Ancient Historian Reads PERCY JACKSON (+ Book Haul)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2024
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Honestly, the best thing about this series is how Rick Riordan constantly looks to fix prior problems via later additions. In the Heroes of Olympus (and even later books with Selina) its shown that although people think Aphrodite kids are weak they're deceptively powerful. Demeter's daughter is strong as hell also. This almost certainly wasn't the actual intention but it can be read as Annabeth just assuming they're generally weaker because she's pretty arrogant in the earlier books.
What I do appreciate about Rick Riordan is that he seems to listen to critiques pointing out problematic elements of his work and attempts to fix them (for example, the misogynist treatment of Aphrodite and Demeter improves somewhat, and both get powerful children who play consequential roles later). It isn’t a perfect handling yet by any means, but shows more conscientiousness and care then we normally would ever get from a high-profile author like that
This makes me really happy. I did really enjoy the book and he seems like a good egg based on what I’ve seen of him online.
@@JeansThoughts I would loveee to see your thoutghts in the rest of the books, battle of the labyrinth especially
I appreciated Jean’s critique! And definitely the early books play somewhat into the “not like other girls” stereotype with Annabeth, but I believe Riordan’s writing of female characters improved over time. Just wild to me that the children of love, fertility, and harvest/food supply goddesses wouldn’t be considered powerful 🤪
18:00 In fairness to Rick, he didn't say Aphrodite or Demeter weren't powerful, he said their kids might not be seen as a threat. I think the story reason for that is that he needs there to be a significant power scaling between children of the Big 3 and other demigods. It does make me wonder: are there a lot of powerful half mortal children of Aphrodite or Demeter? I've only really seen Aeneas, but that's only from a quick search
Only in this point of the Percy Jackson books there aren’t any portrayals of powerful children of Aphrodite and Demeter. However, as you read on, the Heroes of Olympus has Piper McLean who is a very powerfully characterised daughter of Aphrodite, and later in the Trials of Apollo series, we see another daughter of Demeter, Meg McCaffrey who is very powerful and has power over agriculture and fruit. Both of these girls use their powers very formidably as weapons.
If you're curious, in later books Annabeth explains that she is a "brain child." Athena and Annabeth's dad essentially created her with their intellect. Also, I completely agree with your take on the Medusa situation in the book. I'd be interested to learn how you tackle sensitive topics like that in your own books geared towards younger audiences. Is it better to omit these myths completely in order to avoid traumatizing children, or include these myths but essentially morph them into a more "appropriate" version as it was done here? Is there any middle ground that would allow for the inclusion of these stories without distorting them completely
You should definitely read each book as they are individually based on a hero or myth
The Lightning Thief - Perseus
Sea of Monsters - Odysseus
The Titan's Curse - Heracles
The Battle of the Labyrinth - Theseus
The Last Olympian - Achilies
Also, Annabeth is not born in the traditional way. Athena gave birth to her from her mind. And also, Hestia plays a very major role in the fifth book ‘The Last Olympian’
Reading Percy Jackson in my teenage years definitely peaked my interest in Greek mythology, but you and your channel really got me into ancient literature last year (finally got around to The Homeric Hymns thanks to your last video essay haha)! So safe to say that I’m LIVING for this video!
Aaaw what a meeting of classical joy aha. I'm so glad I helped with that interest!!!!
I love that you're reading The Percy Jackson series! I can't wait to see what you think of the rest of the books.
I’ve got high expectations cause everyone seems to say they just improve.
It’s been years since I read these, but I do recall there being some further discussion related to Annabeth’s conception later in in either this series or The Heroes of Olympus series, which relate to some of the points you raised. I actually enjoyed The Heroes of Olympus even more than the first series because it’s multi- POV (and includes a daughter of Aphrodite as one it’s main characters) and it plays around with some of the differences between the Greek and Roman mythology.
