‘Do not sneer at their faith. We all need something to have faith in.’
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Fall of Kings
Tag Archives: Troy
‘My happiness is not in the gift of others. I will be happy, or I will not be happy. No man will supply it, or deprive me of it.’
– Andromache, to Odysseus, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘I have discovered that miracles are merely events that happen just when they are needed. A man dying of thirst in the desert sees a bee flying through the air. He decides that Jehovah has sent him the bee and follows it – to a glistening pool of cold, clear water. Is it a miracle?’
– The Prophet, to Gershom, Shield of Thunder
‘War is the enemy of civilization. We cannot grow through war. It drags us down, filling our hearts with hatred and thoughts of revenge. Trade is the key. Every race has something to offer, and something they need to buy. And, as we trade, we learn new skills from one another.‘
– Odysseus, to Xander, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘We make choices every day, some of them good, some of them bad. And – if we are strong enough – we live with the consequences.‘
– Helikaon, to Phaedra, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Give me your best and I will reward you, whether what you do is successful or not. All I ask of men who serve me is that they put their hearts into it. No more can be demanded.‘
– Helikaon, to Khalkeus, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘The truth is a many-costumed whore. Seems to me she will offer a man valid reasons for any deed, no matter how ghastly.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘There is no courage without fear. A man who rushes into battle fearlessly is not a hero. He is merely a strong man with a big sword. An act of courage requires the overcoming of fear.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Now this is how courage and fear work, lad. Both will always be pushing. They are never still. And a man cannot choose to stop pushing. For if he backs away the fear will come after him, and push him pack another step, and then another. Men who give in to fear are like kings who trust in castles to keep out enemies, rather than attacking them on open ground, and scattering them. So the enemies camp round the castle, and now the king cannot get out. Slowly his food runs out, and he discovers the castle is not a very safe place to be.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘We are all of us hybrid beasts. There is the savage in us, who would tear out an enemy’s heart and devour it raw. There is the lover, who composes songs to the woman who owns his soul. There is the father, who holds his child close, and would die to protect it from all harm. Three creatures in one man. And there are more. In every one of us is the total of all we have ever been, the sullen child, the arrogant youth, the suckling babe. Every fear endured in childhood is lodged somewhere in here. And every act of heroism or cowardice, generosity or meanness of spirit.‘
– Gershom, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow