Heracles and Sisyphus

maa32 · 11 May 2003, 00:36 · from urth-v0305.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) Heracles and Sisyphus
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 17:36:21 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0305-3402 at digest.urth.net>
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Crush,
excellent points about Latro's contiguity with Heracles, especially since=20
Pindaros calls him Heracles in his little prose ending to Soldier of Arete.
There is something to note: Latro easily finishes Sisyphus' task for him - =
and=20
Sisyphus was like a 3/4 god.  There is some indication that Sisyphus feels=20
like an old relative of Latro - is freeing Sisyphus the only reason Asopus=20
gave Falcata special powers way back at the opening?!

The wolves seem to be both a homage to Gene Wolfe's name and an easy tool f=
or=20
prophecy: when the wolf's young and the wolf's tooth, etc.; when wolf, faun=
,=20
and nymph gather round, etc etc. (Hey, the nymph is Elata and the faun is=20
Aglaus, I'm 100% positive he's one of those crazy goatmen.)

There IS a reason to link Ares with Zoroastrianism: the people of thrace sa=
y=20
that Pleistorus IS a form Ahura Mazda.  This is strictly in Wolfe's book, n=
ot=20
in any other way.  I can't imagine why he would do this without us wanting =
to=20
associate ares with the all good God.

I think that the Lernean Hydra (or the Lamia, or whatever Drakaina is)=20
certainly makes a good case for Latro being more like Hercules, but I think=20
Ares did make both sides mad, and was forced to walk the world as a mortal=20
because everybody hates him (yet now they kind of feel bad, especially abou=
t=20
that whole memory thing, so they treat him a lot more nicely since he's=20
learned his lesson).

We've directly seen Heracles talk to Latro in his match with Basias, so we=20
know he can't BE Heracles.  But he might be reliving that epic heroes tasks=
,=20
just because.  Interestingly enough, that would make Ares his archenemy,=20
right?!  Weird.

Marc Aramini

--=20

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