We're part of the Myths and Legends sale, and we thought we'd dig back into our own journey of taking well known characters (like the Greek Gods) and putting a new spin on them. In this article by Screenrant, David Gaider our lead writer and co-founder went into some more detail.
You're taking existing characters that everyone's familiar with, but we're supporting them. We're thinking, "Okay, what if they had continued to live? How would they have changed?" They have all these stories, so it was great for me to pick and choose which ones to use. "Oh, that story was kind of fake, but there's a kernel of truth to this one," and it grows from there. That was a fun process.
Persephone, for example, who's played by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. Everybody knows her story, and that she was kidnapped by Hades and brought down to the Underworld and made its queen. But she is sort of annoyed that's where everyone thinks her story ended. In this, Persephone grew very angry and bitter at Hades. She ended up killing him and usurping his throne, and the rest said, "That's not cool, you shouldn't kill other idols," and they stripped her of her throne. So, she's carried all this bitterness; this grudge against her brothers and sisters all this time. And they all have this baggage that's come with them.
If you know the story of the Greek gods, they're a messy bunch. So much drama; so much that we had to work with. Really, it was a matter of figuring how this version of them works over the years. They've all died numerous times, so they all look very different. They're different people but, even so, they have those memories that stretch back for thousands of years. They never just let anything go.
Funny thing is that the older gods—Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Ares—they've all disappeared or died over the years. The chorus that you encounter, they are the rulers of the islands. But there are other ones that you read into, who have assumed a new importance now that the elders are gone.
Because the gods, while they've been around for so long, are all lost in their individual ways. Persephone is lost in her anger. Apollo is the God of prophecy, but prophecies trap you once you know them. So every time he tries to use his power to help, he actually ends up causing more harm than not. He feels like he can't do anything or create change. He feels helpless and kind of depressed.
They're all kind of lost, and it's up to Grace to see if she can find them.
What's your favourite myth or legend?