Oh, fuck. I think I know where this is going, realized Tyler. Another goddammit headache.
“I repeat, what the fuck did you do?” asked Tyler, this time in a cold, seething manner.
“You’ll know about that in due course, Archmage. But patience seemed to be lacking in your person. That quality, I have in more than sufficient quantity. Enough for a world.”
“This world is full of tragic mad gods and mortals. I had enough of their stories. I seek rest. As in death. Those who judged and sentenced me said I could only die at the end of time. Such a simple sentence, yet filled with interesting nuances. Would the elimination of the deities of the First World constitute such an event? Or does it involve the total disappearance of magic? Achieving the former would be quicker, and the second, a trying yet possible endeavor. I decided to try the easier solution first. If it doesn’t work, I will focus on the latter,” explained Lumeri, still with that disturbing smile.
“You would sacrifice a world in order to die?” exclaimed Tyler, refusing to believe what he just heard.
“I would,” replied the scribe calmly.
Map of Dionysus
(from Book Three)
Lore and Definitions
Chapter 2
Semnai – After the trial of Orestes for matricide, Athena convinced the Furies to be the Semnai (Venerable Ones or holy protectors of Athens). Still bloodthirsty and savage, they because embodiments of justice instead of vengeance (please refer also to https://msu.edu/~thoma853/iah221a/origins.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erinyes )
Mykḗnē – The Greek name for ancient Mycenae where some of the earliest references to the Furies had been found.
Pasiphae – Wife of Queen Minos of Crete and a sister of the infamous Circe. Cursed with lust for the king’s finest bull, she gave birth to the Minotaur. (kindly refer also to https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Pasiphae.html)
Chapter 5
On Thanatos and Nyx – The Spartans had a cult which considered the two deities as twins.
Chapter 7
Kore – Another ancient name for Persephone.
The Hesiod version in Theogony lists Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros as the first children of Chaos. This story gives Tartarus the name of Khaos (the Greek translation of the name). It considers the being as a mere avatar of his father.
Chapter 8
The origin of Typhoeus in this story follows the Iliad interpretation:
Gaia, angry at the destruction of the Giants, slanders Zeus to Hera. So Hera goes to Zeus’ father Cronus (whom Zeus had overthrown) and Cronus gives Hera two eggs smeared with his own semen, telling her to bury them, and that from them would be born one who would overthrow Zeus. Hera, angry at Zeus, buries the eggs in Cilicia “under Arimon”, but when Typhon is born, Hera, now reconciled with Zeus, informs him.
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhon)
Chapter 10
Schiltron – A derivative of the phalanx. It is a term word some say is actually Viking in original and refers to the circular version of the formation.
( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiltron )
Kuruma gakari – Known as the winding wheel formation, it aimed to assault an enemy with rotating units, enabling fresh troops to be at the front regularly. Once a weak point was determined, the attack would concentrate its efforts on that location.
( https://philbancients.blogspot.com/2013/12/battle-formations-for-samurai-armies-in.html )
Chapter 11
Alföðr – Norse term for Allfather.
Se-Osiris – Acknowledged as the greatest mage of ancient Egypt. His feats have been recorded in books and writings of that age. His defeat of the disguised Son of Tnahsit, a dangerous mage sent by the King of Ethiopia, is one of the better-known stories about Se-Osiris. He was said to be the twelve years old at that time and at that age, already eclipsed his father, Setna, in magical ability. ( http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythsealletr.htm )
Duat – The Egyptian underworld.
Chapter 13
Crossbow range – The longest accurate crossbow shoot was made at 680 yards (https://gouldbrothers.com/longestaccuratecrossbowshot/)
Ginnungagap – Norse mythology, such as found in the Voluspa and Snorri’s Gylfaginning, invariably starts with the ancient void at the beginning of the universe.
Chapter 14
The white flag of truce – The first mention of the usage of white flags to surrender is made during the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25–220). In the Roman Empire, the historian Cornelius Tacitus mentions a white flag of surrender in AD 109. Before that time, Roman armies would surrender by holding their shields above their heads. The white flag was widely used in the Middle Ages in Western Europe to indicate an intent to surrender. The color white was used generally to indicate a person was exempt from combat; heralds bore white wands, prisoners or hostages captured in battle would attach a piece of white paper to their hat or helmet, and garrisons that had surrendered and been promised safe passage would carry white batons (quoted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flag )
Chapter 17
Asag’s quote – Taken from the Babylonian Theodicy as quoted in The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature by Roland Edmund Murphy, Roland E. Murphy.
