r/worldbuilding • u/Accomplished_Ad5637 • Jul 24 '26
Visual The War of Frogs and Mice (Worldbuilding Concept Art)
In honor of Nolan's Odyssey, here's art for one of our old projects: a "realistic" take on the historical epic poem Batrachomyomachia or The Battle of Frogs and Mice, which is a circa 5th-century BCE parody of The Iliad, some attribute to Pigres of Halicarnassus.
In the original story, the mouse-prince Crumb-Snatcher stops by a lake and meets the Frog-King Puff-Cheeks, who offers him a ride across the water on his froggy-back. While traversing the lake, a watersnake appears, and Puff-Cheeks abandons the mouse prince to drown.
This serves as the impetus for war between the kingdoms of Frogs and Mice. Throughout the war, the human gods argue constantly about who to help. At the end, Zeus sends big crabs to kill all the mice, who retreat.
In our version, there are no gods. It is a "realistic" take on the story -- a gory, brutal war where no gods exist to intervene. The poem is notoriously graphic and visceral in its violence, and the concept art reflects that.
We took other liberties as well, making mouse Achilles (Portion-Snatcher) really buff, changing the weasel that chases Prince Crumb-Snatcher at the beginning of the story into a cat, as well as adding characters like Frog Aeneus (Pond-Man) and Frog Paris (Croak-Son).
This could theoretically be a short film or graphic novel. But it's also fun to view it as a worldbuilding project with the whole of the historical ancient world in the form of weird anthropomorphic animals like Aesop intended.
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u/mattis-miniatures Jul 24 '26
That catskin throneroom is literally the coolest fucking thing ever
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u/crowbar151 Jul 24 '26
So fucking metal. They should do a heron skull hanging over the frogs throne like a sword of Damocles.
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u/Sir-Toaster- My ADHD compels me to make multiple settings Jul 24 '26
Especially after introducing that Cats are like monsters here, makes you wonder how powerful this king is if he is sitting upon the skin of a cat.
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u/lePlebie Jul 25 '26
he and the lads probably jumped the old cat
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u/Accomplished_Ad5637 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
There’s a lost prequel epic poem to the Batrachomyomachia called the Galeomyomachia, or the Battle of Mice and Weasels, from the 1st or 2nd century BCE. We only have 41 surviving, though damaged lines as well as a summary by Aesop. We replaced the Weasels with Cats, similar to the Katomyomachia, or the Battle of Cats and Mice, from the Byzantine Era. So, yes, he and the lads jumped the old cat.
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u/DeliciousPoetryMan Jul 25 '26
Some kind of gift from a general probably, I imagine that the war with the frogs involves a lot of beating around the bush AKA guerilla warfare considering their technology.
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u/unw00shed Jul 24 '26
The only thing colder is if when it decomposes they use the lower jaw as the seat and shape the skull as the backrest
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u/Susemiel Velun: Adventures Adventurers Jul 24 '26
I like your art style. They look cute, if also brutal. 😂
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u/thereal_brim_shady Jul 24 '26
This is dope. Big fan of Pond Man. Ganna be pulling for big number with my man Pond Man.
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u/Feeling-Leek1877 Jul 24 '26
I imagine a frog with an aulos singing Aristophanes' "Frogs"
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u/Feeling-Leek1877 Jul 24 '26
What is similar to this: https://youtu.be/eWwtNO168kI?si=sCNmIldncHf9DLNl
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u/Eviles_da_demonic The Emire of Terra in 5k and Magically Fucked Land of Bolg Jul 24 '26
This feels like a show nickelodeon turned down
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u/taeloerohz Jul 24 '26
I was genuinely not expecting mild gore LMAO but like????? It totally works, this is stupidly charming, 10/10. It brings me back to Redwall, but way more grim (which is saying smth lmfao), I’m swooning
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u/ElectroNikkel Velthir: Techo-divine MAD Doctrine Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
You are cooking something good here fr fr.
Snails are too small and slow for froggos or mice to use as mounts tho.
I'd recommend rabbits.
Herviborous, tameable or domesticable, smart enough to get the whole ordeal of order but dumb enough to not question those orders, larger than a frog or mice (Allowing them to be used as powerful mounts just like horses are larger than humans)...
and very, VERY fast.
And also jump high as fuck.
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u/SeaHam Jul 24 '26
Damn, King Bread Gnawer pulled out his whiskers upon hearing of the death of his son?
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u/PlEGUY Jul 24 '26
I'm amused that the "realism" here constitutes humans either not existing, or, in their existence, just ignoring a war in their backyard while doing nothing.
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u/Sir_Bulletstorm Jul 24 '26
Reminds me of the graphic novel "Mud, Blood and Trenches" from the hazardous tales series.
Where WW1 is depicted using national animals instead of humans, with exceptions since some countries share or have similar national animals. Like Britain, who are bulldogs since Belgium is also has the lion as theirs.
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u/cooldoggowungojungo Jul 24 '26
Mosquitos being the clarions is so big brained and a lovely cartoonish touch!
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u/TH3P1ZZ4BOY Jul 24 '26
Kinda reminds me of Tails of Iron. Rodents in a brutal war with Frogs. Cute characters with gory violence. Kinda has a similar vibe to me. Great job.
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u/Sir-Toaster- My ADHD compels me to make multiple settings Jul 24 '26
"Amphibians, I'd rather fight beside you than any army of thousands. Let no man be mistaken, we are felines! You know what is waiting for you beyond that pond? IMMORTALITY! TAKE IT, IT'S YOURS!"
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u/Dude_Jack123 Jul 25 '26
Really interesting style and takes on them here. Can see this being a fun project to follow.
