#poor king priam

[katerinaaqu]

Imagine being Priam and just having received your son with his new spouse and be like "Okay...the worst has happened. Now we expect retaliation from Sparta coming at any moment"

A while later when Troy was minding their own business like every day and suddenly the retaliation you expected finally arrives. However is not just Sparta...

You see over 1000 ships arriving from afar with their colorful sails carrying all major kings of all major cities of Greece under the banners of the previous suitors of Helen's including the richest of all, Agamemnon, the offended husband Menelaus from yet another rich city, a freaking demigod Achilles known for his strength in battle and rumored to be invulnerable by weapons and the infamous Odysseus known for his cunning and indirect ways.

You know you are up for a wild ride. Potentially you already know you are screwed.

And now the music called "Pines of Rome" from the version of Fantasia 2000 plays rentfree in my head!

[tylermileslockett]

Cassandra's Lament"

Her monologue here in this play is incredibly powerful, and is an early example of the "mad speech," whereby a character performs a monologue of madness. (it made me immediately think of Ophelia's madness speech from Hamlet, and I wonder if the English bard was inspired by Aeschylus's speech for Cassandra here.

CASSANDRA was a "Pythia" (priestess of Apollo). She was also a daughter of King Priam of Troy. Apollo fell in love with her, and offered her the power of prophecy as an enticement. But after receiving the power, Cassandra rebuked Apollo, so the god added a curse to the gift, that her power of prophecy would never be believed by any mortal. There's a story of Cassandra being held at the palace of Troy in a pyramidal building away from the others, as she was always spouting inane prophecies, and thus, deemed mad. Is this one of the first literary examples of a character with mental illness? What's more, she tried to warn the trojans of many coming horrors, such as Paris absconding with Helen and the coming trojan war, but alas, she was dismissed as touched, and ignored. Unfortunately, things get worse for the poor girl. After the sack of Troy, "Ajax the lesser" rapes Cassandra in Athena's temple (which Enrages Athena, and will cause many Greeks problems on their return journeys). Cassandra is then taken as Agamemnon's concubine and taken back to Mycenae, where we pick up with her presently in the play, at the front of the palace door. Agamemnon has already entered the house, and Cassandra, prophesying the coming violence within the house, gives a chilling speech, lamenting her cursed fate, and attempting to warn the chorus of Clytemnestra's deadly plans for Agamemnon and Cassandra; but, as usual, to no avail; the chorus dismiss her fears as crazy babbling. Cassandra finally accepts her fate, and enters the house, walking to her death.

Thanks for reading!

Want to own my Illustrated Greek myth book jam packed with over 130 illustrations like this? Support my kickstarter for my book "lockett Illustrated: Greek Gods and Heroes

[johaerys-writes]

WIP Wednesday

I have been working on As Fate Would Have It, so here's a sneak peek from the next chapter!! We have some Thetis POV, and sort of an intro into the next arc of the story 👁👁

The nymphs’ tittering laughter echoes lightly across the beach like windchimes. Few of the oceanids are strangers to the Trojan shores—the Dardanelle straits are rich with fish, and the Trojans generous with their sacrifices—and many of them have seen Priam's sons and daughters first-hand. They know of Hector's piousness and his famed skill with spear and sword, and of his brother Paris' love of wine and women.

“Helen, Zeus' daughter, is known the world over for her beauty and her glib tongue,” Cymothoe says, her usually placid blue eyes dark like stormy seas now, “but young Paris must have grown to be handsomer and glibber still to have been able to convince her to leave behind her husband's bed and her daughter. I hear she's but a baby in the cradle.”

“Ah, but he wasn’t acting alone, my lady," Hermes says with a knowing smile. "It was—"

"Aphrodite," Thetis finishes quietly for him. "Aphrodite acted for him."

The nereid's laughter and excited chatter dies down as they all turn to stare at her. Thetis has been silent all along, frozen and numb as she listened to Hermes’ tidings, but now the words rise like waves to her lips. 

“Lady Hera, queen of the gods, and the wise Athena offered that boy power, wisdom and riches beyond counting," she continues, "but it had been Lady Aphrodite of the white sea foam that promised him Helen’s hand. Is that not so, Lord Hermes?”

The god’s winged foot, which had been tapping impatiently on the sand all the while they have been talking, now stops its ceaseless motion. His flashing coal-black eyes focus on her in a hawk-like stare. “Quite right, my lady, quite right!” he exclaims. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you know this; after all, it was at your very own wedding that the seeds of strife were first planted among the goddesses.” 

The reminder brings bitter memories to her. Thetis had been but a young goddess then, but already Zeus and Poseidon had been clamouring for years for her hand. When goddess Themis of the white hands had delivered to her the prophecy—that she would bring forth a son, of strength mightier than his father—all attempts at courting her or claiming her by force had swiftly been abandoned. No god, no man wanted a child whose fame would come to eclipse their own. 

All but one.

How small and unassuming he had seemed to her when he had arrived to the shore she dwelt, with carriages filled to the brim with precious gifts, all the wealth he had gathered after sacking the city of Iolcus. A king of men in his own right, but of modest fame, from a small kingdom. But he was favoured by Zeus, and that alone had been enough for Peleus Aeacides to summon the courage to ask for her hand. 

Thrice she had refused him, and thrice he had returned, each time bearing gifts more rare and priceless than the last. And when Zeus, the king of the gods, had made it clear that she had no other choice but to submit to the man's advances, only then had Thetis finally accepted.

The wedding had been an extravagant affair, with every god, nymph and lesser spirit bringing gifts and paying their respects, wishing them every happiness—everyone, except for Eris, goddess of strife, who never received her invitation. She had been the one to plant discord among the three goddesses, and disagreements such as these never reach a happy ending. Not for anyone.

“Menelaus," Hermes continues, "much distressed by his queen's abduction, has already sought counsel with his brother Agamemnon. Night and day they have been talking, rumour has it, and not a few of those nights have been spent with the king of Sparta crying on his poor brother's shoulder," he adds with a mocking little laugh. "But not all of this time has been spent lamenting. Atreides are a proud and stubborn folk. It is said they are preparing—” 

“War,” Thetis whispers. “A war unlike anything mortals or gods have witnessed before.”

