The Morph: Conclusion

http://www.trojanhorse2011.com/myth

What is to become of my city, my home? I fear for my son, I fear for my family. My Hector, my defender, has perished as his fate had been foretold. Before, a prophecy spoke of the fall of Troy; is that to happen too?

The morph of Hectors character, from defender to offensive warrior, has happened before my eyes, before his death. The change of Achilles mortality has cocooned from mortal to his appearance of being immortal back to his look of mortality. Some gods have helped, others took to the side lines; but most have just watched from above as if they were just simply watching a game of chess, or that of a chase of cat and mouse.

Apollo has halted my visions ever since Hector had returned home, for I know longer have any other insights than those of my own eyes. There is still a rock at the bottom of my throat, and I fear that it will not dissipate before the cruel Achaeans do.

Books Twenty-three and Twenty-four

http://www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/en/collections/work/N261,26/zoom

Apollo has tried consoling me in the dark days of my grieving, and has tried persuading me from asking for any more dreams of what is going on beyond the walls of Troy, but I will have none of that. I need to know what is happening to my dear dead husband.

In another dream, I had found out that Achilles has now started eating normal mortal food. Does this mean he has once more taken the form of a mortal? He is acting more like a human than a god. He had buried his friend, Patroklos and proceeded to hold games, auctioning his treasures off. Then he continues to humiliate my dear Hectors corpse, dragging him around with no mercy. Good Apollo though, thank you. Thank you for protecting my husbands body from wear and tear and scavenging dogs.

That was a grand and joyous sight when I saw Hectors body come back into the city of Troy. Tears flowed down my cheeks and that of Helen's and everyone for that matter. Priam was sent out with ransom to obtain my Hectors body. It was only until later on that he told us his way of reasoning. 'Think of your father' he had said to him. They both wept, and he had allowed the body to be returned home, and a hold on fighting until Hectors funeral games were completed.

Does this reinforce the human side of Achilles? He had wept like a child with my father in law, he had embraced the fate of himself and that of Hector. He had followed the rules of the gods, and no longer ate their foods. Are we seeing mortal Achilles?














Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Book Twenty-two

http://angelasfailure.blogspot.com/2010/12/book-22-of-illiad.html

Round and round, he went. Round and round, I went. Round and round, Hector ran along side the wall. Round and round, I followed above. Round and round, Achilles chases. Round and round, my husbands the prey.

The day had come, his fate was sealed. The gods had betrayed my dear husband. Athena the most, disguised as an ally. An ally to help fight. An ally not to disappear as she had.

But as I had watched my dear Hector go up against the greatest warrior of the lands, as I saw Achilles spear target the weak spot of his once worn armor, I heard my dear husbands last words. The final words of the dying man; the most important words they will ever speak. The pleading words that left my Hectors lips were that of releasing his body back to his city, back to his family, for he deserved to have a proper funeral. But he was denied that small deed by Achilles, and instead he was dragged back to Achilles camp; humiliating his good name. May the greatest warrior die a most painful death.

Book Twenty-one

Xanthos vs. Achilles

The strangest thing happened today while I was down by the river. A water nymph, astray from her usual route, was wandering near me. She told me a most intriguing tale of the river, Xanthos. She was very shaken up, for Hephaestus had boiled the river alive. I asked why he had done such a thing, and she could not tell me.

I called for Apollo after my encounter with the nymph, and he told me that Xanthos had been upset with Achilles, for his stream was being clogged with too many bodies from Achilles victories. When the great river had asked him to stop, Achilles denied his request of killing people; he starts attacking Xanthos, but the great river drags Achilles under with his unrelenting force. That is where Hephaestus comes in, boiling the water until Xanthos is forced to let Achilles go.

I was talking to my father in law, Priam, and he said he had opened the gates earlier letting in the warriors fleeing from battle. Though, I don't believe my husband came in with the others.


