Our first glimpse of Nyx’s Otherworld is early in the first book, Marked, when Zoey freaks out after she’s been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and goes to her Grandma Redbird for help. Running from the spirits of her Cherokee ancestors because she’s certain death is closing in, she trips and hits her head, knocking herself unconscious. Her blood trickles into a crevice in the ground and a woman’s voice calls to her. Thinking it’s Grandma Redbird, she throws her spirit into the crevasse and finds herself in a cave with a small brook, where her blood mingles with the clear water. Unlike Odysseus, Zoey doesn’t purposely visit the cave; she has no idea this is part of the Otherworld, and while, yes, she was in search of counsel from her wise grandmother, it was never her intent to ask advice of someone in the spirit world. But there is a parallel between the cave at Taenarum and the cave where Zoey first meets Nyx. They are both portals to the other side, the land of gods, goddesses, and the shades of the dead. And they are both accessed by blood. Caves play a large part in Underworld myths, no doubt because ancient Greeks saw them as openings to what lies below.
To the Greeks, the concept of the Underworld was very literal—a world under the ground. When people died, their spirits were escorted down a long, winding path into the Earth until they came to the river Acheron and paid the ferryman, Charon, to take them across to the Underworld. Homer describes the descent in the Odyssey:
down the dank moldering paths and past the Ocean’s streams they went
and past the White Rock and the Sun’s Western Gates and past
the Land of Dreams, and soon they reached the fields of asphodel
where the dead, the burnt-out wraiths of mortals make their home . . .
Nyx’s Otherworld is more esoteric, not a physical place, but within another realm. To visit the Otherworld, a mortal can’t simply find a portal and begin the descent into the Earth, as they could in Greek mythology. Entrance to Nyx’s Otherworld requires separation of the spirit from the body. Also, Grandma Redbird, in Untamed, uses the word “fall” to describe Kalona being cast out of the Otherworld, which implies that if the Otherworld is located anywhere, it’s up, not down.
What else do we know of the Greek Underworld? It was a vast place, sectioned into three different areas that segregated its inhabitants. The Asphodel Meadows were for ordinary souls who were neither super good, nor über bad, Tartarus was reserved for those who deserved punishment, and Elysium welcomed the heroes and the virtuous. Elysium is depicted as a bright, blissful, verdant place of never-ending day. As described in Homer’s Odyssey, “There indeed men live unlaborious days. Snow and tempest and thunderstorms never enter there, but for men’s refreshment Okeanos sends out continually the high-singing breezes of the west.” Within Elysium, the Elysian Fields were home to the virtuous, while the Islands of the Blessed were the afterlife realm of heroes. According to Hesiod’s Works and Days, “They live untouched by sorrow in the Islands of the Blessed along the shore of deep swirling Okeanos, happy heroes for whom the grain-giving earth bears honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year.” Elysium, then, is Paradise, perhaps on par with what modern Christians and Muslims think of as Heaven.
Contrast this with what we learn of Nyx’s Otherworld. Following Zoey’s encounter with Nyx in the cave in Marked, we don’t see anything more of the Otherworld until the end of Tempted. After Zoey witnesses Heath’s murder at the hands of Kalona and attempts to strike back, her soul shatters, she falls into a coma, and her spirit awakens in the Otherworld. Like Elysium, Nyx’s Otherworld—at least, what we’ve seen of it by the end of the seventh book—is a place of breathtaking beauty, a tranquil, pastoral Eden. Zoey is alive when she visits the other side, just like Greek heroes of old, but her journey is different. To begin with, she didn’t travel there on purpose. But the key difference is that, while Zoey’s spirit visits the Otherworld, her physical body does not. In all Greek myths, heroes who travel to the Underworld do so as flesh and blood mortals. The danger they face is death: traveling to the Underworld means they risk getting stuck there for good.
We learn in the next book, Burned, that the danger Zoey faces is also death if her spirit is away from her body for too long. But, far worse, if she can’t pull the pieces of her soul together, she’ll become a Caoinic Shi’, one who’s neither dead nor alive, doomed to restlessness for eternity. (Caoinic Shi’ is not from Greek mythology, but according to P.C., is based on Gaelic words that roughly translate to “fairylike” or “ghostly.”)
