Class of the Titans

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Not to be confused with MGM's 1981 film, Clash of the Titans.
Class of the Titans

The Chosen Ones. Clockwise from center: Jay, Theresa, Neil, Atlanta, Herry, Archie, and Odie.
Format Animation
Created by Chris Bartleman
Michael Lahay
Starring Kirby Morrow
Meghan Black
Sarah Edmonson
Ty Olsson
Sam Vincent
Doron Bell Jr.
Kelly Sheridan
Ted Cole
David Kaye
Country of origin Canada
No. of episodes 52(new season is now airing)
Production
Running time 22 minutes approx.
Broadcast
Original channel Teletoon
Original run December 31, 2005 – Present
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Class of the Titans is a Canadian animated television series created by Studio B Productions and Nelvana. It premiered on December 31, 2005 at 5PM ET/PT on Teletoon with a special 90-minute presentation of the first three episodes. The English version of the show airs in Canada every weekday at 6:00PM and Sunday at 9:30AM.

According to an article in the Magazine Not For Adults, the first three episodes of the series has been released on DVD on February 19th, 2008. This DVD also includes a behind-the-scenes featurette.It's called 'Chaos'. On May 20, 2008, a second DVD will be released with the next three episodes on it. It will be called 'Trojan Horse'.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Cronus, the Greek God of Time, escapes from the Underworld at midnight of New Year's Eve. With an army of giants behind him, Cronus intends to conquer and destroy the world.

While the gods of Olympus no longer have the power to stop Cronus on their own, they bring together the seven teenaged descendants of heroes from Greek mythology. Under the guidance of the gods, the chosen ones are the only ones with the power to save the world from the encroaching evil.

[edit] Main characters

Jay (Kirby Morrow) -"The Leader," descendant of Jason of the Argonauts.

The first of the teens to be located, he has an instinct for leadership and prefers a xiphos with a retractable blade. His parents are under the impression that, far from helping to save the world, he has been shortlisted for a space mission and is at a specialized astronaut training school. (It is unknown if the parents or guardians of the other teenagers were given the same explanation). Jay is of Greek heritage on his mother's side, and thus grew up with the stories of classical mythology. If the other teenagers are confused about a certain mythological concept, he usually explains it to them. He was initially unsure about his leadership role, as the others displayed obvious physical skills to signify and cement their places in the group, whereas Jay's were more subtle.
Jay takes his role as a hero extremely seriously, usually being the one who's always worrying about potential threats even when everything seems fine. It also seems he has a crush on Theresa. In the first episode that she appears, he was worried if Theresa could read minds, implying he didn't want her to know he liked her. He almost always places himself with her when they split up into smaller groups and Jay seems to get jealous when Orpheus calls her his beloved and when Hades remarks that she made quite the impression on him, and is usually the first to come to her aid when she gets into trouble. Sailing seems to be his favourite hobby and it seems that a lot of girls are attracted to him, especially the Horae and Theresa. In the second season his relationship with Theresa will be explored further.

Atlanta (Meghan Black (season I), Sarah Edmondson (season II)) - "The Hunter," descendant of Atalanta (mistakenly quoted as Artemis in the first season).

The only chosen one with a female ancestor. After Jay, she was the next person Hermes found (in Canada), and brought along. She was born and raised in the North-West Territories and was brought up around weapons and such, which explains her odd passion for dangerous weapons. She is super fast, has exceptional reflexes and tracking abilities, and uses jaw-trap steel bolas as her weapon of choice (though she seems to be tired of using steel bolas as enemies often run off with them or break them). In later episodes she uses a small wrist crossbow that shoots laser beams. She often works in tandem with Herry or Archie to take down Chronos' various minions, and is a junior.
She has been hypnotized twice, and both times Archie has snapped her out of it. She has a bit of a one-track mind, preferring to act rather than think things through, likes to tease Archie and is very short tempered. At the same time, she's very studious to the point of being neurotic. She also has an interest in environmental issues and volunteers for the Green Alliance, though she also enjoys hunting with traditional weapons (ie. bow and arrows) and has a scar on her right shoulder from an incident with a puma. Atlanta has no interest in dating but she did fall in love with Phil/DJ Panic/Pan once. In season 2, she seems more than glad to be be going back home, but realising that Archie feels differently, she comforts him by announcing that she'll miss him too. She is also a player on Olympia High's field hockey team.

Herry (Ty Olsson) - "The Brawn," descendant of Hercules (Heracles in Greek mythology).

The third to be discovered, he completed the initial trio of teens Hermes brought to Olympia High (the other four were introduced in subsequent episodes). He has super strength and tends to rely mostly on this. As such, he usually has no weapon, though he can be improvisational and learn to use just about anything when the need arises. While resourceful in this way, he doesn't seem to be particularly bright. Growing up on a farm, he is laid-back and easy-going. (However, it has been noted that he has periods of extreme rage in some situations. This can lead him into trouble sometimes, echoing how Hercules himself was emotionally uncontrolled.)
He loves food and is fond of his grandmother, 'Granny', who appears to have raised him. He drives (and is a little protective of) a pickup truck, which his Granny passed onto him and was redesigned and equipped by Hephaestus to become the group's official ride. He occasionally uses a lasso, but is generally reliant on his strength. He is also prone to seasickness and sleeps with a teddy bear.

