See fourth draft here
Some dark satisfaction comes from the destruction of all that offends him.(wrong image?)
It is a satisfaction tainted with anger. These stupid mortals, these rebellious Gods, Slimy Giants, these ravaging Titans; they must be watched.
They never learn.
Zeus had already destroyed humanity three times, he killed Titans here and there, Cyclops fell on a ferocious whim, Goddesses lost loves, teachers lost livers.
He fumed. He hardly even was aware in his mighty rage that he was hated. What did the dissatisfaction of others matter to the one who was all powerful! – Master of the Earth.The Earth Mother Goddess.She mattered.
The Earth Mother Goddess.
The Earth Mother Goddess, the Mother of the Earth, the Earth itself, some call Eurynome; creation from chaos: She mattered.
And she was a mother – the Mother!
“Zeus killed my children
and I shall revenge.”
“Let my earth bring its very bones to life and bring forth to birthing my rage. For a huge child, has been born to me.”
“Typhon”“Typhon, my child, my monster, my destructive force personified.”He darkens the sky. Largest monster ever born.“Let him rise,” he is too giant for the earth.”My Typhon” His very thighs are snakes writhing across the world beneath him.
“Behold the God-slayer.” Each arm a myriad of snakes; in their multitudes, they stretch across the very heavens.
“Burn him, crush him, poison him.” His eyes are fire.
“Shatter his bones to feed me” From the bellowing maw of his huge mule head burst mountainous boulders; deafening, crushing.
“This is my son.”
How Zeus laughed to hear.
How Zeus quaked to see.
How Zeus screamed.
The Goat-god Pan he screamed.
All the gathered Gods – they froze in fear.
“Change shape! Be monstrous. Save us.” “Mighty mighty Zeus.”
A lion. A thunderbolt. An eagle. A quail. A wren. A sheep.
They all became sheep.
He ran.
And as is the way with sheep, they all ran.
Panic flicker-flashed across their psyches, multitudes of animal images blasting out of sheep-skin into other beings.
Meanwhile, in sumptuous splendour lay Athene; pampered, petted, soothed and bathed.
These beautiful handmaidens were nothing as beautiful as her. This sensual existence is far too ecstatic for a mere mortal to bare.
Look on Athene!
While far far away
Rubble roared, bellows broke the peacefulness.
Athene heard.
Athene flew.
Raced across the wide seas in the very first ever ship. Her crafted craft. The ship.
See the peak of Olympus.
Rising up, flying, over the fires.
To the meadows far beyond.
She lands among the May flower and bee song to see fields of sheep silently grazing.
She sees one sheep.
She stands beside it.
“I know who you are beloved King of Heaven.”
“See over flaming mountains; the creature will seek you.”
“Die sheep or become brave.”
Quail, wren, serpent, thunderbolt, eagle.
It is Zeus.
“Fly high our beloved god, for you must defeat him.”
Rising up to his mountain. Almost returning to true form.
The thunderbolt flies.
The great beast is engulphed in a cataclysm of lightning.
Out of the fiery storm burst mountainous boulders.
Zeus is knocked backwards, flattened as
the monstrous Typhon bellows boulder after boulder.
Hermes bursts out of his ovine masquerade and lets fly towards Zeus his sharp and powerful flint sickle
to spin through the air.
Zeus slices through the stone, the boulders split and fall.
Zeus stands to slice again.
Burning eyes fire down upon him.
Zeus falls in faint.
Typhon looms above him; scooping him up in hundred league snake arms.
Then like wind of thunder, a hurricane of heat, he rises flies, blows fierce…
Gods and Goddesses look on in horror at Typhon disappearing across the sea.
High among the mountains, bellowing, Typhon stands.
Zeus’ sickle in his hand he swings high to cut.
Down the sickle sinks into wrists and spine.
Zeus’ very sinews are exposed.
A myriad swarm of snake limbs grapple as teethed maws snatch.
His snake arms pull.
The very sinews from inside Zeus’ limbs.
Deep into a cave he throws these strings.
Doll-like dead-limbed Zeus is laid in powerless torment.
As jelly laid in stony dark.
