Submitted by Soulless Zombie on Wed, 11/13/2002 - 08:37
Posted in
This is a short account of various topics concerning the Gods of Mount Olympus based upon the Xena and Hercules mythology. It is not intended to be an accurate historical account and should only be used for the purposes of the Mythic Scrolls RPG.
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Creation
The Creation
Zeus was the Supreme Father of the Gods and head of the Greek pantheon. He was also the Son of Titans Cronos and Rhea. Mythology relates the story of Zeus’s birth, how his mother saved the infant from being swallowed by Cronos along with his siblings. (Cronos believed that his demise would arise at the hands of one of his children so he swallowed them as soon as they were born). Rhea deceived Cronos by substituting a stone dressed in swaddling cloths, She then hid the child in a cave on the island of Crete under the care of a goat.
Upon reaching maturity, Zeus overthrew the Titans and forced Cronos to disgorge his siblings. Zeus then cast Cronos into Tartarus and established himself as head of a new pantheon in which he and his siblings had the most prominent roles. He divided dominion over the world with his brothers, Zeus claimed the Heavens for himself while dominion of the underworld fell to Hades and Poseidon claimed the seas.
Ambrosia
Ambrosia – The Food of The Gods
Ambrosia - The 'Food of the Gods', so called because it made them immortal. Ambrosia appears to work in two ways. If a living mortal eats it, they become a god, as Velasca did. However, if a person has recently died, it can restore them back to life provided it is given to them in time.
There are at least two sources of ambrosia in the Xenaverse. The first was located in a cave in the Hall of Ambrosia at the foot of Mount Poulis. It was kept in a golden bowl suspended by golden chains above a pit of fire.
The second source of ambrosia was located in the roof of a small chamber at the bottom of a staircase, well protected by fire and a bed of large spikes. Access to the ambrosia was via several climbing ropes and a key; the Dagger of Helios fitted into a stone that released the ambrosia from a hatch in the roof
The Hinds Blood
How to Kill a God – The Blood of the Hind
The Blood of the Hind, a mythic stag-like beast that can change its shape, is accountably the only way known of killing a God. Because of this the Hinds were hunted down to the point of extinction and it is not known if any escaped the wrath of the Gods. However, the danger to the Gods is still present in the existence of ‘The Hinds Blood Dagger’ – a blade coated with the blood of the hind. It is currently kept in the ruins of a crypt at Mount Areopagus.
The Golden Apple
Immortality – The Golden Apple
In Classical Greek myth, golden apples grew on a golden tree called ‘The Tree of Life’ in The Garden of the Hesperides. A wedding present from Zeus, the golden tree had been planted by Hera at the foot of Mount Atlas, which was thought to be the end of the world. A serpent called Ladon guarded the apples on the tree, while the nymphs of the West, called the Hesperides, attempted to pick them.
The flesh of the golden apples was able to grant immortality and also restore life in those who death was prevalent. In the Xenaverse, Hercules ate the flesh of the golden apple to cure himself after Hera poisoned him.