Very clever fusion. In the real world, they were related also, though not in the same way.
In the late ancient world, a growing number of polytheists floated the theory that they all worshipped different gods, just under different names. The only one of those correspondences that really took was the Greco-Roman one, largely because Roman gods didn't originally have the same kind of family relationships that Greek ones did, so it was easy to superimpose the Greek system over the Roman one. That didn't work as well where both religions had divine genealogies. For instance, Thor was identified with Zeus and Odin with Hermes--which turned both the kingship and the father-son relationships completely around.
Another theory, that the gods were both distinct individuals and yet capable of combining with each other worked a little better. This had already been seen in Egyptian belief, for example, in the merger of Amon and Ra into Amon-Ra. The later Greeks fused Helios with Apollo and Selene with Artemis. Yet these fusions were not exclusive, so that Hecate could be regarded as Selene in the heavens, Artemis on earth, and Persephone in the Underworld.
Examples of fusions across pantheon lines occurred in the late Hellenistic period in cases such as Hermanubis. Hermes was more commonly identified with Thoth, which led to the composite figure of Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Greatest), later made a human wisdom figure who supposedly taught magic to Moses and was appealed to as an authority by medieval alchemists.
I'm not sure about how modern polytheists handle some of these issues, but I have read that Kemetists (worshippers of Egyptian gods) endorse the theory that the gods are present both as individuals and as members of flexible combinations.
In my world many of them are rivals or co-exist with their own 'kingdoms' of sorts, with some seeking to dominate men such as in the case of Zeus and others such as Odin wish to nurture humanity. The goal is to keep the myths faithful and yet spin out a series of tales that allow for a kind of Roman mythology to be spun from Greece (one without the Jupiter nonsense) and allows for the Norse, Egyptian and Shinto myths to have more stories to their names.
This really is an evil vs evil story, much more so than anything Martin has written. Zeus is a horrible tyrant in this version, with few of his redeeming qualities, Olympus is a decadent scheming court any sensible person would wish to see fall. And yet Melinoë is just awful. Why does she hate the mother who lived her so. Is it because of Demeter’s verbal poison? I would have though she would have some thought for her own dignity if nothing else, which would be compromised if her mother was violated. Also is Hebe married to Hercules in this version?
Yes it begins that way, and once Melinoe is gone it becomes very much a good vs evil story. The idea is that once Macaria gets involved the story begins to take on a mortals vs Zeus and his court aspect due to the Starjagamen. Much of the tale is inspired by old myths and the Silmarillion.
Macaria herself starts off as almost villainous as her elder sister, and yet the power of faith and love shared between her family, and mortals such as Herakles move her towards redemption. They inspire in her an admiration for Man and mortals, so that the story becomes one of sacrifice and love on her part. Melinoe is the one who starts the ‘rebellion’ but never sees it bear out, and her evil fruit ripens, withers and is replaced by good fruit.
As to Herakles, he won’t start off married to Hebe, but I plan to go through his life and to show how he becomes a god and marries her. Herakles also goes from the Champion of Olympos, and her virtues but he later becomes the Champion of the little guy and after he helps redeem his cousin.
Honestly, the story of Part 2 of the Olympnomachi really picks up after his death to an extent and ascension. While the other gods war over Troy, he works to save other mortals and to fight against the wickedness of his dad’s court. The reason this is; I love Herakles due to Hercules Legendary Journeys and the stories of Herakles.
So if you don’t like stories like Martin’s don’t worry, it gets better. I’ve not revealed everything, there’s a lot more plot points and twists, but this is where Herakles & Macaria stand, and where the story of Melinoe and Herakles is going since you asked.
Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology combined. I had no idea they were that closely related.
Hehehe in my world they are. This is a story I conjured forth from the ether at 14 and have spent almost twenty years working on.
Very clever fusion. In the real world, they were related also, though not in the same way.
In the late ancient world, a growing number of polytheists floated the theory that they all worshipped different gods, just under different names. The only one of those correspondences that really took was the Greco-Roman one, largely because Roman gods didn't originally have the same kind of family relationships that Greek ones did, so it was easy to superimpose the Greek system over the Roman one. That didn't work as well where both religions had divine genealogies. For instance, Thor was identified with Zeus and Odin with Hermes--which turned both the kingship and the father-son relationships completely around.
Another theory, that the gods were both distinct individuals and yet capable of combining with each other worked a little better. This had already been seen in Egyptian belief, for example, in the merger of Amon and Ra into Amon-Ra. The later Greeks fused Helios with Apollo and Selene with Artemis. Yet these fusions were not exclusive, so that Hecate could be regarded as Selene in the heavens, Artemis on earth, and Persephone in the Underworld.
Examples of fusions across pantheon lines occurred in the late Hellenistic period in cases such as Hermanubis. Hermes was more commonly identified with Thoth, which led to the composite figure of Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice Greatest), later made a human wisdom figure who supposedly taught magic to Moses and was appealed to as an authority by medieval alchemists.
I'm not sure about how modern polytheists handle some of these issues, but I have read that Kemetists (worshippers of Egyptian gods) endorse the theory that the gods are present both as individuals and as members of flexible combinations.
In my world many of them are rivals or co-exist with their own 'kingdoms' of sorts, with some seeking to dominate men such as in the case of Zeus and others such as Odin wish to nurture humanity. The goal is to keep the myths faithful and yet spin out a series of tales that allow for a kind of Roman mythology to be spun from Greece (one without the Jupiter nonsense) and allows for the Norse, Egyptian and Shinto myths to have more stories to their names.
And of course a lot of them mutually descend from the Indo European pantheon.
Yeppers
This really is an evil vs evil story, much more so than anything Martin has written. Zeus is a horrible tyrant in this version, with few of his redeeming qualities, Olympus is a decadent scheming court any sensible person would wish to see fall. And yet Melinoë is just awful. Why does she hate the mother who lived her so. Is it because of Demeter’s verbal poison? I would have though she would have some thought for her own dignity if nothing else, which would be compromised if her mother was violated. Also is Hebe married to Hercules in this version?
Yes it begins that way, and once Melinoe is gone it becomes very much a good vs evil story. The idea is that once Macaria gets involved the story begins to take on a mortals vs Zeus and his court aspect due to the Starjagamen. Much of the tale is inspired by old myths and the Silmarillion.
Macaria herself starts off as almost villainous as her elder sister, and yet the power of faith and love shared between her family, and mortals such as Herakles move her towards redemption. They inspire in her an admiration for Man and mortals, so that the story becomes one of sacrifice and love on her part. Melinoe is the one who starts the ‘rebellion’ but never sees it bear out, and her evil fruit ripens, withers and is replaced by good fruit.
As to Herakles, he won’t start off married to Hebe, but I plan to go through his life and to show how he becomes a god and marries her. Herakles also goes from the Champion of Olympos, and her virtues but he later becomes the Champion of the little guy and after he helps redeem his cousin.
Honestly, the story of Part 2 of the Olympnomachi really picks up after his death to an extent and ascension. While the other gods war over Troy, he works to save other mortals and to fight against the wickedness of his dad’s court. The reason this is; I love Herakles due to Hercules Legendary Journeys and the stories of Herakles.
So if you don’t like stories like Martin’s don’t worry, it gets better. I’ve not revealed everything, there’s a lot more plot points and twists, but this is where Herakles & Macaria stand, and where the story of Melinoe and Herakles is going since you asked.