Classical Cultures

[Captain Vegetable]

Every now and again I find myself totally enamored of a particular culture of a bygone era, and the art, values, and beliefs therein. The Grecian era, followed by the Roman, Egyptian, and so on.

Those are the big three concerning classical cultures, but there are many more to be had, depending on the era.

The reason I bring this up is because much of modern society is held in a great debt to these wonderous cultures and the beliefs and practices of their day. Most modern literatures reference, in at least situation, classical Greek or Roman myth, from Milton to Byron.

My question then is, which do you favor and why? Is it Greek mythology you find fascinating? Or, perhaps, it's the Egyptian gods you favor.

Personally, I like certain aspects from all of them. But I'll wait to hear form some of you before I make my definitive post.

[Captain Vegetable]

And here's a fun little test to see which god you are.

Oddly enough, I got Hades:



A misunderstood loner, Hades bears the burden of ruling the land of the dead. No matter; your Hades identification gives you access to people's secrets and weaknesses which because of your analytical abilities you can quickly use to your own advantage. As the Lord of the Underworld, most everyone and everything is a little afraid of you and you often can use this to get in the first blow in battle. You may also experience the calm that comes from knowing that eventually every mortal is going to end up with you.

[Despair]

I am Set. Egyptian god of Death. Excellent



Congratulations!!! You are a proud member of the Egyptian Pantheon. Were you alive thousands of years ago, you would have helped build the famed Egyptian Pyramids. Like the sophisticated Egyptians, you value learning and logic. Though moving within a ponderous bureaucracy and priesthood, the pantheon of Egypt runs the gamut from river gods to sky gods to builder gods. Your grasp of art, architecture and stately beauty creates civilizations worth defending and expanding. You'll enjoy cruising the Nile in reed barges admiring the magnificent works of your people.

There's one in every family. The black-sheep brother-slayer, Set, actually has some good points, too. He is very organized and persuasive, able to bring together large groups to do his bidding. He also works well with animals, particularly the wild and vicious ones, but usually to the detriment of other humans. One of your Set abilities is to make people think they're in on all your plans while secretly keeping the real power for yourself. Remember that some people, like your nephew Horus, are willing to wait a long time for vengeance so never let your guard down.

[Captain Vegetable]

Set, actually, is the Egyptian god of Evil, not death...and appears as a man. Anubis handles death and is the one with a jackal head, FYI.

But Egyptian relegion was known to be unstable in that whichever king presided at the time also defined what gods were who and did what.

[Despair]

Damn, I confused the too I completely forgot about Anubis. Well, God of Evil is even better

[Fe 26]

Said I was Set to

[Ashen Victor]

i also got Set.

[Astral]

I got RA.

Regal without being too remote, sun god Ra has both a reassuring and a terrifying aspect. Identifying with Ra puts you in the upper reaches of command but you also need to use his noblesse oblige (the obligation of the nobility) so that people's natural awe of your brilliance is tempered with assurance that they can come to you for aid and support in battle or in building their civilization. Don't let bureaucracy blind you

[sggg]

Congratulations!!! You are a proud member of the Norse Pantheon. Siding with the Norse puts you in the realm of the honor-bound, valiant warrior gods who are only strengthened by adversity. Never say die! Too much vision can lead to depression, but even though you and your fellow gods know your world is eventually doomed, your goal is to build your empires, fight your enemies and party with the greatest gusto you can muster up until the twilight of the gods. Your stunning Norse landscape of icy mountains and fjords, mysterious forests and rushing rivers will inspire you to great deeds of heroism.

Majestic and magical, king god Odin has only to appear near a battlefield and the other side freezes in fear. By selecting Odin you have also gained a great intelligence team. Your two crows Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) bring you the daily news from around the world. You have no compunction about wielding magic and mythic powers to gain your goals. Your wide view can sometimes miss the important details of everyday civilization building or the tactical details of a battle site; remember to look down as well as out.

I am well pleased with my result! Picking "cruise the fjords of Scandinavia" surely must have helped.

[StriderKyo]

My question then is, which do you favor and why?

China. The artistic, cultural and scholarly advancement they possessed during the Spring and Autumn period was remarkable, and politically and militarily the Eastern and Western Zhou dynasties were very dramatic eras which shaped the culture.

But there's still alot to be said for Greece - The 300 Spartans is one of the all-time coolest military stories, the secular philosophy was brilliant, some tremendous architecture, and Mithraism has always fascinated me.