Character Contest 22: Of odysseys and golden fleeces

odysseus

With thanks to MartianBlue for the idea, your challenge for this week is to come up with a character inspired by Greek Mythology!

You've got the whole playbook from which to choose, from an intrepid adventurer like Jason and his Argonauts to the savage Titans to medusae to satyrs to Argus to Hercules and everything in between, so I am expecting some awesome creations. I know the temptation to draw from other mythological traditions will be strong, but let's keep it to Greek for this contest.

The rules as usual are simple:

  1. No more than three submissions per person;
  2. All entries must be images saved to a publicly accessible web server (like ImageShack, the UGO forums, etc.);
  3. Submissions must be left as comments to this thread, containing a link to the image of the character(s).

The overall winner will receive either a portrait of themselves or any one item of their choosing for inclusion with HeroMachine 3. You've got one week, so good luck to everyone!

P.S. Don't forget, you can still vote in Round One of Friday Night Fights, too!

P.P.S. If you're looking for a who's who in Greek mythology for ideas, this Wikipedia article is a good start.

103 Responses to Character Contest 22: Of odysseys and golden fleeces

  1. Hammerknight says:

    Sounds cool, can’t wait to start.

  2. Gero says:

    For my first entry, I made a Fury. The Furies were three bird-women who would torture souls in the Underworld. Many people for some reason confuse the Furies with harpies, which actually looked nothing like women. Instead, harpies where large, gargoyle-like demons that would–and I’m not making this up–defecate on an old man’s food as a form of torture for his pissing off the gods in one way or another.

    Reference Picture:
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/GeroTheKeymaster/Fury.jpg

    Fury:
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/GeroTheKeymaster/Fury-1.jpg

  3. Niall Mor says:

    Jeff, by a curious coincidence I drew This Guy Right Here just last week. I was intentionally going for a classical mythological vibe. Could he count, or would I have to draw somebody else? Thanks for the clarification.

  4. Gero says:

    My second entry is Prometheus. For the unimaginably horrible crimes of first creating humans, then teaching them how to make fire and use tools, the other gods bound Prometheus to a rock, and summoned up hawks that would eat his liver every day. This was possible because, as an immortal god, the damage done by the birds repaired itself every night.

    Prometheus:
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/GeroTheKeymaster/Prometheus.jpg

  5. *does a happy dance* I can do this!

  6. Jeff Hebert says:

    That’s fine, Niall.

  7. Lawrence says:

    Jeff, does it have to be an actual figure from mythology or can we create one with a backstory that would slot in nicely into the greek mythos?

  8. Jeff Hebert says:

    Whatever you like, Lawrence, made-up but in-genre is fine with me.

  9. Legatus says:

    @Gero: Prometheus is fantastic!

  10. Niall Mor says:

    Gero, just looking at Prometheus makes my insides hurt 🙂

  11. vampyrist says:

    Can i post a representative a greek god or goddess or does it have to be the entity itself.

  12. Gero says:

    I always thought that Prometheus got a really raw deal. I mean, if he hadn’t invented people, the other gods would have no one to trick into wars or have sex with. And they thanked him for it by tying him to a freaking ROCK and letting birds peck at his insides all day! Thank you, that ends today’s Crazy Rant About Fictional Characters…

  13. Jigglypuff says:

    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039628&id=1035979191&saved#/photo.php?pid=30815212&id=1035979191

    Iobe is a daughter of a Naiad (river Nymph) and a fisherman from Athens who was prophesized at her birth to be the end of a false king and god.

  14. Jigglypuff says:

    P.S.

    and yes, I agree with you. I’ve always thought that Prometheus got the short end of the stick. The Greek pantheon should be grateful that the idiot made humans.

  15. Isia says:

    Phlegyas the ferryman that transported souls across the river Styx to the Underworld.
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64355&d=1259110702

  16. The Eric says:

    Hopefully, i’m the first one to do this.
    I give you the Cyclops, Polyphemus! (i took a bit of, eh, “artistic license” with him.)
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64356&d=1259112549
    (you’ll need to log in to UGO)

  17. Danny Beaty says:

    Hi folks! This is Talos, the giant bronze man created by the big man himself, Zeus! If a foriegn ship got too close to Crete, Talos would throw boulders at it and destroy it. I could sure use Talos when those pesky Jehovahs’ Witnesses visit the neighborhood.

