AHEAD: EURULOKHOS (Εὐρύλοχος) is not only Odysseus' second-in-command, but also his brother-in-law. His home is near Ithaka, on the island of Same. Polites (different one, of course) meanwhile is a very minor character in the Odyssey, but is still referred to as Odysseus' devoted friend.

OPEN ARMS: The LOTOPHAGOI (λωτοφάγοι), or lotus-eaters, were a race who—when consuming from a specific plant—would fall into a state of apathy to the point of never wishing to leave. This incident in the Odyssey is actually incredibly brief, with the crew arriving and then leaving immediately after Odysseus forces the men who ate from the lotus back on the ship.

WARRIOR OF THE MIND: Throughout both the Iliad as well as the Odyssey, ATHENA (Ἀθηνᾶ) acts as Odysseus' patron goddess. The boar "only the best could kill" is likely in reference to the famous Kalydonian Boar Hunt, which Odysseus is actually never mentioned as having taken a part in, but his father Laërtes did, depending on the source. The poem does reference a boar hunt, though, one that caused Odysseus to get scratched when he was still young.

POLYPHEMUS: In this song, we officially meet, well, POLYPHEMOS (Πολύφημος), the KYKLOPS (Κυκλωψ). Odysseus and his man arrive at his island immediately after they leave the land of the lotus-eaters, find a cave filled with cheese and sheep, and...

My crew begged, ‘Let us grab some cheese and quickly drive the kids and lambs out of their pens and down to our swift ships, and sail away across the salty water!’

That would have been the better choice. But I refused. I hoped to see him, and find out if he would give us gifts.

Obviously, this doesn't turn out to be the case. What needs to be understood, however, is that Odysseus and his crew were technically guests, so he would've expected Polyphemos to uphold XENIA (ξενία), sacred hospitality, something he even makes clear in the poem. He hadn't anticipated for Polyphemos to have no fear of the gods. The next morning, Odysseus gives him wine gifted to him by a priest of APOLLON (Ἀπόλλων) named MARON (Μάρων); Polyphemos finds it so delicious that he even compares it to nectar, the drink of the gods. Yet still, this wasn't enough to persuade the kyklops to free them.

SURVIVE: In the original poem, Odysseus is mentioned to have had several men eaten by Polyphemos, though the only one actually named is ANTIPHOS (Ἄντιφος).

REMEMBER THEM: It's worse in the poem.

‘Hey, you, Cyclops! Idiot! The crew trapped in your cave did not belong to some poor weakling. Well, you had it coming! You had no shame at eating your own guests! So Zeus and other gods have paid you back.’

[...]

My crew begged me to stop, and pleaded with me. ‘Please! Calm down! Why are you being so insistent and taunting this wild man? He hurled that stone and drove our ship right back to land. We thought that we were going to die. If he had heard us, he would have hurled a jagged rock and crushed our heads and wooden ship. He throws so hard!’

But my tough heart was not convinced; I was still furious, and shouted back again, ‘Cyclops! If any mortal asks you how your eye was mutilated and made blind, say that Odysseus, the city-sacker, Laertes’ son, who lives in Ithaca, destroyed your sight.’

Then it's immediately revealed this had been part of a prophecy.

Like MY GOODBYE, I honestly don't think there's much for me to talk about STORM and LUCK RUNS OUT, at least not at the moment, so let's move on to KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, where we meet AIOLOS (Αιολος)! His island in the sky is named, fittingly, Aiolia, and he lives there with his wife and twelve children. Though initially receiving Odysseus and his crew warmly, once the bag of winds was opened and returned them to the island, Odysseus tried to ask for his help again, but Aiolos simply demanded that they leave, figuring the men were disfavored by the gods.

And finally, we have RUTHLESSNESS! After being rejected by the wind god, the crew come across the LAISTRYGONES (Λαιστρυγονες), giants who ate the crew and destroyed the ships until only one vessel remained. According to Hesiod, they sprang from Laistrygon (Λαιστρυγων), whose father was POSEIDON (Ποσειδων).

