#the athenian murders

[funeral]

José Carlos Somoza, The Athenian Murders

[ernestlangston]

Man what does one do if the book you're currently rabid about is known by maybe. 1.5 people (one of them being my partner)(the said book's tag has approx. 4 posts)(im going crazy)(i crave fanart BUT WHERE?!##??!$!?!?WHY IS THE UNIVERSE SO SO CRUEL IN HER WAYS OF MAKING ME DESIRE TO CREATE!!!)

[apesoformythoughts]

In classical Athens, one of the pupils of Plato's Academy is found dead. His idealistic teacher suspects that this wasn't an accident and asks Heracles, known as the 'Decipherer of Enigmas', to investigate the death and ultimately a dark, irrational and subversive cult. The second plot unfolds in parallel through the footnotes of the translator of the original Greek text. As he proceeds with his work, he becomes increasingly convinced that the Greek author has hidden a second meaning, which can be brought to light by interpreting certain repeated words and images. As the main plot and also the translation of the manuscript advances, there are certain sinister coincidences, and it seems that the text is addressing him personally and in an increasingly menacing manner...

[nyxinastris]

i love aristogeiton and harmodios. like yes evil gays (erastes-eromenos) , plot to kill an athenian tyrant and his brother because that brother tried to get with harmodios and got rejected and then disgraced his sister! and then they become like the ideal gay (pederastic) couple that even plato looks up to and get to be bringers of democracy

[zomb1eturtlez]

"At the risk of stating the obvious, no woman can mate with a bull and produce a child. Recognizing this simple scientific fact, I am led to a somewhat interesting suspicion: King Minos did not build the labyrinth to imprison a monster but to conceal a deformed child, his child.

While the Minotaur has often been depicted as a creature with the body of a bull but the torso of a man, centaur-like, the myth describes the minotaur as simply having the head of a bull and the body of a man, or in other words, a man with a deformed face. I believe pride would not allow Minos to accept that the heir to the throne had a horrendous appearance.

Consequently, he dissolved the right of ascension by publicly accusing his wife Pasiphae of fornicating with a male bovine.

Having enough conscience to keep from murdering his own flesh and blood, Minos had a labyrinth constructed, complicated enough to keep his son from ever escaping but without bars to suggest a prison. (It is interesting to note how the myth states most of the Athenian youth "fed" to the Minotaur actually starved to death in the Labyrinth, thus indicating their deaths had more to do with the complexity of the maze and less to do with the presumed ferocity of the Minotaur.)

I am convinced Minos' maze really serves as a trope for repression. My published thoughts on this subject (see "Birth Defects in Knossos"Sonny Won't Wait Flyer, Santa Cruz, 1968) inspired the playwright Taggert Chielitz to author a play called *The Minotaur* for The Seattle Repertory Company. As only eight people, including the doorman, got a chance to see the production, I produce here a brief summary:

Chielitz begins his play with Minos entering the labyrinth late one evening to speak to his son. As it turns out, the Minotaur is a gentle and misunderstood creature, while the so-called Athenian youth are convicted criminals who were already sentenced to death back in Greece. Usually King Minos has them secretly executed and then publicly claims their deaths were caused by the terrifying Minotaur thus ensuring that the residents of Knossos will never get too close to the labyrinth. Unfortunately this time, one of the criminals had escaped into the maze, encountered Mint (as Chielitz refers to the Minotaur) and nearly murdered him. Had Minos himself not rushed in and killed the criminal, his son would have perished. Suffice it to say Minos is furious. He has caught himself caring for his son and the resulting guilt and sorrow ineeses him to no end. As the play progresses, the King slowly sees past his son's deformities, eventually discovering an elegiae spirit, an artistie sentiment and most importantly a visionary understanding of the world. Soon a deep paternal love grows in the King's heart and he begins to conceive of a way to reintroduce the Minotaur back into society. Sadly, the stories the King has spread throughout the world concerning this terrifying beast prove the seeds of tragedy. Soon enough, a bruiser named Theseus arrives (Chielitz describes him as a drunken, virtually retarded, frat boy) who without a second thought hacks the Minotaur into little pieces. In one of the play's most moving scenes, King Minos, with tears streaming down his face, publicly commends Theseus' courage. The crowd believes the tears are a sign of gratitude while we the audience understand they are tears of loss. The King's heart breaks and while he will go on to be an extremely just ruler, it is a justice forever informed by the deepest kind of agony."

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

pg. 110-111

[wolfythewitch]

Wolfy i very sorry for the disturbance again but its funny

So there's this one Athenian ritual where an ox had to be sacrificed, but at the same time it was a crime. So the priest kills the ox then fucking books it and tosses the axe somewhere random, and when the people find the axe they literally fucking charge the axe with murder and take it to court 💀

I love that so much

[peoplegettingreallymadatfurries]

What is a Minotaur?

I've been fascinated by the many different takes of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. It is possible to depict these two as star-crossed lovers, through the level of intimacy shown in Theseus' execution of Asterion. It can also be a moment where we reflect on the features that make one different, but understanding the relationships of the world around us. As an artist, often you take a long time flowing into the precise details that are meant to be included in a final work. While it would be irresponsible as a literary critic of these artistic pieces to insist the artist's intent, there is a definite form of intention that goes into sculpture. Of Theseus and Asterion, I notice that there is a hidden story with many pieces, that go beyond the simple translation of the classic myth to page.

My favorite being Canova's, which depicts an almost intimate scene between the slain Asterion and triumphant Theseus.

This reading benefits from the club sitting beside Theseus. Seeing this as both the phallic object with which he defeated the Asterion, as well as the way it rises high to his eye, there is a latent sexuality in this piece. Asterion's mouth lies agape, either in pain or pleasure, we will never know. However, many of us who have seen this piece on Tumblr agree that it's definitely some form of sexuality. This is a triumph of brutishness, sure, but why are these figures nude?