Oooh that's cool - sounds like he smooths some stuff out and also developed the world more which I would have hoped so that's fantastic!
since you said it’s been years, i don’t know how familiar you are with the series that follows heroes of olympus, but it’s called the trials of apollo, and the deuteragonist is a daughter of demeter!
from what i’ve heard from people who were fans since before i could even read: rick riordan used to be pretty famous for clumsy representation and not taking criticism particularly well, including from marginalized groups, but especially so in the last few years it’s something he’s working to fix, both in the series and in the real world - the next percy jackson universe book to be released has a co-author, specifically because rick acknowledged that he needs help to tell a story through the pov of a queer character.
and he has a publishing imprint, rick riordan presents, to lift up marginalized authors! most of the books so far are pretty similar to percy jackson, (a couple that are mythology mixed with science fiction as well!) but following different cultures and written by people from those cultures! off the top of my head, there’s ones with west african and african-american mythology (the tristan strong series), hindu mythology (the pandava quintet), and aztec and mayan mythology (the storm runner series)
i’ve heard nothing but good things for all the rr presents books, but can’t vouch for most on a personal level since they started getting released just as i was aging out of middle grade/ya. the one i did read (sal & gabi break the universe, based on cuban mythology, and also a little science fiction) was really excellent, and i’m excited to revisit that one, as well as check out all the series i missed
Oh I really hope that you continue with the series!! I won’t spoil it for you, but a lot of the points you raised will be explained in the rest of the books. These books were my favorite growing up, and is part of the reason I studied classics in undergrad and why I’m still in the field as a classical archaeologist. Yes, there are a lot of oversights on the bad aspects of Greek mythology, but it is a series aimed for children (and especially the younger end of middle grade, especially in the beginning of the series), but it does stay in the characterization of the gods (just not as prominent).
19:00 i know this comment is way late. but i wanted to explain annabeths Aphrodite and Demeter comment. early in the series annabeth displays a lot of toxic thoughts towards classic femininity. you can watch her out grow these thoughts through the series. this was not riordan commenting on the power of female goddesses this was a little girl with internalized misogyny giving her opinion. we can see this is not true in the depictions of various children of these goddesses throughout the series. we even get major pov characters that are daughters of both goddesses
I'm glad Jackson counter balances it later and Annabeth grows!
the percy jackson books will always be my favourite, because they’re what made me really LOVE reading for the first time. i just discovered your channel this morning, but i really hope that you share more of your thoughts on the series in the future!
THIS is the most important thing in my opinion. But who doesn’t love tearing apart the things they love aha (me with Xena warrior Princess).
Precy Jackson got me in History and now I’ve studied History and my Master is about Medieval Documents and Books, and I also I’m preparing myself to be a history professor in a high school level. I really hope you like them 🥰
my favorite thing about these types of reactions is that its like them reading fanfics knowing the fact of the original plot
Ahahaha tbf yeah.
Oh I have been waiting YEARS for this video. So excited!!
Ahaha I really feel like I took my sweat time about this one!
@@JeansThoughts It was certainly worth the wait for me! I'd love for you to keep us updated if you end up reading the rest of the series!
I believe Hestia shows up in later books and we learn some about her! I loooved this and am excited to hear your thoughts on the rest of the series if you finish it! I think most of my knowledge about greek mythology before this series was from disney's hercules and other random bits i'd picked up from doing random personality quizzes (so i'd mostly learnt about artemis and demeter haha). So this series really nurtured my interest in the more general greek mythology and while it definitely 'misted' over a lot of things, it did teach me that the Gods can be a-holes a lot of the time hahaha
In the first series, I will admit the Mr Riordan made the mistake in making Aphrodite and Demeter not all too powerful, but in heroes of Olympus we are introduced to Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite who not only is a main character but is also one of the most powerful demigods and can get people to do what she says, whether it’s making dracanae (I think I spelt that wrong) jump off a cliff or making mortals let people borrow vechiles.
In Trials of Apollo we are introduced to Meg McCaffrey, daughter of Demeter, who also is a main characte. She can make beanstalks that can reach out crazily fast and catch people as they are falling. She befriends a vicious peach demon and can also make things grow literally anywhere including her own ears. These things may not seem like a lot but she is often counted by people as one of the most powerful demigods.
It’s not direct, but I think Rick Riordan here kind of says that these gods can be powerful.
For the Minotaur, the myth that I go by is that his father was the bull that was a gift from Poseidon, I personally didn’t know there was a variation that Poseidon was the dad, but hey- there are so many variations of myths it’s hard to keep track! 😅
I LOVED the Percy Jackson series as a kid, and this has me really wanting to reread them. The way that the world expands throughout the series (like how he explains the way the Gods interactions with the mortal world have changed in modern times) was my favorite thing overall, and I really loved the idea of the Labyrinth in the fourth book and how that all works in the series.
