Mattathiaos Nephus

little is known of Mattathiaos' past: he rarely tells his own story, preferring to instead tell those of others - or perhaps he is unable to tell his own. he acts as a conduit for the muses to speak through his music and poetry, and how much control Mattathiaos has over it is debatable.

what is known is that he was born in a small village, in a tumbledown cottage by a duck pond. he was raised in relative comfort by a father who was good enough, and who fostered his only child's love of music by providing him with his first lyre. his mother was absent until he was old enough to speak, and then she was always present.

as a child, Mattathiaos' father would take him to the theatre, where he would sit in the back and watch his father perform - it was his father's acting that had attracted the muses' attention. there were times, even, when Mattathiaos would take to the stage; he was never taught to act but took to it like a natural, and if Mattathiaos liked attention more he might have continued, but it was never his passion.

throughout Mattathiaos' childhood, the voices of the muses guided him, out into his village and then the closest town and pulled him onwards; he spent his early years like a fledging bird balanced on the edge of the nest, desperate to leave, and when he was twelve, the pull of the muses and the promise of adventure were stronger than the arms of his father. he was sent off with all the money his father could spare, food enough for a week, and the solemn promise of his father that he was always welcome to come home.

Mattathiaos ventured out into the world, learning stories and songs as he went, telling them and retelling them and creating pieces of his own. he travelled widely, on light feet, and although he made little money he always seemed to have enough to eat, and to find a warm place to sleep. the muses cared for their oracle.

nothing else is known of Mattathiaos' past - nothing beyond speculation, anyway. he's content with his life, telling his stories and experiencing the world through others, which is just as well. it's not as though he has any other choice.