#its like how hades and persephone has become its own archetype in the minds of so many when it can be truly simplified down to ->

[tleeaves]

”this book is a reimagining of hades and persephone as-” it’s the final month of 2023 as a society we need to move on and fast.

[genericpuff]

How has rekindled impacted your original work? Ive seen some people on the ULO subreddit asking about it 👀

Ouu, great question, but buckle up because that means I'm about to go off LMAO

I'd say it's less that Rekindled has impacted my original work and more like my original work has impacted/influenced Rekindled? Like, there are so many things in the original LO that I can totally resonate with, from its character archetypes to some of its (attempted) themes, so making Rekindled has unexpectedly become a really good fit just because I've been spending the last decade working on a project that now feels like part of the groundwork for it. It's like Time Gate unknowingly became the training manual for Rekindled. Obv that's not 100% true because Rekindled is just a foefiction project I started up out of spite, but the only reason I'm able to write and draw Rekindled as it is now is partly thanks to Time Gate and all the blunders I made and learned from working on it the past 10+ years.

And if you don't believe me when I say that LO and subsequently Rekindled have a lot in common with Time Gate? Hoo boy, there are a ton of big and little things that can be pointed out between them. Whether that means I was always meant to make a foefiction for LO or if Rachel and I are both just that basic, no matter what the underlying explanation is it worked out well and I think it's why I enjoy working on Rekindled so much, it feels like a fresh twist on an old look.

CW: blood, violence, mild mention of trauma

Like, you want the dichotomy between Persephone and her wrathful side? Have some Uzuki and her parasitism.

You want the reluctant relationship between Hades and Persephone who are from completely different worlds and have no business working together? Have some Uzuki and Mitsuhiro.

You want the interpersonal conflicts and contrasting worldbuilding of Olympus and the Underworld? Unifreya (the Light Realm) and the Trinity's Vigil (the Dark Realm).

Shit, we even have a self-insert OC who's a victim of severe physical and mental trauma who doesn't remember what she went through because the guy she's with took matters into his own hands and erased her memories of what she went through, instead of allowing her to make her own decisions in her healing.

And yes, we've got a tyrannical time-manipulating god, too.

Anyways, all that aside, I've definitely been finding people going back and reading Time Gate since I started Rekindled, my monthly view count has also gone up since I went on hiatus with it, so I suppose Rekindled has impacted Time Gate in that way. Though it's no guarantee that if you like Rekindled you'll like Time Gate, it's quite an old series and it's gone through a lot of growing pains LOL but it definitely shares a lot of the same characterizations and themes so it at least has that going for it! See what I'm like when I'm not purely writing out of spite LMAO

Speaking honestly - and just because it's been on my mind a lot lately so your question was perfectly timed - I've been struggling to get back to Time Gate. On the one hand it's been great to work through the burnout by pre-occupying myself with another, fresher project (Time Gate's been on hiatus since about December/January), but on the other hand it's making it harder to get back to Time Gate because that's like asking me to try and squeeze into old outfits that don't fit me anymore? Like, I still love the style and the aesthetic, I still totally want to wear it, but I'm trying to figure out how to transition it into a bigger size that fits better. IDK if that analogy works here but that's just the first thing that came to my mind... and as I said above, it's been on my mind a lot lately.

I'm hoping, at the very least, that anyone who does find Time Gate through Rekindled enjoys it. I'd like to get back to it eventually, I just don't know when that time is. This isn't my first burnout sesh, I know I'm capable of bouncing back as I have many times in the past, but right now it just doesn't feel like a comfortable fit. I need to rest, to do other things, to give my brain something new to chew on. Rekindled is definitely helping a lot with that, especially with all the similarities it naturally shares with Time Gate, it's like I get to have my cake and nibble a bit of it too LOL I owe it a lot for that and I hope I can some day make room for both Time Gate and Rekindled. I have a feeling they'd get along great.

