Mythology appears in many different forms in our daily lives.
Specifically, there are many books who base their plots and characters
off various mythological stories. Within these stories, are archetypes. I
took a closer look at the magic of mythology in work, and analyzed the
novel Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing.. Vanessa Cleveland, the
main character of Goddess of the Night, fits within the archetype of a
goddess, and in the novel, there are many references to mythology.
Goddess. A female god or deity, as defined by the dictionary. Despite
the very literal definition, there are many ways to interpret the
archetype of a goddess. Like the dictionary states, a goddess could
just simply be a female god. But as we take our magnifying glass, and
perhaps zoom into more depth, we see a plethora of varying
characteristics and features. A goddess can be a beautiful woman,
flowing in grace and charm. Her beauty could be untouchable,
unattainable, unachievable, something you can only dream of attaining
yourself, something you’d be lucky to see. Each characteristic about
them is unique, and something about them is mysteriously attracting.
Another take on the archetype of a goddess would be someone with power.
They have power in that they are courageous, strong-willed, and
determined. The goddess will continue to strive forward, and improve on
anything they need to in order to work towards their goal. They have
the power to change people, or things, and affect them in a way any
other normal being wouldn’t be able to. There are many characteristics
of a goddess archetype.
In the Goddess of the Night, Lynne Ewing writes about a 15 year old
girl named Vanessa Cleveland. However she’s not just an ordinary
teenager. Vanessa has the ability to turn invisible. Along with her
friend Catty Turner, who has the ability to travel through time, they
live with limitations and curiosity due to their powers. However, when
all of a sudden, Catty is taken away, Vanessa frantically looks for
her. After meeting Serena Killingsworth, she is taken to a retired
history teacher named Maggie Craven. Maggie tells her she’s a goddess,
and introduces her to a world of fighting evil: the Atrox, followers
along with her fellow goddess friends by her side. Vanessa is the
daughter of the moon goddess Selene, and together with the other
daughters, she faces dangers and evils in order to save her time
traveler best friend Catty.
The main character of the Goddess of the Night, Vanessa, fits the
archetype of a goddess. “‘Tu es dea, filia lunae. You are a goddess, a
Daughter of the Moon.’” (Ewing 167) Vanessa is told that she is,
literally, a goddess. She matches the archetype of a goddess extremely
well. Her beauty was radiant, with her flowing blond hair and bright
blue eyes. She was the type of girl who walked through the social
places with confidence, well aware that eyes were on her. In addition
to her beauty, she was determined and strong-minded. “She had to defy
Maggie. What if she waited and something happened to Catty?... That was
even more reason to go now and rescue her.” (Ewing 248) When her best
friend, Catty, was taken away, she was willing to put the danger behind
the importance of getting Catty back. She defied Maggie, her mentor,
and continued forward into dangerous events. She had set a goal, and
worked towards it, no matter what could have happened. In addition to
this, she had the unique power to expand her molecules and become
invisible. Her molecules would float in the air, like dust, and she
could will her particles to move with the wind and through the air.
Mythology plays a big part in the plot of the book, Goddess of the
Night. It’s based on the goddess of the moon Selene. In the beginning
of the book, the author starts the plot off with a prologue explaining
the story of Selene and Endymion, also including Zeus and Helios. The
main characters of the book are daughters of the goddess as well. The
evils from the book are empowered by the dark of the moon, the Nefandus
moon. In mythology, Nefandus was an evil vengeful god that was
unquestionably powerful. This shows the link between the evil power
source in the book, and the evil god in mythology. In addition, the
book mentions the story of Pandora. “‘When Pandora’s box was opened,
countless evils and sorrows were released into the world. But the last
thing to leave the box was hope,. the sole comfort to people during
misfortune. Only Selene... saw the demonic creature lurking nearby,
sent by the Atrox to devour hope... She... gave her daughters, like
guardian angels, to fight the Atrox and perpetuate hope.’” The mentor,
Maggie Craven, uses the story of Pandora’s box to explain the powers
and origin of Vanessa, during her time of panic and doubt. “‘You were
born with it,’ Maggie said.’You know ancient Greek as well.’” The
daughters of the moon are born with the knowledge of ancient Greek
because they have connections to the ancient Greek gods, as found in
Greek mythology. There were many allusions to Greek mythology found in
this book.
Along
with the archetype of a goddess, mythology was incorporated into the
novel, Goddess of the Night. A goddess is a girl who has beauty, charm
and grace. In addition she’s unique, courageous, strong-willed, and
powerful. In the novel Goddess of the Night, the main character Vanessa
Cleveland fits each characteristic of a goddess. She’s beautiful,
determined, and has the power to become invisible. Finally, various
aspects of mythology are found throughout the book. Specifically, the
myth of Selene and Endymion, Pandora, and the god Nefandus were
referenced. Greek mythology is found in many aspects of our lives
today, whether you notice it or not.