Archie (Sam Vincent) - "The Warrior," descendant of Achilles.

The fourth teen brought to Olympia High, he used to read a lot of ancient Greek poetry. Archie is super agile, almost as fast as Atlanta, and wields a "Hephaestus whip", a seeming cross between a chain whip and a rope dart, which cuts through anything. Though Achilles did not wear armor over his weak heel (to his cost), Archie wears a distinctive gold brace covering his right shin and part of the foot, as he has a wonky heel (though what is wrong with it exactly hasn't been mentioned yet). Dionysus also says that Archie is invincible like Achilles (mostly) was, but that is somewhat inaccurate, given that Archie at least has scars from 'rubbing a timber wolf's belly'. He is, however, immune to disease, and has never been sick.
At first, he was skeptical about being recruited as a hero and tried to sneak out of Olympia High (when the girls caught him, he told them that he was just patrolling in case of prowlers). He tends to be brash, macho, somewhat insensitive, and has a slight tendency to show off, but also tends to keep to himself and is rather cynical. Archie is also attracted to Atlanta, but unfortunately, he doesn't have the courage to confess his feelings, though he did kiss her on the cheek once in episode 1.13 Little Box of Horrors while she was unconscious after being infected by the Seeper, in episode 1.14: Make-up Exam he almost tells her he loves her, and in episode 1.23: Cronus' Flying Circus, Neil accuses them of going on a date. Atlanta, for her part, is oblivious to Archie's affections and instead, the two of them are always competing to best the other. It is hinted that he and Atlanta will get together since she was sympathetic to their parting. He has an irrational fear of water and cannot swim.

Odie (Doron Bell Jr.) - "The Brains," descendant of Odysseus.

He was introduced with Theresa as the fifth and sixth teens discovered respectively. He has super intelligence, cleverness and extremely advanced skills with all types of electronics. He is also the group's tactician and the first to come up with a plan. He has no official weapon, but usually uses a PMR and an amazingly well-equipped laptop given to him by Hermes. Because of his physical size, Cronus usually mocks Odie by referring to him as "the little one". Since he lacks the more notable of physical capabilities of his ancestor and that of his friends, Odie is often underestimated.
Transportation-wise, he gets around on a moped. Unlike the other six teenagers, who seem to be Caucasian, Odie is of African-American descent and bears little physical resemblance to his ancestor (something that characters tend to take note of; Odie himself remarks in episode 1.17: Eye for an Eye that Odysseus' "bloodline is rather dilute" in him). He wears green-tinted glasses, likes virtual reality video games, is apparently skilled enough at it to fly a special jet plane he has never flown before, and suffers from claustrophobia.

Theresa (Kelly Sheridan) - "The Fighter," descendant of Theseus.

She was introduced with Odie as the sixth and fifth teens discovered respectively. Her father, who owns cattle ranches and is very preoccupied with his work (his lack of attention to anything else annoys her), is very wealthy and Theresa is used to the finer things in life, as she was test-driving her new sports car (a birthday present from her father) when the envoys from Cronus and Olympia arrived and was noticeably less than enthusiastic about the Olympia dorms. A black belt in karate at 12 years old, she has excellent fighting skills and is armed with nunchucks. She has good sense of direction as well as a sixth sense, akin to some form clairvoyance or psychometry, enabling her to sometimes foresee the outcome of Cronus' schemes and the Olympians' plans or detect danger, though she is also developing telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Persephone also teaches her some witchcraft in order to take on the goddess Hecate.
She seems to have a crush on Jay. In the first episode when she appears, Theresa's attraction to Jay leads her to check that Atlanta is not already going out with Jay herself, so that she's not stepping on anyone's territory. There are many hints throughout the series indicating that the creators are leaning on them as a couple, especially given that they are frequently seen together and that Theresa has kissed him on the cheek in "Bows and Eros". In one episode Orpheus mistakes her for Eurydice, his wife, and she also is a talented lyre player, something she is very reluctant to admit to others. Like Atlanta, she also plays on Olympia High's field hockey team. Something drastic will happen to her in the second season, changing fans' views of her character.

Neil (Ted Cole) - "The Good Looking," descendant of Narcissus.

The last of the seven to join the group, Neil is exceptionally handsome and knows it, as he was working as a freelance model and has his photos plastered all over New Olympia, and Archie once said that: "The only person Neil loves is Neil". He nearly sided with Cronos, believing the god to be a top agent in the entertainment industry before the Olympians got to him. His lifestyle made his personality somewhat shallow, and the others initially harbored some doubts of his status as a 'hero'. He always has a monogrammed three-paneled mirror on-hand, which includes a photograph of himself that flips out of the middle mirror.
He considers himself to be quite cultured and an all around fashion expert. However, he is extremely lucky which helps defeat far more powerful foes, as well as help him with minor things like always winning coin tosses and board games. He wants to prove to the team that he is a hero. He tends to be rather blunt, has a high opinion of himself, and is easily startled. When not making a nuisance of himself, he wields a tazer to great effect (though he once electrocuted himself with it). However, when he briefly found himself in possession of the legendary Torches of Hecate, he felt them empowering him, and he proved extraordinarily adept at wielding their magic, using it in a casual way quite unlike Hecate and Theresa who had to recite Greek spells to produce an effect. He emits a high-pitched girlish scream when frightened and, surprisingly, snores quite loudly when he sleeps to the irritation of the others.

