Monday 27 April 2015

Medea, the Sorceress

Introduction

I missed my normal Sunday posting yesterday.  Well, I say that it's "normal", but the truth of it is that I probably post on a Monday or Tuesday more often than I make the Sunday deadline.

Anyway, I have a valid excuse this time: I spent pretty much all of Sunday chaperoning my second son to the Scottish Junior Chess "MegaFinal" in Airdrie.  Despite its name, this is effectively the first serious round of the competition for those that qualify from school chess clubs.  Winners from the megafinal then go on to a "GigaFinal" in northern England and, if they win that, to a UK "TeraFinal" (?).  Anyway, my boy won 1, drew 1 and lost 4 of 6 matches, so he won't be progressing further this time.  Still, we enjoyed the day out.

So, limited time this evening - what to show?

Medea

Here's another piece of 7th Voyage goodness that I've just completed.  This time it's Medea, the sorceress.

When Jason and the Argonauts reached Colchis on the final leg of their search for the golden fleece, the sorcerer king Aeëtes was suspicious of the strangers and rejected their requests.  However, his daughter Medea fell in love with Jason and used her own magical powers to assist the adventurers in stealing the fleece and escaping.  It all ended very unhappily: she killed her young brother and threw bits of his body overboard to delay the pursuing Colchian ships.  This, together with an escalating series of murders caused Jason and Medea to be cursed by the gods and each to die unhappily and alone.

 

My Medea is a Foundry 28mm figure.  Technically, this is a model of the goddess Hera from one of their Greek Mythology packs, but she looks like a sorceress to me.  Medea holds a mirror in one hand and a short rod or wand in the other.  I've tried to paint her wand as if it were made of marble and tipped at each end with bronze.  As befits her royal status, her dress is a rich red, edged with white and gold.  She also wears a tiara.  Altogether she exudes power and I wouldn't want her to be angry with me!


19 comments:

  1. Lovely model C6. Really like the red, nice and rich looking as would befit royalty. You're really building up a wonderful collection of Greek myth models. looking forward to seeing what she brings to your games of "7th Voyage" :-)

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    1. Thanks! We've not used magic in any of our games yet, so I'm also interested to see how this changes things.

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  2. Nor me! Well you managed to sell me on 7th Voyage and I now have the rules. We also watched Jason and the Argonauts Saturday. The 1960's film ends with Jason and Medea sailing away after retrieving (stealing!) the fleece. Clearly set up for a sequel, but I don't think one was ever filmed? I like the idea of a claustrophobic scene in the catacombs stalked by the Minotaur. Not just yet though, too much already on the table! Great figure and I look forward to you next instalment.

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    1. I should add, I know the Minotaur is a different story! Must hunt the film down...

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    2. Sailing away into the sunset is the classic Hollywood ending, isn't it? However, I'm having difficulty in thinking of many classical Greek heroes who lived happily ever after. Perseus, perhaps, but few others.

      Oh, and don't blame *me* for your attack of the shineys :-) !

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  3. Medea is an interesting character and I do like your brushwork on this figure. I do wonder what Medea's fate will be in the TV series, "Atlantis."

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    1. Thanks, Bryan. My family does watch Atlantis, though it doesn't really have much resemblance to the classical Greek myths. Still, the younger kids like it and if it inspires them to find out more then so much the better! As for Medea in that show, I have no idea at all where her story is going. There are hints that she may be sympathetic to Jason, but so far she seems quite loyal to his enemies.

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  4. Fine brushwork on an equally impressive sculpt. The epilogue of Jason and Medea is so tragic.

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    1. Thanks, Dean. Yes, not too many people know about the bit of the tale *after* the golden fleece, but it's truly sad. Couldn't be much worse, really...

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    1. Thanks, HW. She's probably one of my better models in recent times.

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  6. Lovely work C6! Let's hope she assists Jason just as well on the tabletop.

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    1. Indeed, Bob. Between them, Jason and Medea ought to be a formidable couple!

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  7. One of a series of excellent brushworks.

    I can't help reflecting on the number of Greek heroes who romanced foreign (ie Barbarian) ladies and came to a sticky end.

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    1. You're right; there seems to have been a lot of problems with such foreign marriages! But even Heracles, who married a Greek wife, had a nasty, premature death.

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  8. Very nicely done Hugh. Really great paintjob. I agree she would make a great sorceress in many setting with a different colour scheme.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I'm quite pleased with this model :-) .

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  9. I love it. It seems you have a lot of characters now.

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    1. Thanks, Cedric. There are still many more models that I'd like, though :-) .

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