Poseidon as he appears in many myths is, in one word, ruthless, cursing Odysseus almost as soon as his son Polyphemus prays to him for vengeance. In certain myths, he is also portrayed as a rival to Athena, such as when the two competed for dominion over the then unnamed Athens; Poseidon offered them the first horse and Athena the first olive tree. To quote Emily Wilson:

Whereas Poseidon favors the untamed world of the stormy sea, Athena loves fixed settlements and the olive tree—a crop whose oil was used in archaic Greece for cooking and skin care. Poseidon makes the earth shake; Athena makes even the most rugged, barren landscape available for cultivation.

As far as the Trojan War itself is concerned, according to many sources, Poseidon actually helped build the famous walls of Troy alongside Apollo, but when the king at the time, LAOMEDON (Λαομέδων), refused to pay them, Apollo sent a plague and Poseidon sent KETOS (Κητος), a sea monster which would then be slain by HERAKLES (Ἑρακλης) just before the monster could eat Princess Hesione; Laomedon, having learned nothing from last time, refused to pay Herakles, who would then go on to sack the city in retaliation. Poseidon would later side with the Greeks during the war, but here's the interesting part: while the Trojan War has no set date, one proposed theory is 1275 BC, as that was around when historical Troy (specifically Troy VI) was believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake. Furthermore, what animal was carved out of wood for the final ambush? A horse!

[tratadista]

Berthe Morisot, Julie Manet e o Seu Galgo Laërte (1893)

[wrongydkjquotes]

Yeah, Odysseus escapes but, being an idiot, he gloats, saying, "Cyclops, if anyone ever asks you how you came by your blindness, tell him your eye was put out by Odysseus, sacker of cities, the son of Laërtes, who lives in Ithaca.” Had the Greeks had social security numbers and IPhone passwords, I’m sure he would have thrown those in too.

- Cookie, after a question about The Odyssey

(Source: TV Tropes’ recap of The Odyssey)

[asagisnobody]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51427399/chapters/132072778

chapter six of Spartan High School is out!!!

One of these days I'm gonne making a fanart about it.

Chapters: 6/?

Fandom: The Odyssey - Homer, The Iliad - Homer, Ancient Greek Religion & LoreRating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Odysseus/Penelope (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Diomedes & Odysseus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Helen of Troy/Menelaus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Aegialia/Diomedes (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Athena & Odysseus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)

Characters: Odysseus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Penelope (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Diomedes (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Menelaus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Ajax the Greater son of Telamon (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Helen of Troy (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Clytemnestra (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Aegialia of Argos (Ancient Greek Religion and Lore), Tyndareus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Laërtes (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Icarius (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Ctimene of Ithaca, Zeus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Athena (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Nestor (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, kinda messed, Fantasy

Summary:When Odysseus receives a scholarship from the prestigious Spartan High School, he can't even imagine how his life is doomed to change.Because he has no reason to be called in such a famous school, and immediately he notices the misterious principal Tyndareus and his family....Decided to find out the secret of the school, Odysseus will use all his cunning and his skill to be always in trouble... especially if to being in trouble is Tyndareus' niece....A pre- Iliad AU in high school:)

[will-one-with-the-bees]

Odysseus is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same epic cycle. As the son of Laërtes and Anticlea, husband of Penelope, and father of Telemachus, Acusilaus, and Telegonus , Odysseus is renowned for his intellectual brilliance, guile, and versatility, and he is thus known by the epithet as Odysseus the Cunning. He is most famous for his nostos, or "homecoming", which took him ten eventful years after the decade-long Trojan War.