Picture from: http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/the-god-scamander-in-greek-mythology-39860/

Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Nineteen and Twenty

Map of Troy's Gate
http://betta_more.tripod.com/trojanwar.html

I prayed, yet again, to Apollo to look after my dear husband. But, yet again, all he had brought me was more worries. I was shown that Achilles was still in morning and planned on going to battle once more, though he was pursued to let the men eat first. At this time, since before Achilles had vowed not to eat until his revenge occurred, Zeus had sent down Athena to fill his stomach with nectar and ambrosia. The food of the gods.

Does this purely mean that Achilles is a god, for only gods can stomach nectar and ambrosia and live off of it.

Zeus, now knowing that Achilles will strike down all men with ease on his way to Hector, refuses to let Troy fall before the cities fated time, so now he is allowing the help of gods on the battlefield.

Apollo had expressed some annoyance with me because of my husband. Hector had knowingly went against his advice which was to wait for Achilles to come near him and the other men before attacking him, which made Apollo have to save him once more. Thank you, dear Apollo. I don't know this person my husband has turned into.

This I had actually seen with my own eyes, for I was looking over the wall and only the battlefield. The map above can prove that I could see a majority of the field.


Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Book Eighteen

Thetis
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Thetis.html

The good god Apollo has told me the tale of Achilles wrath when he found out about his good friends death. He vows to avenge him. My poor Hector. Though he has no armor, for my Hector has his!

The thought that my Hector would go up against Achilles in better armor comforted me but only a mere moment, for Apollo then showed me a scene with his mother, Thetis. She came with a few water nymphs to see what her son was distressing about. She had said to him that the path of the warrior will only bring him death, though Achilles cared not about death but only for vengeance. She then proceeded to tell him if he would only but wait a day to fight so she could visit Hephaestus to ask him to forge him some new armor.

In the meantime, Achilles ordered the body of his good friend to only be cleaned but not buried until the Hectors life and soul was drained from his body.


Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Books Sixteen and Seventeen

Patroklos Death
http://tonalli8.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/iliad-book16/

Oh Hector, you just keep on stacking up bad karma. I'm already mourning for your death, for the great Achilles is sure to be after you. You have killed Patroklos, his best friend, and obtained his armor. This can only foreshadow the dark kiss of death that will surely come down upon you now, for with that armor that lays upon you're shoulder, lays the identity of Achilles.

I prayed to Apollo to attempt to bargain for my husbands life, but the only answer I was given from him were more visions. Patroklos had pleaded for the armor of Achilles in order to frighten the Trojan army, which he succeeded. Although, he went against the wishes of Achilles. Patroklos followed them out of towards the gates of Troy, draining some honor from Achilles and onto his own being; which Achilles had not wished to happen. Then, the great Apollo, persuaded Hector to fight Patroklos and he killed him! That is, after Apollo himself had wounded Patroklos.

His dying words, though, foretold the death of my dear husband, "You yourself are not one who shall live long, but now already/death and powerful destiny are standing beside you,/ to go down under the hands of Aiakos' great son, Achilleus," (Homer, 374, lines 852-854). My poor dear husband, you're days are surely limited.


Apollo had also shown me the death of Sarpedon, Zeus's mortal son. Zeus had wanted oh so much to come and whisk him off the battle field, but his wife, Hera, had convinced him otherwise. She had said that the gods would look down on him as they themselves wanted to save their own mortal children, but they were not allowed. I'm sure that is why Zeus saw to it that Patroklos died, for he was the one who had killed his son.

The fight over the body Patroklos and was a fierce one, we wanted it to trade for Sarpedon's body, and later on the armor was wanted off the body of Patrokols. Eventually Menelaus obtained the body of Patroklos


Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Books Thirteen through Fifteen

Hera Seducing Zeus
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/greek-mythology
/images/16652624/title/hera-seduces-zeus-photo

Hector has speared the man rumored to be Poseidon's grandson, Amphimachus. At least that's what Hector said. Who knows what the gods will do about this one.

