#MUSE / Patroclus

[simsim54]

There’s something incredibly endearing and heartwarming about the taller person in the relationship being the little spoon.

Like Achilles may be hailed as Aristos Achaion on the battlefield, but in the quiet of the night, behind all that bravado, there is left a man who felt safe only in the arms of his therapon, his beloved, Patroclus.

[authorafterhours]

For all that Hannibal compared the two of them to Greek heroes, Will did become Hannibal's Achilles heel.

[flaviafulvia]

Thinking about how Patroclus is loved so much. All the men at least weep for Patroclus, until Achilles sends the bulk away and only his most intimate friends, the other commanders, stay and mourn. Thinking about how hard Menelaus and Ajax fought for him, the latter protecting him under his shield. Thinking about Zeus himself loving him even after he killed his favorite son. Thinking about how Peleus raised him “kindly,” and thinking about how apparently Achilles promised Meneotious he would bring him back from Troy, as his father still loved him too. Thinking about how Homer himself refers to him as “Lord Patroclus.” Thinking about how he gets his aristeia only when he leaves Achilles’s side in battle for the first time, racking up the highest death count in the Iliad until the narrative himself has to stop him from doing more.

Also thinking about how so much of this is not in the common perception of him. I don’t blame any one work for not going into it, but god I wish I saw it more elsewhere. His absence was felt by Achilles, but it’s so important that it was felt elsewhere too. For an afternoon the whole war turned on his little body. In the Iliad, he is among the best and the best-loved among there, but he is taken first among the major players and among the first of any non-red shirts in the war in general. He’s a stand-in on one hand for Achilles and on another for the youth, goodness, innocence etc. of so many unnamed soldiers, but to the extent he is Patroclus you mostly see how he is missed. How he won’t care for the horses, how he won’t feed his dogs from the table anymore, how he won’t shoot the shit with Achilles again next to a late night fire, stuff you never see him do alive. (He does cook, wordlessly)

But also…

Did Patroclus ever resent Achilles? He disobeys him, going further than his commander told him to, and tries to take Troy himself, which would rob Achilles of his glory. Unfortunately for him, Achilles’s story is more important and he’s not *allowed* to be more than a part of it.

Of course after he dies he says he will miss their late night chats more than anything. He loved Achilles enough to trade whatever other destiny he could have had without him.

[azurejacques]

Rereading the Song of Achilles and god, even the end of the first chapter- I’m not sure I really fully grasped how sad it is

It is the only memory I have of my mother and so golden that I am almost sure I have made it up. After all, it was unlikely for my father to have allowed us to be alone together, his simple son and simpler wife. And where are we? I do not recognize the beach, the view of coastline. So much has passed since then.

Just like,,, gods. It’s such a good set up for his characterization idk. Like I have more thoughts but idk how to express or word them lmao.

[beemintty]

so I've discovered there are lots of epic the musical lovers on here and therefore lots of greek mythology lovers on here.

so, tell me your favourite god, goddess, nymph, giant, titan, hero or creature!!

what other mythologies are we into?

[johannestevans]

let's do it

[mechanica1-hands]

[emerges from a pool of blood and viscera]

hi i just wrote a paper on manhood in the iliad and i didn't get to write about everything i wanted to because me and my project partner were too mentally ill about the iliad already and there was a page limit so now i have so many words about the way men will define themselves in times of war and how those aspects which are most important to their character get amplified and how their relationships to their fathers are so defining of how they view themselves as men and also how men will form bonds beyond simple companionship and how they need each other and AURGHHHHHAHFA AFLAJD [explodes]

[flowersforfrancis]

[doombringcr]

// Moros' anger-adjacent emotions usually have three levels of intensity: mildly inconvenienced, exasperated and Achilles.

[resolutepath]

[ pat, for achi ] ❝ every time you smile at me, i memorize it. i remember each moment that i get to be the one to bring out that light inside you. no matter what happens between us, that’s what i’ll remember. ❞

@caemthe

Oh how Patroclus' words reduce his chest to the flutter of wing beats, cheeks flushed with a gentle bloom of pink, eyes softening with the adoration he holds. Here, Achilles lays down his spear a while and becomes the man nor the warrior for the time. His calloused hands seek his lover, one hand coming to cup his cheek, thumb brushing tenderly over his lips, tugging ever so gently, before it slips backwards, cradling him reverently.

