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| Poseidon and Athena Battle for Control of Athens Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo, 1512
Proteus shielded his eyes as he checked his work. The daily chore of polishing of the large
brass sheet affixed to the top of the furthest outcropping of the island Pharos
could not be disregarded even on a beautiful sunny spring day such as this. The boats that accessed the Nile Delta from
the sea relied on its reflective surface during the day to avoid the rocks of
the island. Satisfied with his work, he
willed the column of water supporting him toward the beach. As the wave churned below his feet, he turned
to gaze at the horizon. A series of
black specks were making their way toward the island and as they got closer the
sun glinted off their slick surfaces.
Proteus’ heart leaped with joy although a shiver of concern raced down
his spine.
The monk
seals bred year-round, but Proteus had convinced his colony to designate spring
as their time to journey to the uninhabited islands of the Aegean Sea to mate. The spring weather thawed the blood of
adventurers and would-be heroes and they flocked to the island of Pharos in
search of the eldest son of Poseidon.
They would hunt the hermit hoping his foresight would aid them on their
journeys. After he successfully eluded
their efforts, the hunters did not want to leave the island emptyhanded and
would turn to hunt his seals instead.
He sent the youths along with the adults so he could concentrate his energy
on protecting the elderly seals. The
hunters typically did not want their aged and mottled flesh, but frustration
would make them lash out at the easy prey.
Returning seals meant that there was danger in the breeding grounds and
more bodies for him to protect.
Proteus
called a wave to speed the seals toward the beach and waited out on the water
to race them to shore. As the wave
pulled them closer, he noticed the seals were the young males of the colony and
were taking turns supporting a large mass of seaweed. Proteus relaxed. Just a member of the herd caught up in a
fisherman’s net. A simple fix and I can
send them on their way. He turned
toward the beach and crouched into a runner’s stance on top of his column of
water as the wave carrying the seals neared.
When the waves merged, he shot across the expanse. He reached the beach and turned to roll and
laugh with the youngsters and was shocked to see they were still a little ways
out supporting the form within the net. Odd,
they usually feel comfortable abandoning their charge so close to the island and
allowing the waves to bring it in.
The cluster
of seals reached the shore and struggled to bring their seaweed bundle further
up onto the beach. Once again concerned,
Proteus ran toward the seals to help them.
He grabbed the mass and heaved it back from the lap of the waves. As he settled it to the ground, he noticed the
face of a man peeking out from the tangle of muck. A trick! Proteus turned and leaped.
Four feet grazed the ground as Proteus raced away in his leopard form. He stopped at the top of a dune and turned to
survey the scene below. The seals had
managed to nose open the tangle of weeds and pull them slightly away from the
man’s form and one seal used its body to support the man’s head and shoulders of
the ground. The group stared at Proteus,
clearly unamused with his actions.
Still
fearing a trap, Proteus’ leopard form dissolved into water and cut a channel
down the dune toward the man. He pooled
around the man to see if he could sense life in the motionless body. Proteus shocked back into his original form
and gripped his head. Shaking off the
shock, he ran to his camp grabbed a silver bowl and returned to the beach. He scooped seawater into the bowl and swirled
it muttering under his breath. The smooth
silver of the bowl reflected the blue expanse of sky stretching above. The salt and sand clouded the reflection and the
face of a fearsome man appeared in the bowl.
“Lord Vishnu,
thank you for answering my meditations,” Proteus addressed the face peering up
from the bowl.
“Proteus, Rishi
of Poseidon! I sensed your urgency how
can I assuage your distress?”
“I have a
Greek boy here projecting a dual future.
I have never experienced foresight of this manner, it is quite…”
“Greek? Why do you summon me and not your father?”
Vishnu interrupted.
“One of the
visions is of you laying your hands on a broken creature and restoring it to
the form of a bird the size of a mountain.”
Vishnu looked shocked, an expression that Proteus never expected to see
on the face of a god.
“I am
greatly weakened due to my avatars engagement in war,” Vishnu reached to his right
ear and removed an earring. “I shall send a Makara to transport the boy.” The image of Vishnu faded, and the sky was
once again visible in the bowl.