Oftentimes, as I have done more research for this random essay that popped into my head, I find that often both the hero and monster are nude. This is both to show the raw power of both forces, as if they come from a place that goes beyond humanity, as well as the story that led to how they came to be. Asterion, sure he's unclothed in every depiction. He's an unwanted child, left to die, or at the very least fend for himself against 14 Athenian prisoners of war every 7 or 9 years. Theseus being unclothed is something that I need to actually look up and won't, being that this is not up for peer review in a prestigious journal.

Some depictions show him strangling Asterion to death (Pindar), others say Theseus stabbed Asterion in the throat. Either way of execution provides an overpowering of the smaller, young Theseus. Either he uses a phallic object to murder what he sees as a monster, or perhaps gets to know him better while he struggles under the weight of his hands on the bull's throat. Using a sword to penetrate is one of the gayest exchanges one can use to symbolize a sexual intercourse. (See some readings of Romeo and Tybalt). Laying hands on this monster (especially if nude as often depicted), he likely faced him, giving him some semblance of touch between himself and another human.

Upon further research of these type of sculpture, I found François Sicard's bronze statue on Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park in Sydney, Australia. Though there is a brutality between the two, here, where Theseus in his Western European features manhandles an Othered subject, there also exists an intimacy. Grabbing the Asterion by the horn, kneeling on his thigh, offers a sense of touch that Asterion likely never would have been able to experience prior. Though one can imply a suggestive nature to Asterion's pose, it's important to also see that Asterion's head is turned to look back at the man who is touching him, and moments from giving him his greatest mercy.

Asterion never asked to be born what he was. Many newer interpretations of the myth, mainly those depicted by @hellenhighwater and @avocadolaw, depict a person underneath his features, stuck inside a prison for which he is unjustly placed. Highwater's piece, A Crack in the Labyrinth, in particular, reaches for a pathos that I find unrivaled in any solitary piece of Minotaur work.

Though Asterion has unrivaled strength -- enough to kill 14 Athenians every 7 or 9 years depending on your retelling of the myth -- enough to break down the walls of his prison, he also remains an emotional subject, born of a curse of his mother's relationship with Zeus, and his father's vanity. He was shut out for being born a monster, but he is still a child, who did not deserve this imprisonment.

@avocadolaw's interpretation of Highwater's piece demonstrates another angle to this myth that continues to drive empathy into the heart of the story. Asterion is Ariadne's older brother. It is Ariadne who supplies Theseus with the clew that he can use to escape the impossible labyrinth, doing this out of an act of love for the Athenian, and not the Cretan. By depicting Asterion in a moment of solitude and depression, the audience sees a beast in its weakness -- in its solitary confinement. Using the same skyphos, also depicts a relationship between these siblings that the myth itself neglects to mention.

These solitary depictions move away from a sense of queerness as this essay threatened. However, their intimate tenderness for a misunderstood creature curates an understanding of queer solitude. Asterion's difference from anyone he may have known doesn't sexualize him. It humanizes him.

I have seen intentional gay pieces of art between Theseus and Minotaur, both using art as a form to share intimacy, as well as queerness. Of all of these, though, I am drawn toward the monstrous depiction of identity in @h00f's piece T4TM

Title and depiction here, implies a specifically trans reading into the subject of The Minotaur. The image alt text of the post refrains from using pronouns for the Minotaur (see the alt text for the included image). The trans reading of this piece bares entirely features that may be interpreted through a bifurcated understanding of gender, or it can blur the line between the two well enough to absolve itself of any gender. In refusing to use pronouns for the Minotaur at all, the artist also refuses to define this depiction into a secret third option. In all of this lack of gender, there is still a form of intimacy between the two subjects, especially given the assumed shared history of Minotaur myth.

Overall, I just love the way Minotaur are depicted as a misunderstood beast and given a form of intimacy that formerly had been left out in the understanding of the myth. If you managed to read all of this essay, I'm proud of you for putting up with this. My mind wandered while I was researching an essay for the furbait blog. I wanted to jump on this impulse while I could. When you see the other essay, I hope you find it to be just as worth it as I did, spending the last 4 hours drafting this up.

[ilions-end]

so euripides' hecuba (david kovacs translation) was wilder than i thought it'd be

immediate thoughtssss:

i'm pretty familiar with the sacrifice of polyxena through other sources by now, although this is the first time i've seen her, you know, speak and try to wield whatever small amount of agency she is allowed in her own death. VERY strong iphigenia in aulis parallels. really chewing on the "the trojan war begins and ends with the ritual sacrifice of a young girl" concept

this IS the first time i've gotten to polydorus' whole deal beyond very brief summaries (and similar but different fate in the aeneid). i'll admit i'm a dumbass so i got really confused about the timeframes and the geography. the entirety of the greek army is (somewhere!) in THRACE but not at TROY anymore, but achilles' TOMB is within walking distance? and i assumed polymestor was supposed to be further away but he's right there in this temporary camp and... idk, confusion.

also i rarely mix up greek names but the fact that polydorus was murdered by polymestor. i keep tripping up, sorry

it's interesting that we learn agamemnon argued NOT to kill polyxena, and odysseus got everyone convinced anyway. between this and aulis and trojan women: odysseus just LOVES lobbying for the murder of women and children

SPEAKING OF odysseus, his interactions with hecuba in this were so different than what i'd imagined! for one, there is no clear indicator that hecuba is HIS slave. i for sure thought that'd be a major thing in this.

secondly, in this version HECUBA SAVED HIM THAT TIME HE CAME TO SPY IN TROY AS A BEGGAR? he supplicated her, she got him safely out of troy... ooh you're a WILY one euripides!