Also, loved this video! Would love to know your thoughts on the rest of the series if/when you finish it. Just out of curiosity - I know you've recommended tons of other retellings in the past, but now that you've read Percy Jackson, are there any you'd recommend with similar vibes? I feel like I've been trying to recapture the magic of reading Percy Jackson ever since reading it😅
@@Dcong16 first: there’s still percy jackson sequel series being written actually! i don’t know when you checked off, but after the original 5 percy jackson books, there’s 2 trilogies (the kane chronicles, following egyptian mythology & magnus chase and the gods of asgard, norse mythology) which are in the same universe and somewhat loosely connected, and and 2 direct sequels (the heroes of olympus & the trials of apollo), 5 books each! as well as two (i believe standalone?) books getting released this year! the sun and the star & the chalice of the gods! i’ve also heard things about rick riordan wanting to write a series in the pjoverse about celtic mythology, but so far i have no specifics on when or if that would happen.
you should also check out the publishing imprint rick riordan presents! there’s about 10 or so series there, all by different authors that are writing books similar in concept to percy jackson, but about mythology from many different cultures and many utilizing the stories they learned as kids - a couple of the series are also a mix of mythology and science fiction? i’m not as familiar with any of those ones as the percy jackson universe, as they started to come out when i was definitely aging out of middle grade/ya fiction, but i’ve heard a lot of good things there!!
Oh, what a delight! Really loved the video, your reactions and the much needed interventions - thanks!
In the hopes that you'll continue on with the series and take us on the journey with you, I am happy to say that a) yes, the way in which Athena's children come into the world is discussed later on and it is more-ish in line with the myth you were explaining. b) Hestia does show up in book 5, whoop whoop :D and c) the cabins at camp become a discussion point later on in the series, you are onto something already ^^
At this moment in time Riordan's journey from PJO to Heroes of Olympus to the Riordan Presents imprint seems to me like one of author learning and growing over time. Makes me kinda happy to witness that it do be possible, which is why I am happily swimming in my adoration for this piece of childhood right now :D Once again, loved the Video and wishing you a lovely day :)
Interesting Reaction. I thought I’d address some of your points of contention with the first book.
Concerning your mention that you had a difficult time picturing Poseidon as a kind god. Sally’s characterization of Poseidon is not meant to be a concrete depiction of his character as a whole. Often when you miss someone you’ll see them through rose-tinted glasses. She’s also telling this to her 12 year old child, who has never know his father. In these situations most parents aren’t going to speak negatively about their lost “love”, but rather try and comfort their child with positive traits of their missing parent.
Second, your concern about Aphrodite and Demeter being considered “weak” goddesses is not accurate to what was said in the books. Annabeth mentions that the “(mortal) children” of these goddesses are not very powerful. She does not say that the goddesses themselves are not powerful. This is a very important distinction to make. Additionally, this is a comment made by a 12 year old child to another 12 year old. She’s obviously going to be biased towards her own parent goddess.
Concerning Medusa being victim blamed. That’s unfortunately not a unique trait to the Medusa myth. There are a lot of myths where the gods and goddesses punish humans for things that are out of their control. Rick may mention some of these myths in his story, but he’s not going to go into details about the darker aspects of myths, since these books are meant for children. Additionally, Annabeth’s comment is also made out of frustration. Percy is frustrated that he nearly got killed by Medusa and thus blames Athena for creating the monster. Annabeth in turn snaps back that it’s Poseidons fault. The whole interaction is very much a depiction of children squabbling back and forth.
Concerning Athena and her children. I believe that Annabeth mentions to Percy how Athena conceives her siblings and her. Athena is still very much a Virgin Goddess in these books. I believe the conversation takes place in this book but if not then you can skip the last sentence. (Spoiler: The way she births her children is actually very similar to her own creation myth.)
