Topic Research: Divine Brothers - Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto

Last week, I brainstormed potential topics for this semester's Storybook. One topic in which I am particularly interested is exploring the "experiences of the individuals responsible for creating natural phenomena," inspired by Shel Silverstein's Somebody Has To. Feedback on that branch of brainstorming has led me to a somewhat different, but still related topic. In researching mythological explantations for weather patterns and other natural systems, I naturally found stories of traditional Greek and Roman deities, who are said to be responsible for the behaviors of the sun and moon, wind and sea.

While Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades may be the more familiar identities of these three brothers, I prefer to recognize them as Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. I intend for my stories to take place primarily in space, which each of the gods ruling over his own planetary kingdom, along with his share of Earth. As I write, my preferences for their Roman interpretations will become more apparent, with some storylines inspired by the Roman poet Ovid and his Metamorphoses.

Caravaggio's Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto

I intend to devote a story to each of the three brothers, with the main conflict of the story pertaining to his domain on Earth. In each episode, the god will be motivated by a conflict he witnesses related to the earth/underworld, sea, and sky, respectively. All three of the gods will be featured in all three of the stories, however. For example, Pluto's portion may be about the destruction of natural resources, or humanity's fear (or lack thereof) regarding death. Neptune's story might center around rising sea levels, or focus on his role as a god of horses. Jupiter's chapter could give explanation for recent storms, or denounce high levels of air pollution. While environmental stewardship could be a theme that unites the three stories, I will continue to research possible options, and how to connect them into a cohesive unit.

Week 3 Story: The Astrologer's Revenge

The Astrologer woke up in a cold sweat. For the fourth time this week, he'd dreamt of that terrible night.
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It had started out wonderfully. The Astrologer was doing his favorite thing, admiring the stars, and imagining the future they may hold. One constellation seemed to promise him a deep and passionate love, while another predicted that the next months would hold pleasant surprises.

Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night

As he scanned the sky from east to west, he noticed a troubling grouping of stars. They seemed to be telling him that the end was coming, but were not specific as to what end.

Suddenly, his feet fell through the ground. His mouth and nose filled with dirty water, and he sputtered as he struggled to catch his breath.

Sometimes, The Astrologer woke up after this point of the nightmare. On worse nights, it went on. He could handle having fallen, but the rescue was so much worse. The nearby villagers kindly pulled him from the sinkhole, but then began to berate his dreaming. They criticized his precious stars, claiming that they were millions of miles away, and unconcerned with The Astrologer. The villagers insisted that he should turn from the stars, and give his attention to the immediate.
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He'd dreamt of that night so many times, and now, he was ready the break the cycle. Despite the early hour, The Astrologer got out of bed and sought the stars.

He furiously studied the constellation he'd noticed that fateful night. He refused to believe that the end the stars had promised much be the end of his dreaming. He considered the relation of the constellation to the village, and collected information on the lives of the villagers.

Three sleepless days later, he believed he had cracked the stars' code. An end was coming, and it did not bode well for the villagers...
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The stars seemed to warn of an upcoming storm. It would be fearsome, full of powerful lightning and roaring thunder, and would take place directly over the village. Based on his reading of the stars, The Astrologer knew the village would not survive.

Even after all that had happened in the past weeks, his decision was easy. The Astrologer raced to the village square, warning everyone he saw that a storm was brewing, and it was time to evacuate. Many scoffed at his claims, while others broke into panic. Eventually, a town meeting was called.

The Astrologer maintained his claims, asserting that the village would shortly be destroyed by a great storm. Some seemed to believe him, but unfortunately, his rescuers were in power, and testified against The Astrologer's sanity. Ultimately, he was declared unreliable, and his warnings were ignored.

He left the village hurt and dismayed, but he knew he had tried his hardest to save them. That night, the stars, seeing The Astrologer's disappointment, sent a storm which leveled the village, without harming the villagers. The next morning, a search party found The Astrologer taking shelter in the hole he had once despised. The immediately brought him home, where he was given a place of honor and leadership as the village rebuilt beneath a starry sky.


Author's Note: "The Astrologer's Revenge" is a sequel to Aesop's The Astrologer, from the book The Aesop for Children. In the original fable, the Astrologer falls into a hole while admiring the stars, and is criticized for caring more about the distant future than the immediate present. After reading, I began to wonder how the Astrologer must have felt, and questioned if the stars would ever align for him.

Reading Notes: Aesop's Winter Unit

Once again, I adored this week's reading from Aesop's fables! There were two specific fables from this collection the I especially enjoyed, and have shared my notes on them below. Before reading further, you should preview the two stories: The Wolf and the Shepherd and The Astrologer.

A wolf and a shepherd can't be friends, right? 

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The Wolf and the Shepherd

In this story, a wise and patient wolf seems to make a plan. He begins stalking a herd of sheep. At first, the shepherd is worried, as he should be. But, the wolf watches and waits. Slowly, slowly he gains the shepherd's trust. Over the course of several days, it seems to the shepherd that the wolf is not attempting to harm the sheep, but is the shepherd's ally in their care. The wolf gains the shepherd's trust and appreciation. Soon, the shepherd opts to leave the sheep alone with the wolf, but only for a few hours. Nevertheless, he returned to find much of his sheep slaughtered, and regretted that he had ever trusted the wolf.

A wise wizard once said, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." - J.K Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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The Astrologer 

The Astrologer loved to look at the stars, for he believed that if man took the time to learn their patterns, the stars would show him the future. It was a normal, starry night when the man began to sense that the stars were claiming the world's demise. With intense focus, the man studied the sky, and was shocked when the earth seemed to fall from under him. Suddenly, he found himself deep in mud, unable to climb from the hole into which he had fallen. His cries for help brought forth a group of peers who willingly rescued him. However, they were quick to remind him of his own faults, asserting that he should pay attention to the immediate, and leave the heavens to their own devices. 

I think the aspect of these stories that drew me was the naivety of their main characters. Both the shepherd and the Astrologer believe in qualities that are not present in the reality of their situations. In the realm of myth and folklore, I think that dreamers are invaluable characters - exact the type who should populate stories of high fantasy, where ghosts, demons, and talking animals have domain.