#it’s about Odysseus being viewed as a wolf

[seaglassdinosaur]

Poseidon calling Odysseus and his men a ‘pack of wolves’ (swimming with the sharks, now).

Telemachus being called ‘little wolf’ because he is his father’s son.

[progamer27]

EPIC: The Musical - Character Growth

I like it when characters aren't one-dimensional, especially main characters.

Sure, it's fine and fun to have characters who are solely evil or solely good from time to time.

But I vastly prefer characters that go thru some sort of development - that takes its time -, and then come out changed by the experience.

Enter: Odysseus and Athena (and also Eurylychous)

I think it's pretty safe to say that, at least at the start of the musical, a lot of people didn't like Athena and Eurylychous too much - and were quick to label them as, at the very least, "villain-adjecent".

But now that we have had 6 out of 8 Sagas released, we can understand them better. And same for Odysseus.

Eurylychous: In the Odyssey, he is a minor character whose only role is to be a plot device (killing and eating Helios's cattle). In EPIC, Eurylychous is shown as someone more focused on the crew than anything else. Brash and Hot-headed, he is the opposite of Odysseus.

So, why is he interesting? Because we SEE (or HEAR) how he grows from just; a soldier whose first instinct is to murder (Lotus Eaters) or flee (After blinding Polypheamus), to a desperate man who wants to get back home as fast as possible - even if it means leaving his comrades behind (Circe), to a man who needs to confess his guilt (Scylla, as a follow up to Keep Your Friends Close and Puppeteer), to someone who's desperate and has given up entirely (Mutiny and Thunder Bringer).

In conclusion: Eury isn't a villain, but Just a Man. He made mistakes and was abrasive, but so would many people in his place.

ATHENA: In Greek Mythology, Athena is one of the most Hubris-Filled (Prideful) Goddesses out there. In EPIC, she is much of the same... at the Start.

Because Remember, prior to the Wisdom Saga, we only really saw/heard Athena 3 times. And in those 3 times, we get presented with who she is at the moment; A Goddess who views Odysseus as a "project/creation" (Warrior of the Mind and Remember Them), and as the less rose-tinted Goddess who lost her friend because of the circumstances (My Goodbye).

Now, at this point in time, most people would simply label Athena as a "typical greek goddess" - that is to say, a deity who doesn't really view humans as equal to her, and who lacks Humanity.

....until she meets Telemachus.

Then, the characterization... matures; she becomes less closed-off (We'll Be Fine), admits that she was pushing too hard (Little Wolf), realizes that what she did to Ody was HORRIBLE - and, if I may interject, she will probably be a bit shocked/traumatized at seeing Ody trying to kill himself (Love in Paradise), and finally as someone who realized they STILL CARE for their friend, and that tried to do everything to save them (God Games)

In Short: Athena went from being an unlikable cold goddess - one who refused to comprehend human emotions -, to being much more "human".

(And please, if you are a fanfic writer, try to write a story where Athena just... realizes how shitty her life was, and how badly she treated others, and let her have an home with the Itachan Family. She needs her friends, and she probably needs to express her emotions in an healtier way)

ODYSSEUS:....

....

....

What is there to say? The musical is ABOUT HIM, and about how the line between man and monster (good and evil) is incredibly thin... but also about how you CAN come back from the brink, how you can "Become Yourself" again.

In the Odyssey - even if the story is a banger -, I didn't get the impression that Odysseus changed too much. Sure, he may have some trauma and suicidial thoughts, but he didn't do a 180°, then another one, and finally got a better understanding of life. He was still just... Odysseus, the King of Itacha and Father of Telemachus. Odysseus, the Silver-Tounged Liar. Odysseus the sacker of cities.

In Epic....

...Well, I think you know where I'm going with this..

In Conclusion: The EPIC versions of the characters feel like Actual Characters - almost actual humans - who make mistakes and aren't wholly "pure villainy" or "goodie two-shoes".

Sure, we have example of both of these things (Goodie = Polites, Penelope, Astynax; Villains = Poseidon, Polyphemus, Scylla, Zeus, The Suitors), as well as some morally-grey ones (Dark Grey/Leaning toward Evil = Calypso; Light Gray/Leaning towards Good= Circee, Aeolus, Tiresias)

But i think that I've said enough.

[nanaimothoughts]

I wanna yap about the symbolism in Little Wolf

Just a disclaimer, I didn't read The Odyssey in school and the bulk of my exposure to Greek Mythology is from EPIC (and my sibling being a PJO kid), so I had to do some Googling for this.

ANYWAY.

