#his name is Troy btw

[the-silver-sparrow]

So I have a shark plushie that came with a tear on the bottom (don't be weird abt it), and I basically started saying that he's a trans shark bc why not

Today, I randomly decided I should learn basic stitching and fix him and some of my other plushies, which also had tears, playfully calling it their "surgeries"

Only after I was done did it dawn on me that I basically just gave my trans shark his bottom surgery.

Needless to say, I feel very accomplished

[firinnie]

After you realize what happened to the women of Troy it will make your heart ache but

do you think Hector was more devastated by meeting his son in the Underworld or by not meeting his wife here?

[autumnoakes]

i still have yet to play it despite having it downloaded on my pc but i love how all the gameplay i've seen of resident evil 6 is the funniest shit i've ever seen

[irefy]

My favorite parts of the Odyssey (and things I took note of while reading):

Telemachus not understanding Penelope’s grief over Odysseus

Telemachus being So Done with the Suitors

Athena calling Odysseus her “old friend” twice while in disguise.

Athena disguising herself exclusively as Odysseus’ friends when appearing to Telemachus.

Athena’s utter disdain for Calypso. (It’s really funny, actually. She does just seem to hate her.)

Nestor (WHY IS THIS BITCH STILL ALIVE HE WAS OLD DURING THE TROJAN WAR AND ITS BEEN TEN FUCKING YEARS.)

Nestor being asked for news of Odysseus and admitting he doesn’t know anything, then immediately going on a rant about his own journey home.

Nestor having EVEN MORE SONS. WTF. WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM.

Nestor saying he’s never seen a god more openly fond of anyone than Athena is of Odysseus.

SERIOUSLY HOW OLD IS NESTOR???? ITS SAID HES RULED FOR THREE GENERATIONS.

Menelaus going to Egypt and getting even more rich right after Troy, while Agamemnon was murdered in his own house.

Everyone bursting into tears over dinner when talking about Odysseus

Menelaus disguising himself as a seal.

The seal skins that they used for said disguise smelled so bad the goddess who was helping him put ambrosia under his nose

The old man of the sea saying he shouldn’t tell Menelaus who got home alright and then proceeding to tell him every little detail.

The first time we see Odysseus, he’s on Calypso’s island crying “as usual.”

The return of “What are you talking about?” Still laughing my ass off about this btw.

Nausica seeing a dirty, scruffy, naked man (he was wearing a branch but that doesn’t count) come out of a bush and getting annoyed at her maidens for being afraid.

Athena making Odysseus look young and hot to the maidens and Nausica. I don’t know why. She really didn’t have to.

Athena making Odysseus invisible but not telling him, so when he goes up to the phaeacian queen and Athena makes him visible again everyone is confused about where this random, scruffy, homeless looking man came from.

Seriously. They were eating dinner and then suddenly a guy was just there.

King Alcinous wonders if Odysseus is a god, and Odysseus is very confused about why he would think this.

One guess why he would think this.

Alcinous, after knowing Odysseus for like. A few hours. Asks him to stay and marry his daughter. He doesn’t even know his name.

Hermes telling Odysseus that he has to be careful or Circe will “unman” him

The men transforming back from pigs and being younger and hotter than before. Again. Why.

Them getting really emotional and crying with thanks for Odysseus saving them (seriously everyone is crying all the time. They all cried earlier too)

The sight is so pathetic that Circe, the notorious man hating goddess, takes pity and invites the whole crew to her palace.

Eurylochus spreading doubt and immediately folding at the expression on Odysseus’ face

Circe getting annoyed with all the crying and basically telling Odysseus to tell them to shut up.

Elpenor. Need I say more?

Oh my god they’re all crying again.

Ajax being a sore loser

Elpenor got a funeral!!! Yay!!!

EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME???!!!!??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CATTLE MADE NOISE WHILE THEY WERE BEING COOKED????? IMAGINE YOUR STEAK JUST MOOS AT YOU. THATS NIGHTMARE FUEL.

Odysseus falling asleep immediately after getting onto the Phaeacian ship. What a mood.

Odysseus condemning liars while actively lying to Eumaeus.

Odysseus condemning liars while actively lying to Eumaeus and immediately after making up a story in which he meets himself.

Odysseus pounding on his chest and yelling at his heart to stop beating so fast.

His heart listens.

Theoclymenus immediately getting Murder Vibes from Telemachus and Odysseus and deciding to nope out

Telemachus defending Penelope from the suitors by saying her praises. I thought it was actually really sweet, because a majority of the time he was kind of rude to her. Shows he really did care and didn’t want to force her into anything against her will, despite the way he sometimes talked to her.

Odysseus stringing his bow and shooting through the axes (iconic)

Odysseus IMMEDIATELY AFTER stripping. He shoots Antinous naked. Everything out there. Telemachus must have wished he didn’t have eyes.

Penelope and Telemachus’ arcs (swapping viewpoints on Odysseus’ possible return.)

Athena holding off dawn so that Odysseus and Penelope could have lots of sex.

Odysseus and Penelope’s entire reunion

ODYSSEUS TREATING THEIR STRUGGLES AS EQUAL. YES.

ODYSSEUS TREATING PENELOPE AS HIS EQUAL WHEN EVERYONE ELSE UNDERESTIMATES HER.

Odysseus visiting his father and instead of telling him who he is immediately he decides to play a silly little game.

And by that I mean he makes up a random story on the spot when he doesn’t recognize him.

Laertes, used to the antics, doesn’t question this.

When Athena stops the fighting between the suitors families and Odysseus, and the suitor’s families begin to retreat, Odysseus chases them.

Zeus sends a lightning bolt to tell him to stop.

[razberrypuck]

btw I'm not over tramilton. my man is in a fraternity my man is a college athlete and his fucking name is tramilton. tramilton lougferd. no wonder he goes by troy the only way he could sound more like a loser if they added "jr" to the end of it

[lyculuscaelus]

Ok now maybe imagine if it didn’t take too long for Odysseus to finish the oar quest as instructed by Teiresias, say, a year or two (maybe three but tops I swear) from when he sailed from Ithaca to the mainland and went all the way northwards, until he at last finished the ritual and then returned once more back to his homeland.

