where the dead do not rest.’ Much less been able to struggle through that language. You had more of it than I did. I only confirmed what you believed through other records.”
“You had some insights that I didn’t. We both got the references to the Oracle at Delphi, but I didn’t catch the reference to Hades. At least, not in the context that you did.” Lourds frowned. “Still, though, the idea of Aristotle worshipping Hades seems rather...unsettling.”
“Why?”
“The God of the Dead? Doesn’t seem a likely choice.”
Corporal Rahimi hummed the theme song from some horror movie that Lourds only vaguely recognized. A couple of the other soldiers cracked up, and Captain Fitrat shushed them all with a stern glance.
Marias held up a finger. “Hades was not the god of the dead. That’s a popular misconception. He was god of the underworld. When the three primary Greek gods, and there you will have people split over the fact that there were twelve major Greek gods, got together to divide up the world, they drew sticks.”
“Right. Hades got the shortest stick. I remember the story.” Lourds held up the placard he’d found on the table. The placard had a brief myth on it, of how the herb mint came to be. “He also had a very jealous wife.”
“Well, listen to the story again, and this time pay attention. The land belonged to Gaia, so they could not take that. The rest, however, was up for grabs. Zeus won first choice and claimed the skies. Then Poseidon took the seas. Hades was left with the underworld, the caves and the forgotten places, and all the minerals that came from the earth.”
“But, according to legend, Hades is where the dead go.” Corporal Rahimi looked embarrassed to have interrupted. “Excuse me. I did not mean to intrude.”
“No intrusion.” Marias smiled, obviously delighted to be speaking to an audience of more than one. “The dead were merely a byproduct. They had to go somewhere. The true god of death in Greek mythology was Thanatos. He was the son of Nyx, the Night, and Erebos, the Darkness. His twin brother was Hypnos, sleep. Thanatos was considered one of the negative figures in Greek mythology. But Hades was not.”
Lourds nodded. “He was simply the ruler of the underworld.”
“Exactly.”
“But, according to the legend we translated, Aristotle took Alexander to the Oracle at Delphi, and it was prophesied that he would be a great leader. In order to accomplish that feat more easily, Aristotle made a deal with Hades.” Lourds tapped the section he had copied from the text. “‘And so to secure my master’s place as a champion upon whom the world would find vengeance or succor, his teacher took him and a bargain was struck to get him the sword, the shield, and the armor that he carried into battle.’ And Callisthenes doesn’t mention Hades by name, just as the beloved master of the three-headed dog.”
“Of course. Even the Greeks didn’t often use the name of Hades. They were fearful of meeting the god of the underworld too soon. Death wasn’t a thing to be feared, but the underworld was a place filled with gloom and despair. But how many three-headed dogs can you think of in mythology?”
“Just the one. Cerberus.”
“Then it has to be.”
“But that means Aristotle worshipped Hades? I’m having trouble wrapping my head around that.”
“No, Thomas. You’re a master linguist, but you don’t know all there is to know about Greek culture and mythology.”
“Which is exactly why I came to you, as I recall.”
“You did the right thing.” Marias grinned. “Aristotle didn’t have to worship Hades. He only had to offer some form of tribute in order to ask a boon of him.”
“But there is no temple to Hades that I know of.”
“There was one. In Elis. And the temple there was open just one day out of the year. Only the priest was allowed inside.”
Corporal Rahimi leaned back in his chair. “Creepy.”
Marias smiled. “Yes, it was.”
“Is it still there?”
“The temple?” Marias shook his head. “Look around this country. There has been devastation everywhere over the years. The temple of Hades at Elis was one of those losses. The temple of Zeus lies in ruins there too. Elis is also the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and a cook named Koroibos of Elis won the very first stadion race to become the first Olympic champion. All of that is gone.” For a moment, sadness lingered in the professor’s eyes. “But getting back to the point. The