Here’s a peek into some of my first readings and the first things that inspired me. When I was a kid in the 90s, the end of the school year in June would be marked by a weekly book bazaar, so a young version of me would ask his parents for money to buy a couple of books for the summer. Aside from stuff like Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn or 20000 Leagues Under The Sea, Greek mythology and history were a must; I grew up with these tales, and the myth of Prometheus shaped my future writings in more ways I could possibly imagine. The first story in ‘Soulflowing Fire’ is called ‘Prometheus’ and is a version of the titan stealing fire from the gods, while Kain Morgenmeer (@kain_morgenmeer ) also created an illustration called ‘Prometheus’ for the ‘True To One’s Own Daimon’ poem collection (this illustration will be posted later in the week).
The picture is from a book on Greek mythology I had bought back then (I have many more books, and I may post more pictures whenever I am back home), and it’s the second story, the book attempting to convey some sort of timeline (the first story describes the Titanomachy, whereas the third story tells of Pandora and Epimetheus). The illustration, created by the Italian Libico Maraja (like all other illustrations in the book) shows Herakles attempting to approach the exhausted Prometheus in order to free him, while the eagle of Zeus looms menacingly above him. In the story, Herakles manages to slay the eagle and free the titan, but what happens to the latter after that is not known, due to Aeschylus’ final play ‘Prometheus Fire-Bringer’ being long lost.
Regardless, the story of messianic figures accepting punishment for their deeds (helpful actions towards humans) is one that can be found in many mythologies or religions. I’ve also uploaded some bonus pictures of the book’s cover (depicting the Minotaur and Ariadne), my name in my primary school handwriting, and also the illustration for another story about Daedalus and Icarus.