“That takes
care of the transportation,” a voice spoke from behind Proteus, “but I need him
to survive the journey.” Proteus turned
to find Athena crouched over the young man’s form, absentmindedly stroking the
head of the seal supporting his body. “What
did you see in your vision?”
“I saw two
visions layered together. One was the
mortal bank of the Styx with Charon approaching from the far bank. The other was of Vishnu in his true form and
a bird the size of a mountain. I was
going to find gold for the boy after I contacted Vishnu so he could cross with
Charon.”
“Well, we don’t
want to spur Charon to come prematurely.
Come. I need your assistance in preserving this boy’s life.” Although he
was uncertain that the effort would change things, Proteus moved forward and
placed his hand on the young man’s chest, willing the water from his
lungs. The young man began breathing shallowly,
but his heart remained sluggish. Athena pulled
the sodden mess from the boy’s sides and straightened it on the sand. “Can you wick the water from these wings?”
“Wings?”
responded Proteus. He looked harder at
the mass. “That’s seaweed.”
“Humor me,”
Athena retorted flatly. Proteus laid his
hands on the masses and drew the water away.
Athena pulled a decorative comb from her hair and smoothed out the dried
mass. Proteus finally recognized the pattern
of wings. Athena pulled two spools of
delicate thread from the ether. She
pulled out a length of thread from one of the spools. “Stick out your hands,” she commanded. She draped the length over his right hand and
placed the spool on the left. She then unwrapped
a third of a meter from the other spool and tied it to the length extended
between Proteus’ hands. She expertly
weaved the short piece toward the spool in Proteus’ hand. When she was done, she set the spool in Proteus’
hand holding the loose thread and picked up the spool from his left hand while
pinching the knot she tied. The length
and spool resting in Proteus’ right hand disappeared back into the ether. Athena pulled out a silver needle, threaded
it from the spool in her hand and began sewing the wings to the arms of the
young man.
Author's Note:
The Story of Proteus: Proteus was the eldest son of Poseidon. He had the gift of foresight and was sought by adventurers to tell their future. He was a shapeshifter and used this ability to escape from men because he was not particularly interested in being a seer. He lived on the island of Pharos, an island off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt with a colony of seals.
Side note: Athena and Poseidon have a rivalry going on, so she's not very friendly with his offspring.
I had fun trying to figure out how to get Icarus out of the ocean Proteus and his seals were an interesting read. The island of Pharos is home of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The lighthouse was erected in 3rd century BCE, 2 centuries after the story I am writing takes place. The polished bronze is an homage to the lighthouse that would eventually stand on the island. At the time it was built, the lighthouse was one of the tallest structures in the world.
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA was designed based on the lighthouse. I had the great fortune of attending a banquet and touring the Memorial. By today's standard, it does not seem very tall, but the view from the top of the Memorial is beautiful.
Bibliography:
Mediterranean Monk Seal- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_monk_seal
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Sunday, March 15, 2020
Week 10, Vengeance of the Sun God, Chapter 4
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Week 15 Extra Credit Reading, Proteus
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| (Image courtesy of Giphy) |
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| Gyaros/ Icaria/ Alexandria map courtesy of Google Maps. |
Week 15 Reading, Divine Beings
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| (Image courtesy of Giphy) |
Bibliography:
Pai, Anant. Divine Beings: Airavata, Jatayu, Nandi, and Others. Amar Chitra Katha Pvt, 2014.
Week 15 Wikipedia Trail, Greek Afterlife
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| (Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.) |
Week 14 Wikipedia Trail, Hindu Afterlife
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| (Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.) |
Afterlife-Hinduism- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife#Hinduism
Chitragupta-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitragupta
Urdhva Lokas- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdhva_lokas
Patala- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patala
Urdhva Lokas- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdhva_lokas
Patala- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patala
Week 15 Reading Notes, Jatayu: Savior From the Skies
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(Image courtesy of Giphy.)  |
Bibliography:
Kumar, Anu. MYTHQUEST 1: Jatayu: Savior From the Skies. Hachette India, 2011.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Week 9 Story, Vengeance of the Sun God Part 3
A cool mist enveloped
Daedalus and chased away the scorching heat. He blinked his eyes,
clearing his vision. The flash of light
was so magnificent that it dazzled his vision even through closed eyes.