It wasn’t a woeful journey, this time—just receiving Xenia from different cities, meeting some old faces and new faces (cue Acarnan and Amphoterus sons of Alcmaeon in Acarnania; maybe catching up with his brother-in-law Alyzeus in the city of Alyzia; maybe visiting Amphilochus in Amphilochia cuz why not; maybe helping out a young Thesprotian prince Polypoetes son of Pheidon the deceased king in a war and having to sign an adoption contract), disguising as an old man, lying his way northward—“hey look I’m just a simple Cretan but I can tell you about Odysseus if you want” (turns out all those non-Homeric traditions are stories Odysseus in disguise told to those Epirotes along the way), maybe all the way to Buthrotum where Helenus and Andromache welcomed him unaware of his identity (as he yapped about how he was a Ciconian whose hometown Ismarus was destroyed by cruel Odysseus as he was brought along the way until getting marooned in Thrinacia and something something Phoenicians and stuff) as they traded stories and ended up lamenting the fall of Troy and talking shit on Odysseus—including Odysseus himself (“fun,” says Odysseus as he continues throwing slanders on himself, “now shall I tell you how he died by some guy named Telegonus, someone born to him on Aeaea though I didn’t see anything”), maybe reaching the land of Illyrians where he heard about their history from Cadmus’s arrival to the not-so-recent Epigonoi war (and all Odysseus can think about is his bestie), maybe finding his way past the Riphean Mountains to Hyperborea where he finally performed the ritual (I mean, no ship, no salt…sounds like it).

Then maybe he’s picking a path south-east to visit some old friends (*snaps* what did you say Nauplius has done again *picks up a rock* alr say it again), maybe traversing the rest of Greece from Thessaly (didn’t see you back in war—how are y’all faring, O so many sons of Heracles?) to Mycenae (your dad sends his regards from hell, Orestes) to Argos (wait where the heck is my Diomedes) to Sparta (Menelaus: hehehehe I knew you’d make it old buddy oh btw your son has your thighs) to Pylos where Nestor finally gave him a ship to go home cuz he had no oar left (Nestor: also Peisistratus my boy I know you want to go to Ithaca for some…*coughs* specific reasons so here’s the ship and you’re the captain).

Back to Ithaca! Telemachus celebrated Odysseus’s return with joy (and was surprised by Peisistratus’s arrival). During his father’s absence he had run the kingdom well—a good job continuing to reestablish the class of nobility in Cephalonia as Odysseus willed it. Then Odysseus found Penelope waiting at the olive tree, as she met his gaze and smiled—and the world was again back into shape, for Odysseus, the great craftsman.

And this time, Odysseus finally realized he was this old, this tired, after all the years of traveling. The world of wanderings, in the end, had become too much, too far away, for the man of twists and turns. Not even the world of reality could mend the scars left in his heart, a mind forever haunted by shadows of the past. But for now, a world of home would do—it’d be everything for him, really—just a man with his family, and the peaceful days he had long craved.

So he swore to stay, here by the side of his love ones, never again to be apart. So he stayed, for the rest of his life, till death in the coming days did them part…

He’d inherit his father’s farm after old Laërtes’s death, and teach Telemachus the art of gardening, to take care of all the grape vines, fig trees, pear trees, apple trees, and…olive trees. He’d sing his tales to the new generation of Ithacan children, mentoring them on the virtues of Xenia, of bravery, of love. And he’d go back to his old habit of carving, sculpting figurines out of wood—oh, but he’d make so many wonders—the monsters of legends (that he had seen), the faces of old acquaintances (that he would never forget), the images of gods (that he had stolen)…and he’d show them all to his family, and sometimes, to his people struck by curiosity.

Meanwhile, Telemachus would be so delighted to indulge a father who had long missed the chance to raise his own child, as a son who had never got the chance to make any childhood memory with his father. And so often would they roam around in the forests, catching up days forever lost to them both. Meanwhile, Penelope would be so enamored of her husband’s passion, as the one who knew his mind best (oh, what a blessing of homophrosyne). And so often would they pace around in the farm, chattering at length from the rosy-fingered Dawn till the star-filled night…

Maybe at some point, the memories would prove to be too heavy for the old king. Days and nights his family would find him whispering commands that went unheard, words of comfort that he no longer needed—or that he needed the most. All he saw were illusions of the horror he had once witnessed. All he heard were hallucinations of the Siren song he had once heard. Maybe after all these years, ptsd had finally caught up with him. Maybe it went even worse after Penelope’s passing…

Until one day, a stranger knocked the gate of Odysseus’s palace open.

Prince Telemachus offered him food—he politely refused, asking to meet the old king right away.

Odysseus came out, fixing his gaze on the visitor’s face—it seemed foreign, yet strangely familiar—it was as if he had known him so long ago, in a place he couldn’t quite name. But the stranger only moved forward, meeting Odysseus’s eyes.

“Come,” he said gently. “Time to join the rest of them…time to join her.”

And Odysseus knew.

Turning to his son, Odysseus muttered a few words of comfort. Somehow, Telemachus knew this to be a farewell—he embraced his father one last time, smiling in tears.

The prince of Ithaca watched the two of them walk away, to the sea where the stranger came from, as he suddenly leapt, spreading a pair of wings, carrying Odysseus off quickly. Realization struck him finally.

The stranger was none other than fearful Thanatos.

So this is the Death that comes to him from the sea, in such a gentle way.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Poorly Explains: Epic The musical

Troy saga

Odysseus: We are going to reverse piñata these bitches. Then I’m going home to my wife and son.

(Proceeds to kick ass)

Odysseus: (gets a vision) What in Hades was that?

Zeus: need you to stab something.

Odysseus: Cool

(Breaks into a nursery)

Odysseus: You want me to kill this baby?!

Zeus: Yep! He will grow up and kill your family if you don’t. Good luck with your mental health after this.

