#the cypria

[red-moon-at-night]

So you know this section of the Cypria fragment synopsis:

The Greeks take up their dead and send envoys to the Trojans demanding the surrender of Helen and the treasure with her. The Trojans refusing, they first assault the city, and then go out and lay waste the country and cities round about. After this, Achilles desires to see Helen, and Aphrodite and Thetis contrive a meeting between them. The Achaeans next desire to return home, but are restrained by Achilles, who afterwards drives off the cattle of Aeneas, and sacks Lyrnessus and Pedasus and many of the neighbouring cities, and kills Troilus. — Proclus, Chrestomathia, i

I am endlessly curious how that meeting between Achilles and Helen went down and what they talked about.

Especially with the implication that after meeting her he stops the Achaeans from returning home and has gained some new motivation to fight (and kill).

[jesterraconteuse]

I wonder how much of Greek Mythology would've turned out better if ancient storytellers felt like telling more stories where Hestia was in on the action, humbling her little siblings.

Let's be honest, everybody loves Hestia. Goddess of the hearthfire, home, warmth, hospitality, basically a goddess of safety and all things cozy...

And let's not forget since that's her domain, she may giveth and taketh. She'd could probably help guide people home but also...

Say if lil bro Zeus tries to be a brat particularly hard about something. Anything. A lot of things.

Hestia could start little. Making sure he's always a little too cold. Making sure his throne never feels quite comfortable enough.

But can you imagine the psychological warfare of a curse that makes it so you never feel safe at home? A curse that makes you feel fearful and paranoid in the place where you're supposed to be most comfortable? A curse that takes away the sacredness of what home is?

Like in the mythology even the Olympians needed a home. Hence, Olympus.

I feel like people underestimate her

[koruga]

Achilles has always been...intense, when it comes to falling in love.

I wanted to bring to mind Greek pottery for this one, I hope it came through. Maybe I should have coloured in the background as well but was afraid it would get overwhelming -- that's what the blue is for, too.

[finelythreadedsky]

i just think it's neat that odysseus gets put in a position where he has to kill his child to avoid going to war and he can't do it and then agamemnon gets put in a position where he has to kill his child to go to war and he does it

[beautyofaphrodite]

Αφροφίτη Κυπρία

Aphrodite of Cyprus

Images found on Pinterest, arranged by me

[ilions-end]

wishing we had a complete third part of the epic cycle for no other reason than to have a surviving epic that'd be undeniably The Worst One so we could stop with the endless "iliad versus odyssey: which one rules which one drools" non-discussions

[katerinaaqu]

Ugh! I hate it when sources contradict each other and somehow ALL are awesome when I try to build my stories!

Take Troilus and Polyxena for example!

Ancient sources like we believe Cypria and all mention how Troilus was killed early on in the war when he was literally a child. The Iliad also implies that Troilus was already dead at that point given the speech given by Priam. However other sources indicate that Troilus was killed at the tenth year of the war which could imply that he was getting dangerously close to the age of 21 and sources like Aeneiad seem to also speak on the great talent of Troilus in battle.

On one hand it is the most ancient sources like Homer the ones that speak of Troilus being killed early and we assume he was literally a child! Which makes his death really tragic and sad (or even more disturbing given the OTHER interpretations that seem to be hinted by the vases aka the rape and beheading of Troilus in the altar) as well as the power imbalance and the potential foreshadowing of the brutality of taking of Troy or the madness of Achilles (in one way if we bind these sources with Statius Achilleid we COULD get a connection here but still seems like an overkill for Achilles that early on unless of course he was already charged up with the whole Aulis business)

On the other hand seems rather overkill that Athena sends the strongest of all Greeks to slaughter a child (not to mention what was a literal child doing alone with his horses out in the middle of a bloody war?) The brutality of the crime could be more explained if Achilles was swaying between reason and madness after the death of Patroclus (also Apollo being the father of Troilus could explain his hatred for the offspring of the God that helped to slay his companion) Troilus would still be young but also show a bit off his strength and the explanation as to why he absolutely HAD to be slaughtered so that he wouldn't be Hector #2 and lead the counter attack to the Greeks and it could explain why Athena sent Achilles of all people to slay Troilus (parallels and all) or the urgency for it.

