The Percy Jackson Books: What Happens to Myths When a Modern Kid is a Demid-God
I love, love, Love the Percy Jackson books (and the recent film version of the first book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians). They tell the exciting adventures of a modern American boy of about twelve who is both dyslexic and ADHAD and has been kicked out of many schools when we first meet him. One minute he is an unhappy school boy on a museum trip; the next he is being physically attacked by one of his teachers, who has shown herself to be a real harpy (with wings and all). Moreover, he is being helped in fighting her by his best friend, a paraplegic who is really a satyr (with hooves and all). In other words,in the midst of New York City in the 2000s, Percy (like the reader of this book) is plunged into the world of the monsters, heroes and other creatures of Greek myth--only in American settings.
Each book is a fast-paced series of adventures that are parts of a quest. For example, the second book is a revisiting of the myth of Jason and this quest for the Golden Fleece, with Percy (or Perseus, his real name) doing what Jason once did, with the tale of Jason as his guide. Percy is a demi-god, it seems, a son of Poseidon (not of Zeus, as in Greek myth, but then his mother--an ordinary mortal-- named him after the one hero who had a happy ending to his quests.) As a demigod, he must learn about his purpose, skills and potential powers.
In this, he is very much like Harry Potter, and in many ways I can see that this series could take over as a big hit with young readers now that the Harry Potter books are finished and the last of the movies are being filmed. Percy, too, has friends who are in his circumstances, with whom he must study and interact. He also fights against monsters--although these are ones familiar to anyone familiar with Greek myths, Plus, Percy has to learn to be a hero at Camp Half-Blood, which is like Hogwarts in that it teaches the children of non-mortals and half mortals to live and fight in a mythic world that is all too real. Thus readers of these books, as with the Harry Potter ones, can enjoy amazing adventures and magical occurrences against the backdrop of the modern world, only in America this time rather than in Britain.
I could tell my friend was a bit upset when I was telling him the set up for these books. As I gleefully described how the Greek gods and goddesses are still around in them, now located in relationship to America rather than to ancient Greece, but still interacting with humans, I think he was wondering what happens to the concept of the Judaeo-Christian god in such a world. I must say that that's an interesting question. Such a god just isn't mentioned, but then, neither are Thor and Odin.
The difference is that the latter two have equivalences among the Greek gods, but it would be harder believe that the Greek gods to share the heavens with Jaweh. And since there are no dying and resurrection gods like Osiris mentioned, Jesus would be just as difficult to reconcile. Percy himself never seems to even wonder about where God and Jesus are; we are to imagine that the Judaeo Christian world is so far out of his range of knowledge (not to mention his spiritual realm) that the Greek one has no problem taking its place there. Luckily Percy lives in New York rather than in some Bible-belt city. But what of those who read these books and have some Christian background?
Fantasy always has this problem. One has to be somehow diverted or charmed enough by it that one doesn't ask such questions as "How could this exist in a world that God made?" It's okay if a writer is dealing with horror, since devilish things are within the realm of God. And if your hero goes to, say, Wonderland or Oz, that's okay because these are separate worlds. But as soon as you mention fairies, for example, or satyrs, you are mixing fantasy with reality, and apart from putting it then into conflict with science, one has to somehow justify it as part of God's world (but neglected, or forgotten). Or you have to forget the Judaeo-Christian world and just enjoy the new one, as if it were part of John Lennon's song "Imagine": "Imagine there's no Jesus/ It's easy if you try./ No angels and no devils. / Just an Cyclops with one eye./ Imagine all the Greek gods/ Living still today/ Oh- oh oh- oh/ You may say that can't happen/ But Percy Jackson finds it's true/ And we all can enjoy it/ It's in the same world as you."
C S Lewis was able to have it all--Greek myth, fairies and Christianism--in Narnia, of course, but that was a very rare feat. And he had no Greek gods to compete with Aslan, but included just the satyrs, nymphs, dryads and centaurs and other pleasant traipsings of Greek myth, implying that all these creatures so beloved by mythology-minded readers could also be considered as the Christian God's creatures. And God is not present in these books, either. Someone grander than Aslan exists, since he is more of a saviour figure, but we are never told who. Although Aslan is shown, in The Magician's Nephew, as singing into creation the entire universe, including Narnia.