Odysseus: (sings about being a guy before dropping the baby out the window)

Odysseus: I may have some PTSD

Eurylochus: I’m going to be a Massive pain later btw, I’m hungry.

Odysseus: Stealth mission on the island. Polites you’re with me.

Polites: I’m just covered in death flags.

(Later)

Polites: you should be more receptive

Odysseus: Maybe you’re right… but not with these guys.

(Athena appears)

Athena: Bitch did I just catch you feeling things again? You’re a warrior of the mind.

Odysseus: Yes I remember the flashback.

(Go to cave to get food)

Cyclops Saga

Polyphemus: why you invading my cave and killing my sheep?!

Odysseus: S*** man. Our bad. The name is nobody. Have some wine as an apology.

Polyphemus:(chugs it) Thanks… now I kill you.

(Polyphemus proceeds to go clubbing)

Polites: Oh no my death flags… (gets killed)

Eurylochus: So we killing that cyclops?

Odysseus: No… we are blinding him, stealing his sheep and then I’m doxxing myself.

Athena: What the f***?! I am leaving. You are too emotional.

Odysseus: This is why you have no friends!

Athena:… F*** you… you man! (Leaves)

(A storm approaches)

Storm Saga

Odysseus: probably unrelated to the cyclops but oh look! Sky islands!

Eurylochus: Captain… I think maybe we should NOT mess with the gods anymore.

Odysseus: Eurylochus, I get your concern… but don’t undermine me again.

Aeolus: Yo, I put the storm in this bag. You should be good. Just don’t have anyone open it.

Odysseus: No worries. I completely trust my crew and they wouldn’t be mutinous enough to disobey my order

(The crew proceeds to prove him wrong)

Poseidon: Oh look, it’s Odysseus of Ithaca. The guy who blinded my son.

Odysseus:… F***! The storm was related.

Poseidon: Killing your fleet.

Odysseus: Because I DIDNT kill your son?

Poseidon: Yep! Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

(Wipes out fleet)

Odysseus: Seriously? What the f***!?

Poseidon: Your turn now

Odysseus: Lol nope! (Opens wind bag to release rest of the storm.

(Lands on Circe’s island)

Circe Saga

Eurylochus: Captain… I need to tell you

Odysseus: Eury… not now. Go scout or something.

(Eurylochus leaves then comes back)

Eurylochus: Men are pigs.

Odysseus: That’s a rude thing to say sure they have some crass

Eurylochus: No. A witch turned them into pigs.

Odysseus: oh… well damn.

Hermes: Hey Odysseus, want to fight Circe?

Odysseus: Ballin.

(Proceeds to go fight Circe, nearly wins)

Circe: How about I let you tap this ass (secretly holding knife)

Odysseus: Look, you are hot. But I have a wife who I’m an unapologetic simp for.

Circe: Damn, I can’t kill you. But I will send you to the underworld.

Odysseus: Wait… isn’t that the same thing?

(So Odysseus and his crew are restored and sent to the underworld.)

Underworld Saga

Odysseus: Sure is Undertale Genocide route up in here.

Polites: Catch phrase.

Anticlea: Dying… Odysseus I’m your mother and I died waiting.

Odysseus: I am going to need so much therapy later.

Tiresias: Vague Spoilers! Also your wife with a man who is a total monster

Odysseus: WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tiresias: Good luck bitch. (Leaves)

Odysseus: Maybe I need to be a monster

(They leave the underworld)

Thunder saga

Syren: Odysseus, it’s me your wife. You should jump in the water

Odysseus: But Penelope… I’m just a sexy little baby.

Syren: please?

Odysseus: Okay, but only if you tell me how to get to Ithaca by avoiding Poseidon.

Syren: (gives directions) now jump in

Odysseus: (goes from UwU to 🔪🔪🔪)

Odysseus: BTW we captured your friends.

Syren: WTF

Odysseus: Sashimi time

(Slaughters them)

Odysseus: To the lair of Scylla

Eurylochus: Hey Captain… I need to tell you something…

Odysseus: Eurylochus have the crew light up 6 torches

Eurylochus: I opened the wind bag!

Odysseus: … Make sure you’re holding one of the torches.

Scylla: Oh boy free eats.

(Eats 6 people)

Eurylochus: Did you just sacrifice 6 of our friends?!

Odysseus: You are litterally the LAST person who gets to judge.

(Mutiny occurs)

Eurylochus: I’m hungry. Oh look cows.

Odysseus: You idiot don’t touch the cows. They are the sun god’s!

(The cow was killed)

Zeus: So I heard you like killing cattle. Great news I love flexing on mortals.

Odysseus: Damn it Eurylochus…

Zeus: Alright Odysseus, you get to choose. You or your crew.

Odysseus: Me. I miss my wife.

Eurylochus: Seriously?

Odysseus: You Litterally caused a mutiny a few hours ago. You guys ain’t s***

Zeus: Welp. Time to Bolt

(Kills everyone but Odysseus)

Wisdom Saga

(8 year time skip)

Telemachus: Yo what up everyone. I’m the lovable son of Odysseus. He’s been missing for a while and now we got an infestation of Simps.

Antinous: You brat, where’s your hot mom?

Telemachus: Stop objectifying my mom.

Antinous: What you gonna do about it champ?

(Proceeds to get in a fist fight)

Telemachus: I could really use some help?

Athena: Did somebody need help?

Telemachus: A Friend?!

Athena: Uppercut that bitch.

(Telemachus proceeds to lose but did put up a decent fight)

Telemachus: You are my best friend now.

Athena: I would bury myself for you.

Telemachus: So you mentioned another friend of yours. You should go help him too.

Athena: Yea… I should. I wonder what he’s been up to

(Sees everything he’s been up to including getting captured by calypso)

Calypso: I’m a hot goddess. How are you not begging me to bone?

Odysseus: I miss my wife.

(Is borderline suicidal)

Athena: Crap… it’s worse than I thought.

