http://objectivelyp1nk.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
objectivelyp1nk.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
cap_ironman2010-03-03 04:51 pm
objectivelyp1nk.livejournal.com) wrote in cap_ironman2010-03-03 04:51 pm
Entry tags:
writing!
I had to write a myth for my Greek&Roman Mythology class and took Steve and Tony for my inspiration. I only had 2 and a half pages to do it in, so it has fewer comic references than I intended. (I may yet expand it into a proper fairy-tale fanfic >.>)
Warning (highlight to view): There's a major character death in this story.
In the land of the Western Sea, there once was a prosperous island kingdom. The king and queen were just, but they were unable to bear any children. All full of sorrow did they appeal to the island goddess, begging her to give them a child.
“Weep,” the goddess commanded them, “and let your tears fall to the ground.”
And as their tears tears fell, the drops washed away the earth before them; indeed, the water carved the shape of a boy-child into the very rock of the island.
“Take up the child,” she told them.
They did so and were astonished to have the child come to life.
The prince that came from stone grew and matured like any child and soon proved himself to be an engineer of unparalleled skill, for there there was nothing that he could not make. But he did not take pleasure in creation, nor pride in his craftsmanship. In fact, the prince had no capacity for joy; he could not see the beauty in a sunset nor the wonder of his mother’s vast garden. It became clear that the prince had no understanding of even the concept of love.
When the king and queen asked the goddess what ailed him, she explained that his heart remained as the stone he was made from. Hearing this, they began to weep again, for what kingdom would accept a king with a stone heart? The people would forever live in fear of what terrible things a man that could not feel might do.
They begged the goddess to turn his heart to human flesh.
“Not I,” she said. “I have not the power. But the mother goddess might be able to do what I cannot; you must send the stone prince to her temple.”
And the king and queen did sorrow, for the temple was across the Sea and far inland. Theirs were a seagoing people and none in the kingdom knew the paths to reach the temple.
“Fear not,” said the goddess, “ there is a man who can help you. He was once a soldier in a land far away-- he has seen the great temple in one of his many travels. You must seek his aid.”
To the soldier’s home they sent a herald, who demanded that he guide the prince to the temple. The soldier was angered by the man’s rudeness and refused, so the next day the Lord Seneschal was sent. He, too, demanded that the soldier agree to be the prince’s guide, and he, too, was denied. In desperation, the king himself came to the soldier but he could not lay aside his pride; he ordered the soldier to submit to his will. Angered now beyond measure, the soldier scorned the king’s command.
The next day, the stone prince came to the home of the soldier. He gave no orders or decrees, but instead told the other man the full story, from his birth to the recent words of the goddess-- for he was clever, if not not loving, and could see that demands would not win over the soldier.
“I can see why the king and queen wish for you to have a heart of flesh and blood, but why do you?” the soldier asked. “A heart brings sorrow as much as it brings joy.”
“Stones know duty,” the prince said, and the soldier agreed to take him to the temple.
The prince built for them a fast ship with red sails. They crossed the Western Sea and came to the shore of the great continent. They faced many trials as they traveled inland, but the soldier was a cunning fighter and could best any warrior and the stone prince was clever and could forge any device; between them they overcame all obstacles. Indeed, the two men grew to be fast friends.
After many weeks they at last arrived at the temple of the mother goddess. Before her the stone prince fell to his knees to beseech her help and she arose from her throne. “I know what you need,” she said to the prince, but then spoke no more. Her attendants took the two men to rooms filled with luxury and attended to their every need. Every day the stone prince knelt before the goddess and every day she had no answer to his request.
Until at last, the soldier came to the mother goddess alone. “You cannot change his heart, can you?” the soldier said.
“Indeed not,” said the goddess. “From stone he was born and therefore a part of him shall always be stone, unless a sacrifice be made. I cannot change his heart, but if you bring to me a flesh and blood heart I will put it into his chest and displace the stone heart.”
“I will go at once into the forest and bring to you the heart of a deer,” the soldier cried.
“This you could do, if you wanted the prince to have the heart of a timid creature of prey,” the goddess said, taking the soldier aback.
“Then I shall hunt down a fearsome eagle and bring to you its heart,” he said.
“That you could do,” the goddess replied, “if you wanted the prince to have the flighty heart of a bird.”
“Surely a lion has both courage and fortitude. I will travel to the wilds and bring you the heart of one,” said the soldier.
“That you you could do, if you wanted the prince to have a selfish and wrathful heart,” he was told and the soldier despaired. There did not seem to be any heart that would suit his dear friend, the prince. He realized, however, that the heart of a man would be the only possible solution. “Would you take my heart?” he asked.
“That would be a costly sacrifice, indeed, but he would be a mighty king with your heart.”
“Then take it, but do not tell the prince where you came by it.”
The goddess took the soldier’s heart into her hands and he fell to the ground, dead. She then went to the prince’s room and bid him to stand. The prince was as pleased as his stone core could allow him to be, but the moment that she pushed the heart into his chest he knew whose heart it was. “What have you done?” he demanded.
She told him that it was the soldier’s wish and the prince, no longer stone, fell to the ground weeping at the loss of his friend.
“Why should it be,” the prince said bitterly, “that I can love only now that the one who is most dear to me in all the world is dead?”
With his own two hands did the prince craft a casket of iron for his dearest friend’s body. Such was the quality of his work that all who looked upon it were struck by its beauty. The mother goddess placed the casket on her chariot and took the prince to the edge of the deepest ocean, where they cast the soldier into the sea to lie undisturbed.
The prince traveled back to the island in the Western Sea alone. There he became a king that was both wise and kindly. He continued to build remarkable devices that improved the lives of everyone in his kingdom.
