The myth of Phaethon is one that is very important to me personally. In so many ways, he is the archetypical
Seeker, the universal hand reaching for the
light... I look at the charioteer and see
Jesus,
Hamlet,
Einstein and, in my more introspective moments,
myself. It is the story of our race, of a
heritage and
destiny we all share, of a
journey and a
destination. In a very small amount of
space, the myth encapsulates all of my hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses. I would be positively delighted should you
glean from this tale a mere sliver of the
wisdom and strength I have obtained by reading it.
I've taken this version of the tale from Book 2 of Ovid's Metamorphoses. I've broken it into several sections and given each of them what I feel to be appropriate titles. Enjoy.
- Child of the Light
- To Drive the Sun
- He Knows Not Their Names
- Cry of Creation
- Fell, But Tried