But to the point, there is one =
small issue=20
that Andrew brings up that I think I understand. Latro kept his bargan with Artemis -- he =
raced.=20
Hegisistratus' job was to **remind** Latro that he was to win. He =
failed to=20
do that, so Latro won the favor of both Artemis and Hera, but =
Hegisistratus=20
was "a dead man".
I say:
(What's that bar doing there? =
Anyway ...) =20
I'm not sure about this. Artemis' words were: "You bring victory, =
Latro, so=20
you must drive for my prince. If you ***succeed*** you'll be =
rewarded." That=20
sounds to me like Latro was supposed to achieve some specific =
outcome,=20
not just show up & race.
Also, and a hint =
that maybe "success"=20
here wasn't necessarily winning the race: Ghost of Sisyphus to Latro in Ch 39: "{Elata is] on your =
side=20
[because you] promised the Huntress that you'd ***fix*** =
the=20
race."
Tisamenus in Delphi has a message =
from Artemis=20
in a dream, shortly before the race: "The queen must win, and thus =
the queen=20
must lose." Now if this was the only expression of Artemis' will we =
had, I=20
wouldn't have a problem. I could read it this way: "My priestess =
queen Gorgo=20
must win the important battle - ie, Pausanias must not wrest the =
kingship=20
away from her son - so her horses must lose, else P. will get too =
powerful."=20
But I think you are right that =
Hegesistrtus=20
nowhere explicitly reminds Latro - he does prophesy Latro's =
"greatest=20
victory", but that's not the same thing. So perhaps you're on to =
something -=20
specifically, maybe Artemis has changed her mind since meeting them =
on the=20
border of Thrace. Hegesistratus still has to be punished for =
screwing up his=20
task, but maybe the desired outcome has changed slightly. The subtly =
different words she gives Tisamenus ("the queen" and "the queen", =
rather=20
than "my queen" and "this queen") perhaps reflect=20
this.
Ch 38 seems to be important. This =
is the scene=20
where the servants of Gaia - Aglaus, the centaurs etc - meet with =
the=20
servant of Artemis, Elata, "sent into this quarrel to represent her=20
interests." Sisyphus turns up, too, he says as a friend of Latro's, =
but=20
perhaps also representing Kore's interests.
Latro doesn't describe the workings =
of the=20
conference (of course - aaaarrrrgh), but the purpose is to find a =
way to get=20
him out of his depression. The story I make up about all this is =
that Latro=20
is supposed to be a pawn in the game between Gaia and Artemis. While =
he is=20
paralyzed with depression, the game can't go on. If the race goes =
ahead and=20
he performs in a mediocre kind of way, nobody's interests are =
served.=20
So the conference is to find a way =
to get him=20
better, and also to find an agreeable compromise between (a) =
commitments=20
made to him to help him find his friends, by both goddesses and (b) =
the=20
goddess' conflicting plans for Pausanias. I have an image of the =
terrestial=20
servants dealing with ways to pull Latro out of his hole, while the=20
goddesses hammer out a deal in heaven over the larger issues. =
On this model, Gaia accepts (as she =
knew she=20
might have to) that Pausanias isn't going to be king - but the =
helots=20
eventually will wreak havoc on Sparta from the "bottom up" - which =
is what=20
happened historically, I think. As she prophesies to the =
helots in Ch=20
31 of Mist: "Still he [Pausanias] and I may fail [to gain the =
kingship]. If=20
so, I shall destroy Rope [..] then you must rise against the Rope =
Makers=20
..."
In return, Artemis agrees to a =
modified plan in=20
which Pausanias is still set on the road to destruction, but in a =
way which=20
gets Latro oin the road home. Or something. It looks a bit lame, I =
suppose,=20
but I'm trying, dammit :)