I was a priest in the city-state era

Chapter 533 Exposing Zeus who disguised himself as a woman

The policy of the Athenian Empire would reduce the royal families and nobles in the conquered areas to civilians, losing all privileges and wealth brought by power.

If the local royal families and nobles felt that there was hope of fighting against the Athenian Empire, they would definitely choose to resist to the end.

But the royal family and nobles of the Kingdom of Arzava already knew that the Athenian Empire was a behemoth that they absolutely could not defeat—it was not worth the loss to fight against the Athenian Empire.

After all, they were conquered by the Athenian Empire. Even if they lost their privileges and most of their wealth, they could rely on the wealth they retained to live a life of luxury that ordinary people could not imagine.

Choosing to fight against the Athenian Empire, they will not only lose everything in a losing war, but also suffer the punishment of being a lifelong slave along with their families.

Facing Roy's threat, Iobates said helplessly.

"Let my daughter Fironoe become the queen of Arzava like Princess Hatepna of the Hittite Kingdom? It seems that I should be wise to accept your proposal, but my daughter Fironoe has already married Bellerophon, the leader of the Mycenaeans, so I cannot marry Fironoe to you."

"Bellerophon—"

Roy is no stranger to this name.

Because in the mythology of another world, Bellerophon is like the father of Zeus.

Daughter of Bellerophon, one of the human wives of Zeus.

In other words, Bellerophon was the father-in-law of Zeus.

The horse god Pegasus is the clone and son of Poseidon, and also the exclusive mount of Bellerophon.

Zeus is the son-in-law of Bellerophon, and Poseidon is the mount of Bellerophon, which is a treatment that many demigod heroes in Greek mythology cannot enjoy.

"King Iobates! I heard that Bellerophon has long been your son-in-law. Why hasn't Princess Philonoe married Bellerophon?"

"It is true that Bellerophon has long since become my son-in-law."

Iobates explained with a sad expression.

"Bellerophon brought the Mycenaeans who followed him—or they were called the Hyksos. When Bellerophon brought these people to migrate to the Lydia region, he gave me a lot of wealth and asked to marry my eldest daughter Anthea. At that time, in order to use Bellerophon and his followers to deal with the Hittites, Cilicians and Paleks, I married my eldest daughter Anthea to Bellerophon. Unexpectedly, in just a few years, my eldest daughter Anthea was pregnant. The second child died of dystocia. Bellerophon hoped that I could marry my youngest daughter Philonoë to him to maintain our marriage relationship, and that Philonoë would become his new wife, so that he would truly love the two children born to Anthea."

"King Iobates, you are such an old fool, can't you see that Bellerophon wants to inherit your throne as a son-in-law?"

Roy couldn't help but tease.

"Bellerophon and the Mycenaeans regard the male god Zeus as the patron saint of the group. After Bellerophon inherits your throne, he will definitely regard Zeus as the patron saint of the Kingdom of Arzava. From the beginning, you should not choose to accept Bellerophon and the Mycenaeans, or even make Bellerophon your son-in-law, just to take advantage of Bellerophon."

"The Mycenaeans worship the male god Zeus?"

Iobates said with a puzzled look.

"Bellerophon and the Mycenaeans who followed him worshiped a goddess named Dione!"

"The name Dione is the feminine form of Zeus, so the goddess Dione is actually Zeus."

Bellerophon disguised Zeus as a goddess in order to be accepted by the Arzawas who worshiped the goddess of the earth. Of course, the Arzawas could not believe it.

Because in the eyes of the Arzawa people who devoutly believe in the goddess of the earth, this is a serious blasphemy against the gods.

They didn't know that in order to survive, Zeus was willing to be the son of the goddess of the earth, not to mention dressing up as a goddess in women's clothing.

In fact, in the mythology of another world, Zeus really became the son of the goddess of the earth.

In Greek mythology, Cronus, the king of the gods who ruled the heavens, the sea, and the underworld, is the trinity of Zeus, the king of the sky, Poseidon, the king of the sea, and Hades, the king of the underworld.

The identity of Cronus is the youngest son of Gaia, the goddess of the earth.

Zeus came to the Lydia region of the Kingdom of Arzava and became a goddess, which is also recorded in Greek mythology.

In the myth of Hercules, there is a story that Heracles came to the Lydia region and sold himself to the Lydian queen Omphale.

In the royal palace of Omphale, Hercules is dressed in women's clothes and ornaments, and sits at Omphale's feet and weaves with a spinning wheel.

Hercules, the Mycenaean hero, is a completely fictional character in mythology, and there is no real historical figure as a prototype.

The twelve missions completed by Hercules are more like the process of the Mycenaeans expanding their territory in Greece.

So the prototype of Hercules is either the Mycenaean group itself, or Zeus, the patron saint of the Mycenaeans who can symbolize the Mycenaeans.

In Greek mythology, Metis and Athena, who are regarded as mother and daughter, are actually the same goddess.

Poseidon's son, the horse god Pegasus, is also the clone of the horse god Poseidon. In fact, Poseidon and Pegasus are the same god.

According to the mythic logic of the duality of mother and daughter, father and son, Hercules, the son of Zeus, is Zeus.

Hercules fell into a state of weakness in myth, and was forced to sell himself as a slave to Omphale, queen of Lydia—

The corresponding reality prototype is that the Mycenaeans were forced to migrate from Egypt to the Lydia region, and had to bow their knees to the local Arzawas.

Hercules disguised himself as a man to please Queen Omphale of Lydia.

The corresponding reality is that the Mycenaeans, in order to please the Arzawas, declared their patron saint to be a goddess named Dione.

Zeus had to disguise himself as a goddess in front of Hecate, the goddess of the earth worshiped by the Arzavans.

Bellerophon concealed the true identity of Zeus, perhaps because he was worried that the Arzavans would not accept them from the beginning.

After all, the ethnic group that worships the goddess of the earth has a deep hatred with the ancient Aryans who worship the god of thunder as early as 500 years ago.

It was precisely because of the invasion of the ancient Aryans that the groups that worshiped the goddess of the earth were forced to migrate westward.

For whatever reason—

There is no dispute that Zeus became the goddess Dione in Lydia.

"King Iobates! Although the Mycenaeans have lost the blond hair and blue eyes of their ancestors through intermarriage with the local ethnic groups in West Asia, the god of thunder they worship has never changed. This god of thunder is Marduk, the god of thunder of the Amorites, Teshub of the Assyrians, and Haddad of the Akkadians. Maybe after 500 years, you have forgotten that 500 years ago, the Aryans who worshiped the god of thunder invaded the Asia Minor peninsula and made Your ancestors were forced to migrate west."

"The Mycenaeans worship Zeus, the god of thunder—are they descended from those barbarians from the north?"

After listening to Roy's words, Iobates' eyes were full of anger and hatred.

He understood now why Bellerophon had lied and declared that they worshiped a goddess.

(End of this chapter)