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Kudos to the winners of our first Odes to Olympians contest (Spring 2008), featuring Zeus, or in the Roman form, Jupiter! Lisa Maloney won first prize in the adult category, while Helen Murphey won first prize for those under eighteen. We received plenty of excellent entries. Therefore, we're including honorable mention poems down below. Please scroll down to enjoy poems by Rob Graber, Gautam Bhatia, Chris Faulk and Anne Westlund! Please come back for future contests!	The Tapestry of Bronze is a series of novels set in Bronze Age Greece. There’s no need to read our books to enter the contests, but if you like mythology, or historical fiction, or exciting stories, we think you’ll enjoy them!
FIRST PRIZE WINNER - ADULT “In the Words of Salmoneus” by Lisa Maloney When I heard the thunder roll I knew you'd found me out that I should have crept, unnoticed unworthy beneath your feet instead of daring to ride out as a god, girded, clothed in power instead of borrowing your voice as it called out the rain. And yet in the moment before you smote me I knew that as a god of thunder should, I had finally called down lightning from the sky. * * * Lisa Maloney resides in Anchorage, Alaska where the land is a never-ending source of inspiration. She's written poetry for fifteen years as a means of release, introspection, and celebration, but only recently started sharing it with the world. You can contact her directly at http://writerinfo.blogspot.com/. We asked Lisa what inspires her, and she wrote: "Inspiration is hard to quantify. I people-watch, so I've seen many people pretend to be what they desperately wish to be, leaving themselves at the mercy of others for validation or destruction. By way of his pretense and falsehoods, Salmoneus actually does get what he wants... the ability to control the powers of Zeus - insert irony here - for just a moment. But he is also revealed as a pretender, and destroyed, in the very same stroke. It begs the question: Just how different are we from Salmoneus, really?" Salmoneus was punished by Zeus for his impiety. FIRST PRIZE WINNER UNDER 18 by Helen Murphey he descends a flurry of golden dust drifting down to earth like powder as he descends light surrounds him an envelope, a covering to protect her eyes from the sheer brilliance the full extent of the light all those days residing in the tower the weeks, the years, they have been well spent if she, danae, receives this reward she rises no words are spoken no need the light contains warmth that floods her body like a waterfall she cannot move her gaze away as he descends her eyes are fixed upon the light all-consuming all-encompassing it moves toward her casting a shadow of radiance upon her as she too shares in the glory with him as he descends * * * We were both immediately impressed by this aspect of Zeus and his seduction of Danae in the form of a rain of gold. Congratulations to Helen Murphey! Helen lives in Michigan and says that she generally just loves to write, stories as well as poetry. We asked her what inspires her: "Nothing really beyond the myths themselves, which paint such beautiful stories that it's hard not to be inspired!" Honorable Mention (Adult) Jupiter's Shenanigans by Rob Graber To hide her from wife Juno's prying eyes, Fair Io Jupiter a heifer made; Astride a swimming bull on ocean's rise, Europa by him rode, but grew afraid. And Jupiter, as eagle, took to th' air With Ganymede, the handsome Trojan boy, And took him all the way to heaven, where The gods could him as cup-bearer enjoy. Callisto jealous Juno made a bear, But bear too gentle in the wilds to stay; So Jupiter raised her aloft, up where She stays, as Ursa Minor, to this day. Is it not nice, and not a little funny, That antics of the gods trumped patron's money? * * * Rob Graber included a note with his poem: “The four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo, which he referred to, in honor of his patrons, as “Medicean Planets I, II, III, and IV,” after some two centuries came to be referred to by more colorful names alluding to Jupiter's exploits...” Honorable Mention (Adult) Zeus' Defense by Gautam Bhatia Begone! You phantoms of my darkest dreams You wraiths that dangle adamantine chains You ghosts that vex me with your silent screams And dumb, recall me to his frightful pains That I have bade him suffer in my ire Exposed to summer heat and lashing rains Upon that rock; no more, my sleep possess Or call me slave to passion and desire Unworthy god, who ever-fearful reigns Dispensing justice, harsh and merciless Come thou with me to these Olympian heights And gaze upon the mortal world below Think you these are communion's joyous lights That bathe the darkling world in amber glow? Then look again; these are the flames of War That lay empires, realms, great kingdoms low Now speak: was it indeed a wicked turn To lock the secret 'pon Olympian tor? I only wished to save my children woe Bereft of flame, how would the earth then burn? Think back upon the seas of flowing blood Through barren wastelands of forgotten years Think of the wrath, the grief, the raging flood Of anguished laments and unnumbered tears All that began upon that day of woe When that proud Titan proved my deepest fears Founded; and tell me, was it harsh, my ire That burst in wrath upon man's cunning foe? And doth my punishment yet harsh appear 'Pon he who gave mankind the curse of fire? * * * Many of Zeus' deeds are hard to understand by modern standards, such as his frequent infidelities. Another is his treatment of Prometheus, who disobeyed Zeus and gave mortals fire and writing and the wheel. For his disobedience Prometheus was chained to a rock and had his liver eaten