Silence falls among the sisters. They all look at each other uneasily, the full magnitude of the situation now dawning on them. After all, they all have sons and daughters, either in Greece or Troy, that might get caught in the crossfire. The waves fall quiet, not even the sea birds along the rocks making a sound.

Hermes clears his throat. 

“Yes. Well. You are not wrong about that,” the god says, evidently miffed that Thetis stole from him the pleasure of breaking the big news to them for the second time.

Tagging forth to (no pressure): @baejax-the-great @rowanisawriter @darlingpoppet @hekateinhell @babyrdie @glossc1 @supernova3space @tragediegh @iiktend to share some art or writing you're working on, as well as anyone else who'd like to grab a tag and do this!

[autumnmobile12]

The Epic Saga: Just A Man

Trigger warning for infanticide.

I want to talk about what an interesting choice it was in Epic's first installment for Odysseus to be the one to kill the infant.

In all versions of the story, the fate of Astyanax, son of Prince Hector, is always the same. He is thrown from the walls of Troy while the city is sacked. What varies from telling to telling is who does the deed, and it's usually between two people: Odysseus and Neoptolemus.

Most modern retellings make Neoptolemus the villain in this story, or they'll leave out this part entirely, because in the eyes of today's society, the senseless murder of a helpless infant is something only a villain would do.

Who's Odysseus? He's the man who won the Trojan War by engineering the idea behind the Trojan Horse, he's the guy who took ten years to sail home, he's the main character of The Odyssey. Odysseus is a hero. And heroes don't kill infants.

Who's Neoptolemus? He's forgettable. He didn't go on any heroic quests like Herakles or Perseus. He didn't slay any noteworthy monsters. Neoptolemus' biggest claim to fame are three things: He's the son of Achilles, he clubs King Priam to death in the sacking of Troy, and in some versions, he kills Astyanax. (He also enslaved Astyanax's mother.)

From the lens of the Ancient Greeks, a hero wasn't an upstanding guy who did the right thing. A hero was the guy who fought for what he wanted and did horrible things to his enemy in the process.

In the context of modern society, it's no wonder why the dubious credit of Astyanax's death goes to Neoptolemus. When that's the only real claim to fame he has, of course he's going to be a villain. We can't be having heroes killing babies because that's insane.

So let me tell you that when I first listened to The Horse and The Infant and I realized it was Odysseus who was committing the deed, that took me so off guard and I had to pause the song just to tell my poor sister how fucking crazy that is. I rarely saw this version. I mean, I understand the reasoning; it's setting up Odysseus' guilty conscious that'll plague him for the remainder of the musical. It's the flawed hero trope, which is a far cry from the brutality of the original myths.

And that in itself is testament of how mythologies have evolved over the centuries. It's why we have different variations of the myth in the first place. Societal views and values change and the stories told adapt accordingly.

Did Hades kidnap Persephone or did she go willingly to escape Demeter, her overbearing mother? Both versions are correct. All versions are correct. We cannot look for something as narrow-minded as a 'canon' version of mythology because mythology is a jumble of headcanons about the same basic concept thrown together by countless storytellers over literal centuries of storytelling.

In The Horse and The Infant, Zeus directly warns Odysseus that if Astyanax lives, he will take vengeance on him and his homeland. And after what the Greeks did to Troy, slaying the men, enslaving the women, and leaving the city in ruins, Odysseus is one of many Greek kings who have a lot to answer for.

Is Odysseus heroic for protecting his family by killing Astyanax because now the infant prince won't grow up to take vengeance?

Is Odysseus a flawed hero who carries the shame of his sins with him?

Is the deed committed by Neoptolemus and Odysseus goes home with his honor unsullied?

It all depends on interpretation. You can choose one that reflects a harsh history or you can pick the one that's been adapted to suit modern values. You don't even have to pick. You can appreciate them all for what they are.

And Epic: The Musical came out swinging.

[streets-in-paradise]

I found this when scrolling though YouTube and I had to show it to you

OMG, WHO DID THIS? I NEED CONTEXT, I MUST SEARCH THIS THING 🤣🤣🤣

Perfect summary of Hector's character.

I take him anyways, the chaotic dumbass brother is part of the deal lol. ( Poor boy, he is a mess but a really pretty one.) Possiblities of ending up killed aside, and many headaches, Paris sounds like tons of fun.

In his treatment of Hector, Priam's attitude irritates me and not so much Paris. He doesn't listen to him even tho he is literally saving the legitimacy of his rule with his efforts in war and the faith he inspires on the people.

They would kick me out of Troy for yelling at the king to pay some fucking attention to his exahusted eldest son.

[likeniobe]

And if you wish to hear what was the fate Of Priam, I must tell you. When he sees How the city has fallen and how the doors of his palace Are smashed and broken into, and how the Greeks Are in the innermost chambers of his home, The aged king takes up the royal armor So long unused by him, and puts it on His trembling old man shoulders, and girds himself With his useless sword, to send himself to death, Helpless old man, against the crowding foe. In the atrium in the middle of the palace, That was open to the vault of the heavens above, There was a great altar, and over it, leaning, An ancient laurel tree that with its shade Embraced protectively the household gods. Here's Hecuba and with her are her daughters, Huddled together like doves sheltering in vain From the black winds of the storm that drove them there, And clutching in their hands the sacred icons. But when she sees her husband Priam wearing The armor he had worn when he was young, Hecuba cries out to him, 'My husband, My poor husband, what are you thinking of, That you have put on this armor and carry these weapons? Even if Hector were here, this is no longer A time for such as these. Come here, with me, Take shelter at this altar. It will protect us. If not, this is the place where we will all, All of us together, die together.' These were her words as she drew him close to her, And helped him to a seat before the shrine. But suddenly there's one of Priam's sons, Polites, fleeing through a hail of arrows From Pyrrhus's slaughter, and running through the halls And empty courtyards of the palace to The atrium where Priam was, and Pyrrhus Hot on his heels and hot to butcher him, And going to do so now; and Polites falls And his life pours out of him in streams of blood Before the eyes of his father and his mother. And though already in the hands of death Priam cries out in rage in his old man voice: 'If anywhere there's righteousness in heaven, May the deities pay you back for what you do, Your obscene crime, polluting a father's face With what it has to see, his own son's slaughter. Achilles, whose son you pretend to be, did not Behave like this. He paid the due respect To a father's supplication and sent back home The body of Hector to its tomb, and sent Me home unharmed.' And, saying this, with all His strength he hurled his spear at Pyrrhus, and It made its harmless way toward Pyrrhus's shield And struck with a tinkling sound, and bobbing hung Purposelessly from the boss of the shield; and Pyrrhus Says to him, 'Then go down there below, And take this news about me to my father, And be sure to tell him all about his son, Degenerate Pyrrhus, and his despicable deeds.' And as he says these words he drags old Priam, Trembling and shaking and slipping in the blood That was pouring out of the body of his son, To the high altar; and there he clutches him by The hair with his left hand and with his right hand Raises his glittering sword, and plunges it in, Up to the hilt, into his side. That was fated for him––fated to see the fires Consuming his Troy, and the Pergamum fall down, He who had been monarch of Asia, the ruler Of so many lands and tribes, a huge, headless, Body upon the shore, a nameless trunk.