"The light is yours, these moments ours. There is no one else I could share them with, no one else I'd want to. I am yours in perpetuity, have you not realised that?" The laughter that flutters off his lips is light and gentle, and he leans in to claim a soft kiss ignoring the sensation beneath the words, pushing it down. There's something about them that feels like a goodbye, but - he reasons with himself - perhaps it is just the fear of the battle. The knowing that each day they go to fight may be their last. Not if he can help it, he'd tear the world asunder if it meant coming back home.

He barely parts from Patroclus' lips before he claims another fleeting thing, chaste but no less full of love, something adoring to hook the other in and draw him from his devoted words and the way he made him warm with the unabashed way he speaks, leaving him breathless. Slowly he lowers himself backwards, shifting away with the hint of a smile upon his lips, fingertips skating across Patroclus' cheek then down his chest.

"Come, lay with me, if you so wish it. Whatever you want, I am yours. Tomorrow the world can have me back, the war can make use of me, but tonight, here it is only your words that I care for, you that I crave..." His boldness shines through despite the pink flush that shines through, the brattish attitude he often carries letting him speak as he desires. In truth he simply wants Patroclus to distract himself, to shut out the world around them for this little pocket of time they can claim as their own. Who knows when they will find it again.

[simsim54]

What's your favourite trope?

When those blond, straight-haired royals decide to ditch the crown and go all rebel because they’re head over heels for curly-haired, brunette boys!!!!! 🤴👨‍❤️‍👨👑💔📜

[authorafterhours]

Hannibal, buddy, I know you like comparing yourself to Achilles and Will to Patroclus, but uh... you do remember Patroclus died, right?

[frogwithastrawberry]

Just finished Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and OH MY GOD

I AM HAVING SO MANY THOUGHTS

(Also Spoiler Warning for the end of the book)

So, it's in Patroclus's POV, right?

Meaning that he describes people

I've noticed that when he describes women, he describes them with things relating to nature, or emotions, things that one may find beautiful, but not attractive

However he describes men as stronger things, for example he compares Hector's muscles to a temple of the gods, which are always crafted to be the best things around, the most beautiful, and to represent the gods themselves: the most severe of humans, their worst faults, their best talents, and more often than not thekr best looking

I just think that it's a more subtle way of showing his sexuality. You don't see that a lot in LGBTQ novels, especially romance ones, it's usually moreso just "Hi! I'm gay! That's it!" I really like the subtle influence of it on his daily life.

And now: Another musing from Song of Achilles, from the point of view of someone familiar with the myth.

So, we all know about the Achilles heel, right? There's a tendon named after it and everything. It's a popular metaphor for someone's weakest point. But it gets that name literally, because when Achilles was a small child, a newborn, Thetis dipped him into the River Styx, the river of hatred essentially. This dip made him completely unharmable, unless someone hit his heel.

In the book he dies from a strike to his mid back. This wouldn't work with the myth, as there's no way Thetis could have held him there. However, it's also a spot that is covered by his armor. It would be nearly impossible to hit if he was standing, even with the breath of a god guiding the arrow. But that's part of what makes the heel so important. The heel is, yes, exposed and makes more sense logically to hit, but it's also (in my opinion) a show of luck and recklessness.

Paris had great luck in hitting the heel, with it being such a small target, but Achilles, if he were in his right mind and not consumed by grief of his own fault, would have also probably thought better than having his weak point exposed to where a god would be hiding. Or at least, where Archers would be hiding, since it's pretty much impossible to hit such a small target with something as large as a sword or a spear. It would have to be an arrow, and I think it would have been cool if the book incorporated that. Or if the book had the river god actually hit him, since he wouldn't have been wounded from it. But there's also the really cool recurring thing of this managing to actually follow this myth by having Patroclus's death, like Brieses said, be his own fault. Patroclus would do anything for Achilles, and Achilles was too consumed by pride that took over to full the numbness that took place when he became desensitized to death and injury. And there's also the fact that: there is no indication of Achilles noticing this. He believes that Brieses's words are just the words of a madwoman, and ignores them in favor of stoking the fire that's his anger. But if he had put thought into this, used the brain that's part of why he was called the beat of Greeks, he'd have noticed this. His death wouldn't have been avoidable, since that's how prophecies work, but it may have at least been honorable .

