(urth) Soldier: Hegesistratus the Lame Lycanthrope

[Chris]

Well, when thinking about Ares, also recall what Diokles has to say about 
him in S. of Arete - met with, I believe, some approval from Latro:

"Old Ares isn't some kind of monster, see? Think of him as a plain man that 
wants to win the war and get back home to Aphrodite. He's for training, 
discipline, and fair play with the men. And he whistles when he loses just 
like he whistles when he wins."

There is some compassion, or at least justice, in this figure.

Now that you mention it though, the bit about whistling when he loses just 
like he whistles when he wins stirs up some memory I can't quite recall. 
Isn't there some statement or other that the (Christian) man of faith always 
hopes for the best, but nonetheless is never disappointed if he doesn't 
happen to get it, treating each with a sort of happy equanimity? I am of 
course paraphrasing, because I just can't bring it to mind. The reason this 
stands out a bit to me is that I don't know whether Ares had that sort of 
equanimity associated with him, historically. Most of the gods were pretty 
sore losers.

>I rather like this idea - Ares gets stuck in his head because of the 
>injury.  Hmm.
>
>The only other cogent solution I can think of is that, since Ahura Mazda is 
>the God of good, and Pleistorus is rumored to be ahura mazda, then perhaps 
>latro is a trial run for the theoanthropos: God tests out a human life 
>cycle, and changes in the process from the old, violent God to the 
>compassionate one of Christianity.  I wish there were some indication for 
>exactly how long Pleistorus has been missing.  If it is only a year or two, 
>then clearly he was simply possessing Latro.  If it was closer to twenty, 
>he could have incarnated himself as a human in Rome, which will eventually 
>create the Pax Romana - the entire world must be at peace for Christ to be 
>born, as it purportedly was.
>
>Marc
>
>
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