MYTH
Firelight blazed in the window of Hephaestus’ forging shed. Machines were humming away as he set to work on yet another project, an indestructible chariot made of the strongest metal he could find. Helios stood at the other end of the shed, gripping the back of a chair as he anxiously watched Hephaestus tinkering with his chariot.
“Are you sure about this? It’s been 50 years, Heph, you’ve got to let it go,” Helios asked, weary of the temperamental blacksmith. Hephaestus smiled maliciously as he put the finishing touches on his new creation, “Boreas will never see this coming.” He was talking, of course, about the god of the North wind, whose beautiful daughter, Chione, was pursued by many, including Hephaestus. 50 years ago, Hephaestus finally found love after getting his heart broken by the beautiful Aphrodite when she ran off with Ares. Boreas disapproved of this, for he believed that the god of fire and the goddess of snow should never be together, and so the god of the North wind conjured up a violent windstorm to keep all suitors out of his ice kingdom, which sat atop a mountain, adorned with quaint ice villages and a colossal ice palace. But Hephaestus was adamant on seeing Chione, going as far as building an imperishable chariot just to get to her. “How are we going to get through the massive cyclones?” Phaethon, Helios’ son inquired, as he tinkered around with Talos, one of Hephaestus’ mechanical creations. Hephaestus let out a big guffaw, his malformed face contorting into a lopsided grin as he limped over to Phaethon, “Child, do not underestimate my craftsmanship. This chariot is made to withstand even the worst of climates. After all, I am the best there is when it comes to metalworking and forges.”
But alas, the crafty god’s boastful claims were no match for the fearsome winds that tyrannized the chariot, sending it into a frenzy of spirals and sharp turns. Helios, who had decided to let Phaethon drive the chariot, was now holding onto the side of the chariot for dear life. “I can’t believe you let him drive this thing,” Hephaestus screeched, as he struggled to keep his eyes open against the strong wind. Phaethon gripped the reins tightly as he carelessly maneuvered the chariot around the colossal cyclones that surrounded the palace. In the end, his attempts to safely land in the castle proved futile, and the blazing chariot made a headfirst dive into a cluster of pine trees, setting the whole forest on fire, starting a domino effect of destruction in the kingdom. The ice stalactites and permafrost were rapidly melting away, the glaciers and icecaps disintegrating, causing an outpour of water to gush out of the kingdom, cascading like a waterfall down the mountain, flooding villages and wreaking havoc on what was once a peaceful isolated kingdom, now a horrendous scene of blazing inferno and melted ice.
ANALYSIS
Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire, metal-working and craftsmen, has always been depicted as an outcast in myths. In some versions, he was cast from heaven by Hera due to his deformities (Hom., Il. 18.136), and in others, he was cast from heaven by Zeus (Apollod., Bibl. 1.19). This was reiterated in the narrative above, where Hephaestus’ foot abnormality and facial deformity was emphasized in the line “malformed face contorting into a lopsided grin as he limped over to Phaeton”. I think this detail is kept in to construct a clearer depiction of the loneliness and isolation felt by Hephaestus, as someone who was casted out by his own parents, and whose spouse was unfaithful.
Aphrodite was married off to Hephaestus by Zeus in exchange for the release of Hera from the trap that Hephaestus set up for her on the throne (Hyg., Fab. 166). She had an affair with Ares, which Hephaestus found out about through Helios, and he made indestructible chains to trap the adulterous couple (Hom., Od. 8.267). In the very first paragraph of the narrative above, Hephaestus is seen to be working on Helios’ “indestructible chariot made of the strongest metal he could find”. This chariot was made with the intent of pursuing Chione, a goddess of snow, whose father disapproves of this match. The parallelism between the narrative and the ancient sources becomes evident when a side-by-side comparison like this is made. In the ancient sources, Hephaestus made unbreakable chains in order to capture his love interest, Aphrodite, and Ares. In the narrative above, Hephaestus manufactures an imperishable chariot to pursue his love interest, Chione, after getting his heart broken by Aphrodite. The narrative above did not explicitly alter the original myth, but simply constructed a continuation of it, replicating the behaviours and actions of Hephaestus himself, where in both versions, love remains as a common motivator, which is also a motif that can be observed in Greek myths. I think this is to maintain a sense of stability and affinity in the character and personality of Hephaestus, where he uses his gifts in craftsmanship to satisfy the emotions and desires that come with being in love. Helios is also a common character in both versions, and this could be because he is the god of the sun, and this is quite prevalent with respect to global warming.