Cronus (David Kaye) - The God of Time.

He wields two golden scythes that materialize out of thin air and has super healing. To blend in with the modern world, Cronus dresses in a black business suit, but other than that, Cronus wears a black toga. He also controls a number of giants, and has been known to form alliances with the old foes of the original heroes. Having harbored such long-standing grudges, Cronus often has no trouble persuading his allies to take out their anger on the heroes' modern descendants. Cronus' powers include using his blood to create sea serpents, turning his minions into hairy six-legged anteater creatures, super healing, spontaneous combustion, creating portals to escape through, shapeshifting, shooting red beams that induce unconsciousness, creating duplicates of himself, reversing time, speeding up time, sending people back in time, sending people forward in time and holding time to a standstill. Cronus was finally recaptured in episode 1.26: Time After Time, but he eventually escaped again. Time travel weakens his powers.

[edit] Secondary characters

Aphrodite (Tabitha St. Germain) - Neil's mentor and goddess of love and beauty. An air-headed woman who loves good-looking people, especially herself. She and her attendants were supposed to bring Neil to Olympus High School. Aphrodite did not bother, as she had better things to do, which lead the heroes to go get Neil themselves. She seems to spend most of her time either make herself look even more beautiful or admiring herself in the mirror. Jay and Archie found her to be hypnotically attractive and had to be dragged out of the room by the very annoyed girls. Naturally, her beauty and obsession with it make her the ideal mentor for Neil.

Ares (Gary Chalk) - Archie's mentor and God of War. Provides the kids with an extensive array of different and ingenious weapons and helps out to train them properly in the ways of fighting. He tends to be short-tempered and arrogant and is depicted as a balding and moustached man in armour. Like his student, Archie, Ares is a warrior with a penchant for not being easy to get along with.

Artemis (Patricia Drake) - Atlanta's mentor and the Goddess of the Hunt and of the Moon. She seems to have a slight New York accent and bears a resemblance to Atlanta. Not surprisingly, she and her student, Atlanta, are both great hunters and skilled in archery.

Athena (Kathleen Barr) - Head of the dorm and Goddess of War and Wisdom. Surprisingly, she is a good cook, which Herry appreciates. She is also a skilled weaver, unsurprising given that she is also the goddess of domestic arts. She is also depicted as being somewhat masculine but womanly in appearance and sporting very short, very dark purple hair. Her weapon of choice is a makhaira, which she also doesn't mind using to slice stacks of toast for her charges.

Chiron (Bruce Greenwood) - Master of all beasts and a centaur. Serves to the kids as a "human" encyclopedia of sorts, providing information and tidbits of Greek mythology-related knowledge. Interestingly, in Greek mythology, he ran a school for heroes, including Jason, Achilles, Theseus, and Hercules. He also takes care of any one of them hurt in battle.

Granny (Peter Kelamis) - Herry's grandmother. An old lady that is very fond of her grandchild and pet dog, Pepe. She appears to be very frail at first, but later shows lot of spunk and energy for a woman her age. Cronos takes her hostage as bait for Herry, and he also reveals to her that her grandson is a hero. She does not seem fazed by the fact and quickly sets Herry to do chores for her.

Hephaestus (Brian Drummond) - He makes the group's vehicles and is the god of fire, smithing and craftsmanship. His workshop is filled with various mechanical devices and explosives for the heroes' usage. He is also lame, with his right leg being somewhat shorter than the left, although he has special boots that solve the problem.

Hera (Patricia Drake) - Jay's mentor and queen of the gods. She is a stern, regal and elderly woman with a commanding presence, and acts as principal of Olympia High. All the other gods (and faculty of Olympus High School) answer to her. The animal she is associated with is the peacock, which she is sometimes seen with. Cronos is her father, which makes Poseidon, Hades, and her husband, Zeus, also her brothers. Like her student, Jay, she is a natural leader and was the patron goddess who championed his ancestor, Jason. She can take the form of a flaming phoenix. She used to have brown hair.

Hercules (Gary Chalk) - Herry's mentor, and god of power, strength and of athletes. By this era had the appearance of a middle aged pot-bellied, balding man with a tattoo. Looks can be deceiving, as Hercules has retained all the strength of his glory days. He bears a resemblance to his modern descendant, and is rather dimwitted, describing himself to Herry as a "great, great, great -- great, great, great, uh, great-great grandfather", but knows the value of using your brain as well as your strength. He loves doughnuts, talks like a gangster, and walks around in his underwear and socks. He too was originally a mortal hero before his father, Zeus, made him a god upon death. In Greek, he should actually be referred to as Herakles. Not surprisingly, he is Herry's mentor not only because they share amazing strength, but Herry is a direct descendant of Hercules himself.

