The Hermes News Thread
Welcome to my thread! In here, you will find things like the Olympian Newspaper, interviews, news from the grapevine, paparazzi photos, and more! Let me start off with the first part of my thread; the Olympian Newspaper!
wahmbulance Comic is on Page 115 of the Ask Ares Thread!!!! wahmbulance
Next Is:
Here are the rumors of the day! You decide whether or not these are real.
- Ares is a crossdresser.
- Apollo has gone gay again.
- Dionysus is opening a nightclub.
- Contessa is going to interview some of the Aztec gods. (Don't worry, she's insured)
- Zeus has yet again, another mistress.
- Herakles secretly owns a piece of a Deus Ex Machina.
- Hades likes chick flick movies.
- Athena hangs out with ninjas.
- The souffle is a lie.
-Hermes is interested in employing some reporters for his thread. If you are interested, send him a pm.
- Hephaestus is making a super space laser of death.
- Hermes drugged Apollo with something or other, lord knows what.
- Hestia is secretly a pyromaniac.
- Hera's peacock is pregnant.
- Ares is a crossdresser.
- Apollo has gone gay again.
- Dionysus is opening a nightclub.
- Contessa is going to interview some of the Aztec gods. (Don't worry, she's insured)
- Zeus has yet again, another mistress.
- Herakles secretly owns a piece of a Deus Ex Machina.
- Hades likes chick flick movies.
- Athena hangs out with ninjas.
- The souffle is a lie.
-Hermes is interested in employing some reporters for his thread. If you are interested, send him a pm.
- Hephaestus is making a super space laser of death.
- Hermes drugged Apollo with something or other, lord knows what.
- Hestia is secretly a pyromaniac.
- Hera's peacock is pregnant.
And after that would be...
The Interview
Today, the interview is with Akherontis! You know, the guy that adopted the Greek mythology guild that you are inside right now. (The original owner kind of disappeared.) Next time, it will be Contessa interviewing some of the Aztek gods. smile
Q: So, exactly what spawned your interest in the Underworld? Or more specifically, Thanatos and Hypnos?
A: like the underworld and its deities because I have a morbid fascination, and Than and Hyp specifically because I wanted to pick some lesser known deities and bring them to the forefront, particularly with popular culture portraying Hades as the god of death (and furthermore, evil and satanic).
Q: Word is, Apollo is the one god you love to hate. Why is that?
A: Because Thanatos hates Apollo. But I don't hate Apollo per se, I actually like the fact that he's a deeply flawed and hypocritical character. Disliking a character because they were intentionally written to be dislikeable is silly. Are we supposed to sympathize with Cruella De Vil? Anyway, I was influenced by Apollon and Thanatos' portrayal in Euripides' play Alkestis:
"Apollon : She [Alkestis] is in the house now, gathered in his arms and held at the breaking point of life, because Moira marks this for her day of death and taking leave of life. The stain of death in the house must not be on me. I step therefore from these chambers dearest to my love. And here is Thanatos himself, I see him coming, Thanatos who dedicates the dying, who will lead her down to the house of Hades. He has come on time. He has been watching for this day on which her death falls due.
[Enter Thanatos, armed with a sword. He sees Apollon suddenly and shows surprise.]
Thanatos : Ah! You at this house, Phoibos? Why do you haunt this place. It is unfair to take for your own and spoil the death-spirits' privileges. Was it not enough, then, that you blocked the death of Admetos, and overthrew the Moirai by a shabby wrestler's trick? And now your bow hand is armed to guard her too, Alkestis, Pelias' daughter, though she promised her life for her husband's.
Apollon : Never fear. I have nothing but justice and fair words for you.
Thanatos : If you mean fairly, what are you doing with a bow?
Apollon : it is my custom to carry it with me all the time.
Thanatos : It is your custom to help this house more than you ought.
Apollon : But he is my friend, and his misfortunes trouble me.
Thanatos : You mean to take her body, too, away from me?
Apollon : I never took his body away from you by force.
Thanatos : How is it, then, that he is above ground, not below?
Apollon : He gave his wife instead, and you have come for her now.
Thanatos : I have. And I shall take her down where the dead are.
Apollon : Take her and go. I am not sure you will listen to me.
Thanatos : Tell me to kill whom I must kill. Such are my orders.
Apollon : No, only to put death off. They must die in the end.
Thanatos : I understand what you would say and what you want.
Apollon : Is there any way, then, for Alkestis to grow old?
Thanatos : There is not. I insist on enjoying my rights too.
Apollon : You would not take more than one life in any case.
