Lies We Sing to the Sea
This is the story of Melantho and Leto and their quest to end the annual ritual hanging of twelve maidens of Ithaca, and the casting of their bodies into the sea, to appease the god Poseidon. The curse was brought upon the kingdom centuries ago when Odysseus returned to his wife, Penelope. He discovered that many suitors had appeared for her hand, during his ten-year absence, but Penelope had deterred them by weaving a shroud, unpicking it each night, and vowing she could not wed until the shroud was complete. The suitors grew restless and turned their attentions to the queen’s handmaidens. When Odysseus returned he ordered the handmaidens, whose honour had been sullied, to be hanged and cast into the waves.
Leto is one of the current twelve and, even though her mother had been the Oracle, cannot save herself. She is surprised to find, after her death, to be upon the lonely island of Pandou, rescued by its only inhabitant, Melantho. She teaches Leto the power to control the sea and grow scales of a sea creature. Melantho also tells Leto that her task is to kill the prince of Ithaca to destroy the curse. The current prince is Matthias, who has tried to stop the hangings, but he has learnt that the sea finds the victims anyway and wreaks more destruction. Matthias’s own sister, Selene, was one of the ‘chosen’ girls. The story reveals Leto’s changing feelings for Melantho and Matthias, but will she succeed?
The story is an enjoyable read, with some touches of humour. There is a content warning at the front of the book for: ‘violence, death, graphic injury, non-graphic sexual assault and suicide’. The quotation preface, together with the chapter headings, are from a 1900 translation of the Odyssey.