Offerings:

-Wine

-Water

-Candle

-Olives

-Books aka The Iliad and The Odyssey

-Incense

-Coffee or tea

-Figures of ships

Devotional acts:

-Learn sailing

-Learn self defence

-Workout

-Go on an adventure

-Travel

-Learn about past wars

-Learn battle strategies

-Charity

[wizardysseus]

Do you think Odysseus was that comfortable with violence and death before the war? I mean Greek myth figures are generally very cavalier with death, but his first instinct many times when encountering a problem is violence-- do you think that could also be a trauma response?

you can certainly read it that way, as a trauma response; many moments in the odyssey make me think "ah yes. that's a soldier with ptsd, innit" — that may seem like a very clinical/modern way to read, but all the evidence points to the idea that ancient people, living with war, living through war, recognized what violence does to a person emotionally and mentally, and told stories about it.

with that said, i also tend to think that a man in his position would have been expected to do violence, if in a more limited way. an odysseus who never left for war would probably still leave ithaca to raid neighboring islands, to say nothing of what he might have done in his own home under normal circumstances (i.e., not like those at the end of the odyssey). in some sources laërtes was an argonaut. autolycus was a bandit-king. that's a lot of violence to grow up with, even if troy were out of the picture. the place of the war in the odyssey (and in what we call "homer") makes a before/after idea of the war convenient, for the sake of discussion, but the thing about violent patriarchy is that it starts much sooner.

[twisted-dork]

Ctimene Headcanons

*Been a part of the Epic Community for a while now thanks to the amazing Gigi and wanted to share some of my Headcanons for the forgotten sister Ctimene of Ithaca*

Is a protective Aunt/Sister-in-Law (obviously cause we love Penelope and best boy Telemachus)

Is younger than Odysseus by 2-3 years

Odysseus never wanted her to marry for political reasons however he did want to marry one of his friends so they could be his brother.

She may seem kind but if anyone dares try to hurt her loved ones you’ll either A. Get sent on fire with a candle and perfume. Or B. Have pottery smashed against your head.

Hates wearing royal clothing as everyday clothes because they often get in the way when she is exploring but loves dressing up for events.

She may be the younger sibling but she acts more mature than Odysseus and often scolds him for being reckless.

She often tells stories to Telemachus about Odysseus and how they both seem to find themselves in dangerous situations.

While Odysseus is a warrior of Athena’s. Ctimene would be a warrior of Ares in terms of bloodshed (but they both have a good relationship and care for one another).

She has the Hermes gremlin laugh.

Is an agent of Chaos and sometimes destruction.

(I’ll probably do two more of these detailing her as Ares warrior and her relationship with Odysseus (brother), Anticlea (mother), Laërtes (father), Polites (best friend/flower boy), and Eurylochus (husband) (I may also do their kids that I made up cause this is Tumblr and I can do what I want). Anyway enjoy this attempt of me drawing her in the way I see her.

[lyculuscaelus]

Shiptober (Greek Mythology)

(Sorry a bit late but I just want to make one of these for Epic Cycle and Hadestown and Epic fandom, and a little disclaimer: it’s my version anyway. Also the ships are mainly collected from these two fandoms) (You might not like some of them and that’s okay, just ignore them. I might have forgotten abt some ships so they might not make it to the list and I’m sorry abt that. These are the ones I’ve gathered so far and I don’t think I’ve put any toxic ship here)

Agamnestra (Agamemnon x Clytemnestra)

Catalogue of Ships (aka Iliad book 2 appreciation)

Telestratus (Telemachus x Peisistratus)

OdyMene (Odysseus x Menelaus)

DioSthene (Diomedes x Sthenelus)

Telesicaä (Telemachus x Nausicaä)

Aphrodite x Ares

Hephaestus x Aphrodite

OdyPoli (Odysseus x Polites)

OdyDio (Odysseus x Diomedes)

Perenor (Perimedes x Elpenor)

OdyEury (Odysseus x Eurylochus)

IdoMeri (Idomeneus x Meriones)

Hera x Zeus

Telestratus (I’m biased so)

Patrochilles (Patroclus x Achilles)

Achilochus (Achilles x Antilochus)

Peleus x Thetis

Pyrrhus x Hermione (canon ship anyway)

Perseus x Andromeda

Hyapollo (Hyacinthus x Apollo)

Hectromache (Hector x Andromache)

OdyPen (Odysseus x Penelope)

Laërtes x Anticleia

Menelen (Menelaus x Helen)

Telecaste (Telemachus x Polycaste)

Paris x Oenone (canon ship anyway)

Eurymene (Eurylochus x Ctimene)

Jason x Medea

Hades x Persephone

Orphydice (Orpheus x Eurydice)

( @prompted-wordsmith at thy request)

[katerinaaqu]

Continuing from Part 2

Guilt (P3 + Footnotes)

"Odysseus" Meriones approached him, "Are you alright?"