Zeus: Wait… you want us to intervene on behalf of a mortal? We are gods. We don’t do that

Athena: That is Litterally ALL you do. And usually disguised as animals so you can…

Zeus: (changing subject) Okay okay! Let’s make it a game. Convince these gods to release him and me. Then I’ll release him.

Apollo: He killed the Syrens. I liked their songs.

Athena: They started it, and now the other Syrens will be more careful

Apollo: Fair point. Release him.

Hephaestus: He sacrificed his crew.

Athena: They betrayed him first, and if he is freed he will Rebuild his life.

Hephaestus: Okay fair, Release him.

Aphrodite: His mother died waiting for him.

Athena: The War was your f***ing fault!

Ares: Nice try. (Buts in)

Athena: Ares you cheapshotting bastard.

Area: He mocked the cyclops but didn’t kill him, used cowardly tactics. He’s pathetic and weak like his son!

Athena: (rage mode activated) HOLD YOUR TONGUE! Don’t insult my boy!

(Kicks ares ass)

Athena: Odysseus will slaughter all the suitors, and tell your whore of a girlfriend broken hearts can mend.

Ares and Aphrodite: Release him.

Hera: Give me one good reason.

Athena: He’s never cheated in his wife.

Hera: (glares at Zeus) Release him immediately.

Athena: I won your game.

Zeus: Ah but you forget… I’m a petty bitch! (Strikes her with lightning)

Athena: (badly hurt) Please… release him.

(And it’s implied he did)

Vengence Saga

Calypso: I’m not sorry for loving you.

Odysseus: You kept me here against my will for 8 years. Whatever emotions I feel towards you are Stockholm syndrome at best. Later.

(Hermes appears)

Hermes: Ready for one last ride?

Odysseus: Bring it!

(Proceeds to have a dance number with Hermes and get passed Charybdis)

Odysseus: I’m finally home.

Poseidon: Bitch you thought.

Odysseus: No, I am not dealing with this today.

Poseidon: Get in the water!

Odysseus: 600 Strike!

(Cue anime fight)

Poseidon: You may have won by some miracle… but now that storm blocks your way home. Sucks to be you.

Odysseus: No… sucks to be you.

(Odysseus proceeds to penetrate Poseidon with his trident until the god begs for mercy)

Poseidon: How will you sleep at night.

Odysseus: Next to my wife. On a mattress from Mattressfirm! Save 100 dollars on your next purchase with the code f***youposeidon.

(Now at Ithaca)

Ithaca saga

Penelope: Welp, I’ve stalled as long as I could with the Loom. Time to use the bow stall challenge.

The suitors: It’s impossible! No one could string this bow.

Penelope: Skill issue, call me when someone does.

(Hours later)

Antinous: F*** this! Let’s just go kill her son and then open her bedroom door and [Redacted)

(Gets killed by arrow)

Odysseus: I’m killing all of you now.

Suitors: We need to get weapons:

Telemachus: I’m back, and you guys should just surrender now.

Suitors: Are you nuts, your father will kill us anyway. (Proceeds to attack son.

Odysseus: Oh I’m going to kill you guys even harder now.

(Brutally kills all the suitors)

Telemachus: Daddy?

Odysseus: Son?

(Cue hug)

Odysseus: I’m so proud of you. Now go tell your mother I’m home. I’ll be there in a moment.

Telemachus: I will. (Heads off to tell mom)

Odysseus: So Athena, you gonna say hi or…

Athena: You may have been right about being merciful.

Odysseus: Nah, you were right. And btw, I’m gonna retire from this warrior business. I only want to see my wife. I’m too old for this s***

(Prepares to see wife)

Penelope: Is that you my love?

Odysseus: I changed a Lot over the years… I’m not the same. But could you fall in love with me again maybe?

Penelope: I see… move our wedding bed then.

Odysseus: WTF that is Rooted to the ground. I made that bed with my hands! How can you ask that.

Penelope: Only my husband knew that. So you are him!

Odysseus: Oh…

Penelope: I will fall in love with you every single time. No matter where or when.

Odysseus: (crying) Penelope!

Penelope: Now get your ass over here! I’ve waited 20 years for you and momma has needs.

[amiti-art]

I posted about Troilus last week so I decided to clean up my old sketches of Tennes, his sister and their father for this week.

Cycnus was the king of Colonae (located near Troy) and the son of Posaidon. (His name means swan btw)

He married the princess of Troy named Procleia (she was either daughter or granddaugter Laomedon) and had 2 childern with her: Tennes and Hemithea. Some versions say that Tennes was son of Apollo and he was only being rised by Cycnus (this is going to be important later)

At some point Procleia died and Cycnus remarried. His new wife Philonome, fell in love with Tennes and when he regected her she told Cycnus that Tennes forced himself on her (or tried to). A flute-player named Eumolpus confirmed her version of events.

Enraged by this Cycnus put both Tennes and Hemithea in a wooden chest and throw them into the sea (some versions say Hemithea shared her brother's punishment willingly).

They made it safely to an island called Leukophrys (it was later renamed Tenedos) and become the new rulers of the land.

Cycuns somehow learned that his wife's accusations against Tennes were false so he buried her alived while Eumolpus (the flute-player) was stoned to death.

After founding out that his childern survived Cycnus sailed to Tenedos to ask Tennes' forgivnes and take them both home.

Tennes however didn't care for his apology and he cut the anchor ropes off the ship with an axe so Cycnus couldn't step on the land.

Tennes ruled his island for some time, he established a law which stated that the folse accusations were punisheble by death by an axe (Tennes really liked axes, didn't he).

Also flute-players were forbided from entering either the temples or the entire island.

Okay remember when I said earlier that Apollo was Tennes' real father and it was important? Yeah we're getting there.

When the Greeks were traveling to Troy they stopped on Tenedos. Thetis told Achilles that he can't kill the king of the Island because whoever kills Tennes will be killed by his father Apollo. Achilles however tried to force himself on Hemithea. Tennes tried to defend his sister but he was killed by Achilles. When Achilles realized who he killed he also killed his servant because the servant (who was sent to him by Thetis to remind him not to kill the king) failed to inform Achilles that he's about to kill the man he's not supossed to.