13:59 okay so I'm fully aware that the minotaur in some myths is Pasiphae and Poseidon's child however there are different variants such as him being a child of Pasiphae and Minos, who was cursed by Poseidon for not offering a bull in return. So if you think about the bigger picture the minotaur may have had different parentage as it is. Also another thing about the fact that technically his half brother killed him (if we're going of what most myths say) this is not the only time this has happened. If I'm remembering correctly Theseus was technically also a child of Poseidon and had to retrieve a ring from the bottom of the ocean to prove it. As the original slayer of the minotaur has done the exact same thing we probably shouldn't question it when a similar person does the same. Anyway I'm just gonna going of my knowledge of greek mythology (I've been studying/reading it since I was 8 and have a strong desire to visit/live in Greece one day) and feel free to correct me on anything.
I really appreciate this video, and would love to see you discuss the rest of the series.
PJO was one of my bigger introductions into Greek literature and mythology, and was a big stepping stone into a lot of my current interests.
Rick Riordan wrote this series for his son who had ADHD and dyslexia, and that alone was enough for me to love the series.
One of my favorite things about the books, or references(?) is much later in the book dealing with Artemis, however I'm going to refrain from spoilers. There is also a reference I believe to the labors of Herakles (im very tired right now, and may be very off), where Percy has to clean a stable.
Pardon if I'm off on my correlation, I was trying to avoid spoilers and also use memory recall for myths I'm not very interested in (Herakles).
Did you ever end up reading the rest of the series? I would love to hear your thoughts on those, and maybe on the second series (Heroes of Olympus) as well
I love your style of explaining Ancient Greek myths. Your enthusiasm is unmatched. Awesome video as always.
What are you knitting? I am knitted a scarf.
SAME! I'm knitting my partner one in his favourite colour even though Spring is on the way aha.
Hi there, finding this super late and I’m wondering if you have any plans to read the second book anytime soon? I think you’ll love to see the way the world building expands and it’s super interesting to get into the “modern role” these Greek gods play.
The second series “Heroes of Olympus” includes both Greek and Roman mythology and the themes of how those two aspects interact is super interesting if you manage to get that far!
I think that Annabeth's comment about Aphrodite and Demeter is more telling of Annabeth's character than Rick's, though that most certainly is a fair critique.
I just finished the 3 in the series, the titans curse. It is my fav of the series so far. It's an amazing book. Glad I found your channel, I gave it a follow.
Your enthusiasm and passion is contagious! Always a sunshine to my day watxhing your video but essential question the t-shirt you are wearing in the knitting clip where is it from ???? I love it
I also haven't read these books, although I figure I will one day just to see what the hype is. It is so much fun to see you geek out about different aspects!
Also - I get to see your face in person this month?!
love percy jackson (remember reading something when i first read them as a teen that he wrote them as having dyslexia and adhd because of one of his sons and that changed something in me) and love books2door! so good to hear you pick up on the demeter/aphrodite thing though
omg the chris d'lacey books were my jam but i def didn't finish the series! just had a childhood memory unlocked thank you!
not sure if this is a spoiler but you talking about Hestia needing a cabin at camp had me cracking up iykyk
I think the reason why Annabeth is a child of Athena, is to have a sort of "enemies to lovers" with her and Percy, since Poseidon and Athena do not get along. I personally think it was a smart choice. (+ Annabeth "birth" is explained in book 4)
I think Annabeths comment on Afrodite also has something to do with how she thinks love works. She is after all daughter of Athena, so rationality and stuff… so her thought about both of them being week also struck with Athena being strong, off course.
I now need vlogs of you reading the rest of the series. 🙈
Ahaha we shall have to see
I was a massive fan of Percy Jackson as a tween and remember loving the later books especially so I really hope you continue with the series and vlog/update us on what you think those! Also love the scholarly background info!
I’m really interested to hear your thoughts if you choose to finish this series! A lot of the questions and points of contention you bring up in your video are elements in both the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Heroes of Olympus Series. This comment is ten months late, so I’m not sure that you’ll see this comment, but do you plan to make more Percy Jackson reading vlogs? I love when you make vlogs about Classics myth retellings because they end up being pretty educational!
I'm an 11-year-old boy who personally loves mythology especially Greek, and I have been reading Percy Jackson currently on the 3rd book yes, I think it would be an amazing series to give kids to read
Loved this video! Glad to see you enjoyed the books and the later ones do actually deal with some of the issues you had with this first one 🥰
This was a great video. I hope you'll vlog the rest of them like this too because it's been really interesting.
