#iphicles

[melampyguss]

(tw: blood, depictions of death) do you guys think heracles thinks of him and his brother when he sees his sons

[sarafangirlart]

I wonder what Heracles and Alcmene’s relationship is like, obviously she loves him as well was her grandchildren but at the same time… she attempted to expose him, while exposure wasn’t considered evil back then it still meant she valued Iphicles over Heracles, at least at the time. Her legitimate child that she had willingly vs the child she had through rape.

It also makes me think about the reason for the rape itself, Zeus didn’t impregnate her out of lust but out of power bc he wanted a son to “rule those around him” and become king, and bc Alcmene is from Mycenae, one of Hera’s favorite cities, it’s particularly insulting for her, so of course she’d intervene and cause Alcmene so much suffering.

So in a twisted way, Heracles not becoming a king is doing Amphitryon and Alcmene a favor, Amphitryon doesn’t have to answer to the son of the god who cucked him and raped his wife (there is even a version where he was the one to put snakes on baby Heracles to see if he’s his child), Alcmene’s rapist fails on what he sets out to do when he used her body without her consent, so there is a small victory there for her, tho knowing that your child could’ve been king but was instead forced to go on all these labors and leave home years on end probably cancels that out.

There’s also the fact that Heracles and Hera became besties even after everything she put his mother through.

[fleurbleedinghearts]

Sometimes I wonder how Heracles felt about Pollux get to keep his mortal half forever, unlike him

[s-c-r-ee-ch]

Infant Heracles strangling the snakes

Red-figured calyx-krater (400 BCE) attributed to the Nazzano painter.

Apollo is seated in the centre, and below him the infant Herakles strangles the snakes, while his half-brother Iphikles reaches towards their nurse. On the right, Athena; on the left, Hermes with Artemis. Above left is Zeus with Hera or Alkmene, flanked by erotes; above right, Dionysos seated.

[iolausian-fields]

I wish we could have seen more of Iphicles. I don’t particularly like him. But I do find him interesting and underused.

I wanted to see more of Hercules and Iphicles’ sibling relationship. Iphicles is only in 4 episodes, and in 2 of them the brothers hardly exchange words!

I wanted to know how Iphicles was as a king. Did Jason pick a worthy successor?

I wanted to know why Jason picked Iphicles! We had never seen them even meet! But I sure hope Jason made an informed decision and not just picked his soon-to-be wife’s son on her word that he is a good man. (She hadn’t heard from him in years quite recently either!)

I wanted him to have a more worthy ‘goodbye’. His life just seems so sad, even after he became king.

In Love Takes a Holiday, Iolaus mentions that Hercules is visiting Iphicles and Rena, who are about to have a baby.

In Surprise there is no mention of either Rena or baby.

In War Wounds Rena is dead and Iphicles is in shambles because his kingship made him not be by her side in her final moments. There is no mention of a child.

Just a short time later, in Twilight, Alcmene dies, and Iphicles again isn’t there because ‘he is at sea’ (presumingly on royal business) and he can’t be reached. What that news does to the man we will never know because he is never mentioned again :(

[jejesoso]

Opposite twins

Baby Iphicles when he sees a snake:

Baby Heracles when he grabs a snake:

[kingbryancroidragon]

Just a thought in regards to how many portrayals of Castor and Polydeuces I have seen them as identical twins, but since they have different fathers, shouldn't they be fraternal twins instead? Even in portrayals where they have the same father, wouldn't having them be fraternal help differentiate them?

If one would cast different actors for Heracles and Iphicles or just give them different appearances, depending on the medium, why not do the same for Castor and Polydeuces?

[myguiltypleasureiolausnerdy]

[mallowstep]

Leopardstar and Stonefur are already clustered, and Tigerstar touches noses with her.

“He finally surfaces,” Stonefur comments. “We almost could have forgotten you were here.” Fireheart has nothing to say.

“He’s shy,” Leopardstar says. “That’s sweet.”

iphicles (the other twin)

[princess-ibri]

Was there anything to Hercules' foster parents' (Amphitryon and Alcmene) past before they became the Ma and Pa Kent to his Clark/Superman?

Hmm not really. I think they were basically just down to earth Ancient Greek Farm People. Good and reliable.

I have been toying with them possibly fostering another kid later, when Hercules is grown in order to get his half-brother in the mythology Iphicles in? But still thinking on it

[greekaita]

AITA for forcing a woman to stay in intense pain for over a week?

[melampyguss]

i’ve recently taken an interest in heracles and his mortal brother iphicles

[bigfan-fanfic]

Iphicles (Part 3) -

Part 1 Part 2

Dionysus has always been an admirer of mortals.

Humans, despite generally lacking the power of shapeshifting, are so malleable compared to the gods - they can be whatever they wish, while gods are trapped into their own great power.