Some versions also mention a bigger fight and say that Tennes was also protecting his country. Most of the sources don't mention what happened to Hemithea afterwords but one text claim that she was swallowed by the earth which saved her from being violated by Achilles. Another says that she was killed by Achilles but don't mention anything about the assault.

It was forbidden to say Achilles name in the tample build after Tennes death.

Meanwhile Cycnus joined the Trojan forces and fought alongside Hector (who was his first wife's nephew btw, which means that Hector and Tennes were first cousins). Like his childern he was killed by Achilles, on the first day of the war.

[v3suvia]

On Diomedes of Argos.

Typically, when people think about their favorite heroes of the Trojan siege, they think of the likes of Achilles, or Odysseus, or even Agamemnon (or if you’re based, Hector.) And while these are all valid to whatever extent— because let’s be real, no one is choosing favorites based on who has the purest moral standpoint— they’re not exactly remembered for the noblest of reasons.

Achilles spends half of the Iliad inside his tent as a sulky burrito, and the other half slaughtering Trojans and crying over the consequences of his own actions. Odysseus is a chronic liar, and Agamemnon is Agamemnon. But at the end of the day, they’re still remembered (for better or for worse, really.)

Though, on the topic of Homeric heroes, I feel there is one who is often overlooked despite achieving great feats over the course of the epic; Diomedes of Argos. (Note: arguably the most metal of the Achaean heroes at Troy.) So, let’s rant talk about him!

Diomedes was one of the key players in Homer’s Iliad— a recount of the last year of the Trojan siege. Being summoned to fight under oath, Diomedes headed his fleet of 80 ships to Ilium. As well as having a whole chapter dedicated to how kickass he was [read more about that whole thing here], the king of Argos was also a master strategist, and extremely noble— not just in his war efforts.

For example, there are multiple points in the Iliad where he checks the leader of the Trojan expedition, Agamemnon, calling him out on his cowardice or for otherwise being an inadequate leader, [Book 9; ‘Agamemnon, I will begin by taking issue with you over your proposal… do you really believe the Greeks are the cowards and weaklings you say they are? If you for one, have set your heart on getting away, then go.’] [‘Zeus has granted you many things… He gave you the sceptre of power and the honour that comes with it, but he did not give you courage— and courage is the secret of authority.]

And one instance where he truces with the Trojan hero, Glaucus— both of them exchanging armors (on an active battlefield, btw) to honor the fact that their grandfathers had been allies, [Book 6; ‘So let us avoid each other’s spears... And let us exchange our armor so that everyone will know our grandfather’s friendship has made friends of us.’]

He is also one of the only soldiers in the war who avoids committing hubris in the entire epic, which is probably the most telling of all his virtuous traits.

Diomedes also has a proverb named after him! ‘Diomedean Necessity/Diomedean Compulsion', which basically means when someone does something for the greater good (despite the reluctance of the person in question.)

This is taken from the myth of Odysseus and Diomedes taking the wooden statue of Athena— dubbed the Palladium— from Ilium. During this heist, Odysseus tries to stab Diomedes in the back to steal the acclaim of taking the Palladium for himself.

Rather than punishing Odysseus on account of betraying his ally for personal gain, Diomedes ties him up and drags him back to camp instead, because he knew the Greeks couldn’t win the war without Odysseus’ wisdom.

Anyway, why the rant? Sure, I could sit here and convince you that he’s the coolest Greek hero, but what would I be trying to accomplish in doing so? Well, it’s simply because while every other Homeric hero is recognized and represented in modern media, Diomedes isn’t.

He wasn’t even mentioned once in Troy (2004), the film adaptation of the Iliad! Despite him being the focus of multiple chapters in the book, as well as playing a big role in the Achaean army’s over-all victory.

I’m sick of everyone (and by that, I mean most modern media) depicting him as though he was just some dude™ in the Iliad when he was actually (from a mildly biased standpoint) one of the best of the Achaeans at Troy.

TLDR; Diomedes of Argos = Based. He solos ur favs (probably. He almost killed Ajax the greater at Patroclus’ funeral games 💀)Put him in more movies/shows/games so me and the other two Diomedes fans can be happy.

[bloody-lasagne]

Cressida & Greek Mythology

So like I've noticed this when watching the show, but Cressida seems to be very closely associated with Greek Mythology. I've seen some people discuss it, but I don't see it discussed enough. Here are a few instances that I've found. Feel free to mention more if I missed any.

1. Let's begin with Cressida mentioning the story of Eros and Psyche to describe Polin's relationship. The story goes with Eros falling in love with Psyche when his original goal was to match her up with an ugly creature by order of his mother, Aphrodite. She referenced this because Colin and Penelope are in the same situation.

2) The scene with Lord Greer, with the pomegranates clearly being emphasized. My guess is that it's a reference to the goddess Persephone and the god Hades, and how he forced her to be with him against her will, dragging her to the underworld and trapping her there with pomegranate seeds. It shows that Cressida was being forced into a marriage against her will.

3) Finally, her name. Cressida. There is a Shakespeare play in 1602 called Troilus and Cressida. It took place in a Greek Mythology setting at Troy in the Trojan war. The story goes as Trolius and Cressida fall in love, but Cressida gets traded to a Greek camp because of her father and is forced to see another man. I'm not really sure if this is too much of a stretch, but there are parallels in both Shakespeare Cressida and Bridgeton Cressida. They both did what they did out of desperation. Not to mention the daddy issues btw.

[mirisia]

The behind story of "And Little Ajax will stay back"

(Warning: vague implication of sexual violence)

Helenus of Troy: *gets captured by Odysseus and eventually tells him how to conquer Troy*

Helenus: Btw I have a twin sister named Cassandra who is also a priestess of Apollo. Once you conquer my city make sure that some blasphemous man won't touch her, for her sake and yours

Odysseus:

Odysseus: Tf you mean by that

Helenus: One of you will lay his hands upon Apollo's priestess

Ody:

Helenus: Whose maidenhood even the god himself hasn't touched

Ody:

Helenus: In the Temple of Athena

Ody:

Ody: And who is this fucking bastard stupid enough to touch a virgin priestess in the temple of a virgin goddess?