But where he had once been a solemn stone prince, now the king’s face was forever etched in grief, for every beat of his heart was a reminder of the love that he had lost.
Warning (highlight to view): There's a major character death in this story.
In the land of the Western Sea, there once was a prosperous island kingdom. The king and queen were just, but they were unable to bear any children. All full of sorrow did they appeal to the island goddess, begging her to give them a child.
“Weep,” the goddess commanded them, “and let your tears fall to the ground.”
And as their tears tears fell, the drops washed away the earth before them; indeed, the water carved the shape of a boy-child into the very rock of the island.
“Take up the child,” she told them.
They did so and were astonished to have the child come to life.
The prince that came from stone grew and matured like any child and soon proved himself to be an engineer of unparalleled skill, for there there was nothing that he could not make. But he did not take pleasure in creation, nor pride in his craftsmanship. In fact, the prince had no capacity for joy; he could not see the beauty in a sunset nor the wonder of his mother’s vast garden. It became clear that the prince had no understanding of even the concept of love.
When the king and queen asked the goddess what ailed him, she explained that his heart remained as the stone he was made from. Hearing this, they began to weep again, for what kingdom would accept a king with a stone heart? The people would forever live in fear of what terrible things a man that could not feel might do.
They begged the goddess to turn his heart to human flesh.
“Not I,” she said. “I have not the power. But the mother goddess might be able to do what I cannot; you must send the stone prince to her temple.”
And the king and queen did sorrow, for the temple was across the Sea and far inland. Theirs were a seagoing people and none in the kingdom knew the paths to reach the temple.
“Fear not,” said the goddess, “ there is a man who can help you. He was once a soldier in a land far away-- he has seen the great temple in one of his many travels. You must seek his aid.”
To the soldier’s home they sent a herald, who demanded that he guide the prince to the temple. The soldier was angered by the man’s rudeness and refused, so the next day the Lord Seneschal was sent. He, too, demanded that the soldier agree to be the prince’s guide, and he, too, was denied. In desperation, the king himself came to the soldier but he could not lay aside his pride; he ordered the soldier to submit to his will. Angered now beyond measure, the soldier scorned the king’s command.
The next day, the stone prince came to the home of the soldier. He gave no orders or decrees, but instead told the other man the full story, from his birth to the recent words of the goddess-- for he was clever, if not not loving, and could see that demands would not win over the soldier.
“I can see why the king and queen wish for you to have a heart of flesh and blood, but why do you?” the soldier asked. “A heart brings sorrow as much as it brings joy.”
“Stones know duty,” the prince said, and the soldier agreed to take him to the temple.
The prince built for them a fast ship with red sails. They crossed the Western Sea and came to the shore of the great continent. They faced many trials as they traveled inland, but the soldier was a cunning fighter and could best any warrior and the stone prince was clever and could forge any device; between them they overcame all obstacles. Indeed, the two men grew to be fast friends.
After many weeks they at last arrived at the temple of the mother goddess. Before her the stone prince fell to his knees to beseech her help and she arose from her throne. “I know what you need,” she said to the prince, but then spoke no more. Her attendants took the two men to rooms filled with luxury and attended to their every need. Every day the stone prince knelt before the goddess and every day she had no answer to his request.
Until at last, the soldier came to the mother goddess alone. “You cannot change his heart, can you?” the soldier said.
“Indeed not,” said the goddess. “From stone he was born and therefore a part of him shall always be stone, unless a sacrifice be made. I cannot change his heart, but if you bring to me a flesh and blood heart I will put it into his chest and displace the stone heart.”
“I will go at once into the forest and bring to you the heart of a deer,” the soldier cried.
“This you could do, if you wanted the prince to have the heart of a timid creature of prey,” the goddess said, taking the soldier aback.
“Then I shall hunt down a fearsome eagle and bring to you its heart,” he said.
“That you could do,” the goddess replied, “if you wanted the prince to have the flighty heart of a bird.”
“Surely a lion has both courage and fortitude. I will travel to the wilds and bring you the heart of one,” said the soldier.
“That you you could do, if you wanted the prince to have a selfish and wrathful heart,” he was told and the soldier despaired. There did not seem to be any heart that would suit his dear friend, the prince. He realized, however, that the heart of a man would be the only possible solution. “Would you take my heart?” he asked.
“That would be a costly sacrifice, indeed, but he would be a mighty king with your heart.”
“Then take it, but do not tell the prince where you came by it.”
The goddess took the soldier’s heart into her hands and he fell to the ground, dead. She then went to the prince’s room and bid him to stand. The prince was as pleased as his stone core could allow him to be, but the moment that she pushed the heart into his chest he knew whose heart it was. “What have you done?” he demanded.
She told him that it was the soldier’s wish and the prince, no longer stone, fell to the ground weeping at the loss of his friend.
“Why should it be,” the prince said bitterly, “that I can love only now that the one who is most dear to me in all the world is dead?”
With his own two hands did the prince craft a casket of iron for his dearest friend’s body. Such was the quality of his work that all who looked upon it were struck by its beauty. The mother goddess placed the casket on her chariot and took the prince to the edge of the deepest ocean, where they cast the soldier into the sea to lie undisturbed.
The prince traveled back to the island in the Western Sea alone. There he became a king that was both wise and kindly. He continued to build remarkable devices that improved the lives of everyone in his kingdom.
But where he had once been a solemn stone prince, now the king’s face was forever etched in grief, for every beat of his heart was a reminder of the love that he had lost.
no subject
Good Myth!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I hope they decide to run that challenge again :D
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject