[Studlock]

So I was just thinking that Malazan was clearly, as SE has said more than once, influenced by the Iliad and other Greek epics. And I came across something very interesting. Icarium's story is very much like that of Icarus's. First is the clear similarity in names. Second is Icarium's story, he goes against his fathers wishes and suffers greatly for it. Extremely similar to Icarus's (in broad strokes only of course). Now my question to you guys is there anything else you may have stumble upon that is more clearly influenced by real mythology?

[Roldom]

Well Im a lot like karsa in my everyday life but i wouldnt call myself mythological....

[Malbolge]

Not strictly mythological, perhaps, but I'm currently reading the Anabasis by Xenophon. It's a Historical text (Xenophon was a student of Socrates and a contemporary of Plato), a first hand account of a 10,000 strong Greek Mercenary army that marched into the Persian Empire for a scrap, then had to march back out, through unknown, hostile territory, under the constant threat of attack and annihilation. Very similar to the Chain of Dogs.

As an aside, one of the better descriptions of the Malaz books I've come across is that they're "Homeric", with the magic and meddling Gods and all that.

This post has been edited by Malbolge: 14 September 2012 - 12:11 PM

[Siergiej]

I think the Chain of Dogs was based on the First Anglo-Afghan War (http://en.wikipedia....nglo-Afghan_War)

[Fiddler-in-Black]

Studlock, on 14 September 2012 - 11:18 AM, said:

So I was just thinking that Malazan was clearly, as SE has said more than once, influenced by the Iliad and other Greek epics. And I came across something very interesting. Icarium's story is very much like that of Icarus's. First is the clear similarity in names. Second is Icarium's story, he goes against his fathers wishes and suffers greatly for it. Extremely similar to Icarus's (in broad strokes only of course). Now my question to you guys is there anything else you may have stumble upon that is more clearly influenced by real mythology?

Brood = Hephaestus is the first thing that comes to mind right off

[POOPOO MCBUMFACE]

I think Tavore's been stated as Alexander.

Icarium always struck me as a Spinal Tap version of Cu Chulainn.

[Siergiej]

And when me first meet Hood, he is a total, popculture style Grim Reaper

[MTS]

I suppose if you were looking for parallels in the Greek mythohistorical tradition, Erikson's 'generational pantheon' concept is loosely similar to what you find in the Theogony of Hesiod. Erikson's cosmogony is fairly Hesiodic as well (the Earth springing out of Chaos), but then that particular concept is hardly unique to Greek myth.

[POOPOO MCBUMFACE]

Reading Paradise Lost actually made me think of Erikson's depiction of Chaos a lot; obviously, it's not one that's only ever been used by Milton and Erikson, but the specific way it's described as a sort of "remnant of creation", outside and anathema to ordered life and ever gnawing at the boundaries of the universe really reminded me of the Malazan take. Thought that was pretty cool.

[Sinisdar Toste]

Tiamat = Tiam, primordial monster goddess

in babylonian myth she creates younger gods by mating with the sea god abzu... wonder if we'll see tiam and mael get together in the Khar. trilogy

[Ceda Cicero]

Malbolge, on 14 September 2012 - 12:08 PM, said:

As an aside, one of the better descriptions of the Malaz books I've come across is that they're "Homeric", with the magic and meddling Gods and all that.

Very late to this thread (clearly) but I'm presently in the midst of teaching Homer--this is the first time I've taught epic poetry since reading MBotF in its entirety. Revisiting Homer has made me appreciate Malazan all the more, and it's 100% clear to me that Steve was never bullshitting when he claimed the Iliad as his inspiration for the series (I'm not gonna lie, the first time I saw that in an interview, a part of me wondered if he was...)

One technical example that stands out--there are epic/Homeric similes, and it seems pretty clear to me that SE deliberately employs them as a technique throughout MBotF. I know I sound like a pretentious fuck right about now, but check this and tell me it doesn't sound damned familiar:

Quote

The Homeric simile is a detailed comparison in the form of a simile that is many lines in length. The object of the comparison is usually something familiar to the audience, such as an animal or the weather. The Iliad, for instance, contains many such similes comparing fighting warriors to lions attacking wild boars or other prey. These similes serve to take the reader away from the battlefield for a brief while, into the world of Pre-War peace and plenty. Often, they occur at a moment of high action or emotion, especially during a battle. In the words of Peter Jones, Homeric similes "are miraculous, redirecting the reader's attention in the most unexpected ways and suffusing the poem with vividness, pathos and humor". They are also important, as it is through these similes that the narrator directly talks to the audience.

This means the next time I hear someone griping about SE's philosophical diatribes and asides, and how "pointless" they are, I'm just going to say "Homer did it too, bitches."

This post has been edited by Ceda Cicero: 10 November 2012 - 09:09 PM