Originally posted to Shrubbery, 8 Oct 2003
Not a story as such, but I wanted to tell a bit about Aquila because I'll need him for one of the other stories.
In Greek mythology Aquila the eagle was the symbol and messenger of the god Zeus. Sometimes Zeus was said to appear as an eagle, and sometimes he merely sent the eagle.
Two of the main places to find Aquila are in the stories of Ganymede and Prometheus. In Ganymede's tale the eagle was sent by Zeus to bring the youth to Olympus to serve as cupbearer for the gods.
Prometheus brings out the more vicious side of the god, however. As punishment for having stolen fire and given it to humanity, Prometheus was chained to a mountain and Aquila was sent to rip him open and eat his liver. Since the titan Prometheus was immortal, the wounds healed every night but the eagle reopened them each day.
Prometheus was said to have suffered this torture until Heracles (Hercules) killed the bird in order to learn from Prometheus how to obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides.
Ever notice how one story always seems to lead to another? Makes a person wonder how the ancient Greeks ever really got anything done.
No comments:
Post a Comment