Hermes (Brian Drummond) - Odie's mentor and messenger of the gods. Also the god of boundaries, invention, commerce, weights and measures, and travellers, though most people tend not to think of him as that (to his annoyance). He was the one who was sent to retrieve the first six students, and also had to spin an elaborate tale for Jay's parents to explain his absence. Hermes is in charge of monitoring the gods' global networks and communication systems, which have since been enhanced by Odie's installation of high speed telephones. He always appears when Hera says his name. He has a secret portal in his room emblazoned with the caduceus that can transport anyone to anywhere they wish. His caduceus is the symbol of heralds, and he can use it to control animals. He is depicted as a somewhat hyperactive and skinny young man wearing a winged pilot cap, goggles, and winged boots. He is a clever and gifted inventor, something he shares with his student, Odie. Hermes, in addition to Athena, was also one of Odysseus' divine patrons.

Persephone (Tabitha St. Germain) - Theresa's mentor and queen of the underworld. She is tall, willowy, and possesses two distinct temperaments - one gentle and airy, the other a complete reversal of the first that is brought out when she is angry. To fulfill her ancient agreement to spend half her time in the Underworld with her husband Hades, Persephone has in her solarium a secret passageway to his realm hidden behind the four seasons. This allows the heroes access to the Underworld without fulfilling the usual requirement of being dead. She seems to be fond of gardening, not surprisingly given that she is the daughter of Demeter and a goddess of spring. Her connection to the supernatural and vast wealth (as a result of being married to Hades) is something she shares with her affluent and clairvoyant student, Theresa.

The Horae (Kathleen Barr as Spring Horae) - More commonly referred to as the Seasons. Inhabiting a mural that leads to the Underworld from Persephone's solarium, they regulate the seasons and appear as four maidens. They also possess the ability to control time (specifically visiting past seasons), though their power is slight compared to those of Cronus. The Horae also fancied Jay, the leader.

Zeus (Christopher Gaze) - King of the Gods and of Thunder, and husband to Hera and son of Cronus, whom he usurped, defeated, and imprisoned in the underworld. The Chosen Ones have yet to meet him (because apparently the time isn't right) or rather, recognize him as he is Mr. Suez ('Zeus' spelled backwards), the school's janitor. He has been depicted as a small grumpy-looking old man who wouldn't say a word until episode 1.22: They Might Be G.I.Ants. He is rather disorganized and has a storage locker full of miscellaneous items, most of which are made of gold. His absentmindedness and appearance as an elderly man resulted from using up his powers to send the Chosen Ones back to the future after their role in thwarting Cronus' time altered victory at the Titanomachy. The Chosen Ones, after seeing Zeus during the Titan War, finally recognize Mr. Suez as Zeus after they return to the present. He used to have blonde hair.

[edit] Guest stars

Main article: Guest stars of Class of the Titans

[edit] Gadgets and vehicles

Main article: Gadgets and vehicles of Class of the Titans

[edit] Mythological creatures

Main article: Mythological creatures of Class of the Titans

The show's bestiary is composed primarily of creatures from classical mythology, though the cartoon takes some liberties with how the creatures are depicted in the show's modern-day era.

