Inspired but not constrained by Hetalia: AaSA is the ongoing story of the personifications of Athens and Sparta from the Ionian Revolt to the classical period and beyond. Chapter 9 is on its way soon :) Updates Saturdays.
Reference map for Chapter 9 of Athens and Sparta Adventures. Characters may be added as they appear or are mentioned in the chapter. Updates on Saturdays, stay tuned!
This chapter has three concurrent storylines: one takes place in Corinth, one in Miletus, and one in Sardis.
New Readers: please note that this comic is not as mobile friendly as some other comics out there. Some directory links such as the table of contents only work on desktop, though mobile users should still be able to navigate using the bolded links above. I started writing this comic back in 2011 and reuploaded it to tumblr around 2018, which is why there’s significant gaps in both my consistency as a creator and in the changes in usability on this hellsite.
See below for brief Character Bios
Characters of Note
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Athens - The arrogant, egotistical and hubristic almost-capital of Greece. Athens’ more legitimate claims to hegemony are primarily his large navy and alliance of islands and city-states throughout the Aegean that purports to defend Greece from future Persian incursions. Although he is entering what we know as the “Golden Age” while the Parthenon and other such major renovations are nearing completion, Athens seems somewhat preoccupied with his vacation in Miletus...
Sparta - Known as Greece’s greatest warrior despite rarely finding reason to leave home on time, Sparta is uneasily resting after emerging somewhat victorious from the First Peloponnesian War. Although accepting a thirty year period of peace with rival Athens, Sparta finds the upstart city-state’s obsession with ‘democracy’ and the growing excuses to coerce new alliances increasingly worrisome. Curiously, he seems to have turned up in Sardis...
Corinth - The rich merchant city-state of Corinth has a vested interest in decreasing Athens’ power. Despite recently recovering her daughter-city of Megara, Corinth still finds others’ loyalties to her being tested. Frustrated by Sparta’s unwillingness to act on her warnings, Corinth suspects that a thirty years peace will do even less to stave off war in Greece. Recently however, she has been receiving disturbing omens...
Megara - Corinth's daughter city, formerly allied with Athens in the previous war to strategically block the path from the Peloponnese. After being herded back in league with the Peloponnesians, Megara is contemplating her divided allegiances and trying to adjust to living with her mother city again. Perhaps she can reach out to someone who might shed some insight on these troubles...
Miletus (Ionia) - Athens’ niece, recently recovered from Persia’s possession after nearly a century after the Peace of Callias. Having spent some time living with her uncle again, Miletus is concerned that Athens’ execution of power are more and more resembling the systems employed by Persia. With her uncle visiting, Miletus looks for distraction in correspondence with an old friend...
Persia - Currently the greatest power in Asia with territory stretching from Egypt to India, Persia has tentatively given up a direct assault on mainland Greece after wasting a lot of time and resources that seems to have accidentally united the disparate city-states against him. Instead, Persia has taken a back seat in his political interference, now preferring words and funds as weapons of choice. The great empire does not make "alliances", but is open and willing to entertain a favourable relationship...
Greece - Known to the others as Hellas, this strange girl shows up to witness foreign invasion and internal strife alike. What has become of her in peacetime?
MINOR CHARACTERS
Argos - An ancient centre of myth and legend, Argos was very quiet throughout the Persian invasions. Argos' sole interest in his current alliance with Athens is a chance to gain vengeance on Sparta for usurping his hegemony of Greece. He's been feeling rather put out by Athens' hasty agreement to peace...
Sardis (Lydia) - A wealthy city-state in Asia Minor, formerly the capital of the kingdom of Lydia which was conquered by Persia’s first king Cyrus over a century prior. Now, Sardis is the administrative centre for that region of the empire and the terminus of the Persian Royal Road from Susa. Despite this, Sardis demonstrates some concern for his rival-turned-friend Miletus in the decade after her exit from the empire.
Corcyra - Another of Corinth's daughter cities. Currently in a dispute with her mother about the upbringing of her own child, Epidamnus.
Syracuse - Another child of Corinth, Syracuse rules over Sicily (and the rest of Magna Graecia) with an ostentatiously decorated fist.
Athens and Sparta Adventures: Chapter 9: Libation Bearers pg. 19
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**CAUTION** This page makes reference to depression and suicide as well as blood.
