At 06:49 AM 11/7/96 -0600, bridget ellen engman wrote:

On Thu, 7 Nov 1996, Caroline Ann Seawright wrote:

Well, the legend is that one where the guy goes down into Hell to save
his beloved, but she'd already eaten down there, so he couldn't bring
her back. :p  Don't remember their names, because I don't find Greek
history all that exciting - Greek and Rome just copied each other's
legends. ;p

Orpheus and Eurydice. (Jean Cocteau's got a great movie based on this)

<snip>

        Umm...the legend Kun-chan is describing seems a bit mixed up...
a mixture of  the story of Orpheus and Eurydice with the story of Hades 
and Persephone.

        Orpheus travels to the underworld to bring back his beloved, 
cutting a deal with Hades (King of the underworld, but not proof against
the power of music).  He was allowed to lead Eurydice back to earth as 
long as he didn't look back (or was it as long as he didn't look at her?)...
and of course the idiot does look back and so she goes back to the underworld
and he travels the earth in tears.

        In the case of Hades and Persephone...Hades saw Persephone
in a meadow and fell in love and kidnapped her and brought her to
the underworld to be his wife.  Demeter, her mother and the goddess in
charge of growing stuff on earth, was pissed off and wanted her
back.  They were working out some deal when it came to everyone's
attention that Persephone had eaten some pomegranate seeds during 
her stay in the underworld which, according to some rule, made her part 
of the underworld for good.  Hades was happy cuz he got to keep his wife.  
Demeter was not and threw tantrums, which were hard on the poor mortals. 
Zeus stepped in with a compromise so Persephone only has to stay in the
underworld 
about six months out of the year.

        After a quick skim through "The Return, Part 1," I think I know
which myth Tom is referencing.  It's a bit hazy, but I *do* remember
a myth where some guy was able to avoid death because someone 
else was willing to take his place.  Okay, I looked it up.  It's the story 
of Alcestis and Admetus.  Admetus was a king--but more importantly, 
he was a friend of Apollo.  When it came time for him to die, Apollo 
convinced the Fates to let him live if another took his place.  His wife 
Alcestis volunteered.

        Well, I like Greek myths, but I'm not sure about combining it with 
Ranma.  I'll just see where Tom goes with this.


Venkarel
(who apologizes for her somewhat flippant rendition of the Greek myths)