Sejanus

[hershey-fan.livejournal.com]

I was reading Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible the other day, looking up a reference to the praetorian guard from Philippians in the Bible. As I read I just had to gasp because I found the Attolian guard there; the praetorian guard were specially trained soldiers put in place to guard the rulers at that time in Rome, but later, they turned. One guard, Sejanus, is actually mentioned as doing so.
Wow.
I am once again in awe of MWT. These are real events that she has woven into the fabric of her novels.
Wow.
Question...where else has she researched? :-)
Must read more.

Comments

Agape

[savvywriter.livejournal.com]

I've noticed things in the books that REALLY remind me of things I've read in the bible. For instance, I learned at church (years ago) that Agape means "unconditional love". So naturally, when I saw what Agape was named, I laughed my head off.

"Marry me off to someone who doesn't mind cripples! I can't wait to hear!"

Re: Agape

[estarria.livejournal.com]

The whole concept of God using painful things to bring about good things is really biblical too, and that's what the whole ending of QoA is about. (Of course, the Eddisian gods actually caused the pain themselves, which is a little different, but still.) It always amazes me, because the concept of suffering and why it exists is something discussed at length in church -- and here's this perfect example of necessary suffering in a secular book.

Re: Agape

[savvywriter.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really liked it when the goddess explains to Gen why he had to lose a hand (which is also why I think that Gen has pretty much come to terms with the thing). Can't have the rose without the thorns, pure gold must be refined by fire and so on and so forth. You get the idea.

But I also think that a lot of the suffering in the world is caused by the choices people make.

Re: Agape

[estarria.livejournal.com]

Oh, so do I -- I just think the concept of seemingly needless suffering sometimes working for the greater good is difficult to articulate, and it was beautifully done in QoA.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, Sejanus. *snickers* He always makes me think of Patrick Stewart because Patrick Stewart played the (historical) Sejanus in the mini-series of "I, Claudius." In a blond wig. That's what it's so memorable (and yes, about 60% of the history I know, I learned from historical fiction). Incidentally, Sejanus turned by getting emperor Tiberius (one of the weirder Julio-Claudians) on the throne and ended by getting assassinated. Not so smart, although the Praetorian Guard got a history for being the guys to appoint the emperor because there were a lot of them and they were very good at their jobs (i.e. killing people). His name also sounds like it might be derived from Janus, the Roman god of doorways, who had two heads - one to look each way. Pretty appropriate, I think.

I was under the impression that a lot of MWT's research comes out of Classical Greece and early Imperial Rome - although she has said that she was aiming for a world that was essentially Byzantine, so maybe we'd better say late imperial Rome?

Sounis strikes me as heavily influnced by Classical Greece/5th century Athens, while the names of the Attolian Royal Guard are snagged from Greece and Rome both. For instance, Costis (short for Constantine) was the first Christian Roman emporer, but his friend Aristogeiton comes from 6th century (BCE) Athens, as one two men who assassinated the ruler of the city. Harmodius and Aristogeiton were super-famous in Athens for next few hundred years as defending democracy against tyranny (not strictly accurate, but never mind). This is why I distrust poor Aris for no very good reason.

I spend last spring taking a lot of introductory Classics courses and then read the trilogy after that and so was thrilled to see so much that was familiar. I think you can get a lot of this out of a basic Classical history course/book/whathaveyou, which is probably why so much of it is also Biblical (Well. Um. Not because the Bible is Classical history, but just because they happen at the same time. Yeah.).

[julia-agrippina.livejournal.com]

A lot of other things, most are allusions and very subtle, but there' there. Even on The Queen of Attolia book's color is a mixture of the Palace of Knossos (Minoan) and the Doric column order of Greece.

Attolia vs. the real Anatolia...yeah, real suave. :D

But srsly, I commend her for her research. Very impressive.

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

I squeed with delirium when I read that one of Attolia's handmaids was called Iolanthe. At school I was the Fairy Queen in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Iolanthe' - "Who taught me to curl myself inside a buttercup? Iolanthe!" The joke being that the Fairy Queen is more of a dumpling than a sylph...

I don't know if there was an historical person with that name, though.