The Ships of Minos 5 Quotes

“I could follow my father, I suppose, by taking flight like a bird or jumping into the waves. At least it would prevent my enemies from killing me. For who would ever believe that I have never wished to become king, even though my father thought otherwise. Nothing has caused me greater joy and pride than this journey of ours, for you and Whitehair, and cheerful Harmostayos, and each one of you, seafarers, have been much dearer to me than all the kingdoms of the world. But how could my father have known such a thing?”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic

“You are a true warrior now ,” Vidvoyos said with a gentle smile as though he had not noticed this before. “If you wish to save your life, it will be better for you to be alone. You are young, and maybe happiness will come your way, though not in the form of which we had dreamt. But youth in itself is a kingdom of its own!”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic

“And though god-resembling Vidvoyos believes that his name will also last, who knows what will happen after we are dead? With the passage of time, many a city will add the names of its heroes to our achievement and leave out ours. And this will go on and on until, at last, everything is changed so that even we, the seafarers who took part in this journey, would fail to recognize our actions or adventures or indeed ourselves. But why worry about such things when we are mortal and, in the end, we must return to dust? How sleepy I am! All night I peered into the darkness like a fool, fearing to see those hostile Phoenicians while they no doubt slept upon their comfortable beds in their safe harbors, utterly unaware of us, the immortal heroes whose homeland awaits us with certain death! Enough! Farewell to you, my hero, who has seen the fleece of gold!”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic

“And my people, they too remain ignorant, for only I and the older priests are initiated! When the time is right, they send word throughout the land, calling together the many tribes of this domain, of which I am the ruler, inviting them to participate in the coming festivities. And so you see, no stranger will ever learn the time.”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic

“The entire slope and the astounding ring of stones towered even higher now, and they realized that each boulder was much larger than they had first thought when seeing them from afar. Even if three men, one standing on the shoulders of another, were to stretch their hands towards those stones, the one standing highest would still have difficulty in reaching the towering line of magnificently fashioned transverse rocks, just as huge as those upon which they rested and undoubtedly just as heavy. A great many men of admirable strength and ingenuity had been needed to place them there. Whitehair thought of the giants of the north, of which so much had been spoken in Knossos , and shuddered. But then he recalled the temples and statues of Egypt, which were incomparably larger and yet built by mortal men.”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic

“Though the distance was still considerable, they could see quite clearly a circle of colossal boulders, hewn into the shape of massive columns, linked together by a line of long beams of stone running from one top of a column to the next. They noticed two or three of these rings in all and also a few individual boulders upon the confines of the summit, each one a mighty column pushing up towards the heavens like a solitary tower. “What is it?” whispered Perilavos. “A temple? It cannot be, for it has no roof, and there is no settlement nearby over which a deity could rule! And where are the people? Surely we would have seen them wandering about!”“That is true,” Harmostayos nodded. This time, he did not smile, as was his custom. “But remember, Perilavos, that whoever arranged this formidable ring is undoubtedly a nation both numerous and powerful, not a tribe of savage barbarians which would be too weak and ignorant to drag those boulders along and arrange them with such ingenuity. Moreover, if yonder columns are hewn out of single pieces of rock, which appears to be the case, it would take hundreds of men to break them free, shape them, bring them here, raise them high, and then place them on top of one another!” He fell silent.”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic

“For they all now realized that the greatest of sights which any seafaring man could ever hope to see was now before their eyes: they had witnessed the White Visage of Poseidon, observing them from beyond the confines of the sea. And so, with chattering teeth and with self-abasing thoughts, fearing dreadfully the White Visage, which constantly released beams of gold as though a prodigious mass of ice was floating in the sea and reflecting the sun, they pressed upon their oars and departed from these waters, leaving the Lord of Depths to enjoy his godly rest undisturbed. And now, they all realized that despite the numerous dangers undoubtedly still lurking ahead, from now on, nothing could prevent their safe return home. For he who has seen the Face of God and has not perished, can easily defy all forces of man, land, and sea. Once more, the distant Visage produced a flash upon the confines of the horizon and vanished forever: the Lord of Depths had descended to his peaceful palaces beneath, where he dwelled amongst the souls of courageous seafarers and in the presence of their faithful ships.”
― Joe Alex, The Ships of Minos 5: A Bronze Age Saga Classic