~ later on, during The Horse and the Infant ~

Ody: And Little Ajax will stay back

L. Ajax: Tf you mean "Stay back"?? >:O

Ody: Says the priest of Apollo. You will stay back so that you won't do anything stupid to bring the wrath of the gods upon us all

Ajax: But that's fucking ridiculous! You dare to exclude me from this just to appease that Trojan's-

Ody: Shut it! There's no 'but'! Disobey this and I swear you'll be stoned for it and I'll be at the first row!

Ody: We all know what happens when you mess with Apollo's priest and/or his family. If you forgot, our Lord Agamemnon will kindly explain it to you

Agamemnon: Tf?? Why do you drag me into this?

Ody: Do you eat your conscience for breakfast? You know damn well why!

So the butterfly effect is no crime in the Temple of Athena, no Athena's wrathful storm, no sack of Ismarus, no 72 death there

[pinyeti]

EPISODE 6: RETURN OF THE JEDI

Is it just me or have they just not explained the Death Star properly?

I cant take Darthy seriously anymore, he’s just a bag of organs 

Whats quirrel doing here

OMG ELEPHANT SNAKE IS BACK

Isnt this that old caterpillar from Alice n wonfderlad

WOW LUKE REALLY SUITED UP FOR HIS MESSAGE- DID HE JUST SELL???? GOLDENFACE AN R2-oh right Hans in the carbon - way to go to the dark side Luke, triangular droid trade YOU ARE YOUR FATHERS SON LUKE 

So much of Star Wars is just running into the problem with a glowstick and hoping it dies

Wow hansolo has been imprisoned, thrown into garbage, tortured, thrown into carbon, imprisoned AGAIN all cuz he has can’t shut my mouth disease

What even is their relationship with Luke btw, are they his adopted fWOAH WOAH WOAH WHEN DID LUKE TURN INTO A MAN??? Last I saw he was a child who couldn’t get a plane out of a lake AND THEY LEFT THE LAST MOVIE WITH ALL OF THTEM BEING TOGETHER wow the text in the beginning is more important than I thought 

No seriously why is Luke dressed like a pastor whats going on

WOAH GOLD BIKINI LIEA - OKAY STORY TIME I USED TO WATCH PRINCESS RAP BATTLES AS A CHILD AND THE ONE I SAW WITH LEIA IN IT SHE SAID “I wore a gold bikini and the whole world lost its shit” ANF NOW I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS

Ok yoda we get it you’re 900 no ones talking about your wrinkles anyway with pastor Luke in the room, projecting much?

Is yoda suidicdal???

WDYM LUKE IS REaDY???? HE DIDNT DO ANYTHING TO BE READY EXCEPT FLY FACEFIRST INTO A MILITARY BASE HIS TRAINING ARC IS SO SHIT

 Whos the other Skywalker?? lukes not even a Skywalker isnt his name Luke vader where’s skywalkers real son OH darthy’s deadname is skywalker

BABY WONKENOBIII IS BACKCKCKC-OMGWHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WDYM LEIAS LUKES SISTER WDYM HE SUSPECTED THIS AFTER MAKING OUT WITH HER FIFTY BILLION TIMES??? WHAT THE HELL

??? HELLO>>??? WHAT TH EHELL??? WHAT IN THE GAME OF THRONES IS GOING ON??????? How is Leia a princess then?? HahahahaHAHAHA SO YODA KNEW …… ABOUT THEIR LITTLE TRIANGLE

Nice the gang is back together, waiting for chewbakka to be revealed as darthy’s next offspring

YES YES GOLDENFACE GETTING THE RESPECT HE DESEREVEVVES I LOVE GOLDENFACEEE

I cant believe these are the idiots the emperors trying to kill

"yes I could sense you were my brother when my tongue was down your throat"

Oh yes Luke hands himself over- haha darthy sensitive over dead name 

Luke youre so stupid- but since jedis cant die is he gonna go to wherever yoda and obi wan is 

Lando is growing on me, also squid guy

This movie is gonna end with emperor and Luke dead isnt it

Is the emperor a jedi too how else does he have power or something something Sith

Id make a horrible jedi- im made of hatred

Hansolo my pathetic little idiot

I JUST REALIZED WHO LUKE EP6 REMINDS ME OF - TROY BOLTON

IS HE BEGGING DARTHY TO KILL HIM WTF

You’re telling me this big of an empire cant take down 6 idiots lead by a happy go lucky guy, never heard of this before

OHMYGOSSDDHD. LYKE YOU IDIOT NOW HE KNOWS ABOUT LEIA

Hahahah a hand for a HAND- wait what…. Why does he have a robo hand too whats going on 

Luke stop acting like you didnt hear about jedis 5 secs ago

Aw does darthy have a heart among his organs

OHMYGOD DARTHY IS A GOOD GUY????? ????? What A VILLAIN TTURNS GOOD ITS BEEN AGES SINCE I SAW A VILLAIN COME OVER TO THE GOOD SIDE

OMG DARHTY FACE REVEAL

Oh damn hes not as ugly as I thought he’d be

Kinda cute even - bro how did he even get this weak why’s he dying rn 

He has such kind eyes

Yeah ok I am so lost I NEED DARTH VADER BACKSTORY RIGH FUCKIN NOW

Is the empire this easy to penetrate? No but they did it with the power of lOVE and FRIENDSHIP 

Love lando 

YES HAN THATS THE REACTION I HAD AN HOUR AGO ACTUALLY WTF

Yes Luke its so sad your daddy that blew up an entire planet in ONE second without a single thought died IM NOT FORGIVING HIM THIS EASY

No way thats it??? They took down the empire just like that???? What??

