Xerxes - The Roles of Men

Xerxes, image from Wikipedia,
altered slightly in photoshop

The Roles of Males

Young Persian males were raised by their own mothers, aunts, and grandmothers for the first few years of their lives. When toddlerhood faded boys were sent to elders and wise men to be trained in reading, writing, the arts, astronomy, and more. Afternoons and evenings were spent running, playing, as well as working in the fields and barns alongside the men.

Concurrently when they reached early manhood around age 14 these lessons and chores were reduced and the training in the skills of war were begun. Archery, horsemanship, spear throwing, and leadership skills were amoung the top desired skills of course. There was little time allotted for the pursuit of girls.

Men were trained in battalions of 100. These battalions were led by the highest officials in the village or town. Training concluded by the age of 20 if not called to war before then. The call to arms to train with the battalion was made monthly and lasted only two days. This kept the men strong and agile.

When not training men were employed in various jobs. Tending to the field was beneath no one and at the time of planting all hands played a role. Tending to the stallions. Care of the chariots and carts. Merchants. Craftsmen. And of course full time guards and soldiers.

Men took wives soon after they completed the rigorous first training. The young lovers kept house with the girl’s parents until the first child or two came. It was then that a separate house was prepared and it was here that a second wife was taken. This second wife moved into the home with the young family but maintained her own quarters of a room or two. The number of wives a man had could vary. He could also take concubines that he did not marry. Divorce was rarely sought in a Persian household.

Given fortunate circumstances a man could live into his eighties. His heirs could number in the hundreds at the time of his death. The goal for every Persian man was to have as many sons as possible. Persian men held this as the measure of their success.

Copyright 2023 Terran Cognito

Xerxes - The Sons of Darius

 

Xerxes.
Image from Wikipedia, with added photoshop clarifications

The Sons of Darius

The multitude of sons of Darius is owed to his good health. His endless vitality. His love of beautiful women. And most importantly his Persian lineage and loyalty to the bloodline. You find 11 sons. I share that there are 20 or more sons that are known. To call them lesser sons is a misnomer.

Any known son of Darius was treated with the utmost respect and placed in powerful positions within the ranks and within the household. Most were sent out at emissaries and became leaders with regional authority and jurisdiction or commanded great armies. But recall that only the sons of the important bloodlines were treated to the complete royal life. That included my brothers by my mother and her sisters.

The three eldest brothers and sons of my father’s first union were thick and sturdy like their mother’s father the landowner. Built for strength and endurance. Of these the youngest was my first friend. Only two years older than I he was the one who desired my company and allowed me entry to their childhood games. He was kind and generous and I enjoyed his company. The older were tolerant of me but protective of their own mother and this often caused some strife between us.

In our early years none of us knew of the internal struggles to come with the death of our father. But let us remain in our youth for a bit longer now. Allow me to group the brothers with their mother’s in mind. Recall my father took many wives. He also made unions with other women both wittingly and unwittingly.

My mother’s sons were to become the full sword and shield of the Achaemenid bloodline. Her own father was a son of a son of a King of Kings. That in itself strengthened the family hold on the Persian throne. Her lineage was enough removed from the original to only be strengthened by the union with my father. The sons of Atossa were revered the most and this was known throughout the lands.

Our younger brothers were treated as younger brothers are often treated. Teased. Taunted. And loved. My mother’s sisters gave Darius four more sons. Four more heirs to secure the Achaeminid line. The irony is these wives also gave Darius most of his daughters and therefore most of his troubles. Recall that Darius was a good and strong father who doted on his heirs. He left the raising of his daughters to their mothers. And this makes for another story at another moment.

A handful of sons were the result of Darius’ travels. These unions might last a month but not much longer. When a son was later born Darius was alerted by those loyal to him and the son and mother were brought into the palace. Most were content with this position.

As in most families there is a stray or two and this is true in the instance of our extensive family. Two of my father’s younger sons left never to return. The first was the son of a woman with whom Darius had only one child. The fortunate union between the two was a brief encounter in Darius’ travels east farther from the reach of his own loyal men. When Darius learned of this son years later he sent for the mother and child to be housed within the palace. The son was treated well. The mother was treated well. When the son came of age the mother returned to her people. The son remained for a short time. He left later never to be heard from again.

