Home Writing Samples KT's Calendar Pictures Links Reviews Bio
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin Google Live Journal Rainbow Project
KT Pinto presents:
The End of the Rainbow
A retelling of the myths from an alternate lifestyle perspective
This project is made possible (in part) by a DCA Premier Grant from
the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI), with public funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.
***
A Colorful Introduction
Before we had airplanes and astronauts, we really thought that there was an actual place beyond the clouds, somewhere over the rainbow - Barbara Walters
Over two thousand years ago, the Ancients created stories about fierce gods, brave warriors, beautiful women; tales of war and love, treachery and murder, passion and betrayal and then modern man watered the myths down and made them simple stories of a vanilla soap opera, with the emphasis on the vanilla. Men became cheaters, women became man-hating witches, lovers became siblings and all aspects of alternate lifestyles disappeared completely.
This was something I had noticed when I first became interested in the myths, way back at the ripe old age of 10. The virgin women who never wanted to be the company of men, the young men who caught the eye of mature gods, the family dynamic of Olympics it all struck me as odd. The odd wasnt in what was going on in the myths, but in what wasnt. It was like the myths had been glossed-over by modern storytellers with a rather large, conservative paintbrush.
So I decided to repaint the picture with an alternate lifestyle brush. A small-sized one. As with all stories, some things should be left to the imagination.
I decided to not just take my inspiration from one literary source, or one ancient culture: Norse, Roman, Egyptian, Celtic, American, Asian, African, and Greek myths all tell tales that transcend the boundaries of the nuclear family.
So, as you follow the multi-hued goddess Iris to Olympus, go across Bifrost the rainbow bridge to Asgard, walk with Izanami and Izanagi across the rainbow to heaven, track a rainbow to find a leprechauns pot of gold, experience true love in the rainbow like Hsienpo and Yingtai, or see the colors of the rainbow rise in the fountain of life next to Elams Tree of Immortality, Im hoping that you will start seeing people and life a little differently. And I also wish because you visited The End of the Rainbow you wont hesitate at embracing and enjoying the differences.
KT Pinto
October, 2011
***
Table of Contents
Red (Jupiter and his Family) . Page X
Orange (The Lesser Gods) . ..
Yellow (Demi Gods and Heroes) ...
Green (Odin and his Family) ..
Blue (Dagda and his Family) .
Indigo (Amon-Re and his Family)
Violet (Other Gods and Heroes) ..
*Authors note: Although Isaac Asimov doesnt believe indigo is a part of the spectrum, I do.
Then again, I also insist that Pluto is still a planet
***
Part 1: Red
The Royal Family of Olympus
No one is certain where Mount Olympus is actually located. In many stories it has been said to be on top of an actual mountain in Greece. Other tales have it located high above the earth on its own foundation of clouds. Wherever the location, the serene home of the gods is made of pure white marble buildings, unmarred by millennia of existence. The multi-colored goddess Iris leads welcomed visitors over a rainbow of her making to the entrance of the heavens, where two golden gates open at her touch. Through the gates one can see flowers from all over the world growing along the paths of Olympus and creating a rainbow of their own in groves and gardens. Among the flowers are fountains making watery music and a collection of statues created by centuries of master sculptors.
Inside the gates stands young Ganymede, waiting to take guests from Iris to meet the royal family. In the center of Olympus is an open arcade flanked by three titanic buildings. The two on either side of the arcade are high and sprawling, with columns that are six men wide. Immediately catching the observers eye, filling the cornice of each building, is a picture of a pair of lovers. The male on both buildings are the same building, although the one on the left shows him a few decades younger. The women in the carvings are obviously not the same. The woman on the left building, standing with her lovers arms around her, is svelte and delicately featured, with long, braided hair that is painted with gold, and holding a sheaf of wheat in her hands. On the other side of the arcade the woman on the cornice is rounder with short, undecorated hair; she is seated in front of the hearth with her lover standing behind her, his and on her shoulder.
Then there is the building at the end of the arcade. Three times the size of the other two buildings, the cornice depicts a couple barely out of their teens; he, the younger version of the man on the other cornices, is carrying his young lover through a field. She is sturdy looking with hair cascading to the ground, obviously much longer and thicker than the other womens. Peacock feathers trail from her hair and dress, growing into full-sized birds in the background.
It is into this building that young Ganymede goes; in this building, the great Jupiter receives guests.
Visitors are led into a hall that dwarfs even the largest of creatures, and it is not until they are halfway down the hall that the end of the room can be seen. Dozens of stairs go up to a dais, where two jewel-encrusted thrones both too large for a normal human are displayed. The larger, more foreboding chair is for Jupiter himself, while the other, sleeker chair is, depending on the day, seating for one of this three wives.
Juno is Jupiters primary wife. Married right after Jupiter conquered his father Saturn, Juno could almost be considered the arranged wife. She was the proper match for the sky god, being an earth goddess of royal breeding. She brought power and majesty to a kingdom being led by a young, sophisticated warrior a warrior who was in complete awe of the strong goddess who was to share his marital bed. Over the years the youthful awe of Juno grew into respect, but never into a deep, passionate love.
If Juno knew that love was missing from her marriage, her breeding forbid her from showing her concern, not even when her husband approached her with the idea of opening their marriage to more deities. What could she do? Whether he knew it or not, it was not her place to disagree once he made a decision. But she could lay down some ground rules.
Her first and most important rule was that no matter how many wives he had, she was the one and only queen. She knew that, although she was going to have to share her husband, she did not have to share her power, her prestige, or her childrens birthright.
Her only other rule was a simple one: honesty. If Jupiter was courting another, whether it be something serious or just a random fling, she was to know about it. It had nothing to do with jealousy or possessiveness. As long as she knew what her husband was up to, she could protect herself and her offspring from embarrassment.
Jupiter broke this second rule often; this is something that will be covered many times later in this book.
***
I will be doing a reading of this book at Bent Pages,
391 Van Duzer Street, Staten Island, New York on
Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 7:00 PM.
Some
light refreshments will be provided for the audience
***
END of the RAINBOW Raffle!!!
*10 different prize "baskets"*
*"Baskets" range in value from $70 - $220*
*The proceeds will go towards the End of the Rainbow project*
*Winner will be announced at the Staten Island LGBT Festival on June 2nd!*
For more information, go to http://www.ktpinto.com/Raffle.htm