Odysseus winced in pain. He hadn't realized he had clenched his fist so hard that it hurt him. He unclenched it.

"Yes..." he whispered, "Yes, I'm fine..."

Odysseus moaned. That baby...the look at that infant's face...Astyanax was gone...he had given his place to Telemachus. Priam's slain face was Laërtes...mourning Andromache was his wife... He grasped his head with both hands.

"Damn you Neoptolemus! Damn you Helen for starting it! Damn you Menelaus for dragging me into this... Damn you Palamedes! Damn you all! Why should I have taken this blood upon me?! Why did it have to be me?!"

He sighed.

"Polites...I want to be alone for a little while..."

"Do you think that is wise...?" Polites asked with hidden meaning.

"Wise!" Odysseus voiced like an echo, "No, perhaps not but I got tired of being wise for now..."

Polites sighed.

"At least add some water to your wine...please Odysseus"

Odysseus dismissed him with a move of his hand. He wasn't much in the mood for anything at that moment. He knew war wouldn't be pleasant but these events of just one night were taking the cake. He was exhausted; sleepless for two nights and a full day and right now the Sacker of Cities, the Man of Many Ways was terrified. He collapsed again and his tears overflowed from his eyes, wetting the table below. He grasped his wet hair with his fingers as if he was ready to uproot them.

"Gods! Please Athena, please, I beg of you...if you love me...p-protect my son! Let the miasma fall on me! Not him! I-I...I just wanted to g-go home! I just wanted to see them again...my Penelope...my Telemachus...! I-I never meant for this to happen! P-Please...! I beg of you if you love me...p-protect my son! Don't let the gods' wrath fall upon their heads! P-Please...! F-Forgive me! I...I just...I just wanted to go home!"

He couldn't decide what to pray for first... Words cascaded out of his mouth without any coherent way or syntax. He only prayed desperately, wetting with his tears the table. Sun was already setting and Troy was taken...but at what cost...

*

Menelaus and Agamemnon entered Odysseus's hut one after the other.

"I gotta give it to you, Odysseus!" Agamemnon said, "You WERE telling the truth when you said you could take Troy in one night!"

Odysseus was collapsed upon his chair, looking at them with an unreadable expression to his face. The jug was resting empty somewhere after the feet of his seat.

"Hm..." he hummed, "That's me. I am the trickster, remember? I lie, I scheme and I trick. That is what I do"

Agamemnon raised a brow.

"Are you drunk?!" He asked in disbelief

"One more shame to add to the events of this night..." Odysseus replied bitterly.

"Shame? I do not understand. We finally sacked the city. You can finally go home."

"Home..." Odysseus whispered, "I wonder...what shall I say to Penelope when she asks? Or Telemachus? If he asks 'father what did you do and you were away?', 'I was at war, my son', 'did you fight honorably and sack many cities?'... What shall I say for what we've done...?"

"I do not understand you Odysseus. It was your idea"

"Yeah somehow I do not doubt it..." Odysseus mumbled bitterly, "I was wrong, Agamemnon. This was not what I imagined...what I planned..."

He sighed shifting his position a bit to his chair.

"Priam is dead, you know that..."

"Yeah, like we expected to-..."

"On the altar. On the freaking altar, Agamemnon..."

"Yeah I heard..."

"Imagine that happening to any of us...in our homelands. If one cannot respect the holy laws then what?"

He played a bit with his empty cup.

