Gifts from the Gods

Laura Clipson

Gifts from the Gods

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Clipson Press

Copyright Laura Clipson 2013 The right of Laura Clipson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act of 1988 All rights reserved

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Emj Goodchild for her front cover image design, and to the Greeks for their many stories and mythological roots.

Pandora
Punishment disguised; a gift in the form of a woman, the first created by the gods. Presented to the titans for their sin: sharing the gods fire with men. Named Pandora, all gifted, with beauty, cunning, dexterity, mischief and curiosity. A final gift; a box she was never to open. Curiosity overcame her; Zeus looked on, gleeful. The lid was lifted; from the box spewed the evils of humanity. Hope came last, the only light in a world of darkness.

Arachne
A beautiful girl, renowned for her gift; weaving tapestries so wonderful, nymphs gather to see her spin.

Vanity overcomes; she believes she is the best. Athena, famous for her own weavings, challenges her.

Arachne accepts; the two women sit at their looms and spin, as nymphs and gods gaze in awe.

Athena weaves a magnificent tapestry, proudly showing the gods in their glory, surrounded by foolish mortals.

Arachne weaves a stunning tapestry, defiantly displaying the transgressions of the gods.

Furious and offended by Arachnes disrespect, Athena tears apart the tapestry, and slaps the girl.

Appalled by her actions, Arachne hangs herself. A shocked Athena, full of guilt, takes pity.

She gifts Arachne life, at a price; her head shrinks, hair falls out, and nimble fingers become long legs.

For your vanity, says the goddess, You are destined to hang and spin forever as a spider.

Icarus
Newfound wings, stretched to their fullest extent, Created to flee, from wax and feathers. Beating his wings, he begins his ascent, Releasing him from his earthly tethers.

He soars through the sky, his mind filled with glee, As his previous troubles are undone. Higher he flies over the rough blue sea, Getting closer and closer to the sun.

The feathers fall off, the wax dripping slow, As he struggles to stay up in the sky. He plummets into the waters below, Realising his plan has gone awry.

Sinking beneath the waves, a lesson learnt; Fly too close to the sun, and youll be burnt.

Lamia
Mistress of a God, punished by his wife. Maddened with grief by her childrens deaths, relentlessly haunted by the image of their bodies, lifeless. Zeus took pity, gifting her the ability to remove her eyes, freeing her from the sight. Transformed by her grief; part woman, part snake, a monster, seeking vengeance on the children of others, for the loss of her own. A threat by tired mothers; Behave, or Lamia shall visit in the dead of night, and devour you whole, while you dream.

The Fates
Three old crones, loyal to Zeus, weaving life as they see fit: one spins, one measures, one cuts the thread of life. Feared, not only by mortals, but by the gods they serve.

The Furies
Emerging from blood, shed when son castrated father; three women, eyes dripping red, waists twined with serpents. Their duty: avenging crimes by cursing with insanity.

Midas
A wish granted for a job done well; creation of gold, with a single touch. Endless possibilities, the ability to be richer, greater than any man. Start off small, a twig, a stone; solid gold. A feast to celebrate newfound power; solid gold. Loyal servants, trying to help, solid gold. A loving daughter, offering comfort, solid gold.

The perfect wish; a curse in disguise. Sitting alone, in his golden mansion, unable to eat, drink, or love.

Medea
A curse from the gods; doomed to love one who cannot, will not love me. Compelled to perform cruel acts for this unrequited love.

My sorcery helps him to procure the golden fleece; I betray my father, kill my brother, turn on my family for the man I am destined to adore.

In Iolcus, his throne awaits, the usurper seated comfortably. With witchcraft I trick his daughters into killing their own father, so my love may claim his throne.

In Corinth, two children I bear him, but he desires another, a princess. A jealous rage; I send a wedding gift laced with poison. She burns alive, and takes her father, the King, with her.

I slaughter our children, to hurt him, like he hurt me, and to spare them the shame of a murderous mother and a cowardly father.

Keres
Enticed by bloodshed they circle like vultures searching for the dead, or dying. Hateful spirits of death tearing soul from body to banish to Hades.

Sirens
Doomed to wreck upon the rocks under the spell of the Sirens song no man can resist their haunting music and many a ship has been lost to the beautiful winged maidens lullaby.

Bellerophontes
The golden bridle delivered in a dream; a gift from the gods, clutched tightly in shaking hands. The winged beauty grazing peacefully. Leaping onto the horses back, he slipped the bridle over his handsome head, and Pegasus surrendered to his new Master. Together they rode, defeating the terrible chimera, becoming heroes, worshipped by all. Gifted a wife and kingdom,

a perfect life, but not enough. Craving adventure, he rode Pegasus to Mount Olympus, home of the gods. Furious at the arrogance of this mortal, Zeus sent a gadfly. Stung, Pegasus bucked; his rider was lost. Crippled and alone, forsaken by the gods, he wandered the Earth for the rest of his days, searching for his steed.