Damn no one in this world can dance

OHMYGOD ANAKIN???? HOW CAN HE SEE THEM NOW??? IS IT CUZ HES BETTER AT WEILDING THE FORCE

ok fine anakin is cute

(3/9)

[trophywifetroybarnes]

thinking abt that one post where op was showing their s/o an old childhood picture taken of the little kid soccer team their father coached during a game years ago (the picture being from when op themself was a child) only for s/o to find out they they themself were there, in the picture background, on the opposite team, and this being a woah moment for both of them.

also thinking about the bluey ep fairytale (s3ep25 i believe? fairytale spoilers ahead btw) where bandit tells his kids a "real life fairytale" which includes what he claims is the first ever meeting (short as it is!) he has with chili (his wife) from when they were kids during a vacation at a camp site. thing is, chili doesnt remember it happening although she does say that her family vacationed there often and so timelines do match up, even if she has no recollection of it. so its left open-ended (popular fan theory suggests that the girl bandit met (he didnt get her name, it was a few seconds meeting where she returns his hat to him) was actually brandy, chili's older sister)

but god, im actually thinking about troy and abed now, and how abed wanted to find moments in the study group history where they could have interacted/did interact prior to greendale. and troy's iconic "you were out there somewhere and you weren't looking for me?" to the point where i now want to write a fic where ten year old troy goes, with his uncle and cousins, to a campsite for vacation (maybe troy's parents are there, maybe his nana is there, idk i havent thought it all out yet) only for troy to have a short meeting with an older 14 year old kid. its a small thing, its a big thing, its bandit being jinxed and unable to talk until this girl reads his name off his hat and gives it back to him before walking away. its nothing. its a kid troy wont ever see again probably. its everything, because he can talk now. its forgotten because hes ten and he has a lot of things to say now that he can.

he doesnt know this kids name, he doesnt remember this, and its not until troy has sailed away, and abed is going through some old scrapbooks in apartment 303 that troy brought with him when he first moved, and he's looking at a picture of ten year old troy, arms around his cousin, big wide smiles, at a campsite, only to find there, in the background, walking across the green to his father, is abed.

its gonna wrinkle troy's brain when he finds out

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

i love thinking about apollos anatolian origins 😵‍💫

It stews in the back of my head too :3

There was this really good podcast on Spotify I found about Ancient Greece, and I listened to his Apollo episode first (because I honestly can't stomach the ones who paint him as 'terrible assaulter'/'epitome of the patriarchy'. Can't stand it. Seriously, there was this so-called 'feminist' mythology podcast i found and I Noped out of there as fast as I could - she didn't even mention Eros's involvement in the Daphne myth! She immediately went 'Apollo: the man who doesn't know the meaning of No' and I was like I'M OUTTA HERE.)

(It's very hard to find good Apollo content out there when you have educated yourself on what he's actually like :( )

(At least you immediately know those people didn't do their research shrug)

Thankfully, this one had a really good, really in-depth discussion about Apollo; his origins, his domains, his myths, ect!

COMPLETELY FREE OF BIAS TOO! HE JUST GIVES YOU THE FACTS, THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MYTHS, HOW THE CULTURE INFLUENCED THEM, ECT!

On my first (and only rn) listen I was like "damn i need to take notes on this sometime" that's how in-depth it is!

Here's the episode link if anybody is interested, btw!

What's cool is that he said that before Apollo came along, oracles and the like weren't as common in Greece - they existed, because Gaea was a thing - however, when he was imported in (possibly also with Leto! She has Anatolian origins too!), oracles became more of a thing as Apollo's popularity skyrocketed!

If you look at the number of Oracles Apollo had, you'd also notice that a lot of them are in Anatolia (Turkey today)!. Didyma, Miletus, Claros, ect ect! I think this just adds to the theory that Apollo's main origins come from Anatolia! When he moved to Greece, oracles came with him!

Which is so cool because in my drafts I currently have a picture of a webchart I made of Apollo's (many) domains, and I narrowed down the ones I think are his Big Ones - and Prophecy is one of them.

Very cool that Prophecy has always been part of him <3

Also, Apollo has many cities he is the patron of in Anatolia - Troy is obvious, but the island of Tenedos was his too (his son Tenes founded the city there), and he was the patron of Miletus (the city where he met Branchus btw for my Branchus fans out there)!

And going to Leto real quick, her migration from Anatolia religion to Greece's is probably represented in the Hymn to Apollo! Sometimes myths about wandering from place to place were meant to symbolize the importation of a god (Aphrodite floating ashore of Cythera, for example), and Leto...well, she was doing a lot more than the typical wandering in the hymn, but it still fits!

Some versions say she was guided to Delos by wolves from Hyperborea, others say Boreas helped her escape Python, still others claim a rooster was present when she finally was able to give birth and thus became her sacred animal (also she apparently gave birth to Apollo as a wolf? I don't quite remember which version says that but it's something I've heard XD).

Also Delos was very self-conscious about Apollo being born on it because it was afraid he would judge it for not being up to typical island standards XD

Moving to Apaliunas now! He's a Hittite god, but I haven't been able to find out of what :( The main piece of evidence we have of his relation with Apollo is Troy - Apaliunas was the god of Wilusa, who has been found out to be another name for Troy! There was a treaty signed between Wilusa and another city, and the representative of Wilusa's name was commonly translated to "Of Ilios" - and Ilios was another name for Illium, aka Troy.

(Fun fact: The son Apollo had with Ourea was named Ileus, after Troy! They are but a footnote in mythology but I made them Important in my Troy fic XD)

Plus, Apaliunas's name was connected to the Hittite reflex of Apeljōn, which scholars have theorized to be an early form of Apollo's name - remember Apollon? :D

Apollo also has connections to various other deities - the Italian Etruscan god Apulu (Aplu), the Celtic god Grannus, his Egyptian equivalent is Horus and his Phoenician one is Resheph! He's also been identified with Baldur from Norse mythology.

Apollo be wearing that trenchcoat, and he is wearing it well XD

[thewomancallednova]

The Schizoid Man

Better than I thought it was gonna be!

I was going in thinking this going to be another de-mystifying of Data's backstory, but it really isn't, beyond adding that Data's creator had a mentor, which I don't think is a big deal (if we already have a concrete creator anyway).

