Callisto, A Speculative Biography
Part Four
A Few Final Thoughts
aka
Wrapping Things Up
On the face of it, it would be so easy to simply write off Callisto as just another psychotic, murdering “warlord” bent on revenge against Xena, and to be forever condemned for the slaughter of so many men, women and children as she and her “army”, her band of thugs, criminals and murderers, crisscrossed the countryside in her quest for vengeance with no thoughts of mercy for those who were butchered, and with no hint of forgiveness in her heart for Xena. And it would be so easy to steadfastly believe it was her single-minded resolution to find, and ultimately destroy, the one who was responsible for Cirra’s destruction: Xena.
But it can be argued there is another side to Callisto, a young girl who became unbalanced through no fault of her own after witnessing the fiery deaths of her beloved parents and sister, the brutal massacre of her friends and neighbors, and the total destruction of her home and her village. Who knows what kind of woman she could have become if she had had a normal life of growing into womanhood, finding love, marrying, and raising her own family?
This is not to suggest Callisto was justified in her pursuit of retribution, or that it excuses the death and destruction she rained down on all those in her path. Far from it. But she surely could have found a way to seek her revenge against Xena without the needless murder of so many innocents, and the destruction of so many towns and villages.
As previously suggested, Callisto probably followed Xena for years, studying her methods of combat and her techniques of fighting until she felt she was able to confront and to kill Xena on her, Callisto’s, own terms on her own field of battle.
But it has been determined that when she became aware of Xena and Gabrielle traveling together, Callisto’s focus changed. Rather than just assassinate the woman responsible for her family’s death, she changed her tactics. Instead of simply wanting to kill Xena, probably in the most painful way possible, she repurposed her mission in life to destroy the one thing, the one person Xena loved above all others, Gabrielle. And she wanted Xena to witness Gabrielle’s death before killing her. And in this undertaking, she somewhat succeeded on both fronts when Xena and Gabrielle were crucified on Roman crosses.
Unfortunately, more of Callisto’s story can never be known until other references to her are discovered in scrolls or tablets, perhaps hidden in caves (as were the Dead Sea Scrolls), or lost in archival records buried in the ruins of long-forgotten temples.
While poring over Gabrielle’s scrolls, it became obvious that her writings followed the changing religious beliefs of the time. In the beginning she wrote about the Greek gods, Zeus, Ares, Hades and Aphrodite to name but a few (however, in reference to Callisto, only Ares and Hades were mentioned).
But in time she began to describe the persons and events associated with the newly formed one-god doctrines taking hold throughout the Mideast. For example, Eli, a healer and prophet; and her and Xena’s crucifixion and ascension to become (Christian) angels (as did Callisto).
Religious scholars who have had access to these scrolls are still debating, both for and against, Gabrielle’s writings on this subject.
Some feel it denigrates and insults their religious beliefs when the sinful and murderous Xena and Callisto are taken up to heaven. They claim that Xena’s few years of “doing good deeds” could never make up for the years of death and destruction she (and Callisto) visited upon the helpless victims they slaughtered. And they feel that Callisto’s “purification” by Xena is an affront to the teachings of the Christian bible, particularly the New Testament.
Then there is the counter argument that their ascension to heaven and becoming angels perfectly exemplifies the forgiveness of the Christian God of the New Testament.
However, both sides are uncomfortable with the idea of Xena and Gabrielle being reincarnated into their original bodies. As well as the “immaculate conception” of Xena’s daughter, Eve, by the redeemed Callisto.
And finally, there is the story of the eternal struggle of good (angels) versus evil (the demons of hell), mirrored in Xena’s quest for personal redemption for her past deeds. That is, constantly fighting her dark side (a reflection of her murderous past) versus her desire to make amends for her violent and bloody history.
And one last thought (in the spirit of Gabrielle's fanciful tales). According to Gabrielle, she and Aphrodite were more or less friends, depending on the particular scroll. And I was thinking, since they were friends, what would have happened, in this fantasy world, if Gabrielle had asked the Goddess of Love to do her magic on Callisto, and replace the hatred in her heart with love for Xena, and for all mankind in general?
How would Callisto’s story have changed? But not only hers, but Xena’s as well?
The End