ESPECIALLY WHEN odysseus, Mister Hiketeia himself, PHYSICALLY BLOCKS polyxena from supplicating him so he won't be obligated to help her. CHRIST, man!!!

augh athenian odysseus, you are such a genuinely awful man and i need to dissect you with pins and study your insides

when hecuba begs to be sacrificed in polyxena's stead (because she's right! the greeks actually have a REASON to want her dead, as hector and paris' mother), and odysseus argues like, well WHAT would it look like if they'd treated achilles with respect in life but not in death? and i could FEEL ajax reaching out ghostly fingers to odysseus in that moment because he experienced the opposite (odysseus' enemy in life, then respected in death) and WHERE did that get him? just. mm. thoughts.

hecuba knows odysseus is also a parent........ it still doesn't help

RETURN OF TALTHYBIUS! a weeping, sympathetic agent of violence and outrage. he's so interesting to me. is he largely an invention of euripides i wonder? i should look more into talthybius

i understand the need to make polyxena's death as noble as possible, but it did weird me out when talthybius assured hecuba that even as polyxena fell to the ground with a slit throat, she carefully minded her skirt so she wouldn't expose herself in her death throes

POSSIBLY the most sympathetic-acting agamemnon i've come across in these plays? even if all his sympathies and concern for hecuba is implied to be because she is a kind of pseudo-mother-in-law now that he "cares about" cassandra so much... which is, you know, it's own kind of fucked up. euripides absolutely downplays the non-consensuality of that relationship so agamemnon can serve as an agent of justice

okay, it is kind of delicious when agamemnon is like "a WOMAN kill a MAN??? PSSH as if that could ever happen". sir. sir.

how old are polymestor's children meant to be? they're young enough to be "passed between" the enslaved women but polymestor brings them to a soldier camp

if i had a nickel for every time someone had their eyes stabbed out with brooch pins in ancient greek tragedy i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but--

i like the visual of polymestor "crawling like a beast" though. fuck you polymestor

and then there's the FAKEST trial because agamemnon pretends to be impartial? THAT was a twist

i couldn't supress a disbelieving chuckle when polymestor's like "oh by the way i have these incredibly specific prophecies given to me by dionysus at an unspecified earlier time. yeah so hecuba you're gonna turn into a dog in just a little while. and agamemnon, just so you know, clytemnestra's gonna kill you and cassandra as soon as you get home"

and of course agamemnon doesn't believe him but i have to wonder as he's getting chopped up later he's like "huh. why does this seem so familiar"

i don't know, man. this play was no trojan women.

[whencyclopedia]

Electra by Sophocles

Electra is a play written by the 5th-century BCE Greek tragedian Sophocles. Similar to Aeschylus' Libation Bearers, Electra focuses on the return of Electra's brother Orestes from exile and the plot to murder their mother. Years earlier, their mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus killed their father Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan War. In this version of the story, Electra has been treated as a slave since the death of her father. She tries to procure the assistance of her sister Chrysothemus in her plot but fails. With the return of Orestes and his friend Plyades, Electra is able to successfully avenge her father's murder.

Sophocles

Sophocles (c. 496 BCE - c. 406 BCE) is considered one of the most successful tragedians of his time. He wrote at least 120 plays but, unfortunately, only seven have survived. Of his surviving plays, the most famous is Oedipus the King, part of a thematic trilogy along with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus. He won 20 victories in play competitions; 18 of them were at the Dionysia. Writing almost until the day he died, his final play Oedipus at Colonus was presented by his son Iophon in 401 BCE.

Sophocles was born to a wealthy family in the suburb of Colonus outside the city of Athens and was extremely active in Athenian public life, serving as a city treasurer in 443-42 BCE and a general with the statesman Pericles 441- 40 BCE. When he was in his eighties, he was named a member of the group of special magistrates assigned to the dubious task of organizing both financial and domestic recovery in 412-11 BCE after the disastrous Athenian defeat at Syracuse on the island of Sicily. He had two sons by his wife and one by his mistress. Two of them would eventually become playwrights.

Although active in Athenian politics, his plays rarely contain any references to current events or issues. Classicist and author Edith Hamilton in her The Greek Way wrote that he was a passionless, detached observer of life. She believed the beauty of his plays was in their simple, lucid, and reasonable structure. He was the embodiment of what we know to be Greek. Moses Hadas in his Greek Drama said that Sophocles represented his characters as they should be while Euripides saw them as they were. Editor David Grene in his translation of Oedipus the King said that his plays had tightly controlled plots with complex dialogue, character contrasts, an interweaving of spoken and musical elements, and the fluidity of verbal expression.

Continue reading...

[apesoformythoughts]

“For there is a certain true argument which confronts the man who ventures to write anything at all of these matters, an argument which, although I have frequently stated it in the past, seems to require statement also at the present time.

Every existing object has three things which are the necessary means by which knowledge of that object is acquired; and the knowledge itself is a fourth thing; and as a fifth one must postulate the object itself which is cognizable and true. First of these comes the name; secondly the definition; thirdly the image…”

— Plato: Letter VII

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

IT'S 11:30 PM BUT I AM HAVING THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS ABOUT APOLLO AND ORESTES

I HAVE NOT READ THE ORESTIEA BUT DW I HAVE IT AND I'M GONNA READ IT AFTER THE ILIAD

I MAY HAVE MORE THOUGHTS AFTER THAT WE SHALL SEE

I made my Apollo & Cassandra post a while back so now it's time for Orestes :)

just. ahhhh. how do i begin.

at the beginning i guess.

Orestes is a young child when he's smuggled out of Argos. By his sister to keep him safe when their father is murdered by their mother. He's a young boy exiled from his home because of the actions of a vengeful queen.