"Priam murdered on the altar...Cassandra raped mercilessly and now Ajax looks for shelter to the very same altar he dragged her out of, to avoid being stoned to death..." the king of Ithaca rubbed the bridge of his nose, "...death...death and fire everywhere..."

"Odysseus..." spoke Menelaus, "I understand that you are grieving, it was not easy or pleasant but..."

"The boy...he was the same age as my son! Thrown off the wall..."

"Odysseus" Agamemnon spoke again, "I honestly don't understand you. Others would fly from joy with your glory. You had a good plan and it worked. Thanks to you we can all go home."

Odysseus's eyes became bottomless. Even Agamemnon had to lower his gaze against it.

"The blasphemy put us under the anger of gods, Agamemnon. Remember that. Listen..."

Agamemnon seemed like indeed trying to listen something.

"The Trojans are not the only ones mourning. We lost many good men too. We lost Achilles. Or have you forgotten?"

Agamemnon sighed deeply.

"His loss...was tragic indeed" he finally said, "we had our differences but his loss was a great price..."

"Quite so..." Odysseus whispered, "was it really worth it? The price we had to pay to sack Troy?"

He shifted his weight to his chair lethargically. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand for a second. The dizziness bad settled for real in his brain. He leaned his head back again, earning a small cracking sound from his neck.

"And since we are at it, I have a question for you, Agamemnon, son of Atreus, the first among the Greeks... What did the Trojans REALLY do to us to deserve such an end?"

"You're drunk! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Odysseus snorted humorlessly.

"Oh, I am drunk, alright. But I know exactly what I am talking about. And you do too. They took Helen, sure, or at least one of them did. But their real crime against us was that they protected their lands...from us. That's what we would have done as well..."

Agamemnon was ready to speak again but Menelaus stopped him.

"Brother, that's enough"

He then turned ti Odysseus sympathetically.

"Look, Odysseus, I understand that it hurts and I am sorry too that I put you through that indirectly, but please do not melt away. No matter what the actions of others was not your choice."

Odysseus said nothing. He only sighed.

"Will you join us at the games later? You are the hero of the day. Your presence is asked for."

Odysseus scoffed.

"Oh I will be there, alright. I never miss a good party!"

Menelaus smiled sadly.

"Thank you, Odysseus...for everything. I really mean it... I will see you later, when you sober up a little..."

He looked at his friend and added;

"And...we shall mention none...of this" he pointed at him indicating his condition.

Odysseus soullessly nodded as if wanting to attempt some humor.

"Thanks...I appreciate it"

Agamemnon was ready to say something but apparently he decided against it. He only sighed and turned to leave before finally asking;

"Will you come to take a pick from the spoils? You deserve it given it was thanks to you we got in"

The tired king made a dismissive move with his hand.

"No. I'm fine with whatever. Just include me to the next lottery" he replied indifferently

"Are you sure? You deserve a better share"

Odysseus smiled humorlessly.

"Last time I chose and defended my choice, we lost Aias the Telamonian. I think we lost enough for one decade, don't you think?"

It was a failure of attempt for humor and he knew it but Agamemnon only sighed.

"Suit yourself" he said defeated, heading for the exit

Menelaus was about to do the same but apparently something made him stop and turn around.

"Odysseus?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you...truly... You gave me back my honor

Odysseus snorted again.

"With the cost of mine..." he whispered bitterly, "Not that anyone ever thought I had any..."

The king of Sparta, though, shook his head negatively.

"To me you will always be the greatest of all Greeks"

The man who endured all torments looked up and for the first tike a small smile rose to his dry lips. That word of kindness was what he needed for his tormented heart to feel some sort of hope. At least there was finally one who neither blamed him nor glorified him. Menelaus saw his torment and responded. That was enough.

"Thank you..." he whispered

Menelaus nodded his head in return.

"Now rest, my friend. We have a long way before us...we are going home..."

