Plato's Lost Dialogue

Current wisdom suggests that the first complex organism evolved many moons ago (600 million years or so, give or take) by two single cells bumping heads, and joining together. Imagine that; over two billion years of single cells – gizillions of them - going about their daily business, and then, for no apparent reason, two of them get stuck together.  It must have sent shockwaves through the cell community.  Never before – anywhere in the universe as far as we know – had such an event occurred.  What a brazen leap! And then the damned thing had the cheek to started reproducing.  Suddenly we have plants, and then fish, amphibians, mammals, lizards and birds.  A short six million years ago our first human ancestor appears.  And the rest, as they say, is history. Sounds pretty fanciful, doesn’t it? Evolution.  If it weren’t supported by years of research and study, you wouldn’t believe it.  But there it is, the details may be tweaked and clarifi...

Zeus and Hera: the Ross and Rachel of the Pantheon.  From the moment she emerged out of their father’s stomach, covered in blood and slime, Zeus had lusted after his older sister.  But Hera wasn’t an easy catch; she had morals (of a fashion), and so Zeus had been ‘forced’ to consider other, easier, options.  Time and time again Zeus pursued his sister.  Time and time again, she refused him.  But he wasn’t to be deterred.  By hook or by crook, he would have his way. After testing the whole marriage thing out with a few others (check out 'We need to talk about Zeus' Parts 1 and 2), Zeus decided that he was ready.  He was a man.  A powerful man with powerful friends.  A man who knew how to take care of business.  A man who could destroy worlds as easily as he could create them.  A man who had the world at his feet - literally.  A man who was going places.  What woman in her right mind could deny such a man? With the sam...

With his first wife, Metis, under permanent house arrest (her house being Zeus’ body), Zeus was single again.  But not for long.  A bit like Henry VIII, Zeus liked to throw himself back into the ring as quickly as he could.  This time his eyes fell on Themis – a primordial Titaness and Zeus’ auntie. Themis was an unusual match for Zeus.  She presided over the ancient oracles (including the one that prophesised that Zeus’ mystery son with Metis would one day overthrow him).  She was wise and knew all about divine law, justice and morality.  Zeus was…well…Zeus, but they say opposites attract, don’t they?  She probably saw Zeus as a “fixer-upper”. What can we say about Zeus and Themis?  Not a lot really.  They seemed to get on for a while, and the marriage was fruitful in that she bore him a few children who had important roles to play, but other than that no major events occurred. So who were the children?  Three (Thallo, Auxo and Ca...

Before I begin, a disclaimer.  Zeus was a bad god.  A very bad god.  He was, amongst many other things (and to be blunt), a serial rapist.  He might have considered himself an irresistible Lothario, but he wasn’t - he was a rapist.  And in the myths this was neither frowned upon nor considered unusual.  In fact, more often than not, the woman was seen to be at fault and suffered the appalling wrath of Zeus’ (eventual) wife, Hera, for having had the cheek of being so damn appealing to her husband.  Whilst I might not comment any further on the patriarchal wrongs of Greek mythology in this blog series (if you do want to read something which challenges misogyny within the Greek myths, check out Nikita Gills's “Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters”), I also – for the record – do not in any way condone the behaviour of the sky god. Another small point.  One rule that all Greek gods and goddesses had to follow – the main rule - was th...

Location is a key part of any story.  Just think about Harry Potter; by the time you’ve finished the first book you feel like you’ve had a guided tour around Hogwarts and slept in the Gryffindor common room (or your House of choice).  If Hogwarts was set in a modern building in the centre of a bustling city the whole story would take on a completely different feel (and perhaps wouldn’t be the phenomenon it is). Tales of Atlantis: The Dawning of a New Age is set on (spoiler alert) Atlantis.  When it comes to thinking about where Atlantis should be located in the story (bearing in mind that it is set in modern times on Earth) it creates a number of problems.  Atlantis has to feel real - like Hogwarts or Narnia – and that means staying true to Plato’s original description (otherwise it’s just another fantasy world masquerading as the famous lost island).  But where on Earth do you stick it?     The concept of Atlantis was first introduced in...

