Authors Note: The Iliad is the story of the great war between Greece and its allies vs. Troy. A king had an exquisitely beautiful daughter, Helen, who all princes wished to marry. He declared that everyone must respect the prince whom Helen chose, and if anyone tried to steel her, all Greece must go to war to get her back for her husband. It seems like a personal problem for Helen's husband, yet when she was inevitably stolen by Paris of Troy, all of Greece and extras such as the brave and strong Achilles came to fight Troy to get her back. If you want to read more about Grecian War and some motives of why many people came to fight, visit the Ancient History Encyclopedia. The particular part of the Iliad I am basing my story off of is called "Hector and Andromache". Hector is the hero of Troy and Andromache is his wife. They have a beautiful, blonde, baby boy called Scamandrius, but since Hector is so beloved throughout the city, the citizens call his son "City King". Hector eventually dies in a hot and long-winded battle between he and Achilles, and so his son is left with only a mother. Then too, King Priam dies, and Scamandrius is left without a grandfather. This is the story of "City King" or Astyănax and his rise to fame under his fathers name.
Caption: Apollos Snake
Since the infamous battle between Troy and Greece over the fair Helen's hand, Troy had been lost. Those who escaped the battle fled far beyond the reaches of Greece to land which they called Sarce. It was here that they built their new lives.
Among the refugees were Andromache and her son, Scamandrius of Troy, or Astyănax, the City King, as the people called him. His father, Hector, was beloved by all of Troy for his heroic exhibitions in battle before his death and the fall of their city. Therefore, the people loved Scamandrius due to the legacy of his father.
The Trojan refugees lived in Sarce for a number of years. They grew in number until there were enough of them that the people decided they needed a new king. At this time, Andromache approached the few men remaining from Troy and said to them, "Men of Troy. The people of our new land have found it favorable to elect a king of Sarce. If you would have it be so, my son is of but twenty years and should be king. For he has the wit and the will of his father Hector, of which you valued so highly prior to his death by Achilles hand."
At this the present assembly was well pleased, for all loved Astyănax. However, due the growing yet small nature of Sarce, they needed a strong king, and Scamandrius had only lived in a time of peace. He had not yet been able to prove himself of strength. At this, a man named Taurus spoke, "There was once a tradition performed by Sparta. When a young man was next in line to be king, he was sent out into the forest with not even a shield to protect him. If he stayed and came back not only alive, but alive and unharmed, he was fit to be king."
The rest of the assembly agreed that this is what they would need from any young man wishing to lead, so Andromache went back to tell Scamandrius the news. "Scamandrius, do you yet love me as your mother?" she asked, "And do you yet heed my words? Have I not taken care of you these twenty years while you have had no father to lead us?".
"Yes mother, you have but been my mother and brought us here to live though our city had perished," replied Scamandrius. He loved Andromache dearly. "What is it that you would have me do?"
"My son, your bravery and legacy are being put to the test. The men of this city say you may be king, but only at the cost of your safety. You are to go to the wilderness, the forests beyond the valley, with nothing but a spear to defend yourself. There, stay well and come back within three days unscathed. Then you shall live up to your name of Astyănax, and the people will make you king for your bravery."
So, the next morning Scamandrius was off. The journey to the forest was grueling. The sun beat down, and outside of Sarce there was rarely a blade of grass to be seen. The path was all dessert. At a point, he came upon the edge of wilderness and sighed a great relief for now he would be out of the sun. It was, however, almost dark, so Scamandrius began looking for a shelter. At once, he spotted a branch in a nearby tree and thought to himself, "If I was to get a vantage point, this would be the one. I can see the forest below, and the treeline above. Surely if I was to leave this place, I will need to be able to see clearly." And at that he climbed into the tree and fell asleep.
Apollo, the god who loved Troy before the fall, saw the errand that Scamandrius was sent on. He thought to himself, "I can help this along. I will send a beast so sneaky that if Scamandrius is to slay it, he will think himself worthy to return and be the king." At this, he sent a snake as long as a trireme to the tree which Scamandrius lay.
"hissssssssssss." Scamandrius listened. He could hear a sound that sent chills down his spine coming from somewhere in the distance. "hisssSSSSSSSSSS." It was coming closer. He leaped up, forgetting he was in a tree, almost falling to the ground out of sheer terror. Looking around, he spotted a glimpse of a tail to his right. Then there was a head to his left. It was a snake, and it was closing in on him! In his commotion, Scamandrius lost his spear. Looking around, he found it a foot away. Grabbing it quickly, he turned to face the snake head on. It came closer. He thought about puncturing its stomach as it was to his right and much closer than its head. However, he also thought that if he hit it head on, perhaps it would die much quicker. There was no more time to think, though because WHAM the tail hit him in the leg. Getting up quickly, he saw it was now or never. He rushed upon the open mouth of the snake coming towards him like a flash, threw the spear into the opening and ducked. The spear found its target.
Apollo was pleased with his performance, and so he gave Scamandrius strength that he had never had before. Ready to be home and feeling as though he had done quite enough to be king, Scamandrius dragged the snake body the journey home.
Andromache, aching for her son to come back safely, was waiting at the city's edge. She spotted him in the distance and ran to get the men. They came as Scamandrius returned, and at once proclaimed, "Welcome back Astyănax for you are, as your father was, fit to be our king."
Caption: City King
Bibliography. The Iliad, a poem retold by Alfred J. Church by Homer. Web source.
Hello Carli! I really like your story. Your vocabularies and words are beautiful flow well in your writing. Your description of the fight was very detail and I can literally visualize it in my head. It is interesting that you extend the story after the war and the fall of Troy because in the Troy movie, the story ends there as well. I really like Hector and was sad when he is killed, but I'm glad you tell a story of his son becoming a great king!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your story. I had read variations of the tale of Scamandrius and in most he was killed as a child, so I really liked the different direction of this story. It’s interesting to read about how he had to rise to power as opposed of just being given the title because of his father. I enjoyed the addition of Apollo, it makes sense that he would assist him. Great story, I am looking forward to reading more of your stories.
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