Wizards, Vampires and Demigods

The last decade of last century saw big breakthroughs in information technology. With everything happening online; it was a forgone conclusion that books are going to be outdated very soon. As it is, already fewer and fewer children were reading extra- curricular books. However, everything changed by the turn of the century. A boy wizard made children and some grown ups rushing to book stores. The release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone in 1997 was a big event in the history of books. With a mix of cutting edge new millennium art of publicity and a great talent of story telling Harry Potter became one of the biggest phenomena of all time.

The success of Harry Potter followed by some more successful series for young adults, recruiting more and more children and young adults to reading. There are two significant book series among those: The Twilight series and the Percy Jackson series. The first books of both the series released in the year 2005.

Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling no doubt is the trailblazer. It’s popular among kids and some grown ups like me. In fact, as a bookworm I am very proud to witness the midnight book release frenzy; anticipation and predictions before release of each book; and the rise of a popular culture.

After interacting with young people in internet (read Facebook!) I got the idea that the Twilight series is chiefly popular among young girls and very few boys. I may be wrong of course due to the small sample size! Twilight series has made Vampire one of the most popular icons of the 21^st century figuring in Movies, TV shows, fashion, music everywhere.

Frankly speaking, I had never heard about Percy Jackson books till its movie came out. Hence I have no idea the kind of frenzy it created during book releases. I checked in the net, the books from the series have won many awards and they figure in the bestseller list for young adults. This series has made Greek mythology fun and more accessible to young people.

The first Harry Potter book was written at a café by a homeless and single mom J. K. Rowling, who was surviving on state welfare support. Harry Potter is the boy wizard. His parents were killed by the dark lord Voldamort when he was just one year old, however, Voldamort could not kill child Harry. In fact, when he tried to kill him, Voldamort himself became powerless and his body just vanished. The series tells the story of good Harry versus evil Voldamort.

Twilight series is written by Stephenie Meyer. The series tells the love story of two people from entirely different world: Edward Cullen the immortal vampire and Bella Swan the mortal human.

Percy Jackson books started as a story woven by a Greek mythology teacher Rick Riordin to his son who had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Percy is a Demigod, son of a Greek God and human mother. The series uses all the characters and motifs from Greek mythology to show the struggle between good Percy with the evil monsters and Titans.

Beneath the surface, all the three bestselling series have many common motifs and features.

For starter, the no brainer, they are all turned into blockbuster movies.

Meyer had never even written a short story before ‘Twilight’. Rowling didn’t have any published work before ‘Sorcerer’s stone’. When she was a kid she wrote some fantasy stories. Riordin had written ‘Tres Navarre’ series but it was for adults. Percy Jackson was his first try at children’s literature. Such huge success for first timers, gives rays of hope to wannabes like me all over the world.

All three books deal with supernatural and the characters are drawn from mythologies and folklores of pre-Christian Europe. Harry Potter series has wizards, witches, werewolves, hippogriff, giants and so on; Twilight saga has vampires and werewolves; Percy Jackson series has God, Demigods, Titans, animals, tree and other characters from Greek mythology.

The chief characters in these books are not normal human beings. Harry is a wizard. In Twilight, Edward Cullen is a vampire, Bella Swan is a human with special power of closing her mind and Jacob is a werewolf. Percy is a Demigod.

In real world, among human beings, the main characters are considered to be misfit or some sort of freak. Harry was raised as a poor freak relation by his aunt’s family. Percy was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia because his mind was made to read ancient Greek and fight in battlefield. Although classmates were in awe of Cullen family, because of their beauty, brain and money still they knew they were freak. Bella was an accident-prone girl with low self-esteem.

The magical community, the vampire community, the werewolf community, the Greek mythology people keep their identity a closely guarded secret. They go through lots of pain and effort to keep themselves and their activities secret from normal human beings. About Vampire and werewolf one can understand because people will lynch them but the paranoia of magical people and Greek mythology people is a bit difficult to understand. In fact, sometimes they give much more effort to hide their track than to fight the dark power!