The other wanderer was born from a fraught union. His mother the daughter of a Commander in Darius’ army. A union created on a chance encounter after a well placed dinner. The daughter young and enticing to the rarely satisfied Darius. The Commander was unhappy with the mix. The daughter was delighted. Purposeful. Ambitious. She gave birth to a healthy boy but when she learned there was no place in the palace for her beside Darius she disfigured her own child. The damage was irreparable. This young woman was swifted away by her father so that no retribution would be made by Darius. The child was raised in the palace. His every want and need was attended to. His desire was near isolation and the company of only one or two scholars to quench his unending thirst for knowledge. He left in the night. Unaccompanied. Never to return.

Although Darius sent others to follow and to trace the path of these young sons. No word was ever received of the final destination of these prodigal sons or of their individual destinies.

There of course are endless stories of the lives of the sons of Darius. It is within these records that I desire to provide an image of the moments that are a summation of the lineage. Details too many to share here. The sons of Darius gave sons to the Achaemenid line and within these numbered well into one hundred grandsons. Thus lives the evidence that the lineage of the King of Kings did not die within the house of the Achaemenid. Persia lives on to this moment.



Copyright 2023  Terran Cognito

XERXES - My Mother: Atossa

 

My Mother: Atossa

My father called her Attoples. (Uh-top-o-leez). She was his third and favorite wife, Atossa, daughter of Cy-rees the Great. Although more wives followed. This one union brought Darius I, great pleasure. Great joy. Great progeny. And magnificent lineage to seal the throne of his empire for generations.

Atossa was lean and limber and of course very beautiful. She was sharp witted yet cool tongued and this gave entrance to the conversations of men. She was soft yet determined. Never cruel but pragmatic. Warm hearted and comforting to those close in her circle. Circumspect with those not yet familiar.

History has not been kind to her. The Greeks have written of her with some disdain. Flawed is that text. She was a great confident to her brother. He trusted her alone with advice. This gave outsiders and unfamiliars improper ideas about them. It was innocent. That is all to be said of that now.

Her first love was indeed my father. Poor woman. She was young. Royal. Courted by many royals from far away lands. Darius I wanted her. Cy-rees was pleased with the union. Atossa was delighted also. The nuptials were swift, the gift exchanges accepted with gratitude and off the couple went to share time alone. It was during these moments that I was conceived. In love on her part. In desire for a fine lineage on his part. That made for a very acceptable beginning, as he treated her very well always.

As their union expanded with more sons, Darius trusted her more and more with his royal business. Lands, food stores, education, arts, celebrations were all now part of her day to day responsibilities along with caring for young sons.

Her life was complete. Full. She was forever doting and disciplining her sons. Proud yet open to all support from others of their best upbringing. She was a staunch disciplinarian. Furtive was the son that thought he could sway her when he was wrong. When right, she was stalwart and doting to her sons.

Life in the company of Atossa was always full of pleasure. She was bright and thoughtful. Her sons adored her. Her daughter wanted to emulate her. Her two younger sisters admired her without jealousy as they too joined the royal house of Darius bearing him more sons.

It was this family unity and support that provided for a wondrous childhood. We children were supported and spoiled and cared for above all else. These days provide memories that to this very moment of now warm my heart.

Atossa was integral in my entrance to manhood. She selected those who would train me. She worked with those who provided my classical education. She warned off any who would cause me misdirection or harm.

There is more to the story of Atossa. For now. I leave her here to rest. Let us visit her once again as we explore more together at another moment.

Transmission Notes from Denice: 

Sept 20, 2023

 

Terran: Do you get a feel of his voice when he communicates?

Denice: Yes. His voice is deep powerful. His tone is sublime. He has been through it all. Sharing the good parts in between feels very important. 

 

Denice: I had a visit from Atossa the other morning. Quick visual with two moving images.

Denice: First, she had her long hair down and was in a formal coral colored gown with a full skirt that was textured, or embroidered with designs and had a three-quarter length sleeve matching. She had a few small white streaks in her hair. She twirled a bit to show me her gown and smiled.

 

Denice: Next, she was dressed in a pale pink American style women's sleeveless dress, matching shoes, and her hair was pulled back in a bun. She walked to me and patted me on the right shoulder. She was smiling.  

Denice: No audio with either video*. Feels like the second image is her now.  

*Terran note: "Video" is our term for telepathic images that are in motion like a movie.  I get them as well but I am not as skilled at it as Denice is. They also can be from multiple "camera angles which one can rotate through for a better view.  I sometimes struggle for the right words to use, as this is not remote viewing in the military sense of it, with blind targets.  This is often full on 4K imagery if you will for the image definition quality.  This is not blind men in Plato's cave describing an elephant.

Copyright 2023 - Terran Cognito