Boreas, the god of the north wind, is father to Chione, one of the four children that he had with Oreithyia (Apollod., Bibl. 3.199). In the passage, it is mentioned that Boreas conjured cyclones and violent winds to keep suitors out of the kingdom. I think this particularly emphasises his power as god of the north wind, and also introduces a different kind of love than the one mentioned in the previous paragraph, and that is parental love towards his daughter, and also love and care for his domain and its people, as he knew Hephaestus, being the god of fire, would destroy his ice kingdom. Chione, who is portrayed as a snow goddess in the narrative above is selected as Hephaestus’ new love interest possibly because of the correlation between global warming and the melting of ice, the cause and effect. With the knowledge that Hephaestus is the god of fire, and Chione the goddess of snow, this contrast adds to the intensity of the story. This could also be another part of the reason why Helios was kept in the story, as it further adds to the fire and ice contradiction.
If we look closely in the second paragraph, we can see a brief mention of Talos, a bronze automaton invented by Hephaestus for Minos, to protect Crete (Apollod., Bibl. 1.140). I think this detail was included just to emphasize Hephaestus’ expertise in invention and forges. Of course, it is not uncommon for gods and goddesses to fall into the trap of hubris, and we can observe this trait in many myths. This can also be seen in the story above, where Hephaestus says “Child, do not underestimate my craftsmanship. This chariot is made to withstand even the worst of climates. After all, I am the best there is when it comes to metalworking and forges.” This particular line clearly illustrates Hephaestus’ excessive pride, which of course, leads to destruction, as it does in most myths in either a metaphorical or literal manner. This trait is included in the narrative to maintain one of the prevalent aspects of a Greek myth, and that is undue pride before an impending doom.
The second and third paragraph also features Phaethon, Helios’ son. In ancient sources, Phaeton is said to have borrowed his father’s chariot, and, losing control of it, scorched a significant portion of the Earth (Diod. Sic., Library of History, 5.23.2). In the third paragraph, Phaethon is driving the chariot, which he is unable to properly take control of, and he eventually crash landed into a cluster of trees, which then, like a chain reaction, set the whole kingdom on fire. This is analogous to the story mentioned in the ancient sources. In both versions, Phaethon lost control of the chariot and sets things ablaze, however, in the story above, a specific setting of the ice kingdom is described, and instead of Phaethon’s curiosity being the reason he took hold of the chariot, this time it is Hephaestus’ desires which act as the prime motivator.
The tactile and visual imagery in this narrative is very prevalent, with phrases like “glaciers and icecaps disintegrating” and “cascading like a waterfall down the mountain”. This is used to engage with the reader and to create a more imaginatively stimulating atmosphere for readers to visualize the story as it unfolds. This is also used to emphasize the detrimental effects of Hephaestus’ voyage into the ice kingdom, which is parallel to the harmful effects of global warming. Additionally, the dialogue incorporated into the narrative, together with this visual imagery of both the characters and the setting, create a sense of anthropomorphism. This allows for more engagement with the audience, enabling them to relate more to the characters.
Reiterating the fire-ice contrast, I think the ice aspect is particularly important in the context of global warming, as this highlights the effects and consequences of the selfishness and pride of Hephaestus, leading to ultimate destruction. This is homogenous to the behavior and attitude of humans towards the wellbeing of the planet, and how we are contributing to the demolition of the Earth. I think another reason that Hephaestus was selected as a character for the etiology of global warming is because of his correlation to machines, metal-working and fire, which are very much related to the things that contribute to global warming today, like the burning of fossil fuels for energy and the use of vehicles.
In conclusion, we can observe the details and attributes and why they are kept in or changed in this story. We can also observe how myths evolve and grow as we discover more about the world. In this case, it is the incorporation of the causes and effects of global warming into the myth. This will continue like a snowball effect, features and characteristics being added or changed as times goes by.
WORKS CITED:
Homer. The Iliad. Loeb Classical Library, A.T. Murray, vol. 1, Harvard University Press, 1924, Cambridge.
Apollodorus. The Library. Loeb Classical Library, Sir James George Frazer, vol. 121-122, Harvard University Press, 1924, Cambridge.
Hyginus, Julius. The Myths of Hyginus. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic studies, Mary Grant, no. 34, University of Kansas Press, 1960, Kansas.
Homer. The Iliad. Loeb Classical Library, A.T. Murray, Harvard University Press, 1919, Cambridge.
Siculus, Diodorus. Library of History. Loeb Classical Library, C.H. Oldfather, vol. 303, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.