The main heroes of all three books have golden hearts. They are never for misusing their power to hurt harmless people. They are very loyal, heroic, always taking risks sometimes even quite unnecessarily.

All the three series tell us the stories from single person perspective. Percy Jackson’s books are written in first person, Percy telling his own story. Twilight books are written in first-person too; primarily through Bella and partly through Jacob. There’s a book in the pipeline, told by Edward Cullen. The Harry Potter stories are not written in first person, however they are written so completely from the perspective of Harry that it might as well be Harry telling himself his story. In the whole series as far as I remember there were only two chapters where Harry was absent; First chapters of Sorcerer’s Stone and half Blood Prince.

Out of these three series, twilight series is different from the other two series. Twilight caters more towards young audience rather than young adults. In addition it deals with the dynamics of the relation between Vampire and human beings; whereas in Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series normal human beings known as muggles and mortals respectively; play non-significant roles. In the broader frame of the story, in fact, human does not figure at all. The main theme of twilight is romance, in other two series romance is there but the main theme is struggle of main protagonist with the dark forces.

After reading the first Percy Jackson book, ‘The Lightning Thief’ I thought it’s a spoof of Harry Potter. But when I googled it I found it’s an independent and serious book which has won many awards. In fact although the book was published in 2005, Rick Riordan finished writing the manuscript in 1994 and first accepted by a publishing company in 1997. There were many changes after that till the day it was published.

Some of the changes have definite mark of Potter. May be it is just his way of paying respect to one of the most influential children’s book or just plain ‘borrowing’. I would like to think it is the former because in the chapter ‘I settle my tab’ he had written something which is an obvious reference to Harry Potter.

 “He (the guard) was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. I wasn’t much into fantasy but the book must’ve been good, because the guard took a while to look up”

Both Harry and Percy spend more than a decade of their life without knowing their true identity and power. Even while being unaware each of them did one major deed. Harry talked to a snake and then made it free. Percy killed his algebra teacher who was actually a fury.

Both Harry and Percy went to special school for their kind. Harry went to ‘Hogwart school of witchcraft and wizadry’ and Percy went to ‘Camp half-blood’.

Before joining there special schools they were already famous among their peers. Harry, for surviving Voldamort’s curse and in the way almost finishing him. Percy, for killing a minotaur and whispers of his being son of the powerful Poseidon who can stop the impending war of Gods.

While fighting with dark forces they had to struggle at their schools too. There were hostile teachers: Severus Snape and Mr. D and bully students: Draco Malfoy and Clarisse respectively.

Till he comes of age Harry had to go back to his tormentor aunt and her family, just so that his mother Lily’s charm will keep on working and hence Harry would remain protected. Likewise till his step dad, whom he completely despises, was around Percy had to go back to him every summer. Because he stinks a lot and the stink brushes on Percy for the whole year, thus keeping off the monsters from smelling Percy. Okay I accept, this part might be sounding more like a spoof!

The weapon/instrument of a wizard is a wand whereas that of a demigod is a sword. In both the series it’s mentioned that instruments choose the master. With not so suitable instrument the master can do his/her stuffs but the affect won’t be the same. They can optimize their power only if they use the instrument destined for them. When they hold the instrument they can feel ‘I belong to this’. In Sorcerer’s Stone book, chapter ‘Diagon Ally’ it’s written –

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers.

In Lightning Thief chapter ‘I ruin a perfectly good bus’ it’s written –

I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.

The main characters always get nightmares about the things happening or about to happen. This mainly happen because although they are good they have a connection with evil forces too. The nightmares happen because the evil is trying to control their mind and thoughts.

Harry and Percy both had choice to join the dark forces and be very powerful. Still they chose to be with good where there is no guarantee of reward plus a risk to lose their life.

Both Harry and Percy are victims of malicious campaign by media. They were hence misunderstood and sometimes brooding heroes.

