I've been reading The Iliad out loud in a nightly Zoom session with friends, which I recommend as a great distraction — it's the definition of epic action and as an oral poem it's not that hard to follow. But early on in book one I encountered a reference to Smintheus, the god of plague.
See, Chryses, a Trojan priest of Apollo, has his daughter abducted by King Agamemnon, Achilles, and the rest of the Achaean army. Chryses goes to the Achaean camp to try to ransom his daughter back, but Agamemnon refuses. So Chryses calls on Apollo to wreck the Achaeans in revenge, which, of course, he does. The rain of Apollo's arrows killing Acheaen troops is compared to plague (or maybe vice versa, depending on your mythological beliefs).
Smintheus is apparently one of Apollo's many names. It comes from the word for mice, which are associated with prophecy I guess but also seem pretty relevant as far as plagues? Or is that just rats.
So, I was wondering, is our problem that we've upset Apollo, just like Agamemnon? The ancient Greek solution was to sacrifice 100 bulls in a big circle and burn their leg-bones wrapped in fat. Could be worth a try.
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