YES!! I had the exact same rant about the Aphrodite/Demeter line when I read it. Had to put the book down for a couple of minutes to cool off from how annoyed it made me 😂😂
You should have seen me aha I ran through to my flatmate to rant straight away!
i was obsessed with the books as a preteen (i mean, i still am lol), and recently reread them and was just PISSED at that! i had basically the same reaction, just immediately messaged my also-pjo-superfan friend about it. no spoilers, but this is definitely one of the things that rick riordan has tried to fix in future books in the pjo series and the sequel series (serieses? there’s like four more similar series in the same universe lmao)
I think it’s important to take into account that it’s Annabeth, not Riordan who says that. She has her biases as a daughter of Athena, as a camper and as a teenage girl.
i loved your thoughts! i would love to see your reactions and reviews to the new TV show adaptation!
11:42 later you find out that he is not always this kind man he is like the sea in which sometimes he is calm and kind and other times he is cruel like the sea you learn this in the hero’s of Olympus which is the sequel series to percy jackson
i don't give you advice very often Jean, but I definitely recommend you read Poirot novels in date publication order. (The Mysterious Affair at Styles is first).
Aha it’s too late I’m afraid - I’ve already read four random ones over my life 😅
@@JeansThoughts oh nuts!
i'm so excited for the percy jackson show coming out on disney+ next year!! i'm gonna reread the series (or at least the first book) before it comes out to refresh my memory bc it's been well over 10 years since i originally read it.
For reference one of Aphrodite’s children is an important character riordan isn’t saying the demigods of those goddesses aren’t powerful they just don’t have the biggest stench lol… actually two of aphrodites children are important characters throughout the story Demeter from what I know isn’t a main character bc Rick doesn’t pull from her mythology for the most part. Persephone is important though
i know its been a long time since you released the video, but one of the things i enjoy about the series is that the gods are characters as much as the rest, it is based in greek mythology ofc, rick was a history teacher before. but they become original characters, there is a whole series of 5 books about apolo and you see that the gods are much more than just mythological creatures
I loved the Chris D’Lacey series as a kid, and I also never got to finish the series!
Thanks for this great video, Jean! Since you are also a children's author, do you have a sense of the age range the Percy Jackson series would be appropriate for? I have a 7 year old who LOVES Ancient Greek and Roman mythology. But it sounds like he is a bit young for it. (I'm also hesitating in general because of the issues you brought up with Demeter, Aphrodite, Medusa, etc...that definitely wouldn't fly in our house). Thanks again!!
As much as I m annoyed about Medusa, Demeter and Aphrodite's rep aha, I do think the references are super fleeting and more likely something an adult would focus on and notice. I'd also say 7 is probably the beginning of the right age range. Obviously every child is different and you'll know yours best but this definitely reminded me of Harry Potter 1 (not 6 or 7) in demographic. So probably ideally 7-13. I know my partners nephew started them at 8 and is obsessed too :D. There might be a few words, ideas to discuss or be there to explain to a 7 year old but generally I think they'd get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Annabeth is also a very strong female character so they're there, thankfully aha.
@@JeansThoughts so helpful! 🥰 thank you! I think we'll give them a try; he loves mythology so much I think he'll have a blast. Thank you!!!
i know i’m not the one asked, but i can add a bit you may find helpful: my brother-in-law and i both loved the books growing up, so he started reading them to my sister (who very narrowly passed them by) and their older two kids (then aged 7 and 4) as a bedtime story and they all loved it! they did the original five percy jackson books no problem, but the first book of one of the sequel series (the heroes of olympus) was a little bit too scary for the 4 year old. i think i was around 9 or 10 when i found them in my school library for the first time, and almost a decade later it’s still one of my favourite series lol. i hope your family enjoys them!!
@@risipieces this is SO helpful. Thank you!
Finally someone with the British copy of Percy Jackson
Great reaction this is one of my all time fav series
Hestia is in the series, just not the first couple of books. I found Percy Jackson when I was in my late twenties and I still love reading the series!
Sorry not related to the video..