I did find that some cultures view wolves as symbolic of familial loyalty, which is referenced in the EPIC fandom wiki. That association insinuates the suitors mocking Tele's loyalty to Penelope and Odysseus. The clear callback to Poseidon referring to Ody and the crew as a "pack of wolves" also shows what Tele meant when he called the suitors "men who call me small" in Legendary.

BUT THEN

Jorge builds on this symbolism in Athena's verse. First, by having her demean Antinous by calling him a dog in the lines "Let's teach this dog a lesson // In front of all his kind." Dogs are the domesticated descendant of the Grey Wolf, so she's affectively putting Antinous beneath Tele. This is further emphasized by "One young wolf has a larger heart than all these men combined." It's also worth noting that Athena uses "young" instead of "little" here. She isn't being condescending like the suitors are.

[counttwinkula]

when you look at monsters in art history, which of course is something i’m interested in, some of the most common subjects are

medusa, specifically her decapitated head

st. george and the dragon

the temptation of st. anthony

it’s not particularly surprising that these are all scenes of a monster being vanquished, because monsters stand in for evils and by displaying their defeat is a sort of talisman urging us to stand by the same cultural values represented in the myth. two things, however, stand out to me about this trio.

firstly, depictions of medusa tend to be the most graphic. admittedly, st. george and the dragon have the most variety between renditions, the classic image involves st. george’s weapon skewering the serpent’s neck, mouth, or chest rather cleanly, with him usually shown above and the beast below. the temptation of st. anthony, meanwhile, is a relatively non-violent scene. painting st. anthony is usually just an excuse for the artist to go hog wild devising a wide variety of grotesque demons pestering a man.

medusa, however, is generally depicted post-decapitation. while st. george is dominant in his works, and st. anthony is at least present, perseus tends to be absent. we view the monster’s dead or still-dying body; the anguish in her cursed, human eyes. and unlike the often pleasantly slain dragon, medusa’s gore is put on display, from the severed end of her neck to the puddle of blood beneath her. we can consider the difference in this scene perhaps a reference to the ægis, athena’s shield decorated with the head of the gorgon. but myth is self-serving: the ægis shows the shield for the same reason the art does, to warn us of what happens to monsters like medusa.

the second thing i find interesting about this trio of myths comes more directly from jeffrey jerome cohen’s seven theses about monsters. according to cohen, “the monster always returns.” while this does refer to the repetition of the myth within culture (i.e. how the myth of perseus is told and retold), i think it’s also important to look at where gorgons stand in the body of greek myth. neither st. george’s dragon nor st. anthony’s demons make any claim to be unique, and both recur throughout christian legends. but medusa is one of a trio: most commonly, she began as a mortal cursed by the gods, and the other gorgons (euryale and stheno) were born monstrous. additionally, medusa is the only one of the three who can die.

it’s clear why euryale and stheno never actually appear in greek mythology beside being named. they cannot be killed, and therefore they can never be an evil for good to vanquish. gorgons do not recur in greek myths, though other female monsters rear their heads again and again (the sirens, for example, appear to both odysseus and jason). bestiaries are rife with medusa’s spawn, conceived when her blood landed on african sands. in fact, her kin are none other than serpents: more dragons for the st. georges of the world to stab.

the monster movies of the 20th century were rife with continuity errors--by which i mean, frankenstein and dracula and the wolf man would be defeated in one film only to reappear perfectly fine in another spinoff. dragons and demons would continue to plague the christians, even to the modern day. medusa, sometimes interpreted as a foreign queen, other times as a victim of sexual violence, would not rise up to attack us again.

there’s obviously a lot to unpack about that image, no matter which rendition we’re looking at. again and again, the image of the bloodied, mutilated woman. more recent depictions show terror in her face, while the state of her decapitation elicits horror in the viewer. she is monstrous because she’s a woman with power: that power can be metaphoric in her supernatural ability and appearance, and it can be literal in the agency she attempts to express against poseidon. she is monsterized, she is slain.

visually, she never escapes the state of being slain, never proceeds to rot or decompose, but instead is immortalized in the last moments of her death. her head continues into the myth of andromeda, and follows athena wherever she appears. her decapitation appears in the constellation of perseus as the star algol (sometimes dubbed the demon star).

the intact monstress never returns, but her mutilation is eternal. 

[fan-clan-fun]

So you want to build a clan? Chapter 5: Mythos

So we have somewhat covered formation and beginnings, but what about other clan history? By this I mean, what stories do kits hear from the elders? What great events happened in the history of a certain clan? What heroes and Villains are kits taught to be like or admonished not to become?

Each clan culture will have its own understanding of knowledge and virtue, and each clan will thus have positive and negative examples of these. It is important to have some role models which can increase character and clan development.

Canon Examples in this regard would likely include stories in Thunderclan of Firestar, who might be seen as a great hero, and Villains would include Tigerstar and other Dark Forest cats.

