#erotokritos

[gemsofgreece]

https://www.efsyn.gr/tehnes/ekdoseis-biblia/o-logos-stoys-syggrafeis/65951_erotokritos-proto-mesogeiako-fantasy?amp

Found a graphic novel of Erotokritos and omg why I didn't know about this? It's made by Greeks, the art is beautiful and it tells one of the most epic and underrated fantasy stories in Greek literature.

Again Erotokritos as a movie/series when? HBO you want something like Game of thrones?? Look no further that this story.

Erotokritos is not known abroad yet so it could only be made by Greeks and it would take long before HBO became aware of it. (Also I freaking love Game of Thrones too but the philosophies between the two are chaotically different.) I didn't know about this comic, it's out since 2016, but it's not the first one. I own a Classics Illustrated about Erotokritos

which is old school, but personally I love old school. The new one looks pretty cool though. The Classics Illustrated designed the comic based on the Frankish rule which was contemporary to Kornaros in the 17th century Crete, but the new comic does mostly what Kornaros did in his story, he blends Ancient Athens, Byzantium, the Frankish rule and the Balkans in a timeless Greek universe, which I love.

The era mix is strong in the cover too. I like it.

What I always think is if there was a big budget movie for Erotokritos, with all its era mix, imagine the costumes and the architecture. Ah. And the soundtrack should be certainly strictly based on Halaris’ composition (you know, the famous folk songs).

[girlwhodoeskratom]

Valerie Celis @ Erotokritos Spring/Summer, 1998 Ready-to-Wear

[attichoney4u]

So, I recently decided to draw a character in a different style, but I didn't know who. Suddenly, "Erotocritos" came to my mind and thought that it would be a good idea to draw its female leader Aretousa.

Here, she's depicted wearing an ancient greek style dress and thinking of Erotocritos' song towards her.

Her design ia based from a comic book adaptation of Vintzedios' novel, written and designed by Giorgos Goussis, Dimosthenis Papamarkos and Yannis Ragos.

And the greek translation of the lyric above…

[slaymate]

I love your AUs <3 I had not heard of the Venetocracy one before but it sounds super intriguing as well! Do you have any recommendations for books/shows/movies that have similar vibes? :) (Also, have you read Matomena Chomata by Dido Sotiriou?)

Similar to the Venetocracy AU? For all it's bad aging, I can't recommend the classic ballad Erotokritos enough. To me it's the pinnacle of chivalric love, and Aretousa's monologue refusing to marry anyone but Erotokritos and describing her nuptials with Death instead is just [chef's kiss]. Has me screaming every time! I also recently enjoyed the heist fantasy novel An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass, the subtle romantic subplot in that Italian Renaissance-inspired world is a whole mood.

I have started to compile a much longer list of what I call OC-adjacent media related to the 1920s AU, but as you said, it's mostly vibes, and some get extremely vague. I'll try and only give examples of content that is available in English translation, but Matomena Homata is one of them, which was translated to Farewell, Anatolia (I haven't gotten through Sotiriou's backlist yet, but so far it's been as lovely as it's been shocking). [tw for genocide, physical and sexual violence, war etc. apply for most of the recommendations]

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: The beginning of this in its entirety magnificent novel is probably the most striking account of the Catastrophe of Smyrna I have read. High-budget TV show when?

Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières: Idk why this Frenchman loves writing about Greek history so much, but I'll take it. This novel depicts the peaceful coexistence of cultures in Anatolia before nationalism took hold of Europe.

Little England (2013): Oh my god, my favourite movie... I'm sure the Picknick on Hanging Rock and Frantz girlies out there will understand. Andreas Konstantinou, main Alki hair inspiration, let me caress your nose.

Nyfes (2004): Perhaps more palatable to an anglophone audience (because less indie), and by the same director as the previous recommendation, this movie gives me the OC tingles each time.

Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali: The best of pre-colapse Ottoman Empire and Weimar Republic combined, a lovely bit of classic Turkish fiction.

Poetry by Kostas Karyotakis: Get these vibes.

Titanic (1997): Yes, the Titanic. It's the drama, the class divide, the disaster for me. 5-year old me saw Billy Zane in Celine Dion's MV for "My Heart Will Go On" and thought I can fix him. So I did!

The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman: WWI and its aftermath as experienced in Smyrna, told from Turkish, Greek and Armenian POVs. Another hard book to get through, read at your own discretion.

The Promise (2016): A historical the Armenian genocide starring Oscar Isaac. The sheer aesthetic of the absinthe-drinking hang-out scene... makes me lose my mind.

I haven't had the time to watch Smyrna, My Beloved and The Red River yet, but they are next on the list.

