Theros Inspiration cards
Lore forum
Posted on Sept. 17, 2013, 8:18 p.m. by CW
So looking at the spoiler for Theros I see a lot of the flavor effort that went into it (Rescue from the Underworld being my favorite since its one of the only stories I know), can anyone tell me their assumptions of what some of the cards represent?
I already know Akroan Horse is the Trojan horse, Pyxis of Pandemonium is pandoras box, and Underworld Cerberus is obvious.
Colossus of Akros is based on a scene from Jason and the Argonauts (the movie), which may in turn have been inspired by the Colossus at Rhodes.
September 17, 2013 8:28 p.m.
Chained to the Rocks and Titan of Eternal Fire are based on the myth of Prometheus giving fire to mortals and being punished.
September 17, 2013 8:32 p.m.
Guardians of Meletis as far as I can tell is not Lore inspire, but I think it looks like the scene in Lord of the Rings, where the Fellowship is sailing down the river, right before the end. Also, Curse of the Swine is Circe the Enchantress.
September 17, 2013 8:35 p.m.
Oh, and Witches' Eye is based off of the Graeae from part of Perseus' myths.
September 17, 2013 8:37 p.m.
Fleecemane Lion is somewhere between the Golden Fleece from Jason's tale, and the slaying of the Nemean Lion, one of Hercules' Labors.
September 17, 2013 8:42 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #9
Heliod, God of the Sun is probably a mix of Zeus (king/ruler of the gods) and Helios (god of the sun).
September 17, 2013 8:43 p.m.
also, Titan's Strength is based on Sisyphus in the Underworld.
September 17, 2013 8:44 p.m.
Nylea, God of the Hunt is Artemis.
Thassa, God of the Sea is a mix of Athena and Poseidon.
Erebos, God of the Dead is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of Hades.
Purphoros, God of the Forge is Hephaestus.
September 17, 2013 8:46 p.m.
Actually, one could argue that the Guardians of Meletis are the hermiod of Athens. Before the Spartan/Athenian conflicts at Syracuse someone smashed the hermiod to bring bad luck on to the endeavor, and to get one of the Athenian generals arrested. Instead he switched sides and helped the Spartans defeat Athens.
September 17, 2013 8:48 p.m.
oh I didnt see Titan's Strength thats one of my favorites too, dont know why hes in some sort of grassy field thought, I think we can assume Heliod, God of the Sun is helios the name is pretty much the same, zeus would fit red more with all the lightning, Triad of Fates is gonna go into my orzhov babes deck, Colossus of Akros makes me think of the giant in the grim adventures of billy and mandy movie,
September 17, 2013 8:52 p.m.
Vanquish the Foul 's art looks like it takes inspiration from the Disney Hercules movie.
Wingsteed Rider is probably the most direct version of the original Pegasus myth, but there are other pegasi.
Aqueous Form could be a reference to the time Zeus snuck into a tower by turning himself into a golden mist.
Lost in the Labyrinth is a reference to Theseus and the Minotaur (as are the minotaurs, obviously).
Sea God's Revenge obliquely references Scylla, a giant whirlpool.
Voyage's End looks like a reference to the belief that the world was flat.
Sip of Hemlock is a reference to Socrates.
September 17, 2013 8:55 p.m.
raithe000 - actually, Sea God's Revenge is based on Charybdis. Scylla was a six-headed sea monster that appears with Charybdis. Just a little nit picking.
September 17, 2013 9:12 p.m.
atreyujames says... #17
Medomai the Ageless seems to be the Sphinx of Thebes. And Labyrinth Champion is theseus.
September 17, 2013 10:59 p.m.
Shipwreck Singer is a siren, Fleetfeather Sandals are the winged sandals Hermes gave Perseus to kill medusa, Bident of Thassa is similar to the trident of Poseidon, except bi means 2 and tri means 3, and it has 1 less prong. Breaching Hippocamp is well... a hippocamp, a Greek cow-fish thing.