Anyways I may reblog and add more at some point. ALSO DISCLAIMER: I know that there's so many versions of this myth, that's the version that I read. It may not line up with everyone else's versions that they've read, but that's just the beauty of old mythology.

[ancientgreekyuri]

I don't talk about him much but Patroclus is my Other fav Hades game chara I really like his sarcasm and general depressed nature <3 i like to imagine him and dia are close but he Cannot approve of her choice in husband (theseus specifically. asterius is fine)

[quillheel]

sleep meme / hermes & patroclus.

tagged by: @nectaric thank u vvvvv much &lt;33 !! tagging: @askganondorftobadragmire @jfouler @thetowermuse (for octavo or burgh?) @nerofcrte @mightiestbanana @lcngdays (for angel or beldane?) @vonerde @drachliebe @tenebriism (for zagreus or yusuke?)

type of bed. hermes has adapted to a great many of different beds, and perhaps unlike some of his more luxury inclined brethren, he's really not picky beyond the surface being relatively clean & solid enough to support his weight. His chosen place of rest at his home, however, when he has the time to sleep there, is a klinē, a type of bed / couch often used for banquets ( symposia ). it's often considered a more luxurious piece of furniture, especially for the heroised, but he's never cared about little things like that. it's comfortable and easy on the legs, and that's all that really matters for him.

number of blankets. none, usually! the ichor in his veins, half brother to Apollo & son of Zeus, results in him almost always kept warm enough despite his light clothing. It does effect him, certainly, but it's never enough to bother with weighing himself down over. he prefers the speed & ease of getting up quickly without the blanket ( as well as disliking the pressure on his wings ) more than he dislikes the weather effecting him.

number of pillows. usually only one or two at home, though his usual default is using his messenger bag as one, or stealing a bundle of hay to act as a quick & easy one. his preferred pillow, if it can be helped, tends to be people instead. be it lover, friend, family, he sleeps best with them as a cushion ( plus, it's an easy method to be annoying if he so chooses <3 )

type of clothing. hermes often just wears his usual chiton, not even bothering to remove his boots usually, though sometimes he does sleep nude! he considers it more comfortable but usually can't be assed

does it matter where they sleep? not in the slightest! Hermes will sleep anywhere, in barns or branches, floor or rafters, bed or not, he's never been the type to hold himself to a high-and-strict standard when it comes to where he rests, no holy ground to hold his body when anywhere works fine, especially when its so fleeting when he ever needs to at all. he'd rather rest among his brethren than act as though above.

what do they do if they cannot fall asleep?  oftentimes, just get back to work! there's always something to do across the world, Olympus and underworld, always something to carry, always something to say. though, it's very rare for Hermes to be unable to sleep unless something is really weighing him down, often regarding those close to him. if he doesn't feel like working, he'll often busy himself with company. it's very rare for anyone to turn down a God when they come to visit.

frequent dreams, nightmares. Hermes does not dream often. he jokes, maybe taunts, that the Oneiroi can't catch him. when he does dream, they're prophetic and intense, violent. they're not dreams at all, so much as they're an unconscious world pungent with the intention to tell him something, communication in the harshest senses, thick with burning and herbs and a thousand different prophecies, a million different secrets. how cruel it is, to be privy to such worlds as those, in the lines between the dead & the living. how often he is tasked with carrying ones of his own.

deep slumber or naps? Naps! Hermes does not sleep often whatsoever, so often he gets away with small naps, usually not even bothering to lie down. Though, when he DOES sleep properly ━ usually alongside someone else or in his own home ━ he sleeps deep, sometimes for 2 days or longer. only once every couple months, does it feel like the gaps of communication in the world go silent, like a network gone dead, an almost visible tension for the mortal world. a brief glimpse of the state without Hermes, no one to carry voices, no one to carry prayers. no one can do it like he can, and no one ever will.

when do they sleep? he sleeps whenever he pleases, mostly, when he does sleep that is.

