#periboea

@thhouseofblack thank you for single-handedly fighting off my art block lol

i actually prefer hesione as a character shes more important but i feel like if you actually look at the most detailed sources 😭

hesione goes willingly and periboea is enslaved and raped like its kinda the opposite of what people think

I DO I DO I DO!!! YES! I DO!!!!!I DOKOOOOOO!!@!@!!!1!1!1!3(2)2)(_3(+_!

I don't know if they ever admit it to each other BUT. I think those two women kissed. FOSHO as a reporter in the field I've seen them hold each other and look longingly into each others eyes.

I think the two of them have many moments alone with each other and I think most of them are comfortable silences. If they're not alone then they're with the kids and then they can roleplay lesbian suburban moms 💪 I honestly don't know if it's yuri or if it's bestiehood, but if they are besties they're for real for lifers like patchilles type besties (whenever they are depicted as besties) like the line is thin

(some of these are a bit dark, but they are my personal ideas, no need to agree with them)

If we put all the sources together we see that Penelope has seven brothers and one sister. We know for sure that her father is Icarius, but not all authors agree on who her mother is.

I imagine that Icarius had a first wife, the naiad Periboea (from whom were born Penelope, Perileus, Thoas, Damasippus, Imeusmius and Aletes), but that then she left the palace to return to her river and that Icarius remarried, this time with Polycaste (mother of Iftime, Aliseus and Leucadius).

But how did Icarius and Periboea meet? Icarius is wounded during a hunting trip, and runs to the river to drink. There he sees some naiads and begs them to help him, because naiads are famous for healing wounds. Periboea comes forward: she has enormous eyes, diaphanous skin and does not speak the human language. She touches Icarius' wound and he heals. Icarius falls in love with her and decides to take her with him to the palace of Sparta: he has decided that she will be the mother of his children.

But nymphs cannot stay away from their element, their source of life, for long. Periboea is stunned by dry land, walking is not natural for her, dressing is not natural, all those smells and noises are not natural. Over time she becomes more and more restless and subject to violent fits of anger. She gives birth to one child after another but when she takes them in her hands she smells only the human odor and does not understand what to do with them. Her skin begins to gray, to dry out.

One night, when Penelope is about eight years old, she is awakened by the sounds of a commotion and terrible hissing. That night Periboea runs away. The next morning Icarius seems tired, but also partly relieved. The naiad was becoming more and more difficult to handle and he was afraid that she might even hurt their children. An excuse is invented on why their mother will have to stay away for a while and the children do not ask questions. Penelope knows that she will never see her again.

She didn't have a real relationship with her mother, but she still struggles to get used to her stepmother's presence. Where Periboea was cold and silent, Policasta is sunny and talkative. She hopes she can learn to love her.

Physcoa and Hippodamia: Physcoa, a Maenad, and Hippodamia are connected to the Heraia. Hippodamia was the founder and organizer of the sixteen women and their rituals, while Physcoa was one of those sixteen women and helped run the Heraia. Hippodamia probably had never met someone as wild as Physcoa (she learned a lot about the world because of her, given that her father kept her inside like a bird in a cage), yet she trusted her deeply as one of her closest companions. I also wonder what happened to their friendship when the whole Chrysippus situation occurred.

Galanthis and Alcmene: It is said that Galanthis was Alcmenes playmate, which likely means they were childhood friends. She also continued to stay with Alcmene even after her transformation. I headcanon that Galanthis sometimes accompanies Hecate and sometimes stays with Alcmene, she is also a talking weasel. We also have Historis, the daughter of Tiresias, who helps Alcmene give birth in other versions, coincidentally, both Galanthis and Historis are of Theban origin, so I like to imagine that the three of them were childhood friends and were always there for Alcmene.

Amphithea and Pelopia are also very likely friends, given the vase painting where they interact and comfort each other. It makes me happy to think that Pelopia had a friend who cared deeply about her despite her tragic life, so I hope she experienced happy moments even if they were short-lived. They were also both married to their uncles, so maybe they bonded over that.

Then theres Arsinoe and Clytemnestra. Arsinoe was the nurse of Orestes and saved him from his mother, Clytemnestra, by carrying him to Strophius. I imagine that Arsinoe and Clytemnestra were once close friends, and that Clytemnestra trusted her deeply before everything involving Iphigenia happened. Arsinoe initially tries to stay with her, giving her moral support and trying to calm her down, but Clytemnestra is too far gone, she lost her precious daughter, after all, so they are a "we used to be friends" case.

Ohh thats a great question!