How Greek mythology pertains to Halo

[ZB-85]

I was just browsing around and stumbled upon this interesting little tid bit.

 

Did you know:

 

Location Reference

• Tartarus: Tartarus was named after the worst, most cruel part of the Underworld, where the original Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires were sealed by their Titan parents, and later the Titans themselves became inhabitants of Tartarus. The worst people and things were said to go to Tartarus for eternal torture, as is referenced to when Tartarus burns the Mark of Shame into the Arbiter as punishment for failing to protect Halo.
  
• Station Delphi: Delphi was an important Ancient Greek religious center and home to the Oracle of Delphi.
  
• Mount Erebus: Erebus was the Greek underworld palace were Hades, the god of the underworld, resided.
  

Mythological Characters References

• Déjà: One of the lessons Déjà taught involved the famous Greek Battle of Thermopylae Déjà took on the appearance of an ancient Greek goddess, and although which one is not specified, she seems to look like Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.
  
• Chiron: In the first Halo a multiplayer map is called Chiron TL-34. In Greek mythology, Chiron was a Centaur who trained many heroes including Achilles and Heracles.
  
• Iris: In Greek mythology, Iris was a minor god of the Rainbow and the Messenger of the gods, like Hermes.
  
• Operation: PROMETHEUS: This operation was named after Prometheus, a Titan who stole fire from god Zeus and gave it to mortals. He was subsequently punished by Zeus and his brother, Poseidon, the kings of Olympus by being forced to endure his liver being pecked out in the mornings by the vulture, Ethon, having it regrown, and then pecked out again the next day.
  
  • Also, 300 Spartan-IIIs fought in this battle and died; this is much like the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan soldiers fought the Persians. At this battle, all of the Spartans died fighting but also put a heavy loss on the Persians losing many soldiers, paving way for a larger army to later finish the job.
    

  [*]Cyclops: This unit is named after the Cyclops, a kind of mythical giant with only one eye in the middle of their head. Some were descendants of the Titans, while another was the son of Poseidon. They were known to be skilled in forging weapons and the like. In the Halo Universe the Cyclops was an exoskeleton armor originally designed for construction.

  [*]UNSC Heracles: This warship was named after Heracles, a divine hero famous for doing the Labors of Heracles.

  [*]Melissa: Melissa is the name of one of the nymphs who helped save Zeus from his father, Cronus. She hid him in the hills and fed him milk from Amalthea and honey. When Cronus discovered this, he turned her into a worm. After Zeus came into power, he changed her into a queen bee, not being able to change her from an insect form.

  [*]Pallas Athena: Athena was the Greek goddess of Wisdom, Craft, and War; Pallas was her second name.

  [*]Gorgon: The deleted Halo Wars unit, the Gorgon, is a beast of Greek mythology. Gorgons were said to turn all those that looked at them into stone. In Halo Wars, they were originally intended to be an anti-air unit.

  [*]Tantalus: Tantalus was a system that was ordered that all ships aid Reach. Tantalus in Greek Mythology was punished in the Underworld to never be able to eat or drink anything.

  [*]Charybdis IX: Charybdis was the daughter of Poseidon. Originally a sea-nymph, she was turned into a sea monster by Zeus, after angering him by stealing Heracles' cattle. She also had a sister who wasn't a daughter of Poseidon.

  [*]Calypso-class exfiltration craft: Calypso is the daughter of Atlas. In the Odyssey, she held Odysseus captive for 7 years until Zeus ordered her to release him.

  [*]UNSC Minotaur: A UNSC Prowler, this ship was probably named after the beast slain by Theseus.

  [*]The SPDR is repeatedly compared to the figure Arachne, due to the acronym's similarity with the word "spider".

  [*]51 Pegasi: Pegasi is the plural version of the flying Horse Pegasus and 51 Pegasi is part of the Pegasus constellation. In Greek mythology Pegasus was born from the blood of the gorgon Medusa after Perseus killed her. Later the Greek hero Bellerophon used Pegasus to help in his fight against the Chimera.

Real Character Reference

• Leonidas: The third movement of the Delta Halo Suite from the Halo 2 Original Soundtrack. Leonidas was a Spartan king from around 488 B.C. to 480 B.C. He died during the Battle of Thermopylae, a battle earlier referenced in this article for it's significance in the Halo Universe.
  
• Archimedes: Archimedes was an Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, and inventor, of whom discovered many modern units and techniques such as water displacement.
  
• Hesiod: The name of this planet is likely a reference to the early Greek poet and rhapsode Hesiod, whose writings serve as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, archaic Greek astronomy, and ancient time-keeping.
  
