WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE CHINESE MONKEY GOD MEETS THE NORSE GOD OF MISCHIEF?

I recently started reading Sherrilyn Kenyon, a paranormal romance author, who is well-known for her Dark-Hunter series of books. I don’t normally indulge in the paranormal subgenre, my favourite being historical romances set in the Middle Ages. However, recent authors such as Kenyon have “Tolkeinised” their novels so well that it is hard not to be caught up.

By that, I refer to the almost complete alternate worlds and characters that they have created, which have become so involved and detailed that it seems almost believable. One paranormal romance author, Christine Feehan, has gone so far as to start creating a language for her chosen race, the Carpathians. Not unlike Tolkein’s elvish.

Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series interests me mainly because it centers around the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon, a newly created Atlantis pantheon and various fantasy races – some based on existing mythology, others newly created. I enjoy her novel interpretations of the Greek mythology, especially with regards to the relevance of the Olympus gods in modern American society. I laughed my head off when one of the characters called Dionysus the “God of Drunken Frat Boys” - so appropriate!

The background story behind Kenyon’s series is the strife between the Greek pantheon and the Atlantis pantheon. In her writing, she has also made reference to interactions of the Greek pantheon and other pantheons. For example, one of the books made a reference to the goddess Ma’at, and some others mentioned Loki, the Norse god of Mischief. Her writing made me think of a celestial realm made up of various pantheons, which are capable of interacting with each other, warring and forming alliances etc. Kind of mirroring the human realm, really.

I was so fascinated that I stopped to do a little searching on the internet to see if such interactions actually happened in the real myths. There seems to be some reference to the Egyptian goddess Isis in the Greek myths apparently. This development was understood to happen during the Cleopatra’s sojourn in Greece. Interesting how political developments on earth gets mirrored in Olympus. But I couldn’t find anything else. Imagine how it would be in like in our current global village situation. How would Zeus deal with the Jade Emperor? Imagine the Chinese Monkey God meeting Loki. Who would prevail?

Anyway, in my search, I came across this online “encyclopedia” of the various pantheons – Godchecker.com. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of all the featured gods and goddesses, but the tongue in cheek writing makes for an extremely chuckle inducing read. I quote an excerpt from the introduction to the Greek pantheon:

Greek Mythology is a veritable blockbusting soap opera. What can ZEUS possibly get up to next - and with whom? How will HERA take her next revenge? Where will APHRODITE discard her nightie? Who has been barred from Olympus lately - and why? When is the next big punch-up? And will HERMES be sued for selling counterfeit sheep?

Indeed. Just what I have always thought. Hollywood should do a series on the Olympus gang. Which should be good for at least four or five seasons. An maybe an Emmy’s or two.