The Myth Behind Prometheus & The Butcher
By: Aaron Torres

Introduction:

Prometheus and the Butcher takes place in essentially the lost third act of Aeschylus’s play. Here I have provided a back-story for my interpretation of the world of Scythia and the events leading up to my film.

While my story is a permutation of the traditional Greek myth, I seek to follow in the footsteps of many other great directors before me, remolding a traditional story to make it more accessible and timeless to a modern audience. So without further adieu, I present the back-story to: Prometheus & The Butcher.

The Beginning:

In the beginning, Zeus took control of the heavens, revolting against his tyrannically father Cronus, who had a bad habit of swallowing his own children after their birth. Gaia his, mother had prophesied a child would eventually depose him as ruler of the universe.

With the help of Prometheus, Zeus led the Olympians against the Titans. Prometheus, a Titan himself believed, Zeus would create a greater justice for the world of Gods.

But with Zeus’ new rule came new idealism. Once Zeus had acquired the thrown, he sought to remove remnants of his forefathers, the Titans, and man was one such creation. Zeus decreed he would destroy mankind, and rebuild a new race in his image.

Prometheus, a friend to man, was enraged. Knowing they would be powerless to defend destruction, Prometheus chose to betray Zeus instead.

Sneaking into the great forge of Mt. Olympus, Prometheus stole fire from the smithy of Hephaestus, the god of fire and forge. Hiding a small flame in a fennel stock he returned, giving man the gift of fire. With this gift Prometheus endowed man with knowledge and technology. With these new abilities, Zeus could no longer destroy man.

Zeus infuriated, sought to punish Prometheus for his betrayal. He ordered Hephaestus, to forge unbreakable chains from which no regular man or machine could break. He then chained Prometheus to the highest point of Mt. Caucasus, never to see or hear man again. As a daily reminder of his betrayal, Zeus transformed his pet eagle, Ethon, into a man with one sole hunger, an addiction for fresh liver. Thus Ethon was forced by Zeus, to cut out the Titan’s liver and eat it every to stay alive, ensuring Prometheus would never forget his defiance.

A prophecy was decreed that for 30,000 years Prometheus and Ethon would endure this terrible cycle. Until one day, a man by the name of Hercules, would be born. He would be the son of a god, and of the son of a mortal woman, and he alone would kill Ethon, and set Prometheus free.

For centuries Prometheus and Ethon struggled as bitter enemies, isolated from the realm of man. But as the years took its toll, both eagle and Titan adapted, gradually learning to endure each other’s company. Together they longed for the companionship of others and the end of their miserable situation.

So, one day, Ethon decided they would try to live among man. Grabbing a rudimentary tool, he began to chisel at Mt. Caucasus. For 10,000 years he carved away, slowly cutting Prometheus from the mountain, until only a large impenetrable stone was left. Despite his skill Ethon, could not break the stone, nor the bonds forged by Hephaestus.

Instead he pushed Prometheus slowly down, into the Caucasus valley of Scythia, where he set up in a tiny village. Assuming the name of Adler (which means eagle in German) Ethon constructed stone by stone a tiny brick house to shield them from the elements. And as the times changed, so did the community surrounding them. Adler quickly discovered, he would need a profession to support himself in the world of man.

He decided upon something that best suited his skills, butchering. And so Adler’s Meat Market became legendary as the oldest butcher shop anyone could remember. The village became a town, the town a city, and the city a metropolis. And all the while, Adler’s market quietly remained, nearly forgotten, wedged between the spires of Scythian city towers. Here Adler waited day after day, uncertain when Hercules would arrive, take his life, and set Prometheus free.

The City: The End of Godly Reign

The major metropolis of Scythia was a testament to man and his advancements from the first spark of fire, but it also signaled the end of the gods who reigned. As humans relied on technology to create miracles, gods ceased to hold their place of prestige and power. Now lacking followers, gods became weak loosing their powers to man. Dethroned, many felt Zeus justified in punishing Prometheus for fire was directly responsible for their own down fall.

A final blow clinched the god’s fates, with the coming of the metropolis, and increasing friction between man and god. Humans demanding equality, sought to rule autonomously over themselves, creating their own state. Man rallied through the streets, in massive numbers burning and destroying the sacred palaces and shrines of the gods.

Gods, who had lived peacefully with man feared for their safety. No longer finding the city of Scythia safe, they began the great “Titan Flight” of the 1960’s. Titans, Deities and Gods, fled the urban centers, establishing holy palaces in the suburbs of the surrounding city. With the god’s roles vacant, Scythia became economically depressed and man was now left to fend for his own.

Adaptation:

The remaining Gods who chose to stay in Scythia found new ways of adapting to the human world. Gods and Goddess exerted their powers through economic positions. Aphrodite started clothing and makeup lines, while others like Ares developed S.C.A.R.P.A (The Scythian Advanced Research Projects Agency) for human military defense. Others simply faded away, living amongst mortals as mere shadows of their past glory.

Zeus:

Zeus the ruler of all these Gods took his fall particularly hard. As his believers diminished in number, so did his stature. By 1970, Zeus only measured 3’11”. Bitter and vengeful, he began to visit the butcher shop, deriving satisfaction from watching Prometheus suffer.

Left with his title and little else, Zeus embraced the ultimate counterculture icon of the 70’s, pimping. With his natural lasciviousness predisposition for women and lust for power, he quickly became the most notorious pimp in all of Scythia. Using his newfound notoriety, he slowly rebuilt his belivers, hoping one day, he would be restored to his natural height and power.

While Zeus had become a master pimp, there were still a few women who could only be obtained through deceitful measures. One of these was Alcmena, the strikingly beautiful wife of Amphitryon. As Alcmena impatiently awaited her husband’s return from the war, Zeus decided to strike. Transforming himself into the form of her husband, Zeus had his way with her. Together they made love and she became pregnant. But when the real Amphitryon returned from war, Alcmena discovered she was in fact deceived and tricked by a god.

Hera, Zeus’ jealous wife, soon discovered their tryst and tried to prevent Alcmena from giving birth. She was foiled however by her servant Galanthis, who led Hera to believe Alcmena, had already delivered her child. Hera in return, transformed Galanthis into a weasel as punishment.

A few months after the boy was born, Hera sent two serpents to kill him, as a he lay in bed. Instead, the young boy was found throttling both snakes, playing with their limp bodies as if they were child's toys. For this was the legendary Hercules, prophesized to break the cycle, kill the Butcher, and set Prometheus free.

The End Is Near:

The news of Hercules carried rapidly through Scythia. Adler, an avid reader, began collecting clippings and photos of his deeds. Watching from a distance, he now knew who was destined to kill him, but was still unsure how and when. Together, Adler and Prometheus waited, closer than ever to the moment of truth, when Hercules would cross their path, and the prophecy would be fulfilled. It is at this moment, when Hercules turns 16, that we start the story of Prometheus and the Butcher.