But for non-canon  clans you have the opportunity to create these stories yourself.

Two quick examples:

Everyone in Ripple clan knows the story of Whiteface. A handsome charismatic tom, he fathered several litters of kits. But there was always one she-cat who had caught his eye, and who he had been frustrated not to call his conquest. Oriolestar was a beautiful shecat, and a capable leader, and he had spent many moons trying to woo her. But she had always been dedicated to her mate, Piketail, and although Whitefaces advances amused her, she always turned him down. One day Whiteface grew enraged, and attempted to attack Oriolestar, but she was too quick, and savage. She subdued him, and charged him with treason. By attacking his own leader, Whiteface had betrayed his clan, and attempted to force himself on another and cause them harm. As a result, he was brought before the clan and punished, forced to run a gauntlet of warriors should he wish to escape alive into exile. While he made it through the gauntlet, he succumbed to his wounds before he escaped the territory. Any kit knows the dire consequences of attacking another clan mate,  no matter the cause.

On the other hand, every kit also knows the story of Olive heart, the first code keeper. As a young she cat she was a fiery apprentice, filled with the desire to fulfill the code. However after she was framed for a crime she did not commit, she learned compassion and studied the law of the clan to defend herself before her leader and prove her innocence. She defended herself so well, solving the mystery and implicating the true culprit, that the leader made her a warrior. They granted her the name Oliveheart, for her steadfast devotion to the code, to the clan, and to prove herself. With her extensive knowledge of clan law and code, she became an advocate for justice in the clan, the first codekeeper. In this position she assisted the leader to make accurate judgements of punishment, as well as helped the deputy investigate each situation accordingly, to try and prevent what had once happened to her. The story reminds all kits that with persistence and loyalty, anyone can achieve anything, it is in giving up that the true problem lies.

Alright now with those two you have a good general understanding of personal stories told of cats. Of course these aren't the only ones, but most myths fall into these categories:

Creation Myths:

Every culture has a creation myth, a story of how the world began. In many ways these creation myths are both culturally specific yet often very similar. A creation myth is both the origin and the sum of that clans culture, because it defines the very essence and beginning of it. It affects how Starclan is viewed and even where they believe Starclan originated and why.  These can be anywhere from creation by a deity or deities, to an explanation of the seasons, the sun, the moon, the stars, the tides.

Coveclan believes that in the very beginning the world was in darkness, which is why cats have such good night vision. This darkness was a darkness of death and conflict. However one cat, the greatest warrior of their time, fought the darkness, fought death and won. Once they won they ascended into the heavens, and their eyes, filled with the breath and power of life, became the moon and sun, and gave birth to the tides and seasons. In the process, one of their eyes was injured, and although they can hold it open for a time, they must close it to protect it from further harm, this is how the phases of the moon came to be. Cats, the creature from whom the Great One came to be, are their favoured creatures, and those who follow them are also saved from death, and brought to the sky to become the Stars/Starclan.

For inspiration it's helpful to look at creation myths from different religions.  While larger religions are useful, smaller, more scattered religions, or sects of larger religions can also offer interesting possibilities.

Hero Myths

As mentioned before, these are the myths which involve the heroes of the clan, the role models of history. Each one will have very specific connotations to each clan, and usually each clan has a different interpretation based on what morals and behaviors are most valued. This can range from aspects of the code which the clans prefer, to how certain suffixes began in the clan.

One of these names which is remembered by Ridgeclan is that of Foxstep. They were the first to ever be given the step suffix, and their story is one that is told to every kit with an animal name. Foxpaw was an apprentice when they saw a fox one day from their perch in the trees. They became fascinated by the fox, but particularly from the fresh prey dangling from its jaws. So Foxpaw began to follow it, learned it's routine, watched it hunt, saw it's den. Then they waited for their opportunity, shadowing the fox one day as it hunted. When the fox caught it's prey, Foxpaw shot out from hiding and stole it from the fox, just as they had seen the fox do before to a wolf. Foxpaw was confident his speed would be enough, except he took a wrong turn and ended up muzzle to muzzle with the fox’s mate. Rookie mistake. They escaped, but lost a muzzle full of whiskers. When they returned to camp, triumphant, with both prey and the location of a fox family’s den, the leader decided that the ordeal could be considered the apprentices last assessment. After Foxpaw helped several warriors drive the foxes out, they were given their warrior ceremony. At the ceremony, the leader spoke:

“Your actions, patience, and skill would normally lead me to name you -whisker, for your exceptional hunting skills. However, seeing as you lost your whiskers to this brazen action, I think you deserve a fitting name. So from this day on, you shall be known as Foxstep. For you walked in the footsteps of the fox itself and survived, and brought glory and prey to the clan in the process.”