• UNSC Herodotus: Herodotus was a major Greek historian that recorded the statistics and events of the Battle of Thermopylae.
  

Other

• SPARTAN Program: This program was named after the Spartan warriors who originated in Sparta in the southern part of ancient Greece. The city-state retained the superior military power in the region between 650 and 363 B.C. Its citizens were following the simplest way of life possible. They all exercised, and their children, like those used in the SPARTAN program, were trained from a very young age for many years.
  
• It has been mentioned in one of the Halo books that the Spartans look like Greek gods in their armor.
  
• Odyssey: The Odyssey is an ancient Greek novel written by Homer. It talks about the adventures of Odysseus since he left the Battle of Troy until he reached Ithaca, his homeland.
  
• Kurt Ambrose: Kurt-051's surname, Ambrose, comes from the Greek word Ambrosia (Αμβροσία). Ambrosiais the drink the immortal Gods of ancient Greece enjoyed to drink, and the source of their power.
  
• Ichor (used as a word for "blood" in Halo: The Flood): Ichor was the name for the golden blood of the gods at Olympus.
  
• Origin of the Seasons: In the myth the Origins of the Seasons, when Persephone is able to leave the Underworld, Hades tricks her into eating 7 seeds from a fruit making the time to come back for 7 months.
  

[Vitamin Pwn]

dang that's a lot of Greek mythology references nice post ZB.

 

there are also some Norse mythology references not nearly as many as greek one but a few none the less

 

 

Loki; Loki (Also known as Mack) was an AI on Harvest who could shift shape. Loki, in Norse Mythology, is the God of chaos, mischief and treachery, and could shift shape like Mack. Additionally, he was also infamously known to be a trickster - much like Mack.

 

Sif: Sif was another A.I. on Harvest, and was often annoyed by Loki. In Norse Mythology, Sif is the wife of Thor and the Goddess of wheat and fertility. Ironically, Loki stole her hair in a myth.

 

Jotun: Jotuns were machines used on Harvest. Mythologically, they were giants.

 

Munin and Hugin: Two seas on Harvest, they are named after Odin's two pet ravens.

 

Fenris: Fenris warheads were used by the Spartans at the end of Ghosts of Onyx . Fenris or Fenrir is a giant wolf from Norse myth, who was also the son of Loki.

 

Utgard: Utgard was the capital of Harvest. In Norse mythology, Utgard was the stronghold of the giants.

Bifrost: Bifrost was a bridge that connected Midgard and Asgard.

 

Valhalla: Valhalla is a map on Halo 3. In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the Hall of Odin, a place where fallen warriors who died in combat went to battle all day and feast all night forever. Each time a warrior was killed, he would simply respawn, similar to the process of Multiplayer.

 

Vigrond: Vigrond Highlands was a place near Utgard on Harvest. In Norse mythology, it is the plains where Ragnarok is said to take place.

 

Gladsheim: Gladsheim Highway is named after Gladsheim. In Norse Mythology, Gladsheim is the realm in Asgard where Odin's hall is.

 

Ida: Ida is named after the plains in Asgard.

 

Yggdrasil: The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor is named after Yggdrasil the World Tree.

 

The Index: The Activation Index is similar to the traditional symbol of Thor's Hammer.

 

Spartan Laser: On the Spartan Laser there is the symbol for Gungnir, the spear used by Odin, the Norse God of war.

 

Skidbladnir: The UNSC Skidbladnir is named after the ship made by Loki to fit all the Gods. It was also small enough to fit into a pocket.

 

MJOLNIR: The MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, that is designed specifically for the SPARTAN-II's, is also the hammer of Thor. Mjolnir translates simply to "crusher", referring to the hammer's pulverizing effect. The hammer also shot bolts of lightning, since Thor was the Norse God of lightning.

 

 

Berserk: Sometimes a Brute goes on a rampage nicknamed "berserking". The Norse had warriors, called Berserkers who were followers of the cult of Odin (the one-eyed Norse god of war) and believed in the importance of a warrior dying heroically in battle rather than shamefully in his bed. They were said to have been immune to pain and possess uncontrollable aggression, and fought wearing only bear or wolf skins, entering a trance-like state before battle. When berserkers went into their battle state of mind, they tended to lose their sense of reason, mercilessly attacking and killing anything in the way of their weapons. The berserker's behavior seems to come from ingestion of drugs such as alcohol before combat, although that would make them difficult to use on the battlefield, similar to the Brutes from Halo 2 as well as Halo 3.