[edit] Locations

  • Aeolia (seen in episode 1.15: The Odie-sey) - The floating island of Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds, though it is never referred to by name. The island is more like a small rocky mountain resting on the back of a giant sea turtle, with a temple at the top where Aeolus can command the four winds.
  • Atlantis (seen in episode 1.7: The Antikythera Device) - The ancient civilization and continent that the Greek gods punished by sinking into the sea using the Antikythera Device. Atlas is a native of the land, and he also gave his name to it. The continent is now an underwater ruin. A giant statue of Poseidon can be found in the main temple, though the temple was destroyed when Jay and Theresa set off explosives in it to destroy the Device that lay inside.
  • The Brownstone - The building complex that serves as a dormitory for the heroes. The building is protected from Cronus and his minions, though not from other threats like Campe, the jailer of Tartarus. Each of the seven heroes has their own separate room fitted in a way that matches their personalities [1]. Jay's room has the theme of sailing and also makes references to the Golden Fleece retrieved by his ancestor. Atlanta's room expresses her interest in sports and the environment while Theresa's room shows her spiritual interests. Not surprisingly, Odie's room in the basement is filled with technological components and his computers while Neil, given his self-absorbed nature, contains many mirrors and things related to his modelling career.
  • Crete (seen in episode 1.20: Many Happy Returns) - In the show, Crete is a tiny volcanic island that is also the home of Talos and Hephaestus' original workshop.
  • The Garden of the Hesperides (seen in episode 1.21: Labour Day and 2.6 Pandemonium) - A sacred garden of Hera's where golden apples of immortality grew on trees. It was guarded by the Hesperides, as well as a dragon known as Ladon.
  • Lerna (seen in episode 1.21: Labour Day) - A region of ancient Greece characterized by swampy springs. It is also the home to the Hydra, the many-headed giant water-serpent.
  • Mount Caucasus (seen in episode 1.12: Prisoner Campe) - The Russian mountain Zeus chained Prometheus to as punishment for stealing fire from the gods. In the modern day, the mountain is the location for the Temple of Prometheus, where a fire can be lit to summon the eagle which ate Prometheus' liver each day. Cronus and his giants bring Herry's Granny there as a hostage, and the heroes travel to the mountains by using gliders and Hermes' portal.
  • Nemea (seen in episode 1.21: Labour Day) - A town in classical Greece that was home to the Nemean Lion, whose defeat was the first of Hercules' Twelve Labours.
  • New Olympia - The fictional city the heroes are summoned to. The Greek gods have since moved from their Mount Olympus in order to stay safe from Cronus, as well as to oversee, train and protect the seven teenage heroes. It is apparently located somewhere in Canada [2].
  • Olympus High School - New Olympia's high school, built with a Greek architecture theme in mind. The seven heroes attend the school as students, as do the city's other non-heroic teenagers. The Greek gods reside in a secret part of the school accessible only through the janitor closet with special medallion keys that each of the heroes has. In this part of the school, there are training facilities, weapon stores, secret portals, Hephaestus' workshop, etc. Many statues also decorate the building, including ones of Zeus armed with thunderbolts and Asclepius with his Asclepian rod. It is under the protection of the gods, and therefore undetectable by Cronus. The school was also invulnerable to the timeline change Cronus made by winning the Titanomachy.
  • Ogygia (seen in episode 1.15: The Odie-sey) - Calypso's tropical island paradise. Odysseus was stranded and kept there for seven years during his journey home. Odie, Jay and Neil also wash up on-shore after Cronus capsized their boat with Aeolus' winds. The weather is always beautiful and the island is characterized by its sandy beaches and palm trees.
  • Plains of Asphodel (seen in episode 1.19: Road to Hades) - In Greek mythology, asphodel is a plant sacred to Persephone and grows in the Underworld. There is an entire field of aconite growing in the field, but anyone who steps off the path to enter will turn to stone. Odie solved the problem by putting the path's dirt into his shoe so technically he is still on the path.
  • The Underworld (seen in episode 1.1: Chaos 101, episode 1.4: Man's Worst Enemy and episode 1.19: Road to Hades, episode 2.8 Cold Day in Hades) - The ancient Greek realm of the dead, ruled over by Hades and his wife, Persephone. The three-headed dog Cerberus guards its gates, Campe guards its prisoners, Minos judges the entering souls, and Charon ferries the dead across the river, but only if you pay him with gold coins. The deepest area is Tartarus, where Cronos was imprisoned after his defeat at the hands of Zeus. Heroes reside in Elysium, the one place in the underworld that isn't dark and gloomy, but idyllic and peaceful instead. You must be dead in order to enter, although the heroes circumvent this rule by sneaking through the picture of the Seasons in Persephone's solarium. There are also other secret passages, but Chiron is adamant that they remain so. Asphodel grows plentifully, but wandering off the path that leads to it will turn you to stone. In the first episode of season 2 Cronus takes over the underworld and unleashes Thanatos on the heroes but is eventually defeated yet again.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Class of the Titans episodes