From then on, it has been said that those who are named for animals, and study them diligently through their life will take on some of the aspects of the animal itself, and be able to use them to better serve their clan, just as Foxstep did.

Finding examples in our own cultures, is easy as well, and can offer insight in how to incorporate hero myths onto culture. Just look at heroes like Achilles, or Odysseus, or writers like Shakespeare whose names and characters last throughout the ages. These are all names, heroes, characters which all show the culture of the time, and even get adapted as time goes by. It might help to 

Mystery Myths:

These are the myths told to explain what cannot be explained,or used as aids to educate young kits to dangers and include them in clan culture. These can be deities, or simply monsters and cryptids.

One example is the creature which the clans call Rot. While the story of its origin is different from clan to clan, ultimately what it is is the same. A malevolent force who is associated with poison and decay. It oozes across the ground in a stinky black mass or a fuzz like clouds, infecting mushrooms and eating dead creatures, and poisoning water and food. Rot holds a grudge against living beings because it can only destroy, not create, and the cats of the clans especially work to create life and happiness. Kits are taught how to scent and identify instances where Rot has touched the world, so that they can avoid it's tricks. Because cats who eat things touched by Rot, or their wounds are touched by Rot itself, risk death.

These stories are sometimes the most fun to write. I mean who doesn't love a good cryptid story? Or a mystery? What these do for a clan, is they address the curiosities which exist in life and in the clans specific territory. So a water clan might have some kind of fish, or an origin story for the pebbles and shells of an inland waterway, or a snake known for snatching kits, or a story explaining why bees sting, or a story about fire, or lightning, or storms. Stories about other predators who are less common, or creatures explaining things like death, disease, cold, pain, growth, birth, etc. So many possibilities to build on!

The most important thing to remember about building the mythos for your clans, is how it will impact your clans. Myths are essentially the main way to educate kits and bring them up in the culture of the clan. Without this mythos, outsiders or cats from other clan will never understand the clan, it's attitudes, or many of the small insinuations or inside jokes, and will have lost serious tools to survive in their environment.

[hereticaloracles]

Asteroid Files: Achilles

Helios– Okay, I couldn’t just NOT do Achilles. He is the quintessential Aries, and leaving him off of the roster would have only been an affront to all things good and decent. Except Achilles rarely cares about what is good and decent, he’s just in it for the glory.

The Astronomy– 588 Achilles is a large and dark asteroid, classified as Jupiter trojan, the first and 6th-largest of its kind ever confirmed by astronomers. It was discovered on 22 February 1906, by the German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. It measures about 135 kilometers in diameter.

The D-type asteroid, classified as a DU-subtype in the Tholen taxonomic scheme, orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.4–6.0 AU in the L4 Lagrangian point of the Sun–Jupiter System once every 11 years and 10 months (4,337 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 10 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic. The asteroid is the first known example of the stable solution of the three-body problem worked out by French mathematician Joseph Lagrange in 1772, after whom the minor planet 1006 Lagrangea is named. After the discovery of other asteroids with similar orbital characteristics, which were also named after heroes from the Trojan War (see below), the term “Trojan asteroids” or “Jupiter trojans” became commonly used. In addition, a rule was established that the L4 point was the “Greek camp”, whereas the L5 point was the “Trojan camp”, though not before each camp had acquired a “spy” (624 Hektor in the Greek camp and 617 Patroclus in the Trojan camp).

The Mythology– In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and the central character and greatest warrior of Homer’s Iliad. His mother was the immortal nymph Thetis, and his father, the mortal Peleus, was the king of the Myrmidons. Achilles’ most notable feat during the Trojan War was the slaying of the Trojan hero Hector outside the gates of Troy. Although the death of Achilles is not presented in the Iliad, other sources concur that he was killed near the end of the Trojan War by Paris, who shot him in the heel with an arrow. Later legends  state that Achilles was invulnerable in all of his body except for his heel. Alluding to these legends, the term “Achilles heel” has come to mean a point of weakness, especially in someone or something with a strong constitution.

Achilles’ name can be analyzed as a combination of ἄχος (akhos) “grief” and λαός (laos) “a people, tribe, nation.” In other words, Achilles is an embodiment of the grief of the people, grief being a theme raised numerous times in the Iliad (frequently by Achilles). Achilles’ role as the hero of grief forms an ironic juxtaposition with the conventional view of Achilles as the hero of κλέος kleos (“glory”, usually glory in war). According to the Achilleid, when Achilles was born Thetis tried to make him immortal, by dipping him in the river Styx. However, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body by which she held him, his heel. It is not clear if this version of events was known earlier. In another version of this story, Thetis anointed the boy in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire, to burn away the mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned both father and son in a rage. After, Peleus entrusted Achilles to Chiron the Centaur, on Mt. Pelion, to be reared.