Oh my gosh I just saw your face on 404 inklings new series kickstarter. Im so excited for your project. Also the cover is beautiful!
I have the whole Percy Jackson universe I can’t wait for the tv show to come out soon.
Can you please make a video about school and careers advice/options for those interested in ancient history and egyptology? I am trying to decide if this a path I want to take or just keep it as a hobby. Thank you
I'm a third-year university student studying egyptology, and it is AMAZING!! I've taken middle egyptian for two years now, and ancient languages are incredibly hard but rewarding. Egyptology is probably the worst ancient field to get into, however, compared to classics. Very few universities offer programs, and there are no jobs in academia. I'm currently deciding whether or not to pursue grad school. I'm also very interested in Hebrew Bible studies, so considering that as well. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by Ian Shaw is very good, and I recommend Allen's Introduction to Middle Egyptian it also contains essays threaded throughout the lessons.
@@emilydumais7229 Thank you!! :)
This was fun. I don't normally have an interest in Greek mythology but I was curious what you thought about the book.
I don't know if anyone else has commented this so just thought I would but unfortunately those Kelley Armstrong books aren't a trilogy. In fact, you have volumes 4, 7 and 11 of thirteen books. It's a massive world not just including witches - actually No Humans Involved is about a necromancer and my fave character with book 4 being my fave with my second fave narrator - but the series starts with Bitten which is a werewolf book. The first witch book is book 3 Dimestore Magic but that follows directly on with some stuff from book 2 which is also a werewolf book. There's a lot of interconnected stuff. One of my fave series though so definitely worth checking out.
Oooh I wish Book2Door shipped to Canada! Looks like such good deals!!
About some of your criticisms thus far: I would say keep reading on because they do get addressed later on in the universe of Percy Jackson. For example, Poseidon here is described as kind. However, this was Sally Jackson’s own subjective experience of when he was with her. Later on, if you read ‘Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods’ and ‘Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes’-which is a retelling of the same Greek myths in Percy’s voice-you’ll see that Percy does narrate all of the atrocities committed by Poseidon and the other gods.
Also, about the Demeter and Aphrodite comment, I would say the same thing. Rick Riordan later introduces a daughter of Aphrodite in the ‘Heroes of Olympus’ sequel series and a daughter of Demeter in the ‘Trials of Apollo’ sequel series. Both girls are depicted as very powerful and formidable, and they later accomplish groundbreaking feats. Hope this clears up some stuff.
have you read the other books after doing this video?
Hi Jean. Oh, um ... Regarding the Kelley Armstrong books ... there are other books that come before the three that you've gotten there. These three seem kinda random and not in the order of publication or reading. You may want to check where to start with Kelley's books before going in. At least get Dime Store Magic before reading Industrial Magic. Love your videos.
I also thought it was the randomest bundle of this series to sell. :D
Omg 😂 thanks for the heads up
Athena has kids but she still remains a maiden. I cannot remember if it was mentioned in this book in particular, but she is born through the love of knowledge I guess you can say. The men she has children with she falls in love with their minds, and her children are born the same way she was with Zeus.
Yeah I think it sounds like that's expanded on in later books based on comments which is cool! Although that doesn't exactly match up with her birth. Sadly Athena was the result of Zeus assaulting Metis and then consuming her so he birthed their child Athena.
@@JeansThoughts sorry I was referring to be birthed through the head. He had a headache so he split open his head and Athena burst out correct?
I know this is really late so i dont know if you've already read the rest, but please do!! the second book isnt that good but the series after that is amazing!! please read it :)))
No spoiler but there is a explication for the Athena kids while her still being a virgin goddess it is explain in the 4 book
I know its a bit 🤓 but the series is called Percy Jackson and the Olympians
i loved your enthousisasm about your opinions about the first book. i understand to your nitpick about the Medusa part as an ancient historian and even on a morale ground, sometimes it irked me to hearing people talk about a well established myth and changing it to suit them. But from an author point of view i got why he didn't write her as a rape victim, would you be able to explain to a child or teen (reader) why should percy's dad not be hated and even helped if he was a rapist and after that kill the rape victim?
have u read wing of fire
I think that the thing about hestia and Athena not being presented as maiden goddesses is bc it's not a thing widely known while Artemis is, as a teenager, pre internet, I read a few encyclopedias and wnatever I could get my hands on and never heard of it until now. Of course now there's probably more information available but I still don't think is something you would find unless you were actively searching for it, of course Rick must have known or heard of it but bc it wasn't that much of common knowledge felt free to do what he wanted with it, plus, using Athena is just too good of a opportunity to miss. Maybe today that could've been done differently, like maybe she's the goddess that adopts children or of children conceived artificially, like, to represent the only myth she has one better, that would be really cool.