 

Grunt Symbol: The Grunt Symbol emblem in Halo 3 closely resembles the Slavic Kolovrat or "Sun Wheel," a symbol also used in Nordic Paganism for the eight directions and dimensions, and as representing the sun as well. However the Halo 3 emblem has only six spokes, where as the Kolovrat has eight.

[Mr. Bashful Brute]

I've also noticed some Biblical references in Halo.

 

Taken from an article I'm working on for my blog:

 

I've noticed throughout the books and games that the Halo Universe has many parallels to the Christian Bible. And its not just me, several of my friends, people on the Halo Waypoint Forums, my mother (she read Ghosts of Onyx), and even David Ellis, content producer at 343i (at 32:40 of 343 Sparkast 006) all said they noticed Biblical references in Halo.

Before I go into all the references, I'm going to give a little conjecture. After reading Halo: Primordium many think that the Precursors created The Flood to punish the Forerunners for rising up against them. This is similar to how God was displeased with the humans' sin, and sent the Great Flood. But, we're not even sure this what happened, so don't quote me on this.

Ok, on to the rest. As I stated above, The Flood is similar to The Great Flood of the Bible. What else? The Ark. In Halo, what is The Ark's purpose? To protect the Forerunners, and samples of all other life from The Flood. Hmm... sounds familiar. Noah built an Ark to protect his family, and samples of all life from The Great Flood.

[Veer Zamamai]

Beautiful posts everyone.

[ZB-85]

dang that's a lot of Greek mythology references nice post ZB.

 

there are also some Norse mythology references not nearly as many as greek one but a few none the less

 

 

Loki; Loki (Also known as Mack) was an AI on Harvest who could shift shape. Loki, in Norse Mythology, is the God of chaos, mischief and treachery, and could shift shape like Mack. Additionally, he was also infamously known to be a trickster - much like Mack.

 

Sif: Sif was another A.I. on Harvest, and was often annoyed by Loki. In Norse Mythology, Sif is the wife of Thor and the Goddess of wheat and fertility. Ironically, Loki stole her hair in a myth.

 

Jotun: Jotuns were machines used on Harvest. Mythologically, they were giants.

 

Munin and Hugin: Two seas on Harvest, they are named after Odin's two pet ravens.

 

Fenris: Fenris warheads were used by the Spartans at the end of Ghosts of Onyx . Fenris or Fenrir is a giant wolf from Norse myth, who was also the son of Loki.

 

Utgard: Utgard was the capital of Harvest. In Norse mythology, Utgard was the stronghold of the giants.

Bifrost: Bifrost was a bridge that connected Midgard and Asgard.

 

Valhalla: Valhalla is a map on Halo 3. In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the Hall of Odin, a place where fallen warriors who died in combat went to battle all day and feast all night forever. Each time a warrior was killed, he would simply respawn, similar to the process of Multiplayer.

 

Vigrond: Vigrond Highlands was a place near Utgard on Harvest. In Norse mythology, it is the plains where Ragnarok is said to take place.

 

Gladsheim: Gladsheim Highway is named after Gladsheim. In Norse Mythology, Gladsheim is the realm in Asgard where Odin's hall is.

 

Ida: Ida is named after the plains in Asgard.

 

Yggdrasil: The HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor is named after Yggdrasil the World Tree.

 

The Index: The Activation Index is similar to the traditional symbol of Thor's Hammer.

 

Spartan Laser: On the Spartan Laser there is the symbol for Gungnir, the spear used by Odin, the Norse God of war.

 

Skidbladnir: The UNSC Skidbladnir is named after the ship made by Loki to fit all the Gods. It was also small enough to fit into a pocket.

 

MJOLNIR: The MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, that is designed specifically for the SPARTAN-II's, is also the hammer of Thor. Mjolnir translates simply to "crusher", referring to the hammer's pulverizing effect. The hammer also shot bolts of lightning, since Thor was the Norse God of lightning.

 

 

Berserk: Sometimes a Brute goes on a rampage nicknamed "berserking". The Norse had warriors, called Berserkers who were followers of the cult of Odin (the one-eyed Norse god of war) and believed in the importance of a warrior dying heroically in battle rather than shamefully in his bed. They were said to have been immune to pain and possess uncontrollable aggression, and fought wearing only bear or wolf skins, entering a trance-like state before battle. When berserkers went into their battle state of mind, they tended to lose their sense of reason, mercilessly attacking and killing anything in the way of their weapons. The berserker's behavior seems to come from ingestion of drugs such as alcohol before combat, although that would make them difficult to use on the battlefield, similar to the Brutes from Halo 2 as well as Halo 3.

