Mythology and The Goddess of Night

    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.