The God Beneath the Sea by Edward Blishen
"The God Beneath the Sea" by Edward Blishen is a retelling of Greek mythology aimed at younger readers, presenting a more accessible narrative of familiar tales and characters. The story centers around Hephaestus, the god of fire and craftsmanship, who is cast out of heaven by his mother Hera due to his deformity. Rescued by sea goddesses Eurynome and Thetis, Hephaestus learns about the origins of the universe and the pantheon of gods, including the rise of Zeus, who ultimately becomes the ruler of Mount Olympus.
The narrative details key mythological events such as the birth of gods like Apollo and Artemis, the creation of mortals by Prometheus, and the consequences of divine jealousy, including the infamous tale of Pandora. It captures the dynamics of power and relationships among the gods, particularly the tumultuous interactions between Zeus and Hera. With a focus on storytelling over extensive detail, Blishen, alongside his collaborator, offers a vivid and engaging portrayal of these ancient myths, bringing them into a relatable context for contemporary readers. The book emphasizes the interplay between divine and human experiences, making it a compelling introduction to classical mythology.
On this Page
Subject Terms
The God Beneath the Sea by Edward Blishen
First published: 1971; illustrated
Type of work: Folktale
Themes: Family, religion, and war
Time of work: Before and after Earth’s creation
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Locale: Mount Olympus and Earth
Principal Characters:
Zeus , the lord of the godsHera , the queen of the gods and the sister-wife of ZeusHephaestus , the god beneath the sea and god of the hammer and fire; the misshapen firstborn of Zeus and HeraAres , the god of war; another son of Zeus and HeraHades , the sovereign of the underworld; the brother of ZeusDemeter , the goddess of the harvests; the sister of ZeusPrometheus , a Titan, maker of mortalsPersephone , the goddess of spring; the daughter of Zeus and DemeterHermes , the messenger of the gods; the son of Zeus and MaiaPandora , a woman, wife to EpimetheusAutolycus , the mortal son of HermesSisyphus , an ambitious mortal
The Story
The God Beneath the Sea begins with the infant god Hephaestus, thrown out of heaven into the sea, being saved by two sea goddesses, Eurynome and Thetis. They shelter the infant in their undersea grotto, and as he grows, they tell him of the creation. Hephaestus learns that in the beginning there was only a thick, dark void known as Chaos. An unknown spirit separated the elements of Chaos into air, earth, and ocean, nourishing certain immortal seeds that grew and became the seven Titans, led by Uranus to command the universe. Uranus’ ambitious son Cronus killed his father and imprisoned the Titans, to become the ruler of the heavens. Then Zeus, son of Cronus, dethroned his father with the help of his siblings and became the lord of the gods.
The victorious Zeus rewarded his brothers and sisters after the war. Zeus made Hades the god of the underworld, Poseidon the god of the sea, Hestia the goddess of hearth and home, and Demeter the goddess of the harvests. Hera was the last to receive her gift. Since Zeus was forbidden to give Earth to any god, there was nothing left for Hera; he therefore made Hera his queen. Proud Hera was angry but could not refuse. She detested Zeus’s first offspring before its birth, and after seeing her misshaped Hephaestus, she threw the infant god out of Heaven.
Hera forgets Hephaestus because of her proud anger toward the ever-unfaithful Zeus; she learns of his numerous children mothered by goddesses and nymphs. Some of Zeus’s children include the twins Apollo and Artemis, Athene, Persephone, and Hermes. Hera allows her anger to subside during her own pregnancy because she fears another misshapen child. When Ares is born, from the sea foam Zeus creates Aphrodite as a gift for his son. Soon after Ares’ birth, Zeus and Hera invite all gods to bestow gifts upon their new heir. Hera notices a beautiful brooch Hephaestus has made for Thetis. Hera demands the broochmaker’s presence at Olympus and learns that he is her son. Zeus must also give a gift to this son; Hephaestus demands Aphrodite as his gift. Acquiescing, Zeus takes Aphrodite from Ares and gives her to Hephaestus. Ares becomes the god of war.
Prometheus, a Titan spared by Zeus, worries about the gods’ jealous anger and mistrusts their promise not to rule Earth. Prometheus takes clay and forms crude figures in the images of the gods. He carefully removes obvious defects in the clay and discards the refuse into a closed jar; he then implants within the figures immortal seeds, giving them life. Having created mortals, he places them on Earth.
Zeus angrily punishes Prometheus for creating mortals, but the gods soon ignore them except for amusement. The gods create a woman named Pandora, possessing many of the gods’ qualities. They give Pandora to Prometheus’ Titan brother Epimetheus as a bride-gift. Pandora opens Prometheus’ forbidden bottle, releasing destructive elements of disease and death to torment humankind.
Zeus often visits Earth in search of goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women. He disguises himself and enters a king’s castle. The people are feasting, but they fail to honor the gods. In his anger, Zeus turns all those present into wolves and causes a deluge, killing all mortals but two. The two spared are the upright man Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, the god-fearing daughter of Pandora.
Hera tires of Zeus’s infidelity and determines to dethrone the lord of the gods. Zeus is captured with a knotted metal net created by Hephaestus, but Hermes, faithful to Zeus, releases the imprisoned hundred-handed Titan Briareus, who unties the metal knots. Zeus punishes Hera by hanging her in the sky, and he angrily throws Hephaestus a second time down to Earth. The God Beneath the Sea ends as Hephaestus painfully and slowly begins his crawl back up Mount Olympus to be with the gods.
Context
Significant retellings of Greek mythology include those of Padraic Colum, Sally Benson, Edith Hamilton, Robert Graves, and Virginia Hamilton. These authors generally provide detailed accounts of the gods and heroes complete with genealogies and timetables. Yet these encyclopedic books are often inaccessible to young readers. Garfield and Blishen in The God Beneath the Sea simply narrate the stories of Hera, Zeus, Hephaestus, Persephone, Autolycus, and approximately fifteen more mythic characters. They concentrate on the highlights of these tales, never swamping the reader with irrelevant detail.
Garfield, as the principal author, brings to The God Beneath the Sea his extensive background as a writer for young people. Typically his books are Victorian historical fiction and mysteries, in which he relies on descriptive detail and fact to establish setting and plot. The atmosphere he and Blishen create in The God Beneath the Sea makes Mount Olympus both primitive and divine. Their language gives the mythology a place in the modern world, bringing the gods to life.