the death of priam in the aeneid, book 2, translated by david ferry

[princessmeepa]

Can you tell the difference game from mine version or LO/RS version

Note that I do not own the characters from the Greek Myth, I was doing this for fun.

Mine version of Cassandra the Trojan priestess and daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, the sister of Hector and Paris and twin sister of Helenus. She is a priestess of Apollo.

Likes: tortureing virgin Teenagers (Mostly pretty girls) then eats them, enjoying gaslighting and raping Apollo and treat him like a dog, bathing in every girl’s blood, hanging out with Thamyris and Phaedra, tortureing nymphs, seeing the future and reading.

Dislikes, Her brothers Hector, Paris and Helenus, Helen of Troy, Exposing her lies, nymphs, Daphne, Apollo and Hyacinth.

Friends/Allies: Thamyris (Sometimes) and Phaedra (only teenage friend),

Enemies: Her family (Mostly her Brothers), Helen of Troy, Thamyris (Sometime, because he is a half nymph), Narcissus (because he is a half nymph), Icarus (She founds him Annoying), Arachne (Her personal pushing bag), the gods, Apollo (Her Personal dog play thing), Daphne (She is a nymph), Hyacinth (She hates him, not only that he loves Apollo, because he is Innocent), Ajax the Lesser (because he rapes her), the gods and Demi gods.

Personally: She may have a pretty face and a hourglass body of a Charite and Intelligence of the Goddess of Wisdom herself, but she is a very cruel woman and she has a heart of a siren and she enjoys tortureing innocent teenagers (mostly girls) and nymphs, she loves to tell lies to get what ever she wants, she enjoys raping and abusing Apollo.

LO Cassandra

Personally: She is just some little miss goody two shoes and a poor unfortunate victim of the evil big bad wolf LO Apollo

[canyouheatmeuponafrozennight]

Iliad and Odyssey

Mirror images of Crime and Punishment

When the Iliad ended, I honestly got confused, because that's not how I expected it'd end. To me it was obvious it'd end with Paris shooting Achilles and what ensued. However, it concludes with Hector's corpse being returned to King Priam. That's when I started thinking, and how did the story start? And what was the midway climax? Achilles' anger at the Achaens, then achilles heading to the battlefield finally.

This wasn't a tale of war, nor of a hero, but a tale of one man's feelings. Anger and sadness, stubbornness, his injured pride and honor. His heart was closed to the Achaens, his allies. When disaster strikes and Patroclus is lost, this new pain in his heart sets him into motion, he becomes the slayer of Troyans, furiously searching for Hector. Not satisfied with annihilating Hector, he continues to humiliate the corpse, in hopes that this would calm Patroclus' soul down in Hades.

Priam walks into his enemy's HQ and begs for the body to be returned. And the murderous lamenting demigod listens to his resquest, remembering his own father, relating to the feeling of loss the poor old man exhibits. His heart was closed to Achaeans, but he could find in the enemy, the father of the killer of his beloved, someone whose heart he could connect to, someone that validates his sorrow.

Achilles' great journey was entirely about his feelings, across a few weeks in the battlefield. Anger, regret, grief, then forgiving. I didn't notice it at all while reading, lost in the rage of war, invested in the killing, thinking this was a tale of killing the enemy, killing those who take from you.

Punishing Hector's dead body for day after day didn't help Achilles move on, but forgiving him, allowing his father to respect this body which he dragged around, giving the troyans time to grief this enemy of his, he found himself finding a shard of peace. In a time of war, he finds inner peace by allowing himself to forget the anger.

And we find the opposite direction in the Odyssey. Odysseus finds men who live in an age of peace and are rotten to the core, and in his heart there's no forgival. Was what the suitors did worse than what Hector did? Perhaps not, but were they as great as Hector for there them to be deserving of respect, of forgival? Perhaps that is the abyss separating one man from a group of men. 108 of them together didn't have as much worth in their character, in their feats, as this singular hero. Which isn't to say Great Men Have The Right To Eliminate Parasites To Make The World Better, but explains Odysseus not stepping back and being satisfied with eliminating Antinous, but needing to eradicate them all, accepting of the price he'd pay for it.

Secondary to that, there is a second unforgiving rage which guides the story, which is Poseidon's. Odysseus sinned against Polyphemus, and thus Poseidon brings him ruin whenever he is at sea, punishing him endlessly, and even those who help him achieve his goal. Nothing can calm Poseidon's rage, just as nothing could stop Odysseus'. The suitors came into his home and to it brought harm, as did he to the cyclops, setting him as the man of pain, inflicter and inflicted. And as the seer forecast, when he is old, the ocean will fall on him and take his life, showing how Poseidon's rage won't end until this life he takes with his own hands.