If they had been open when the light appeared, he certainly would have been
blinded. Daedalus rolled to his knees
and looked at the altar. The wood remained unlit, and a golden man stood
behind it, gently running his fingers across the wings positioned on top. The
grief that Daedalus felt was mirrored in the lines etched deeply on the man’s
face.
Behind the man rested a
chariot flanked by two people. One, a man calming glittering horses. The other, a woman with arms raised and
serene concentration on her face. The cool mist that brought Daedalus
back to consciousness permeated the area around the new arrivals, muting the
heavenly light. Daedalus recognized the couple near the chariot. Helios and (mom’s name), the divine parents
of (queen’s name), which he had met on several occasions when he was still
welcome in the court of King Minos. Daedalus’ surprise dissipated and he
remembered his manners. He touched his
face to the sand to honor his visitors.
The man by the altar must have been Apollo. Daedalus waited, prostrate, to be addressed.
“Put on the wings,”
Apollo commanded with a thick, choking voice. Daedalus looked up,
incredulous. Apollo glared at him from
across the altar. “Put on the wings,” he repeated. Daedalus rose slowly and walked to the
altar. Apollo stared into Daedalus’ eyes.
The god’s eyes shone gold like a beam of light piercing cloudy
skies. Brownish-red spots swam into view inside the charioteer’s irises,
giving them the appearance of flowing magma. “Put on the wings,” Apollo
commanded a third time. The cadence of
his voice changing, the words not quite matching up with the lips that were
forming them.
The cadence was familiar
and, strangely, made Daedalus’ mouth water. It hit him. It was the same
accent he heard from a young man who traveled with the Venetian spice
merchants. The merchants visited Crete once a year to supply the royal
kitchen with rich spices from around the world.
A young Indian man, a favorite of King Minos, would spend his time
teaching the palace cooks new recipes from his homeland. They could never
quite replicate the curried rice and crispy fried vegetable dishes the man
produced, so King Mino rewarded him richly for his culinary dishes.
“I couldn’t possibly…”
Daedalus began, but grief caught thickly in the back of his throat and he couldn’t
continue. He hung his head.
“Please, Grandson. It
is the only way you can perceive the Convergence,” Athena took a step forward, catching
Daedalus’ eye. The look of urgency
communicated in her dark eyes encouraged Daedalus to stumble toward Apollo and
the altar. Apollo draped the wings
across Daedalus’ shoulders and stepped back.
The world in front of
Daedalus shifted, then sharpened. The
visages of the three visitors dramatically changed and the glow of their skin altering
from gold to bronze. Three additional
horses appeared in front of the chariot, bringing the team’s number to seven. Daedalus
took a double-take as he took in the lead horse. The magnificent beast, white as the purest
snow, had seven heads. The man who took
Apollo’s place seemed amused at Daedalus’ reaction.
“Please, let me
introduce Goddess Saraswathi, Origin of All Knowledge” began the man as he
indicated toward Athena. Daedalus turned
to find her form had shifted as well.
Along with the deepened ruddiness of skin, the compeer donned two
additional arms, the hands containing additional spools of thread. My esteemed companions are Lord Surya, Eye of
the Universe, his consort, Lady Saranya, and his vahana, Uchchaihshravas, King of the Horses.” Daedalus bowed to each in
turn.
“I am Aruna, Charioteer
of Lord Surya and father of Sampati and Jatayu, those slain to procure your
escape.” His eyes narrowed. “You are able to perceive us as well as the
gods who rule over your people because you are draped in my son Jatayu. His essence has strengthened your eyesight in
both the natural and spiritual realms.” Saraswathi
broke the tension by closing the meager gap between herself and Daedalus.
“Athena and I brought
you to Sicily because the old gods of the island still live in the rocks and
trees and each immigrant brings their own gods to protect their hearths and
thresholds. Your Pantheon has a
tenacious hold on this island, so it is easier for mine to reach out to you.” Her form guttered like a candle and was
replaced with Athena.
“Each deity is one soul
containing infinite forms; or essences. The
form that appears depends on the essence of the mortal that perceives us. Your essence calls forth the Olympians. Jatayu’s essence beckons the Deva-Asuras. The many types of essences located on this island
soften the bonds between gods and devotees.
