I was thinking about Greek legends recently and the fact that, to hide Zeus from his father, Rhea gave Cronos a stone to swallow in his place. Later, poisoned by Zeus, Cronos pukes up the other gods, including the "Zeus stone". If one were to bring this item into a game, what sort of powers do you suppose it would possess? It is certainly a significant part of Zeus' mythology and should be a notable artifact for, if nothing else, sitting in the gullet of a Titan for so many years. I was just recently reviewing the myth and the idea of using this in game has been nagging at me ever since.
Zeus Stone
Mon, 2011-08-01 23:12
#1
Zeus Stone
Tue, 2011-08-02 04:48
#3
Re: Zeus Stone
Apparently it passes as a baby god even to the inspection of the powerful Titan Cronos, so maybe it could be used somehow to fake being a god for a while, unless a real god actually gave it a careful examination.
Tue, 2011-08-02 04:50
#4
Re: Zeus Stone
Oh... and apparently it can be swallowed whole and sit in a Titan's stomach juices for years without being destroyed. So immunity to acid damage is at least one additional power the wielder should get. ;^)
Tue, 2011-08-02 10:07
#5
Re: Zeus Stone
It possesses the amazing ability to taste like chicken...actually, given the context, that is far more disturbing than I intended.
Since Cronos was the titan of time and since the stomach is filled with destructive fluids, I could see the stone have either the ability to evoke or to resist the destructive forces of time that tear all things apart.
If you go with the stone being a force that resisted Cronos, perhaps the touch of the stone or a chip of it can bestow immortality to a person or a structure that resist even supernatural forces of decay. I could see it as a way to destroy the Forgotten realms god, Moander.
following Sciborg's lead, perhaps the stone is linked to the Greek gods (excluding Zeus...and his kids that sprang from mortals - like Hercules - or from Zeus entirely - like Athena). Could controlling the stone allow one to have leverage over many of the pantheon?
Another question is where is the stone now? Is it locked in Carceri with Cronos (if you have Cronos alive)? Is it sitting in the stomach of the god-island of Cronos floating in the Astral (if so, this might be a MAJOR concern of Anubis in his role of guarding over the bodies)? Any other suggestions?
Tue, 2011-08-02 16:01
#6
Re: Zeus Stone
In Greek mythology, the stone became the Omphalos at the Oracle of Delphi. It was believed to exist at the precise center of the disc-shaped world.
Tue, 2011-08-02 16:07
#7
Re: Zeus Stone
The idea of a Jupiter/Zeus rock artifact is awesome.
Is it locked in Carceri with Cronos (if you have Cronos alive)? Is it sitting in the stomach of the god-island of Cronos floating in the Astral (if so, this might be a MAJOR concern of Anubis in his role of guarding over the bodies)? Any other suggestions?
Could be a mad wizard/priest/whatever of any race has figured out how to extract the stone from Cronos on the Astral and is doing things with it that he/she should not be. Or the githyanki have figured it out -- either someone acting on the orders of the Queen (to help power her ascension to divinity), a lone renegade, or a group/political faction of githyanki following the fall of the Revered Queen.
Tue, 2011-08-02 16:08
#8
Re: Zeus Stone
In Greek mythology, the stone became the Omphalos at the Oracle of Delphi. It was believed to exist at the precise center of the disc-shaped world.
Wow, Rip, thanks for finding this.
Tue, 2011-08-02 16:45
#9
Re: Zeus Stone
In Greek mythology, the stone became the Omphalos at the Oracle of Delphi. It was believed to exist at the precise center of the disc-shaped world.
Glad you remembered this. I really need to re-read my classical mythology
Stone at the Center of the disc-shaped world = Spire??? (or the seed that became the Spire)
Tue, 2011-08-02 17:02
#10
Re: Zeus Stone
Well, the Spire is also an omphalos.
Tue, 2011-08-02 17:57
#11
Re: Zeus Stone
According to that article the Omphalos of Zeus allowed one to speak with the gods - so it might have that ability still. It could also make one invisible or protected from the power of Titans. (depending on how large a piece one had) Perhaps one could use it to influence the children of the Greek pantheon, though not Zeus' own direct scions ...
Wed, 2011-08-03 03:29
#12
Re: Zeus Stone
Also note that in standard Planescape, Cronus ain't dead -- he's imprisoned on Carceri.
Wed, 2011-08-17 17:25
#13
Re: Zeus Stone
The Omphalos located at the oracle of Delphi was considered to give the ability of communication with the gods. Don't know if this helps, just a quick dip in to one thread of research found that the Omphalos is located in the temple of Adyton, has a likeness of a fisherman's net carved on its exterior and is hollow.
The fact that it is hollow opens up a number of ideas for gaming or story related threads like:
Why is it hollow?
Was there anything inside at some point?
Was i t a prison of some sort that has been escaped?
The stone itself has a number of interesting ideas, like those your goodselves have already mentioned. What if it DOEs have godlike properties due to its close proximity to the other deities during its gestation (?) ? Maybe the could be some sort of squabble/fight/plot about where in the pantheon the 'new deity' should reside. Maybe one god or another (like zeus or posidon) could lay claim to it or coerce it in to alliance (like the dark diciple series in dragonlance where Mina is being faught over after her initial deception by Takhisis)
Back to the research of communication, this could be an artifact saught after by any berk with enough luck or wit to lay hands on it to sell to the highest bidder to gain the chance to talk to the gods.
So many possibilities. I like it. Congrats on the original find.
Thu, 2011-08-18 17:36
#14
Re: Zeus Stone
Normally I'd tell you to check out Theoi.com for all your Greco-Roman mythology needs, but it seems they actually don't have a page on the Omphalos yet (which is somewhat surprising).
Mon, 2011-08-22 16:03
#15
Re: Zeus Stone
Fantastic! Thank you, Hyena of Ice, Theoi.com has been added to my favorites for later reasearching. What a wonderful well of Greek related myth information. Classical studies is a hobby I have neglected lately and this refreshing Sojourn in the Planes with other Planescape fans has greatly rejuvinated my passion for these epic endeavours.
Well it was in the stomach with all the Olympians save Zeus right? Perhaps the stone is actually something that could be used to bind them if the wielder were a planar lord, a Titan, or a god themselves.
Another option is giving it a magical power related to all the gods in the stomach as well as Khronos.
This is a great idea by the way!
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