When Zoey awakens in the Otherworld, she has no clue where she is, and at first, she doesn’t care. She’s at peace, even euphoric, with no memory of what happened, and walks through a beautiful meadow, then into a grove of rowan and hawthorn. To enter Elysium, souls had to cross the river Lethe, known as the river of forgetfulness. They were made to drink the water and forget their mortal life. Zoey doesn’t drink anything, but like those Greek souls, she doesn’t remember who she is, or how she came to be there. Initially, her presence in the Otherworld seems like a good thing—she’s happy and safely beyond Neferet and Kalona’s reach. But because she’s not dead, her spirit can’t remain at peace for eternity. As soon as she sees Heath, she realizes this is the Otherworld and that he is there because he’s dead, which she believes is her fault. Her euphoria disappears, her memory returns, and she’s heartbroken all over again. The return of her memory also brings out the wraithlike figures that represent the shattered pieces of her soul, and her recognition of them is Heath’s—and our—first clue that Zoey has a serious problem.
Back in the real world, James Stark is attempting to cross the boundary between this side and the other to save her. Echoing the myth of the cave at Taenarum, where Odysseus let the blood of a ram and a ewe trickle into the Underworld, Stark’s blood drips into narrow trenches that disappear into the Earth, putting the Otherworld on notice that a living mortal wishes to visit. As soon as his spirit leaves his body, he faces his first obstacle: the Black Bull. Sure, the Black Bull is kind and good, Light embodied, but in a show of ultimate tough love, the bull forces Stark to prove his determination.
There are some fascinating parallels between Heracles, the greatest hero of Greek myth—or Hercules, as he was known in Roman mythology—and Stark. Heracles was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, and Zeus’ wife, Hera, was insanely jealous of her husband’s lovers and their offspring. She caused trouble for the boy from the moment of his birth. Heracles managed to overcome Hera’s nasty plots against him until she made him temporarily mad, and in his delusion, he killed his wife and children. When he was himself again, he was horrified by what he’d done and sought atonement. He was given twelve labors to complete, most of them completely impossible, yet he managed to accomplish each one. The last of Heracles’ twelve labors was to kidnap the three-headed beast Cerberus from the Underworld. Before he descended, he took part in the Eleusinian Mysteries, an initiation rite celebrated in Ancient Greece that was believed to unite the worshipper with the gods and assure them passage to the Elysian Fields when they died. No one knows for sure what was done during the Eleusinian Mysteries, because initiates were sworn to secrecy and, incredibly, no one ever told, but what is known is that visions were involved. When Heracles was done with his initiation, he began his journey to the Underworld and was able to capture Cerebrus, completing his twelve labors.
Stark’s journey follows a similar path. From the time Stark proved himself to be a prodigy archer, Neferet caused him grief, manipulating circumstances so that he would ultimately wind up at the Tulsa House of Night. After causing his untimely death, Neferet brings Stark back as a red fledgling, then commands him to use his gift of always hitting his target to shoot an arrow through Stevie Ray’s heart, which results in the resurrection of Kalona. Still held in the grip of darkness, Stark doesn’t want penitence. Not until he chooses Light and pledges himself Zoey’s Warrior does he feel remorse. Later, when Heath is murdered and Zoey is seemingly lost to the Otherworld, Stark can’t blame the hold of darkness for his fai
lure to protect Zoey, but instead has to face the reality that his jealousy and pride left her at risk. Like Heracles, he was temporarily driven mad by a higher power and now wants atonement, and just like Heracles, his task seems impossible. When Stark confronts a vision of himself, his dark side, he must conquer it before he can continue on his quest. Like Heracles becoming an initiate of the Eleusinian Mysteries to make himself ready for and worthy of entrance to the Underworld, Stark has to become a Shaman before he can be Zoey’s Guardian and gain entrance to the Otherworld.
Once Stark finally arrives, he finds Heath and Zoey within the sacred grove, a place where darkness can’t enter, a safe haven where the spirit can rest. The concept of a sacred grove isn’t tied to the Underworld in Greek myth, but to the reality of the living. In varying cultures, certain areas of land were set apart as the domain of gods or kings, or for other holy purposes. In Ancient Greece, there were several sacred groves, including a grove of oak trees close to Olympus that was considered sacred to Zeus.