every day by an eagle - the bird associated with Zeus. Although we don't agree with Zeus and his desire to keep fire and everything else out of the hands of mortals, we found his defense interesting and very much worth reading. Honorable Mention (Adult) Olympian Twilight by Chris Faulk First was Leto, lovely goddess forced to wander far and wide, She gave birth to twins immortal, jealous Hera wished she'd died. Starry Maia bore me Hermes, messenger both fleet and wise Maia gave her name to summer Hermes found a Roman guise. * Spartan Leda I then ravished in the form of lusty swan, from her egg came fatal beauty, for Helen's love left Troy forlorn. Then came Danae, lovely creature unimpressed by showers of gold, then was Io, cow-eyed Io such a beauty to behold. Mad with passion for Europa My bull-form bore her through the land all now know the name she left it, as I seized her by the hand. There were others, beauteous girls all, many caught my eagle eye - some were happy to be bedded, some were wont to weep and sigh. Gifts to Greeks I gave most gladly in return for maidenhead. Virgins, wives or goddess women I would f--k them 'til they bled. Now I sit alone and brooding Hera's middleaged and slow. All I think of are those women, eyes so bright and skins aglow. Silence dripping from the rafters, ashes where there once were fires. All the girls I loved and longed for can now not waken my desires. Olympus is a tourist site now Gods and Titans turned to dust. All I have now are sweet memories of those days of love and lust. * * * This poem was disqualified because it exceeded the number of lines. Still, we appreciated the reference to his roving eye - and what has become of Olympus today. Chris Faulk also mentioned apologies to Byron... Honorable Mention (Adult) Zeus and Io by Anne Westlund Forever in his orbit Part of the firmament She circles ‘round Volcanic in her beauty To hide his love, his lust A Holstein made A cow running hither and yon North to South Italy to the Nile (or a moth—eyes blinking to ward off predators as a child, a caterpillar with poisonous spikes to sting anyone who gets near) Can you blame her, Io? A gadfly set upon her flanks And udders, by Hera Whose jealousy is legend And Zeus, his infidelities Mythic, as well Do you still blame her? Whose descendent Hercules Set Prometheus free That stole fire for us humans Without which we would still Be cold in the dark Do you blame her, Zeus? In the scheme of things Just a dalliance One of many. * * * This poem combines many of the themes we saw above - Zeus' infidelities; the moons of the Solar System, and Prometheus - who was finally released from the rock to which he was chained. Visit the winning poems of other Odes to Olympians contests! Winning Odes to Hera Winning Odes to Poseidon Winning Odes to Demeter Winning Odes to Hermes Winning Odes to Athena Winning Odes to Apollo Winning Odes to Artemis Winning Odes to Ares Go here to visit the most current contest. Concerned that you don't know enough about the Olympians to write poems about them? You can explore these websites: Parada's Greek Mythology Link: A tremendously detailed resource Theoi Greek Mythology: Exploring Classical mythology in Literature and Art Timeless Myths: Greek myths and others as well Several have wondered: who are we and why do we do this? What exactly is this “Tapestry of Bronze?” First, our names are Victoria Grossack & Alice Underwood. We sponsor this contest because we want to encourage excellence and creativity. We’re using the same method used by the Greeks back in Classical Athens: competition. Instead of olive wreaths, we offer money and certificates for prizes. We especially want to encourage the under-18 because we want to support educators and students in our own small way. The idea occurred to us – most appropriately! – when we were visiting the ruins of ancient Olympia in Greece. Second, the Tapestry of Bronze is a series of interlocking novels. They are set in the Bronze Age of Greece – several generations before the Trojan War. This was known to many as the “Golden Age of Heroes,” but to us they seem to be made of bronze and not gold. Our series is a tapestry, because the books tie together, but one book may focus on one character while another focuses on another. Each book can be enjoyed separately, or the books can be enjoyed together. As we state above, it is NOT necessary to purchase or to read our novels in order to enter the contests. Still, we think most of you will like them. Click on one of the titles below to see them at Amazon – and if you want it electronically, you can start reading today! If you’re simply not sure, then download a sample. Your purchase helps support future contests. Return to Home for Tapestry of Bronze Do you wish to contact us? Write to us at “tapestryofbronze” at “yahoo.com”	You may be interested in visiting other parts of our website: Our Books (in English) Jocasta Children of Tantalus The Road to Thebes Arrows of Artemis Bιβλία στα ελληνκα - Our Books (in Greek) Odes to Olympians Contest Current: Winners of Past Contests: Zeus Hera Poseidon Demeter Hermes Athena Apollo Artemis Ares Aphrodite Pronunciation Guide Maps (Thebes, Pisa/Olympia, Eastern Mediterranean) The Stories Behind the Stories Acknowledgements, Thanks, Bibliography and Links About the Authors To see our novels at Amazon, available in either hardcopy or electronic formats, click on the covers below. Your purchase helps support future contests! “A wonderfully nuanced novel” “Spellbinding entertainment” “Very strongly recommended” “Definitely worth reading” To see our novels at Amazon, available in either hardcopy or electronic formats, click on the covers below. Your purchase helps support future contests!