[idreamtofmanderleyagain]

princess-nazario:

It's ok, thanks for clearing things up. See, everytime theres a post that might just be different the tumblr-fad! Version you speak or questions how tumblr might be romanticizing them theres always annoying people in the replies saying that theres a version where she wanders down the underworld herself, or that the version where shes kidnapped is...weak or a damsel in distress since it doesnt fit into tumblrs made idea of empowerment?? Its so annoying honestly. I saw this kind of stuff in a lot of posts while exploring the greek myth tag and its just... infuriating. I definitely should ignore them but it seriously makes me kind of sad and angry at the same time? The hades and persephone posts are everything(mostly tumblr-fad!) Version I reread your original post and yes I do agree, tumblr-fad! Persephone does take away a lot of the complexities and archetypes I read you examine. I think Hadestown might portray Hades and Persephone's power struggle well, it doesnt completely ignore the implications its giving off for the sake of some romance. This is what tumblr is doing and it's really annoying. By doing this and reducing the characters here to simple boxes it's taking away your interest in the myth, I think that's what you meant? I think your study of Hades/the underworld being Persephones self, cthonic meaning "spirit of nature within, inner self" while I dont fully understand that's really cool. I especially dislike how woobified and depowered he usually is in the tumblr-fad! Theres a lot you can work with him as the antagonist in a retelling I think. In fact maybe itd be great to have a retelling that explores the power struggle between Hades and Persephone and shows how Persephone gets through adversity and becomes of equal power through oppressive authority? Thatd be really cool. Tumblr-fad! Version is the twilight of myths but kind of the opposite. In twilight, the author itself romanticizes the creepiness and power struggle that might be there between Edward itself(although Bella does have a lot of agency so I think that's why it resonated so much with female readers?) while the Persephone has a various amount of versions, most versions being she was kidnapped/abduction with many meanings and metaphors and allegories to things, and tumblr-fad! Version ignores nuance in favor of their ships. Thanks for being so open and honest about this, I honestly was stressed because I thought my response maybe being immature or uninformed might be irritating or annoying. I haven't been sneaking through your blog or anything like that, I just saw your original post in the goddess demeter tag so I searched up "Persephone" on your stuff since I was curious with what else you might have to say about it. I wish Tumblr could maybe bother to learn something called not everything is entirely not THIS thing or the OTHER and maybe do something different from what Hades and Persephone coming to be known as the peak of all love stories on the website.

@princess-nazario I hope you don’t mind, I copy pasted your last reblog into a new post thread because the last one was getting massive.

I think I’m starting to understand what you’re getting at regarding the perception of victims as “weak,” and it makes a lot of sense. Thank you for clarifying regarding the “damsel in distress” trope because that’s when it clicked for me what you were talking about. I actually agree on that point, I think there is a tendency for pop feminism to kind of portray more vulnerable, sensitive or fragile women as less feminist, so I can see how you’re applying that to your views on how people on tumblr perceive the story of Hades and Persephone.

That said, I think you have a lot of different angles you’re looking at this whole thing from, and that’s great! However I think there’s so many subjects you are trying to tackle here that it seems like you are kind of are only half informed about, maybe from exploring discussions online. I think this is resulting in conclusions that are kind of confused and lacking in more solid foundations, if that makes sense. I think maybe you might benefit from exploring each element further on their own merits.

For example, did you know that there are a lot of different feminist viewpoints on Twilight itself? And not all feminists completely condemn it? In my opinion, there are a lot of things about Twilight to criticize, however there was a distinct element of hatred for the interests and desires of teenage girls involved with how people responded en masse to the Twilight phenomenon. I don’t think you were old enough to be directly familiar with all this at the time. I think a decent primer would be this video from Lindsay Ellis (tho please keep in mind that some of her most recent content is not for younger audiences). It doesn’t cover all angles of the topic, but it does give an alternative perspective in retrospect about the raging Twilight hate that swept through pop culture for a long time:

Also, there is a whole conversation to be had about the concept of “woobification,” and why that word exists, as well as how it is used in conversations about girls and women’s fantasies. The original post I made shows that I have my own frustrations when male villains and darker archetypes are whittled down to something seemingly non-threatening and “socially acceptable” myself (like...turning the beast into the prince in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), but in my experience, people have often used the word “woobie” to describe any explorations of the vulnerability of these types of male characters when women do so because they find those men intriguing or attractive, and that can get kind of tricky because in many ways, those conversations can harbor a subtle resentment and shaming towards female fantasties, period.

