Part 2- Mythological Allusions: River Styx

River Styx   Mythological Allusion  Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• Located in the Underworld and home to those who are dead
• Separated the world of the living from the world of the dead
• Once your soul go to the river, the Charon would give you a ride but you had to pay with the coins you were buried with
• If you received a ride or swam across the River Styx, you had to wait for reincarnation
• Some souls were sent to Hades as punishment

Commentary: The purpose of the River Styx is crossing thresholds from the mortal living world to the dead underworld. Another example of crossing thresholds comes from the movie Back to the Future. Marty McFly has to cross the threshold from modern day 1980 to back in time to 1950.

Part 2- Mythological Allusions: Perseus

Perseus   Mythological Allusion  Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• Born to Danae and Zeus
• King Polydectes falls in love with Danae and has a plan to get rid of Perseus
• Polydectes convinces Perseus to slay Medusa
• Hermes lends his knowledge to Perseus saying that his sword with guide him
• Athena gives Perseus her shield and tells him to look at Medusa through this
• He slays Medusa successfully and on his way back falls in love with Andromeda
• Kills Polydectes with Medusa's head

Commentary: This myth deals with looking fear in the face and conquering it to get what we want. The book that deals with facing fear head on would be The Hunger Games. Katniss has to come to terms with facing fear in the arena, she has to kill kids her own age for the survival of herself to make sure she makes it home successfully.

Part 2- Mythological Allusions: Oedipus

Oedipus   Mythological Allusion   Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• Very tragic hero form of mythology
• Son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta
• A curse foretold any son born of Jocasta would kill King Laius
• Jocasta had a son, so Laius pierced the child's feet so he would bleed to death
• Oedipus was saved and adopted
• He ends up killing King Laius
• Marries his mother, Jocasta

Commentary: This myth involves a lot of tragedy and the change within family dynamic. This can also be found in The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen. Throughout the book the family dynamic changes substantial through lies within a family and the repercussions it entails.

Part 2- Mythological Allusions: Jason and the Golden Fleece

Jason and the Golden Fleece    Mythological Allusion    Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• Jason has to claim his rightful place on the throne
• Had to go through tasks
• Hera decided to test whether Jason was a true hero or not and has him cross a raging torrent to Loleus
• Jason underwent many other tasks to gain the throne
• Aeetes did not want to give the fleece to Jason
• Jason, protected by Ares, went for the fleece which was protected by a dragon
• Medea gave the dragon a sleeping potion and they left with the fleece

Commentary: This myth has a lot to do with proving to people that a challenge is worth the work and the duration because proving other people wrong is rewarding. This myth connects most with the book Peak by Roland Smith. Throughout the book, Peak (the main character's nickname) deals with the scrutiny of other people saying he can't climb Mt. Everest, but he does.

Part 2- Mythological Allusions: Hector

Hector    Mythological Allusion   Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• Eldest son of King Priam
• He was the chief warrior of the Trojan army
• Known as the ideal warrior and is responsible of keeping Troy safe
• Good son, loving husband, and reliable friend
• Defended and wounded at Sarpedon
• When Achilles deserted the Greek Army, and Hector drove them back
• Achilles then slays Hector

Commentary: This myth deals a lot with the concept of reliability and the importance of staying true to family dignity. Hector stays true to his family and is behind his family all the time. Although, this is not a connection to a book, it is a connection to real life. I strive to keep dignity in my family and uphold my family name by getting good grades, participating in sports, and trying my best everyday.

Part 2- Mythological Allusions: Echo and Narcissus

Echo and Narcissus    Mythological Allusion  Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• Echo falls in love with Narcissus, but can only rely on hearing and speaking, not sight
• Narcissus gets lost and calls out for help and Echo responds
• After talking, Echo goes to introduce herself to Narcissus and he is not attracted to her at all
• Echo leaves crying and depressed that her body deteriorates and all that is left is her voice
• Narcissus goes to drink from the pond and falls in love with his reflection
• He dies because he is too caught up in himself; all that is left behind is a Narcissus flower by the pond

Commentary: This myth has a lot to deal with self obsession and falling for something that is not real but you so badly want it to be. This concept is shown when Harry Potter stumbles upon the Mirror of Erised. The Mirror of Erised shows him was is not real, his parents, but he wants it to be so bad that he spends countless nights without sleep just watching the mirror.

Part 2- Mythological Allusions: Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche    Mythological Allusion   Source: Edith Hamilton's Mythology

• One of three daughters, viewed as the most beautiful
• She is so beautiful that men begin to say she is prettier than Aphrodite
• Aphrodite get jealous and orders her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest thing
• Cupid goes to take care of the order, but he ends up falling in love so he pricks himself with his love arrow
• Nobody falls in love with Psyche
• Psyche then gets whisked away to a mountain after receiving an oracle that says her husband to be waits there
• Her husband comes at night, and tells her she must never try and see what he looks like
• Her sisters tell Psyche she needs to see who this person is
• Her husband ends up being Cupid, she sees him and because of that she'll never see him again because she broke the rules
• Psyche then goes to Aphrodite for forgiveness; she then has to complete a task for Cupid's lover
• She has to collect Persephone's beauty in a box and is told not to open it
• She opens it and falls into a deep sleep
• Cupid wakes her up and they live happily ever after

Commentary: The plot line of this myth is fairly similar to the fairy-tale Sleeping Beauty. Aurora and Psyche are both extremely beautiful girls, Cupid pricks himself with an arrow and Aurora pricks herself with a needle, Aurora falls into a deep sleep and so does Psyche, both are waken up by their true love in the end. The parallels between the two are amazing.