Modern and Myth
Why?
What is it about myths that have made them endure so long? What is it about these stories that are so very old and yet we keep returning to them over and over? We pull inspiration from them, we cherry picked characters and events from them to use and other forms of media and sometimes we rewrite them entirely and tell them again. One reason we do this I believe is because they are so timeless. Their longevity is given to the fact that within their culture, they were an explanation for different types of phenomena that were at that time unknown. No one could understand why certain things happened. so they attributed them to these myths and legends because it gave form to something that not many understood at that time. In between the time of their origin and the modern-day something very interesting has happened with these myths. Besides enduring as long as they have, some of them have been adapted in a very interesting way by certain authors. Many authors have taken the stories in these myths, the characters, the circumstances and other things and brought them into the modern world with a twist.
Out of the Shadows
One author who comes to mind immediately for me is Rick Riordan. He is a history teacher and author who wrote the hugely popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He actually wrote the series out of a desire to provide good stories for his son who had ADHD and was dyslexic. Riordan would tell him to the Greek myth stories each night and eventually he ran out. When his son asked him for more he had to tell him that he had no more to tell. His son told him he should make one up. As a result, Riordan created Percy Jackson. He managed to bring the old myths into the modern light very well and very smoothly. Just as in the old myths of the Greek gods where many of their children were great heroes, Riordan made his main character an unknowing son of Poseidon. He possessed powers over water and eventually learned to fight and protect others just as many of the mythic Greek heroes did.
Modern-Day Looks
On the modern side of things, this allowed all the classic Greek gods to get modern makeovers which included my personal favorite Ares the god of war. Within the lightning thief series he was described as arriving on a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and wearing a military leather jacket, a buzz cut and wraparound shades. All the Olympians had this makeover. Another great example is Apollo who now drove a red Maserati convertible. Being a history teacher for younger kids, Riordan has the ability to speak their language and not only that but also make the novels appealing to an older generation as well. I myself grew up reading them and they will always be one of my absolute favorite series.
Film
As a result of the series publication, there were actually two entire movies that were made in hopes of beginning a franchise. Unfortunately both movies did not do very well at the box office. The popularity of the Percy Jackson series has actually inspired the author to expand into other realms of mythology such as Norse and Egyptian. This might be because myths provide authors with such a rich culture and tapestry of events to inspire them.
A New Audience
No matter what kind of myths you are pulling from, there is always something more to explore and to adapt into a new and exciting medium. In this way, the authors are simultaneously promoting their own unique story and drawing interest to stories that have been around for countless years. It is a very exciting melding of two very distinct worlds and I am very excited to see where it might lead authors in the future.
