Week 3 Storytelling: Side Character Microfictions

Statuette of Hephaestus 

Mary Harrsch. Web Source: Flickr

 "Hephaestus's Narrative"

    All I want is peace. Others may look at me and wonder about my appearance, but it bothers me not. To survive in Olympus and to have a relationship with my parents required me to become a peacemaker. Just today, I used my deformed appearance to prevent a quarrel amongst the gods. While they argued about what to do for Achilles, I thought what I could do for them. As my family took its places for their evening meal, I took the place of our beautiful servant boy and served them wine. They mocked and scorned me, but it brought peace.

"The Horses in Mourning"

    "Surely, we have been cursed!"

    The horses of Achilles stood to the side of the battle, refusing to care about the consequences. Their beloved Patroclus was dead. Was this a punishment from Zeus? He had given them immortal life, undying spirits. But this grief, this pain, was a torture worse than death. How could the world keep on spinning, the armies keep on fighting, when this kind of pain was a common experience? No creature, man or beast, should be forced to endure such misery. It was unjust. What had they done to offend Zeus and bring down this curse?

"He Never Came Home"

    I warned him. I begged, I pleaded. But it was to no avail. He was too brave, too clever, too proud. And now my son... my son is left alone. Is he to be an orphan? This pain is too great for me to bear. The only one that feels my pain is Priam. Paris is too selfish. He won't stop talking about "the sacrifices of war." How Helen can stay with him, I do not understand. If war requires sacrifices, why did Hector have to make it? Why couldn't it be Paris? Why my husband, my true love?

Authors note: I read Homer's Iliad this week, and there were several side characters whose internal monologues I was curious about, which is what led to these three "microfictions." I didn't change the plots in any way, I just tried to write a non-existent internal monologue for some of my favorite side characters. The first one takes place in Olympus, as Achilles' mother has begged Zeus to take pity on her son, but that is adding to the conflicts between Zeus and Hera. In an attempt to ease the tension on Olympus, Hephaestus takes on the role of a servant and serves everyone wine at their meals, and everyone laughs at him for his limp and deformities. This struck me as so selfless, that I wanted to imagine Hephaestus as a "purer" god, despite his appearance, than the beautiful (but horrible) other gods.

The second story, "The Horses in Mourning," takes place after the death of Patroclus. They are Achilles horses, and he lent them to Patroclus (who went into the battle to try and help the Greeks, but Achilles was still refusing to fight after Agamemnon's mistreatment of him). They are immortal beings, but then are sad and mourn Patroclus. I was struck by the idea of an animal having to endure part of the basic human condition, so I wanted to explore that.

The third story is from the perspective of Andromache, the wife of Hector (the brother of Paris, who stole Helen away, starting this whole war). Andromache was terrified that Hector wouldn't return, and so I wanted to think from her perspective. I also wanted to consider how terrible it must have been to lose your husband because your brother-in-law couldn't be satisfied with any other woman than one who was already married.

Bibliography: Homer's The Iliad, retold by A.J. Church.