Greek mythologyhas been the source of inspiration for literature and performing arts forcenturies. It is probably popular because it closes the gap between the powers of humans and gods. By bringing gods down to our level with human traits and emotions, writer often introduce weaknesses in the powers of certain gods which become the main ingredients for the plot.
A Greek mythologystory is exciting for both the writer and the reader. A writer finds immenseopportunities to recreate lies or bend truths. Mythology stories give the writer the power to connect the real world things and phenomenon to the imaginary world of gods and demigods.
Theformula for making a Greek mythology is simple but it requires one’simagination to make the story interesting and impactful. Here are some elements of a fascinating Greek mythology story:
1. An Extraordinary Explanation
Greek mythology stories tend to begin with an alternateexplanation of a one-time event or recurring phenomenon that actually happenedor happens in the world. For example, a writer may start with describing the demise of dinosaurs as a result of a rock thrown by an angry god. Another example could be connecting heat waves to the movement of a fire god.
The connection between the real happenings and the imaginaryexplanations make things interesting and invite the reader to fill in thedetails or other possibilities with their own imagination. This way the reader gets engrossed in the story and becomes a part of the story writing process.
Some writers choose to defy scientific discoveries andtheories by attributing the causes and effects to the gods’ actions. Theseclaims become very popular with those sceptical of scientific explanations.
2. IntroduceMesmerising Objects
A writer may not have out-of-the-world ideas but anout-of-the-world object might suffice for a great mythology story. The trick isto make a slight mention of an object in the beginning of the story. The objecthas to be so precious or difficult to acquire that only someone beyond normal human capabilities can deserve to possess the object. The plot then moves the leading character towards the journey of finding the object, fighting many evil characters and overcoming challenges on the way.
The object can be something with magical powers or havingprecious elements in it. It can something representative of history or a legacyleft behind by a god. All these ideas can be used along with a great name to come up with a mesmerising object that would keep the reader curious for themost part of the book.
A recent publication in the genre of Greek mythology storiesis Bamber – ‘A Tale Of Heroes’ written by Oliver Bamber. The writer hasintroduced ‘The Divine’ as a powerful sword that helps the lead character Jake to fight with the evil Rhamnousia. While Jake ‘The Divine Wielder’ is a character coming for Oliver’s mind, Rhamnousia is an existing character from Greek mythology - a goddess who is responsible for retribution against those who succumb to hubris (arrogance before the gods). The mix of existing and new characters in a story is the perfect example of how to make a Greek mythologystory. As Jake takes possession of The Divine and fights the evil Rhamnousia’s spear, the value of the mesmerising object becomes more evident.
3. External Conflict
External conflict is the central part of any story thatmotivates both the protagonists and antagonists to take actions. In Greekmythology stories, conflict plays an even bigger role in the plot design. Here, the conflict is not just between humans but also between god and human, and god and god as well. In fact, many Greek mythology stories portray humans offering their services to the divine gods to fight the evil gods and contribute to the good. The conflict between two gods engages humans in the grand battle.
Such a conflict is very charming for the reader who putshimself in the shoes of the protagonist who is chosen by the gods to fight evilat a level beyond and above other humans. It provides the perfect catharsis for the reader who is craving to do something big in life.
4. SupportingCharacters
Sometimes the supporting characters in a story become morepopular with the readers than the leads. The reason might surprise you. Thelead characters are usually design to represent the average person because the reader is expected to view the story from that point of view. Nobody would like to see the world from the eyes of a person considered abnormal in any way. But an abnormal person being the hero’s friend or the villain’s sidekick makes things interesting. These ‘abnormal’ characteristics can be funny, gross, unpredictable, or downright weird.
In Greek mythology, these characters is found in abundance.Many gods with mysterious and amazing powers are introduced at properly plannedtwists to make the story action-packed. Similarly, humans with unknown pasts, sometimes dark and sometimes divine, are brought to the light at the right timeto show how important they have been for the mission even though the reader considered them as ‘flat’ characters.
Oliver Bamber’s novel ‘Bamber – A Tale Of Heroes’ also hassupporting characters like Lady Dominantur – the protector of the realm. Herrobes have been described as something that boasts the dazzles of the likes of stars. The character is shown as an inspiration for Jake and his companions Revolo, Centaura and Henry. Such characters are, in theory, static characters that do not usually move with the story but even one sentence of theirs can provide the motivation to the lead character to change the impossible into inevitable.
5. OvercomingInternal Conflict
A good story not only dwells on the obvious external conflictbetween good and evil, but also walks the reader through the journey of thehero to overcome his/her internal conflict.
All heroes have inherent flaws woven into their characters, aperfect hero never existed nor will ever be made. The whole point is to leavesome incomplete part of the hero’s character to be filled while the plot takes its turns.
When the hero is presented with the dilemma of choosingbetween something that touches the deepest and darkest aspects of his characterand something that he wants the most in the world, the choice does not come easy. In this grave situation, the hero must show courage to face the internalconflict and grow above it.
In Oliver Bamber’s novel, the lead character Jake also‘suffers’ from questioning his own powers. The disbelief in one’s own self isone of the best flaws that you can inject in your hero. The reason is that while the hero begins to believe that the power only resides inside him, the reader also goes through a process of enlightenment and strengthens his conviction of being capable to deal with the toughest problems in the world. It is the recipe of the perfect Greek mythology story.
6. Climax
The rules of drama call it action and the three act playcalls it crisis. No matter how you see it, the climax is the resolution of allthe problems faced by the protagonist. The resolution is something that should do two things.
One, it should explain why the sequences of the events in thestory happened the way they did. The explanation reveals many truths aboutdifferent characters and the plot that only makes sense when the climax is reached.
Two, it should satisfy all the requirements to complete themission and restore the world to its original position before the incitingincident occurred.
In Greek mythology stories, the lead character is oftenrequired to sacrifice someone or something to achieve the impossible. Theclimax should not only put the reader in the situation to decide on behalf of the hero what is to be done, but also provide relief by restoring the sacrificed object or person in some way. This ‘some way’ should be crafted intelligently so that it may come as a gentle surprise. The advantage of writing mythology is that anything is possible. Even a person who has embraced death while fighting the evil gods can be resurrected by the divine god as a gesture of gratefulness. Yet, the choice of the way to restore everything should not be without sense. There should be a strong argument why anybody would help the protagonist get back all that was lost. Greek mythology stories have been included in modern literature manytimes but few stories have been able to catch the attention of the readers.Although Oliver Bamber’s novel is a great effort to revive interest in Greek mythology stories in readers today, many more writers should join the cause to add new stories to this fascinating genre of literature. This article can be the beginning of your next story based on Greek mythology.