I’m getting the impression that maybe there’s something about Hades and Persephone, or at least the archetypes they embody, that really intrigues you, but you’re not sure what you are supposed to think and feel about it from a feminist perspective. That’s ok, ultimately you’ll figure it out on your own. I can’t tell you what to think about the myths themselves on their own, separate from contemporary feminist media because that’s ultimately it’s own thing, and you can springboard your own perspectives and reimagining off of the original in any way that feels right to you.

 What I can do though, is leave you with some age-apropriate content that I was consuming at your age, as well as a link to a site that explores stories with similar archetypes that Persephone embodies. 

The site is called Girls Underground, and it explores and catalogues stories about girls who go on heroine’s journeys in the “Cthonic” context like I was talking about, as in exploring their own inner psyches through the experience of traversing a strange, scary, magical place. Sometimes these stories involve the trope of a spooky attractive male character who takes on an adversarial role that is sometimes also romantically charged, but not all of them do. I think the resources page may be of particular interest to you because it links to essays on subjects within this genre of storytelling. The Examples page has a ton of other stories not listed here that you can take a look at, however not all of them (but many of them!) are kid friendly.

Movies that I would recommend: 

Labyrinth (1986), which was my favorite film since early childhood, and is the reason I love these types of stories to begin with.

Legend(1985), which doesn’t depict a healthy dynamic, but is a great film and does have a big place in the general conversation about this type of storytelling.

Howl’s Moving Castle, either the book or the film. 

Pan’s Labyrinth is rated R for some gore and violence, and it has scary moments, but I think it’s fine for most teens. The character of Pan is not part of that whole “demon lover” trope because the heroine is a small child, but he takes on a similar role in terms of being a figure that embodies the underworld and thus a major part of the heroine’s psyche.

Honestly, I would consider Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (the original, not the live action remake) a good rendition. It was written by a woman.

Jean Cocteau’s black and white La Belle et La Bete.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, or a film adaptation of the same.

Rebecca by Daphne DuMarier, which is what my username is from. I’m fond of the Hitchcock film adaptation.

Honestly, the 2004 adaptation of Phantom of the Opera is...flawed, but it was my introduction to Phantom, and it’s a lot of melodramatic fun. 

It’s worth noting that in a lot of these stories, there are not perfect, healthy relationships depicted between men and women. There is cruelty, there is harm. But in many cases, that does not mean these stories have nothing to say about relationships between men and women, nor does it say that they are solely tales about abuse and we cannot find romanticism within them. Each story has it’s own flaws, it’s own strengths, hold deeper meanings beyond the surface. They contribute something distinct to a rich history of artistic explorations of the dynamics of power in romance and the female experience with our own desires within a patriarchal society.

[korejinnie]

The Kore and Dionysus Archetype and Jin’s Final Awakening

Ok so first, let me explain Kore. Kore was the name of a whale Jin drew in Idol, and many ARMYs caught on to that. They soon theorized that it was linked to the Greek goddess Kore aka Persephone, daughter of Zeus and wife of Hades, Queen of the Underworld to be more exact.

But Kore in terms of Jungian Theory is also an anima archetype. Kore in Jungian theory represents an anima archetype that symbolizes innocence and vulnerability. If one is too attached to their female innocence, then it can expose their Kore, their anima, to danger.

In our case, it's Jin's stubbornness to let go of his youth and his struggle to break free from his past which is most likely exposing both his Kore and him to danger. Then we go back to the idea that Kore aka Persephone, the queen of the underworld, is probably very dangerous.

Now, if we take a look at Taehyung’s LY Answer concept photo ver. E, we see that the doorway is pink and the floor is pale green.

And I’ve noticed that Bighit really loves using the colors Red and Green throughout the majority of BTS' MVs.

