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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Riley37" data-source="post: 6544651" data-attributes="member: 6786839">Thank you, Kikuras!Absolutely. Finds, as with Sigmund drawing Gram from the tree; or takes, as in Beowulf grabbing the sword in the den of Grendel's mother; inherits, as in Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber; or makes, as when Luke builds his own lightsaber, or when Taran Wanderer forges his own sword, or Aragorn has Narsil reforged into Anduril.The Magic Items aisle of Wal-Mart is not part of any of those stories.Achilles went "on strike" against Meneleus and Agamemnon specifically over distribution of loot. "Sing, Muse, the anger of Achilles" leads directly into that dispute. There are many passages in the Iliad about what loot was given as prizes, taken from fallen foes, swapped on the battlefield, offered as restitution. Loot is a big deal. It is not spent to buy magic items. Achilles does not complain about having gold and no use for it. He sulks in his tent - leading to the death of dozens of Achaeans including his best friend - over loot, which *is not used for shopping*.Odysseus walked away from Troy with some decent loot, lost it all along the way, then was given gold tripods and similar items by the Phaiakians, and the first thing he does when he returns to Ithaka, is *stash that loot* (in a grotto). There *is* a "receipt as Appendix A" in book 13 of the Oddysey. But why does he care about that loot? I can tell you this much: *not* because he's gonna spend it on magic items.In those stories, *loot is a big deal*, and *not because you buy magic items with it*.So, my question stands: where did anyone get the idea that heroes use loot to buy magic items?</blockquote>

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