Insect resistance – Contrary to popular belief, wood-boring insects such as beetles and a species of a parasitic wasp have better radiation resistance than cockroaches (https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2015/06/would-cockroaches-survive-nuclear-apocalypse/).
Chapter 18
The Roman gens (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gens) – The word gens is sometimes translated as “race”, or “nation”, meaning a people descended from a common ancestor (rather than sharing a common physical trait). It can also be translated as “clan”, “kin”, or “tribe,” although the word tribus has a separate and distinct meaning in Roman culture. A gens could be as small as a single family, or could include hundreds of individuals. According to tradition, in 479 BC the gens Fabia alone were able to field a militia consisting of three hundred and six men of fighting age. The concept of the gens was not uniquely Roman, but was shared with communities throughout Italy, including those who spoke Italic languages such as Latin, Oscan, and Umbrian as well as the Etruscans. All of these peoples were eventually absorbed into the sphere of Roman culture.
By the first century BC, the practical distinction between the patricians and the plebeians was minimal. Nonetheless, with the rise of imperial authority, several plebeian gentes were raised to the patriciate, replacing older patrician families that had faded into obscurity, and were no longer represented in the Roman senate. Although both the concept of the gens and of the patriciate survived well into imperial times, both gradually lost most of their significance. In the final centuries of the Western Empire, patricius was used primarily as an individual title, rather than a class to which an entire family belonged.
Roman magic – Studies do reveal an over-reliance by Roman on physical objects and the intercession of deities in the practice of magic ( http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/roman-magic-amulets-bullae-lunulae.html )
Roman greeting – The modern notion of the Roman salute, or saluto romano, with the right arm held high, doesn’t have any basis in descriptions of the gesture during the period ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_salute ).
On facial pubic hair – (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/beard-pubic-hair_n_56e0610ee4b0860f99d7745f/amp).
Chapter 20
Greek scale armor – Greek warriors used a type of scale armor called the linothorax. It was usually made of layers of linen glued with animal fat. Because of its lower cost, lightness, and being cooler, it sometimes took the place of the bull torso armor usually associated with hoplites (please refer to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linothorax).
Other sons of Aeolus / Aiokos – Among the fabled children of the Greek custodian of the winds were Astyokhos (Astyochus), Xouthos (Xuthus), and Androkles (Androcles), and Pheraimo
n (Pheraemon), Iokastos (Jocastus), and Agathyrnos (Agathyrnus). All were heroes who gave their names to Greek colonies along the coast of southern Italy and Sicily (kindly refer to https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Aiolos.html).
Aeneas – This Trojan hero, the subject of Virgil’s Aeneid, is the mythical ancestor of Remus and Romulus, the founders of Rome. Since the Romans trace their origin myth to the Greeks, and to a Trojan at that, it could explain the love-hate relationship the two civilizations had during that period. Aeneas is a son of Aphrodite with a human because of a curse from Zeus. He found himself a favorite target of Hera because his mother was judged by Paris was the fairest among the goddesses. One apple started the Trojan War, and I believe there’s a lesson to be learned there.
Chapter 21
Purple – The color purple has always been a staple of royalty in the ancient world. Its royal tradition began long before the Romans. During the Roman Republic, when a triumph was held, the general being honored wore an entirely purple toga bordered in gold, and Roman Senators wore a toga with a purple stripe. However, during the Roman Empire, purple was more and more associated exclusively with the emperors and their officers. Suetonius claims that the early emperor Caligula had the King of Mauretania murdered for the splendour of his purple cloak, and that Nero forbade the use of certain purple dyes. In the late empire the sale of purple cloth became a state monopoly protected by the death penalty (please refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple).
Shendyt – The shendyt was a kilt-like garment worn in ancient Egypt. It was made of cloth and was worn around the waist, typically extending to above the knees. Shendyts are depicted on pharaohs, deities, and commoners in a variety of situations in Egyptian artwork (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shendyt).
About the Author
Active Member, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
A Goodreads Author
Writer –
The ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE Series
The ARCANUM ASTRAY Series
PLANAR WARS Series
ANCIENT FANGS Series
MANUS DEI Series
VOID TEMPLAR Series
PAVEL MAVETH Series, and the
FREIDA Children’s Book Series
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
soloflyte.blog
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The Accidental Archmage: Book Eight (Where Titans Walk) Page 28