    Talos:

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=172525&l=b541cc07a0&id=1815191475

  18. mercwithamouth2 says:

    can we make the related to greek myths but in the modern world?

  19. Jeff Hebert says:

    Pretty much anything related to anything in Greek mythology is fine. Don’t overthink it 🙂 Modern Hercules, Space-Going Harpies, straight depictions of Hermes, it’s all good.

  20. vampyrist says:

    All gods/entities are dictated by a certain set of rules. One of these rules is that gods can’t Directly interfere with human society. Prometheus broke this rule and see where it brought him. Tied to a rock with an eagle picking out and eating his liver. Gods have found a way around this by using a type of soldier called Vanguards. They are humans with a gem or item infused with their entities abilities. Ares, Greek God of war’s vanguard is called Mars. His name is Luke Marston and he is a great fighter who can wield a sword as well as a gun. He can summon any weapon and is a superhero.
    Ares:
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64354&d=1259106063
    Mars:
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64189&d=1258692279

  21. vampyrist says:

    Do you think greek myths are real, because they are.
    My name is Hannah Marigold, and one day my life changed forever. While walking home i heard a commotion. two men in full greek armor were fighting. Both had swords and one man had a shield.
    The shield man was killed and dissapeared in a puff of smoke. All that was left was his sword and shield. I had to stop the killer so i went into battle. I heard a voice saying that i only had time to grab 1 weapon. I made a choice and grabbed the shield. The attacker brought his sword down and i blocked. I push him off and bring the shield into his gut. It knocks the wind out of him and i follow thru with a whack to the neck. He goes out unconcious. I feel myself being pulled thru the heavens and come face-to-face with a toga clad woman. She was ancient yet young. She had storm grey eyes like that of an owl’s and hair that matched. “I am Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom. You, Hannah, chose the Aegis shield instead of the sword that killed Medusa. That shows a wisdom in you and the way you fight shows that you are a natural warrior. You may keep the shield and fight for me or forget about all this.”
    I said only one thing “I’ll fight”.
    That was how i was given the Aegis shield. It gave me the ability to create magical forcefields. I am Athena’s soldier. I am Aegis

    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64182&d=1258688051

  22. Mr.Vampire says:

    Hey I just realised I can’t spell!
    Should be Nike!

  23. Anarchangel says:

    And my second entry, Atlas (settle down Hak)
    ….I seem to have a thing for men in chains in this contest…

    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=61125&d=1249329506

  24. Legatus says:

    Ganymede, cupbearer of the Gods

    (Ganymed in German spelling)

    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64370&d=1259154658

  25. The Eric says:

    Danny:
    When i think of Talos, i think of something that looks like this:
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64375&d=1259161207

  26. TopHat says:

    Thanatos, the Greek personification of Death. Turned out crap because HM3 glitched out on me toward the end.

    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64376&d=1259162235

  27. Jeff Hebert says:

    @TopHat: Save early, save often!

  28. NGpm says:

    Thanks everyone for your continued support and encouragement. It’s hard not to be challenged to improvement with great work as is being submitted here.

    Here is a medusa:

    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64377&d=1259163415

  29. Danny Beaty says:

    @The Eric: When i think of Talos, I think of an old Ray Harryhausen movie called “Jason and the Argonauts.” I tried to avoid anything that looked like the JatA version of Talos.

  30. vampyrist says:

    All gods/entities are dictated by a certain set of rules. One of these rules is that gods can’t Directly interfere with human society. Prometheus broke this rule and see where it brought him. Tied to a rock with an eagle picking out and eating his liver. Gods have found a way around this by using a type of soldier called Vanguards. They are humans with a gem or item infused with their entities abilities.

    Isabel Luna is the vanguard of Artemis, greek godess of the moon and the hunt. She has a magic quiver and wolf to let her fight crime as Artemis.
    Artemis:
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64305&d=1258983281

  31. Zyp says:

    The mighty Achilles as the trojans saw him from their walls:

    http://s765.photobucket.com/albums/xx298/calenore/?action=view&current=Achillesorsomething.jpg

    Took way too much time. Too much time spent on computer… Probably should get a life…

  32. The Eric says:

    I did the exact opposite :p

  33. Danny Beaty says:

    This is my second entry, the huntress Atalanta:

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=172883&l=063aabd4db&id=1815191475

  34. Danny Beaty says:

    @vampyrist: Your version of Artemis would be a good counterpart to Marcel Comics “Moonknight”.