Jatayu’s essence is no longer attached to a mortal soul, so his essence is
able to veil your soul as his wings shroud your physical form and you are able
to observe the Devas.”
“You are each one god
with many faces?” asked Daedalus, looking between the deities surrounding him. Ever the scientist, he quickly evaluated this
new information and produced a hypothesis. “Your omniscience allows each
follower to discern the form they would be most comfortable with. Faces that resemble their own. Language they understand.” Athena’s face glimmered and two faces
simultaneously smiled and nodded. Surya cleared
his throat.
“We are here to offer
you the chance to make up for a grievous error,” he stated. “You may have lost your son, but you can
grant new life to Jatayu. We can take
you to India and bind his essence to your soul.
He can live a full life and fulfill his divine mission.”
“How?” asked Daedalus. “I’m not immortal. I have no interest to be. Will you strip my essence from my soul? I just lost my son. I will gladly sacrifice myself to join him
and bring Jatayu back from Asphodel.”
“Your willingness is
admirable and honorable,” responded Surya.
He nodded toward the Goddesses of Knowledge. “Let us begin.”
Author's Note:
I don't know why Daedalus ended up in Sicily after the flight. The island that Icarus' body supposedly ended up on (Icaria) is marked on the map below. That's a weird trip. Why did Daedalus fly over Greece and just keep going?
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| Map courtesy of Google Maps and Microsoft editing tools. |
When Daedalus reached Sicily, he offered his wings as a sacrifice to Apollo, built a temple to Apollo, and lived the rest of his life in the service of the Sicilian king.
I did a lot of random research for this part of the story. There were three tribes of people who lived in Sicily before the Greeks took over in 6th c. BCE. Two of the three tribes followed gods that were not Greek. I also learned how royalty is supposed to be introduced. Saraswati is the highest-ranking Deva, so she is introduced before Surya.
Bibliography:
Apollo's Chariot (horses)-https://greekmythology.wikia.org/wiki/Apollo%27s_Chariot
Uchchaihshravas-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uchchaihshravas
Week 12 Wikipedia Trail, History and Trade of India
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| (Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.) |
History of India-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India
Indo-Roman Trade Relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Roman_trade_relations
Spice Trade- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_trade
Silk Trade- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
Incense Trade- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense_trade_route
Canal of the Pharaohs- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_of_the_Pharaohs
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| Canal of the Pharaoh through Wadi Tumilat Valley |
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| Red Sea Trade Routes and Items: Suez Canal or Land Travel? |
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| Indo-Roman Trade Routes |
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| Silk Road Trade Routes |
Week 11 Wikipedia Trail, Saraswati
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| (Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.) |
Saraswati-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati
Para Brahman- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Para_Brahman
Four Causes- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_causes
Week 13 Wikipedia Trail, 5th Century BCE
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(Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.)
According to random articles that I couldn't corroborate with reliable sources the stories of Daedalus, The Ramayana, and The Mahabharata were supposed to take place in the 5th century BCE. I dug around for information so I could orient myself with what was happening at the time.
Highlights: The Parthenon was built. There was a lot of war between Greece and Sparta. Romans started flexing their muscles and expanding trade within the known world. The Celts were forced out of Italy and moved to Great Britain. Buddhism and Jainism developed and spread across Indo-China.
5th Century BC- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_century_BC
Chronoology of the Bible- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_the_Bible
Outline of Ancient India- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_ancient_India
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Sunday, March 8, 2020
Week 10 Wikipedia Trail, Varuna
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| (Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.) |
This is an extension of Week 9's Wiki Trail. I'm picking up with Varuna, a servant of Rta.
Mitra-Varuna- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitra%E2%80%93Varuna
Week 9 Wikipedia Trail, The Fates
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| (Image courtesy of ClipArt Library.)
I have to tie the fates of Daedalus and Jakayu and Icarus and Sampati together, so I figured it would be a good idea to learn how Indian religions understood the concept of fate. They focus on karma and dharma, so I'm not sure how fate plays into a religion that actively celebrates autonomy. It took me a little bit to figure out the path to get from the Greek Fates to Indian ideas of fates. I had to start with the Greek term Moirai before I could find anything that remotely looked like The Fates in Indian mythology.
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