Cronus
Child of Earth and Sky; Time, youngest of the titans consumed by envy and greed, castrated his father, using a sickle, the desired power obtained. Into the sea the jewels were discarded; the furies born from the blood, while the goddess of love sprang forth from the foam.

Powerful, wed to his sister, Rhea paranoia overcame, and fear; of betrayal by those he spawned, of a cycle of sons versus fathers. Devoured as infants, no chance for treachery, the mother, horrified, protected the youngest. Deceived by a boulder wrapped in swaddling clothes, he swallowed, believing himself safe.

Hidden from the father, until the time came to realise his fears; son versus father, Zeus conquered Time, his siblings disgorged from their dark prison. They divided the world between them; Poseidon ruled the seas, Hades ruled the underworld and Zeus, the saviour, ruled the skies and the gods.

Scylla and Charybdis

Scylla, stunning nymph loved by a sea god, but he was loved by sorceress Circe. She poisoned the water Scylla bathed in, creating a beast with her jealousy.

Charybdis, nymph daughter of Poseidon, punished by Zeus for the theft of his land, drowning it with water from the ocean causing her fathers Kingdom to expand.

Scylla, with her six heads and shark like teeth, placed along a narrow strait of water Charybdis, the whirlpool placed alongside anyone that approached would be slaughtered.

A choice between these two monsters of doom, either could send you to your waiting tomb.

Orpheus
A gifted minstrel, taught by Apollo his music enthralling to all who heard, superior to the song of the sirens, who were known for their destructive powers. Besotted with Eurydice, a beautiful nymph, they married, living together in bliss for a time. One day glimpsed by Aristaeus, who desired her for his own. He pursued her, and in her haste to flee; stepped on a deadly snake, and lived no more. Distraught, Orpheus resolved to bring her back and ventured to the gates of the underworld. Enchanted by his music, Hades agreed to bestow life upon Eurydice, though there was one condition: Orpheus could not look upon her, until she left the shadows of the underworld. He led her through the dark, twisting tunnels tormented by her footsteps behind him.

In his eagerness to see his beloved wife, he turned to her the moment he left the shadows, but because she had not yet reached the light, she was taken back to the underworld, eternally. Heartbroken, he swore never to love again; resentful women dismembered him, his remains strewn into a river, the head still singing mournfully. Finally, in death, reunited with his beloved.

Persephone
Beloved daughter of Demeter, goddess of spring growth snatched from a meadow, taken to the underworld as bride of Hades.

A mother in despair searched the earth for her beloved daughter, discovered the betrayal of Hades and Zeus.

Enraged, she spurned her duties, let the earth decline until the return of Persephone.

Zeus succumbed, however Persephone had tasted the fruit of Hades, so could not leave forever.

A compromise: six months on Earth with her mother, six months in the underworld with her husband.

Spring and summer spent with Demeter, her happiness marked by growth of flowers and grain.

Autumn and winter spent with Hades, while the earth declined as growth halted until next spring.

The Underworld
Hermes, the messenger god, stands before me, ready to perform his duty: to deliver my soul. He grasps my hand and we launch into the skies, and I understand, now, his swift reputation. We soar through the air, light as a feather; I do not look back at the body I leave behind.

We travel through the inky black, above lands unknown to the living, until we reach the place that leads to the eternal home of the dead. We land in front of the mouth of the cave, waiting to swallow me whole.

Deeper we travel through the earth; our footsteps echo deafeningly off the menacing stone that surrounds us. I hear the sound of surging water and know I am close to my goal. The messenger god gestures me forward before flitting back, his task complete.

There stands the fearsome ferryman, hook-nosed and bearded, palm outstretched. I hand him my coin, he turns to the boat drifting on the water. I climb aboard; the boat cuts swiftly through the river heading for a far bank on the other side. Once we reach land, I leave the boat; he sails back, to wait for his next crossing.

The gates of the underworld tower before me, with Cerberus the hell hound to guard them. Three pairs of eyes watch me fiercely as I pass through the gate, barred to all but the dead. I walk through the cavernous tunnel and encounter a great meadow, in which thousands of souls are wandering aimlessly, empty shells with no memory of their former lives.

I leave the meadow and follow the path, eventually reaching a fork in the road. One path is brightly lit, and I hear the faint sounds of celebration. The other is in darkness, and I hear the distant sounds of screaming and pain. Three men appear in front of me; the judges, ready to sentence me to my fate.

Their faces grim, my heart fills with fear; am I condemned to reside in the darkest of dark places, punished and alone? Their faces lift, and they joyfully gesture towards the light passageway. Relief floods through me, and I follow the path until I reach my paradise.