Posted by: Amalia The Savage in MyBlog on Nov 16, 2009
For some reason, Homer places a great emphasis on lineage and title in The Iliad. The smallest of side characters is often outlined by his father, and his father's deeds. This is especially true of the greater heroes and kings, who are just as often referred to as Son of So-and-so as they are by their own names. We don't often meet their fathers outside of these side-tracked stories-- with the obvious exception of the sons of Priam, King of Troy-- but the Iliad is filled with these distracting flavor bursts of parentage. Why so important? Well, establishing yourself as the son of someone who did something great leaves you poised to accomplish something even greater!
A lot of this is reflected later on in history, as we see people over and over again drawing their lineages back to ancestors who were either gods or heroes (often heroes themselves were demi-gods or of divine heritage). After Homer's time, claiming a god as an ancestor was a way of validating and justifying an individual's authority or superiority. It's a little bit more subtle than claiming absolute divinity, like the Kings of Egypt, Alexander the Great, and the Emperors of Rome, but all of this is the precursor of what later became the Divine Right of Kings who claimed their rule to be mandated and willed by God. Interesting how these "pagan" practices wormed their way into the Christian world!
Whew. Now that we've gotten the history out of the way, I give you the letters! (The first two are here and here. Go ahead, we'll wait for you to catch up!)
The two letters below are short and sweet.
Noble King Tyndareus of Laconia,
Greetings from King Theseus, son of Poseidon, Lord of the Earthquake and the Seas, and Aegeus, the late king of Athens; Protector and Hero of Attica and friend of Heracles.
On this occasion of Helen's twelfth birthday, in tribute to the daughter of Zeus, we offer gifts of wine, golden jewelry, and bolts of our finest and most richly woven fabrics that she might be clothed in garments and jewels as beautiful as she. Accept these tokens of admiration for your daughter and the lands of Laconia, with which we hope to build an abiding peace.
We will follow these gifts within the month with our arrival in Lacedaemon. It is our hope that we may prevail upon your hospitality to take part in the celebration of your noble daughter's birth. A dozen unyoked bulls will be driven with our party for sacrifice within your temples along with a dozen lambs for the same purpose, all in honor of the beautiful Helen, princess of Lacedaemon.
May the Gods bless you and your people.
Theseus, King of Athens
I have to say, Theseus is fast becoming one of my favorite characters in this book. You'll hear more from and about him in the next set of letters, so stay tuned!
What about you? Have any of your characters stolen the show? Have they surprised you with some trait you weren't expecting or messed up your plot by refusing to do what you need them to? Share your character woes (or thrills) in the comments!