The Greek God

[SimonDoom]

"I was enjoying it until the final chapters. Odysseus should have burned that cheating bitch! Or Telemachos should have gone full Orestes and done the job if his father was too much of a pussy. This author should be ashamed and never write anything again. 1*, and I'd give it none it that was an option."

Telemachos was a wimp.

Penelope was a whore.

Odysseus . . . was a procrastinator with a bad sense of direction.

Burn 'em all.

 

[AllenWoody]

I was looking for feedback on the Greek Gods. Without looking anything up, how much can you tell me about them? Or Mount Olympus itself? What would you like to know? What do you consider ad nauseam? I'm trying to judge how much I should go into in this second part of my story. It won't involve Greek Heroes. It's about a Muse who rebels against the rest of the Gods for the love of a mortal. So, it's obviously a Rom-Com.

Isn’t that the plot of the movie Xanadu?

 

[AchtungNight]

The all time coolest Greek God was Kratos. He killed nearly all the others. A very calm and reasonable person.

 

[NuclearFairy]

It might also be useful to realise that we consider "canon" Greek mythology is a digest of centuries of change in culture and storytelling. New peoples that were encountered brought their own stories, and those were sometimes ascribed to existing gods. The stories of the Titans, for instance, probably reflect struggles between the Hellenes and earlier peoples who were pushed out. Some gods rose in prominence, others fell.

So if anyone says, "That's not the actual story!" just remind them that there is no "actual" story.

Heck, even the muses if you dive too deep they can't agree on their origin story. They might've been Zeus' daughters with Mnemosyne, Plusia, or Ouranos(Although I think they would've been creating them together in a less traditional way), or they could be the daughters of Gaia and Ouranos, or they could be water nymphs that sprang into being when Pegasus touched his feet down at Helicon's sacred spring, or they might even be Harmonia's daughters with no father acknowledged.


Then you have Pan, who in some stories was the one who raised Zeus, and in others was conceived when Penelope was entertaining her suitors. Although I've also read myths where he was Hermie's son whom he also supposedly taught all about music.


Greek myths are convoluted as all get out and often self contradictory.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

All I know is that I used to work with a guy who would push his shoulders back and stick his chest out and say, "Greek God!" Then he would slump forward and let his gut hang out and say, "goddamn Greek."

 

[AwkwardlySet]

The Greeks imagined their gods (and goddesses!!!) as having all the human virtues and a bonus jumbo helping of every human vice and failing. You wouldn't want to live in the same neighbourhood - jealousy, cheating, anger, rape, vengeance... they'd seduce your daughter and chain you in fire for objecting. Darn good subjects for smut, mind you.

A much less hypocritical depiction compared to what we have today.

 

[UnpublishedEroticaWriter]

Isn’t that the plot of the movie Xanadu?

I have never seen it. I was 5 years old when it came out. But I'll check Wikipedia, and... oh, my God, that is the exact plot of my story! Even opening up a nightclub. I am a complete and utter fraud. I need to delete my story.
But all snarkiness aside, every story is a variation of another story. There are no 'original' stories.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

How many of the myth stories start, And Zues degized himself as a swan and raped...

 

[StillStunned]

How many of the myth stories start, And Zues degized himself as a swan and raped...

I know of one that ends that way, and one that starts that way.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

You get my point, Zeus isn't a nice guy...

I know of one that ends that way, and one that starts that way.

 

[Bramblethorn]

It might also be useful to realise that we consider "canon" Greek mythology is a digest of centuries of change in culture and storytelling. New peoples that were encountered brought their own stories, and those were sometimes ascribed to existing gods. The stories of the Titans, for instance, probably reflect struggles between the Hellenes and earlier peoples who were pushed out. Some gods rose in prominence, others fell.

So if anyone says, "That's not the actual story!" just remind them that there is no "actual" story.

Yup. The modern homogenised Greek canon has nine Muses, but as I recall some older versions had only three - which I'm guessing has roots in argument over which forms of art are considered important enough to require one.

 

[jehoram]

You get my point, Zeus isn't a nice guy...

I think that was the point of Athalia's story. She describes him as a pig.

 

[AllenWoody]

I have never seen it. I was 5 years old when it came out. But I'll check Wikipedia, and... oh, my God, that is the exact plot of my story! Even opening up a nightclub. I am a complete and utter fraud. I need to delete my story.
But all snarkiness aside, every story is a variation of another story. There are no 'original' stories.

Oh, I totally agree. Didn’t mean to suggest that you had plagiarized the story or misrepresented yourself.

 

[UnpublishedEroticaWriter]

Oh, I totally agree. Didn’t mean to suggest that you had plagiarized the story or misrepresented yourself.

Yes, it's about a muse and a human (Writer) love story in modern times. But besides that, everything else is different. And hopefully, it won't be a flop like the movie was.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

I think that was the point of Athalia's story. She describes him as a pig.

Oink, oink!!

 

[TadOverdon]

What most people think they know is that Hercules is Strong Guy, Zeus throws lightning bolts and Poseidon is Aquaman. Or Ariel's dad.

And...uh...yeah. check please.

 

[UnpublishedEroticaWriter]

What most people think they know is that Hercules is Strong Guy, Zeus throws lightning bolts and Poseidon is Aquaman. Or Ariel's dad.

And...uh...yeah. check please.

I guess I never thought of Ariel's dad like that. Check for what?

 

[onehitwanda]

The only Greeks I respect are Erato, Prometheus, and Heracles. Fite me.

Not Sappho? Fie!

 

[StillStunned]

Not Sappho? Fie!

Not everyone worships the same gods you do.

 

[onehitwanda]

Not everyone worships the same gods you do.

I feel a Butlerian Jihad might be in order.

 

[StillStunned]

I feel a Butlerian Jihad might be in order.

Isn't that what the Underground Lesbian Army has been training for all this time? Or were you all just paying lip service to the notion?

 

[onehitwanda]

Isn't that what the Underground Lesbian Army has been training for all this time? Or were you all just paying lip service to the notion?

Our chief weapon is ambidexterity. And stamina.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Not Sappho? Fie!

Sappho is a Goddess? I thought she was a poet.

 

[StillStunned]

Sappho is a Goddess? I thought she was a poet.

A goddess in the sense of someone to revere.

 

[NuclearFairy]

What most people think they know is that Hercules is Strong Guy, Zeus throws lightning bolts and Poseidon is Aquaman. Or Ariel's dad.

And...uh...yeah. check please.

I always thought Ariel's dad was Triton who was one of Poseidon's brother-in-laws or sons.