Which is better?

[james_davis_nicoll]

Eurydice, belatedly realizing Orpheus isn't coming*, finds her own way out of Hades.


As above but rather than not coming at all, Orpheus shows up late (added later) by which time Eurydice has found her own escape. This may explain why the god of the dead was not willing to let Orpheus look at the face of the woman he was leading out of Hades.

*He is a poet so it is not like he has to actually do the romantic quest thing to get credit for doing the romantic quest thing, as long as he has an explanation for why Eurydice is not with him.

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

If you're letting either of them cheat death

Say, does the original story say exiting Hades actually restores life or are we just talking roaming shades in the lands of the living?

[invunche.livejournal.com]

I have no idea who this guy is (http://blog.garycorby.com/2010/06/ghosts-of-ancient-greece.html) but he writes mysteries that might be up your alley.

He doesn't think the ancient Greeks had ghosts.

The Greeks were one of the very few people throughout history to not have a strong belief in ghosts. In fact I'd be willing to bet there are more people in the western world per capita today who believe in ghosts, than there were in Athens in 460BC.

I put this down to the Greek belief that the world was fundamentally explainable by rational means. That very modern viewpoint was totally at odds with their own religion, and the deeper thinkers of the time were painfully aware of the paradox. Yet nevertheless, give a Classical Greek a problem, and he would instinctively look for a rational solution. This rather suits me as a mystery writer.

[kgbooklog.livejournal.com]

more people in the western world per capita

I hope his word choices are better in his novels.