#ancient Greek historical fiction

[jeannereames]

All my ATG fiction, back on shelves. The copies of the new book covers just arrived today. 😊 I forgot to leave room for them. 😂

[flightlessartist]

in hills made of coarse earth and honey🏺

✦ find me on instagram @the.flightless.artist ✦

[intothestacks]

Greek Heroines and Monsters: Greek Mythology Retold

Six retellings of Greek mythology you think you know, but told from the point of view of the women instead of the men.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe is not like the other deities. Neither blindingly powerful like her father, nor alluring like her mother, she is something altogether her own. Sent to live on an island by Zeus, she befriends the local wildlife and meets many of Greek mythology’s most famous mortals. But eventually the time will come where she will have to decide where she belongs – among the gods, or the mortals she has come to love.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Married to a tyrant, Clytemnestra was helpless to watch as her husband killed her child to placate the gods. When he returns triumphant from waging war on Troy, she has a choice to make – be the quiet dutiful Greek wife… or seek revenge.

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood 

At the end of The Oddysey, Odysseus returns home, kills Penelope’s suitors, and, curiously, 12 of her maids. What was Penelope up to for those 20 years where her husband was gone, and why did he kill the maids?

Ithaca by Claire North

Seventeen years ago, Odysseus sailed away with all the men of fighting age to fight in the war against Troy, leaving the women to rule the island. As time has passed, rumours of Odysseus’ death put Penelope in a precarious position. But while outside the island men rule, in Ithaca the women and their goddesses decide their own fates.

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

When Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athena’s temple, the goddess is enraged at the violation of the sacred space. But instead of punishing the god, it is Medusa who receives her wrath. Now cursed with the power to turn any who see her into stone, Medusa resigns herself to a life of solitude. Until Perseus arrives, seeking to acquire the head of a Gorgon…

Medusa by Jessie Burton

Exiled by the whims of the gods, Medusa has no one but the snakes on her head for company… until a man named Perseus arrives on her island. And now, things will never be the same again.

[d-a-redwing]

Alexander & Hephaestion

[mcversipellis]

“True friends share everything, except the past before they met.”

― Mary Renault, Fire from Heaven

*Redid my old (not really old, they’re from last year🙄) illustrations on the historical novel “Fire from heaven” which follows a journey of Alexander the Great through childhood to the very end.

[the-perpetual-minutes]

Atalantec Tagenites

Tagenites are a Greek pancake, made with wheat, wine, curdled milk, and olive oil, served as a staple breakfast food in Ancient Greece.

Due to scarce resources during the Atlasfall, the Atalecs and Helenes of Atalantes began using ocean water to make rations stretch farther, giving Atalantec tagenites their signature briny quality, which stuck long after the lean times were over.

Ingredients:

3 Parts Wheat Flour

1 Part Wine

1 Part Curdled Milk

1 Part Brine

Olive Oil

Honey

Sesame seeds

Feta crumbles

* the “parts” can be read as any measurement, but between a 1/2 Cup and 1 Cup is a good baseline

For the wine, a sweet & aromatic white wine such as a Greek Muscat is recommended, but any sweet white wine will do.

To curdle milk, boil it for 1-2 minutes, then take it off the heat and let stand for 10-15 minutes. You can also add an acid like lemon juice or white vinegar to aid the process (you don’t need a lot, just a teaspoon or so, depending on how much milk you’re using). Don’t leave the milk out for longer than 2 hours. If you prefer, you can also use cottage cheese or ricotta in place of curdled milk.

To make the brine, just dissolve salt in warm water. Ideally, aim for at least the salinity of ocean water (around 3-4% salt, or 2 teaspoons per Cup), but the proportions are up to you.

Step 1: combine the flour, wine, curdled milk, and brine in a mixing bowl until they form a smooth batter

Step 2: pour a thin layer of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. scoop the batter into the pan (ideal tagenite size is 2-3 inches wide)

Step 3: cook and flip until both sides are brown

When you’re done, drizzle the tagenites in honey, sprinkle with sesame seeds and feta—or really any toppings you prefer—and serve hot. Pairs well with a side of dates, figs, or grapes, and a glass of wine.

[icarianlibrary]

BOTS Chapter Six !!

A/N: This is the official discord server, please join for the quickest updates and to find people who also enjoy BOTS !! Thank you !! https://discord.gg/9NrhQfHu

I wake up in a cave on the side of the mountains. A feathery slab below me, someone’s bed. By the loose decorations scattered around the space, I could only guess one person.

“Hyacinthus! You are alive! I was afraid you would not wake up!”

Zephyrus.

“Where am I exactly?” I inquire, my eyes dart around the spacious living arrangement.

“Where I live! Make yourself comfortable!”

“Hey, I really appreciate this, but you almost killed me and you expect me to just stay here?”

“Well, yeah. You said you would.” His tone becomes a lot more serious.

“That was before I lost consciousness?”

“You still made a promise, Prince of Sparta. Hold up to your end of the bargain.” His tone transitioned from layed back to demanding in a matter of seconds.

