TTC - BNG Flavour & Origins

[Graham]

Graham follows up his Theros flavour episode with the real-world Greek origins of cards in Born of the Gods.

[David_shea_306]

Why was there no 5 colour God this would have been much better than chromanticor and made for a sweet commander. Packed with all the gods, weapons and followers just for fun. I'd like to see some ideas on what people think his/her name would be and what it would do. Could this be a discussion for a future episode?

[LokiTheLiar]

I can't entirely agree with Graham about that Phenax does not straightly depicts any of the greek gods. What about Hermes? He is a god of thieves and as far as I far as I remember he was described as a trickster in some myths. He was also pictured with small wings attached to his head (and/or feet) and so is Phenax on the card. There was even an article about the greek gods and their Magic color identity in which Hermes was assigned to blue and black. Here's the link to the article f anyone's interested.
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/1503

Anyway, I have really enjoyed the podcast and I'm looking forward to the next episode. I'm glad to see that Graham is back to TTC after this short break.

[RedNightmare]

Great podcast. I love greek mythology and really need to read up on it one of these days. Haven't found a good resource for it yet, though.

I don't think it's Elspeth on Swordwise Centaur though, because I think she became a planeswalker later in life and wasn't born on Theros.

The title "Champion of the Sun" was bestowed to many different heroes on Theros, always by Heliod. My guess is this is a past (or even future) Champion, though I could be wrong.

[Jivan Drungilas]

Pretty sure Elspeth was born on another plane, I think Swordwise Centaur's flavour text refers to the same hero that killed the stone giant on the art for Ordeal of Nylea.

[Psithief]

Elspeth's first planeswalk was at a young age and Theros is where she got Purphoros' sword from.

The following article doesn't really expand on it, maybe some books do?
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/A ... eature/301

Also: Blah blah blah wiki: http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Elspeth_Tirel

[Lurkon]

Great podcast. I love greek mythology and really need to read up on it one of these days. Haven't found a good resource for it yet, though.

I don't think it's Elspeth on Swordwise Centaur though, because I think she became a planeswalker later in life and wasn't born on Theros.

The title "Champion of the Sun" was bestowed to many different heroes on Theros, always by Heliod. My guess is this is a past (or even future) Champion, though I could be wrong.

Came here to say that.

Elspeth's first planeswalk was at a young age and Theros is where she got Purphoros' sword from.

The following article doesn't really expand on it, maybe some books do?
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/A ... eature/301

Also: Blah blah blah wiki: http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Elspeth_Tirel

She didn't stay very long. She got to Theros, met Daxos, picked up her sword, and planeswalked away.

[MowDownJoe]

Yeah, the Uncharted Realms where Ajani was previewed has this little exchange:

"Brimaz said you spoke with human traders recently. Did you hear anything from them about a newcomer to their lands, a solitary woman who spoke strangely and carried a sword?"

Lanathos blinked.

"Of course I did. You just heard the story they told me."

Ajani's ears swiveled back of their own accord. Was the old human making a joke?

"I am looking for my friend," he said. "Not the Champion of the Sun."

"What makes you think your friend isn't the Champion?"

Ajani let his ears fall entirely flat.

"I heard stories of the Theriad the last time I was here," he said. "About the Champion training with the centaurs, and living among the leonin. My friend is here now, and she never did any of that."

"Ajani, you're speaking about the Theriad as though it were about a single person."

Ajani took a deep breath and let it out.

"Yes," he said. "I am. Remember, I am from a distant land. If I've misunderstood, please, explain."

"The Theriad is about the Champion of the Sun," said Lanathos. "But that's not a person. It's a title, bestowed by Heliod on a worthy mortal in times of great need. The story of the Theriad is the story of all of them, from the first, whoever that was, to the latest—the woman who slew Polukranos."

[Bergie]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but isn't a Caryatid merely a statue of a woman being used as a pillar, and not a type of Nymph?

[Graham]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but isn't a Caryatid merely a statue of a woman being used as a pillar, and not a type of Nymph?

That's how it used now, most commonly, but "carya" means "nut tree". Here's my reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Gre ... creature/5

[Graham]

RE: Elspeth, maybe I misspoke, maybe she was there as a child, whatever.

None of that changes what I was talking about. Thanks though!

[ForOhFor Error]

And Dionysus matches Xenagos pretty well. In Greek myth, Dionysus was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, and only later became a god.

In addition, he's the god of madness. So not exactly a happy fun party either.

[Steelwolf]

Loved the podcast! I have another theory about the Snake of the Golden Grove. It could be Ladon, the snake that was charged with guarding the golden apples of the Hisperades, which Heracles had to obtain for his eleventh labour. Mainly basing it on the fact that the snake seems to be going after Elmer who's nibbling at a golden apple.

[Mperg76]

my favorite flavor card is eye gouge http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/%20...%20eid=378439, it references Polyphemus.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/polyphemus.html

[natesnation]

I'd just like to point out that whilst there's no Cat flavor to match with Brimaz, he is also a Soldier.

There was an article about the flavor in the set that mentions they tried to make a Leonidas card that made 300 tokens, and Brimaz was the end result, Leonidas being a catty sort of name.

[ShadowChorus]

I am severely in hopes that the next top-down flavor-constructed block is based more on Norse myth, because I am just about as immersed in that as Graham is in Greco-Roman. Not to mention the awesome cards that such a block would offer. Scrying ravens to represent Huginn and Muninn, Gleipnir, fenrir's bindings that would basically be an arrest.

Great, now I'm nerding out.

[ArchieO]

While Dryads and Caryatids represent tree spirits, Naiads were always water spirits, for example Thetis, Mother of Achilles, Oreads were mountain spirits, Echo being one of the more famous, Lampads were companions of Hecate and were associated with the underworld and Alseids were the Nymphs of Hills and Glens, generally found around mount Ida.

Also the Archetype of Endurance could also be the Calydonian Boar