[edit] Mythological discrepancies

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  • Hercules' Greek name is Herakles ('the glory of Hera'), though most media tend to use his Latin one even if all of the other characters are Greek.
  • Despite Atlanta's link to the group as Artemis' many-times great-granddaughter, it is not known exactly how this is possible, as Artemis was a virgin and had no male consorts. As a goddess, Artemis also cannot be a heroine, given that she is neither mortal nor dead (by the mythological definition of "hero"). Atlanta's name may also be a pun or corruption of another of Greece's mythological heroines, Atalanta, who bears similar abilities. According to the shows press release [3], Atlanta does seem to have originally been a descendant of Atalanta, rather than Artemis. While in episode 1.1: Chaos 101 Hera declares Atlanta as the direct descendant of Artemis, Artemis never refers to her as if she is. Additionally, when Cronos calls the heroes by their ancestor's names, but instead of 'Artemis' he calls her 'Atalanta'. Polyphemus in episode 1.17: Eye for an Eye also refers to Atlanta as a young Atalanta. It is possible the writers, after the first episode, decided that it would make more sense to have her as a descendant of Atalanta rather than Artemis. Brad Goodchild, the director for 'Class of the Titans', has stated that the people behind the show were, in fact, thinking of Atalanta [4].
  • Odds are one of the shows creators mixed up the embodiment of time Chronos, the personification of Time, with Zeus' father Cronus, who actually is a Titan and was banished to the underworld, though the show seems to be referring to the latter due to references to him being the father of Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon. The mythological Chronos is neither a Titan, nor was he banished. And if Cronos is god of anything, it would most likely be the harvest.
  • Chiron, the centaur on the show who explains many of the mythological concepts to the heroes, was himself a famous trainer of heroes, even running a school that trained such classical heroes as Hercules, Achilles, Theseus, and Jason, and even some gods, such as Apollo. However, even though Chiron was immortal, he gave up his immortality when he could no longer endure the pain of one of Hercules' poisoned arrows during an incident when all of the other centaurs were driven mad by a bottle of divine wine Hercules had opened. Thus, he should be dead.
  • Hephaestus eats fried chicken and pickled herring, but in mythology, the gods eat only ambrosia and drink only nectar.
  • Apollo's lyre, which was invented by Hermes, was created out of a tortoise shell and the hide and horns of one of his cattle, not the gold that appears to be used in the show. (1.4: Man's Worst Enemy)
  • The Horae/Seasons are depicted as four maidens, one for each of the seasons. Traditionally, the Horae are depicted as three maidens: Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
  • The real Antikythera Device was probably a clockwork mechanism, while an astrolabe is an astronomical tool.
  • Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, was supposed to be beheaded by Perseus. Her head was then given to Athena as a gift, and she placed it on her aegis, which he then used to turn her enemies to stone. (1.9: Sibling Rivalry)
  • Spartoi warriors are not skeletal in appearance, but look like normal human beings. In addition to being featured in the myth about Jason and the Golden Fleece, they also made an appearance in the myth about Cadmus founding the city of Thebes. The five surviving Spartoi in that story were the ancestors of the five royal houses of Thebes. However, in the movie Jason and the Argonauts, the Spartoi warriors as depicted as living skeletons, which is where the show may have gotten the interpretation from. (1.11: Field of Nightmares)
  • Cronus assigned the task of guarding the cyclopes and Hecatoncheires to Campe after his usurpation and prior to the Titanomachy. When Zeus freed his uncles from Tartarus, he killed her. (1.12: Prisoner Campe)
  • In the Hope episode, Archie uses a spear that was once used by Achilles in the Trojan War. In the Iliad, Achilles does possess a spear, made by Chiron from the wood of an ash tree from Mount Pelion and given to Peleus at his and Thetis' wedding, that only he can use. It was also the spear that both wounded and healed Telephus. However, only Achilles could wield it, so Archie, though a direct descendant, should not have been able to use it. (1.13: Little Box of Horrors)
  • It is curious that in the show, it is Dionysus who discovers a cure for the virus released from Pandora's box. In Greek mythology, Dionysus' opposite is Apollo (ie. wildness vs control, irrationality vs rationality, etc.). Apollo also happens to be the god of healing and medicine, at least until his son, Asclepius, took over that domain.
  • It is also interesting that the show chooses to depict Apollo as middle-aged, pot-bellied, full-bearded, and with an Italian accent. While Apollo was also worshipped by the Romans under the same name, he is considered by mythology scholars to be the quintessential Greek god. He is also one of the gods that is depicted as eternally youthful and therefore beardless -- one of his epithets is 'of the unshorn' hair, a reference to prepubescent Greek boys receiving their first haircut upon reaching puberty. Likewise, the kouros statues supposedly represent Apollo.
  • Dionysus is also usually portrayed in Greek mythology as a young, beardless, and effeminate god whose most (arguably) intellectual pursuit was the theatre, compared with the balding, pot-bellied and bespectacled chemist in the show.