[kebriones]

There's this guy in Erotokritos who has a drawing on his helmet of Eros bound and being dragged behind a chariot which has always striked me as insanely cool and hot.

[monogreek]

Erotokritos and Aretoussa by Bost (Chrysanthos Bonstanzoglou) (1918-1995)

[theklaapologist]

Tagged by @lusi-1 and @decapitated-barbie :D much love to both of you uwu!! Make a playlist with your url or something like that

P-psycho by muse

R-rachiopoulon by petros gaitanos 😤

I-in the land by Nicole Dollanganger

N-no children by the mountain goats

C-COLORS HALSEY

E-erotokritos by giannis haroulis

S-scarecrow by Pink Floyd

S-solar power by lorde

R-ribs by lorde

E-euronymous by ghostemane

N-nedvaknande by lifelover

K-k by cigarettes after sex

O-observatory mansions by Nicole Dollanganger

U-ultraviolence by lana del rey

E-eisbär by grauzone

N-numb by linkin park

I tag @leichensohn @pk--fire @staliaofatreides @catboyjosten @cannivalisms @xazomara @monaxikos-skantzoxoiros @eosphorusss @purple-amaranthe @pagokolwna @darkside-cookies @kikizoshi @lesbianwilsonx @sugarbunnyyy @kebriones and everyone who wants to play <333

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Some mention how they didn't race swaped Triton as well in the little mermaid...

Can i remind you that Triton was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite?? The literal Gods of the sea in Greek mythology? Race swapping him too would be too much and would only add fuel to the fire.

It's too bad Disney instead of casting Halle as an different heroine with her own story they again used a beloved classic to create controversy and political debate over skin colour.

It's quite good they cast a Mediterranean actor for the role of Triton! It's... an improvement even - which I think happened accidentally 😂 They wanted to make a fictional Carribbean (from what I've seen) and so the Spanish-French type could have matched their vision. I....can see their reasoning but I find it really odd.

Also, regional gods and heroes are immersed in the culture and people who formed their worship. Triton is the same case. (And even his name is Greek, obviously). That's the reason you look for a Chinese person to play a Chinese god or warrior. (Or at least an East Asian person who looks like they could've come from China).

If your reasoning starts and ends with what needs to be represented in Hollywood, then you are not actually respectful of that foreign culture. With that reasoning, if in 100 years there's an abundant of Chinese people in the US media, they "should" start casting other races to play the Chinese deities. That's not how it freaking works 🙄

As for the changes of old characters... it's just weird, man. I absolutely do not mind seeing minorites excelling on screen. What is weird is how they re-skin old stuff all the time "but make it diverse". It's not the end of the world but it's obviously a thing we can talk about. And big companies use this discourse and discord as marketing often so it's not unreasonable to accuse them of pandering and using minorities as fame tokens.

Would I love to see more women on Greek TV? Yes! Will I cringe with a Greek show that makes Karaiskakis or Erotokritos women and that claims to "correct" history and bring modernity? 100% yes. Greeks are also a cultural and racial minority in many countries worldwide. That doesn't mean I want to see them replacing other minorities in media if they don't look the part. (Other minorities have played Greeks because they looked the part. Hell, now Javier Bardem plays a Greek deity and it's...mostly fine)

Just... please make new stories with great diverse characters and with plots and character arcs that make sense!

[gemsofgreece]

Ancient Greece left a mark in myths and literature, but do you know any Byzantine stories that are worth being recognised? Also do you know any stories by modern Greek authors that deserve the same hype as the old ones?

Yes! The issue with Byzantine literature is that too little survives and even less survives in full, which is a result of both the relentless warring and invasions of the Byzantine Empire from west and east alike and the loud indifference regarding the preservation of anything Byzantine for the longest time, as opposed to the mania with Ancient Greek literature.

Regarding Byzantine fiction in specific, which is what I think you are asking, I think three romance novels survive and an epic poetic one. That last one is the trademark of Byzantine literature:

Basil Digenés Akritas (Βασίλειος Διγενής Ακρίτας), 9 - 10th Century

This versed epic novel is the best known amongst the acritic songs. Those poems were about the exploits of the akrites, meaning the soldiers / guards living and protecting the borders of the Byzantine empire. Digenes Akritas was a hero coming from two different bloodlines, as also evident by his epithet "Digenes", his father was a Saracen emir and his mother was of Byzantine Greek noblility in Cappadocia. Digenes has essentially supernatural power - there are herculian parallels - and he is not infallible in his morals - the story narrates his bravery, manliness, exploits and romance(s), and his piety - in a paradoxical combo truly few could master as much as the Byzantines.