Will Heath Return?
When Heath says good-bye to Zoey in the Otherworld, he tells her he’ll find her again, in his next life. According to the Elysium myth, an ordinary human, one who is virtuous but not heroic, could join the realm of heroes in the Islands of the Blessed if he could return to Elysium three times. And if he lived three lives worthy of returning to Elysium, he’d remain there for eternity. Reincarnation was definitely part of Greek mythology, and it seems to be part of the House of Night’s as well. Heath will live again, another life, just as the ancients did. (I’d be okay with the Casts carrying on the series for a few more of Heath’s lifetimes!)
Heath isn’t happy to hear what Stark has to say, but he understands what he has to do to save the girl he’s loved his whole life. After Heath departs, Stark begins what may be the most difficult part of his task, which is convincing Zoey to pull the pieces of her soul together so they can return to the land of the living. He realizes a crucial element in his quest to save Zoey is confronting Kalona. Heracles, after his descent to the Underworld, asked the god Hades for permission to take Cerberus. Hades agreed, on the condition that Heracles subdue Cerebus without any weapons. Stark faces Kalona with no weapon except honor and his determination to protect and champion his High Priestess. Heracles overpowers the hound of Hell through brute force, but Stark is no match for Kalona, and he dies. Why the difference, when so much of their quests parallel one another? I see Stark’s sacrifice of his life for Zoey’s as his atonement, not only for failing to protect her, but for all the wrongs he’s done since becoming a red fledgling. Before he calls out Kalona, he tells Zoey his intent and she panics. “But you can’t! You can’t beat Kalona!” she tells him, and he replies, “You’re probably right, Z. I can’t. But you can” (Burned). He knows if Kalona kills him, Zoey will pull the pieces of her soul together and do what she must to defeat Kalona and Neferet. For Zoey, for humanity, for his honor, he challenges Kalona, knowing he’s bound to die. He is truly a Guardian Shaman.
Heracles didn’t die in the Underworld, but later in life he was accidentally almost killed by his second wife, who didn’t realize the love potion she spread across his cloak was actually poison. Because he completed all of his appointed labors, then went on to perform even greater heroic deeds, Heracles was saved from death and made an immortal god, instead of dying like other mortals and packing it in for the Underworld. After Stark dies in the deep pit carved by Kalona’s wings, Zoey demands that Kalona give him life again, and Nyx backs her up because Stark has fulfilled his quest so nobly and earned the right to live. Kalona gives Stark a part of his immortality, which brings him back from death, and to heal, Stark drinks from Zoey, forging a bond that will last eternally. Stark doesn’t become a god, as Heracles did, but his experience has changed him into something he never dreamed he could be—Guardian, bonded by blood and oath to a High Priestess. I tend to think Stark appreciates this more than he would have appreciated becoming a god.
The similarities between the Underworld of Greek myth and Nyx’s Otherworld are intriguing, but all we’ve seen thus far is something that resembles Elysium, the beautiful, serene realm of the virtuous and heroic. For now, only the Casts know if there are other, less pleasant areas on the other side. We do get a small hint from Nyx herself in Burned, when she reveals her Otherworld to Aphrodite in a vision. Aphrodite sees the spirits of people dancing and laughing, and asks if this is where we go after we die. Nyx replies, “Sometimes.” Alarmed, Aphrodite asks what she means, if people can only go there if they’re good, and Nyx says, “I am your Goddess, daughter, not your judge. Good is a multifaceted ideal.” Moments later, after Aphrodite has seen what will happen if Zoey dies and says they can’t let that happen, Nyx replies, “Then Heath must move on from my realm of the Otherworld.” Her realm? Does this mean there are other realms of the Otherworld that are not hers? Within the Underworld, Hades is god of all, but each of the separate realms are ruled by lesser gods. We don’t yet know if the Otherworld has other realms or other gods, and we may never find out. Either way, I can’t wait to see what P.C. and Kristin have in store for us as the House of Night series continues.