Demeter's children with mortals also are somewhere between Elon Musk (rich because he is rich) and Jethro Thull (the agricultural reformer). Together they could have pulled some major power but strangely they didn't.
Im not sure if youve ever gotten to the other books but i have to stand by Annabeths thoughts on Aphrodite and Demeter. NOT BECAUSE SHES RIGHT!! But because her character has deep misogynistic values due to her being forced to believe the only thing of value is brains and brawn. Honestly shes a bit mean in the first two books, but grows out of it. I feel like Annabeth is inadvertently a very relatable example of what growing up as a young girl is like (constantly putting other girls down "pick me") which is in direct contrast with Percys idealistic view of women due to Sally. Rick makes a lot a mistakes but that comment wasnt one of them i think.
I loved getting your insights on this. Thanks for speaking up for Demeter, Aphrodite and Medusa ! I am not very impressed with their portrayal and it's probably not a coincidence that they are all women as you said 😑. There is also another detail that rubbed me the wrong way : when (I think it's Chiron ?) explains to Percy that Mount Olympus has moved with "the heart of western civilisation" (maybe not those exact words but something to that effect) so now obviously it's in the US 🤣. Lol what a North American thing to say !
OMG I rolled my eyes SO hard at the statement about the heart of western civilisation and greek myth moving to North America...
let's just say that an afrodite kid WILL play a major role in later books (no spoilers!!). For now the story focuses on the trio (percy annabeth grover ) and how they manage this world of monsters/gods as they grow older.
My my one big complaint about the Percy Jackson series is that it portrayed Hades as a bad guy.
I have actually never heard of the version of the story where Poseidon is the father of the Minotaur. The ones that I have heard explain that Poseidon sent a bull to King Minos to sacrifice, but King Minos never sacrificed the bull due to its beauty. Enraged, Poseidon cursed King Minos’s wife Päsiphae to fall in love with the bull. Päsiphae then asked Daedalus to craft a hollow, wooden fake bull in order for her to climb in and mate with the bull. Due to that encounter, Päsiphae gave birth to the Minotaur. If there is any there version, please tell me which ones.
Oh sorry I should have clarified - some scholars theories the bull is Poseidon. Just like Zeus turns into a Bull with Io. But like you say it's certainly not the only or main version. I just thought it was a funny thought experiment to consider in some interpretations Percy would be the Minotaur's bro aha.
@@JeansThoughts makes sense now, ok thanks u!
Guess what?!Percy jackson was the first book I read in 2023!
We are in synch ahaha!
@@JeansThoughts yay👭🏻❤
I think Rick kind makes it up the comment about the demeter in the trials of apollo, but, yeah, that was a unfortunate quote ksks
i think aphrodite and demeter are not taken in consideration that much because they are aspects we have in the human world and they are powerful but humans live with it most of the time and they do not fear it like death or the ocean but they can really be messed up by it when they less spect it so that's that(?)
also I think their children (specially aphrodite) have just touched their powers in a superficial level because (spoiler) when we get our protagonists that are children of aphrodite and demeter (dif books) they are one of the most important and powerful (or a least for me haha)
AAVE from a “OG” white person is CRAZY😅 39:00
I think the point of percy's mother is to tell him that his dad is kind not for accuracy reasons, but to show us that his mom is a good woman cuz a good mom won't tell her child how bad his dad is even if his really bad, and maybe she means it, maybe poseidon was kind and she chose to see the good in him. And so as when Annabeth said that Demetre and Aphrodite's children are not powerful that's not cuz it's true that's cuz Annabeth's disdain and disrespect towards them cuz she appreciates qualities in women that she doesn't respect. But maybe children won't be able to understand what I said and would take it literally so maybe you're right 😃
Athena does not really give birth, more she gives children (literally in a basket if memory serves) to men she approves of.If its not mentioned in this book, i know it comes up later.
also, Hestia has a hearth at camp half blood. it comes up later dw
there are some complications about the artemis myths tbh, some of them imply a level of lesbianism and it could be argued that virginity for the greeks moreso referred to relationships with men, and a similar lens could be applied to athena although without any supporting evidence like in artemis's case. But either way riordan did make a point to specify, in later books, that athenas children are born out of intellect and not the normal way.