The first two lines of the Iliad read:

μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος

οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί’ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε’ ἔθηκεν,

Sing, Goddess, of the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,

the accursed rage that brought great suffering to the Achaeans (the Greeks).

Achilles’ consuming rage is at times wavering, but at other times he cannot be cooled. Thetis foretold that her son’s fate was either to gain glory and die young, or to live a long but uneventful life in obscurity. Achilles chose the former, and decided to take part in the Trojan war. Homer’s Iliad is the most famous narrative of Achilles’ deeds in the Trojan War. Achilles’ wrath is the central theme of the poem. The Homeric epic only covers a few weeks of the decade-long war, and does not narrate Achilles’ death. It begins with Achilles’ withdrawal from battle after he is dishonored by Agamemnon, the commander of the Achaean forces. Agamemnon had taken a woman named Chryseis as his slave. Her father Chryses, a priest of Apollo, begs Agamemnon to return her to him. Agamemnon refuses and Apollo sends a plague amongst the Greeks. The prophet Calchas correctly determines the source of the troubles but will not speak unless Achilles vows to protect him. Achilles does so and Calchas declares Chryseis must be returned to her father. Agamemnon consents, but then commands that Achilles’ battle prize Briseis be brought to him to replace Chryseis. Angry at the dishonor of having his plunder and glory taken away (and as he says later, because he loved Briseis), with the urging of his mother Thetis, Achilles refuses to fight or lead his troops alongside the other Greek forces. At this same time, burning with rage over Agamemnon’s theft, Achilles prays to Thetis to convince Zeus to help the Trojans gain ground in the war, so that he may regain his honor.

As the battle turns against the Greeks, thanks to the influence of Zeus, Nestor declares that the Trojans are winning because Agamemnon has angered Achilles, and urges the king to appease the warrior. Agamemnon agrees and sends Odysseus and two other chieftains, Ajax and Phoenix, to Achilles with the offer of the return of Briseis and other gifts. Achilles rejects all Agamemnon offers him, and simply urges the Greeks to sail home as he was planning to do. The Trojans, led by Hector, subsequently push the Greek army back toward the beaches and assault the Greek ships. With the Greek forces on the verge of absolute destruction, Patroclus leads the Myrmidons into battle wearing Achilles’ armor, though Achilles remains at his camp. Patroclus succeeds in pushing the Trojans back from the beaches, but is killed by Hector before he can lead a proper assault on the city of Troy. Triumphant Achilles dragging Hector’s lifeless body in front of the Gates of Troy.

After receiving the news of the death of Patroclus, Achilles grieves over his beloved companion’s death. His mother Thetis comes to comfort the distraught Achilles. She persuades Hephaestus to make new armor for him, in place of the armor that Patroclus had been wearing which was taken by Hector. Enraged over the death of Patroclus, Achilles ends his refusal to fight and takes the field killing many men in his rage but always seeking out Hector. Achilles even engages in battle with the river god Scamander who becomes angry that Achilles is choking his waters with all the men he has killed. The god tries to drown Achilles but is stopped by Hera and Hephaestus. Zeus himself takes note of Achilles’ rage and sends the gods to restrain him so that he will not go on to sack Troy itself before the time allotted for its destruction, seeming to show that the unhindered rage of Achilles can defy fate itself. Finally, Achilles finds his prey. Achilles chases Hector around the wall of Troy three times before Athena, in the form of Hector’s favorite and dearest brother, Deiphobus, persuades Hector to stop running and fight Achilles face to face. After Hector realizes the trick, he knows the battle is inevitable. Wanting to go down fighting, he charges at Achilles with his only weapon, his sword, but misses. Accepting his fate, Hector begs Achilles, not to spare his life, but to treat his body with respect after killing him. Achilles tells Hector it is hopeless to expect that of him, declaring that “my rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw – such agonies you have caused me”. Achilles then kills Hector and drags his corpse by its heels behind his chariot. After having a dream where Patroclus begs Achilles hold his funeral, Achilles hosts a series of funeral games in his honor.With the assistance of the god Hermes, Hector’s father, Priam, goes to Achilles’ tent to plead with Achilles for the return of Hector’s body so that he can be buried. Achilles relents and promises a truce for the duration of the funeral. The poem ends with a description of Hector’s funeral, with the doom of Troy and Achilles himself still to come.

Why He Matters– Okay, so there’s a lot of great stuff that I didn’t get to put in the myth section because of brevity, but Achilles’ hijinks are legendary. He is very much a point of great rage, but he is more than that. He is in service to his people, he is a leader, and their greatest hero. Unfortunately his rage and his passions are his undoing. Achilles lacks restraint, and that carries over to his position in your chart. His placement indicates where there was a lot of pressure placed on you, a mantle that was impossible to truly live up to. He is where you seek out glory, where you chase your fame.