Years later, he receives a mission from Apollo - kill his mother to avenge his father. And he does just that.

Apollo was a young god, not even born yet, when he was exiled from the very earth by a vengeful queen. His mother fought and ran to find a place to deliver him and his own sister to safety. In his mother's honor, he goes out of his way to kill those who dare to harm her - Python and Tityus, to name a few.

The parallels get me okay? Even if it's not a deadringer, they are sill there.

Apollo defends his mother while Orestes kills his.

Orestes was ordered to kill his mother while Apollo murdered others for Leto on his own accord.

And what REALLY gets me is their different motivations in this situation - Orestes believes he's avenging his father, the man he never quite knew. Apollo meanwhile wouldn't loose sleep over Agamemnon's death.

Apollo wasn't aiming to avenge Agamemnon. He was avenging Cassandra.

But he couldn't tell Orestes that, now could he? After all, what was a mere slave girl from Troy to Orestes? Especially since he didn't know her at all.

Avenging Cassandra wouldn't be enough to convince Orestes to commit matricide. So Apollo uses Agamemnon's death as incentive for Orestes.

And it works. Apollo's goals are met - Clytemnestra and Aegisthus are killed, and Cassandra's soul can rest easy now in Elysium.

He could cut his losses and leave Orestes to the Furies. He no longer has anything to do with this.

But Apollo stays with Orestes. He helps him rest in Delphi before getting him a headstart to Athens. He defends him in court from the Furies, in front of the jury of Athenians and Athena herself. He puts himself firmly on Orestes's side and uses whatever means necessary to get him off the hook.

And if that means manipulating the city of Athens via their sexist ideologies? It's free real estate. When you're in court, you use whatever you can to help your client.

And Apollo wins. Orestes is free to go, and the curse of the House of Atreus is gone for good.

just. vibrating from this. the similarities between Apollo & Orestes in their youth that diverges in stark ways. How Apollo could have dropped Orestes the moment his own goal was finished, but chose not too - he chose to take it a step farther and get rid of that curse for good. So Orestes and his family could live in peace.

When I first heard about the Oresteia, and what Apollo says to free Orestes, I had a hard time reconciling it. Apollo just didn't give off those sexist vibes to me (as a matter of facts, very few gods do - after all, they appear how they want when they want. gender is meaningless to gods.).

But I did some digging. Some thinking. And really, Apollo is quite in-character during the trial - he's in Lawyer Mode. He manipulates the system to his advantage as well as the Athenian citizens with their misogynistic beliefs.

Because think about it. Apollo uses the argument, in brief terms, that a mother has no claim on the child because they are only for making babies. This gets half of the Athenian jury to immediately side with Orestes.

Is this a bullshit argument? Absolutely. But sometimes a bullshit argument gets your client out of trouble and that's the job of a lawyer - to help their client.

For a closing statement, I also want to say that I don't think Apollo himself believes that sexist opinion. After all, Leto was the one running around the world to find a safe place to deliver him and Artemis - Zeus did very little to help.

It was his mom who did all the work, and Apollo is very clearly a mama's boy.

Plus, 99.9% of the people Apollo hangs out with are women. Leto, Artemis, the Muses, Athena, Hecate, Aphrodite, ect ect

There's no way he actually buys that argument. He just used it to gaslight the very-sexist Athenians into voting in Orestes's favor because godsdammit that curse needs to go!

thank you for coming to my TEDTalk. I have feelings. goodnight now. happy new year. i shall post a snippet of a storyboard idea for my mythology series tomorrow that features apollo & orestes because I HAVE FEELINGS.

[superkooku]

Ok, I've been occupying myself with an unnecessarily complicated thought process concerning Theseus' age when he fought the Minotaur. Let me explain.

I read somewhere that Theseus was 15 when he went to Crete. It based itself from some approximate calendar and made me think.

Theseus being a teenager would kinda make sense, especially since he's stoobid naive and clueless. Plus the sources talk about Athenian boys or young men. However, I personally dislike the idea.

1. Theseus is just as clueless as an adult. Even as a father (ahem, Hippolytus). So immaturity isn't a factor.

2. It made me wonder how old Ariadne was. Whatever the answer, younger or older than Theseus, it'd be very... awkward. Especially since she's either said to have kids with Theseus or marry Dionysus. Standards were different then but it'd still be weird to think about.

At least, since Cadmus and Harmonia were siblings, I'd figure Dionysus and Ariadne are in a similar age. Plus when he met her, he still wasn't a full-fleged god considering he was still conquering cities. Then again, he traveled a lot even before meeting her and was lost in insanity for a while before Rhea healed him. So idk how old he'd be. Likely more than 15-16.

3. Before fighting the Minotaur, Theseus did six tasks, some of them requiring to be physically strong like capturing a murderer or facing an adult bandit demi-god or throwing some guy off a cliff. Theseus has a rich history and imagining a 13-14yo boy with no power do all of that is a bit ridiculous imo. Except Neoptolemus but it's just because he's that much of a psycho 😂

4. How old were men supposed to be in order to rule back then? And how long coming back

Anyways, I largely prefer Theseus and Ariadne being both young adults when they met, not teenagers. Maybe like 19-20. So they're still young but, yk, adult.

But @margaretkart @katerinaaqu, you could surely provide me some insight on this considering you grew up in Greek culture and learned more about ancient Greece than I did.

There probably isn't one definitive answer since sources vary, but I'd love you found some elements I missed.

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Guys, I'm concerned right now...

So I just found out that "Amyclas" was the name of two different men in Greek mythology, but it's also implied here that they could be the same person??? Ex-fucking-cuse me?!!

Do you know what this means?

