Making Olympians Humans: Percy Jackson

Hey folks,
This is a bit of a delayed post due to tech problems. Apologies.

Making Olympians Humans: Percy Jackson & The Olympians The Lightning Thief
Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by all things Greek Mythology. On one side I think this originates with early watchings of the 80s classic Clash of the Titans. Titans features a version of the Olympian Gods which is wonderfully human. They bicker, act stubbornly, and have no problem messing with those poor human beings. This version of the greek gods is wonderfully counter to the traditional Judaeo-christian God who is unquestionably perfect. In order to bring understanding to the unexplainable twists of fate it makes more sense that a culture would create a more humanistic almighty that reflects them. I'm just sayin'

Which brings me to Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Howse about a moratorium on long fantasy titles?) where this depiction of the Olympians bears itself out. In Percy Jackson a young man discovers that he is a demigod who has been put in the middle of a feud between Zeus and Poseidon. In order to rectify the brothers he must find Zeus's lightning bolt which has been taken to the Underworld by Hades. Of course this includes a journey across the United States, monster attacks, and encounters with other Olympians.

Now these children are obstensibly rejected by human society due to their bi-racial identity. Particularly in the case of Annabeth, Percy's friend, who was abandoned and rejected by her father. Percy is treated like a misfit troublemaker and ADHD case. These children (Percy is a pre-teen) are expected to negotiate these adult issues of identity, as well as battle monsters. In Riordan's socio-mythological construct these Olympian gods are still utterly irresponsible and petty. They leave their own illegitimate children to figure everything else themselves. Thank god for the Satyrs or these demi-god children would be lying corpses all over the United States.

Riordan does an excellent job integrating the American landscape with this greek mythological tradition. (Although this is not a completely original idea. It is a component in Neil Gaiman's American Gods.) Being knowledgable of these myths led to many a chuckle of recognition. Los Angeles becomes the entrance to the underworld whilst Las Vegas is a version of Circe's Island.

Of course this is another version of the heroes journey and I saw the Campbell-esque parallels. It up to Percy to save the day, and put an end to these stupid Olympian squabbles. This fits perfectly with the now common young adult paradigm where it is a pre-teen/child who saves the day. Of course this is so that the reader (presumably young adult) can see themselves reflected in the main characters. This has been used by storytellers since the beginning of time. In mythology it is has been true that a young boy must complete a great deed in order to become a man. As Hercules had his 7 labours, then Percy Jackson must find Zeus's lightning bolt. It is a part of showing the gods that he is worthy of their attention.

Aren't we all seeking that attention and approval? These humanistic gods are a reflection of our own human desires. If that is so than which would we prefer? A god who reflects us or a god that judges us? In greek mythology we get both, leaving this culture to turn towards their own existential self-reliance. Oddly enough this fits right in with our own American archetype of self-created success rather than reliance on fate itself. It's pretty remarkable that Riordan manages to fit these two mythological structures into a Campbell-esque journey.