Achille's great enemy was Hector, while Odysseus was never matched by the suitors, making his true great enemy Poseidon, and the many horrors he faced on the way, the many temptations he was offered in place of venturing into the unknown, not only meaning unknown waters, but an unknown homeland, and unknown home, an unknown son, a wife that might not have waited for him all this time. Time and again he could have stayed in a paradise with a goddess or queen by his side, yet he once more chose to try to return home. The book doesn't show him thinking about, hesitating on which path to take, because to him, those weren't options at all, but where us, weaker and less noble people in his place, would we so easily and promptly reject Calypso, Circe and Nausicaa, to return to someone who we don't know is waiting for us? Odysseus determination and love wasn't told in words, but shown constantly through and through, much like The Iliad didn't spell out how Achilles' inner turmoil was much more relevant than the war taking place outside.

The heart and soul of both stories lies on what isn't said, perhaps that's what made Homer the main root of western literature, these two stories really were masterful works.

[katerinaaqu]

Alright...alright ALRIGHT! oh my freaking goodness! So much to unravel here and it so pains me to have only 140-ish notes! This amount of work to synthesize this is worth at least 13.000 I swear! Either way there is a lot to unpack so let's see!

For starters I love the mixture between anatolian and greek features here. We know the location of Troy but we also see the Trojans speak the same language and worship the same gods as the Greeks in the Iliad which is very interesting. Not only does it create a closeness with each other (and we know it is not your typical story "them vs us" thing but a more complicated matter than that) but could also potentially wink to the first taking of Troy by Heracles like one or two generations prior. The conquests of heroes in greek mythology were about the spreading of hellenic culture and conquers or colonies created by the greeks in the lands they conquered or moved into. Heracles conquered Troy once which signifies the entrance of hellenic culture in Troy.

Particularly I love the beards that they have looking like a mixture of Assyrian and western. Hecuba looks amazing next to her husband and Priam looks fantastic too! I also feel for poor Kassandra here who is staring to the upcoming doom and cannot stop it (that was an interesting choice of hair that you gave her hehehe) and Polyxena too! She looks so young!

I think Paris and Helenus are some of my favorites of this! So great harmony to their colors! Paris also looks like a little brat here! Hahahahahaha! But he is pretty alright! Hahahahaha! And my oh my Deiphobos looks scary! No wonder that poor Helenus got offended when he didn't get Helen as his wife! XD The regal looks of Andromache and Laodice also look so great!

Now Troilus is intersting! Hahaha he almost looks like an albino! But I can see you try to bring out his godly father's nature here with the pale blonde hair and all. Oh my poor Sinon! Hahahahahaha! He definitely got the wrong end of the stick here! Hahahaha! And what a creative look for Pandarus! The shaved or balding heads are not used very often to art like this so this was really creative (as well as with Deiphobos)!

From the allies Eurypylus looks so ominus and Sarpedon looks so much like Zeus! So great way to show family resemblance! As well as Aeneas again the choice of hair color is to connect him with Aphrodite? Interesting colorism! I think though my favorites are Memnon and Penthesilea! I love how you make the ethnicities righthere and Memnon looks GLORIOUS! Powerful and strong king of Ethiopia, the guy that literally named the epic poem Aithiopis! And Penthesilea! Man that violent laughing look exactly as she was supposed to be described in poems like Posthomerica! Making other terrified of her and yet we also see how beautiful she is (the face that even post-mortem made Achilles fall over the hills in love with her)! I love her tattoos inspired by scythian tribes again! So accurate given how often Amazon warriors were linked to the area of Scythia!

Now for Helen I can see why you are proud of her! She looks fantastic this way! Interesting choice of hair color given how most sources speak of her and many people connect her hair with blonde color instead of red (see Dares the Phrygian elleged accounts) but I love this straubery color stands up as well as her eyes The roses suit her perfectly in the background and I like how you try to bring some of the age she ellegedly has here (I estimate around her final 30s)

Good you didn't include poor Astyanax here! People would bawl their eyes out! TT-TT

Trojan War - the Trojans

The sister piece to my chart on the Achaeans. Out of the two, this is my favourite. I spent so many hours on Helen and I'm so proud of how she turned out.

[surroundedbypearls]

Golden Hands and Golden Fingers ~ Jiri, the seraph

An excerpt from chapter 9, where the gang gather in the throne room!

The king’s throne room had nothing on the magnificence of Dharma’s, but it was beautiful all the same. So much gold in once place was like standing inside of the sun. It was so dazzling it almost outshone the beauty of the princess. But not quite. She was a stunningly pretty young girl, with a lovely smile. Though when she smiled at him, it was more frightened than friendly.

No wonder, the way the king was pacing the room like a wild animal. Everyone seemed nervous, except the woman standing by the princess with her arms folded, a scowl on her face. Poor Priam seemed ready to faint at his side.

The king stopped so suddenly he almost skidded on the plush carpet. “Tell me again,” he said, voice curt.

Jiri swallowed. “Lady Dharma asked me to protect the princess-” He caught himself. “-Princess Annchi.” He had to remember that. “She told me Teffrin would be after her, on his quest for the golden gauntlets.”

“The gauntlets.” The woman standing by Annchi’s chair shook her head. In her striking, tall posture, she reminded him of Dharma. They even had the same smooth skin of walnut, the same dark curls coiled tight. “It’s nonsense. Fairy stories for children.”

“Well, Lady Dharma doesn’t think so.” He almost shrank under her glare. “I think She would know best.”

“Why can’t Dharma come down and swipe up the gauntlets before anyone has a chance to get them?”

“I told you, She can’t touch them. None of the living gods can, but Teffrin could. He’s not a god anymore. And I could, in theory. I wouldn’t want to - but I could. That’s why She sent me.”

“And why you?”

His cheeks flushed hot. “It’s not up to you or I to question Lady Dharma’s choices. She chose me. You’ll have to accept that, er…”

“Emogen. Princess Annchi’s personal guard, thank you. Well.” She jerked her thumb towards the knight on Annchi’s other side. “Myself and this thug.”

“I’m the thug?” Seething, the knight - Theo, his name was Theo - pressed his palm into the hilt of his sword. Jiri’s hand darted towards his bow, just in case. “I’d rather be a thug than a snake.”

“Go back to the academy.”

“Go crawl back under a rock.”

“Enough!” the king bellowed, his voice echoing across the room. “You are both here for the same purpose. Your personal gripes are of zero interest to me, is that clear?

“And you.” The king turned his glare at Jiri. “The three of you will escort Annchi. I see I have no other choice.” He rested his hands on his hips. “If the gods will it, then it must be so.” He looked at Priam. “And who is this?”

Jiri elbowed the dumbstruck Priam as subtly as he could. He cleared his throat. “I’m Priam, Your Majesty. From Bal Crannog.”

The king looked at Priam, and Twili by his side, like they were dirt scuffed on the bottom of his fine leather boot.

“As a man and servant of Tirnaeia, Priam is my apprentice,” Jiri declared. Perhaps if he stretched his legs out and stood taller, he would seem more firm. “Where he goes, I go.”

“I’m sure the kind paladin has left me in good hands, Father.” Annchi’s voice trilled soft, like a songbird. She truly radiated sunshine. He felt its warmth when she looked up at him. “Him and his apprentice.”

“Yes, my lady.” He bowed to one knee before her. “We are here at your service. Anything you ask of us.”

“How generous.”

“It’s my duty. My purpose. It’s an honour.” And it was all of those things. What did he have to live for, if not what Dharma asked of him? If he could even count as living at all. No, he was. He was living. He was alive. He could feel it deep inside him, his heart beating in nervous flutters ever since he landed.

More about Golden Hands and Golden Fingers here! Leave a comment or an ask to be added to the taglist.

[aerkan]

Oh dear god, I never knew how much I needed Odysseus as Helen Au until now.

This is perfect.

I wonder how the relationship between Odysseus and Paris would play out. Like did Paris sneak into Ithaca and stole Ody in his sleep? Did Athena just 'gods are stupidly powerful' Ody onto Paris' ship? Did he kidnap him when Ody was alone, smacking him over the head and Odysseus later woke up on the shittiest ocean voyage of his life (in this alternate universe)?

And what did Paris say to Priam and Hecuba? ,,Mom, dad, this is my pet strategist. I found him. Can I keep him?"

What did the rulers of Troy say to having the king of another nation in their city? Did they try to send him back immediately but Athena intervened? Did they agree because Paris admited the thing about the apple?

Did Paris try to earn Odysseus' favour by gifting him things like a new bow (which turned out like a stupid idea the moment Ody used it to try and escape)? Did he give him a puppy, because he has a dog back in Ithaca? Did Paris dress him up in pretty clothes because the Greeks were famously very gay and Odysseus is an eyecandy?

(How often did Odysseus cry, because he missed his wife and kid?)

Did they have to lock him up in normal prison, because the royal palace was too easy to escape from or did they tie him to the bed?

How many stupid plans did the Trojans follow until they realized Odysseus was fucking with them? How many of them they didn't realize was Odysseus fucking with them and how many men did these plans cost Troy?

Did Odysseus (Diomedes is optional) steal the Athena statue too, at the end of the war out of spite?

Did Athena and Odysseus fight because he was supposed to be her warrior and she sold him like cattle? Did Odysseus keep her favour after the war or was their relationship broken for good?

And the most important question of them all: did Poseidon torment another poor fellow on his way back from Troy or was that just the result of Odysseus' hillariously bad luck?

SO MANY OPTIONS

Anyway, I adore this, please write it. I beg you on my knees.

Odysseus of Troy au

A friend of mine misspoke and said ‘Odysseus of Troy’ instead of ‘Ithaca’. 

And thus, this au was born:

What if Paris had chosen Athena in the Goddess’s beauty contest to receive her offer of wisdom and battle tactics?

Instead of giving these qualities to him directly she has him kidnap Odysseus as an advisor.

Who would go:

Penelope would organise for the forces of Ithaca to travel to Troy under Eurylochus to retrieve her husband. I also imagine that Agamemnon and Menelaus would bring some forces as a favour to Penelope (they have family connections to her through Clytemnestra and Helen). Achilles and the myrmidons might still show up for glory, despite not having personal stakes. Overall there are way fewer people going to Troy as Odysseus is not Helen. 

The gods’ favour:

Assuming the Trojans refuse to hand Odysseus over in diplomatic talks, they go to war. 

Athena favours the Trojans in this version. Hera favours the Greeks. Aphrodite really wants Paris dead so generally supports the Greek warriors but she doesn’t hate all the Trojans and still protects her son Aeneas. The other Gods fill pretty much the same roles.

Odysseus’ experience:

In this version of the Iliad, Odysseus would make several escape attempts throughout the story but would be thwarted by Athena and the Trojans. 

Odysseus would also be uncooperative in supplying the Trojans with strategies. They consider just handing him over but fear going against Athena’s will and losing her favour. There would be an interaction between Odysseus and Athena similar to the moment in book 3 when Aphrodite threatens Helen.

The war’s end:

The war would probably end diplomatically as ,after a time, it becomes increasingly pointless for all involved. Odysseus would be of no use to the Trojans while being uncooperative. Priam, feeling guilty about keeping a father from his wife and son, would decide to return him. Paris would put up less of a fuss about losing a prisoner than a bride.

Athena out of spite at the outcome would guide some Greeks into Troy to steal some prizes. It would not be a full scale sacking of Troy due to having fewer troops, but it would satisfy them to be happy to return home. 

If anyone has any ideas they’d like to add I’d love to see them

[sybillin3]

O Musa, gentis calamitatisque loquar, cum 

visu verum tegebatur malignanter.

pulmone ardenti Ilii emerita avida malaque

respublica crudelis consumpsit gentes

morbo. Suique auctores edax Priamus opes 

in colo equi ac fecerunt nihil arcere aditum eius.

sed visi sunt Troiani immolati habuerunt soli

succurrereque communionem ex pietate.

foedus Priamus auctoresque sceleribus mox

persolverunt re eadem quam permiserunt 

damnum ignotum volnerare municipibus.

in ianua Pyrrhi spiritus ferbuit morbo.

fugiens eo timide fatus Priamus est:

“non tu tenes tui patrem mercatum esse

introitui in sanctum Ilium equi ac vendidisse me 

civitati nostri ac vitae gentis nostrae

cadavere ac vita conveniente cum obierat

Ilium. occidas gentes, urbem adaeques, sed

Pyrrhus, conserva me, honeste, ac meam regiam, bone!”

postes auri famelicus Pyrrhus aspexit. 

“plura commoda hunc quam tota Troia ac ego pauper,”

fremuit regum interfector iugulavitque.

Troiani spectantes conati sunt iuvare

neglereque regis morbum (eis enim usus erat

sibi) sed non potuere ut mortui sit. 

libero foro interfecto Priamo, Pyrrhus ad

reliquos Teucros vertit ut corrumperet gentem.

conatus est dividere ut absumeretur

eos, sed commisere atque obsistere eum

ut vincerent numquam saturanti Neoptolemo.

O Muse, let me tell of a people and of disaster, when 

truth was malignantly hidden from sight.

With the lungs of Troy burning, an unfit, avaricious, evil,

and cruel State destroyed the people

through greed. Gluttonous Priam and his advisors saw power 

in the horse’s gut and did nothing to ward off its entrance.

The sacrificed Trojans seemed alone but they had

and helped their community out of a sense of loyalty.

Foul Priam and his advisors were soon

repaid for their crimes by the same thing which they had allowed 

to deal the citizens untold damage.

The breath of Pyrrhus,  in the doorway, seethed with sickness.

Fleeing from him, Priam timidly said:

“Don’t you remember how your father bought

the entrance of the horse into sacred Ilium and how I sold 

our community and the lives of our people

for a corpse and a convenient life when

Troy has fallen? You may slaughter the people, you may raze the city, but

Pyrrhus, spare me, honest Pyrrus, and my palace, good Pyrrhus!”

Famished Pyrrhus gazed at the doorposts of gold. 

“There are more rewards here than in all of Troy, and I am poor,”

the murderer growled at the King, and slit his throat.

Watching Trojans tried to help

and to ignore the betrayal of the King (indeed, he had used them

for his own benefit) but they could not, and so he died. 

With Priam having been killed in the open forum, Pyrrhus turned

to the rest of the Trojans in order to destroy them. 

He tried to divide them in order to consume

them, but they united and resisted him

so that they defeated never-satisfied Neoptolemus.

[gaytrojanshit]

Aight @dilfaeneas​ this one’s for you because Helenus absolutely deserves to punch Paris. I’ll probably write more later but it’s 4 am sooo

Gods, what a miserable day this was turning out to be. First, Helenus had woken up with an absolutely killer headache, which Apollo was not doing anything about despite his prayers. And now, he’d received visions that Paris would finally return from his little hideout in Sparta- and he wouldn’t be coming back alone. Helenus and Cassandra had both warned their father that letting Paris go to Sparta was a bad idea, but Priam had been convinced that his newly discovered son would do just fine, and thus had completely ignored the seers’ warnings. Initially, Paris had returned empty handed, causing Priam to believe that all was well and that nothing terrible would come of sending Paris to Sparta. But then came the incident at the games.

The annual games were something that the athletic men of Troy trained for all year. It was a glorious time, with events such as chariot racing, archery, javelin throwing, and more. This year, however, the javelin event had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Cocky Paris wanted to participate in *all* of the games, and had somehow managed to win one or two of the easier events. So, “Aphrodite’s Favorite” had tried his hand at javelin throwing, and somehow managed to miss the target so badly that he hit a person. Now, normally this wouldn’t be that big of an issue, but this person was Antheus, son of Antenor and lover of Deiphobus. Helenus had been close with Deiphobus all his life, and thus wasn’t particularly surprised when his brother absolutely lost it in front of the audience and demanded to duel Paris right at that moment. Paris, being who he was, ran for his life to the then hospitable house of Menelaus in Sparta. And now, some months later, here they were.

Getting up out of bed, Helenus would trudge out of his chambers, knowing damn well that the arrival of Paris’ ships had been announced, and that some of his family members would be there to greet the prince. And good gods, his headache was really putting a damper on his mood. Once he arrived at the port, Paris was there, as expected, along with Hector, Priam, and Hecuba. With a ship full of what looked to be stolen gold, fantastic. It was on days like these that Helenus truly wished that he’d never said anything about the identity of Paris, because then Paris would have died and this wouldn’t be their problem. As he came closer, he became aware that Hector was quite loudly telling Paris off, presumably for the amount of treasure that he’d looted from who knows where. Unfortunately, Helenus knew there was more aboard that ship than just shiny gold.

“Oh, but wait brother! Despite what you may say, this gold will be good for us! And before you yell some more, take a look at the most valuable thing I’ve brought for us.” Paris was truly nonsensical. Troy had no need for gold, they already had plenty of wealth to go around, so this foolishness just showed off the man’s greed. Idiot. With a load of unnecessary dramatics, Paris would unveil his greatest “prize”. It was a woman, one of astounding beauty. It took Helenus a moment before he realized that this was her. Helen of Sparta, the woman who had caused so many men to fall hopelessly in love with her. “What the fuck have you done?” Helenus asked, in an almost disgusted tone. “Well, brother, I took what I wanted. Since I’m a prince, I see no prob-” Paris was then interrupted by Helenus punching him in the face. He heard the crack of his brother’s nose, finding a bit of satisfaction in knowing that he’d temporarily ruined the man’s face. He’d then move back, wiping the blood off of his fist as he turned to Hector. “As a seer and as your trusted brother, I’d say the best course of action is to send her back immediately. By now, I have no doubt that Menelaus has called for Agamemnon to help him get his bride back. Please, brother.” Helenus had seen the doomsday visions for years now. Helen couldn’t stay, or his city would burn.

