this is probably like, common knowledge and something obvious at this point but i love how many people close to aloy and in her inner circle are really nice iterations / interpretations of the deities related to the subordinate functions or deities related to any mythologies or mythos mentioned. will put this under a cut to prevent a lengthy post on the dashboard.
for example, those mentioned in game that are already given a name are the obvious ones; Sylens calls his group the ‘sons of prometheus’, insinuating he himself is prometheus. which is really ironic considering prometheus’ story is that he challenges the gods and utterly fails, being tied to a mountain by zeus so that his liver is to be picked at by eagles every day. in a way that prometheus steals fire from the gods and gives it to humanity so they may develop civilization, technology, and science, Sylens does what he can to find any information he can about gaia, the zeniths, etc to further his goals and help advance his own following (the eclipse and then sons of prometheus). it makes me wonder if he will have a similar fate at the end of his story, at least in the way that he becomes imprisoned or dies.
helios is another common example, named for the sun god. he brought hellfire down amongst those terrorized in the red raids, and was commonly known as a harbinger of chaos and destruction, almost blazing his way through things with a similar intensity to the sun.
so it’s interesting to consider how Aloy and her friends resemble the deities associated with the subordinate functions and / or other deities associated with greek mythology that is mentioned in the game.
Aloy herself would be considered as Artemis, a goddess known for the hunt, wilderness, and wild animals; which in Aloys case, it would be the machines resembling wild animals.
Varl would be associated with Apollo (and you’ll see why i didn’t consider Beta for this later, considering Artemis and Apollo are twins). Varl, for me, fits best considering Apollos healing and light. i feel like Varl was always there in a figurative sense to help people through their struggles and woes, and was just a happy light in peoples life. Apollo also dealt with unrequited love, which Varl did have feelings for Aloy that he didn’t act on.
Erend would be associated with Hephaestus, as this one is a bit more on the nose as Hephaestus mainly deals with metal work and stone masonry.
Zo would be associated with Demeter, goddess of harvest, agriculture and fertility. Another obvious one.
Alva would be Minerva (Athene, if going by the greek goddess. Minerva is technically Roman). Athene and Minerva share common themes of intellect, wisdom, knowledge of warfare. Athene tends to also have domains over civilization, good counsel, and heroic endeavor. I feel that, despite Alva’s initial timid personality in things, she continues to grow to be strong willed and persevere, using her thirst for knowledge to help bridge the gap between her tribe and that out west.
Kotallo would be associated with Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution, revenge, and balance. She delved out indignation for evil deeds and undeserved good fortune, which i feel we see Kotallo fit these themes rather well from the start, considering how fast he seems to pair up with Aloy to work her agenda and do what’s best for civilization and their future. He is willing to see past cultural differences between tribes and unite against a common enemy who deserves justice and retribution (see: regalla).
As far as Beta, i haven’t yet decided where she fits in with any of the deities related to the subordinate functions or any other myths or legends that can be found in similarity within the game, although i tend to think of The Odyssey and how it relates to her journey on the ship with the same name, although that’s about as much of where it relates and can’t quite find much of herself in Odysseus other than they both had long travels. i am absolutely open to suggestion if anyone else has thoughts on this!!
i’m sure there are many others within the story of horizon zero dawn and forbidden west that could make for great discussion and where they fit alongside greek mythology or mythos and would love to hear others’ thoughts on this and whether or not anyone agrees!