  • In the original Arachne myth, what also angered Athena was that the girl's weaving depicted the gods at their worst moments. Athena either turned her into a spider somewhat out of pity, as after having her work torn apart, Arachne went to hang herself or to punish Arachne's arrogance and impertinance. (1.14: Make-Up Exam)
  • Harpies are portrayed in mythology as having bird wings, not bat ones. However, in Jason and the Argonauts, the harpies are depicted as being bat-like. Also, their love for stealing food is probably a reference to the punishment of Phineas, a king of Thrace gifted with prophecy, but who revealed too much for the gods' liking.
  • Nymphs have a long lifespan, but they are not immortal. Calypso died from grief after Odysseus left her to return to Ithaca. (1.15: The Odie-sey)
  • Poseidon is not a merman. The way he is depicted on the show is more congruent with the physical appearance of Triton, one of his children. (1.16: Get Kraken) This depiction is modified slightly for episode 1.26: Time After Time.
  • Scylla is depicted on the show as sort of multi-headed worm and praying mantis hybrid sea monster, but in mythology, Scylla has the torso of a woman at one end and six dog heads on the other. Her appearance is reminiscent of her representation in the game Age of Mythology. She is also supposed to be situated directly across from Charybdis. (1.15: The Odie-sey).
  • The Kraken is a creature from Scandinavian folklore, not Greek mythology. However, the Clash of the Titans film calls the sea monster that Perseus rescues Andromeda from the Kraken. (1.16: Get Kraken)
  • Polyphemus the cyclops was not a blacksmith as portrayed in the show, but a shepherd like the other cyclopes on the island that he lived on. However, the original three cyclopes, who were the sons of Gaia and Uranus and therefore brothers of Cronus, were blacksmiths. They also sided with Zeus in the Titanomachy and forged his thunderbolts until they were killed by a vengeful Apollo in retaliation for the death of Asclepius. The show's interpretation of Polyphemus, a smith who wields thunderbolts, probably refers to those original three. According to the show, Polyphemus took up blacksmithing to redeem himself in the eyes of the gods. (1.17: Eye for an Eye)
  • The gods wanting to bring Jay back from the dead is actually very contrary to the nature of the gods in mythology. Resurrection of the dead is, in fact, one of the biggest taboos in the Olympian faith, as immortality is what separates gods from humans - Asclepius, before he became the God of Medicine, was struck dead by Zeus' thunderbolts when he brought Hippolytus, the son of Theseus, back to life. Hera herself warns Zeus to not prevent the death of his son, Sarpedon, during the Trojan War, as all the gods have favourites and chaos would ensue if all of them defied death for their chosen heroes. (1.19: Road to Hades)
  • Not putting a coin in Jay's mouth would not, as Hera thought, prevent him from dying or entering Hades. Souls who did not have coins with them were fated to wait outside of the gates of the Underworld, something that both Chiron and Persephone warn Hera of. We see an example of this in the Aeneid when the Sybil takes Aeneas there. (1.19: Road to Hades)
  • Contrary to the show, Cerberus is not at all friendly to those who are entering the Underworld alive. One of the heads is, in fact, supposed to consume such trespassers. If Cerberus really was welcoming to such visitors, then Orpheus would not have had to put it to sleep, nor would Aeneas have to have given it cakes so Cerberus would let him leave the underworld, etc. (1.19: Road to Hades)
  • One of the Fates is shown leading Jay to the Underworld. This is also contrary to Greek mythology and the Olympian faith. It's Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the god of boundaries (among many things), who is the psychopomp who leads departed souls to the Underworld. He is also the one god who is not affected by the presence of death. (1.19: Road to Hades)
  • While he is shown as the sole judge of souls, King Minos was actually one of three judges in Greek mythology, though he is the one with the deciding vote. Rhadamanthys, a brother of Minos, and Aeacus, the father of Peleus and grandfather of Achilles, were also judges of souls. (1.19: Road to Hades)
  • In Greek mythology, one of the reasons why death was so terrible was because in the Underworld, the spirits of the dead were mindless and wandering, with the exception of Teiresias. They would only gain presence of mind again temporarily if fed blood from a sacrifice, such as in the scene in the Odyssey when Odysseus visits the Underworld. As such, Jay should technically not have had the presence of mind to run and hide from Atropos as he did when his soul was separated from his body. (1.19: Road to Hades)
  • Several things mentioned during the Titanomachy in 1.26: Time After Time did not exist yet. Humans were created after the Titan War while Hera's peacocks (if they already existed) should not have eye-like designs on the tail feathers yet (those were placed in honour of Argus, Hera's hundred-eyed guard whom Hermes slayed to free Io) and the first winged horse was born only after the death of Medusa.
  • In 1.26 Time After Time, the Cyclops refer to Cronus as their half brother. Technically, he is their full brother because they share the same mother (Gaia, the earth) and father (Uranus, the sky)
  • Cyclops and giants are often portrayed in mythology as slow and stupid. Yet that does not sound anything like Cronus' brothers and Polyphemus.

