Lore Olympus

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Lore Olympus
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The banner art for Lore Olympus
Author(s)Rachel Smythe
Websitehttps://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/list?title_no=1320
Current status/scheduleUpdates every Sunday
Launch dateMarch 4, 2018
Publisher(s)Webtoon
Genre(s)Romance
Rating(s)9.73 Stars on Webtoon as of June 2021[1]

Lore Olympus is a romance webcomic created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe.[2] The comic is a modern retelling of the relationship between the Greek goddess and god Persephone and Hades. It began publishing weekly on the platform Webtoon in March 2018.[3] Lore Olympus is currently the most popular comic on Webtoon; as of January 2020 it had 299 million views,[4] and as of August 2020 Webtoon reported that it had 4.1 million subscribers.[5] The comic has been nominated for an Eisner Award[6][7] and a Ringo Award,[8][9] and a television series based on the comic is under development.[10]

Plot and themes[]

Lore Olympus is an adaptation of the classic Greek myth, ‘The Abduction of Persephone' in a mostly modern setting.[3][11] The webcomic includes modern technology such as smartphones, sports cars, and tabloids.[12][13] However, scenes in the realm of the mortals take place in the time of the original myths.[13] The comic deals with strong themes of rape, harassment, abuse, and trauma.[14][15]

The story begins with Hades attending a party of Zeus's after his partner Minthe breaks up with him.[16] Persephone has been allowed to leave the mortal realm and visit Olympus by her mother, Demeter.[17] Hades takes notice of Persephone and comments to his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon that Persephone's beauty rivals that of Aphrodite. Out of jealousy, Aphrodite calls her son, Eros, to get Persephone extremely intoxicated and they dumped her then in the back seat of Hades' car in an attempt to have her embarrass herself in front of Hades. After their initial encounter from this incident, Hades and Persephone both express an interest in each other but Persephone still struggles with this relationship due an earlier plot point that happened in the comic–she was raped by Apollo.[16] Aside from this rape being traumatizing, she struggles with her current association of being a prospective member and a recipient of an academic scholarship from The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood (TGOEM), a group of sacred virgin goddesses.

Plots in season one of the webcomic include Persephone seeking Hades' help to bring back friends who died when mortals uprooted sacred plants, a scheme by Minthe, Thanatos and Thetis to ruin Persephone's reputation, the rape of Persephone by Apollo, and Persephone's conflicted thoughts over a college scholarship that requires her to refrain from sex.[18]

Plots in season two include Persephone going missing, the abduction of Persephone, and Hades and Persephone's growing relationship.

Characters[]

The following characters are central to plot lines in the comic and make regular appearances:

