Heroes of BY HELEN'S HAND: Bronze Age Greece

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Since it's been a while, and most of my posts relating to the research and reading I did to write HELEN OF SPARTA and BY HELEN'S HAND are buried in the archives, I thought it might be a good idea to bring some of them back to your attention, hero by hero and topic by topic, so when May 10th rolls around, you'll be as ready to read as I was to write!  

NB: The Myths are the Myths, but most of these posts will include my perspectives and approaches to them, which could be spoiler-ish, so proceed with caution! 

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Okay, so maybe it's a little bit of a stretch to refer to the period as a hero -- but! historical period and setting certainly play a major role in how the story unfolds! In revisiting Theseus and Pirithous, we've already talked about how heroism among the Greeks was different than our definition and expectation of it today (and how, in my most humble opinion, this makes Theseus unique in comparison to someone like Heracles or Pirithous) but there's more to the Bronze Age than Heroics!

Firstly, let's talk about geography!

Helen of Sparta's World (Mapped!)

We take for granted the incredible accuracy of our maps today -- but for Helen and Theseus, and their fellow bronze age heroes, the shape of the world was a little less... precise. For those of you looking for a better idea of the Geography as you read, here's a rough idea of where the cities of Mycenae, Athens, and Sparta were, in relation to one another, and the kingdom of Pirithous's people, the Lapiths, in the far north of Thessaly. (Spoiler free!)

And onward to a little bit of culture--

Mycenaean and Homeric Burial Practices

This was a FASCINATING topic to read up on, so if you have the interest, make sure you follow the links in the post! The most important takeaway: while Homer makes much of the funeral pyre and cremation of the dead, there is little to no evidence of cremation taking place in Mainland Greece during the period (LH IIIB ish) of the Trojan War. But I also talk about my thought process as an author in how to address the difference in what the casual reader might expect from a book that's part of the Trojan War cycle of mythology. (Spoiler free!)

The Middle Class of Mycenaean Greece

Professor Dimitri Nakassis (of the University of Toronto) theorizes from his study of the Linear B tablets that the old model of PALACE and PEASANTS for Mycenaean Greek society should be modified to include a thriving middle class and large variety of contracted local elites. Dr. Nakassis is definitely a man to watch in this field, and his research is absolutely fascinating. (Spoiler free!)

And for added fun -- check out the Bronze Age RISK board El Husband created for the HELEN OF SPARTA launch party:

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If you enjoyed Helen of Sparta don't forget to pre-order your copy of BY HELEN'S HAND -- available May 10th in paperback, audio (cd, mp3, and audible), and for kindle! Or maybe just mark it to-read on Goodreads in the meantime :) And don't forget to subscribe to THE AMALIAD for a free short story prequel to HELEN OF SPARTA: Ariadne and the Beast!

Heroes of BY HELEN'S HAND: Pirithous and Polypoetes

Since it's been a while, and most of my posts relating to the research and reading I did to write HELEN OF SPARTA and BY HELEN'S HAND are buried in the archives, I thought it might be a good idea to bring some of them back to your attention, hero by hero and topic by topic, so when May 10th rolls around, you'll be as ready to read as I was to write!  

NB: The Myths are the Myths, but most of these posts will include my perspectives and approaches to them, which could be spoiler-ish, so proceed with caution! 

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I hope it isn't too much of a spoiler to admit, but Pirithous isn't really in BY HELEN'S HAND. He's mentioned, and referenced, but he's more of a ghost between the pages than anything else. If you know anything about his mythology -- well, I'm sure you know why.

HOWEVER.

Pirithous's son does just happen to make an appearance. Polypoetes, it turns out, is one of the many men listed as one of Helen's suitors. Which gives me an excuse to talk about BOTH of them, maybe, for old time's sake, and to give some extra context to Pirithous's son before you meet him on the page in BHH.

The Bromance of Theseus and Pirithous 

One of my favorite myths is the the story of how Theseus and Pirithous meet for the first time. Somehow, the idea of the young King Theseus, making a name for himself as a hero and an upstanding individual -- a king of great wisdom and honor -- being tested by Pirithous the most piratey of rapscallions, just tickles me. (Mild spoilers for Helen of Sparta if you're not familiar with the myths.)