Amyclas of Sparta is the father of Hyacinthus, who is Apollo's lover. Making Amyclas a son of Niobe would mean Apollo (and Artemis) had murdered Hyacinthus' aunts and uncles and was damn close to ceasing Hyacinthus from existence if he didn't spare his father.

Apollo is wild. He didn't just went after his enemy's children, but her grandchildren as well.

But this could be another case of mythology conflation, just like how Hyacinthus the Spartan prince was conflated with Hyacinthus the father of the Hyacinthides. There has got to be something tricky going on.

The Wikipedia page cited Apollodorus as the source for the Theban Amyclas, so I went to check it out. Here's what The Bibliotheca Book 3 said:

That was all I can find about the Theban Amyclas, and there was no mention of him fleeing to Sparta and becoming the Spartan Amyclas. I even use Control Find for the name to make sure I didn't miss out on anything.

Not only that, but The Bibliotheca talks about the Spartan Amyclas as if he was a completely different man from his Theban counterpart.

Maybe there are accounts that confirm Theban Amyclas and Spartan Amyclas' connection? I mean we do know Hyacinthus has a Spartan, Athenian, and Thessalian counterpart, so I wouldn't be surprise if the same thing is true for Amyclas. I just need sources to confirm this.

If anyone has any addition to this, please let me know! I would love to hear you out!

[papermatisse]

Lost and Found || B.BH

♔ pairing: dionysus!byun baekhyun x f!ariadne!reader

♔ genre: angst, one-shot, fluff

♔ word count: 3.5k

♔ warnings: abandonment, murder

♔ abstract: Love comes with all kinds of sacrifices, and after everything she'd sacrificed for her own hopeful romance, all she really wanted was a lover to live with for the rest of her mortal existence. Though the universe—and for that matter the gods who inhabit it—has a cruel sense of humor.

♔ author's note: I've been thinking of writing a Greek mythology story for all of the exos (ot8 [minus Chen, the nation's husband and father]). I have a few plans already, though this one felt the easiest and quickest to execute cause I really wanted to test out and fix my link/tag issue on here 😔

for context, here's a rough synopsis of the Theseus story: the king of Crete angered Poseidon who cursed the queen into woohooing with the king's bull, thus creating a minotaur named Asterion. mortified by this creation, they banished him into a maze and alienated him as if he were nothing, thus creating the bloodthirsty monster he was. the king's son went to Athens bc they themselves had a minotaur problem, but their minotaur wound up killing him. the king of Crete blamed the king of Athens and after some altercations, it resulted in an annual tradition of sending a select few Athenians to serve as tribute and be eaten by Asterion. one of these tributes was Theseus, son of the king of Athens, and he actually defeated the Athenian minotaur. to help him in defeating Asterion, the Crete king's daughter, Ariadne, gave Theseus yarn so he'd be able to navigate the maze, which helped him in killing Asterion. afterwards, they sailed to Naxos, where he abandoned her. interpretations vary of course, but most involve Dionysus marrying Ariadne afterwards bc he fell in love w her.

masterlist

Nestled within the Aegean Sea, lost amongst the plethora of islands which dotted the cerulean expanse of the ocean, lays the idyllic yet ever forlorn island of Naxos. Viridescent fields of crops and greenery encompass the entirety of the island, sloped along the verdant hills which make up its landscape. The only obstruction to its rolling plains was that of its mountain at the very heart of the island, as well as the sandy beaches which encircled it all in a protective ring of golden grains.

Upon first arrival, it had seemed nothing short of picturesque—perhaps even going so far as being the most beautiful sight she'd ever observed in her rather dull and sheltered life thus far. The warmth of the sand which greeted her once she'd hopped off the boat felt like the welcoming embrace of a new start, the fine grains sinking beneath her every step as if accommodating to her new presence. The seas lapped against the shores as if reaching out to her, waving—both metaphorically and literally—like it were greeting an old friend. And the winds which carried with it the strong aroma of sea salt and petrichor encompassed her being in a cool and refreshing embrace, nearly cementing the thought that circulated in her head of what a perfectly quaint and romantic escape Naxos was for her and her lover to settle in and establish their new lives together.

At least that's how it had all felt no more than a day ago. It was astounding how much could change upon settling down to rest after the strenuous voyage to Naxos. A mere daytime nap, meant to simply reinvigorate her, had suddenly turned her whole world upside down, because upon opening her eyes, her lover, with whom she'd risked her entire life in order to save, had all but vanished: him, his boat, and by extension, her heart along with him. She couldn't even see a single speck of him remaining on the horizon, and the thought that he had left her the moment she'd fallen asleep felt ever more disparaging.

Now, she sat along the shore. The sands, cooled with the setting sun, cradled her dejected form. The cacophony of waves crashing against the island served to drown out her cries. And the winds, which had grown significantly weaker as the day waned, brushed against her face as if to gently wipe away her tears. Naxos, with its surreal beauty and tender acceptance, had become no more a prison prompted by her own circumstances just as her accomodations had been on Crete. Exchanging one pitiful excuse of a home for another, though now she was utterly alone.

And all she could do was cry to herself. Cry over her foolishness to have risked everything for a boy she'd fallen for so rashly. Cry over her imminent future and the dread of the unknown which lay in waiting for her. Cry over the abandonment and outright rejection from someone she once believed to be her soulmate.

What a miserable life she led.

What a tragic course of events she followed.

What an absolutely pathetic human being she was.

And how utterly vexing it was that she could not even wallow in her own self-pity by her lonesome for very long.

“(y/n)?”