  35. Danny Beaty says:

    Oops! I meant to write “Marvel” Comics.

  36. Danny Beaty says:

    My third and final entry is Perseus, the man who defeated Ann Coulter-oh, excuse me; I meant to say that Perseus defeated Medusa. I’m always confusing Ann Coulter with gorgons.

    Perseus:

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=173003&l=d90cc8eb6f&id=1815191475

  37. vampyrist says:

    @Danny Thanks

  38. Kaldath says:

    Ugg, I just realized I used the wrong name on my last character .. I put Artemis on there when the image if of Athena ,,,, Going to have to redo the entire image cause I used the wrong name …. grrrrr

  39. Gero says:

    My final entry is the Chimera. The Chimera was a monster with the head of a male lion, the body of a female goat, the tail of a snake, and the wings and breath of a dragon. Because there were no items for a goat udder or a lion head, I sort of had to improvise for some of this…

    Chimera:
    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/GeroTheKeymaster/Chimera.jpg

  40. mercwithamouth2 says:

    this is ed your co worker who is a little high strung
    try not to make him angry
    http://s846.photobucket.com/albums/ab29/mercwithamouth2/?action=view&current=minotaur.jpg

  41. SynnerSaint says:

    Everyone’s favourite Gorgon slayer!

    http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff31/synnersaint/Roleplay/Perseus.png

    Boy, do I miss the old HM2.5 Gorgon hair!

  42. The Doomed Pixel says:

    http://img692.imageshack.us/i/myths1.png/

    Behold, Scylla and Charybdis!

    Scylla, a grotesque, many-headed monster lurks in the cliffs of a very narrow body of water and eats ships which stray too close. Charybdis is a large, bladder-like sea monster which sucks in and spews out water three times a day, creating a menacing whirlpool. They guard their strait, and if any passing sailor tries to avoid one, then they are attacked by the other.

    These two characters are the origin of the phrase “Between a rock and a whirlpool” (the cliffs of Scylla and the Whirlpool of Charybdis. The phrase later became the more well known saying “Between a rock and a hard place”.

    These two are my favorite characters from the Odyssey, because they are so menacing and left with so little description. Much is left to the imagination with them.

  43. HomicidalClown says:

    I give to you…

    Ruler of Mount Olympus and God of Thunder, ZEUS:
    http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a386/joker_wild/Zeus.jpg

    God of Mountain Wilds, PAN:
    http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a386/joker_wild/Pan.jpg

    The Punished Titan forever bound to Earth, ATLAS:
    http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a386/joker_wild/Atlas.jpg

    Hope you enjoy.

  44. Vyperchild says:

    I chose Bellerophon, son of Poseidon and rider of the pegasus, who slayed the chimera by using his spear to place a black of lead in it’s throat. When the beast breathed it’s fire, it melted the lead and suffocated itself.

    http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3673/bellerophon.png

  45. Paul says:

    The mighty Hercules!

  46. Iago_Valentine says:

    Looks like plenty of people got to Artemis before I did, but I shall not let that dissuade me.

    http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/739/hm3thehunter.png

    The design combines elements of classical Greek mythology with scant echoes of modern high fantasy. I’ve tried to capture the Goddess in the midst of a hunt, but I’m not sure how well it turned out.

    Perhaps I’ll take a crack at a version of Hades next. He always was one of my favorites.

  47. Iago_Valentine says:

    Well, that certainly didn’t take long…

    http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/6297/hm3officework.png

    In the complete opposite vein, Hades is pictured here in modern days, processing every single soul that comes through his realm. With birth and death rates being what they are… Let’s just say he’s a busy man and leave it at that. Seated at his desk, he wears an expression that says, “Next please.”

  48. Hammerknight says:

    Helios the Sun God, not to be confused with Apollo the God of Light.
    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64431&d=1259329859

  49. kingmonkey says:

    “Hercules? Hercules? Surely you mean Heracles,” said kingmonkey with a smug look on his face.

  50. Gero says:

    @Iago: Your Hades looks like the one from “Dis: Life is Hell”.

  51. SynnerSaint says:

    Way back near the very start of this thread Gero posted this picture of a Fury…

    http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/GeroTheKeymaster/Fury.jpg

    I thought it was a pretty cool piece of art and it inspired me to do this…

    http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff31/synnersaint/Roleplay/Fury.png

    The Furies:- Gods fear us. Demons fear us. We have hounded kings and angels. We have taken vengeance on worlds and universes. We are the Kindly Ones. We are the Eumenides.
    Merv Pumpkinhead:- Yeah? Well, eumenides this!