September 18, 2013 9:04 a.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #19
Breaching Hippocamp is obviously a reference to Rainbow the Fish Pony. :D
September 18, 2013 10:01 a.m.
lord_of_the_snakes says... #20
i'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but Shipwreck Singer is a siren
September 19, 2013 9:29 p.m.
According to the article at DailyMTG today, Stormbreath Dragon is based on Typhon, Father of All Monsters.
September 20, 2013 12:19 a.m.
Anyone have any ideas where the inspiration for the God's names came from? Heliod is obviously Helios, and I'm fairly certain Erabos came from Ouroboros. Were the others similarly named, or did WotC just come up with whatever sounded good?
September 22, 2013 4:58 p.m.
TrollNtrample says... #25
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
I assume is one of the fates. Though the flavor text on Thoughtseize
makes me second guess.
Hythonia the Cruel
I believe is Medusa. Though I could see an argument being made for other Gorgon creatures as well.
September 25, 2013 12:17 a.m.
TrollNtrample says... #26
Mnemonic Wall is a reference to Mnemosyne, most noted for being a titan Goddess of memory.
September 25, 2013 12:20 a.m.
TrollNtrample says... #27
Omenspeaker is a reference to the Pythia Oracles of Delphi.
September 25, 2013 12:24 a.m.
TrollNtrample says... #28
I'm thinking any reference to Keranos in the flavour text is a nod to Zeus.
September 25, 2013 12:30 a.m.
TrollNtrample says... #29
Defend the Hearth is possibly a nod to the Spartans as well as Hestia, who was the Goddess of the Hearth.
September 25, 2013 12:31 a.m.
TrollNtrample says... #31
@erabel
If Stormbreath Dragon
is a nod to Typhoeus, then they messed up. Typhoeus is depicted to be a child of Gaea and Tartarus, and also a giant by our standards, accompanied with multiple dragon heads and a half human body. One of the Hydra cards they've made for this set would do better justice than this dragon card.
September 25, 2013 12:41 a.m.
I think Colossus of Akros is a reference to Colossus of Nero
September 25, 2013 2:10 a.m.
atreyujames says... #33
With the way it's standing on two pillars reminds me of an artists rendition of the Colossus of Rhodes. As well it seems to be standing at an entrance to a city, possible the harbour, which the Colossus of Rhodes was supposedly thought to stand
For comparison
September 25, 2013 2:20 a.m.
TrollNtrample - Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver actually isn't from Theros. It's a planeswalker from a weird and strange plane we haven't seen. It makes Ashiok all the more mysterious...and creepy.
September 25, 2013 2:34 a.m.
atreyujames says... #36
TrollNtrample- As well, Witches' Eye is a reference to The Graeae, a different trio of mystical Greek mythological sisters.
As I'm typing this I'm realising just how many trio's of sisters there are. The Fates, The Graeae, The Gorgons, The Graces, The Furies, etc.
September 25, 2013 2:53 a.m.
TrollNtrample- Wizards wrote an article about Stormbreath Dragon 's time in development/design. Originally he was a card based on Typhon, but he changed a lot.
September 25, 2013 7:34 a.m.
Oh and in response to GoldGhost012, Hundred-Handed One is a reference to the Hecatonchires, hundred handed giants who helped overthrow the Titans.
September 25, 2013 11:02 a.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #39
They should have reprinted Protean Hydra as nod to the Hydra.
September 25, 2013 11:33 a.m.
TrollNtrample says... #40
@JWiley129
Well that is very interesting, curious.
@atreyujames
Ah yes, you are right. I knew better, I just confused my "trios".
GoldGhost012 says... #2
Hundred-Handed One is just that- a hundred handed one.
Akros is based on Sparta, Meletis on Athens, and Setessa on the Amazon lands. The hydras are hydras, but not the Hydra.
September 17, 2013 8:23 p.m.