Storytelling Week 3: Philemon and Baucis

A couple in the fog...

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Waking in their normal routine, the couple of Philemon and Baucis prepared each other's meager meal of oats. Neither of them expected more or less: they were a impoverished young couple in their early thirties, but had been together for a long time. Yet throughout their financial and practical hardships, their love for each other had kept the other alive. From through the window of their small hut, Philemon noticed that there was a soup-thick fog out that day, and the marsh town that they made their stead seemed eerily quiet. There was not even the sound of the daily fighting and discontent of the townsfolk. Philemon exclaimed, "Nelephon's not even on his feet yet, and he's usually right at work at the forge before anyone has even woken." It was true: not a single soul seemed to be out and about, even though it had been some hours after sunrise.

Philemon and Baucis tried to maintain their normal routine, and not let the mystery of the ghostly emptiness lead them astray. As every morning, and before every night, they both traveled to the temples of Jupiter and Mercury on the hill that overlooked the village to make their respects. After lighting the incense at the altars, the couple synchronized prayed "Most high ruler Jupiter and his best scout messenger Mercury, please hold us our lives together so that we may persevere another day to do our best in your names and for the best of our village, the members of whom have become so unjust to one another in their faults. Praise to the Gods, for peace and good will!"

They exited the temple, noticing that the fog had now moved to cover the entire hill as well as the town. They could see nothing beyond thirty paces, and they started to realize that no mortal soul in the village was left except them. And they were fearful. "Did we anger the gods? What is this new devilry?" Baucis whispered, her voice carrying through the empty, lifeless streets that they both knew so well.

Soon they could not ignore their predicament. "We must leave this town, before we are swallowed up by whatever has taken our neighbors." Baucis declared. Being in full agreement, they both started packing their belongings immediately, but only what they could carry without a mule or a carriage. As they began the last stages of their preparations, the couple heard a pair of deathly screeches out in the fog, which had now become darker from the turn of late afternoon. As Philemon went to the front entrance to investigate, he pleaded with Baucis to stay safe in their bedroom and away from the windows.

Philemon looked through the crack of the doorway out into the foggy village. Then the pair of screeches came again, and Philemon's panicked gaze darted to the sky in the direction of the calls. There in the fog, against the dying light of the sun, were the forms of two birds: an eagle and a robin. However, both of these forms were monstrous in size, and in no way normal to their natural forms. Philemon's grip on the door slipped, causing the wood to crackle. Another screech cut through the haze, and the heads of both the eagle and the robin jarred in Philemon's direction.

Philemon sprinted back to the where Baucis had hidden, whispering to her,"We must find out if any of our neighbors are still among us." Baucis had gathered her dagger and her husband's sword and they stealthily left their home through the back window, just as they both heard the crackling of talons on falling ornaments and dishes from their kitchen.

The couple searched traveled through the residences of all their neighbors like shadows, hoping not to be seen, yet still hearing the blood-curdling screeches through the fog. In all the homes of their fellow townsfolk, the couple found all possessions unattended, and the alters of the gods Jupiter and Hermes removed. "Is this why this spell has befallen us? Because all this time our neighbors were not appreciative of the gods?" Philemon queried. "Come my husband, we must leave before we are taken as well. We must retreat to the safety of the temple."

So the couple sprinted up the hill yet again, seeking the protection of their deities. Once they set down the few belongings they brought, the heavy beating of wings sounded outside, and wind from the entrance of the temple blew fiercely against the pillars and against the faces of the couple. Then silence. After several moments, the clacking of talons against the cold, marble floors echoed all the way up to the altars that the two huddled against. Baucis, whispering desperately to Philemon "Should the dark forms take me first, I wish you to take my things and save yourself.", clinging to her husband more tightly. "No!" replied Philemon,"I would rather neither of us have to live through the agony of facing the world alone." There then stood the two massive raptors, blood on their beaks and talons, the smell of human flesh blowing from their nostrils. Baucis in a fit of frightened madness, offered her and her husbands rations of food as an offering to the altar receptacle, and they both pleaded "Just and powerful Jupiter please deliver us from this fate; we offer you our last rations. If we must be taken, all that we ask is that we are taken together under your guiding wing." Just as the shadows of the massive birds were about to overtake them both, the specters faded, and so did the fog. Then, a singular, powerful, yet soothing voice rang from the top of the altar "Faithful servants of Jupiter and Mercury, you have done well in this time. We thought your town had been devoid of appreciation for the bounty we bring to sustain it year after year, and also devoid of the love for one another as your neighbors have ignored each other's happiness and grievances. But you have proven us wrong. Please, as new persons find stead here, take yourself as new heads of this town. And live in prosperity, without desperation, for the remainder of your existences. Let it be known that, to your gods, your fellow neighbors, and to each other, you both have the indomitable virtue of a good heart."

Author's note:
   The original story of Philemon and Baucis is about an old couple that lived in a marsh town that had no reverence for the Greek Gods. The couple had been together since they were very young, and despite their impoverished state of living, they were still very happy and very much in love with each other. One day, the gods Zeus and Hermes decided to go down to the village disguised as mortals to test the generosity of the village people. At every door that they come to, they are rejected by the residents. The two gods are contemplating destroying the village after seeing that their temples there have been relatively unkempt. But they decide to give one more chance to the village and visit the meager home of Philemon and Baucis. The couple welcome the two disguised gods warmly and go through the tremendous effort of preparing them an elaborate meal and places to rest. The gods, seeing the old couple's generosity, make Philemon and Baucis keepers of their temples, and ensure that they never again live in poverty for the rest of their days.
   For my story, I wanted to try my hand at a horror story. I used the symbols of the eagle and the robin as manifestations of Jupiter and Mercury taking their rage on the marsh village. I changed the reason that the gods were so angry in comparison to the original tale: in my version the Gods are solely angry at the town for their lack of reverence for their divinity. I thought this would add to the horror aspect because I find that there's a lot to be scared of when the gods of fairy tales are angry.

Bibliography:
Story original title: Philemon and Baucis, Author: Ovid, Published: near the beginning of AD
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