This book is crazy. Theseus has totally hijacked my plot, and I'm beginning to worry that it's going to end up having its own trilogy or something.  It was SUPPOSED to be an easy one shot, but it has since spiraled out of my control!

Also, ever since I hit 50K I've been pulling teeth to get even 2K a day. ARGH.

and that is my frustration in a nutshell.

So, what is with all the dual-dads in mythology, anyway? That's the topic on the blog over yonder today, and fitting too, since I'm just getting into Theseus with the Nano book. It really is a fascinating phenomenon, recurring several times in classical myths with all the major demi-god heroes. From this, I'm extrapolating that it was not a good thing to be an illegitimate child way back when.
...and now that I've written this, I'm wondering if Jesus isn't also part of that same mythological Trope--son of both Joseph and God. Hmmm. Thoughts?

In other GREAT AND EXCITING news, I have a new post up at GeekaChicas, where the good folks there have published an original letter from Helen to her brother Pollux written by me as part of a NaNoWriMo tie-in series we'll be doing, asking how everyone's noveling is going. Consider it some teaser/bonus content! More will be on the way--Look for Pollux's response next weekish.

While you're over there, if you haven't already, take a look at my post from last week about Religion, Evolution, and Thor. There's some good discussion going on in the comments, and I'd love to hear more thoughts and responses! It's exactly this kind of dialogue that I'd love to have with people on my blog--but I don't have the audience for it yet, I guess. It's definitely worth checking out though.

And that's it for this edition of Pimp my Blog-- join us on Friday for another round. We'll be back later today with some Nanwrimo word count update information!

Hey!

Check out these interesting parallels between Greek Mythology surrounding the Trojan War, and the old testament!

http://hellia.blogspot.com/2009/10/some-disorganized-thoughts-on-cypria.html

I will also accept clicking the link and PRETENDING to.

You guys, doing all this research and reading is a blast. I mean, the sheer volume of reading is a little bit not so awesome, but the content is EXCELLENT. I'm really enjoying it.

Here's a post about the Heroides by Ovid, or at least the three I paid attention to. They're letters written by the Greek heroes. Really interesting stuff, and there's a link in the text to the translation I'm reading. It's really cool if you have any kind of interest in this kind of stuff.

http://hellia.blogspot.com/2009/10/heroides.html

Tomorrow I'll be talking a little bit about Classical Myth and Germanic Folktale--two things I never thought should be put together in a sentence until last night when I blew my own mind reading Apollodorus.

seriously, I haven't done this much reading since that semester I took two of Bill's classes simultaneously.

Seriously, this is the most fascinating article I've seen in a while--- Monkey's apparently respond with the same fear and revulsion to artificial-life-like images of monkeys that we do to artificial-life-like images of people!

I discuss it and link to it here:
http://hellia.blogspot.com/2009/10/uncanny-valley-and-monkeys_15.html

Check it out.

also: I made it to book seven in the Iliad today. slow going, but progress is being made. (If you're wondering, it's book 7 of 24.)

Thoughts on the Iliad!

http://hellia.blogspot.com/2009/10/notes-on-homers-iliad.html

Seriously, it's kind of fun. Or at least I think it's kind of fun. I use the word Smorgasbord. How often do you see that written in a blog?

http://hellia.blogspot.com/2009/10/nordic-bronze-age.html

And read about the Scandinavian Bronze Age.
Or, maybe, about what we don't know about the Scandinavian Bronze Age.

A course in Icelandic, offered for free online!!!!!!!!!

http://icelandic.hi.is/

If that isn't the awesomest thing ever, I don't know what is.

Karen and I are taking it together, anyone else want in? It's FUN! and WOW hard. I'm definitely going to be sitting down with a notebook or something for the next lesson. And some of those words, Hoo boy, I didn't know that peoples tongues worked that way.

Any of you guys speak french?

I need to translate "What is wrong with you?" into french. I will also accept translations for "What is the matter with you?" instead.

I really need the help and hope that one of you knows enough french to provide it, because I absolutely know NONE.

Does anybody know of any really bad/immoral popes from between 750 and 900 AD? The only one I've found so far is John XII, but he's kind of late, and a little bit worse than I had in mind. Still, if I have to use him I will... he's just awfully well documented.

Any help would be appreciated.