Her body seemed to register the foreign voice before her mind had, as she slowly turned her tear stricken face towards the newcomer. Though once her eyes met those of the familiar deity, now standing a mere few feet away from her, she quickly turned back to her original position, staring out at the sea. By now, the harsh line of the horizon had become ingrained into her corneas, remaining in her vision even when her eyes were closed, yet she continued to stare forward, hoping to find a stray boat somewhere in the distance. Hoping to see her beloved rushing back to her as if his initial departure was nothing more than an accident. Hoping to fall back into his arms and forget the worries incessantly plaguing her mind.

Though once more, these desires went unanswered, and instead, she was met by this ever so gentle touch skimming carefully over her back.

“(y/n), look at me.”

The demand hadn't held much of an authoritative tone, more so that of an insistent plea, one where she could faintly discern the shreds of desperation laced in between. Yet she remained as is, eyes trained on the ocean, waiting. She thought by ignoring him, he'd leave her alone. Allow her to grieve in peace without his mischief and revelric tendencies. Let her sulk in her misfortune without being reminded of her affiliation with him. Yet he could not even spare her this one luxury.

Instead, in her periphery, she found him crouching onto the sand beside her, seating himself in a way so he could remain attached to her side. The heavy weight of his gaze lingered upon her, even as she attempted to ignore his presence as a whole. Though he seemed none the wiser to her efforts, or perhaps he merely couldn't care less what she thought of him—not that she's out right proclaimed her opinion of said god, but from mere context clues given their history together, she was sure he had a general understanding of where she stands with him.

It had been a few years since she first met Baekhyun. A rather untimely meeting with the god of wine and revelry, one marked by unrequited affections which has since plagued her every waking moment. She had never processed how burdensome it could become to be the apple of one's eye, especially if that particular person was a deity of Baekhyun's caliber, and one she felt nothing towards. And even now as she tends to a broken heart, abandoned on a remote island in the middle of nowhere with no means of escape, she still couldn't conceal the discomfort she felt in Baekhyun's presence, knowing fully well of his affections and how he had been waiting for her answer to his proposal.

Though unlike all the other times he’s randomly materialized before her, usually wreaking of that sickly sweet aroma of wine and teasing her relentlessly until she was pleading for him to leave her be, he sat there calmly and quietly, waiting for her to acknowledge him. It was a peculiar shift in his modus operandi, one that did not go by unnoticed by (y/n), yet even with the silence he granted her, she couldn't bear to speak to him as she usually would.

Humiliation silently lingered in the air even before she could say anything. She didn't know what she'd tell Baekhyun had he pestered her in his usual manner. The last thing on her mind was telling the man who proposed to her—with whom she'd essentially left unanswered—that the man she intended on running away with forever had all but left her stranded on an island to die in solitude. Though somehow, there was a small inkling in her that felt like Baekhyun already knew. And perhaps a smaller, more hopeful part of her believed he was here not to torment her, but rather to check up on her, ensure she was fairing well.

Hesitantly, her eyes strayed from where they'd been zeroed in along the horizon, sparing Baekhyun a small and brief glance.

It was odd. His eyes seemed duller now, a more muted umber tone devoid of that trademark glint he usually dons when running amok. He usually always bore this confident, bordering on cocky, grin that seemed all too pleased with himself and his shenanigans, yet now his lips were naturally downturned, perhaps the first time she's ever seen his mouth in its natural resting position. Even his scent was more subdued, and she was able to pick up the rich undertones of grapes usually concealed by his alcoholic carousing. His gaze was dropped, steadily trained on her hands laying in her lap, and the undivided attention only prompted more discomfort on her part as she fiddled with the fabric of her dress.

She had half a mind to ask him if he was okay, momentarily forgetting her own plight once she saw the shift in demeanor of Baekhyun. Though the silence that encompassed them prompted her own wariness in approaching the subject.

And so they remained as is, the sun now meeting the horizon, igniting the sky into a mural of warm, fiery hues. As the sun continued to set, it dyed the blue depth of the waters into a color akin to wine with its deep and rich crimson shade.

Without realizing it, her mind had begun wandering back to Baekhyun, curious as to why he remained by her side even as she ignored him. And though she didn't know for how long she'd strayed with these thoughts, she did know it was his presence alone that managed to briefly distract her from her current situation.

“Why are you here?” (y/n) asked, voice gravelly from misuse. For a moment, she was met with silence, the ocean serving as white noise to fill the void. But as she dared another glance his way, she saw his somber countenance. It was a foreign expression to be gracing his face, and she found herself intrigued by the furrow of his brow as he remained lost in thought.

“I went to visit you on Crete…” He finally responded, the timbre of his voice lowering with raw solemnity. “I know how you get with the annual tributes, so I wanted to be there for you.”

She shied away at this, never fully processing how Baekhyun's sporadic appearances coincided with certain times. And it was true. Every year as the Athenian tributes arrived on Crete, she distanced herself until after these events were done and over with. Though as she now recollected memories from recent years, she began putting together Baekhyun's arrivals were never truly as spontaneous as she first made them out to be.

He was always there whenever she was at her lowest. She thought it was intentional as a way of tormenting her when she's at rock bottom, but as he continued speaking, a pit of remorse began accumulating within her heart.

“Instead, I was met with… chaos. Carnage. Disorder.” He paused, turning his head in a direction she could only assume was where Crete faced. “Asterion was dead. A tribute had escaped. And the princess had all but disappeared.”

At his final statement, (y/n) stared down in shame. She knew there would be repercussions for her actions, but she thought she'd have been long gone at this point. Too far away to even spare a moment of regret for having abandoned her family and her kingdom. Yet it all came back to bite her. Her brother, cursed and estranged as he was, had been killed. Theseus, her lover who she assisted the entire way through, had been the one to kill him. And she, princess of Crete, had run off in the midst of this mayhem.

