Aithra

A blog post about daring, disappointment, and determination.

I was doing my Random Creativity Thing (so called because I'm too creative to give it a name) and it generated a good idea for a story. All the cool kids do retold Greek myths, right? Why not me? Jump on the ole' bandwagon about 20 years too late and really make it work.

As a recipient, mostly self-inflicted, of a Classical education, this should be pretty easy. What's the first Greek myth name I come up with? Aithra, mother of Theseus. Got it. There's sex, kidnapping, some confusion over a rock. That's good story material, and since she's a girl the Classical period undoubtedly stifled her true awesome beneath giant heaps of sexism. RIFE for RETOLD.

So...how to make Aithra shine? Magic! Aithra the Sorceress! Everybody likes sorcereressi. It's what every little girl who doesn't want to be a princess or a pony wants to be when they grow up. Yes, yes...this is a fine plan. Now let's just wander over to Wikipedia to make sure I remember how to spell the name and such...

Aethra (Greek mythology)
"[...]a version of this Aethra appears as Aithra, a sorceress and concubine of Poseidon, in Richard Strauss's famous opera Die ägyptische Helena (The Egyptian Helen)."

Richard Strauss, you son of a bitch. Wait, what's this...

Die ägyptische Helena
"Aithra invokes elves to torment him; they make him believe that his rival, Paris, is present, and he rushes out to confront the specter. Aithra’s magic then helps Helena regain her original youthful beauty, and a lotus drink banishes her anxiety."

Richard Strauss, you goddamn genius. Even if, since it's opera, Invoked Tormenting Elves cannot be nearly as awesome as that description. They probably sing or something, jeez. 

Anyways, this has taught me a lot about stealing stuff and making it better. I'm still going to write an Aithra story, I just don't know what it'll be about yet. It can hang out in the back of the queue until I plow through the rest of these stories.

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In this scene, Aithra uses her staff of power to beat an assailing Trojan about the head and chest. Then with a dramatic swivel, she knocks the second soldier's legs out from under him and turns him into a batterflea*

*An insect that she just made up. She's that powerful.

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2000 words? Yes

Short Story "Science Up Some Love" - finished, submitted (W1S1 Status: Green) 

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Reading - ?

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