What I wonder is, will there be people who are shocked by these books and call them dangerous to young readers because they advocate a return to paganism, the way the Harry Potter books made some worry about the link of magic and Satanism? One would hope that these books will be welcomed by teachers as well as parents as clean, educational works that teach the virtues of bravery, loyalty and heroism directed at saving others--all within a wild romp that will keep any reader rapidly turning pages to see what will happen next.
Each book is a fast-paced series of adventures that are parts of a quest. For example, the second book is a revisiting of the myth of Jason and this quest for the Golden Fleece, with Percy (or Perseus, his real name) doing what Jason once did, with the tale of Jason as his guide. Percy is a demi-god, it seems, a son of Poseidon (not of Zeus, as in Greek myth, but then his mother--an ordinary mortal-- named him after the one hero who had a happy ending to his quests.) As a demigod, he must learn about his purpose, skills and potential powers.
In this, he is very much like Harry Potter, and in many ways I can see that this series could take over as a big hit with young readers now that the Harry Potter books are finished and the last of the movies are being filmed. Percy, too, has friends who are in his circumstances, with whom he must study and interact. He also fights against monsters--although these are ones familiar to anyone familiar with Greek myths, Plus, Percy has to learn to be a hero at Camp Half-Blood, which is like Hogwarts in that it teaches the children of non-mortals and half mortals to live and fight in a mythic world that is all too real. Thus readers of these books, as with the Harry Potter ones, can enjoy amazing adventures and magical occurrences against the backdrop of the modern world, only in America this time rather than in Britain.
I could tell my friend was a bit upset when I was telling him the set up for these books. As I gleefully described how the Greek gods and goddesses are still around in them, now located in relationship to America rather than to ancient Greece, but still interacting with humans, I think he was wondering what happens to the concept of the Judaeo-Christian god in such a world. I must say that that's an interesting question. Such a god just isn't mentioned, but then, neither are Thor and Odin.
The difference is that the latter two have equivalences among the Greek gods, but it would be harder believe that the Greek gods to share the heavens with Jaweh. And since there are no dying and resurrection gods like Osiris mentioned, Jesus would be just as difficult to reconcile. Percy himself never seems to even wonder about where God and Jesus are; we are to imagine that the Judaeo Christian world is so far out of his range of knowledge (not to mention his spiritual realm) that the Greek one has no problem taking its place there. Luckily Percy lives in New York rather than in some Bible-belt city. But what of those who read these books and have some Christian background?
Fantasy always has this problem. One has to be somehow diverted or charmed enough by it that one doesn't ask such questions as "How could this exist in a world that God made?" It's okay if a writer is dealing with horror, since devilish things are within the realm of God. And if your hero goes to, say, Wonderland or Oz, that's okay because these are separate worlds. But as soon as you mention fairies, for example, or satyrs, you are mixing fantasy with reality, and apart from putting it then into conflict with science, one has to somehow justify it as part of God's world (but neglected, or forgotten). Or you have to forget the Judaeo-Christian world and just enjoy the new one, as if it were part of John Lennon's song "Imagine": "Imagine there's no Jesus/ It's easy if you try./ No angels and no devils. / Just an Cyclops with one eye./ Imagine all the Greek gods/ Living still today/ Oh- oh oh- oh/ You may say that can't happen/ But Percy Jackson finds it's true/ And we all can enjoy it/ It's in the same world as you."
C S Lewis was able to have it all--Greek myth, fairies and Christianism--in Narnia, of course, but that was a very rare feat. And he had no Greek gods to compete with Aslan, but included just the satyrs, nymphs, dryads and centaurs and other pleasant traipsings of Greek myth, implying that all these creatures so beloved by mythology-minded readers could also be considered as the Christian God's creatures. And God is not present in these books, either. Someone grander than Aslan exists, since he is more of a saviour figure, but we are never told who. Although Aslan is shown, in The Magician's Nephew, as singing into creation the entire universe, including Narnia.
What I wonder is, will there be people who are shocked by these books and call them dangerous to young readers because they advocate a return to paganism, the way the Harry Potter books made some worry about the link of magic and Satanism? One would hope that these books will be welcomed by teachers as well as parents as clean, educational works that teach the virtues of bravery, loyalty and heroism directed at saving others--all within a wild romp that will keep any reader rapidly turning pages to see what will happen next.