[edit] Trivia

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  • In the original character group picture Atlanta and Odie are shown to be wearing white, while in the series Atlanta wears a blue shirt and Odie wears a red sweater (see up).
  • Cronus' weapon of choice are scythes. In mythology, Cronus castrated his father, Uranus, with a sickle at the urging of his mother, Gaia, to usurp him.
  • Since Odie is a descendant of Odysseus, he must also be directly descended from Hermes, Zeus, Atlas, Pleione, and Cronus. Hermes' son, Autolycus, was the grandfather of Odysseus. Hermes himself was the son of Zeus (and therefore a grandson of Cronus) and the nymph, Maia, who was the daughter of Atlas and Pleione.
  • Similarly, if Herry is a direct descendant of Hercules, then he is also descended from Zeus (because Zeus was the father of Hercules). In the same vein, Theresa and Archie are also of divine descent (Theseus is the son of Poseidon and Achilles is the son of the sea goddess Thetis).
  • It is somewhat odd that Athena is not a tutor to any of the teenage heroes. In mythology, she is the quintessential divine patron and champion of heroes, with some of her favourites including Hercules, Odysseus, Diomedes, and Perseus.
  • Archie's fear of water may not be entirely unfounded. Thetis, the mother of Achilles, is noted to have used one of two methods to give her son immortality: either she tried to burn away his mortal half, interrupted before she could finish the last bit of mortality where his heel was, or she dipped him into the River Styx, holding her son by the heel so he would not be swept away by the river's terrifying waters.
  • Likewise, Archie's wonky heel and needing to wear a leg brace is a throwback to Achilles' one vulnerable spot being his heel, which was not exposed to the waters of the Styx.
  • Cronus casting a spell on the reflecting pool to distract Neil with his own reflection and him later falling into the water is, of course, a reference to the myth of Narcissus where, either by his own vanity or a curse from the gods, he fell in love with his own reflection and fell into the pool of water in an attempt to embrace who he thought was another boy. In a different version of the myth, Narcissus wastes away into a flower, but the show only makes reference to the pool version. (1.3: Chaos 103)
  • Aphrodite has a bed shaped like a seashell in her room, a reference to how she is supposedly stood on a seashell as she rose from the sea during one version of her birth, most famously depicted in Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus painting. (1.3: Chaos 103)
  • Cerberus being tamed by cake is not necessarily a random joke. In the Aeneid, the Sybil guiding Aeneas to the Underworld puts Cerberus asleep by feeding him a drugged honey cake. Ancient Greeks and Romans, according to some sources, were also buried with a small cake in-hand for Cerberus in addition to coins for Charon. (1.4: Man's Worst Enemy)
  • When Theresa sees who is probably Jason in the Underworld, he is wearing a costume that looks much like what Jason in Jason and the Argonauts wears in the film and on the cover art. This reference was confirmed by the director [5]. (1.4: Man's Worst Enemy)
  • Promethian Fire Glowsticks are a reference to Prometheus stealing fire from the gods in a hollow reed (ie. a firestick). (1.10: Mazed and Confused)
  • Theresa's father owning a cattle ranching business is probably an ironic reference to Theseus' defeat of the Minotaur, which was half-man and half-bull and descended from a bull sent by Poseidon as a sign that Minos would become king of Crete. (1.10: Mazed and Confused)
  • Medea was engaged to Jason until he abandoned her in favour of another woman. She later marries Aegeus, father of Theseus. Theseus was raised away from his father (confusingly, Theseus refers to both Aegeus and Poseidon as his father, the men are not the same by any means) and Medea attempted to get rid of him so her own son by Aegeus would get the throne.
    However, depending on the source, she was supposedly also connected to several of the other heroes' ancestors. Some sources state that Hercules and Atalanta were members of Jason's Argonauts; as such Atalanta, when injured at Colchis, was healed by the sorceress while the same was done for Hercules in Thebes for the murder of Iphitus (after which Medea stayed in Thebes until the Thebans drove her out and later she married Aegeus in Athens). Odysseus' father Laertes is also often listed as being among the Argonauts. Medea also supposedly married Achilles in the Underworld. As a result Medelia is connected to nearly all the heroes' ancestors (Jason and Theseus for certain) with the exception of Narcissus. (1.11: Field of Nightmares)
  • Medelia's dragon pendant is possibly a reference to the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece. In the myth, Medea used her magic to put the dragon to sleep in order to help Jason on his quest. (1.11: Field of Nightmares)
  • What seem to be the ruins of the Argo are found, in the show, on a small deserted island. The final resting place of the ship is supposedly the Isthmus of Corinth, which is a landbridge. (1.11: Field of Nightmares)
  • The eagle that ate Prometheus' liver each day was eventually killed by Hercules. (1.12: Prisoner Campe)
  • In most versions of the myths, Hope was released, but the show has chosen the version where Pandora shut the box before releasing Hope, thus leaving her inside in Pandora's box. Also, in Hesiod's version of the Pandora myth, Hope can possibly be interpreted as an evil as it raises false hopes, so the show's interpretation of her as a cute little girl may not make the most sense in relation to mythology. (1.13: Little Box of Horrors)
  • In 1.14 Make-up Exam, Odie is shown to be the least capable archer amongst the heroes and struggles to string his bow. Ironically, his ancestor Odysseus was able to string a particularly stiff bow and fire an arrow through the sockets of twelve axes to reveal his true identity before the suitors of his wife, Penelope, upon his return to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
  • In episode 1.16: Get Kraken, Hephaestus makes a reference to Icarus and flying while playing Odie' virtual reality game. Icarus was the son of Daedalus, who built King Minos' labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur. When the two were imprisoned on an island at sea, Dedalus built wings from feathers and wax for the two of them to fly off the island. Icarus, however, flew too close to the sun. The wax on his wings melted, and he fell into the sea.
  • Also in episode 1.16: Get Kraken, Hephaestus can be seen sitting on a large statue of a Grecian sphinx. The most famous of such a sphinx is the one featured in the Theban Saga, who threw herself to her death when Oedipus solved her riddle.
  • Though not mentioned in the show, Polyphemus the cyclops is also, like Theseus and many others, a son of Poseidon. After Odysseus blinded him and revealed his name to the cyclops as he sailed away, Polyphemus prayed to his father to take vengeance on the hero. Though Odysseus was destined to return to Ithaca, Poseidon could (and did) prolong the journey. (1.17: Eye for an Eye)
  • In episode 1.19: Road to Hades, Atropos depicts a world rules by Cronus as a harsh hell-like existence. In classical mythology however, Cronus ruled over the Golden Age of the Ages of Man. That age was the peak of utopian existence for the world, and Romans celebrated that era with Saturnalia (Saturn being Cronus in Roman mythology). However, the Greeks also believed that man was progressing towards a worst world as time passes by. Thus, it may make sense that Cronus, ruling at the end of the Iron Age that the show would be taking place during, would be ruling a world fallen into a dystopic state.
  • Episode 1.22's title (They Might Be G.I.Ants) is a play on the name of the rock band, They Might Be Giants
  • Episode 1.23's title (Cronus' Flying Circus) is a play on "Monty Python's Flying Circus".
  • Episode 1.26's title (Time after Time) was also used for the 10th episode of the 1st season of the action comedy series Loonatics Unleashed where the Loonatics fought Time Skip who had the power to manipulate time by bringing it to a halt within the immediate vincity and resetting it at will.
  • The immortal that Echo angered with her non-stop chatter was Hera. Hera leaves out this detail when describing Echo to the heroes. (1.25: The Last Word).
  • It is very interesting to note that Kirby Morrow (Jay) and Kelly Sheridan (Theresa) have both played roles together in multiple different shows, most where they played characters who were romantically interested in each other. Such a case is similar to the relationship between Jay and Theresa.


[edit] References

  • Andrew Borkowski, TV Guide: "It's all Greek to me". Toronto: Transcontinental Media, January 21-27th, 2005.

[edit] External links