To find out where he shows up in your chart, go to astro.com, put in your birth details and in the extended options, all the way at the bottom of the next page, there will be a menu of additional objects. Under that is a blank space where you can enter the number 588, for Achilles. Once you have it entered, generate the chart! Where does Achilles affect your life? Let us know in the comments below!

Asteroid Files: Achilles was originally published on Heretical Oracles

[spicynbachili1]

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey travelogue | Rock Paper Shotgun

Very similar to its predecessor, Murderer’s Creed Odyssey has snared me with its marvellous digital camera. With it, I’ve been exploring and snapping Greece, all the way in which from the Ionian Islands within the west to the Cyclades within the east. I do know I must be worrying about wars and oldsters and magical spears, however that’s all ancillary to the scenes and vignettes taking part in out on the paved streets and grime paths that weave throughout the Hellenic world.

Greece is stuffed with unbelievable views, epic monuments and, right away, an enormous statue of Zeus dominating the panorama, huge willy hanging out for the world to see. There’s no dearth of issues to climb and, extra importantly, , however my screenshot folder has much more snapshots of standard life, of individuals working and partying, or of little bits of putting structure, particularly of the ruined selection.

It’s very tempting to hurry by Kephallonia. It’s the ‘starter island’ holding you again from the great things, like Athens! That’s what you actually need to see, proper? Kephallonia is a fairly occurring place, although. It is best to stick round. Other than having that massive ol’ Zeus statue that may be seen even throughout the ocean, there’s additionally Ithaka, the house of Odysseus. Ah-ha! Odysseus, Odyssey, all of it is smart!

The island of Ithaka has been related to Homer’s Ithaka since antiquity, although there’s at all times been some debate about which of the islands within the space really relate to those talked about by Homer in The Odyssey. Ithaka has been utilizing the identify for thus lengthy, although, that it appears a bit impolite to rock the boat now. Ubisoft’s fairly assured that it’s the appropriate one; a lot in order that Odysseus’ palace, or at the least its ruins, are proper there ready to be explored.

Kephallonia additionally hosts Greece’s saddest musician. This gloomy fella stood at a muddy, empty crossroads and began mournfully strumming away. I like him. He appears like a drained conman who’s determined to go straight and fall again on his past love: music. There’s positively a TV present on this, and it completely writes itself. We may name it ‘Lyre, Lyre’. That is pure gold.

I needed to depart finally. “Present me Athens,” I stated. “No,” replied Odyssey. As an alternative, I used to be dragged to Megaris, below siege by the Spartans, adopted by Phokis, which is even additional away from Athens than Megaris. I’m a giant metropolis boy, what can I say? Stepping off the ship, my first impressions of Phokis have been… not nice.

He’s daring, I’ll give him that. Proper out within the open, no wall, not a care on this planet. And who am I to guage? I’m standing proper behind him taking images, which is at the least as impolite, if no more. He’s not consultant of Phokis, although, and it’s really fairly good. It’s finest generally known as the area that contained Delphi, residence to Apollo’s oracle. The ruins of the Temple of Apollo persist in the present day and have a pleasant view of the valley. Even right here, within the fifth century BC, the temple is a sizzling vacationer vacation spot, and it’s a bit on the busy facet. I searched round for someplace extra serene.

Down the hill from Delphi, there’s a beautiful amphitheatre. I wandered into it one morning whereas it was principally empty. There have been no performs, no speeches, simply a few folks having fun with a morning stroll, like myself, and a few brightly-coloured birds chirping away. Being the birthplace of theatre, they’re a dime a dozen in Greece, however this amphitheatre had a way more memorable environment, virtually contemplative. I give it 5 stars on Hellenic Tripadvisor.

It was time, lastly, to move to Athens. Moderately than crusing into the harbour at Piraeus, Odyssey directed me behind Athens, touchdown on the east coast after which making the remainder of the journey on horseback. It’s all for the large reveal, which Ubisoft has turn out to be fairly good at pulling off. Arriving this manner offers one of the best views of town, with the Acropolis and Parthenon looming over town.

It’s a bustling place, is Athens. It’s not crowded, not in the way in which that outdated Murderer’s Creed cities have been, which implies it’s simpler to get round in your horse, nevertheless it nonetheless feels very busy. Each nook of it’s stuffed with one thing: a surprising piece of artwork, a store, somebody simply working – flip a nook or pop into somebody’s residence and also you’re sure to seek out an eye catching distraction. The statuary specifically is a spotlight, and it simply retains on giving.

