lions of Ares

maa32 · 09 May 2003, 05:01 · from urth-v0305.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) lions of Ares
Date: Thu, 08 May 2003 22:01:08 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0305-3384 at digest.urth.net>
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OK - if you say that the lion was the symbol of Ares, can we explain the=20
memory house of Latro that he constructs in 28 of SoA: "What are these=20
statues?"  "Lions with the faces of men."  At first, latro thinks that all =
the=20
statues are lions.  then, he is corrected: the second statue is the sphinx,=20
who says, "I am your mother, and your mother's mother."  Well, the Sphinx i=
s=20
the daughter of Hera.  Ares is the son of Hera.  If Latro is the daughter o=
f=20
the Sphinx, and the Sphinx is somehow contiguous with Hera, then Latro's=20
mother is Hera.  Jeez.  Ares mother is Hera.

However, I am willing to accept that the man with the lance Latro runs into=
 on=20
the way to his seige on Thamyris was Ares, VERY incognito, on the basis of=20
this lion stuff.  Remember that the black man's name is Seven Lions, and th=
e=20
man with a lance was kind of blackish.

Also, the advice of Hercules to Latro is easily followed by him: Latro has =
all=20
the tools, he just doesn't know it because he has been stripped of his memo=
ry.
 Hercules tells him to lose, otherwise he would triumph easily. Most mortal=
s,=20
no matter how much knowledge they have, can't utilize fighting advice witho=
ut=20
the body to pull it off.  It's not Tyson's corner man that wins the fight -=20
it's Tyson.  give the same advice to, let's say, me, and I wouldn't be able=
 to=20
knock out a heavyweight champion.  Latro lacks the memory of the warrior, b=
ut=20
he knows all the right things to do with the simplest promptings, which=20
indicates that his experience is great indeed.

Thamyris says that Pleistorus (Ares) has been missing for a long time.  Lon=
g=20
enough to inhabit a mortal body and grow up, as the real God would later do=
 in=20
Christ?  Why aren't Latro's symbols wolves instead of lions, since his name=
 is=20
Lucius?  Why does Thamyris say Ares is missing?  Why does the rain start wh=
en=20
Kotys challenges Latro, thus betraying his god Ares?

Unfortunately, lions are roaring all the time in the text.  When Latro figh=
ts=20
Pasicrates on the shore, lions are showing up all over the place.  Remember=20
that Ares sister is surrounded by lions when she commissions him to go get =
the=20
horses of the sun, but Ares is nowhere around there, unless he's latro.

I don't think that one lion can clearly identify the black rider when latro=
 is=20
suffused with lion companions.  However, I maintain that there is a close=20
relationship between Latro and Ares, and that Nike certainly follows him=20
without appearing to him.

Here is the question: what clear evidence in the text is given that Polos i=
s a=20
centaur? he gallops and trots everywhere, and when he disappears a red hair=
ed=20
roan appears.  He knows a lot about horses.

Latro embodies arete, and at the beginning of Part three of SofA, Hegistrat=
us=20
and Cimmon and company swear to protect Latro before he goes off to the=20
Spartan ceremony of manumission, for no apparent reason.  It seems as if th=
ey=20
are talking about how necessary Arete is for the survival of their cities, =
and=20
their icon of arete has become Latro.  Why?  The name of Ares is in the wor=
d=20
Arete.

Very good points - the man with the lance and the lion probably was Ares.

Marc Aramini

--=20

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