Pirithous, Theseus, and that Ill-Advised Trip to the Underworld (Part I and Part II)

The story goes that Pirithous and Theseus made a pact that they should both marry daughters of Zeus, because they were demigods and as such deserving of marriage to women of divine lineage. Leaving aside the fact that a daughter of Zeus would also be Pirithous' half-sister and the marriage slightly incestuous, a demigod deciding he deserves some kind of honor or another for himself is never really a good idea. Hubris is never, ever, ever a recipe for success for any demigod or mortal. The gods just do not put up with it. (Definitely a spoiler for Helen of Sparta)

The Centauromachy 

The Centauromachy, the war with the centaurs, doesn't seem to me to be something that can be overlooked for either of them. I can't get around the idea that the abduction of Hippodamia by the centaurs (her kin!) on her wedding day, of all days, and the subsequent bloodshed at the wedding feast, would be emotionally traumatizing not just for Hippodamia and Pirithous, but for the rest of the community as well, centaur and human alike. (This myth takes place maybe 20-30 years before Helen of Sparta, so Spoiler Free, but it's a very influential event both for Pirithous and, I believe, his son. Polypoetes is the son of Hippodamia, after all.)

Writing Polypoetes, Son of Pirithous

Among the men listed as suitors of Helen, and those named as leading ships to Troy, we find the footnote of Polypoetes, the son of Pirithous. I've done a lot of THINKING (and writing!) about Pirithous, and Polypoetes's mother, Hippodamia -- but until I started writing BHH, I hadn't really considered their son. (Definite Spoilers for Helen of Sparta and mild spoilers --primarily of motivation for BHH!)

There's a goodly sum of other... interesting? posts regarding Pirithous over at ye olde Good to Begin Well (again.) Including a small scene from a paranormal romance novel I've been poking at which features Pirithous in the modern day (because I guess I can't help myself). And of course you can find MOUNTAINS more on Hippodamia and the Centaurs by clicking through the appropriate tags on this blog, from when I was working on my Hippodamia/Centauromachy book. So feel free to explore, but just know there is a risk of happening upon the spare spoiler in plain sight!

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If you enjoyed Helen of Sparta don't forget to pre-order your copy of BY HELEN'S HAND -- available May 10th in paperback, audio (cd, mp3, and audible), and for kindle! Or maybe just mark it to-read on Goodreads in the meantime :) And don't forget to subscribe to THE AMALIAD for a free short story prequel to HELEN OF SPARTA: Ariadne and the Beast!

Heroes of BY HELEN'S HAND: Heracles!

Since it's been a while, and most of my posts relating to the research and reading I did to write HELEN OF SPARTA and BY HELEN'S HAND are buried in the archives, I thought it might be a good idea to bring some of them back to your attention, hero by hero and topic by topic, so when May 10th rolls around, you'll be as ready to read as I was to write!  

NB: The Myths are the Myths, but most of these posts will include my perspectives and approaches to them, which could be spoiler-ish, so proceed with caution! 

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Heracles and I have a strange history. I did not always love him -- despite Kevin Sorbo's winning charm. I just didn't get him. He seemed so one-dimensional to me for a long time. And maybe that was in part because I was thinking of him still from the perspective of my childhood's understanding vs really digging into his character as it is presented in the myths, but maybe also, it's because at first glance he does come off as a little bit... difficult to love, from the modern perspective. Like with Achilles, it took me a little more work to come to terms with him on HIS own terms.

The end result, ultimately, is that I was super excited when I realized I could include Heracles in BY HELEN'S HAND. And of course, it's always an interesting challenge to include someone so much larger than life and so well-known -- but I'd like to think I kept him from stealing the show.

Heracles Is Not My Favorite

This is an old blogpost from my Amalia Dillin blog that never made the cross-post transition, but seems relevant. These are the thoughts of 2011 me, when I first started realizing that maybe there was more to Heracles than I'd initially thought. It all started with a list of consorts, and a sculpture. And sculpture -- well, that is my favorite. (Totally Spoiler free!)

Heracles (and Euripides)

***Spoilers for By Helen's Hand!***

Mostly an introduction to the following post, but includes a couple of small interesting pieces about both Euripides' timeline of events, and Heracles himself. (I mean, if you know your myths it isn't a spoiler but! Even so. The last paragraph is definitely a little generically spoileriffic.)

Heracles and Theseus in Contrast

***Spoilers for By Helen's Hand***
In the latter part of his play, Euripides illustrates the bond between Theseus and Heracles. They’re friends, of course, and why wouldn’t they be, being the two most celebrated heroes of their time[...]. And in Heracles' most desperate hour of need, when he is contemplating for the first time the thought of suicide to revenge upon himself the murder of his wife and children, it’s Theseus who comes to his aid. (Again, SPOILERS. Like, in the first paragraph even!)