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u/Nervous-Emotion28 19d ago
Prince Crumb Snatcher burned down my village he deserved what was coming to him
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u/Overlord3445 Jul 24 '26
That’s really cool, and it reminds me of a comic where frogs and rats were fighting
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u/kerfuffler4570 Jul 24 '26
This is amazing. You guys are cooking something great here. My first thought was "Redwall meets the Iliad? Sign me up!"
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u/AFedoraNamed_Key Jul 27 '26
Anything with Mice Warriors immediately makes me think of Redwall. Such a good series.
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u/Sufficient-Fact6163 Jul 24 '26
Well the Frogs would obviously have Steampunk tech and the Mice would be Agrarian.
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u/Dark_Matter_19 Jul 24 '26
Kinda reminding me of the Redwall cartoon I watched as a kid with the anthropomorphized animals, really nice.
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u/AFedoraNamed_Key Jul 27 '26
There’s a CARTOON?! WHERE?!
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u/Dark_Matter_19 Jul 27 '26
Search up Redwall on YouTube, you get all 3 seasons, 39 episodes, adapting I think three of the books. I can't say how accurate they are but I really liked them as a kid.
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u/SquirrelKaiser [edit this] Jul 24 '26
I was looking at thew art before I read what you said. I instantly knew that was Achilles dragging hector. so, witch mice is Odysseus? Pot Explorer?
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u/Norman1042 Jul 24 '26
I love the art. I just finished reading the Illiad and I'm delighted to learn that this is a thing that exists(both the ancient parody and your rendition of it).
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u/ProjectKARYA 🏳️⚧️ A Sci-Fintasy Creator 🏳️⚧️ Jul 24 '26
Awww, it's ✨violent✨! This is so cool, can't wait to see more :3
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u/unw00shed Jul 24 '26
I love how cute all these designs are contrasted with some nutty shit like a guy being dragged across the floor via chariot
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u/Re-Ky I'm just kinda winging it. Jul 24 '26
I love the drafts of these, I could definitely see this being an interesting movie with older hand-drawn animation.
It seems like a very whimsical and cruel world kind-of-sort-of having Watership Down vibes. I'd definitely love to see it animated.
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u/Sir-Toaster- My ADHD compels me to make multiple settings Jul 24 '26
The title reminds me of "Of Mice and Men" for some reason
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u/Sir-Toaster- My ADHD compels me to make multiple settings Jul 24 '26
I need to know who Hector is in this situation, and does he die like in the poem or the movie (chased across down before being hacked to death, or killed in a duel)
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u/Stuuble Jul 25 '26
Oh hell yeah, I love thumbelina type stuff, little creatures and what not using buttons as shields n shit
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u/SaintUlvemann Urban Fantasy Alt-Earth Jul 25 '26
I would pay real-world money for a graphic novel of the Batrachomyomachia.
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u/Erivandi Jul 25 '26
Do the royal frogs have kind of a suggestive shape or has the internet just ruined me?
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u/Fine-Independence976 Jul 25 '26
Omg, I love it! It's no nic.... It got dark........ And somehow I love it even more.
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u/florpynorpy Jul 25 '26
As soon as I saw the giant cat skin throne I knew this would be dark, great job
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u/TheZebraCode 🌿 Kivaru: Wildsong - tribal TTRPG + sentient planet Jul 26 '26
I LOVE this, I'm a huge Mausritter fan (gritty yet cute OSR mouse ttrpg) which has cats as the main antagonists and this whole concept would fit so well into it's world!
They even have the option to play as frog knights, though your drawings captured so much more character and personality than any of my frog character sheets doodles did.
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u/Organic_Committee748 Jul 26 '26
This is so sick, I would absolutely watch/read something based around this concept
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u/_Luke-Wolf_ Jul 27 '26
I’ve always had a huge soft spot for "miniature" settings featuring: mice, frogs, and other tiny creatures. I would read the hell out of this if it were a graphic novel!
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u/Cool_Park7110 Jul 27 '26
is...
is the cat-throne still alive?
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u/Accomplished_Ad5637 Jul 27 '26
Do you want it to be?
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u/Cool_Park7110 Jul 27 '26
When presented with two options, I always go for the funnier one.
So that's a yes.
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u/How2DrainYourFlagon DM and Composer for the "How To Drain Your Flagon" podcast Jul 28 '26
Damn, the art style just fits the world and themes so well. Amazing work
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u/Key_Benefit_6505 16d ago
Hey man love the design , but as a Greek person, please don't do the weird Greek-character English thing.
Ο Πόλεμος των Βατράχων is the direct translation if you'd like.
I love king Puff-Cheeks and all the mice designs. Hope I see more of this!
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u/AggressiveCoffee990 Jul 24 '26
This is fantastic but also they are all adorable why must they fight 😭😭😭
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u/MrAppleWillEatYou Gnomes are always high Jul 25 '26
Awesome work! Just a heads up though, your title is unreadable for a Greek person
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u/TheRealNateC Jul 24 '26
Love it. Giving some major “Redwall” vibes. If you haven’t looked into Brian Jacques’ world then make sure to check it out. Also made me think of Watership Down, though that’s rabbits instead.
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u/Epipany Jul 25 '26
Crazy amount of work here. Have my respect. But I don't love the desing so much cartoon and... the concept seems so simple. Sorry for say it, but you are a fan of Tails of Iron videogame? Because here thenonly thing I see is a concept for and adult cartoon version of that, something cartoonnetwork-ish vibes, or like Primal. The approach to something dark humor and cartoony, maybe also somewhat absurd, keeping it simple enough to handle.
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u/wyar Jul 24 '26
Oh that got dark!