“And if I do not, Zephyrus?” I start to get defensive.

“If you do not comply, let’s just say your ‘break’ with Apollo will be longer than short time”

“Are you,” I pause to make sure I processed what he said correctly “Are you threatening me?”

“I would not say threaten, I prefer the term strongly encouraged with a consequence” Zephyrus corrects, though I doubt it’s a correction.

I stare at him in a nonplus manner. “You said-” I gather my thoughts. “You said gods are cruel! You said you were better than the other gods!” I try to understand why he is doing this.

“Sweet, Hyacinthus. Gods are not fair” He assures me.

“You have proven that” I scowl and look away, feeling betrayed.

He turns to me, lifts up my chin ever so slightly, and turns it towards himself. He leans in closer, and touches his lips on mine. To my surprise, I let him. He sits next to me and places his hand behind my neck, my curls knit between his fingers. And I let him.

He kisses me once more, his lips slowly parting. His hand starts to leave my body, but I lightly touch his hand.

“No,” I pause to think if this is what I truly want. “Continue.”

He gives a playful smirk, placing his hands on my waist, kissing along my jaw. I fall back, as he lays on top of me, weightlessly.

And I let him.

I start to feel the weight of what I am letting him fall on top of me, but I let him continue. His kisses turn into small nibbles along my neck, as our bodies perfectly hold one another.

“Zephyrus,” I manage to say, his lips moving to my cheek as my jaw moves down.

“Hm?” I can feel his smirk against my skin.

“I,” I stop myself “Continue”

His smirk grows larger and his hand finds its way to the collar of my tunic, and rests on it for a few seconds, silently asking if he could go underneath. I nod, and his hands find their way below the thin layer of cloth protecting my skin from his.

And I let him.

His hands search my skin as he kisses my lips, his tongue entering my mouth.

“Zephyrus, I.. I do not like you like that. I am sorry, it’s Apollo who I love” I blurt out, as his hands reach the dip of my hips.

“Oh.” His words are like a stab to my side.

“I’m sorry, I just.. It is not you. You are truly wonderful, but I do not want you to think we have,” I gesture to us “A relationship like that. My loyalty is to Apollo, and Apollo alone. I apologize”

Zephyrus nods, disappointment painting his face, each brush stroke more tragic than the last.

[thegreekwriter]

Having AI Generate Photos of My Ancient Greek Book Characters and Seeing What It Creates Part 2!

I'm actually impressed with how good these came out. They're pretty spot on. I also created the cover photo with AI too. Saw some authors do this trend on tiktok so I figured I would give it a shot 😂 So glad I did 🇬🇷

You can read "Athenian Arrow" by Panagiota Moisakos on Wattpad. Out now! Link in my pinned post!

[aimee-maroux]

Poll Time!

Friends, I recently thought up a small series of erotic shorts about the (very gay) erotic adventures of a pudgy ancient Greek youth. Would anyone be interested in reading that? 🤔

Reblogs welcome 💖

[jeannereames]

How do you anticipate Alexandros’s and Hephaistion’s respective ways of dealing with each other in their “moments” to change over the course of your series? I think you pretty clearly established in your books that Hephaistion has to learn to carefully navigate Alexandros’s outbursts and spontaneous tendencies.

On the flip side, I wonder how Alexandros learns how to deal when Hep is angry or upset. Do you think it being more so along the lines of him expecting Hep to suck it up and deal, basically? Or would he take a different route? I just find the way you portrayed their dynamic in the series very intriguing and nuanced, and I'm curious to see how it might evolve as the characters age.

What an interesting question! And I’m delighted that you thought their interaction properly nuanced. One of my own personal criteria for judging a book is the presence of layered and complex characters, so I struggle to put them on the page in my own work. (Also, sorry for the delay.)

Among the key elements of the first two books is how much the characters change. It covers seven critical years as they turn from boys into young men. Hence the whole “coming-of-age” thing. Ha.

Because they’re teenagers, they’re inclined to drama, especially in the first book where little things can set them off—but it happens early in book II as well. Hephaistion flails and causes a scene just because Alexandros is busy so often and he, Hephaistion, is insecure. His behavior is silly (and Alexandros calls him on it), but the emotions that drive it are very real. That’s always the struggle, when writing teens. They just haven’t lived long enough for much perspective, so everything’s a crisis. Emotions are BIG, driven by wildly pumping hormones and all those extra neurons in the front of the cerebrum. Yet the author must take seriously whatever tempest in a teapot has them riled up, in order to portray it fairly (for them), even while keeping a bit of distance to signal to the reader that yes, it really is overblown.

By the duology’s end, Alexandros has just turned 20 and Hephaistion 22½; they’ve been friends seven years, and lovers for five. By now, they have history. Yet both are emotional people, even if they display it differently. Hephaistion might seem phlegmatic but is far from it. Erigyios is phlegmatic. Hephaistion is a churning volcano under a calm surface. Alexandros, by contrast, wears his heart on his sleeve. So, they’ll continue to kick up dusk occasionally with each other, but increasingly for real reasons, not manufactured ones driven by insecurity.