Erotókritos (Ερωτόκριτος), 16 - 17th Century

The monumental versed romance of post-Byzantine and very early Modern Greece is this classic of Cretan literature, composed by Vitsentzos Kornaros. Incidentally getting written the same time as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, I will go fully on record saying it's better than Romeo and Juliet. The reason I make this comparison at all is because the general concept is similar, although it unfolds entirely differently in the process; the forbidden love between two young people and the fierce objection of the parents. And also, because I don't get the fuss around R&J. Anyway, apart from the concept, the story is different, it's a friends to lovers, not enemies to lovers, one is a royal, the other is not, and the main character is , again, a super skilled warrior on top of everything else. The story is also set in a fantastical multi-Greek world: it's officially set in Ancient Athens, but it has Byzantine, Cretan, Greek folk and Frankish elements. The lovestory of Erotokritos and Aretusa remains the ultimate Greek romance and the poem has turned into folk songs that are well known and loved by all of us. The Cretan literature of the time produced more notable works, such as Erophile, which is super morbid and dark as hell, but I don't know much about it yet so I can't recommend it.

As for Modern Greek literature, I am going to state another potentially surprising opinion. I do not consider myself an expert at it, however from the little I've read I like it wayyyy more than Ancient Greek literature, excluding the Homeric epics. Granted, it might have to do with how each can possibly resonate with us but it's also about the prose. This is subjective but I LOVE modern Greek prose and poetry. My mouth always threatens to drool when reading the Skiathitic dialect of Papadiamantis *shrug*.

You didn't ask about poetry but modern Greek poetry is 100% verified drool worthy. I don't know if you know Greek though, certainly translations aren't equal to the real thing. Still, I recommend the poetry of Odysseus Elytis, Giorgos Seferis, Constantine Cavafy, Giannis Ritsos, Nikos Kavvadias, Dionysios Solomos and so many more.

As for prose, I will start as a broken record once more, with the short novel "The Murderess" (Η Φόνισσα) by Alexandros Papadiamantis. You need no more description, that's all.

Here is a list of the 200 best modern Greek novels, as voted by readers. It's in Greek though. I didn't know it, but the Murderess is the most upvoted. I approve.

I will add nine more from this list to make a random Top 10 of classics:

Ματωμένα Χώματα (Bloody Earth) by Dido Sotiriou, 1962

Ένα παιδί μετράει τ' άστρα (A child counts the stars) by Menelaus Loudemis, 1956

Παραμύθι χωρίς όνομα (Fairytale without a name) by Penelope Delta, 1910

Η Μεγάλη Χίμαιρα (The Great Chimaera) by Manolis Karagatsis, 1953

Η Ζωή εν Τάφω (Life in the Grave) by Stratis Myrivilis, 1924

Ο Χριστός ξανασταυρώνεται (Christ, Recrucified) by Nikos Kazantzakis, 1948

Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά (Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) by Nikos Kazantzakis, 1946 (also known as "Zorbas the Greek" abroad...)

Το Τρίτο Στεφάνι (The Third Marriage) by Kostas Tachtsis, 1962

Η Πάπισσα Ιωάννα (Popess Johanna) by Emmanuel Roides, 1866

Το Νούμερο 31328 (Number 31328) by Ilias Venetis, 1931

[amaliatheartist]

Erotokritos but with lesbians

[philomatheiaplus]

New article from Philomαtheia! (available in multiple languages, just press “Translate” and select yours)

The interior portrait in Erotokritos

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Thank you, and enjoy your time!

[aromaofgardenia]

Κ' ίντα δεν κάνει ο Έρωτας σε μια καρδιά π' ορίζει!

Σαν τη νικήσει, ουδέ καλό, ουδέ πρεπό γνωρίζει.

~Βιτσέντζος Κορνάρος

[slaymate]

    Κι ό,τι γλυκότη κι ομορφιά εις το τραγούδι δείχνει,          τόσο φαρμάκι και φωτιά με το σπαθί του ρίχνει. 

Erotokritos is a Cretan Renaissance ballad that I’ve been obsessed with since my early teens, and this particular piece was in the making for months. If you’re looking for mutual pining, a clever princess, and swashbuckling Greek troubadours - look no further! Vitsentzos Kornaros already wrote it down for you 400 years ago. His work is so anachronistic, I tried to incorporate everything I weirdly associate with the tale: the Venetocracy influences, the Byzantine aesthetic, a dash of ancient Greece, some fantasy elements perhaps, and of course the all-black-everyday Cretan look. If you aren’t able to find an English translation (in verse!), you can always listen to one of the countless musical adaptations of the traditional melody.

[nsfak]

Ερωτόκριτος-Erotokritos