The Shields of Achilles
or
May You Arrive at Fertile Phthia on the Third Day...
"Φθῶτ᾽Ἀχιλλεῦ, τί ποτ᾽ἀνδροδάικτον ἀκούων...κόπον οὐ πελάθεις ἐπ᾽ἀρωγάν;"
"Phthian Achilles, why, when you hear the suffering and slaughter of men...do you not advance to their succour?"
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Myrmidons, a lost tragedy by Aeschylus.
Synopsis: What connects the Trojan War, ants, the Eleusinian Mysteries, the mysterious Pelasgians who inhabited Greece before the Greeks, the origin of the phalanx formation in warfare, psychedelic pharmacology, the Late Bronze Age collapse and the later rise of the Classical Greek world? Glad you asked!
Shields of Achilles will be a short story (possibly novella-length) told from the point of view of Achilles' Myrmidons, an elite fighting force from Thessaly, a unique culture that seemingly fought in a kind of archaic phalanx style. They fight for a man, Achilles, unworthy of being fought for. The narrative will focus on Automedon, Achilles' charioteer. (Chariots again? But this time it's different! I swear!) Much of the narrative will be set within Books IX-XXIV of the Iliad and afterward, with flashbacks. There will also be a parallel narrative taking place roughly in the present day, told from the point of view of a scientist trying to uncover the formula for the intoxicant used in the Eleusinian mysteries ritual. Some of the theories put forth in the story will be controversial, but I'm trying to make sure everything is supported by primary sources. (Trying to find the right words for things from Linear B inscriptions and the limited vocabulary of Mycenaean Greek is a project in and of itself.)
Though keeping within the forum rules on extreme content and themes, this is a story featuring a bold and difficult subject matter for mature audiences, so reader discretion is advised.
Seriously? Chariots again?
It's different this time, I swear! Chariots are not the focus!
This wouldn't have anything to do with the rumored next Total War Saga game, does it?
A happy coincidence. As Kilo will attest, I was kicking this idea around back at the beginning of April. But yeah, it's good timing.
Why are you talking to yourself?
I'm just a lonely, lonely man.
More to come soon...