So yeah! I am in a dead end 😫 hahahahaha all sources work so well and have life of their own and create their own individual stories! I might as well create different versions in the end (given that from those who didn't realize it yet I WAS planning to add Troilus one way or another to my Achillochus one-shot anthology)

And we also have Polyxena business and the death of Achilles! We do have the classical version of the story in which after Achilles loses Antilochus in battle he challenges Memnon in a duel and wins and then enraged he charges the attack against the Trojans and leads them close to the walls once more but eventually he is killed by Paris at the gates of Troy. But did you know that one version of the story indicates that Polyxena charmed Achilles so much that Achilles considered fucking treason? He goes to Priam and suggests that he will fight for him as long as he gets Polyxena as his wife. Priam is ecstatic and agrees but it seems that the whole thing is a ploy (most likely organized by his children rather than Priam himself). When Achilles is lured in the temple Paris is hidden in there and shoots Achilles and he dies.

Alright this is a bit easier for me to choose from because apart from the moment of the Iliad where Achilles wishes death to the Greeks to protect his honor, treason goes a bit too far even for him. I doubt he would just randomly switch sides because he wants to marry. If anything he would focus even more to burn Troy to the ground till he gets what he wants. And sure that could explain A BIT his ghost demanding Polyxena as he holds a grudge against her or something but still I'd say nah here. Maybe he was smitten for her but I doubt that he would betray everything he stands for in order to get her.

However I have to say even if I might as well go with the version that Achilles dies by the walls of Troy I find really interesting that there is a version in which the Trojans needed to perform a literal trick themselves because they wouldn’t think they could take Achilles down otherwise or Polyxena also taking some active role as a bait or potentially organizer and it is really tempting the idea of Paris coming out of a vase or something with his bow like "surprise motherfucker!"

Random thoughts

[emmikay]

*slams door open* Does Chiron have access to the lost works of the epic cycle?

[dreamconsumer]

Prince Paris by Herman Wilhelm Bissen.

[littlesparklight]

Aphrodite: Aeneas, my eyes! I am sending that pretty cousin of yours to Sparta, and I want you to go with him. Aeneas: I'll keep Alexander out of trouble. Aphrodite: No, darling. Aeneas, now confused: ... I'll not keep him out of trouble? Aphrodite, delightedly kissing his cheek: That's my boy! Now, only *specific* trouble, you understand - you'll know when it happens. I don't want him otherwise harmed. Aeneas, very much not understanding: Yes, Mother.

[evilios]

Re: last reblog's tag (mine).

Cypria is a lost epic that only reached us in fragmentary state from different authors but. Something about procreation to deliver fate etc.

[red-moon-at-night]

Achilles' prophecy about his fate — to stay home and live a long life but in obscurity, or to go to Troy, to war and "my return home is lost, but my glory will be undying" (Caroline Alexander translation of The Iliad) — is also about Helen's fate, by the way. If you even care.

[adriles]

bros out here are seriously saying that im “SCUM” and “DESERVING OF A CRUEL FATE” for ambushing and killing troilus the young son of priam w/o even considering that the act represented that all trojan efforts to defend their city would be in vain. Cool

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 21: The Library of Alexandria (Miscellaneous III)

I welcome your suggestions for both Library of Alexandria and other lost works of World Literature and History, as there will be future polls.

[aminta]

been enjoying drawing oc's a lot lately. has anyone ever heard of this

[faithfulcat111]

I really am regretting decisions make by me three weeks ago. I really should have bought that Euripedes plays collection book while I was at the bookstore.