Red = Evil & Violence

Green = Hope & Joy

And since pale green and pink are really just different shades of green and red, what do they symbolize? 

 Pale Green = Immaturity, Youthfulness, and Inexperience 

Pink = Helps to tone down aggression and its use in holding cells for violent criminals is quite effective

Do you notice how pale green and pink seem to represent immaturity and childlike mentality? Along with the concept of Jin’s Kore archetype being exposed to danger due to his stubbornness and struggle to let go of his youthful past...

Then I thought about how much BTS loved to reference greek mythology in their music tracks & lyrics, and so I looked up to see if Dionysus was also an archetype, and I was correct:

Again, an archetype that shows extreme behaviors and sudden impulses. All of the above displays the personalities and behaviors of a child. 

So then the idea of Jin's childish side (his immaturity, innocence, stubbornness, and vulnerability) and also the Kore being evil in terms of greek mythology brought me back to one point: The cosmic tree and Abraxas. I've mentioned before how the cosmic tree touches both heaven and hell and everything beyond that. I've also mentioned how Abraxas is the god of heaven and hell and how he is also a being consisted of two mystic spirits: The devil and the sun god. 

And then I thought about Abraxas and his 2 sides in terms of gender, and throughout history, sun gods have usually been portrayed as a powerful male, but the devil... not so much. 

 We also know that Jin is abraxas, from Namjoon's spoiler in BTS' BS&T reaction bangtan bomb:

So with these thoughts in mind, I came to the conclusion that perhaps, the devil represents female and sun god represents male. And if Jin is abraxas, and supposedly now I theorize by the end of BU he will eventually find his soul and ascend to Nirvana, does that mean Jin is non-binary? 

Before Buddha ascended to Enlightenment, he was a man named Siddartha. But after he ascended to enlightenment and became his own god, he became non-binary. And of course, he would be, because he was no longer contained in a human body. Buddha has no absolute form, and Buddha's power & form is without limits. Buddha can come down to earth & help humans, but he may not always come in the same form. He comes in whatever form is best for helping humans. He could come in the form of a mother, a husband, anything.

So as I continued to do some more research and realized that these ideas and concepts support my theory that Jin is very close to finding his soul and is most likely in the stage of "Change or 轉” stage of HYYH (起承轉結). Along with the theory that he will eventually ascend to Nirvana once he finds his soul, I also came across something else: Carl Jung's Spiritual Awakening. "Carl Jung once said that human beings are born three times. First is the actual physical birth. Second occurs w/ development of the ego, and third leads to the birth of spiritual unconsciousness".

And if you really think about it, BU storyline can be divided into 3 main parts: 1. HYYH era 2. LY era 3. MOTS era Along with the fact that Jin's WINGS short film is titled Awake, it's much to think about.

Jung also talked about how after his third birth in his dreams, he was born as a child, which heavily relates to the idea of Jin's childhood and youth constantly reflecting within him and his battle with letting go of his youth. We’ve already been through HYYH and LY era, which were Jin’s first two births. 

But for MOTS: Shadow, with all the hints that have been given, and also many other ARMYs theorizing that we’re going back to HYYH for this comeback...

I believe that Jin is still stuck/at his first birth stage, and we know this because Jung says the second birth occurs with the development of the ego. MOTS: Ego will most likely be the comeback after MOTS: Shadow, and so I’m predicting that Jin will finally be able to let go of his childish past in MOTS: Shadow. 

The symbolism and signs of Jin’s childish personality displayed throughout BTS’ MVs is to show that we are far from reaching the end of the story yet. Jin will have to first let go of his flower-like youthful past before he can begin to learn to truly love himself. 

So then I conclude and theorize, that perhaps the following comebacks after MOTS: Persona will be about Jin’s journey to finding Nirvana and becoming his own god, and eventually finally awakening, as seen in his WINGS short film: AWAKE.

But for now, he has a long road of challenges ahead of him.

