By
Linda Lee Greene
You could see that the three jealous
goddesses were spoiling for a fight. The elaborately patterned marble floor of
the grand hall of the temple almost shuddered under the weight of the war among
them. “Husband! Need I remind you again that this is the night you will decree
me as the most beautiful woman of the kingdom?” Zeus pulled his head away from
his wife, Hera’s whisper, pretending not to have heard her. Without warning, a deep
tremor of thunder harkened a lightning bolt that strobed through the space at
the thrust of Zeus’ hand, snapping the guests to attention. Pitching forward on
her throne next to his on the raised dais at the pivotal side of the room, Hera
let loose an indelicate bray like a startled donkey. Zeus jerked his massive
head in her direction and scowled his discontentment at her. He was weary of
the adolescent competition among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Hera tilted her
head defiantly on her lovely neck and looked down her regal nose at Zeus, her
capable hands smoothing the goatskin cloak that swathed the round proportions
of her body. Although he was king of all the gods, Zeus knew better than to
push Hera too far, for after all, as queen of the realm, she had an iron grip
on the purse strings of the entire pantheon of gods and goddesses.
At the center of the grand hall, reminiscent
of a diva surrounded by adoring fans at the backstage entrance of an amphitheater,
Athena was glorious in her imposing stature, made even more commanding by the
tall shield-shaped helmet on her head and the coat of mail that sheathed her powerful
body shoulder to toe. Androgynous, intoxicating, the goddess drew to herself
like a magnet an assembly of animated soldiers, artisans, and musicians. The
group paid no heed to Zeus’ command, and the lofty marble walls echoed with their
metallic clamor. Annoyed by the insubordination, Zeus shot to his feet and strode
with fierce purpose on his mighty legs to Athena and her entourage. In an
imitation of the Red Sea parting for Moses, Athena’s comrades silenced and
backed off, making way for their master. Swiveling
toward Zeus, Athena reached up and straightened the breastplate that shielded
her torso, a large bronze plate stamped with a likeness of Medusa, the winged Greek
priestess, whose venomous snakes in place of her hair appeared to writhe menacingly
in the fever pitch of Athena’s flared temper. Zeus stopped short in his tracks
and shifted his gaze away at once, wary of the Medusa Curse that might turn
even him to stone.
A peal of voluptuous laughter from a far
corner snatched Zeus’ mind in its sensual grasp. “Aphrodite,” Zeus asserted
below his breath. Although a regular visitor to the temple, the whereabouts of
the goddess was frequently a mystery to her contemporaries. Zeus thought of her
as living in a different world—devoted only to rules of her own making, and
giving quarter to her wanderlust. He was too often taken with concern about the
purity of her virtue and frustrated by the impact of her romantic entanglements
on her reputation. He had invited to the affair, Paris, a handsome young Trojan
prince, who was visiting the kingdom on a mission of diplomacy. Zeus
entertained the hope that Paris would capture Aphrodite’ affection and inspire
her to settle down. Such a dynastic marriage would be a valuable political
asset. Espying Paris only a few paces away, Zeus closed the distance between
them and tapped the prince on the shoulder and took him in tow across the room.
Time was fleeting and nigh for the introduction. The great god had gained word
that Aphrodite had recently returned from a journey to Sparta, there to visit
with her friend, Helen, and he was anxious to sound Aphrodite on her
impressions of the place. He had thoughts of recruiting her to spy on Sparta
through Helen. A bit of grownup responsibility couldn’t hurt Aphrodite in the
least. Her perpetual toddler-like son, Cupid, the offspring of the heated
liaison between herself and Ares, could benefit from some discipline, as well. Aphrodite
taught Cupid nothing of the real world. Their heads were always in the clouds
and their hearts aswoon with nothing but romance and love.
The progress of the god and the prince
was interrupted by a loud scuffle at the entrance. “Eris! That goddess troublemaker!
That infernal pain in my neck!” Zeus spat. “I made a point of making sure she
was not invited. She sows nothing but discord and strife wherever she shows her
sneering face!”
Eris struggled with the burly guards who
held her by her arms. She squirmed and kicked and wailed like a banshee. “Free
me, you brutes!” she screamed and then wriggled free. “Pox on this house, Zeus!”
her acid tongue spewed. And then she pulled a glowing golden apple from beneath
her garment and rolled it across the floor. As if steered perfectly by an
unseen hand, it came to a stop at the exact tip of Zeus’ big right toe. She
twirled triumphantly and disappeared into the night. Paris reached down and
retrieved the apple. FOR THE FAIREST! was scrolled across its skin.
“I want nothing to do with this beauty
contest set in place by my wife and Athena and Aphrodite. It will only bring
trouble on this house. The Oracle told me as much this afternoon.” Zeus
appealed to Paris, “Will you come to my aid and proclaim the winner, my Boy? I
would cancel the whole thing, but Hera would never let me hear the end of it.
Her rants are worse than the Oracle’s harried warnings. Never marry if you
value your peace, my Boy!”
The magical apple pulsating in his palm,
Paris trembled with concern over being wrangled into such a delicate situation.