Odyssey has nice statues. One of the best statues, frankly. You’ll find them in every single place, however clearly the best focus is within the massive cities like Athens. And one of the best half: most of them are painted. The white marble statue is synonymous with the traditional world, significantly Greece and Rome, however we’ve identified for some time that the majority of those statues would have been extraordinarily vibrant, like this gesticulating fella. They have been gaudy and vibrant, and I’ve at all times questioned what it should have been wish to stroll by a metropolis filled with them. Plenty of enjoyable, it seems!

Whereas the paint has been worn away by time, tiny particles have continued and will be revealed below UV gentle. Extra methods can then provide up additional further particulars about what it as soon as regarded like. Discovering out what color the paints have been, as an example, will be accomplished by figuring out the substances of the paint. Should you’re up for some additional studying, take a look at this extra detailed clarification of the method.

They aren’t all painted, thoughts. Right here’s Theseus battering the Minotaur, immortalised in bronze. Theseus was an Athenian hero, so after all he will get a pleasant statue in his hometown. The positioning of his well-known brawl with the bull is way to the south, nonetheless, in Crete.

I got here throughout a number of workshops, too, the place they have been being dropped at life with chisel and paint, although the most important isn’t in Athens, it’s on the island of Paros. Big blocks of marble take up many of the docks, whereas the city is stuffed with half-finished gods, animals and heroes. Proper subsequent to the works-in-progress are loads of completed items, able to be shipped throughout the ocean. It’s fascinating to observe folks working away. Their loops and schedules are easy, however there are simply so a lot of them. Alice captured a bunch of them when she went on a tour of Delphi.

Listed below are some early birds hitting the clay pits simply after daybreak. The Greek starvation for pottery can’t be sated. I really feel a bit of bit responsible as a result of my splashing round disrupted their work. Sorry!

I spent a very long time wandering round Athens and the encompassing space, however the remainder of the world was calling to me. To the east have been numerous islands, and to the south was the Peloponnese, residence of the Peloponnesian League and its chief, Sparta. Driving or crusing from Athens, you’ll be able to hit Korinth, Argo, Sparta and Olympia one after the opposite, like a grand tour of traditionally well-known Greek city-states.

Greece’s cities are much less various than ones present in Origins. Ptolemaic Egypt was a melting pot the place Roman, Greek and Egyptian tradition clashed and mingled. Greek temples confronted enormous pyramids, whereas Roman mansions sat simply up the street from Egyptian huts. Many of the city-states have a definite aesthetic, nonetheless, and a tone that units them other than their allies and foes.

Korinth is especially beautiful, in nice half because of all of the blossoming cherry timber that line the streets. Most cities have a color that they favour, together with the purple and blue that exhibits whether or not they assist Sparta or Athens within the warfare. Korinth additionally has an intimidating acropolis that takes ages to clamber up. Akrokorinth is an intimidating rock and the right place for a fortress, and whereas it is going to be become a fort within the years following, at this level it’s the positioning of temple devoted to Aphrodite.

These revellers have been very into Aphrodite. Have a look at them go. It’s additionally barely tragic, nonetheless, for I couldn’t be part of them. I needed to, however all I may do was awkwardly shuffle a bit. And duck. That’s not a dance.

In a park on the sting of town, I got here throughout this pair engaged on a masterpiece. The sunshine was clearly dying, making it a horrible time for portray, however what do I do know? I’m not a painter. I’m certain it can end up simply high-quality.

Pastimes in Sparta are a bit of bit totally different. Its main business is producing buff dudes who don’t like garments, so there’s an actual health focus. These guys are so decided to work on their muscular tissues that they’re fully ignoring the truth that, simply behind them, two males have already been devoured by a wolf. You may simply make out the blood and a limb or two. Sparta’s a troublesome place. There’s a warfare to win, and solely the most important muscular tissues will do.

The Peloponnesian Battle was one of many defining moments of antiquity and heralded the tip of the Golden Age of Greece. Odyssey depicts the warfare as one between Athens and Sparta, with the remainder of the islands and city-states loosely supporting one or the opposite till a battle makes them change arms. It’s true that the pair led their respective alliances, the Delian League and Peloponnesian League, however that’s the place the similarities finish. Many of the mainland really supported Sparta, together with the likes of Megaris and Argo, each of that are Athenian in Odyssey. Athens’ energy was in its naval empire and its fleet. It wasn’t a neat, symmetrical warfare, which might just about undo Odyssey’s warfare system.

The results of the warfare, and the earlier one with Persia, are scattered across the map. Ruined villages, corpses, patrols duking it out by the facet of the street – Greece is fairly, however it may be fairly violent, too. This settlement was destroyed by the Persians, and even after their defeat at Salamis and Plataea, ending the Persian Battle, the empire continued to meddle. They supported Sparta through the Peloponnesian Battle, then aided Sparta’s ex-allies after they teamed up with Athens to take Sparta down a peg or two a decade later.