 

Grunt Symbol: The Grunt Symbol emblem in Halo 3 closely resembles the Slavic Kolovrat or "Sun Wheel," a symbol also used in Nordic Paganism for the eight directions and dimensions, and as representing the sun as well. However the Halo 3 emblem has only six spokes, where as the Kolovrat has eight.

 

I did notice that there were some Norse references to Halo as well. I never thought of adding it to this. Thanks for this Vitamin.

[Smokin Shadowz]

This post is probably one of the better ones I've seen while on this site. I love Greece...and anything to do with their old Empire. Even if it is Mythology

[SudsierDiagram8]

We are Hellene! We all must be proud of that!

[ItsMrDeath2You]

I've also noticed some Biblical references in Halo.

 

Taken from an article I'm working on for my blog:

 

I've noticed throughout the books and games that the Halo Universe has many parallels to the Christian Bible. And its not just me, several of my friends, people on the Halo Waypoint Forums, my mother (she read Ghosts of Onyx), and even David Ellis, content producer at 343i (at 32:40 of 343 Sparkast 006) all said they noticed Biblical references in Halo.

Before I go into all the references, I'm going to give a little conjecture. After reading Halo: Primordium many think that the Precursors created The Flood to punish the Forerunners for rising up against them. This is similar to how God was displeased with the humans' sin, and sent the Great Flood. But, we're not even sure this what happened, so don't quote me on this.

Ok, on to the rest. As I stated above, The Flood is similar to The Great Flood of the Bible. What else? The Ark. In Halo, what is The Ark's purpose? To protect the Forerunners, and samples of all other life from The Flood. Hmm... sounds familiar. Noah built an Ark to protect his family, and samples of all life from The Great Flood.

 

as far as the precursors creating the flood. that is still unkown! in Greg Bears novel Cryptum the forrunners find a gravemind trapped in a stasis buble. the grave mind then convinces the forrunners that it is a precursor, but it lied! as of this point the precurors demise/dissaperence is still a mystery. the flood origin are also a mystery. no forrunner has ever seen a precursor, their for precursos didn't make the flood to kill the forrunners. im not saying that precursos didn't make the flood or have contact with it, but that is unknow!

 

to say that the ark was built to protect the forrunners is neither right nor wrong. the arks purpose was to build and maintain halo arrays. the halos protected the forrunners. it is kind of a lose compairison. also while the arks did have samples of life, most of the life was actually on the halo's.

[CHEVY4X4BLAZER]

Nice informative thread.

 

Good to read something that doesn't bash or complain about 343i/Halo4.

 

 

[IElitePredatorI]

It seems the UNSC is based of Greek and Norse Mythology I conclude.

 

 

On a side note, Elites seem to have an Ancient Japan based society.

[ItsMrDeath2You]

It seems the UNSC is based of Greek and Norse Mythology I conclude.

 

 

On a side note, Elites seem to have an Ancient Japan based society.

yes it dose seem that bungie and 343 have been heavily influenced by mythology, but when you look at it what stories are not? look at starwars, it is based on earthly ideas and myths. examply moncalimari the speciese that admrial ackbar is. Mon is either japanies or chinese for man, and calimari is fish. so it translates to manfish.

[Church]

I used to live in Greece. This is quite cool! Kudos ZB for finding it. Another reference, not to Greek, but still a reference, is MJOLNIR. It is the name of Thor's hammer in Nordic mythology.

[Grif.]

i think there is much more references to the Bible though

[ItsMrDeath2You]

i think there is much more references to the Bible though

 

it seems that every one else has provided examples. i think that the link to catholic religion is far weaker than that of the norse or greek legends.in the halo games no one was killed then reserected, no one walked across water.

 

i guess you could argue that the ark is a reference, and maybe the covenant wanting to cleanse the human race could be like the crusades or inqusition in a way. but it is far less concrete than using names straght from the greek and norse. i mean was there a character named noah or jesus that i missed?

 

these other people worked hard to come up with a list of references so if you truly feel that there is a strong link between halo and christianity it would be nice if you did the homework and gave us a list too, rather than just making a vague statment.

[Yoshi1176]

To many big words lol

[CHEVY4X4BLAZER]

No death and resurrection???

 

RE-SPAWN!

 

There's your Christian tie-in

[ItsMrDeath2You]

No death and resurrection???

 

RE-SPAWN!

 

There's your Christian tie-in

 

thats only 1 though, you could say the ark would make 2. both greek and norse mythology have way more references so far.