  • Persephone is the goddess of spring, depicted as a young pink woman. She is a naive, warmhearted newcomer to the Olympian life, and is searching for her independence.[3] Persephone is 19–20 years old (she turned 20 in episode 107). She has prehensile hair which responds to her emotions in varying levels, sometimes by growing or sprouting flowers. She strives to become self-sufficient and to maintain a positive, hard-working attitude. While a kind, caring and somewhat naive individual, Persephone also allegedly massacred a mortal village for unknowingly uprooting her handmaidens, the sacred flower nymphs. Persephone is a candidate, unofficial member of The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood, a group who have all sworn an oath of virginity for all eternity, but is no longer a virgin due to being raped by Apollo. She is also an intern at Underworld Corp working as a Shade Coordinator, and is gradually revealed to be Persephone is a fertility goddess, a rare goddess that has incredible abilities.
  • Hades is the king of the Underworld and god of the dead and wealth. He is the older brother of Zeus and Poseidon, depicted as a blue businessman. Hades is the CEO of Underworld Corp, a large corporation that manages the souls of the dead.[3] The reviewer for Love in Panels! described Hades as "the ultimate sensitive emo guy."[16] Unlike in traditional mythology, Hades is not related to Persephone; Smythe changed this to avoid a story about incest.[19] Hades is a member of the Six Traitors Dynasty.
  • Hera is the goddess of marriage and family, Queen of the gods, and Zeus' wife, depicted as a golden woman with long hair. She is constantly seen drinking or smoking and is unhappy in her marriage to Zeus. Hera is a member of the Six Traitors Dynasty.[citation needed] Hera in Lore Olympus is a feminist.[16]
  • Eros is the god of love and son of Aphrodite and Ares. He's a friend of Persephone, and is one of the few gods who knows about Persephone' rape. He is depicted as a tall, muscular magenta man who enthusiastically creates and supports relationships. Eros has seven younger siblings from his mother, and has a relationship with Psyche.
  • Zeus is the King of the gods and Hades' and Poseidon's youngest brother, depicted as a purple businessman with long straight hair. Zeus is an adulterer[3] who shows constant promiscuous behavior. He is also extremely egotistical. Zeus is a member of the Six Traitors Dynasty.
  • Poseidon is the king and god of the sea, the younger brother of Hades and older brother of Zeus. He is depicted as an immature and free-spirited green man with long, wavy hair and a long scar near his right eye.
  • Apollo is the god of the sun, music and prophecy, depicted as a dark purple, burly playboy who is interested in Persephone. He rapes her, and believes that they are in a relationship and then tries to force her to become his Olympian, but she refuses. He is Artemis' twin brother.
  • Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and a member of The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood. She is Persephone's best friend, roommate and the twin sister of Apollo. Artemis is depicted as a feisty, dark purple tomboy who looks out for Persephone and is generally ignorant of her brother's bad personality traits.
  • Hecate is the goddess of magic. She is depicted as a blue woman with black hair and neon-yellow cat eyes. She is Hades' assistant and friend, and often serves as a protector to Persephone in the Underworld.
  • Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture in the Mortal Realm, depicted as a tall, green woman with long purple hair. She is shown to be an overprotective parent towards Persephone, who is shown in flashbacks to give her daughter very little freedom in the mortal realm. Demeter is a member of the Six Traitors Dynasty.
  • Ares is the god of war, depicted as a muscular orange man with red eyes. He is one of the sons of Zeus and Hera, and the older brother of Hebe. He is dating Aphrodite, and the two are the parents of Eros. He also appears to have a history with Persephone. He has the ability to make people become enraged against their will.
  • Hestia is the goddess of the hearth and home, depicted as a curvy, orange woman. Hestia is the founder and leader of The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood and is a member of the Six Traitors Dynasty. It is implied that she is in a relationship with Athena.
  • Hermes is the god of speed and travel, depicted as a fit red athlete. He was friends with Persephone before she came to Olympus and frequently hangs out at Artemis and Persephone's house. He is one of Hades' soul collectors at Underworld Corp.
  • Aphrodite is the goddess of love and mother of Eros. She is depicted as a lavender woman. Ares and Aphrodite have an open relationship.
  • Psyche is a human from the Mortal Realm. She was originally a princess who was to be wed to an elderly, wealthy merchant before Eros abducted her. She currently lives in Olympus, disguised as a purple nymph serving Aphrodite.
  • Minthe is a scarlet red river nymph that lives in the Underworld. She has a very self-destructive personality and has low self confidence in herself. She is Hades' personal assistant and physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive ex-girlfriend. She wants to get back together with Hades and will do anything to get them back together.
  • Thetis, a grey and turquoise sea nymph and Minthe's toxic best friend. She is Zeus's personal secretary that he sleeps with occasionally when he is stressed out at home. She wants him to leave Hera for her.
  • Thanatos is the god of death, depicted as a young grey man with light blue eyes. Thanatos is insecure in his position as one of Hades' soul collectors due to his low productivity. He frequently hangs out with Minthe and Thetis.
  • Athena The Goddess of wisdom. She is depicted as a silver woman with short silver hair. It is implied that she and Hestia are in a relationship
  • Cronus The Titan of Time. The father of Hades, Zeus and Poseidon. When Hades was six-years-old he devoured him and kept him imprisoned for 13 years. Hades and Poseidon were eventually saved by Zeus. This is something that is still deeply traumatizing towards Hades.
  • Hephaestus The god of fire and metal working. He is depicted as a dark orange figure with glasses he is also depicted with prosthetic legs and a robotic arm. He is a computer hacker.
  • Rhea The Titan of Motherhood. She is depicted as a tall woman with dark magenta skin. She is Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus's mother. She is shown to be a kind and nurturing mother to Hades.
  • Daphne A pink with blue patches flower nymph. Daphne is a friend of Persephone's from the mortal realm.
  • Echo A dark blue nymph with short blue hair. Echo was hired by Zeus to be Hera's new personal assistant. She is Daphne's roommate and friend.
  • Leto The titan of Motherhood. She is depicted as a Yellow figure who wears long veils that hides her mouth. She is the mother of the twins, Artemis and Apollo. She was once best friends with Hera, but an incident occurred, which destroyed their friendship and sent her into social exile.
  • Chiron a dark orange centaur, is depicted as female, and is Persephone's therapist.
  • Metis, the titan of wisdom, is depicted as a tall woman with dark orange skin with wings. She is the mother of Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. She was a fertility goddess, and because of her rare abilities she was consumed by Zeus so he could overthrow Cronus.

The characters in Lore Olympus are each defined by a particular color. According to columnist Nahlia Bonfiglo, "Hades is depicted in dark colors—blues, purples, and blacks—that match his setting. The underworld is likewise illustrated in dark hues, making Persephone and all of her bold, bright colors pop even more."[3]

Publication[]

The webcomic updates weekly on Webtoon,[4] and readers with the "Webtoon Fast Pass" can access pages earlier. By August 2020, 120 episodes had been published, and Smythe said that she had an ending in mind for the series.[20]

Smythe creates Lore Olympus using Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq Pro drawing tablet.[2]

Influences[]

On her website for Lore Olympus, Smythe lists some of the sources that she uses for the comic:[21]

Reception[]

In 2019, Webtoon announced that Lore Olympus had been viewed over 299 million times, making it the most viewed webcomic on the platform.[4][22][23] As of May 2020, Lore Olympus is the most popular webtoon on the platform, with over 3.9 million subscribers.[5]

In an article for The Daily Dot, columnist Nahila Bonfiglio recommended the webcomic, saying: "There are many reasons to read Lore Olympus, but the simplest is to see Smythe's brilliant take on the myth. Her story is flawlessly enthralling, heartwarming, and painful. The characters confront timeless issues through a modern lens, breaking down the romanticization of rape and abduction with grace and intrigue. Smythe updates the series every Sunday, and new readers will find themselves awaiting that notification with bated breath." Bonfiglio also praised the art, saying: "[Smythe's] captivating way of telling her tale often involves carefully considered colors, panels completely without words and even—sometimes—music."[3]

The Beat declared Lore Olympus to be one of the 100 best comics of the 2010s, describing Smythe's art as "breathtaking" and making good use of the webtoon format, and saying that the modern setting made the story "feel as fresh and urgent as eavesdropping on your (very wealthy, very messy) neighbors."[11]

Critical Darlings reviewer Kaitlin Konecke said that "the drawings allow us to see how Persephone feels. It's a visceral way to tell a story, with graphics allowing us to see inside the mind of Persephone and convey the complicated array of emotions that follow a trauma such as sexual assault and rape." Konecke also praised the depiction of assault from a female writer, saying that Smythe and others "are not just telling us, but showing us. And in doing so, they make women and survivors feel seen."[17]

A reviewer for Love in Panels! praised the decision to give Persephone more agency than in the original story, saying that "it's that agency, her claiming of her own body and sexuality, that pulls me like a magnet to these tales."[16] Nicole Mejias of Crunchyroll said that while the story is a "bit mature and dramatic," the suspense and romance between Hades and Persephone is gripping, while the "art is colorful and gorgeous."[24]

Awards[]

Year Category Institution or publication Result Notes Ref.
2020 Best Webcomic Ringo Awards Nominated Lost to "Fried Rice" by Erica Eng [25]
2019 Best Webcomic Eisner Awards Nominated Lost to The Contradictions by Sophie Yanow [6][7]
2019 Best Colorist Ringo Awards Nominated Lost to Tamra Bonvillain [8][9]

Television series[]

In October 2019, Deadline reported that the Jim Henson Company had entered into a partnership with WEBTOON to create an animated series based on Lore Olympus. This partnership is WEBTOON's first adaptation deal.[10][20][26][12] It is unclear whether Smythe would be involved in the adaptation.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ "Lore Olympus". Archived from the original on 2021-06-14.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Downes, Siobhan (2019-11-11). "Kiwi artist's web comic to be made into series by The Jim Henson Company". Stuff. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Bonfiglio, Nahila (2020-02-21). "Why You Should Drop Everything And Start Reading 'Lore Olympus'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Adams, Tim (20 January 2020). "Webtoon Announces Over 100 Billion Views in 2019, Lore Olympus Ranks #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lore Olympus". WEBTOON. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b McMillan, Graeme (26 April 2019). "Eisner Award Nominees Revealed". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b McMillan, Graeme (20 July 2019). "Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "2019 Ringo Awards". RingoAwards.com. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Webtoon Celebrates 12 Creators on Ringo Award Nominations". Good Nerd, Bad Nerd. 2019-08-21. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "'Lore Olympus': Webtoon And The Jim Henson Company Will Partner For YA Animated Series'". Deadline Hollywood. October 10, 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Beat Staff (2019-12-11). "The 100 Best Comics of the Decade". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Kaplan, Avery (2019-10-11). "Webtoon and Jim Henson Company partner for LORE OLYMPUS series". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Kaplan, Avery (2019-08-13). "A Year of Free Comics: Drama for the gods in LORE OLYMPUS". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  14. ^ "Lore Olympus Improves the Myths by Tackling Problematic Themes Head On". Comic Book Resources. 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  15. ^ Kennedy, Caitlin (2021-04-26). "Rachel Smythe's Lore Olympus Webcomic Reclaims Trauma and Allows It to Transform". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Suzanne (September 19, 2018). "Review: Lore Olympus, by Rachel Smythe". Love in Panels!. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Konecke, Kaitlin (November 3, 2019). "Women Are Using Animation and Comics to Tell Stories of Assault". Critical Darlings. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  18. ^ Chappell, Caitlin (2020-08-02). "Lore Olympus: What You Missed in Season 1 of the Webtoon Comic". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  19. ^ "Story FAQ". Masterlist. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Greek Myth-Based Lore Olympus Webtoon Becoming YA Animated Series". ScreenRant. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  21. ^ "Basic FAQ". Masterlist. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  22. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2020-01-17). "Sales Charts: The Top 30 comics on Webtoon in 2019". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  23. ^ Tantimedh, Adi (2019-09-02). "WEBTOON is the World's Most Successful Comics Publisher – And You Hadn't Heard of it Till Now". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  24. ^ Mejias, Nicole (June 6, 2020). "The Wild and Wonderful World of WEBTOON Series". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Ringo Awards". Ringo Awards. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  26. ^ Williams, Tommy (October 2019). "Webtoon's Popular Comic LORE OLYMPUS is Being Adapted into an Animated Series". GeekTyrant. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
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