[bethgreeneishopeunseen]

Genekie: A Familiar, But Missing Romance

In my last big Genekie meta (X), I broke down Genekie’s dynamic, the root of that dynamic, and its similarities to Bethyl. The big ships of the show, as of now, are Gleggie (r.i.p.), Richonne, Bethyl, and Carzekiel. Genekie will probably appear on that line-up next season. Season 8 will cover the All Out War arc, which will bring characters closer, and accelerate relationships already accelerated by the apocalypse. It will be the Season of Love™. @bethgreenewarriorprincess​, @flying–forward, and I (also known as the Genekie Support Group) were discussing Genekie a few weeks ago. Christy and I both agreed that the Genekie hug hit us hard. It was reminiscent of the Bethyl hug from 4x01.

When we watched 7x11, we both felt an immediate shift in Eugene’s character dynamic, and suddenly possibilities had opened up. So many parallels have been made between Abraham and Frankie, in relation to Eugene, for a reason. Eugene was most loyal to Abraham, his protector and friend, and now his loyalty will shift to Frankie. He will become the protector for the woman whom he will fall in love with. We’ve never seen anyone interact with Eugene on that physical-emotional level, just as we’d never seen anyone interact with Daryl like that until Beth. Eugene did hug Abraham in 6x16, but that was because Eugene didn’t know if he would come back. He was going to sacrifice himself so the group could get Maggie to the Hilltop. Frankie initiated the contact, and she is nearly a stranger, and one of Negan’s wives. Not only a Savior, but inappropriate contact with her would carry heavy punishment. And yet Eugene let her hug him, and he didn’t flinch from her touch. He may have grunted when she smiled up at him, but he also had the trace of a smile, as she softened his hard exterior. Overall, Franke is the only person who’s been like that with him.

7x11 was like a dark mirror of 4x01 in certain ways, especially since the Sanctuary has elements of the prison. The Genekie hug is a mirror of the Bethyl hug, born out of wanting to share joy instead of shared grief. 7x11 also mirrors 4x12. Frankie called him “Dr. Eugene” as he set up the experiment, paralleling Beth calling Daryl, “Mr. Dixon.” One born out of interest, the other out of anger. bethgreenewarriorprincess even described Genekie’s experience at the Sanctuary as being “stuck in a ‘suck-ass camp’ together. On another level, Eugene and Frankie are stuck in their own version of the country club.

In the episode commentary, Angela Kang explained that Scott Gimple created a whole backstory for the former inhabitants of the country club (X). The phrase “Welcome to the Dogtrot” referred to the workers who became slaves of the country club members. There was a class struggle. While this Easter egg foreshadowed Beth’s arc at Grady, the egg also alludes to the Saviors, which Grady was a rehearsal for. The country club workers were the people “who ate shit” at Pine Vista.

Frankie represents the “Rich Bitch” at the Sanctuary. She is part of its upper class, and it’s not unreasonable that lower-level Saviors would resent her or write her off for marrying Negan. She chose him, without the need to, unlike Amber, who needed meds for her mother. There is also an element of sexual violence, as Negan rapes wives like Amber through coercion. 

Frankie makes me think of Beth. It takes a strong person to remain so kind, especially in the Sanctuary. And someone who actually really has the will to survive, and to LIVE, to an extent, by becoming a wife. Because even though she’s married to Negan, she lives a pretty good life in terms of comfort and luxury. With that in mind, I also think that Frankie’s belief in the world was compromised a long time ago, hence why she hasn’t left the Sanctuary (yet). She needed to believe that Eugene was a good man, explaining why she appealed specifically to his goodness to help “Amber”. Furthermore, Elyse DuFour mentioned in an interview that Frankie doesn’t really care about anyone except the other wives. They’ve all been hurt by Negan one way or another, and they’re each other’s family. Frankie is the kind of character who doesn’t cry anymore.

As Frankie inspires Eugene to find his courage, he might inspire to find her belief and faith in the world and in people. He’s the good man that she needs in her life.

