The many Gods of Wonder Woman General Discussion

[marhawkman]

Probably the choice of lighting and inks. What Nyssane linked is how he's supposed to look.

Which was... most of the time apparently...

[Shimbo]

I think Azzarello and Chiang's intention for Apollo was always to have him as a Black man, even if the coloring did give him a purple hue. But this is comics and things like a character's skin tone being complicated by color and inking choices or a god being a Black man should not come as surprising lol.

[Veni]

Apollo's been black since the New 52. And yeah, they're Greek Gods, meaning they can take whatever form they want.

The point they are trying to make is that the Greek gods are supposed to look like the Greeks. That's why they look human. That's been established in Greek culture and mythology.

[Veni]

Since when Demeter and Appolo are black ? Aren't they greek gods ?

Yes, they are Greek Gods. But DC being an American company tries to make Themyscira look like 21st century America. Greece is a homogenous country and they should at least respect Greek tradition and culture. DC also depicted a Norse goddess as a South Asian.

[SiegePerilous02]

Yes, they are Greek Gods. But DC being an American company tries to make Themyscira look like 21st century America. Greece is a homogenous country and they should at least respect Greek tradition and culture. DC also depicted a Norse goddess as a South Asian.

In the case of Themyscira/the Amazons, it's not that big of a deal. The Amazons weren't part of Greek culture in the myths. The Well of Souls origin establishes that the souls are of women slain by men all over the world and then reincarnated in new bodies, plus the rest of their ranks can be comprised of women who travel to them from other parts of the world or foreign slaves they free and adopt.

It's why in the first issue of Historia, Hippolyta and the other mortal people she interacts with all look Greek, but the Amazons (born from the Well of Souls) all look like they are from different regions.

[Veni]

In the case of Themyscira/the Amazons, it's not that big of a deal. The Amazons weren't part of Greek culture in the myths. The Well of Souls origin establishes that the souls are of women slain by men all over the world and then reincarnated in new bodies, plus the rest of their ranks can be comprised of women who travel to them from other parts of the world or foreign slaves they free and adopt.

It's why in the first issue of Historia, Hippolyta and the other mortal people she interacts with all look Greek, but the Amazons (born from the Well of Souls) all look like they are from different regions.

From Wikipedia:
In Greek myths, Hippolyta was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' zoster, meaning "war belt." The name Hippolyta comes from Greek roots meaning "horse" and "let loose."

Themiscyra was an ancient Greek town in northeastern Anatolia; it was situated on the southern coast of the Black Sea, near the mouth of the Thermodon, probably at or near modern Terme. According to Greek mythology, it was the capital city of the Amazons.

According to myth, Otrera, the first Amazon queen, is the offspring of a romance between Ares the god of war and the nymph Harmonia of the Akmonian Wood, and as such a demigoddess.

[SiegePerilous02]

From Wikipedia:
In Greek myths, Hippolyta was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' zoster, meaning "war belt." The name Hippolyta comes from Greek roots meaning "horse" and "let loose."

Themiscyra was an ancient Greek town in northeastern Anatolia; it was situated on the southern coast of the Black Sea, near the mouth of the Thermodon, probably at or near modern Terme. According to Greek mythology, it was the capital city of the Amazons.

According to myth, Otrera, the first Amazon queen, is the offspring of a romance between Ares the god of war and the nymph Harmonia of the Akmonian Wood, and as such a demigoddess.

The real world myths are a source of inspiration, but going all the way back to 1940, the WW IP has never made any pretense that it wants to adhere to them completely. She's almost never actually a daughter of Ares in the WW mythos, and Otrera never shows up. Marston had her (and all the Amazons) formed from clay and brought to life by Aphrodite. Which is something Aphrodite notably did in Greek myth with Galatea, and the Gods created the human race from clay. Which one would assume encompassed the entire human race, not just the Greeks, just like the Well of Souls doesn't just house Greek souls.

Perez's and Jimenez's Hippolyta are drawn to resemble a woman from the actual region, as are all the people Hippolyta is surrounded by in the city in those portions of Historia. But like I said, there are in-story explanations for why the Amazons have an array of ethnicities. It's not like there's no explanation given for why there are black, asian, etc Amazons.

[Gaius]

From Wikipedia:
In Greek myths, Hippolyta was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' zoster, meaning "war belt." The name Hippolyta comes from Greek roots meaning "horse" and "let loose."

Themiscyra was an ancient Greek town in northeastern Anatolia; it was situated on the southern coast of the Black Sea, near the mouth of the Thermodon, probably at or near modern Terme. According to Greek mythology, it was the capital city of the Amazons.

According to myth, Otrera, the first Amazon queen, is the offspring of a romance between Ares the god of war and the nymph Harmonia of the Akmonian Wood, and as such a demigoddess.

Yes, the very tight and closely kept continuity of Greek Mythology where the mythical version of Hippolyta died twice.

[SiegePerilous02]

Yes, the very tight and closely kept continuity of Greek Mythology where the mythical version of Hippolyta died twice.

And historians cannot agree if it was her or Melanippe Herakles killed, or if it was her or Antiope Theseus kidnapped as his bride.

[Gaius]

And historians cannot agree if it was her or Melanippe Herakles killed, or if it was her or Antiope Theseus kidnapped as his bride.

Yes, Greek myth is the jumping off point, not a set of commandments to follow.

My only real standard is the Gods should generally still have their assigned "God of __" roles but even Rucka's run showed you can move beyond that.

[I'm a Fish]

Mythologically arcuate Hippolyta should also be missing her right boob, but no one complains about that oversight...

[Sebastianne]

Nor do they complain about a Zeus with blue skin or an incorporeal Athena, but well...

[Agent Z]

From Wikipedia:
In Greek myths, Hippolyta was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' zoster, meaning "war belt." The name Hippolyta comes from Greek roots meaning "horse" and "let loose."

Themiscyra was an ancient Greek town in northeastern Anatolia; it was situated on the southern coast of the Black Sea, near the mouth of the Thermodon, probably at or near modern Terme. According to Greek mythology, it was the capital city of the Amazons.

According to myth, Otrera, the first Amazon queen, is the offspring of a romance between Ares the god of war and the nymph Harmonia of the Akmonian Wood, and as such a demigoddess.

Also from wikipedia:

The texts of the original myths envisioned the homeland of the Amazons at the periphery of the then known world. Various claims to the exact place ranged from provinces in Asia Minor (Lycia, Caria etc.) to the steppes around the Black Sea, or even Libya. However, authors most frequently referred to Pontus in northern Anatolia, on the southern shores of the Black Sea, as the independent Amazon kingdom where the Amazon queen resided at her capital Themiscyra, on the banks of the Thermodon river.[6]

The ancient Greeks never had any doubts that the Amazons were, or had been, real. Not the only people enchanted by warlike women of nomadic cultures, such exciting tales also come from ancient Egypt, Persia, India, and China. Greek heroes of old had encounters with the queens of their martial society and fought them. However, their original home was not exactly known, thought to be in the obscure lands beyond the civilized world.[23] As a result, for centuries scholars believed the Amazons to be purely imaginary, although there were various proposals for a historical nucleus of the Amazons in Greek historiography. Some authors preferred comparisons to cultures of Asia Minor or even Minoan Crete. The most obvious historical candidates are Lycia and Scythia and Sarmatia in line with the account by Herodotus. In his Histories (5th century BC) Herodotus claims that the Sauromatae (predecessors of the Sarmatians), who ruled the lands between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, arose from a union of Scythians and Amazons.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazons#Historiography

[Primal Slayer]

[Primal Slayer]

Any general thoughts on this "origin" for the Earth Gods?