Some lines in both the books are almost identical. To give an instance here in ‘the Sorcerer’s Stone’ chapter ‘The Potion Master’

He (Prof Snape) paused at Harry’s name. ‘Ah yes’, he said softly, ‘Harry Potter our new – celebrity’

In the book ‘the Lightening Thief’, chapter ‘I am offered a quest’

‘Well well’, Mr. D said without looking up ‘our little celebrity’

Hence, almost the same reaction by seemingly hostile teachers, when they met our heroes formally for the first time.

There are three spearheads in both the books. The leader and executor are Harry and Percy; the brain is always a girl - Hermione and Annabeth respectively; lastly a very loyal friend who does not seem to be good for anything but rises to occasions – Ron and Grover respectively.

Although the wizard and Greek authorities take lots of precaution not to get exposed still sometimes some supernatural stuffs happen in broad day light, in front of a crowd, which are not possible to cover up. However, even if the authorities fail they bank on the non-believing nature of human beings for cover not being blown away. The special kinds in both the series are of the opinion, human beings don’t want to believe in supernatural stuffs so they will go to any extend to explain any thing out of ordinary with their believable parameters.

The main places of both Greek gods and wizard world are at some important human street, city and landmark. For example the main market of wizards, Diagon Ally can be reached though a pub for wizards, Leaky Cauldron. And this pub is on a busy London Street. The underworld of Percy Jackson is a recording studio in Los Angeles. To catch the train to Hogwarts young witches and wizards have to go to platform no. nine and three quarters in London’s King’s Cross station. This ‘fractional’ platform can be reached by walking straight at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Mountain Olympus of Greek mythology, is at the 600^th floor of Empire State Building, New York. A special key inserted in the security slot of the elevator can take one there.

Three headed dog guarding the gates of Hades, Cerberus is present in both the series. In Percy Jackson series in it’s original form. In Harry Potter series as the three headed dog Fluffy as the guard of Sorcerer’s stone.

I love reading and re-reading the books. However, every time few questions popped in my head, which have remained unresolved till now.

Even if there is a system to hide the activities of wizards and Gods, I can’t understand how they manage to hide all these magical creatures and plants. Some of them are smart but some of them are not and some of them like the plants don’t have brain at all. Would not it be impossible to hide away so many creatures? In fact, in the books there are mentions of covering up incidents and objects but never any mention of covering up of plants and creatures.

In both the books, some tasks considered huge even by experienced adults, are accomplished with childlike simplicity by, well children!

How can all these adult characters in the books sit back comfortably expecting a young teenager to save the world. Be it Harry and Hermione finding Horcruxes or Percy finding the lightening. Even the greatest demigod Hercules was fully grown young man before going for his tasks. I guess that’s why these are called fantasy of children!

Children who were unaware about their identity and then suddenly they get to know that they are wizard or demigod. How will all of a sudden they will get to know their new world’s systems, technology, culture etc.? Should not be there some orientation programme or leaflet for these newbies? So you have just found out you are a wizard/demigod; not to worry our leaflet will help you….

Harry and Percy were all wide eyed walking in the darkness because they had absolutely no idea what is happening and what would happen next. They made some mistakes too because they were not aware of the ways of their new world. At least Percy is better off because Chiron joined in his school as his Greek mythology teacher and taught him the stories (or in this case histories) of Greek mythology thoroughly. Still Percy was unaware of the ways of his new world. Dumbledore thought of Hagrid to tell Harry about his new school and new life. Hagrid may be very loyal but he is a mumbling blunderer who even did not tell Harry how to reach platform 9 and 3/4. By fluke he met the Wisleay family or he would have been roaming in King’s cross station till now. May be reaching in the completely strange land enhances the fairy tale quality of these stories.

Besides these questions, in general we love these books for their beautiful story telling style, wit, humour and above all the help in renewal of interest in books. Harry Potter series is over for good or till Rowling changes her mind! Percy Jackson’s major adventures are over but Riordin has started a sequel to this series based on Roman mythology. Whatever may be the case, the phenomenon created by these books along with Twilight saga is not going away soon.