In summary, Genekie is a dark mirror of Bethyl, had they never gotten out of country club. All of Gimple’s ships go back to Bethyl, the OTP of the show. From a Team Delusional standpoint, so many parallels wouldn’t be showing up unless Bethyl was important to the story and to the writers, specifically Gimple. He is the show runner, and the man responsible for Richonne, Carzekiel, and Genekie. All of those ships parallel each other and parallel Bethyl. 

From a narrative standpoint, Genekie exists to round out the story in terms of romance. In an interview, Elyse mentioned a possible romantic development between Frankie and Eugene (X). The quote always stood as strange to me because it doesn’t make sense for the actress of a tertiary character to think a romance would be possible, with a main character like Eugene, unless it was already there. Elyse probably dropped her comment about a “maybe not, maybe” romantic development because she’s discussed Frankie’s arc with the writers. She seeds the possibility while also keeping said possibility ambiguous. It’s reminiscent of the kind of statements Emily would give about Bethyl (X). Even with all of its parallels to Bethyl, Genekie would still be a fresh storyline for the audience. The relationship would be illicit, because Frankie is married and married to Negan. She could not leave him for Eugene, and so they would be forced to fall in love at a distance, hiding their true feelings. As I mentioned in a past meta (X), Genekie would be darkly ironic as Eugene and Frankie are both professional liars. Eugene lied about the cure and being a scientist, while Frankie lies about her feelings for Negan. They live their lies, and if they fall in love, then they would have to lie to protect the other. Cue the angst. The show has never done a forbidden romance, as the apocalypse kind of wipes out the reasons for something to be “forbidden”. When society falls apart, morals adapt. But Gimple is all about romance tropes, evident by how he has developed his other ships:

Bethyl: The Love That Defies the Odds, That Defies Death, and is the Damn Romance Novel. Hades/Persephone, Beauty and the Beast, the Princess and her Knight.

Richonne: The Couple That Slays Together Stays Together, Freyja/Frigga and Odr/Odin. (X)

Carzekiel: the King and his Queen, through a Hades/Persephone lens.

Gleggie: Star-crossed lovers. Because even though their relationships is from the comics, I just know that Gimple added the line “Maggie I’ll find you”. That bit is not in the comics, and that scene was pretty much directly ripped from the comics. It was added for a reason, and I think it’s because Gimple isn’t a fucking pseudo-intellectual nihilist like Kirkman. Odysseus/Penelope. (X)

That leaves Genekie. Forbidden love goes back to Greek mythology, in Western culture. The most notable story is that of Pyramus and Thisbe (X). They were a partial inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. In the myth, Pyramus and Thisbe live next door to each other, but they were forbidden to see each other let alone to marry. The couple made it work by speaking through a hole in their garden walls. Eventually they planned to run away together and were to meet at a tomb. Thisbe got to the tomb first, but she had to hide from a lioness, and she dropped her shawl in the process. The lioness, who just had killed an animal, nuzzled her shawl, bloodying it. Pyramus saw the shawl and thought the blood was Thisbe’s. He killed himself. When Thisbe saw what happened, she killed herself too.

Forbidden love stories include Romeo and Juliet (of course), Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, Anna Karenina, Tristan and Isolde. The list goes on, in fiction and in history. Genekie will balance out the relationships on the show, as they will be a different kind of power couple. They will be more like Bethyl, because Richonne and Carzekiel are more of the standard form of power couple. Genekie will be a story of two very different people completing each other, body and mind coming together, akin to the famous Leonard and Penny relationship from The Big Bang Theory. And knowing Gimple, he will find a way to incorporate mythical/archetypal traits into Genekie. I bet he will use Aphrodite and Hephaestus. 

For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty and sex. She was born from sea foam, and Zeus married her to his son Hephaestus. Hephaestus was thrown from Mount Olympus when he was born, usually by his mother, due to his ugliness. The fall crippled one of his legs. Still, Hephaestus became a great engineer and the god of fire. Neither party loved the other, and Aphrodite was known for her affairs, most famously her affair with Ares, the god of war. If Gimple reverses the story, Frankie as Aphrodite would be married to Ares (Negan) and would fall in love with an awkward, unconventionally-attractive engineer. If you need further proof of this possibility, please also read this amazing piece on how Aphrodite and Hephaestus could be written as a love story: X.