Thankfully, Hector nodded and turned to their father with a huff. “I must agree. Paris has broken the rules of hospitality, which could damage our relations with Sparta. Father, she cannot stay.” Priam was unfortunately not having any of this, and would gently approach Paris. “The Greeks… will not return my sister. She has lived away from her home for so long, kept away from her family. If Telamon will not give Hesione back, I see no reason to return Helen as of now. Perhaps we may negotiate and come to fair terms.” Helenus did love his father, but the man was old. His hair grew whiter by the year, and perhaps the time was coming to just make Hector king already. On top of that, Priam had straight up ignored all warnings about this very event. Helenus did feel a bit bad for Helen, as the poor girl looked like she absolutely didn’t ask for this. At least she hadn’t done this shit willingly. As the gentle king moved back to stand with his wife, Paris would once again haughtily speak up. “Would you look at that? Father agrees! So I think we’re done here, me and my new wife will be going now-” Paris was once more interrupted by Helenus trying to punch him, raising a surprised gasp from Helen. This time, Hector quite literally lifted the seer up by the back of his tunic and threw him back. “ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!” Taking a deep breath, his older brother continued, “We will discuss this matter in front of the council. Perhaps the royal advisors will be able to talk some sense into you. Helenus, you and I must speak later. And Paris, at least give the poor girl some privacy to bathe.” With another huff, Hector was off, likely to go to the stables to calm down after this misery. Priam accompanied Paris and Helen to the prince’s chambers, where perhaps Priam would come to his senses and talk Paris out of this. Hecuba, however, would approach Helenus and lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You warned them, didn’t you?” Honestly, Helenus quite liked his mother. She was sensible and smart, plus she’d mostly raised him and his siblings while Priam had been busy with royal duties. Or other women. Hecuba would start walking to the gardens, beckoning Helenus to follow. “I did. I told them not to send him there, because exactly this would happen. I told you. Why didn’t you listen? Why couldn’t you convince father?” He asked, a tone of pleading in his voice. He was much calmer now, either from not having to see Paris or from the grounding presence of his mother. “Believe me, I tried. Your father’s quite convinced that nothing wrong will come of this. Neither of us can blame him for wanting his sister back, however, because how would you feel if Cassandra was taken away? Or Ilione, or Polyxena?” She was right… sort of. Priam rightfully wanted Hesione back, but keeping Helen in Troy was not the way to do it. Helenus had seen glimpses of fire and ruin, people dying and the city crumbling. That couldn’t happen, it wouldn’t happen. 

[essaytime]

Last book I read: La Reine Margot. Loved it. They always make you be so fixated on getting a good description and then Dumas kicks in with "it's impossible to describe". Also I loved the main gay duo - it's not even subtext, it's just plain text - and the side arc of Charles IX. I've never been such an active Valois dynasty fan as to read stacks of biographies and so, but I've always had a soft spot for him. He always seemed to have such a bad time. Yes, I know he allowed and probably later on himself participated in a religious massacre, and I condemn him, but the key rule of history is that everyone has a problematic babygirl. He's a poor little meow-meow. And, yes, develop a devotion for your brother-in-law! Tell your mother that in case of your illness you will shut yourself in a room with him and only accept meals from his hand! Something about it is heartwarming, actually.

Book I recommend: as already said, it's impossible to tell. I don't know who you would imagine asking this and what they want.

Book that I couldn't put down: Fried Green Tomatoes. I don't know why (it's a lovely book, but it's not fast-paced or mysterious. Maybe because it was not in my house and I wanted to finish before leaving?). And it features my favourite rare trope, the Grandma Commits Murder<3

A book on my TBR: I have five urgent reads and five additional books to read on the other shelf, plus The Iliad which I haven't yet bought... But out of the preferred five, The Secret History of Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford. I'm embracing my newfound younger sibling status and I'm going to get a degree in that. Arguments are going to be won. On stone-hard evidence.

A book I've put down: Inny świat. That was some time ago and I have to come back to it, but at that moment I couldn't stand so many horrors at once.

A book on my wishlist: One day I'll find Barańczak's Ocalone w tłumaczeniu in a library, I hope. Why is it so expensive...

A favourite book from childhood: Warrior Cats, I suppose. I also loved Lucy Maud Montgomery.

A book I would give to a friend: depends on the friend. Would give one a biography of Virginia Woolf as a joke, because she doesn't like her writing.

A book of poetry I own: Szymborska's Limeryki. Timeless classic. Especially the ones about the nations. I wrote some about required reading books once basing on them and I still remember the best one.

A non-fiction book I own: Andrew Roberts' Napoleon was the first that came to mind. My family was terrified of its size. I once brought it to read in the car on the way to church and my grandma asked me if I'm trying to teach Napoleon the ways of God.

Currently reading: Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls, mostly for competition reasons. So far it is fine, but sometimes it feels like Briseis is hardly doing anything, you know? She feels more like the everywoman of Trojan slaves than a specific person. I know that she's forced in a passive role, and the loss of individuality is an important aspect, but nothing is ever expanded upon. We never get a glimpse of her brothers, even though she mentions them so often, what she likes, nothing. While it is understandable in the sense of the effects of slavery (though wouldn't preserving the memories be important to the women in the huts as well?), the very point of feminist retelling is that we're viewing the woman as a character and not just objective lens. Maybe it will improve later. Also, there's a lot of anachronisms that annoy me a bit. It's not the insults, it's more the "for god's sake" (politheism, girl, politheism) and the mention of kebabs. Ah yes, king Priam's favourite dish, the kebab from a food stall fifty meters from the palace.

Planning on reading next: The Iliad in some good translation (though preferably not Libera, I have a personal war with Libera) probably

@malusienki and who wishes:)

Thanks for the tag, @enlitment!

Last book I read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Charming!

Book I recommend: Impossible question. Show me your soul and then ask me again.

Book I couldn't put down: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Grabbed me by the throat and would not let go. Sublime.

A book on my TBR: Vicious and Immoral by John Gilbert McCurdy is right up there; it looks fascinating and relevant to my research.

A book I've put down: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Surprising that I got as far as I did (the first 120 or so pages), since that could all have been covered in a two-page prologue.

A book on my wishlist: At some point I also need to drop €60 (🥲) on André Weibel's »Einen Spiegel hast gefunden, der in allem Dich reflectirt«.

A book on my wishlist: The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. Unquestioned reigning champion of being read approx one million times.

A book you would give to a friend: Anything by David Mitchell or Scarlett Thomas, depending on the friend.

A book of poetry/lyrics you own: The Loeb Greek Lyric: Anacreon, Anacreontea & Early Choral Lyric. Bangers on every page. Very gay.