Apparently Apollo knew something about it. Another dream led me to believe that Poseidon gave Idomeneus the power of more strength, and that's exactly what we don't need for us. Oh Hector.
Another eagle appeared in my mind; it rested on Aias's right, which meant that the power of war now favors the Greeks. That rock at the bottom of my stomach is growing in size. Though, I don't get it, even with the favor of war on the side of the Greeks, Agamemnon, in my dream, wanted to sail on home. That is until Odysseus told him he was nothing but a disgrace and coward.

Apollo, the great god as he is, lets me in on all of the happenings on Mt. Olympus as I have expressed before. Yet again, I succumb to the tales he tells in my sleep. It's so tiring after a while, for I feel like I'm doing nothing but watching a soap opera performance down at the Colosseum theater in the heart of Troy. A wife, played by Hera, seduces her husband, played by Zeus. The stereotypical husband that he is falls asleep right after they lay to bed, (okay, okay, he's lulled to sleep by Sleep so it's not entirely his doing). Though, this was only part of her scheme. This allows another man, played by the god, Poseidon, to sneak out and assist the Greeks in war. Zeus, of course, is mad when he awakens, but the climax fails to heighten, for all Zeus does is order Poseidon to leave battle. Oh, he mentioned that Hector will die after killing Patroclus.

Wait.

My husband.

Hector..

Dear, sweet, Hector...

I woke up and flew towards the wall so I could see the fight down below. I see Apollo had allowed us to plow through the enemy by covering their trench over, but my dear Hector was in battle. In battle with Aias. Well, kind of. Aias had his bow aimed at my husband, but thankfully the bowstring snapped. Thank you, dear Zeus. You had to have been the one that snapped it and allowed my dear husband to breath a few more days.




Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Books Ten through Twelve

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crested_
Serpent_Eagle_(Spilornis_cheela)_
with_a_snake_in_Kinnarsani_WS,_AP_W_IMG_6064.jpg

The great Apollo has shown me that spies have overrun the war! Have we really gotten down to acting like children?

Diomedes and Odysseus were out spying, and I guess they found out the positions of our cities warriors. I woke with a fright, and instantly waking and telling Hector he told me he had already known. He said that Dolon had gone out to spy on the enemy, and must have been caught. He had also said that Odysseus and Diomedes had killed twelve Thracian soldiers and their king.

I don't know how I went back to sleep after hearing that, but I had a dream of torture and unreasoning concerning the Acheans. How could they do that to poor Dolon, then again, how could he tell them our information. He must have known that there was all but little hope that they would have let him go unharmed.

The next day more battles take place. I saw, when peering over the wall, Paris wounding Diomedes! Serves him right, though I'm surprised my brother-in-law was able to do such a feat. Odysseus was also harmed, the gods must have favored us Trojans today.

Strange thing these visions, I was feeding Astyanax later that evening when I had another. I guess now they're coming whenever they want, and not just as dreams while I take slumber. An eagle appeared again, flying by the Trojan army and drops a serpent near the soldiers. Why do I keep on dreaming of these majestic birds? Every time I do, I swallow a rock which crashes down to the bottom of my stomach. The gods confirmed that this was not a good sign, for they gave Polydamas the idea that Troy will fail on their attempt at fighting. When Polydamas relayed this to my husband, Hector continues charging forth towards breaking the gates of the Achaean fortifications.


The war finally caught up with him, Hector. Even if his physical form survives, his soul, his character has fallen. He already has died, my dear Hector. His main focus is no longer on defending his city and being a father, he has turned into a rage-driven, blood-thirsty warrior.


Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Book Nine

http://www.hungrytigerpress.com/tigertreats/rpt_troy.shtml

Yet another dream from Apollo. I don't think I'm ever going to get a few second break from thinking about the war, yet I am thankful that Apollo is letting me in on all of the action. In a sense I feel a bit safer knowing he is shooting me these dreams.