“I'm sorry…” (y/n) whispered, voice strained as she fought back tears. “I'm so sorry. I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't bear to see more death. Every single year without fail they'd send these Athenians off to die by my brother's hands. And we'd just have to sit there and watch. Watch as they all lost themselves to the labyrinth. And Asterion would…”

As if having finally broken the floodgates, tears began streaming down her face without fail. The tragic life of her brother, born a monster and treated as such. And even if she had never interacted with him, even as she witnessed his bloodshed year after year, the knowledge of his death being instigated by her own involvement was debilitating enough to ground her back into reality.

The gravity of her predicament began to settle in. Sitting on an island, hopelessly waiting for a guy she had only just met and was ready to run away with forever. The realization that he used her for his own benefit, exploited her blind affections towards him only to then leave her for dead. He had probably already returned to Athens, assumed the role of hero who killed the minotaur of Crete—as well as that of their princess. And she sat there, longing for him for hours at a time, seated beside Dionysus himself. The absurdity of it all was almost laughable, and she'd probably be doing just that if it weren't for the overwhelming humiliation she felt coiled and festering within her.

“I helped him…” She confessed aloud. “I gave him the thread so he wouldn't get lost in the maze. I was the one who helped him defeat Asterion. I was the one who helped him escape. It was all my doing. And he left me here as repayment.”

Before she could continue, Baekhyun had suddenly shifted from his position, arms wrapping around her tightly and dragging her into his embrace. Any other time, she'd probably have swatted at him whilst yelling profanities, all while he laughed in delight at her hostility.

Yet now his touch didn't feel repulsive.

She could feel his warmth fully encompassing her, shielding her from the outside world. His hands clung to her body as if afraid she'd slip away from him at any moment. And now closer to him than ever before, she could smell his true aroma past the wine. An almost woodsy scent, just as warm as he was. Fruits and earth and nature as a whole. Faintly, she could smell the ocean intermingling with his scent.

It was so peculiar the way that distinct saltiness had first felt like a refreshing start to a new life, though shifted into an overwhelming and paralyzing apprehension that infested every aspect of her being. Though now, in Baekhyun's protective arms, it felt comforting. As if he himself dispelled it and this island of any and all of its negativity that consumed her.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the tension from her body had melted away. The sound of his heartbeat coinciding with that of the calm waves was like a melodious harmony that transcended her into a state of utter tranquility. His breathing lulled her away from the worries that tormented her heart, and she finally felt at peace.

“Did you love him?” Baekhyun asked. His tone was more inquisitive than anything else. There were no hidden intentions with his question, and although hesitant to admit it aloud to him, for fear of hurting him, (y/n) felt at ease with telling Baekhyun the truth he sought.

“Yes,” she responded quietly. “But I regret it. I regret it all.”

“Don't.” His grip tightened around her, pressing his forehead against the top of her head. “You shouldn't regret the love you give people. Don't let this foolish boy disparage you from expressing yourself to your fullest potential.”

(y/n) remained quiet, surprised by the turn of the events, though still listening intently to Baekhyun's words.

“I've always held such deep admiration towards you. From the moment I met you till now. I could see the way you loved so genuinely and fully. And I thought it was beautiful. I thought you were beautiful. You shouldn't grieve over an unrequited love. Loss serves as a reminder of the love we once felt, and the remorse we feel further exemplifies that. Your love is something so wonderful. Something I adore greatly.”

As he spoke, his warmth seemed to intensify. Filled with familiarity and security, coaxing her further into his embrace until she buried herself into the crook of his neck. He held her as if she were everything he had ever asked for. His touch was like ambrosia and nectar, the sweetest of prose to ever be professed, a safety like no other.

“I find myself wanting to be inconvenienced by you. I want to have you distracting me by lingering in my thoughts. I want to take time out of my day just to see you. I want to love you, even if you don't love me.”

At this, a sob slipped past her lips, and she clung onto him harder. Away from it all, everything inside her felt tumultuous and heightened. All of the emotions she'd been bottling up for years seemed to overflow in Baekhyun's presence alone. Her heart ached with grief, remorse, hatred, anger, defeat. Yet it also sang like never before, healing itself from years of anguish and torment.

And after the cathartic intervention came to a conclusion, faces marred by dried tears and eyes reddened with strain, a peaceful serenity had settled over the two. By now, the sun had long set. The cool of the night had begun penetrating the warmth of their embrace. The sand beneath them no longer retained the heat of the afternoon sun. The oceans were calm and still. The winds now settled into a gentle breeze. The world was asleep, silent in every regard. The day had ended and (y/n) had made it out alive, no doubt due to Baekhyun's influence.

Panic begin settling in her as he shifted, rising to his feet and pulling her up with him. Though when she met his gaze, loving and sweet and attentive, she began to settle once more. His hands held her own, thumbs softly brushing over her knuckles, all the while maintaining his sight on her face.

“What would you like to do?” He asked. “I can build you a palace here on Naxos, away from the cruelties of the world and the people who inhabit it.” His smile grew wider, bearing that familiar wickedness whenever he was up to no good. “I could overthrow the monarchy of Crete and reinstate you as its sole sovereign, allow you to redeem yourself and your honor, perhaps even reestablish Crete as a just and fair kingdom.” Both options were tempting, neither having any inherent consequences as long as Baekhyun held sway in their components. And she could tell Baekhyun had more to say, but she quickly intercepted before he could propose another offer.

“I want to be with you.” Baekhyun blinked at this, chuckling as if she were telling a joke.

“I will be there. You can't get rid of me that easily.”

“No.” Her hands slipped from his, reaching forth to cup his cheeks and bring him closer. “I choose you, Baekhyun.”