Gimple is telling a modern epic, and he taps into our cultural, literary roots to codify his story. It is a fresh take on an age-old story of good versus evil, in which hope wars with fear and in which love conquers even the most insurmountable odds.

[funeraldroll001]

Why I hate Rick Riordan, and how Percy Jackson tarnished Hellenismos (OPINION)

This is more a rant on Mr. Riordan. So to start, I find him to be unbelievably disrespectful to Hellenismos as a whole. He has an obsession with mythology, (both Greek and Norse), but simply only holds it in a light of entertainment which essentially discredits the faith of thousands of devotees. We are living in a time where these dead religions are attempting to revive themselves, where people are desperate to practice their own faiths and follow their own paths. You can see this with the many Hellenic revival groups that have sprouted in numerous parts of the world, particularly Greece where worship of the Old Gods was deemed illegal not too long ago. Meanwhile, their strife is inconsequential to Mr. Riordan, and the idea of these so-called “myths” are only meant to be spoken as works of fiction, profit and endearing story-telling. What does Mr. Riordan truly think? 

“ I love Greek myths, but why anyone would want to worship the Greek pantheon is beyond me.”

“It’s strange to think anyone would still worship the Olympians seriously…”

To think that an author, with an apparent fascination with the Hellenic Pantheon, would simultaneously disrespect the roots from which it stems (concurrently, the Gods off whom he profits). 

Perhaps I am being sensitive, but in regards to religious freedom I firmly believe it is not matter to be taken lightly. While Hellenics are not necessarily being persecuted for their beliefs, the restrictions the world has taken to prevent them from their path should not be taken lightly; Further, it is no ones place to judge someone’s faith regardless of its contents and especially not someone who holds no religious aspect in his own life.

“In my opinion, the more you learn about the mythology, the more impossible it is to take it seriously as a religion. These are great old stories, and the Norse myths like the Greek myths have influenced our culture in many ways … but after you’ve met Odin and Thor in the stories, who in their right mind would ever want to worship them? And yet…“

The Norse and Greek Pantheons hold stories no stranger than that of Catholicism or Hinduism; be it talking snakes or wrathful/violent deities. But of course, because there are not many to defend these “dead” religions, its certainly acceptable to rip them and their adherents to shreds. Amirite?

Next, I want to tackle my opinion on the Percy Jackson series, which seems to be everyone’s first thought when Hellenism is mentioned.

Initially, the series is filled with decent information and truths regarding the religion and “mythology”; however there are inescapable fallacies I cannot overlook. Media in general is quick to attempt to parallel Hellenismos with that of satisfying story-telling. Every story needs a villain and more often than not, Hades is made to be that villain, or to be the Greek archetype for the Christian devil. Its a recurring theme, so I may perhaps be nitpicking at this point. So in addition to that constant and infuriating story arc, my main altercations lies mostly within the fan-base (as per usual). 

The Percy Jackson exploded nearly to the extent of Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia and as with most popular names, the contents become gospel for a writhing fan-base (mind you, a fan-base with no other real connection to the contents). 

I am beyond annoyed with how often my faith is discredited by these people. How the truths of the stories are scoffed at because they do not mirror the inaccuracies of the Percy Jackson series. How often have I been told I am “wrong” just because a certain issue was not portrayed in the series and/or portrayed incorrectly. (e.i. Hydra that breathes fire, Athena being a mother, Persephone’s relationship with Hades). Myself, among thousands of other Hellenic revivalists take our faith and the Greek Pantheon very seriously. I, for one, am disgusted by the modern world’s obsession with the series and how difficult it is to find accurate information on the old tales rather than works of profit-fueled fiction. I am exhausted having to defend my faith and attempting to educate the willfully ignorant fans of the series. I will always be wrong, I suppose.

Anyway, that concludes my rant. I have had this vice for years and I truly needed to vent.

Sincerely, A defeated Greek and troubled devout.