In this dream he showed me a conversation between Agamemnon and Diomedes. He wanted to take his ships and leave the boundaries of our city walls, embarking home. But Diomedes, he refused to take any part of that.

Achilles, who was not fighting for a little while, was being bribed to come back to battle, though he refused.









Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Books Seven and Eight.

Hector had me looking over the edge of Olympus today. He had to fight the great Aias, and thank the good Apollo he came back to me in one piece. Hector I guess was supposed to fight Menelaus, but Agamemnon must have talked him out of it; I, however, have no doubt he was too afraid to go up against my husband.

Besides the near heart attack that Hector almost gave me yesterday - yet again I should say - a peculiar thing happened a few moments ago. Paris kept on muttering to himself, "I will not give her up, I will not give her up," while he was walking past my door in the palace. I went to go and confront him about it, and he said that Antenor had asked him to give up Helen in order to end this war. He said he would return all the treasure he took from the land, but the one treasure he would not give up is his wife. I have to give it to him, as much as I want this war to be done and over with, do they really believe that the fighting will stop once Helen would be returned? There's too much into this war for it to be that simple.

http://www.elixirofknowledge.com/2013/10/history-mystery-intriguing-love-story.html

Leaving the muttering Paris, I decided to rest my eyes to try to escape from all this chaos that is happening around me. Though the rest only made me more weary, for Apollo had shot down more dreams to my wandering mind. I found out that Zeus had prohibited any god interference with the war, so that should be a good thing, right? Zeus had also weighed the fate of us and the Achaean and the Achaean side sank! He turned the battle towards us. Though I saw an eagle fly through my dream while carrying a fawn in it's talons. This cannot be a good sign for us. I don't know why, but I just have a bad feeling about it.

After this dream, I got up and noticed a piece of parchment on the bed side table. It was a check list, more than likely left from Hector from the night before. It read as such:

1. Drive forth towards Achaean fortifications
2. Set fire to their ships

What is my husband, the defender, becoming? This is not my Hector. This is not my husband.

Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Book Six

Hector the defender, and his son
http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/the-trojan-princess-andromache-30304/

Paris. Paris has the right idea. I only wish my Hector would for once go with his brother's idea. Paris wants to stop fighting, though both Hector and Helen are scolding him for it. Hector visited me not just moments before, and I begged for him to stay here, safe and sound. Does he not want to watch his son grow up? He could be here with me and the rest of his family, watching the war from above, for he will be king soon. He can't be kind if he has a spear through his head!

But he insisted he goes. He insists that Fate has trapped him into fighting, and he cannot let go of her clutches, "...but as for fate, I think that no man yet has escaped it/once it has taken its first form, neither brave man nor coward..." (Hector, line 88/89). I fear that this may be the last time he will talk to his dear son, and such a beautiful speech he gave to him.

He is my defender though, for that I am grateful. He could be one of those warriors, only looking to fight and to siege. But no. Not my Hector.

Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Books Four and Five

I prayed to Apollo again, I have a feeling I'm going to be doing that a lot more than usual nowadays. He gave me another vision, but this time it was of the Gods of Olympus. Zeus fully declared Menelaus the winner of the duel between him and Paris, and Hera. Oh Hera. Evil, vicious, cruel, Hera! How could she! It can't be true. It can't be that she wants Troy destroyed! What did we ever do to her that would make her want to kill even the defenseless women and children! Warriors are one thing, they choose to go out and fight and defend. I have the utmost respect for them, though I would rather Hector not be one and stay home safe and sound with me. But to have a whole city raided and destroyed! I don't want to believe it, I can't believe it!