"Oh, boy, you have no idea what power you have sworn yourself to - what great events you meddle in." Mr. D groans.

The centaur -Chiron - groans alike. "It is not unheard of for the gods to choose a mortal champion. It is not our place to question their decisions."

"Hardly. I shall question as I please, Chiron."

You look at them. "I'm not here to meddle or disrupt. I'm here to protect my brother. What happened last night?"

"Your family were attacked by the Minotaur. And your mother, I believe was taken as... a bargaining chip of sorts. By the Lord of Death."

"I am a mortal. I have no godly ancestor or heroic lineage. That might make me weak. But it makes me strong, too - I am not beholden to the Olympians. I don't believe in your supremacy or omnipotence. You are dangerous, but I am not trapped by the patterns that confine you. I do not fear your Death."

Chiron looks nervous. Dionysus grins. "Well said! I await your imminent demise, but well said."

It is decided that you will stay in the Big House- being a mortal of no lineage, it seems taboo to place you in a cabin. And for a while longer, your little brother remains in the dark about his lineage.

But you walk to the ocean, late at night. "Yuri. Please."

And Poseidon appears to you - there are no taboos or favoritism worries with mortal champions. Often mortals fall beneath the notice of gods.

"Where is my mother?"

"She is with my brother. Hades will not release her."

"Unless?"

Poseidon frowns. "This is not your quest alone. This belongs to Percy."

"She's my mother too."

"I-"

You look at him. "Yuri, please. We're not involved in this."

"Percy must find and return Zeus' master bolt. A son of Poseidon calming our... feud."

"Really? Nature is going crazy, and my mother is being held hostage, my brother is in danger, because you and your brothers are having a pissing contest?" You growl, the rage of the sea cresting within you. Poseidon lays a hand on your chest, and the world seems to calm.

"So you think Hades stole the bolt?"

Poseidon looks at you. "It is not my place to accuse without evidence."

"But if he already has the master bolt, why would he need my mother as a bargaining chip?"

"I do not pretend to know my brothers' minds."

You sigh. "You gods are really starting to get on my nerves."

"Mind your insolence. Few of my relations are as forgiving as I."

You hold your tongue, harsh words leaping unbidden to your lips - channeling your aggression into combat training only works so well, and there is an ocean's worth of fury in you.

"Ease, my champion. I will give you foes to fight soon enough. Stay the course and protect your brother."

He claims Percy after a few more days - you haven't seen the kid often as you want, because camp is a tight ship and full of activities. Though you have been sparring with Luke, who's surprised at your prowess.

Percy looks at you, when it comes time to choose his two companions for a quest.

"I would. But... you're mortal. You cant heal with ambrosia. And if something happens... I can't lose you too, bro."

And you watch your brother walk away.

It hurts, it really does, but - come on, that's your little brother. Did he really think you'd just stay at camp?

You walk towards the beach, and walking out from the seafoam to meet you is a pure-white horse, abalone woven into its mane. It bows to you, and you remember that Poseidon is the Lord of Horses.

You see the blue saddle on the creature, already marked with a trident, and you sling yourself over it - grateful that horseback training had been somewhat covered during your brief time at camp.

The horse gallops over the water with ease, and you hold on tight, hoping against hope it knows where Percy is...

[existentialcrisisetcetera]

does anyone actually have a source on deimos' dad also being zeus?

bc ive gone through all of ghost of sparta and thats literally never mentioned. the wiki says deimos' dad is zeus but again, i cant find an actual source for that.

[lauralot89]

You know what I always find fascinating? When you have a historical sibling that's just, like, forgotten from broader conversation.

Queen Elizabeth I, for example. You've heard of her. There are a not insignificant number of people who view her as one of the greatest of all monarchs ever. There's the whole bizarro Anti-Stratfordian conspiracy theory that hinges on Elizabeth having had a illegitimate child who was secretly the Real Shakespeare because her bloodline MUST have gone on, etc. etc.

And then there's her sister, Mary. You've heard of her Mary. Everybody hates Mary. She's mostly known as a horrible murderess, even though her dad and her sister murdered about just as many if not more people, but the point is, you've heard of her.

But then there's Edward VI, their brother. Does anyone except scholars who specifically study the Tudor monarchy know anything about Edward VI except that he was their brother, and Jane Seymour was his mother?

You also see this with Vlad III, who is viewed as either a folk hero or a genocidal maniac, depending on whose opinion you're listening to. And his brother Radu, who is known for betraying Romania and enslaving his own people, mostly. But then there's Mircea II and Vlad Călugărul. Nobody ever talks about those two.

[henrycollins]

liam garrigan characters can't have normal relationships with their brothers no matter how hard they try