Take their fracture over the fact Alexandros didn’t tell Hephaistion about Amyntor’s illness. They learn, thereby, that some things can be forgiven only by a choice. Hephaistion’s flouncing over Alexandros “ignoring” him at the beginning of book 2 should be seen in stark contrast to the very real rage he feels when he learns Alexandros concealed his father’s cancer. Yes, Alexandros did so because Amyntor asked, and yes, Alexandros convinced himself it was out of fear for Hephaistion’s safety. But he does finally recognize, and admit to himself, that wasn’t the real reason. He did a truly selfish thing by keeping Hephaistion with him. Hephaistion’s reaction in each instance is meant to bookend the novel. In the first case, he storms back home. In the second, despite his fury, he doesn’t leave Alexandros. And Alexandros accepts Philip’s pardon not just because he knows he’d better, but also because Hephaistion needs to go back. It’s a maturing moment for Alexandros to fully recognize how much he hurt his friend. He can’t fix it. He can only beg for forgiveness. Hephaistion won’t get back those final months with Amyntor. He can only choose to forgive.

So, the sequence is (to my mind) incredibly important to how they’re learning to be Real with each other. And it lays out how they’ll continue to interact going forward.

Alexandros will still screw up sometimes, in part because he’s king and was raised to assume people will subject themselves to him, as well as because his successes convince him the gods are on his side. But it was always Hephaistion’s refusal to kowtow that made him attractive to Alexandros. Ergo, he must make room for that in their relationship. It’s what makes Hephaistion unique.

In book one, after their physical fight over a different dust-up, Alexandros thinks to himself that the fact Hephaistion was willing to hit a prince had earned him the right to hold one. Alexandros must allow for Hephaistion’s autonomy, which means he must apologize (honestly) now and then. It’s what keeps him human, and grounded. And why Hephaistion continues to enjoy such absolute trust. He expects Alexandros to acknowledge when he screws up, and so Alexandros can trust that Hephaistion will always tell him the truth. Because Hephaistion loves him that much.

[helpmeimblorboing]

Trying to write the first chapter of Tearing Tides rn (needed to clear my head a bit to be able to properly focus on Crimson Redux) and I’m having a hell of a time trawling through the endless web of articles and pages about the Scythians.

[natasa-pantovic]

“Its miracle and its enigma are within the worlds of inner alchemy of the Age of Enlightenment.” Sunday Times

[d-a-redwing]

Achilles & Patroclus | Alexander & Hephaestion

[somethingcoolhopefully]

Are you a history student looking for a political thriller with a dash of dangerous romance and endless twists? Read:

[leocles]

Sword Through the Heart - A Greek Romance

Chapter Two: Beneath the Surface

As the battle continued to rage around them, Themistocles and Leonidas found themselves locked in a tense stalemate. Their swords moved with a fluid precision, the clash of steel reverberating through the air as their eyes remained locked in an unrelenting challenge.

Their movements were calculated, each one a testament to years of training and experience. Leonidas' shield bore the scars of countless battles, while Themistocles' armor was adorned with the marks of his strategic prowess. It was a deadly dance, a struggle for dominance that transcended the battlefield.

Amidst the intensity of combat, a sudden lull provided a temporary respite. Their chests heaved with exertion, and their eyes bore a glint of mutual exhaustion. For a moment, they stood facing each other, a silent acknowledgment of the raw power that crackled in the air.

"Tell me, Themistocles," Leonidas said, his voice gruff as he wiped sweat from his brow. "What drives a man like you to stand against the might of Sparta?"

Themistocles' gaze held a hint of intrigue, a glimpse into the complex web of his motivations. "I fight for the vision of a united Greece, a land free from constant strife."

Leonidas' brows furrowed, a mix of skepticism and curiosity in his expression. "And do you truly believe that's attainable?"

Themistocles' voice was tinged with a touch of earnestness. "I do. I've seen the power of unity in the face of danger. We could achieve greatness together."

Their conversation was a strange interlude in the midst of battle—a momentary escape from the bloodshed that surrounded them. There was an odd connection forming, an understanding that their rivalry was built on more than just blind hatred.

The distant sound of a horn echoed through the air, signaling a temporary ceasefire as both armies retreated to regroup. In the stillness that followed, Themistocles and Leonidas found themselves standing side by side, the weight of their weapons no longer a barrier between them.

"I never thought I'd find common ground with a Spartan," Themistocles admitted, a trace of bemusement in his voice.

Leonidas grunted, a hint of a wry smile playing on his lips. "War has a way of forging unlikely alliances."

As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows that stretched across the battlefield, the two rivals shared a moment of camaraderie—an understanding that beneath the armor and the enmity, they were both men driven by conviction. And as the ceasefire ended and the battle resumed, their blades clashed once more, each strike a testament to the complexity of their relationship.

[thegreekwriter]

My Book Characters and their Aesthetics Part 1!

A little window into seeing who they are as a person.

The link to "Athenian Arrow" on Wattpad is in my pinned post!