In a way, I sort of wish that I was right there on the battlefield. I'm becoming more nosey as the battle leads on, and the only way I can find anything out is from my prayers of Apollo or the tiny bit of information that Hector gives me. Although, I always hate asking my poor Hector anything that pertains to the war, for he lives though the horrors of it and should not have to live through it when he comes up to the city to rest. However, Hector did vent to me about how Diomedes was becoming such a nuisance. He went and killed Pandarus and continued to slaughter many others. Those poor families. When Hector lien to rest, Apollo visited me and mentioned that Diomedes actually went and harmed a God! Two Gods in fact! Aphrodite and Ares. Zeus's response to how Ares complaining made me chuckle, I have to admit. He said he deserved it.


The God's seem to have taken over this war. I wonder if we are not just pawns in their little game up there in Olympus? It's seems pretty sad if a god has to solve their own quarrels through the lives of mortals.


Family tree of some of the Gods
http://tccl.rit.albany.edu/knilt/index.php/Lesson_1:_How_did_Greek_mythology_shape_the_lives_of_Greeks%3F

Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Books Two and Three

Paris taking Helen
http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/question-of-the-week-is-beauty-a-curse/

Superstitions some people may say, but to me, superstations are like a piece of writing. A piece of information, that when printed and released into the world, they cannot be changed or set into a different path. This makes them like fact. I was praying to Apollo and he showed me the most disturbing vision of a water snake coming out of the water. It killed and ate a nest of nine helpless sparrows! I can't quite remember where I heard that this was a bad omen, but Apollo put into my head that Troy would fall in nine years! Could Achilles wrath really grow to be that much of a problem? Though my city is surrounded by giant walls, I cannot help but shake the feeling that we could very well be in danger. I really hope that was just a mistake. Great Apollo, please hear my prayers. Let that vision just be a warning, not a happening.

Great. My foolish brother-in-law Paris had to go steal Helen from Menelaus. Sure, the poor girl is much better off here in the palace of Priam, but this is not going to turn out well for Troy. Achilles is on the side of the Greeks, sort of, and with the earlier vision I had, I fear this may be the act of destiny.


Fighting has began, and Menelaus has challenged Paris to a duel. Up above on the wall, I looked down upon a heart pounding fight between the two men. Just between us, the fight was not even vary entertaining, for the two weren't necessarily the best fighters. Though, even so Paris did go and start this whole thing, I did fear for his life. Menelaus had Paris down on the ground, dragging him by his helmet, but by some miracle the strap on his helmet snapped, freeing him. Though soon after that, Paris was gone! He just disappeared into thin air! And out of disqualification, Menelaus won, securing the fate of war.



Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.

Book One

How could they do that! The Greeks! Oh my good Apollo! For them to snatch two helpless girls away from their families. I don't even want to know what they're doing to them, those poor girls, Chryseis and Briseis. I'm not the least bit surprised that Chryses offers a ransom for his daughter back. I mean of all the people there, they had to capture the priest's daughter! Thank you, great

Apollo for sending down a plague to the Greek people whom captured them. Only then was Chryseis at least was able to go home. That veil human, Agamemnon though, though. He demanded that he have Briseis because, well, I guess how else is he supposed to get a girl to bed with him if he does not force her under the sheets. But this made Achilles mad; mighty, powerful Achilles, who will no doubt take up a grudge against Agamemnon, for Briseis was his prize after the siege on her city. Though, great Apollo lifts the plague from the Greeks camp, Achilles refuses battle since this little incident.

Quarrel between Chryseis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad 

Have we really come to this? Having women as prizes? I have a baby boy, and as sad as it makes my voice heard, I am lucky, for he will not have to grow up as the prize. Though I would rather him not grow up to be the warrior who would take "the prize" of women. Maybe I can make him so he does not follow in his fathers footsteps of being the warrior. Though, honorable Hector is more of my defender than my warrior. Could the wrath that Achilles feels from this dishonorable deed come up further into the history of Greek? I do not see how this could effect my own city of Troy, but I can only pray to Apollo that no harm will come to home and family.







Lattimore, Richmond, trans. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: The University of
     Chicago Press, 2011. Print. This book was the base of which I got the
     majority of the information in my characters blog post.