“I Delphyne sister-monster guards.” The voice it echoes out from cave to across the seas.
All Gods lay and wail in writhing pitiful despair.
“The world is ending while you wail!”
“This darkness will take us all, he will not rest at Heaven’s Father, the universe shall squirm.”
Hermes and Pan they clutch at each other and terrified towards the chariot they step.
The dark cave below.
Great Goat God leaps; from chariot to deep within.
Delphyne is waiting; serpent sister she has poisons ready see she writhes.
He screams. Pan screams.
He screams his terrifying paralyzing scream. Pan’s panic scream.
As poison drips from massive teeth Delphyne is catatonic gripped.
This is the moment Hermes needs. He leaps.(Above to be replaced)
And from the cave with Zeus to drag.
The sinews gathered drape across the lifeless God.
The chariot flies.
“We have him,” Hermes cries, “Be ready, run, run gods hide.”
Between them Athene strides.
“Zeus must save us, sew him, thread him, string him, stitch!”
The God of Heaven stands again; uncertain stands, at centre of his universe he stands.
He backwards falls.
Athene has lead his chariot behind him, and into this he falls.(Ade – import art 0029 b bx from PC)
“See great Father God, you simply need to stand.”
The Thunderbolt he suddenly clasps, the sickle once again; the glistening flint.
He takes the reins.
“Fly Father God, Great God, fly.”
“My spirit flies with you,” cries Athene, “As I am all the Fates I fly to aid.”
Upon the highest mountain amid enormous range it stands.
The Fates attend him. Flying to him.
He is besotted by three beauties bringing him rare treats.
“Behold our exotic fruits.” “With these we bolster you.” “Great strength we promise.”
“Typhon we love you.”
The beast feasts. Now…
Typhon has a whole huge mountain in his arms.
A tiny chariot high in sky as monstrous mountain flies.
The chariot tilts up and wide and fires a firebolt down.
The mountain bursts aside.
A mountain flies
The chariot climbs.
The thunder bolts.
A mountain flies
The chariot climbs.
(this may move)
The thunder bolts.
A mountain flies
The chariot climbs.
The thunder bolts.
Mountain after raging mountain, Typhon is unstoppable.
The final summit is his to wield now – Vesuvius.
The great Vesuvius, yes, this beast is monstrous strong.
The fates look on as he only just can throw this thing.
“We loved you,” whisper Fates from far cave, “we loved you and we strengthened you, but only for a short time. See you falter, weaken now.”
Zeus is higher now than even the stars. And flying down hard.
Gigantic Vesuvius is hurtling right at him.
“Let Heaven and Sky and Fate empower me!”
Fire thunderbolt, thunderbolt on thunderbolt on thunderbolt. All God’s energy is spent on this last mighty blast.Vesuvius repelled it falls.
Down with such increasing speed.
It hits the beast. Down
Down still through the earth it crushes down.
Typhon’s fiery rage it burns and builds and climbs. See the fire near as Typhon strives.
The very Vesuvius it burns because of him.
Very nearly he is out, he fights it still, see mountain rage.
Vesuvius volcano is his rage, and Typhon he may yet one day succeed.
Listen, hear his bellowing.
I have done a great deal of research in the build up to turning this very strange and ancient tale into a graphic novel so that it is all based on history, (unless it was the morphine). Some of the research work helped me create the individual features linked to below:
Yes this is what I have been busy with over the past several weeks while in and out of hospital and beginning my long recuperation by the sea.
I came up with the idea of developing a graphic novel around a Greek myth earlier in the year and an independent publisher is now on board with an interest in hybrid publishing (that’s when you publish online and with a major distributor too).
It has been a dream for many years to do something with the quirky and strange Typhon and the terrible Zeus; their battle suited my online graphic novels perfectly.
We are probably hundreds of hours from the ‘for sale’ version, but I shall update here as pieces and text boxes are completed.
Please do share with friends as we will be asking for help shifting the finished product later in the year.
PS the first graphic novel from Viking Comics Inc. The Hammer Flies is almost ready for release as a slide show presentation – my first movie!
Adrian Spendlow The Blog 