A non-fiction book you own: Tom Cutterham's Gentlemen Revolutionaries is well worth a read for anyone interested in late 18th century masculinity and culture.

Currently reading: Temeraire by Naomi Novik. An old favourite that I'm discovering brand new joy in.

Planning on reading next: I have almost no time for fiction in between academic reading and writing and work, but These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever has been waiting very patiently on my nightstand.

Tagging @permanenthistorydamage @iron--and--blood @nordleuchten @ouiouixmonami @clove-pinks and you!

[godsofhumanity]

TROY: FALL OF A CITY (2018) | REVIEW

aight so i just finished watching Netflix’s Troy: Fall of a City. once again, i’m here to give y’all my two cents about this absolutely heart-wrenching show. spoilers under the cut!!

OVERVIEW: Troy: Fall of a City is an adaption of Homer’s Iliad, the Greek epic that explores the Trojan War. The series covers Paris’ journey as he decides who is the most beautiful from the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, and then follows his fate to find the most beautiful woman on Earth- Helen.

RATING: 9.5/10. i don’t cry when i watch shows or films, but holy shit.. i was moved to almost tears. honestly really really liked this show, it was well done. 100% recommend to anyone 18+ yrs, because some themes are extremely graphic.

WARNING: this show contains depictions of animal mutilation, infanticide, and just general violence and gore.

AVAILABLE ON: netflix

THINGS I LIKED:

- the way most of the characters were portrayed. although the cast wasn’t greek, i still feel like the actors did a marvellous job. it was easy to feel sorry or to hate certain characters.

- storyline flowed really easily. although there were many stories trying to be covered at the same time- Paris, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Cassandra, Helen, etc., it didn’t feel forced. even someone who didn’t already know the story could watch this show and be like “oh yeah this makes sense”.

- costuming. i’m not sure how accurate it was, but the sets and the costumes looked amazing. the trojan horse in the last episode in particular was a favourite.

- soundtrack. it matched the show perfectly. it was energetic and then melancholic at all the right times.

- even when characters made really tough and heartbreaking decisions (i’m talking about you @ odysseus), you still felt sorry and sympathetic for them. this might just be me, but as someone who loves both Hector and Achilles, i still couldn’t find it in myself to hate either of them, because both sides of the story were really nicely explained- it didn’t feel biased.

- the heartbreak. the scenes where odysseus kills andromache’s son, when achilles kills hector, hector kills patroclus, and paris kills achilles- these scenes were so moving and sickening at the same time- there were so many emotions at once, it really was insane. few shows portray these scenes as well as they were done in this show.

- cassandra. cassandra didn’t have too much screen time in this show, but i really liked how she was portrayed. they didn’t cover apollo’s involvement with cursing her, but it was so sad to see her warning everyone and everyone (except hector) was like “whateva 4eva”.

- Hector naming his son after a child soldier who died.......... Hector you are so good.. we literally did not deserve you

- i think my favourite characters would have to be: Hector, Andromache, Odysseus, Achilles, Pandarus, Priam & Hecuba. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

- portrayal of the gods. for clarity’s sake, they omitted the fact that it was Eris who had begun the battle of the beauties in the first place, and instead made it out to be that Zeus had somehow pitted them against each other so that fate could be fulfilled?? idk. i didn’t like it, it was a little ambiguous.

- going on from the above point, i don’t think any of the gods looked like gods. they looked like regular mortals?? it was kind of a let down.

- Patroclus begging for mercy when Hector killed him???? hello???? he’s a warrior, he should have gone down with dignity.

- related to Patroclus’ death scene- Achilles’ wrath felt unjustified in a way, because Patroclus wore Achilles’ armour, so Hector thought he was killing Achilles. Hector had NO IDEA that it was actually Patroclus, and even when the armour got pulled off he was like “wait what why did u let him do that achilles?” and then Achilles went off the shits about it?? like maybe you should have listened to Patroclus and fought instead of sulking in your tent and then getting angry that your bf was killed by the enemy!!!!!! GRRR!!!! hector ily <3

- i hate helen. this isn’t really something that the show did, i just never liked her and i wanted to say it >:(

- the introduction of the Amazons was a little rushed. they were introduced in the second last episode, and the justification for the Amazonians’ hatred of the Myrmidons was just that Achilles had killed a few of their gals in battle??? that’s literally what happens in a war! people die! idk, it just felt like a poor excuse. also really disliked the Amazon Queen’s haircut. really bad.

- in the beginning episodes, King Priam and Queen Hecuba seem to be at odds with each other over the return of Paris, and they keep talking about how they were cursed by the gods, and that they should forgive themselves or something, but it’s never gone into detail about what exactly it was that they did to get themselves cursed :/

[allbeendonebefore]

Histories 2.113-120

This is where things get really good because Herodotus gives us what he believes is the Egyptian perspective on the Trojan War (and subsequently he tells us it's the version he believes too and that Homer only alluded to it because it would have made his epic far less interesting)

according to Herodotus' Egyptians, Paris was blown off course right after abducting Helen from Sparta and ended up in Egypt. The servants with him were sick of him (and can you blame them?) and told the Egyptians what had transpired and what he had done. Word reaches the pharaoh (who seems to be fictional or at least unconnected to any recorded king) and he is like well let's hear it from this guy then.

Pharaoh asks Paris where he's from and what he's up to and who's this girl (having already caught the drift of the story) and Paris is so annoyingly evasive that the pharaoh says look, you're shady af and you're lucky I don't kill randos who wash up on my shores, gtfo and we're keeping Helen and all the crap you stole from this poor Greek guy Whatsisname until he maybe shows up here.

And that's exactly what happens.

And the Greeks show up to Troy and the Trojans say "she's not here she's in Egypt" and they think they're being made fun of and sack the city anyway. And then find out oops our bad I guess she is in Egypt.

And then they go find her and all the stuff safe and ok in Egypt and then Menelaus sacrifices two children for some reason and pisses the Egyptians off for some reason (did agamemnon suggest this)

Anyway this is roomie's favourite story (and mine) so far about Egyptian history and I'm with Herodotus on this one because his argument "why would priam and everyone go along with whatever Paris was doing why wouldn't they just say nah bro put her back where she came from".