100% agree with you on medusa btw that always struck me as messed up but overall the mythological source material was sanitized a certain amount as a baseline for this series.
💛💛💛
20:09 while that might be true, I think you're focusing a bit more on the goddess rather than the demigods. Aphrodite like Athena demigods don't really have any powers. Athena kids don't have really "phenomenal" abilities except being just generally smart while occasionally Aphrodite demigods have this thing called 'charm speak' which is clear from the name but essentially it's having the power to persuade people with words. Yeah, those two abilities are really powerful but in comparison to the others like for example Apollo kids being absolutely amazing at healing or Ares kids being the absolute best fighter or Percy who can control water... Yeah, you kind of lose a bit of points as to how much of threat you can be. This is disregarding Piper from the HOO series, I don't know much about her yet so I can't say much. As for demeter, you do bring a good point but I do think demeter kids could actually destroy anything as it isn't really mentioned? It's only mentioned that they can make plants grow but not destroy them. This is just my opinion yours is valid too of course but I jsut what to say that it's not because aphrodite and Demeter are associated with being 'Feminine' goddesses (Uncle Rick is the sweetest man in the world.) I think it's just cause it's in comparison to the other olympians (SPOILER FOR THE LAST OLYMPIAN) before they added the cabins of the minor deities like hypnos and Boreas and Hecate etc... In that case, things could be different since the minor deities are now included at camp. Aphrodite and Demeter kids could be recognized as a bit more of a source in comparison to other and etc. Again, just a thought or opinion I thought I would say. :D
i find it kinda funny that u zeroed in on the hestia thing. i wouldnt say this is a spoiler for u if u kept readin, but she is in the sires.
in fact she is one of the VERY few gods/goddesses that percy dosent hate he actully kinda cares for her in a way.
Aha I will always zero in on Hestia - justice for the overlooked goddesses! But I'm so glad to hear she does become a part of the novels. I'm looking forward to reading book two this year :D
Regarding your comments about Medusa's portrayal as Poseidon's girlfriend rather than his rape victim, I think this is largely handled this way because talking about rape like that would be a little bit heavy for a mostly positive middle school novel, even one that handles topics like abusive fathers as well as this book does. I totally agree with the complaint though, and still think it's a rather creepy of a portrayal of the situation -- which is unfortunate considering how thoughtful of a writer Rick Riordan usually is. The context of Medusa being Poseidon's rape victim DOES make Percy mailing her head to Mount Olympus that much more of a chad move, though.
#20:35 see the thing is annabeth talks about the children of aphrodite and demeter not demeter and aphrodite themselves and whilst I agree with you saying that those 2 are extremelypowerful, their demigod children arent that powerful.
Yeah I get that I still just don't think it makes sense aha - why would those two goddesses children be the least powerful compared to all the other demigods?
Most of Aphrodite's children were with other gods. The only demigod one I can think of was Æneas and he really could have used a boost in the power and divine help department. He was blundering around like Odysseus who was deliberately sabotaged by not just Athena but Poseidon on top.
The thing is I don't think he was inspired by the actual children of the gods as a bunch of them are relatively ineffectual in the myths yet the same parentage makes a more powerful child in Percy Jackson world.
Adding to your complaint against Rick's statement against Demeter and Aphrodite. Not only stereotypically feminine, but for Demeter stereotypically pre-industrial. Like, growing food ain't important when we have an industrial society...
18:00 Of Course Aphrodite and Demeter are powerful gods, but in these books, their children tend to be pretty weak. Aphrodite's kids are just good looking boys and girls, and Demeter's are usually kids who are good at gardening.
However, I will say, there are exceptions here. Going into Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo, we see some exceptionally powerful children of these 2 goddesses specifically, who are some of the most powerful half-bloods we have in the whole series.