Quick Ref:
Hippocratic Corpus: Specifically I'd like to cite a work that's attributed to but not necessarily confirmed to be by Hippocrates, Diseases of Young Women (περι παρθενιων) (LCL 9) in the Gynecological works. I don't have an easily accessible translation (and Loeb doesn't let me look at their pages anymore, sad). Essentially, this is the section that describes severe depression and suicidal tendencies in girls around their first menstruation and the associated problems of a "wandering womb" that isn't bleeding on time. Of course, the ancient greek man solution to most problems of the uterus involves using it for its "intended purpose" by getting married and pregnant asap. :/
Comments:
Here I am trying to address loose ends from Chapter 5 and 6 and also not knowing what the hell I am doing (again) :D
I think this is one of those things like. I don't think these guys have a 1:1 relationship with human conditions and I don't think they like, have normal relationships with birth/death and stuff, but they still look at their problems through a human lens because that's the soup that they're in. Because the Greek word for immortal is literally "ἀθάνατος" "undying," I think they'd have a complex relationship with perceiving themselves as potentially divine.
Now that this is all posted I want to share this little drawing I made a couple years ago to mail to @en-theos:
I think we ticked off all of these storylines. Yay :)
We have ONE more page of chapter 9 left in the queue before I go back into "idk what I'm doing" hibernation. Thanks everyone who has encouraged me this far, it means a lot that people are still reading this story.
Anyway in the meantime here is a side by side comparison of old panels and the redraws in page 19.
Athens and Sparta Adventures: Chapter 9: Libation Bearers pg. 19
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Quick Ref:
Xenia: The Ancient Greek concept of hospitality and guest-host relationships. Taking care of a guest was generally considered a moral obligation as well as a reciprocal one.
Himation: A type of mantle or cloak, often worn over a chiton or a peplos (or by itself) by both men and women.
Comments:
It looks like Corinth is still hung up on the Oresteia - she's referencing Orestes and Pylades' plan to infiltrate the palace in Libation Bearers around line 565. She's talked about it enough it's even become an in-joke with Meg, apparently!
revisiting Greece's character arc was an exercise in "why did I do that" but it was also really fun. I'll link all the pages referenced below for your convenience...
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6 [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ]
And here's a post with a side by side comparison for your convenience!
Athens and Sparta Adventures: Chapter 9: Libation Bearers pg. 18
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Quick Ref:
Saffron: A spice made from crocus flowers. Apart from flavouring food and dyeing clothing, saffron could also be dried into tablets and used as a therapeutic medication. It's possible it was used as a treatment for PMS and menstrual cramps.
Hypericum: Also known as St. John's Wort, these yellow flowers make a surprisingly red medication when the glands are crushed. Because of its colour, it was associated with blood and also used to treat depression.
Comments:
uh obvious disclaimer not to go trying old timey medications without knowing how they will interact with any conditions or current medications you're taking! This comic is meant for historical/storytelling purposes and not medical advice!!
"why is she sopping wet and pathetic and covered in blood" thats for you to decide dear reader :)
don't take me too seriously yet these are just some doodles because i forgot to cite a major design inspo for laconia when i did her little OCtober sheet
and also some half baked thoughts of "wouldn't it be funny if she were actual mycenaean sparta and then retired" that i don't actually have enough evidence or knowledge to develop so
but you know me i just sort of make stuff up for narrative convenience sometimes so i can tell more stories and i should just be more straightforward about it. I just think it would be a super interesting design contrast to draw if i ever figured out what the hell im doing.
I am sort of placing the building blocks for a development in her relationship with sparta in future chapters but i haven't like fully thought through it and its hard when you develop a character for the purpose of one thing and then they kind of take on lives of their own yknow. i'll stop saying words when i have nothing to say and go back to thinking now haha.
Athens and Sparta Adventures: Chapter 9: Libation Bearers pg. 17
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Quick Ref:
Doric Greek: As I may have mentioned before, Corinth (and Sparta) speak the Doric dialect of Greek. Here, she says "O Poteidan" for "O Poseidon" and "pros ton sion" rather than "pros ton theon" for "by the gods".
Poseidon: Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, horses, and the patron god of Corinth. Apparently likes to leave wrecks on the beach for her to find.
Comments:
If you haven't been following all my angsting and stupid doodles leading up to this chapter, yes I did finally figure out a narrative purpose for her. Welcome back Greece :D Glad to FINALLY see you away from Athens! I think!
walking home thinking "its a failure of the narrative if people for real actually ship athens and sparta" and then salt and vinegar comes on and im like ... ughghghghgh its theMMMM NOOOO
