Myth
It all began with a boy by the name of Storm who was the son of Hades and Hera. Since Storm was a little boy he always wanted to go outside of the underworld and be away from the darkness, perhaps even see Olympus. But his mother would always tell him that he has a special gift but in fear they must keep him in the underworld under close supervision. He did not have much friends except his loyal companion Stuart, his pet dog. Storm respected his parents' wishes, he felt that he did not belong in the underworld. As Storm grew older, he became bitter and angry, angry at his parents for keeping him trapped in such a grim place, and everyone else could go anywhere they wanted. One day he noticed that as he was getting angry, his eyes turned red and beneath his feet he was heating the ground. Amazed at what just happened, this made him think of a dream he had when he was younger. He was pictured falling into a volcano in which it scorched his body, he would scream for help, but no one would help him. He saw this green stone at the bottom of the volcano, in which it was cursed. When Storm touched the stone, this bright light came exploding out from the volcano. Transforming him, giving him the power to heat the earth when he would get angry emitting global warming on humans. He shot out of the volcano and Storm walked back to his parents' dwelling. His parents knew what happened since it was written in a prophecy but failed to keep it from happening. This is why Storm was kept home all those years in fear that he would destroy the earth. One night he escaped and went to earth in order to take vengeance on the humans. In spite of his parents who kept him sheltered all his life in the underworld. He started to create global warming, heating the earth from his feet, creating volcanoes, causing huge emissions of greenhouse gasses and continuous heating of the earth and complete darkness. But there was a goddess who had a lot of love for humans, she only wanted peace. She was a goddess of peace and love; she doesn't know who her parents are. Being without love from her parents and having to grow up alone in Olympus. She wants to protect the humans who she sees giving love to each other at all costs. Kaye had heard what Storm was doing and she was going to stop him. She came down on her beautiful rainbow, bringing sunlight, she put out the heat with her water, and cooled the earth by her mighty winds. She defeated Storm and sent him to the deepest depths of the pit in the underworld never to return. Although before he was sent down, he left the cursed stone on earth causing global warming to be a present issue forever.
Analysis
Storm is based off of Hephaestus who is known to be the God of fire, and volcanos. In Strabo, Geography 6. 2. 10, it talks about how he is the God of volcanoes. It talks about the landscape where Hephaestus lives and how it is very rocky and hot, with three different blasts of fire and heat that comes out of three different openings (Strabo, 7 BC-23 AD). He also has the power of darkness in which he casts darkness over earth when he tries to destroy the earth with Global Warming. In the ancient text of Aristophanes, Birds 685 ff, in the text it states that in the beginning there was Khaos, Nyx and Erebos who is darkness, and in the darkness, it is never ending and deep (Aristophanes, 414 BC). I chose to add this as my evil God’s “powers'' to make him more of a villain. Hephaestus is God of fire and volcanoes, it was relevant to incorporate in the myth, as global warming is caused by the overheating of the earth. In the myth when Storm causes Global Warming by heating the earth from his feet and causing volcanoes to come out of the ground. This added to the plot since volcanoes contribute to C02 emissions which cause Global Warming as well (Volcano Hazards Program). Hephaestus does not have the powers of darkness it was another characteristic to add, without light it would cause more chaos to humans. Hephaestus also can-not make volcanoes appear out of the ground, nor heat the ground but it was a great “power” for him to have advanced the plot in creating Global Warming on earth.
Kaye is based off of the Goddess Eirene, Eirene has two sisters, they are apart, of the Horai in the ancient texts of Orphic Hymn 43 to the Horae, it explains the three daughters of Zeus and how Eirene is the Goddess of peace (Orpheus, C3rd- C2nd B.C) Her “powers” that I chose for her to have were also based on other Gods which were the powers of wind, water, sunlight, and she flys on a rainbow. The God of the East wind is named Eurus in Nonnus, Dionysiaca 3. 55 ff, it talks about how the red wing was Euros the East Wind (Nonnus, 1940). The sun God is named Helius in the Homeric Hymn 31 to Helius it explains that there are bright rays of sun that radiate off of him, he has vibrant hair that shapes his face (Evelyn-White, C7th - C6th B.C) The water God is Poseidon In the Orphic Hymns, XVI. TO NEPTUNE [POSEIDON]- C3rd B.C. - C2nd A.D, 16. It talks about how Poseidon holds power over water, when he rides his horse in the water it makes the ocean obey his command (Orpheus, C3rd- C2nd B.C). Finally, Kaye being able to ride the rainbow is from the Goddess Iris, is a Greek Goddess of rainbows. In Ovid, Metamorphoses 11. 585 ff: it talks about how Iris has multiple different colors on her robe lighting up the sky and she flies throughout the sky on her rainbow (Ovid, 8AD). I based Kaye to have the same “power” that Eirene had which was peace, because she needed to save the day. She wanted peace on earth and loved humans. She never had that love from her parents since she did not know who they were. It shows the relevance since I made Kaye adopt these different strengths of the different Gods in order for her to defeat Storm. She came down on her rainbow, bringing sunlight since Storm darkened the earth, she put out the heat with her water, and cooled the earth by her winds. All of these things allowed for her to defeat Storm and banish him from Earth to never return, allowing peace to return to the earth.
