Week 2: Storytelling- Phaethon's Misadventures

The Palace of The Sun- The world is literally up in flames after Phaethon, the son of sun god Phoebus and the mortal Clymene, arrogantly attempted to take the reins of his father's immortal horses. The root all of the trouble of the past twenty-four hours can be traced back to the boy's boasting of his lineage. His mother had this to say.

"He came home in tears one day, because he and his close friend Epaphus were boasting of the godly father, but that stupid Inachus kid didn't believe that he was the son of Phoebus like I'd told him. He was so devastated! What was I supposed to do?! So I told him where his Dad lived, and he left before I could say another word."

Clearly, this young man had issues stemming from lack of father figure in his early stages of childhood. Where else would the insecurity masked by arrogance come from? It is obvious that his distraught mother is not to blame for any of the following events. She merely told her son what she thought he deserved to know. Little did she know that she had sent him to a disgraceful and premature death.

Eye-witnesses that were present at the Palace of the Sun god when the troubled boy arrived recounted these events to me. Winter, with his white hair blackened, was the most out-spoken of those who were willing to talk to me.

"That stupid kid came in thinking he was such a big deal being Phoebus' son. Doesn't he know that his dad has probably raped countless other mortals?! Probably not I guess. Then Phoebus  promised that spoiled little brat anything he wanted. He swore on the Stygian Lake. I What an id-- Wait... I guess he's my boss, so whatever."

(Painting of Phaethon by Gustave Moreau)

No doubt the god regretted his promise as soon as he made it. How could he have guessed that his son would have asked for the one thing he should never get. The son asked to drive his chariot for the day. Phaethon definitely did not have the strength or experience to handle those horses. Not even the almighty Zeus could have managed to drive those horses through the sky. The whole world was witness to what happened next. The young man lost control of the horses and scorched the earth with its flames. Zeus himself was forced to intervene, tragically killing the boy with one of his thunderbolts. Luckily, the world was saved from utter ruin by Zeus' act, but at such a high cost. Phoebus Apollo was noticeably shaken when I spoke with him.

"I... I feel so responsible. Why did I let him do it? I could've done things so differently. He could still be alive... That poor kid was never going to be able to drive that chariot! Why did I have to swear of the river styx? Why?!"

We are left to wonder. Is the young son of Pheobus to blame, or is it his immortal father who will cease to mourn him whenever he finds the next mortal that suits his fancy? Either way, the young boy lost his live, and the world escaped a close call.

Author's Note:

This story is based on Ovid's myth of the son of Phoebus, Phaethon, foolish attempts to drive his father's chariot through the sky. Obviously the mortal boy was unable to handle the massive horses, and he nearly destroyed the whole world in flame. In hopes of saving the world, Zeus was forced to kill him. I thought this story would translate well to a breaking news article, because it would be pretty newsworthy in ancient times. This is a news article based on Ovid's stories: Phaethon and the Sun, Phaethon's Ride and The Death of Phaethon...

Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).