Buried beneath the rubble of Mount Othrys, the Titans met their Waterloo.  After ten years of warfare the Olympians had victory; a victory made possible thanks to superior weaponry and a determined leader.  But as Zeus hauled his foe from the rubble, he had a problem: what to do with an immortal enemy.  First he found Atlas stumbling around dazed and confused, a large bump on his head after cracking a few too many rocks on his head.  Thanks to his pivotal role in the war, Atlas was given a special punishment of holding up the sky on his shoulders.  There was little chance of escape or rest (just try sitting in a squat for a minute); if he moved, everyone would know about it.  Zeus sent the rest of the Titans who fought against him to Tartarus and appointed the Hecatonchires (his hundred armed uncles who had bombarded the Titans with rocks to earn victory for the Olympians) to guard them.  You could argue that being appointed as prison guards for et...

“Clash of the Titans” and its sequel “Wrath of the Titans” have (in my humble opinion) provided the general public with a very confused and misleading view of the role of the Titans in Greek mythology.  Some might say the films do a disservice to one of the greatest wars ever conjured up; a family war which ravaged on for ten brutal years and led to seismic shifts in the world order. Readers of this blog may recall from “Keeping up with the Greek Deities” that we left it at the point at which Cronus, the leader of the Titans, was poisoned by his son, Zeus, and forced to throw up the rest of his children (I’ll let you read the blog to discover how and why they found themselves inside of Cronus in the first place) and that this sparked the war.  Before we carry on, let’s meet the key players… Fighting for the Titans on Mount Othrys we have: • Cronus – first generation Titan and ruler of the Titans.  Slightly crazy with unusual eating habits. • Coeus – brother to Cr...

If you feel like you have family problems then read on, because they will soon pale into insignificance. Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? There was chaos.  And then there was Gaia (Mother Earth) and her husband Ouranos (Father Sky); they were the Greek primordial deities.  There were other primordial deities (including Tartarus, of whom we shall hear more about later), but we don’t need to get too bogged down with them now.  By some accounts Ouranos was conceived by Gaia alone (a virgin birth), which would make Ouranos both Gaia’s husband and son (it’s a minor taboo in comparison to what’s about to come).  Together they ruled over the world, and every night Ouranos would…attend to Gaia. Gaia gave birth to twelve Titans (other than Cronus and Rhea we don’t need to know their names right now) as well as three Cyclopes (giant one-eyed creatures) and three Hecatoncheires (creatures with one hundred hands).  Quite what Cronus and Rhea were doing the nig...

“Achaeus, I’ve decided that I’d like a feasting hall.” “Very well your grace, where would you like your new hall?” “There!”  King Erysichthon pointed to a small group of trees in front of him. “Ahmmm…may I suggest, your grace, that in the vast swathes of land that you hold here on Thessaly, you might want to avoid placing you new hall in the sacred grove of Demeter.” “Nonsense Achaeus, the old gal won’t mind.  She can join me in there once it’s built.  Get the men to cut the trees down right away.” “Your grace, I really must…” “Chop chop Achaeus, ha – get it – chop chop, I must write that one down.  Witty aren’t I, Achaeus?” “Very, your grace,” Achaeus sighed.  This won’t end well, he thought to himself.  The men set to work chopping down the trees, and soon all had been felled save for one giant oak tree which was covered in wreaths; each one representing a prayer that had been granted by Demeter.  The men refused to lay an axe on that tree, ...