Since she was a teen, TRINITY FAEGEN has been fascinated by the afterlife, probably because she read Paradise Lost while she was on pain meds after getting her wisdom teeth removed. She found an outlet for her curiosity about Hell by researching what other people imagined, then making up her own mythology in The Mephisto Covenant, a young adult novel to be released by Egmont USA in Fall 2011. Trinity lives in the outback of west Texas with her husband and a mean cat.
{ The Elements of Life }
Bryan Lankford
GOOD EVENING! It’s good to see this many humans who are interested in vampyre culture. As it has been many years since I’ve spoken to a group this large who were not vampyres, I beg your indulgence if I misspeak somewhere along the line. Tonight we are going to be discussing rituals and the elements as they are used in vampyre worship.
Many of you have read about vampyre rituals in Zoey’s chronicles, but it may surprise you to know that our form of worship is not confined exclusively to the vampyre community. There are in fact many human groups who think and worship in a very similar fashion to vampyres. Human groups such as Wiccans, Pagans, Shamans, and witches all over the earth live and worship in a manner similar to us. They do not all worship our Goddess Nyx, nor do they use blood in ritual, but they do honor one, some, or all of the different variations of the Goddess and God in the diverse pantheons of deities throughout the history of mankind. These human groups also honor the elements of creation and worship in Circles as we do.
Ah . . . I’ve sparked an interest; you didn’t realize that some humans worshipped as vampyres do. Well, the ancient practices never truly die: they just shift, form, and evolve as they travel through the corridors of time. However, as I see your curiosity about the human practices, I’ll also share with you Wiccan traditions as we discuss vampyre practices, because they do overlap a great deal.
Now the first thing you’re going to have to do if you’re going to see the world as a vampyre or as a Wiccan is to grasp how both groups think. This may be difficult for many of you, because vampyres and Wiccans live in a very different world from the one most of you inhabit. Oh wait; I’m sensing a disturbance in the force. (What, you thought that Erik was the only vampyre who likes the Star Wars movies?) There is that explosion of protest again. I’m guessing that you’re wondering how we could live in different worlds when we all inhabit the same planet? Well, in the world you inhabit do people choose their worship times by the phase of the moon and revere the changing seasons as sacred times of the year? Do you see your world as flowing with divine energy that can be gathered, focused, and directed to perform magic? In vampyre and Wiccan worlds they do, although, being human, Wiccans lack many of the more dramatic sensory elements, like lights and smells, that are present in vampyre magic. However, I have heard Wiccans have the feelings associated with magic and it
is nonetheless effective to guide them, and heal the mind, body, or soul.
The point is that although we share the same planet, the worlds we inhabit, which are shaped and colored by our perceptions, are very different. If you’re going to understand how vampyres and Wiccans—
Ugh. Saying vampyre and Wiccan is already becoming tedious, and I do so dislike tedious things. Therefore, from this point forward I’m just going to say “children of the earth” when I’m referring to both groups.
Where was I? Ah, yes—if you’re going to understand how the children of the earth think, then the first thing you have to do is quit taking everything so literally. The language used by the children of the earth, especially when speaking about religious topics, tends to be both symbolic and metaphoric rather than concrete and literal. For those of you who need a refresher: a symbol is something that is used to stand in the place of an idea or concept. For example, an eagle might be used to represent liberty or a lion might represent courage. A baby could be used to show innocence, or an owl wisdom, and the American flag stands for all the values of being American. A metaphor, however, is a comparison between two very different things where the comparison is stated as if one were the other. For example, if you were to come stomping down the stairs in your PJs, eyes half closed and disheveled from sleep, proceed to growl at your sister to get out of your chair, and then snatch up the cereal box and start to shake it into a bowl as if she were personally responsible for that embarrassing encounter with that really cute new student when you were trying to act cool in the chemistry lab but forgot that you still had your lab goggles still plastered to your forehead and . . . oh, sorry, I digress. I spend way too much time around teens. Well anyway, if your father peered across the table and asked, “Why are you such a bear this morning?” he would be using a metaphor. There would be no need to shave a suddenly hairy face or to trim your claws. You would not actually be a bear, you would just be playing one at breakfast.
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