Scarlett St. Clair's Blog, page 19
January 24, 2021
The older I get the more I understand what it is to be human and the things I judged people for when...
The older I get the more I understand what it is to be human and the things I judged people for when I was younger are so much more forgivable.
cest-tout:Ph. Bobby Kostadinov
Ph. Bobby Kostadinov
I finished A Touch of Darkness and started A Game of Fate and AHDGHSHAHAHSHHAHS HADES WANTS TO WIFE PERSEPHONE SOOO GOTDAMN BADDDDD ITS SO CUTE 😂😂😂 THE YEARNINGGGG 🥺💕 seriously though I'm super excited to read A T
HAHA.
Thank you so much for reading. I enjoy your enthusiasm. Read Ruin, you’ll have fun.
Can’t wait to share Malice with you!
Hello! Do you think that Hades loved Persephone in the myths? Or even in Greek mythology? I have always been fascinated with Greek mythology but I never really read it. I took a class in university but it wasn’t really specific and so I was wondering
Hi!
A very good question.
I think if we look at the Homeric Hymns…we can’t really tell if love is involved in Hades’ decision. We are kind of told that Persephone is given to Hades by Zeus to appease the god but for what reason, we aren’t told. Here is an excerpt where Helios tells Demeter who took her daughter, why, and…that she should be okay with it.
Later, after Demeter has plunged the world into a drought, Zeus sends Hermes to collect Persephone from the Underworld, we see Hades telling Persephone to go but not to think I’ll of him.
After this, he secretly gives her pomegranate seeds to ensure she HAS to return which tells me he doesn’t trust that she will return to him on her own. I think you can interpret the last sentence in two ways—maybe he wants companionship and maybe it is a bribe. Either way, the verbiage used describes Persephone’s excitement and relief at returning to the Upperworld and reuniting with her mother. Even after she is abducted, she holds out hope that her mother will find her.
The myth of Pluto and Proserpina is the Roman myth–and I think this one gets muddled with the Greek version. In this myth, Cupid shoots Pluto (Hades) with an arrow (upon Venus’s orders) and he falls in love with Proserpina (Persephone). This myth is detailed in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. It is also in Metamorphosis where you can interpret some phrases as Proserpina eating the pomegranate seeds “willingly” but she sort of does this in a manner where she isn’t really thinking. She is walking and absently begins to eat them so it isn’t out of love for Pluto or a wish to stay.
In the end, I think myth is clear that Persephone is unwilling. I think it’s important to acknowledge the roots of the myths and recognize that myths were used to understand the world in the context of ancient times.
I think we all, in modern times, wish differently–of course we hope for love over unwilling abduction–and so we adapt the myths. I’m all for turning stories that hurt women into empowering tales.
Last, only the first three chapters of my books are on Wattpad but you can find them on Amazon!
Thank you for your question!
January 3, 2021
Would you say Hades role as the God of the Underworld is wrongfully interpreted similar to how everyone views Hades in your story? Or did you want to change how the Underworld is viewed by offering souls who have crossed over an opportunity for happines
I appreciate your question.
I don’t think I set out to change anyone’s mind about Hades, I just read a lot and interpreted what was given–perhaps differently than some. I’ll take you through my thought process:
In Myth, Hades isn’t really portrayed as an evil god, he is portrayed as stern, pitiless, cruel, inescapable. I felt like the words used to describe Hades are words that are used to describe the act of death itself. While Hades isn’t the God of Death, he is the King of the Underworld and kings/rulers are often blamed for everything that happens in their country/realm.
Now, Hades is also described as just–this is also why I think he’s described as stern, pitiless, cruel and inescapable–because he isn’t ‘fair’ but fair does not mean just. I think Hades views souls and where they go in the Underworld as a decision the soul made. For him, it is what it is, right? Balance. Souls chose to make good decision or they chose to make bad decisions and hurt people.
As far as how the Underworld looks–well, I liked to think that it would evolve as society evolves. In Ancient Greece, there was a huge emphasis on heroes and valiant battle. We aren’t so much like that anymore, so who do you reward with Elysium? Additionally, I did feel as though Hades is a king–a ruler–he has people and the Underworld is a place. What would that look like and why should it differ from any other realm or kingdom?
I hope this answers your question and thank you so much for reading my books! I really appreciate it!
January 1, 2021
Where do you do your research about mythology to create modern stories based around the myths? I love the way you have represented Hades because he’s often shown in a bad light with a connection to hell & punishment.
Oh wow. Lots.
Generally I read a lot of epic poems: The Aeneid, The Orestes, Oedipus Rex, The Illiad. I also read a set of Greek Poems called the Homeric Hymns which are attributed to Homer, but the author isn’t actually know. The hymns include Demeter’s poem which is about Hades’ capture of Persephone.
Theoi is an amazing website that cites all sources.
I also took courses in college–in particular Freedom in Greece which was lead by Dr. J Rufus Fears. You can google him and listen to his lectures. The thing about Greek Myths is that they always have a moral and they are also written to understand the world. I don’t think we’ve changed much as a society.
As far as how I adapted the modern stories–I see modernity in these ancient stories, so I just work to try and adapt them to our current society (even though I created a different world). I think myth and history is unkind to women. The reality of the Hades and Persephone story is that it is actually a story of Demeter losing her daughter to a man, and men telling her it is okay. I prefer to rewrite these stories to empower women. I hope this helps.
December 10, 2020
“Darling, that’s only the start of what I want to do to you.”A Game of Fate
“Darling, that’s only the start of what I want to do to you.”