Oki I have to talk about the story structure again, because it's kinda like The Outrageous Okona and Loud As a Whisper again (at least in the a plots). We have a guest character, exploring whom the bulk of the episode is dedicated to. And then we have the crew intervening in a way that doesn't force the guest star to change, but inspires them to do so anyway (here Picard's outrage over Graves' accidental harming of the crew gets through to him). Admittedly, here the crew is more active, as they investigate Graves-as-Data beforehand, but the only thing that really advances the plot is Picard's appealing to Graves (and subsequent getting hit by him).

That's not really a complaint and more of an observation, btw. I do think that TNG is getting better and better at this.

It's kind of interesting how this is a Data episode but he's barely in it. And that's not a criticism, I think we learn a lot about Data here, by the hole that he leaves behind so to speak. It's quite clever how the episode manages to highlight so many of Data's qualities and discuss, I think quite positively, his relationship to humanity, by showing how Ira Graves is.

Which, side note, who the fuck names a planet Gravesworld. Like namig it after yourself is one thing, but Gravesworld?

but okay, Graves is obviously a huge sexist asshole, but I gotta admire the vanity of killing someone to prolong your own life, barely even make an attempt to impersonate them, then going to your own funeral (as the guy who's met you once) and hold a long-winded speech about how you were the greatest specialist little guy under the great bird of the galaxy's limitless sky.

honestly goals

minus the dehumanizing women and murdering and so on, you get it.

I love that this episode openly acknowledges that Data is kind of human. Like, Geordi explicitely mentions Data's human qualities surfacing, which is great. It also does that without downplaying Data's struggle and quest for being more like the other crew, which is also nice, and it also does that while emphasising that Data being just like he is is also really good (via Picard telling Graves literally that). So honestly, this is everything I want out of a Data episode.

I liked the story Graves told Data about the machine that wanted to be human only learn that he was human after all. it kinda feels like that's what the episode wants Data to have (in the long game, not necessarily by the end of this episode)

Also I call bullshit on Data not feeling pain, just two episodes ago you were about to cry because Guinan tricked you into thinking you were funny. Like that was absolutely pain, or at least a genuine expression of it. Fine if it doesn't map 1:1 on human expression of pain, but it is clearly something.

I think it's super super interesting that Troi was able to sense Grave's jelousy while Graves was posession Data. That means that there is no physical restriction in Data's positronic brain that makes it inherently unable to feel those emotions in a way that Troi can perceive, and it means that Data is generally capable of feeling emotions (even if not necessarily human ones). Of course we knew that already from observing Data expressing emotions all the time, but it's nice to have it spelled out, kinda.

Kind of a minor aspect, but seeing Doctor Selar here is SOOOO surreal. For those not in the know, she becomes a main character on the long-running New Frontier novel series, and her portrayal there has in my brain totally eclipsed her five tv appearances. So it's incredibly strange to see her be like a person and saying words instead of being text that evokes pictures in my imagination.

Also, is it just me or is something weird going on with Doctor Pulaski? Like, they have an episode with a significant medical component (Graves' illness), and instead of using Pulaski for it, they invent a new character with the same job who gets more lines than her? I dunno, it just seems like a weird choice. It's not like she wasn't in this episode at all either.

I'm taking Kareen's mistaking a Klingon for a Romulan as another instance of TNG trying to deemphasize the connection between Romulans and Vulcans. Kareen seems at least familiar with Vulcans (she doesn't have questions about Selar), but Worf is just a random alien to her, that could be a Romulan. To any viewer unfamiliar with TOS that woul communicate (subtely) that Romulans are not easily confused with Vulcans.

I find it funny that Graves accuses Picard of flirting with Kareen. Like. Look. Picard has many faults, as I love to point out, but coming onto a woman who spend almost all her life in the company of one single other person, who has just died, is not one of them.

[katerinaaqu]

Sorry if this was already answered, I'm new to your blog (really liking it so far, btw!), but if both Menelaus and Helen were at Troy and assuming Tyndareus is already dead by this point, who exactly would have ruled Sparta in their stead?

Not at all! I mean I do remember discussing it before in some other post but that is irrelevant given how it is a very interesting story to discuss.

Also weird coincidence that you mention this when I have freshly posted this random one-shot that I am also mentioning to my post here:

Actually there isn't much to guarantee that Tyndareus is dead at that point. Not at all. In fact we do see plenty of the Greek kings or queens have living fathers around. We know for a fact even in the Odyssey, 10 years after Troy that Icarius, Penelope's father is alive and he was in contact with the suitors regarding Penelope's marriage, we know Laertes is alive and even Anticlea was not supposed to die yet given how it was her sorrow that killed her and she either withered away in her depression or she killed herself in it. Euryclea is also alive who was also Odysseus's wetnurse. We also know more or less that Achilles's father Peleus is still alive in the events of the trip of Odysseus. And of course we are not even mentioning Nestor who was considered old already in Iliad events and he was still alive and kicking at the events of the Odyssey.

It seems that quite a sufficient amount of people of the previous generation are still alive. And it seems to be taken over by post-homeric sources. For example in Euripides's "Orestes" Tyndareus is very much alive and he is speaking against Orestes for the murder of his mother (even if he is also condemning Clytemnestra for the murder of her husband). In other sources Tyndareus is even playing a role to the marriage of Hermione since according to some it was Tyndareus the one to organize the marriage between Orestes and Hermione and not Menelaus who had promised his daughter to Neoptolemous, not knowing there was an arrangement already etc

So there is a high chance that Tyndareus was alive so most likely it was him the one to take care of things in Sparta, possibly a council too similar to the one we see in the Odyssey called by Telemachus where he gathers the people of Ithaca and some of the elders that have some more knowledge or political power I suppose.

But of course in the hypothetical scenario where we think that Tyndareus is dead, Menelaus could have left someone as is regent, like Odysseus left Penelope as his regent. He could leave someone behind carry his political power for a little while. I cannot bring some source that mentions it from the top of my head but in this hypothesis then yeah possibly he would have to name a regent.