Seeds Volume 3
Page 32
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The river Styx also had a goddess of the same name; she was one of the many daughters of Okeanos/Oceanus and Tethys, and when the Olympians rose against Kronos and his Titans, Styx was the first to ally to Zeus's side. For her loyalty, Zeus made promises to her binding, which was why it was the custom to swear by the Styx to show the seriousness of your words.
According to the original myths (at least some of the versions) Styx was mated to Pallas, a Titan who was in some myths killed by Athena. With Pallas, she had four children – Kratos (strength) Bia (force/power) Nike (victory) and Zelus (zeal) These four gods were sometimes depicted as Zeus's personal enforcers.
For this story, I thought it'd be fun to have Kharon and Styx together, those two need love, too. It felt more appropriate to me given Styx's position as an Underworld deity, so it felt better to me to pair her with Kharon rather than Pallas. Since Kharon is a son of Nyx and a god in his own right, I decided to extend his duties beyond that of merely a ferryman – I imagine that it would get boring after so long – so like Hades with his shadows, Kharon can extend his will and not be required to be physically present for his duty.
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In one version of the myth, Abas was a son of Metaniera, in others he is simply a gardener who does get turned into a lizard. In another version of the myth, Abas was a gardener in Hades who saw Persephone eat pomegranate seeds and tattled to Hades, and was transformed by Demeter for being such a narc. I felt that being a gardener would suit Abas well and work better for my story, even though I must admit he would make a good bratty prince!
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The kingdom of Tyrrhenia is the ancient name for Etruria, a kingdom that flourished at the beginning of the first millennium BCE as Greece was in its Dark Ages (before the Classical Greece era) and contributed much to the early Roman Empire. Infact, before 500 BCE, a few Etruscan kings ruled Ancient Rome, and the seventh legendary King of Rome himself was Etruscan before he was deposed prior to the founding of the Roman Republic.
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Those familiar with the Hades and Persephone myth know that she was forced to go back to the Underworld every fall for the duration of one month for every seed she consumed, which ranges between three and seven in the various tellings of the myth. Often, this month for a seed rule was a judgment passed down by Zeus in an effort to placate Demeter and Hades. Rather than force Persephone to traverse between her mother and Hades on a set schedule, I decided to empower her and give her some control over her fate rather than have Zeus or Hades determine it for her.
About the Author
M.M. Kin has been interested in history and mythology since she was young and has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. Her other interests include hiking, kayaking, and world domination. 'Seeds' is her first work, and she is currently at work on more books.
She can be contacted at ememkin@gmail.com.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Books by M.M. Kin
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter XL
Chapter XLI
Chapter XLII
Chapter XLIII
Chapter XLIV
Chapter XLV
Chapter XLVI
Chapter XLVII
Chapter XLVIII
Chapter L
Chapter LI
Chapter LII
Chapter LIII
Chapter LIV
Chapter LV
Epilogue
Notes
About the Author