If you're an old fan of Amalia Dillin!me, you may have seen a sneak peek of a very small element of his inclusion over yonder on ye olde Good to Begin Well, in a very early incarnation. You can count it as the first scene of BHH that was written, though where it appears in the final book...you'll have to wait to find out (and it is certainly a spoiler!) I'm not going to link because technically I probably should have taken it down :P but... it's there still for anyone who wants to find it! (And doesn't mind being a little bit spoiled on the events of BHH.)

I also did a not entirely serious comparison of Heracles and Jesus. Because you can make any two mythic heroes sound the same if you include the right facts and leave out the wrong ones. But I found it interesting as an exercise all the same!

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If you enjoyed Helen of Sparta don't forget to pre-order your copy of BY HELEN'S HAND -- available May 10th in paperback, audio (cd, mp3, and audible), and for kindle! Or maybe just mark it to-read on Goodreads in the meantime :) And don't forget to subscribe to THE AMALIAD for a free short story prequel to HELEN OF SPARTA: Ariadne and the Beast!

Heroes of BY HELEN'S HAND: Theseus

Since it's been a while, and most of my posts relating to the research and reading I did to write HELEN OF SPARTA and BY HELEN'S HAND are buried in the archives, I thought it might be a good idea to bring some of them back to your attention, hero by hero and topic by topic, so when May 10th rolls around, you'll be as ready to read as I was to write!  

NB: The Myths are the Myths, but most of these posts will include my perspectives and approaches to them, which could be spoiler-ish, so proceed with caution! 

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Since Theseus is my favorite, and the primary hero introduced in HELEN OF SPARTA, I figured he's the best place to begin. Here are some highlights from the archive!

photo by Jastrow [Public domain], via Wiki Commons

The Myth of Theseus and Democracy in Athens

What if Theseus is the first Adopted heir? And the reason he's credited as bringing democracy to Athens is because he was claimed the "long lost son" of Aegeus as a political necessity, to appease the people of Athens and Attica? 

(This post primarily addresses Theseus's earlier history, pre-Helen, so read without fear of Spoilers!)

Not Without Theseus: A Hero's Propaganda

Theseus has a lot of adventures. He gets around a LOT, really, and gets all kinds of accolades that maybe, just maybe he doesn't entirely deserve. Stories, in fact, which one might even go so far as to consider... propaganda. 
(If you haven't read HELEN OF SPARTA and aren't familiar with his myths, this post might contain a spoiler!)

Theseus Is Not Your Typical Bronze Age Hero

We remember Theseus primarily for his heroic deeds of self-sacrifice more than those of self-service, and that's strange indeed for a hero of his time, something that opens the door for an interpretation of his character that jives more readily with modern ideas! 

(Spoiler free!)

 

The Fall of Theseus (Part I and Part II)

King Theseus doesn't get nearly as much press as Young Theseus -- maybe because his later exploits (one of which is the abduction of Helen) end in disaster.

(Possible spoilers for HELEN OF SPARTA!)

You can also find a very short little piece of flash about Theseus and the Minotaur which I wrote waaaaaay back in 2010 on ye olde Good to Begin Well -- if you're eager for more Theseus in advance! (Or maybe just curious about his evolution as I played with his character.)

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If you enjoyed Helen of Sparta don't forget to pre-order your copy of BY HELEN'S HAND -- available May 10th in paperback, audio (cd, mp3, and audible), and for kindle! Or maybe just mark it to-read on Goodreads in the meantime :) And don't forget to subscribe to THE AMALIAD for a free short story prequel to HELEN OF SPARTA: Ariadne and the Beast!

Sign Up for my Newsletter: THE AMALIAD

I'm more than a day late, but it's time to get this ball rolling -- my new Author Newsletter, THE AMALIAD is a GO, and I'd love it if you all would sign up!

I won't be emailing you more than once a month (if that), and ONLY when I have something big to share like a new book, or a big promotion you might be interested in! So have no fear -- I won't be clogging your inbox. And to show my gratitude for your support and interest in following the adventures of Authors!Me, I'm offering subscribers a short story about Ariadne, Theseus, and the Minotaur, for FREE, plus exclusive bonus chapters of BY HELEN'S HAND from the cutting room floor. (A link will be emailed to you automatically when you confirm your subscription!) After that, you'll just get an email from me occasionally with the latest and the greatest, and I won't use your information for anything else at all!