Ten men sat round a golden table.  Some had travelled a long distance to the Citadel and the meeting had been long and arduous.  They were tired and the good humour from the start of the day had evaporated and left a residue of resentment and frustration. “He must be offered as a sacrifice!” “Don’t be a fool, Klemides.” “The Order requires it.” “The Order says nothing of the sort.  In fact, the Order requires a majority for any State killing and I will never agree to such folly.” “You would risk the wrath of Poseidon?  For the Middling?” “It is a sign from Poseidon and you wish to slaughter him.  How many have survived the mouth of the storm?” “Nesta has a valid point.  There are no records of any survivors.” “We’ve all heard stories of survivors.  Whether or not there’s any truth in them is another matter.” “They’re just stories to entertain the children.  I agree with Klemides.  The Middling must be sacrificed.  We cannot ris...

Most people will be familiar with Plato (I’m talking about the ancient Greek philosopher rather than a Spanish plate).  Despite living nearly 2500 years ago his works are still hugely popular and he completes the holy trinity of ancient Greek philosophers along with Socrates and Aristotle (being a student of the former and a teacher of the latter).  On his father’s side he claimed to have been descended from Poseidon (which perhaps explains the link between Atlantis and Poseidon), and on his mother’s side he claimed to have been descended from the lawgiver Solon (which perhaps explains the link between Solon purportedly passing down the story of Atlantis to Plato via Critias amongst others). The first time we hear about Atlantis is in Plato’s dialogues: Timaeus and the unfinished Critias.  The dialogues are largely a monologue between Timaeus, Critias, Hermocrates and Socrates.  In them the four scholars discuss the ideal state and Critias explains how Athens (the ...

Polydectes, King of Serifos, took a bite out of his chicken leg.  A steady stream of grease dripped into his greying beard as his mind ticked over.  ‘So the mother is still single you say?’ ‘Yes, I believe so your grace,’ replied his advisor. ‘And the big looking chap with the muscles and the chiseled jaw is definitely just her son?’ ‘Yes your grace.  The mother is called Danae and the son is Perseus.’ ‘Good, good.  Have to be careful these days with relations.  Sometimes they can be quite complex.  And this Diana…’ ‘Danae, your grace.’ ‘Exactly, Danae, will refuse to be my Queen whilst the boy is around?’ ‘Yes your grace.  That is what I am led to believe.’ ‘Why is that exactly?’ The advisor looked at his ill-tempered King’s ageing body overflowing from his grease stained clothing and then considered the perfectly formed Danae.  He chose his next words carefully. ‘I believe the Gods have plans for them.’ ‘Humph,’ grunted Polydectes, ‘t...

“Hermes!  How…unexpected.”  Epimetheus grimaced as he opened the door. “Yes, just thought I’d pop by.  See how thing are going.” “Well do come in, can’t have you hopping about on my doorstep like that.  And what’s that you’ve got behind you?  It looks awfully intriguing.” “Indeed.  This is something we’ve just created.  Hot off the production line.  It’s a ‘fe-male’.  Like you, but with other bits and pieces, which I’ll let you find out in your own good time.” “Does it have a name?” “Yes – Pandora.  Come, show yourself my dear.  Don’t be shy.  That’s it.  Let him get a good look at you.” “Pandora you say?”  Epimetheus looked at the strange creation and felt a strange feeling in his heart.  He was suddenly lost for words.  “We’re thinking of mass producing them but wanted to do some market research first,” continued Hermes.  “So, what do you think?” “Well, she’s…erm.  She’s certainly.  ...

"HECTOR..." The cry engulfs the city, bringing it to a standstill. "HECTOR..." The anger.  The authority.  Only one man could make such a demand.   "HECTOR..." Don't do it Hector.  You don't need to go.  You didn't know it was Patroclus.  He was wearing his lover's armour.  It was a mistake.  It was just a mistake. The city holds its breath.  Hoping.  Praying. The silence is broken by the loud unmistakable creak of a gate opening. Send the army.  Crush him.   But no, the Gods would never allow it.  Hector would never allow it.  And so he stands.  Alone.  The city walls towering over him.  They were built to protect him.  Now they isolate him. His polished armour reflects the evening sun.  His stance is sure.  His resolve unwavering.  Only one man stands any chance against him on the battlefield.  That man waits for him.  Achilles. Sand kicks...