Home...the tormented king of Ithaca thought. Yes, finally they could go home. After 10 endless years they could finally embrace their families. Just few more months of journey and Odysseus could finally go home... All he had to do was to learn to live with what he did... He watched both the kings through his cloudy vision, getting out of his tent and Polites coming back in.

"I am sorry, Odysseus! I couldn't stop them!"

Odysseus dismissed him with a hand gesture once more.

"Don't sweat it, Polites. Stopping a king seems impossible. Gods help us with two!"

Polites smiled softly. At least he would gain some of his humor back, he thought.

"Help me get to my bed, Polites..." sighed Odysseus hoarsely, "I need to rest... I am very tired..."

~~~~

Oh gosh what have I done?! Hehehehe well not sorry...not really! 😆 I hope you enjoyed this ride.

As you see I tried incorporating some of the Epic Cycle to the situation but I did tamper around with the timeliness. The Epic Cycle is a lovely mess anyways and holds many contradictions with the homeric poems but it includes many things.

Now the fragmentary poem Iliou Persis is sven mentioned how Odysseus throws Astyanax off the walls but most sources have Neoptolemus donit and I do agree with those more. Now in Trojan Women by Eurypedes the messenger Talthybius tells Andromache that Odysseus schemed so that her son would be thrown off the walls and that he persuaded the Greeks they couldn't raise the baby. Odysseus doesn't strike much as a baby killer in Odyssey or even the Iliad although he is known for being cruel in his punishments (see the excecution of the 50 conspiring slave girls) but nowhere jn Odyssey does Odysseus refer to that fact even if he does speak of his regrets for other actions of his and if he HAD thrown Astyanax off the walls himself I doubt he wouldn't have made any reference to it so I believe that Iliou Persis should he treated like Telegony when it comes to the homeric poems; a bit contradictory to the homeric epics (unless there is some lost fragment that tells us how Odysseus went on a rampage he could not remember lol 😆 ) so I made a mixture of all the above to show how Odysseus "killed" Astyanax or subconsciously persuaded the Greeks to do it and I added the role of Talthybius here too.

Iliou Persis seems to also be the most violent form when it comes to the Greek side such as that they offer Priam's daughter Polyxene to Achilles's tomb as a sacrifice, thus causing the rage of Athena (I swear the thing was written by a Trojan lol 😆) Eurypedes mentions how Polyxene was offered as slave to Achilles symbolically so she should serve his tomb. I also added the detail of Odysseus trying to persuade Neoptolemus to choose her as his price to speak Andromache but his attempts are a failure.

Drunkenness was severely discouraged in ancient geeece thus the concern in Polites's words when Odysseus uses it as a coping mechanism for the traumatic events of the night. Moreover the Greeks always mixed their wine with water (thus having the modern name for wine in Greek κρασί which comes from the verb in ancient greek which means "to mix") the wine that was not watered was called άκρατον and it was qlmost never consumed unless dipped in bread. The analogy between wine and water depended.

In this story I depict Neoptolemus as somehow a nemesis to Odysseus. Similar to what Agamemnon or Hector were for Achilles. I have no idea why but the idea stuck with me especially since the two are the two candidates for the murder of Astyanax. Somehow I imagined them again as the polar opposites thus the two of them having tension.

Odysseus mentions Thersites who was beaten really badly by him in the Iliad. In other sources it is mentioned that Odysseus has him stoned to death after Theraites attempts treason. In this story Thersites was already dead.

I know that for Palamedes the most famous version of his end comes from Hygenius who writes how Odysseus frames him for treason. However Pausanias mentions from the Epic Cycle that Palamedes drowned at a fishing expedition and that "he believes the murderers were Odysseus and Diomedes". 🤔 somehow I wanted to use a lesser known version plus give a bit room to doubt for instance did Palamedes really fell by accident and Odysseus is guilty for not helping? Or perhaps Odysseus pushed him? Maybe he held him under? Dunno. Leave it to your imagination. I know is not so spicy as the framing story but bare with me hehehe

