Dave's Anatomy: My History As a Writer, #48: Mythic Revision: "Nemesis."

Cliterature is a magazine of fiction and poetry about women's issues, but they accept stories written by men. I have published three stories in that particular journal, the first one titled "Nemesis." This was one of those stories accepted for a journal that ceased publication before the story got online. After sleuthing around and finding Cliterature, I decided to send the story there and got the acceptance. "Nemesis" was written for an issue dedicated to mythology.

Nemesis is the name of a Greek goddess, but her name has worked its way into the English language. We use the term to mean "enemy" or "someone out to get us." Originally, though, it designated the Goddess of Justice and Revenge venerated by the Romans and the Greeks. One Roman poet called her "Nemesis, winged balancer of life, / dark-faced goddess, daughter of Justice." She would punish the arrogant, prideful, and the blasphemous and was often depicted with wings and a sword (as someone who taught Shakespeare for years I recall the line from King Lear where Gloucester  says, "I shall see / The winged vengeance overtake such children"—Shakespeare's reference to the ancient goddess). She was the deity of justice and retribution.

Goddess Nemesis

 Of course, as you will know if you've read Neil Gaiman's American Gods, ancient deities have fallen on hard times. No one worships them, they have to find jobs, and they often lived marginalized lives. In my fiction world, the ancient deities are still around, and usually they have money. The old networks are still in place, but they have had to readjust and reorient their lives. Nemesis lives in Tartarus, the ancient equivalent of hell, and torments souls. But Tartarus is gloomy, and torturing sinners is boring. She occasionally goes upward to seek fresh air, good food, and sexual partners—mostly women, but now and then a man.

Her occasional attraction to men, though, has gotten her in trouble. Her romance with the god Ares (Mars) has left her on the wrong side of his wife, Aphrodite, the goddess of love. While she is in her apartment, Nemsis gets a call from the goddess Demeter. She gets all excited, thinking maybe Demeter is calling to ask her out, but the goddess, who is very maternal, wants something else. A community garden where she is indirectly worshiped by soil-loving mortals is in danger of being converted to a parking lot. Would Nemesis be willing to go after the man in charge of the project?

Goddess Eidoithea

She takes the job, hoping success will open the door to Demeter's affection. With the help of Eidoithea, a goddess with whom she is friends (but not a lover), she tries to stop the project, but her scheme doesn't work. Eidoithea, however, enlists Aphrodite's help and the two of them manage to stop the destruction of the community garden. Nemesis asks Eidoithea if Aphrodite said anything about her. Her friend tells her, “I promised her I wouldn’t tell. But you better watch your back, Nemesis. You might want to stay down in Hades for a while. She’s definitely got it out for you.” Later, Nemesis gets a short thank-you note from Demeter. She sees the foolishness of thinking her crush on a senior goddess who has never shown interest in a relationship with a woman would bear any fruit. Disappointed and worried about the anger of Aphrodite, she decides to return to the underworld for a few hundred years.

Mythology is a rich and fruitful field to write about, and mythological revisionism is big today. I've mentioned Neil Gaiman's American Gods. The YA book, The Lightning Thief, by Percy Jackson, turned into a best-selling series. There are lots of other examples. Using one's imagination to give new twists on ancient deities is a trend in modern writing. 

Cliterature is available online, and some of its past issues in print, though the one with "Nemesis" is not yet available in hard copy.  The story is, however, available online. It's a great story. Read it here:  Nemesis.

For a good March read, get a copy of Le Cafe de la Mort. At Death's Cafe you can buy Coffee to Die For served up by the Angel of Death. But even Angels get in trouble.  

I would love to hear your comments.

Also, don't miss my latest book, a wuxia story, The Sorceress of Time.

Happy reading.