He opened his mouth to decline Zeus’ plea, but the words stuck in his throat at
the touch of a soft and warm hand upon his arm. “Deem me the most beautiful and
prize me with the golden apple. You have my promise that I will give you powers
and riches beyond imagining,” Hera whispered seductively in his ear.
Athena edged a long and shapely leg
against Paris’ thigh. Her mighty hand buried into Hera’s long hair, she yanked
the queen away from Paris. “Choosing me will guarantee you glory and renown in
war, Your Highness Prince Paris,” Athena assured the befuddled young man.
A swarm of pheromones wafted into Paris’
nostrils and set him dizzy on his feet. “Make way, Athena!” Aphrodite
commanded. “That golden apple is mine! On my oath, my gift to Paris cannot be outmatched.”
Aphrodite swept in and folded the naïve young man into her arms. His knees
buckled and his head reeled in an emotional swirl. Aphrodite drew her luscious
lips to his and kissed him. She pulled away and whispered, “Give the golden
apple to me and in return I promise you the fairest female in all the world for
your wife. No, not I, my Darling, but my friend, Helen.”
“Helen?”
“Wife of King Menelaus of Sparta! Is she
not the fairest of us all?”
“Yes, but…”
“You must place the golden apple in my
hand to show everyone that you favor me, and then I will take you to Helen.”
Their long, sharp fingernails bared and dangerous, Hera and Athena closed in on
the pair, but Zeus stepped in and held them back.
“You want me to willingly submit myself
to the lap of the king of Sparta whose wife I am to steal? I can think of
nothing more foolhardy and perilous. No, madam! I will return to the safety of
Troy.”
“I and my minions, one of whom is the
crafty Ulysses, assure your well-being. The lovely Helen is in Sparta, and
there we must go. She is your destiny. All is fair in love and war, my Darling
Boy.” The golden apple firmly in hand, Aphrodite steered Paris to the doorway.
And so, the universe wheeled a fatal cog
toward the Trojan War, set in motion by Eris, that devil’s handmaiden, that
natural destroyer, that orchestrator of humanity’s deadliest sins. “Evil be thou my good…” Her spawn lives on—still.©
#Zeus,
#Hera, #Athena, #Aphrodite, #Paris, #Eris, #GoldenApple, #AncientSparta,
#AncientTroy, #KingMenelaus, #HelenofTroy, #TrojanWar, #GreekMythology,
#RomanMythology, #Ulysses, #apples, #Covid-19
The above essay is a work of fiction inspired by elements
of both Classical Greek and Classical Roman mythology stories.
Grain-free,
Sugar-free, Gluten-free Fried Apple Ring Pancakes
Ingredients – serves 4
·
1 cup (250 mL) almond flour
·
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
·
¼ tsp (1 mL) baking soda
·
4 large eggs
·
1 tsp (5 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract
·
3 large apples
·
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
·
a dash of nutmeg
·
a dash of cloves
·
½ cup (125 mL) water
·
1 cup (250 mL) honey
·
1 tsp (5 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract
·
Olivio or other olive oil-based
solid spread for frying
Instructions
1. Mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized
bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to the batter. If a
thicker batter is desired, refrigerate for 15 minutes and add more almond
flour.
2. To make honey syrup, heat water in pot over medium heat. Add
honey just before water boils and turn heat to low. Stir well, but do not boil.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and let cool while finishing the rest of the
recipe. Refrigerate leftover syrup.
3. Remove the core of peeled or unpeeled whole apples. Slice
the apples into chunky rings.
4. Add the Olivio (or its equivalent) to the non-stick sauté
pan (iron skillet and iron griddle get too hot for this batter) and bring to medium-high
heat until it melts. Remove from heat if you aren't ready to add the apple
pancakes.
5. Dip the apple rings into the batter until they are
completely covered. Transfer to sauté pan. Spoon extra batter into the apple
core holes.
6. Flip once the pancakes are bubbly and golden brown on the
bottom.
7. Transfer to a serving plate and repeat until all the
pancakes are made. For a low-sugar option, sprinkle sparingly with powdered
sugar, or drizzle with honey syrup. Other delicious toppings are Yogurt or
low-sugar ice cream or melted brie.
Note
– Apples are relatively high in carbohydrates, so this is a recipe to serve as
a special treat only once in a while. Freeze the extra batter for another day.
Freezing extras and leftovers is a good practice during these days of Covid-19.
Multi-award-winning
author, Linda Lee Greene’s novel, CRADLE OF THE SERPENT, which is a finalist in
the 2018 AMERICAN FICTION AWARDS FOR CROSS-GENRE FICTION, is given 5 stars in a
reader review that states: “This
[novel] is primarily billed as a romance/relationship story but it holds much
more including archaeology, Native American Indian history, and strong insights
into the life-changing challenges posed by spinal cord injury. As such, it
provides much food for thought and the detail underpinning the topics reveals a
great deal of thorough research, which adds substantial credibility to the
story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of America's natural landmarks and
Native American customs, and astrology. The characters are well described and
their emotions are palpable to reflect love, pain and despair. Highly
recommended.”
Purchase Link for CRADLE OF THE
SERPENT: goo.gl/i3UkAV
