THE ENCHANTRESS

A sea-shell tossed out of its ancient bed whirls in space to the tune of the cosmic spectrum, a lunar mentor. Poseidon's migrant harbinger of dreams sings of the heroes to the echoes of the past. The summons to tell the old spell-binding stories has gone forth unseen from Hephaestus's keeping, he smiles knowingly at the sprung looks of reason. Empty vessels stare blindly at Wisdom and hear aught but spinning tales, yet sings the shell of unbound everlasting secrets, epics of long ago weaving a magic carpet for time travellers.

Alexander gained a grasp of worldly affairs from his father, from his mother he inherited ancient wisdom and the secret of the shell. She presided over the priestesses and practiced the subtle magic of the Dionysi behind Phillip's forbidding back. During the feast of the Nocturne, Olympias was celebrating the mystic rites when Alexander, barely in his teens, crept unbidden into the arbour to watch his mother lead the initiates to the altar hymning the entry of Mendes the sacrificial goat. As the cup-bearer lowered the calyx to catch the god's portion of blood, Alexander was overpowered by higher forces and his destiny was revealed to him by the messenger of old. He was aware from that moment of his divine descent, Heracles was his father, Philip the begetter. Hades claimed Philip from the hands of a murderer, Alexander was only twenty at his ascent, yet the mantle of Heracles hung well on his young shoulders; he died in his thirty-third year, the greatest general in antiquity.

The passionate, mystical Olympias had ruled in Epirus for a long time and she was considered sacred by the Macedonians, but after her son's untimely end she was condemned to death by Cassander's army. However, they never implemented the sentence for fear of the people's wrath, and more so for Olympias' curse. Olympias loved to enchant the fire from heaven. When she led her meneads up from Algai, she called forth into being Dionysos, son of Semele, born of fire. Philip had good reason to call her the Sorceress.
- DANIEL

Daniel travels through space to relive the magic and secrets of this epic story. The ENCHANTRESS Olympias, mother of Alexander and wife of Philip, was considered a sorcerer by many because she practiced the magic of the Dionysi. This apparently attributed significantly to the supernatural powers of Alexander who also derived much of his skills from his father Philip.
- LJO