The parents of Hephaestus are really Zeus and Hera, not Hades and Persephone. I changed the parents to make Storm grow up in a different lifestyle then he actually grew up in. In Homer, Iliad 1. 568 Hephaestus was thrown by his foot out of Olympus by his father Zeus after he tried saving his mom from him (Homer, 8BCE) Changing this information and adding in that he was the son of Hades and Persephone, lived in the underworld for the purpose not harming anyone. Advanced the plot allowing for the “villain” to cause global warming on Earth. With addition to being a son of Hades one can assume that the child would be evil and have a dark story. Hades and Persephone are actually married but they do not have Hephaestus as their son; they have two children who were from Zeus and the Erinyes. In the Orphic Hymn 29 to Persephone, Persephone is the queen of the underworld, the Erinyes got their looks from their mother (Orpheus, C3rd- C2nd B.C) In Statius, Thebaid 12. 557 it states that Hades is the father of the Erinyes (Statius, 90s A.D.). The Erinyes are three goddesses and in Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 451 ff they sit on a throne guarding the dungeon’s doors with black snakes in their hair (Ovid, 8A.D).
The parents of Kaye were unknown in the myth but Eirene did have parents; it was Zeus and Themis. I did not add in who Kaye’s parents were even though she was based off Eirene. For the purpose to change the story line and make the character complete, with her not knowing her parents and feel love from them. Is what allowed Kaye to come down from Olympus and save the day banishing Storm from returning to earth. Seeing the love that the humans gave one another was what made her complete and happy, further enticing her to want peace on the human race. Eirene did not have the powers of wind, water, sunlight and she did not ride on a rainbow, but she was the Goddess of peace. In which I kept that the same for Kaye since she brought peace again on earth. In Hesiod, Theogony 901 ff it explains how Zeus married Themis who is the divine law in which she gave birth to three daughters making up the Horai. Which were Eunomia meaning good order, Dike meaning justice, and Eirene which means peace in which she looks at the mortal men and what they do (Hesiod, 8th – 7th century BC) At the end of that description, she watches the mortals and what they do, which is what Kaye does on Olympus.
The three headed dog was depicted as being a loyal companion of Storm. I chose to have the three headed dog as his companion since being in the underworld and being alone for many years he needed a companion to keep him company. Having a pet allowed for Storm to not feel alone and have someone to talk to even if it was just a creature. In Pseudo- Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 122, it explains Cerberus to be a three headed dog with a serpent as a tail and snake heads all on the back of the dog (Apollodorus, C2nd A.D) It is relevant for the reason that in the ancient texts it is depicted that the three headed dog was named Cerberus and he guards the gates of the underworld. In the myth it can be imagined that Stuart would be a cute three headed dog but in the ancient texts he is seen as being terrifying and huge.
In the Myth there is a scene where Storm was falling into a volcano, he saw this green stone at the bottom of the volcano, that was cursed. When Storm touched the stone, this bright light came out from the volcano. Transforming him, the power to harm the humans, in the slowest way possible. Allowing him to heat the earth when he would get angry emitting global warming on humans. This stone was depicted to be cursed and cursed Storm into harming the Earth with Global Warming. In the Nonnus, Dionysiaca 7. 7 ff, Pandora who was created by the Gods out of clay. In the ancient text it explains that Zeus gave Pandora a cursed jar that if she were to open it would make mortals suffer for all eternity. She opened the jar releasing the curse and ultimately cursed mankind (Nonnus, 1940). I decided to make a cursed stone in place of the cursed jar. At the end of the myth, it stated that before Kaye banished Storm, he left his stone on earth causing Global Warming to still stay on Earth for all eternity which is why global warming still exists. This left a dramatic ending in the myth allowing for more of the myth to continue throughout the years. Thus, further advancing the myth, since the stone cursed Storm when he touched it allowed for Storm to develop his character of causing Global Warming which is an important aspect of the myth.
Reference List
U.S. Department of the Interior. Volcano Hazards Program. Volcanoes Can Affect Climate. https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards/volcanoes-can-affect-climate#:~:text=Volcanoes%20can%20impact%20climate%20change,are%20injected%20into%20the%20stratosphere.&text=But%20volcanic%20gases%20like%20sulfur,potential%20to%20promote%20global%20warming.
Homer. C8th B.C. The Iliad. 1. 568 ff. Translation by Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Orpheus. C3rd- C2nd B.C. Orphic Hymns, The Hymns of Opheus, Orphic Hymn 29 to Persephone. Translated by Thomas, Taylor (1972). London: Bertram Dobell.
Statius. 80–90 A.D. Thebaid 12. 557. Translated by Mozley, J H. Loeb Classical Library Volumes . Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd.
Ovid. 8A.D. Metamorphoses 4. 451 ff. Translation by Melville, A. D. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hesiod. 8th – 7th. Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica Theogony. 901 ff. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Loeb Classical Library Volume 57. London: William Heinemann.
Pseudo- Apollodorus. C2nd A.D. Bibliotheca 2. 122. Translation by Keith, Aldrich. Lawrence, Kansas: Coronado Press.
Strabo. 7 BC-23 AD. Geography 6. 2. 10. Translation by Jones, Horace J. Loeb Classical Library, 6 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Aristophanes. 414 BC. Birds 685 ff. The Complete Greek Drama. Translation by O'Neill, Eugene.New York. Random House.
Orpheus. C3rd- C2nd B.C . Orphic Hymns, The Hymns of Opheus, Orphic Hymn 42 to the Horae. Translated by Thomas, Taylor (1972). London: Bertram Dobell.
Nonnos. 5 AD. Dionysiaca 3. 55 ff. Translated by Lind, L. R, Loeb. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Hesiod. C7th - C6th B.C. Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica Homeric Hymn 31 to Helius. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Loeb Classical Library Volume 57. London: William Heinemann.
Orpheus. C3rd B.C. - C2nd A.D, 16. Orphic Hymns, XVI. TO NEPTUNE [POSEIDON]. Translated by Thomas, Taylor (1972). London: Bertram Dobell.
Nonnus. 5 AD. Dionysiaca 7. 7 ff. Translated by Lind, L. R, Loeb. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
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