Day 7
The Greek myths are one of the themes in the story. Saffron’s birthday is 8th December and her star sign is Sagittarius, which could account for her boldness and tendency to adventure. The tale of Andromeda, the maiden chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster, is a metaphor for Saffron’s struggle to escape the poverty of the Seaweed Slum.
Metaphors and Mythical Heroes in Far Out
Nate’s star sign is Pisces and I think his birthday is 18th or 19th February. We’ll find out in Book 2 when we discover more about him. One of Nate’s metaphorical roles is that of Perseus, the hero who rescued the Princess Andromeda. This is not to put Saffron in a subservient role, far from it. It’s true to say she has plenty of her own decisions to make. Of course, many of these famous mythical characters shine out from the sky, as constellations named after them. It made sense in the construction of the story, to explore all aspects of the meanings of the names.
The Greek Myths
These ancient stories transport us back to a time when mankind was young and had a connection with the earth that we have long since lost. In one sense, we have created our own human zoo, living in contained spaces of our own making. The distinction between real and unreal, fact and speculation, between earthly and divine was looser and blurred. During the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century, rationality and empiricism ruled and the scientific method grew dominant.
Nevertheless, the classical Greek myths illustrate the power of thinking and imagination. They showed how mankind found a way to rise out of the primeval slime (Hamilton Edith, Mythology) and to leave primitive life behind. The first written record of Greece is that of Homer’s Iliad and accompanying volume, The Odyssey, text that reads as fresh today as when it was written. The Greek myths are rich in metaphor, morals and insights into the human condition.
You can find Far Out on Amazon.
Credits: Thanks to Danielle Romero for hosting The Summer Blog Hop on Coffee n Characters.
Image: Coffee n Character Blog Hop Banner
First published July 2013.
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