In the Beginning…

Three fates depicted in a drawing

   Introduction

Picture this: You’re 8 years old and buzzing with excitement, because in class today, your teacher told you that the book fair is next week. You rush home, showing the red book catalog to your mom or dad, and they say you can pick out one book to get. You fawn over the catalog, looking at every option twice, but you continuously go back to one book in particular. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief , it reads in bold letters. The cover has a boy holding a lightning bolt on it, and the description sounds awesome, so you tell your parents you want that one. This is an experience that most American teens share, and some even hold dearly, Bailey and I included. We’ve loved myths since the first Percy Jackson book came out. And so, when asked to come up with a research question, we were on the same page when it came to what to do.

    Our research centers around the main question: How is the theme of fate/destiny represented in myths from different cultures, and what is its significance? Fate is such a powerful concept, and we were curious to see how it was portrayed in different cultures. The theme of fate played such a huge role in mythology, shown in all-powerful, somewhat malevolent, trios of women or lone gods themselves. This topic is so interesting and relevant to research because myths are still being told today, they are included in media like movies and literature. As we all search to find our roots, the popularity of myths skyrockets, and the demand for stories increases. The author Neil Gaiman just released his rendition of a collection of Norse myths in his book Norse Mythology. The basis of Rick Riordan’s novels (including Percy Jackson) are multiple different mythologies, ranging from Greek and Roman, to Norse, and Egyptian. In the Disney movie, Hercules, the three Greek fates play a very important part in Hercules’ life. The results we got from this period of research were fascinating, and even surprising.