TN #11: The Heros of Olympus - The Lost Hero

Olympian Family Tree

http://thedeadone.net/wp-content/uploads/olympian-family-tree.png

A couple of summers ago I decided to spend two months studying Classic Mythology.  What's Classic Mythology?  Well in a nut shell it is the study of the morals and ethics during the Greek (and later Roman) times.  Actually, many of our beliefs go back to Greek and Roman times.

Last year, I was required to read a book about the journey of a young man transitioning to be a great soccer player.  The story itself was based on the ancient Greek story idea of the Hero's Journey.  So what is the idea of a Hero's Journey?  I could copy and paste, but I think it would be easier to let you see for yourself at The Hero's Journey Reference.  But the following diagram also gives you a bit of look at the Hero's Journey as well.

http://newvillager.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/myth_quest_model_heroes_journey.gif

So back to that report that I was talking about, while I was researching it, I learned about a very popular movie from 1977 that was actually written based on the ancient idea of the Hero's Journey.  The movie Star Wars, created by George Lucas, was written using the Hero's Journey as a blueprint or road map.  When I gave my presentation, I actually found a video that discussed a little bit of how the two came together that was created by the History Channel, but unfortunately I can't find it.  Anyway, if you want to know a little more about what I learned, we can look it up in class or just discuss it.  

So how does this relate to book number 11 on the Truman Nominee List?  Book number 11 is entitled The Heros of Olympus:  The Lost Hero and in itself follows the same Hero's Journey blueprint.  We meet our heros, something supernaturally happens to them, they must make the choice to go on the journey, they meet face many trials, there is a female figure (in this case Hera, Queen of the Gods), their is a great battle, and so on.  Basic premise.  

The storyline itself is much like the other Percy Jackson stories, just without Percy, although his presence is felt throughout the story.  Lots of action, with something in it for both my female and male readers.

Here is the author, Rick Riordan, introducing the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsquP0gehj4

If you get a chance, take a look at the Hero's Journey site and try to compare it to the story as you read along and let me know what you think - is it a Hero's Journey or just another mythological story?

Works Cited

"The Heroes of Olympus, The Lost Hero." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 June 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsquP0gehj4>.

"Heros Journey : Summary of Steps." Heros Journey : Summary of Steps. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. <http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/ref/summary.html>.

"The Heroâ  s Journey «." The Heroâ  s Journey «. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. <http://newvillager.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/the-heros-journey/>.

"The Lost Hero - Heroes of Olympus: The Online World of Rick Riordan." The Lost Hero - Heroes of Olympus: The Online World of Rick Riordan. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. <http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/heroes-of-olympus/the-lost-hero.aspx>.

"Thedeadone.net." Olympian Gods Family Tree for Lost Heroes. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. <http://thedeadone.net/blog/olympian-gods-family-tree-for-lost-heroes/>.

"Truman 2012-2013 Final Nominees - Missouri Association of School Librarians." Truman 2012-2013 Final Nominees - Missouri Association of School Librarians. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. <http://www.maslonline.org/?page=1213TRUFinNom>.