This just in: artist-archaeologist Josh Ln has uncovered what seem to be ancient, and very distinctive, hero-glyphs–or what we have colloquially termed some “Fleet-Foot Tales”–from an ancient period in Earth’s history. Whether or not the sequential narrative stele, scrolls, tablets, or frescoes come from the beginning of Egypt’s Old Kingdom period or some other preceding civilization so advanced it would seem positively anachronistic by today’s standards is unknown at this time.

However,  our branch of Art Historians here at G33kPr0n–with the oversight of our Chief Information Officer G33kBot and a judicious use of the recently uncovered Mind Gem–has managed to transliterate enough of the symbols and images depicted in these astonishingly preserved materials to give some form of passable translations and, failing that, possible interpretations of what these artifacts mean. So with our Blue Gem in tow, we will now attempt to decode these sequential narratives for you, dear readers.

First, let us look at Exhibit A: the first of what we have decoded as Conflict Amongst a League of Marvels.

In Exhibit A, it seems that on the surface we are met by two images. On the far left is the grown figure of Icarus who–in this version of the tale–fell from the heavens after the death of his father Daedalus and used his knowledge to craft a protective aegis around his body and seal the power of the Sun that brought him down to remake his broken heart. In his hands are auras from the Sun he has chained. In this way, Icarus is combined with Prometheus who–in his hubris–plans to bring the secrets of the Sun and the gods to all mortal kind: on his own terms.

Icarus’ counterpart, facing him in opposition is Rojhaz: the embodiment of a hero archetype from the distant land of America. In the legends, it says that he is one of the few to drink the Serpent’s venom created by long-lost sorcerers and live stronger than most mortal men. Yet this is only part of the spirit of Rojhaz. In addition to his strength, the hero is garbed in reinforced chain-mail coloured with the blue of the ocean’s eroding tides, the red of the blood of his enemies and the white of the souls he was made to protect. His shield is made an indestructible metal–another lost art of sound turned into material–to ward off all evil and turn its own force back against itself.  He is a warrior and a Guardian.

Above them, on the far left is the Nordic deity of Thunder. This is strange in and of itself due to the fact that all of these figures do not seem to be in their places of origin. Thor himself is far from home: though he is depicted as maintaining his place in the sky above these relatively mortal heroes: signifying his divinity. He possesses the short-handled Hammer Mjölnir that will one day be his undoing in Ragnarok: or so the Nordic Sagas would have us believe. There is a look of what seems to be dismay on his face. Notice that all three figures possess celestial connotations: with the Icarus-figure’s circular auras of power, the small wings and the letter “A’ for–presumably–ascendance on either side of Rojhaz’s skull and the much larger wings on Thor’s helmet. Each hero here believes that they are right: that their cause is just.

There are a few ways to interpret this narrative based on the positioning of the characters. Icarus is positioned over a green fist that, according to some interpretation, could be construed as a green djinn or a sealed magical spirit attempting to free itself. This unleashed power sits between Icarus and Rojhaz: perhaps symbolizing a potentially destructive power that helped make both of them after it was split from the Earth or human clay itself. Perhaps Icarus has sympathy with this power given his wanderlust and gall, while Rojhaz is leery and seems to guard a hierarchical tablet behind them: perhaps symbolizing the current social or celestial order of things. As for Thor, he can be seen as looking down in dismay at this mortal strife or, perhaps, one of the other heroes displaced him somehow with the power of the green djinn below and between them. It seems unclear at this time.

However, there are other images in this Exhibit to consider. For instance, just as the gods of the Norse are seen as knowing their Doom–while compelled to follow through with it–Thor seems to see something beyond the clashing of Icarus and Rojhaz. He sees a black panther and what seems to be a red spider with an hourglass or a keyhole in its carapace moving on a three-hold path off of the surface of their narrative. The meaning behind this is still unknown at this time. However, there is something very disturbing in the left-hand corner of the depiction. For while Thor seems distracted with what might-be or will-happen, with a branch of a narrative that is separate and the other two heroes clash, behind Rojhaz is the edifice of a hierarchical society or cosmos: as if there is any different from human perspective.

It is important to draw attention to this structure because, above it, seems to be a horned deity with a staff. It seems to symbolize both cuckolding and fertility: of taking seducing others and holding power. This character, at first, seems to be a trickster-figure. Yet below him is a smaller counterpart that seems to rule over or have usurped an order that is used to his presence. Another figure, a depiction of a citizen or ruler, draws away in fear of this being. One possible interpretation is that the very civilization, or ideal, that Rojhaz is defending is in danger of being corrupted from an enemy they cannot see while Icarus wishes to challenge that status quo with potentially unstable power: regardless of the consequences or necessarily even aware of the Tyrant-figure sitting on the upper part of the hierarchical line. What is worse to consider however, within the context of this piece, is that the Tyrant-Trickster may well be bewitching all of these forces to either conflict with each other or become distracted with paths that may not happen while keeping them divided and ignorant of his real plans. Indeed, another interpretation is that even the God of Thunder seems more distracted or mesmerized by the orb in the Trickster-Tyrant’s staff than the Tyrant himself. Perhaps this is important in and of itself.

In the end, perhaps these heroes are–like the characters in Ragnarok–attempted to get vengeance or avenge a battle or an atrocity that has not happened yet: while their real enemy already plans it right in front of their noses.

Perhaps, in the end, this is a sequential narrative that is not over yet or finds itself “to be continued.” Stay tuned next time for our next segment: in which we will discuss the second narrative found by Josh Ln known as the Celestial Voyages Fragment.

Josh Ln’s original excavated work and restorations of the rest of the “Fleet-Foot Tales” can be found, without translation, in Hero-Glyphics, Proof All Those Time Travel Story Events Were Real for the curious at your perusal and at your leisure. As the ancient farewell goes, “Excelsior.”