Talthybius here simply hears "it was Odysseus who planned it" thus sending that information yo Andromache without the rest of the details..

Astyanax uttering a word was totally random. If he were an infant a few months old or almost a year old in Iliad that means he would be around 1 to 1.5 years old when Troy fell so I thought it would be more impactful if the poor baby uttered a word before his end.

The interaction with Andromache was placed there for the dramatics and the impact. When Andromache screams "MY BOY!" I was inspired by the series "The Tudors" when Anne Boleyn laments her final miscarriage (by the way I think Natalie Dormer would make an amazing Andromache!)

The story with Palamedes was also added to make the connection between two mothers and their impact to Odysseus. Plus I thought it would make more sense if Odysseus was furious not only for being embarrassed or that he has to go to war but because Palamedes put his son in danger. (Of course Penelope would be part of that scheme!)

Odysseus refusing to participate at the choice of spoils was just a random detail but as a general rule from Eurypedes it seems that he eats the old Ekavi (Hecuba) as his slave (probably she would be to serve Penelope( so I imagined Odysseus wouldn't want to choose but getting whatever would be lucky for him to further implicate that he wouldn't want anything further to do with the war. He also mentions the incident when Telamonian Aias (aka the great Ajax) went mad when Odysseus won Achilles's armor from him and then he killed himself in shame.

I also wanted to portray the friendship between Menelaus and Odysseus which seems to be really strong since Menelaus always talks with the warmest words for Odysseus.

For further questions and analysis please ask me to the comment section or reblog etc!

I wanna also tag some of my best friends commenters rebloggers etc! Thank you guys! Sorry if I forget anyone!

@loco-bird @aaronofithaca05 @tunguszka20 @doob-or-something @jarondont @prompted-wordsmith @simugeuge @fangirlofallthefanthings

[sonjatwogreyhounds]

Berthe Morisot

Julie Manet and her Greyhound, Laërte, 1893

[anticlea-and-laertes]

< Laertes and Anticlea.

Odysseus parents.

Odysseus - son.

Penelope - daughter in law.

Telemachus - grandson.

Currently revived.

Anticlea was the daughter of Autolycus and Amphithea. The divine trickster and messenger of the gods, Hermes, was her paternal grandfather. Anticlea was the mother of Odysseus by Laërtes. Ctimene was also her daughter by her husband Laertes.

Laertes is the father of Odysseus, the hero of the Trojan War, and plays a role in the epic poem. Laertes is also an Ionian king and the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa.

will add more later !!

Anticlea - Red

Laertes - Orange.

[lesdramaticules]

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"Hamlet" d'après William SHAKESPEARE

Avec Pierre-Antoine BILLON : Horatio, Guildenstern Julien BUCHY : Claudius, le spectre, Lucius Anthony COURRET : Polonius, Gonzague Jonathan FRAJENBERG : Laërte, Rosencrantz, le fossoyeur Jérémie LE LOUËT : Hamlet Dominique MASSAT : Ophélia, Gertrude, Baptista

Adaptation et mise en scène : Jérémie LE LOUËT Scénographie : Blandine VIEILLOT Costumes : Barbara GASSIER Vidéo : Thomas CHRETIEN et Jérémie LE LOUËT Lumière : Thomas CHRETIEN Son : Thomas SANLAVILLE Construction : Guéwen MAIGNIER Direction de production : Noémie GUEDJ

Production Les Dramaticules Coproduction Les Bords de Scènes-Théâtres et Cinémas (91), Théâtre de Chartres (28), Théâtre Jean Vilar de Vitry-sur-Seine (94), Le Prisme-Théâtre municipal d'Elancourt (78) Avec le soutien du Conseil régional d'Île-de-France, du Conseil départemental de l'Essonne, de l'Adami, du Centre d'art et de culture de Meudon (92) et du Théâtre de Châtillon (92)

Spectacle créé le 22 novembre 2018 au Théâtre de Châtillon (92) Extrait du spectacle capté le 27/04/2024 au Théâtre de Chelles (77)

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