what could wake them up? when napping, Hermes is VERY easy to wake up, but when he's sleeping more properly it depends heavily on who it is trying to. if a fellow God or divine entity attempts it, it's almost impossible bar stabbing him in the chest or otherwise doing major harm to him, but he answers, unhesitatingly, to prayers. he will not answer his godly kin, but he will answer, unfailingly, to his mortal brethren. you do not need to wake him; he will always come.

type of bed. Patroclus was accustomed to a great many makeshift beds in his lifetime, be it more lovingly constructed ones, ones he made himself ( often quickly, not bothering for a great deal of effort for a great deal of time he just couldn't spare ), or the ground itself. His most commonly used one would be a portable mattress made of cloth and stuffed with wool and Aegina bird's feathers, a gift from his grandmother: a nymph of that island, a labor of care of which he'd rely upon during the war. during his time within his own home & in Elysium, he'd likely have been offered to sleep upon Klinai, but very often would trade his bed to someone else, often the women of his home, for him to instead sleep on the floor. He still does, lying in the fields of Elysium, only restless greets him: for the dead cannot sleep, and he, always too weighted, to rest.

number of blankets. usually he used his himation as one, as was standard practice. when needed, he'd also use a sheep-skin blanket to fight off the cold, one he'd offer to his fellow soldiers often who didn't have their own.

number of pillows. none, usually. sometimes, especially if he was wounded, he'd accept or make makeshift ones for himself ( usually stuffed with grass or worn straw ) before giving them to others when he didn't need them anymore. This practice of going without continues in Elysium, despite the array of velvets offered always to him.

type of clothing. it varies. there'd been many times in Patroclus' life where he'd fall asleep in his armor, often midway through dismantling it from his person when exhaustion won over him, where Achilles would have to carefully, skillfully, strip it off of him before lying him to rest properly, good sleep eternally a valuable resource in limited supply. same going for him simply sleeping in his day-clothes, as long as they weren't dirty from the work. though the most often trend was only bothering to wrap himself in spare pinned cloth that'd last as a substitute for night-clothes until his usual clothes were clean and dry for the next morning. Patroclus never is dirtied in Elysium, and never sleeps, so he never changes. To do so would be taking energy from a pool that is always too shallow to drink from

does it matter where they sleep? yes and no. the quality of his sleep is effected, and he'll often struggle more to fall asleep when resting in places too quiet or too in anticipation of something ( his home & the tents often falling into either or both ), but he could still fall asleep there. he often felt most comfortable near rivers or the sea, the sound of moving water. he'd call it a gift from Achilles, to be so peaceful there, when he was borne from it. Thetis, never a guardian here, but never an enemy. it was all Patroclus could ask of her, in the way he did not ask at all, feeling unfit to.

what do they do if they cannot fall asleep?  busies himself with other restless souls or with things to improve, tasks to do under the quiet of night, or doing them as Achilles sleeps nearby providing them to be quiet enough. He'd often find circles of other restless soldiers and sit with them, talking softly through the night, as he worked at his armor or something other. he often felt guilty, when Achilles would awake without him there and go searching, unable to find it in himself to wake him for such small pains as his lack of rest. in Elysium, he is always awake, and prefers to be alone, which is to say, he has never enjoyed being alone, but he chooses it regardless, as it was chosen for him.

frequent dreams, nightmares. his dreams always were a mix of signs given to him in empty messages. the effort to say something to him each time he dreamed, but full of empty shapes to fill the air alongside it, as though to cloud what vision was intended for him to see. his nightmares, often and unrelenting, he believed to be the distilled versions of these signs attempted to be communicated to him turned angry and forceful with their lack of acknowledgement, turning to a curse to bare instead. he'd apologize to Achilles as a vessel to the gods after waking, often not realizing he had at all. the apology for something not his fault.

deep slumber or naps? Patroclus has always been a relatively light sleeper, so napping has often been difficult for him on top of the desire he has to stay conscious incase he's needed, leading to him often only sleeping instead out of simple exhaustion

when do they sleep? when night falls, usually if he can help it, though sometimes he winds up sleeping at dawn.

what could wake them up? a small shake or a loud enough recital of his name is usually enough to do it, though he often wakes with a jolt, anticipating the worst even in his unconsciousness

[johannestevans]

on teepublic

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