Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I am not a historian. I am not a Greek
god. (
A Hellenic Fairy Tale: Chapter I
On a fine spring morning, Lady Amata decided to go out with her handmaidens and collect seashells from the shore. She brought along several servants with baskets of food and a young piper to make music for the girls as they played. The handsome maidens gamboled and played games by the surf for most of the morning and had just sat down to partake of the meal they had brought, when a strange phenomenon occurred.
At first it seemed like a second daybreak. There was a beautiful golden light along the horizon, but instead of rising from the water, it stayed on the water and started to come toward them. The shimmering light came nearer and nearer, until the handmaidens knelt down and cowered in their skirts, hiding their faces from the approaching glory. The servant lads ran away, back to the castle to summon the lord, and the piper threw his pipe down and ran toward the town screaming of glowing devils and too much wine. However, Lady Amata stood calmly on the beach and watched as the light came closer to her. She peered at the shape in awe and saw that it was a great white dog walking toward her, surrounded by a golden nimbus.
The dog stood at least twice her height and had long curly white hair, like the foam curling on the waves under its feet. Its eyes were a handsome gold and they seemed to grow brighter as it approached the waiting woman. When the dog set foot on the shore, the golden light suddenly flared - so brightly that even Lady Amata had to look away - and then the light vanished, revealing a handsome youth dressed in white linen. His sandals and the hem of his peplos (robe) were both the blue of the sea, his hair was long and white, and his eyes were the eyes of the white dog that had just disappeared.
He stood quietly, with a calm, sad expression on his noble face, as Lady Amata stared at him in awe. As a devout follower of Poseidon, she had instantly recognized him as one of the great White Sea Dogs which drew the ocean god's chariot over the waves. She gathered herself together and knelt before him, welcoming him as the godly being he so obviously was.
"Welcome to our land of Crete, O White Sea Dog. I am Lady Amata, wife of this land's lord, what may I do to aid you? Will you rest and take refreshments at our palace?"
The handsome man looked down at her prettily bowed head and said quietly, "I am indeed one of our lord Poseidon's chariot bearers. My name is Rhei. I must refuse your proper offers of hospitality, for I cannot be your guest. I am instead sent to die at your husband's hand, as a sacrifice, and before the end of this month."
In shock, Lady Amata gasped and stood up quickly. An unthinking protest was torn from her lips, "No!" She hesitated, upset but unwilling to offend the Dog. "Sir.surely that isn't right.I.I can't imagine that the Thunderer would send his own dog to be sacrificed.what do you mean?"
This man is perfect, she thought, but surely he can't be meant for a sacrifice...Poseidon does not ask for human sacrifices. He only takes those humans who have somehow badly offended him, surely he wouldn't wish to have one of his own Dogs sacrificed to him, if he is so forgiving even to humans! While these thoughts whirled wildly through her head, the Dog Rhei hastened to answer her.
"Don't fear, lady. My lord will not let me die, unless I offend him sorely while I am here. Poseidon requires that your lord declare a ten day feast and festival in his honor. On the last day of the festival, I am to be returned to the water. I will remain as Lord Poseidon's lead Dog, but I will lose this human form forever after as my sacrifice."
"Oh," Amata weakly replied. Why am I so relieved he won't die? He's so handsome. "If that is the Thunderer's wish, then none of us may complain. However, you must stay somewhere until, well, until then please stay with us, and we will make sure that you've enjoyed all the pleasures of being human before you return to your other form." She blushed prettily at her unintended innuendo, then gestured for Rhei to come forward with her, and turned back to the walk to the palace."
When she turned, she noticed that all of her handmaidens had disappeared, leaving shells and trays of food strewn across the beach. She noticed that it was now exactly noon, and that the sun overhead shimmered on the armor and swords of the palace guards who were running toward them.
A Hellenic Fairy Tale: Chapter I
On a fine spring morning, Lady Amata decided to go out with her handmaidens and collect seashells from the shore. She brought along several servants with baskets of food and a young piper to make music for the girls as they played. The handsome maidens gamboled and played games by the surf for most of the morning and had just sat down to partake of the meal they had brought, when a strange phenomenon occurred.
At first it seemed like a second daybreak. There was a beautiful golden light along the horizon, but instead of rising from the water, it stayed on the water and started to come toward them. The shimmering light came nearer and nearer, until the handmaidens knelt down and cowered in their skirts, hiding their faces from the approaching glory. The servant lads ran away, back to the castle to summon the lord, and the piper threw his pipe down and ran toward the town screaming of glowing devils and too much wine. However, Lady Amata stood calmly on the beach and watched as the light came closer to her. She peered at the shape in awe and saw that it was a great white dog walking toward her, surrounded by a golden nimbus.
The dog stood at least twice her height and had long curly white hair, like the foam curling on the waves under its feet. Its eyes were a handsome gold and they seemed to grow brighter as it approached the waiting woman. When the dog set foot on the shore, the golden light suddenly flared - so brightly that even Lady Amata had to look away - and then the light vanished, revealing a handsome youth dressed in white linen. His sandals and the hem of his peplos (robe) were both the blue of the sea, his hair was long and white, and his eyes were the eyes of the white dog that had just disappeared.
He stood quietly, with a calm, sad expression on his noble face, as Lady Amata stared at him in awe. As a devout follower of Poseidon, she had instantly recognized him as one of the great White Sea Dogs which drew the ocean god's chariot over the waves. She gathered herself together and knelt before him, welcoming him as the godly being he so obviously was.
"Welcome to our land of Crete, O White Sea Dog. I am Lady Amata, wife of this land's lord, what may I do to aid you? Will you rest and take refreshments at our palace?"
The handsome man looked down at her prettily bowed head and said quietly, "I am indeed one of our lord Poseidon's chariot bearers. My name is Rhei. I must refuse your proper offers of hospitality, for I cannot be your guest. I am instead sent to die at your husband's hand, as a sacrifice, and before the end of this month."
In shock, Lady Amata gasped and stood up quickly. An unthinking protest was torn from her lips, "No!" She hesitated, upset but unwilling to offend the Dog. "Sir.surely that isn't right.I.I can't imagine that the Thunderer would send his own dog to be sacrificed.what do you mean?"
This man is perfect, she thought, but surely he can't be meant for a sacrifice...Poseidon does not ask for human sacrifices. He only takes those humans who have somehow badly offended him, surely he wouldn't wish to have one of his own Dogs sacrificed to him, if he is so forgiving even to humans! While these thoughts whirled wildly through her head, the Dog Rhei hastened to answer her.
"Don't fear, lady. My lord will not let me die, unless I offend him sorely while I am here. Poseidon requires that your lord declare a ten day feast and festival in his honor. On the last day of the festival, I am to be returned to the water. I will remain as Lord Poseidon's lead Dog, but I will lose this human form forever after as my sacrifice."
"Oh," Amata weakly replied. Why am I so relieved he won't die? He's so handsome. "If that is the Thunderer's wish, then none of us may complain. However, you must stay somewhere until, well, until then please stay with us, and we will make sure that you've enjoyed all the pleasures of being human before you return to your other form." She blushed prettily at her unintended innuendo, then gestured for Rhei to come forward with her, and turned back to the walk to the palace."
When she turned, she noticed that all of her handmaidens had disappeared, leaving shells and trays of food strewn across the beach. She noticed that it was now exactly noon, and that the sun overhead shimmered on the armor and swords of the palace guards who were running toward them.