    Quoted from The Sandman #66 by Neil Gaiman

  52. Anarchangel says:

    My 3rd and probably final entry.
    Two of my favorite characters in Greek mythology, the God and Goddess of the underworld, Hades and Persephone.

    http://forums.ugo.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64461&d=1259417837

  53. Ian says:

    Here are three of the Twelve Olympians for your consideration:

    Artemis
    Hermes
    Poseidon.

    Enjoy!

  54. Lawrence says:

    Inspired by this week’s contest I had a bash at making a quick comic using Heromachine. I’m only entering the cover but if anyone wants to see the whole thing it’s saved as the album. Let me know what you think.

    http://s800.photobucket.com/albums/yy288/lawrence_goodman/?action=view&current=A.jpg

  55. Hammerknight says:

    The rules as usual are simple:

    1. No more than three submissions per person;

  56. Isia says:

    @Kaldath, umm I think we are supposed to only submit 3 entries.

  57. Isia says:

    @HK stop following me. lol

  58. Gero says:

    @Synner: Aw man, you figured out how to make a 3 thonged whip, no fair!

    @Kingmonkey: Thank god you didn’t choose to depict Hercules’s 5th labor, to clean out the Aegean stables in a single day!

  59. Gene says:

    Well I really dig on this contest, the Greek myths are what got me into Fantasy, which got me into Sci-fi, which got me into comics, etc.

    I wanted to do something different, and while thinking of Sci-fi versions of the Greek myths, I was reminded of my Stargate campaign that I am running for my two oldest kids and a buddy.

    So, here are a trio of the Goa’uld lords that they will be facing very soon….

    First up is Hades, Lord of the Underworld. After the System Lords left Earth, Hades took his human and Jaffa slaves and traveled to a remote corner of the galaxy. There he found a new race of Hosts, a dark skinned elfin race that dwelled below ground. (Yes, this race is based on the Drow. One of my sons wanted to play a drow in a D&D campaign, but also wanted to play Stargate, so I converted the Drow to the Stargate game.)

    http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i-kBTCxTSBYsi3686Lvz1A?feat=directlink

    Next up is Ares, God of War. Ares traveled about the galaxy, fighting wars anywhere he got the chance. Eventually his armies came up against Hades and he was brought to a halt by the Death God’s Jaffa and Drow forces. Hades made Ares his General. Ares also commands the elite Spartan Guard.

    http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hlhueFJ9BhzlDX4H2DFYWA?feat=directlink

    Lastly we have Hecate, Goddess of Magic and Mystery. Hecate is considered a master of technology, utilizing ancient and alien technology she finds to the point where even the other Goa’uld called her Sorceress. Hecate had suffered a few setbacks with her slave races when Hades came along, and conquered her territory. He had originally only spared her life to have access to her technological secrets….but then he learned that she was a Goa’uld Queen, capable of giving him more symbiotes for his Jaffa army.

    http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RuUdPEL1mwDb-OPrrPensg?feat=directlink

    And that’s it for those three.

  60. Asherian says:

    I just had to throw my hand in, even if I’m not 100% happy with how it turned out.

    I give you Eris, goddess of confusion and discord. Though a more Principia Discordia take then proper greek mythos of her, wish I could have done a better apple.

    http://picasaweb.google.com/icesong/HeroMachineImages#5409439241963228610

  61. Matt says:

    Sorry if I seem pushy here, but is there any chance you’ll bring out Medusas Hair Jeff?

  62. SynnerSaint says:

    @Matt I had that problem with my entry 65!

  63. rancid says:

    minotaur

  64. Collex says:

    I present you Hermaphrodite, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite and the forced gestalt of a man and a woman I played with the woman= magic, man= war theme for it.

    Hope this work, If not, here is the link that you must enter in your browser: http://img44.imageshack.us/i/hermaphrodite.jpg

    It’s been an awful long time since I had time to enter a contest. This hasn’t been easy, had to make it twice because of a bug. Grrr. But I’m satisfied with the result. I had a lot of fun making it.

  65. Collex says:

    Ok, my link didn’t work. Here’s a new one

    http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2932/hermaphrodite.jpg