Thanatos : My privilege means more to me when they die young.
Apollon : If she dies old, she will have a lavish burial.
Thanatos : What you propose, Phoibos, is to favour the rich.
Apollon : What is this? Have you unrecognised talents for debate?
Thanatos : Those who could afford to buy a late death would buy it then.
Apollon : I see. Are you determined not to do this for me?
Thanatos : I will not do it. And you know my character.
Apollon : I know it: hateful to mankind, loathed by the gods.
Thanatos : You cannot always have your way where you should not.
Apollon : For all your brute ferocity you shall be stopped. The man to do it is on the way to Pheres' house now, on an errand from Eurystheos, sent to steal a team of horses from the wintry lands of Thrake. He shall be entertained here in Admetos' house and he shall take the woman away from you by force, nor will you have our gratitude, but you shall still be forced to do it, and to have my hate beside.
Thanatos : Much talk. Talking will win you nothing. All the same, the woman goes with me to Hades' house. I go to take her now, and dedicate her with my sword, for all whose hair is cut in consecration by this blade's edge are devoted to the gods below.
Thanatos enters the house. Apollon leaves."
Q: What is your opinion on the use of greek mythology in literature and fiction these days?
A: In general? I'm underwhelmed and disappointed. The classics are often butchered, and you only see bits and pieces of high culture dribbled down through popular culture. When people hear Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, they're far more likely to think 'Apocalypse Now' than opera. So it's not surprising in the least that the stories of Ancient Greece are pared down to their most superficial elements and archetypes. Well, in most cases. There are many works of modern literature which treat mythology and folklore with a great deal of respect and authenticiy. Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels, for instance, or Mike Mignola's Hellboy comics. Both are favourites of mine. I also recommend the Storyteller, an old Jim Henson television series which features many of the more obscure folktales, and in its second season, greek myths.
Q: What other pantheons are you interested in besides the greek pantheon?
A: My favourite mythology is actually Celtic, and the associated stories of the Fair Folk (who are NOT the cute, gosammer-winged tinkerbells that have been popular since the Victorian age). I've been working on a (thus far incomplete) document explaining various facets of faerie folklore, which can be seen here.
But I have deeply vested interest in several pantheons; the Neteru of Egypt, the Annunnaki of Mesapotamia, the Aesir, Vanir and Vaettir of Scandinavia, the Atua of my native Maori mythology, and more recently, Taoist and Buddhist folklore. My favourite deities overall are Ienpw (Anubis), Heru (Horus) and Sokar, Ninlil, Pazuzu and Lamashtu, Freyr and Loki, Tane Makuta, Yu Huang (Jade Emperor) and Sun Wukong (Monkey King).
Q: What do you think of the Aztec mythology guild Contessa is creating?
A: I think it's great! Haha, she's been trying to get me into mesoamerican mythology for a while now. Hopefully this will help both myself and other interested Gaians get into the flavour of a foreign society.
Q: Who is this "Ras?"
A: Erasmios, a satyr I spun from wholecloth to serve as the Guild mascot (Thanatos and Hypnos are probably not suitable in that role). He doesn't actually feature in Greek Mythology, so don't try looking. Basically, he's a modern 'urbane' satyr with a wi-fi laptop, and thus a nice fictional mouthpiece for the guild.
Q: Are you okay with the random gods starting to pop up in your guild these days?
A: Why not? As long as they are well-researched (my standards are VERY high for that). Fun is of course important, but misrepresentation is my chief concern. Gods should be portrayed in keeping with their nuanced, complicated backgrounds, and not portrayed as glib stereotypes. I hope not to see any scatterbrained Aphrodites or outrageously feministic Artemises. Both goddesses displayed some of those traits, but they were so much MORE than that.
Q: Which greek hero do you like, or respect the most?
A: Difficult question. I personally like Odysseus the most of all, since the Trickster is my favourite archetype. But Herakles in my opinion is the quintessential Greek hero. He embodies all the best and worst qualities of the Heroi Hemitheoi, and his stories form a significant cornerstone of the mythology. As for a lesser known, I would say the Boreades (Zetes and Kalais) or Askalaphos (How many people knew that Hades had an owl familiar?)
Q: Which greek myth do you like the best?
A: I can't answer that.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of your profile design, and how long did it take you to create it?
A: Ummm, I don't know. I don't think there was really an idea behind it. It just seemed appropriate for the personae I wanted to display in this profile. I can't say how long it took, since I've been fiddling around with it every now and then for about two years or so.
I hope that answers all your questions. Thank you.