Heaped on high of the warfare are plagues, famines and frontier justice, abandoning loads of mourners crying by graves and tombs.

It’s all getting a bit gloomy, so let’s transfer onto extra nice issues. Like animals! Odyssey has an abundance of critters, and they’re all very, superb. Have a look at this bear, utilizing a street like an individual. Isn’t it lovable? Positive, it’s really chasing me and, 5 seconds after taking this image, it knocks me off my horse and kills me. I’ve no regrets.

I discovered this good boy operating up and down this one stretch of street, splashing within the puddles. That is likely to be all its programmed to do, however I’ve seen canine fortunately do that for ages, so I’m satisfied that is an correct simulation of doggy behaviour.

The partitions of the Makedonian metropolis of Amphipolis mix my two favorite issues: rad statues and funky animals. In 100 years, Alexander the Nice will stride out of this kingdom and carve out an enormous empire, nevertheless it was fairly quiet after I popped over to snap these screenshots. There are many actual lions, as nicely, however I stored forgetting to take an image as I ran for my life.

Odyssey’s model of mainland Greece takes a very long time to discover, nevertheless it’s solely half of the map. There are islands dotted far and wide, however most of them are within the Aegean. Every of them is that this little enigma ready to be unravelled, spinning tales by quests and obsessively detailed environments.

The very first thing you see if you sail into Naxos, an island within the Cyclades, is the Temple of Apollo, which nonetheless appears out over the boats in the present day. The temple wasn’t accomplished earlier than the tyrant who commissioned it was overthrown, however for some purpose these guys nonetheless appear to be making an attempt 70 years after work on it stopped. That’s dedication! It’s a fairly good match for the actual temple, as well.

I took an image final yr, and actually the one massive distinction is all of the vacationers.

Regardless of the outstanding location of the temple, Dionysus was Naxos’ patron deity, not Apollo, which is fairly apparent after spending solely 5 minutes on the boozy island. I ought to have taken a video of this fella as a result of no person has ever pressed grapes so self-consciously earlier than, I’m certain of it. He was so delicate about it, too, making these little hops, adopted by furtive glances. It was very odd, but in addition totally fascinating.

Dionysus was the god of wine, however he was additionally the god of being a complete dick. Our Minotaur-murdering pal Theseus ended up on the island after escaping Crete with Ariadne. In some variations of the parable, Theseus, being a complete dick himself, merely abandons Ariadne, whereas others say Dionysus compelled him to depart with out her. Both means, this bushy, drunk god finds this heartbroken lady and promptly marries her. Gods are shady. Then there was the time when he killed his cousin who, in equity, was additionally a dick. It’s a theme. Pentheus was spying on one in every of Dionysus’ events when the god appeared, drove his followers mad after which watched as they ripped him limb from limb, believing him to be a lion. His personal mom ripped his head proper off. Crikey.

It’s the center of the day after I begin exploring Naxos, however individuals are already knocking again the bowls of wine. Beneath a tree I see some tipsy canoodling, but in addition this solitary hunk. If it wasn’t for the man about to throw up behind him, this could be attractive calendar materials. You’ll discover somebody to canoodle with sooner or later, man!

Every island has one thing that makes it particular. Even when it’s only a man tenting along with his finest good friend, a goat.

Or this haunted Minoan smash that appears to be protected by scary cats. You may’t see them, however they’re lurking within the shadows, ready to chase me off once more.

Given the scale of the factor, it’s ridiculous that there so many discrete, thoughtfully crafted areas that you just may solely spend 5 minutes in, if any time in any respect. On the north coast of the Peloponnese are numerous shipwrecks. I sailed by and it piqued my curiosity, so I dropped anchor and swam over. There have been some quests there, however I hadn’t been directed to the spot. It’s an enormous ship graveyard that’s been reworked right into a city. Houses have been constructed out of the wrecks, whereas scavengers work up and down the seashore, prying wooden from the lifeless ships. I may fill an entire album simply with the screenshots I took there alone.

I’m not fairly accomplished with it. Odyssey is a lot greater than its story, and there are such a lot of locations the place I rushed by on my means some other place or haven’t visited in any respect. Like Origins, a Discovery Mode is within the works, taking you on guided excursions on Greece, however there’s one thing to be stated for simply aimlessly wandering throughout the map. It’s one of the vital spectacular areas Ubisoft’s ever created, and even with out the historic context or narration, it’s simply an incredible factor to have a look at.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/assassins-creed-odyssey-travelogue-rock-paper-shotgun/