She pressed her lips against his own, soft and delicate. He seemed stunned for a moment, his body moving subconsciously for the first second or two, but once he had fully processed where he was and what was happening, Baekhyun began reciprocating. He kissed back just as earnestly, his hands reaching up to hold onto her wrists as he poured every ounce of his adoration into her. And (y/n) couldn't help but think how perfect it was.

She'd always thought love at first sight was perhaps the most romantic of gestures one could have. The act of finding your soulmate from a single encounter seemed so otherworldly and unmatched. Yet here in this moment with Baekhyun's body pressed against her own as he drew impossibly closer to her, his hands softly wandering in an attempt to map her form into his memory, she found this very moment to be the epitome of what love should be. A gradual fall into love. In a way, she can reminisce on growth and development, reflect on what was not there and how it came to be.

One of his hands had wandered to her hair, gently carding his fingers through the strands, and the other drew patterns on her waist, amorphous shapes that each portrayed his unspoken love for her. She thought back on every encounter she had with him. Every laugh he coaxed out of her even as she tried to hide away from the world. The bittersweet smiles he gave her every time she rejected or delayed his proposal. His neverending determination and devotion, even when facing adversities like herself. And with each revelation, each tender kiss from Baekhyun, her heart seemed to swell with love for him and him alone.

Once more, he was the one to pull away first, perhaps more in control of his long-standing affections than her, yet he didn't draw too far from her. Just far enough for him to look over her countenance with a lovestruck expression of his own. His eyes glistened with this saccharine-like joy, crinkling at the corners with his sweet smile dedicated to her. And she found herself smiling back, an uncontrollable jubilance bubbling in her as she reveled in his affections.

“Come then,” he spoke softly, hands returning back to hers. He brought one up to his lips, pressing one final kiss to her fingers. “Let's go home.”

[sarafangirlart]

No bc let’s talk about how the Clash of the Titans remake and Immortals fridging Danaë and Aithra was not only sexist but actively made the story worst and ruined the characters of Perseus and Theseus.

Let’s start with Danaë, in mythology she raised and protected Perseus, sacrificing so much and went through hell just to protect her baby, some sources have her hiding him while she was imprisoned for 3-4 years which is insanely impressive. Danaë as a mother made Perseus the man he was, she loved and protected him to the bitter end, which starkly contrasts how Acrisius treated her, how he abused and imprisoned her for the sake of his own survival regardless of his daughter’s life. Danaë broke the cycle of abuse and proved herself to be better than her father. Perseus’s motivation was to protect her as she protected him, she moved the story along without getting killed.

In the movie she dies before she can even raise him, she’s just the incubator of the male protagonist and not her own character, it isn’t helped by the fact that they completely change her story where she wasn’t imprisoned, she isn’t even Acrisius’s daughter in this movie but his wife (ewwwwww) bc ig they wanted to adapt Alcmene’s story. That’s not even to mention that the only full scene she gets is where she is raped by Zeus as he was disguised as her husband (and of course she was sexualized), but of course Zeus’s actions aren’t portrayed with the gravity and disgust it should’ve had since he literally raped her, and Perseus makes amends with Zeus at the end of the movie as if that mf didn’t rape his mother and let her get killed.

Ok now with Aithra (I will admit I’m not as familiar with her), she was a princess, she raised Theseus to be a hero and a king, in the movie they’re just… poor ig, nevermind that their lineage is important to their characters. She guided Theseus to his father’s weapons, she causes the story to unfold, she raised him to be the man that he is and she encouraged his worst attributes by helping him kidnap the teenage Helen, she was allowed to be a heavily flawed character. Shetook her own life in grief over losing her son. In the movie she’s just the loving mom who gets graphically murdered by an invading army (who are supposed to be the Cretans ig?) in order to motivate him to fight them. In the original mythology the death of innocent Athenians who were strangers to him was more than enough to motivate him to fight against Crete and kill the Minotaur.

Y’know what’s funny? Immortals was written by the same guys who wrote Blood of Zeus, can’t say I’m surprised bc both have the same problems in terms of writing women.

In conclusion: misogyny makes your writing worst, respect women, hire more female writers and editors.

[tylermileslockett]

Erinyes, also known as the Furies, the Erinyes were underworld goddesses of vengeance who hunted and persecuted criminals driving them mad, infecting them with disease, and even a town harboring a criminal may suffer hunger or plague. Although the Erinyes punished mortals for crimes like murder, crimes against elders or guest/host relations, they were particularly known for punishing blood killings between family members, as they were born from such a crime.

According to Hesiod, Cronus mutilated his father, Uranus, by cutting off his penis with a sickle, and tossing it to earth. While Aphrodite was born from the foam, The Erinyes were born from the blood. In contrast, the playwright Aeschylus says they were born from the goddess Nyx (night).

The three goddesses were known as Tisiphone (murder avenger), Megaera (grudge) and Alekto (unceasing anger).  According to Aesychlus the Erinyes had gorgon like features, snakes entwined in their hair and arms. Later authors describe them with long black tunics, wings, blood dripping form their eyes, and brandishing snaky whips. They are also repeatedly mentioned as flaming, or with fire, and brandishing a torch.

   The Erinyes had a particular function in the Underworld. Whereas pure, noble spirits were sent to Elysium, the sinners were punished in Tartarus, where the Erinyes oversaw the tortures in the dungeon fortress. Sinners like Sisyphus; ever pushing his boulder up the hill, and Tantalus, unable to satiate his thirst or hunger.

 A famous portrayel of the Erinyes takes place in Aeschylus Oresteia trilogy.  In the final play, The Euminides, the Erinyes have chased Orestes to Athens for the murder of his mother Clytemnestra. Here the playwright shows the modern Athenian court justice as superior to violent blood vengeance. Athena pardons Orestes and offers the Erinyes to become more kindly, worshipped and honored amongst the Athenians.

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