I realize that Iam almost super late on this but every now and then I'll browse through the vine and check out recent events and such. Any who, I came across three characters that were enrolled into Jean Greys School for Higher Learning.
- Eye Boy
- Nature Girl
- Sprite
- Shark Girl
Now at first glance, it didn't really look as if a lot of thought was put into them and was just thrown into the mix to create the air of an institute for education. So of course, I moved along. It wasn't until a few days ago that I was going through some old books about Greek myth because I am into that type of thing, that these characters shared a lot of similarities with gods/deities/spirits etc.
First and foremost, Eye Boy. There was a giant in Greek myth that had over 100 eyes and was servant to Hera. (pulling from wiki at the moment)
Argus was Hera's servant. His great service to the Olympian pantheon was to slay the chthonic serpent-legged monster Echidna as she slept in her cave.Hera's defining task for Argus was to guard the white heifer Io from Zeus, keeping her chained to the sacred olive tree at the Argive Heraion.] She charged him to "Tether this cow safely to an olive-tree at Nemea". Hera knew that the heifer was in reality Io, one of the many nymphs Zeus was coupling with to establish a new order. To free Io, Zeus had Argus slain by Hermes. Hermes, disguised as a shepherd, first put all of Argus's eyes asleep with spoken charms, then slew him by hitting him with a stone, the first stain of bloodshed among the new generation of gods
The myth makes the closest connection of Argos, the neatherd, with the bull. In the Library of pseudo-Apollodorus, "Argos killed the bull that ravaged Arcadia, then clothed himself in its skin."
The sacrifice of Argos liberated Io and allowed her to wander the earth, although tormented by a gadfly sent by Hera.
Now I'm not sure what the writers are up to with him but there could be great growth if handled correctly. Disregarding the cow and what not but his past could possibly be linked/tied in with the greek pantheon. As far as power goes, he doesn't necessarily have to grow into a giant but maybe given prophetic abilities or something? eh.
Next we have, Nature Girl (these boy/girl codenames are a little off but im sure itll be fixed). Not exactly a Greek deity but in Celtic practices, there was a god that was associated with seasons, nature & fertility...Cernunnos
Cernunnos is the conventional name given in Celtic studies to depictions of the "horned god" of Celtic polytheism. The name itself is only attested once, on the 1st-century Pillar of the Boatmen, but depictions of a horned or antlered figure, often seated cross-legged and often associated with animals and holding or wearing torcs, are known from other instances.
Nothing is known about the god from literary sources, and details about his name, his cult or his significance in Celtic religion are unknown. Speculative interpretations identify him as a god of nature or fertility.
This "Cernunnos" type in Celtic iconography is often portrayed with animals, in particular the stag, and also frequently associated with the ram-horned serpent, and less frequently bulls (at Rheims), dogs and rats. Because of his frequent association with creatures, scholars often describe Cernunnos as the "Lord of the Animals" or the "Lord of Wild Things", and Miranda Green describes him as a "peaceful god of nature and fruitfulness".
I don't want to paste everything but she can clearly be turned into something with some great substance if again, written well. I know that sometimes characters are just created for comicbook fodder but when something is pulled out like this and can be compared to old tales, then why not ride with that?
Sprite and Shark Girl also have some great ties to myth and folklore. Jia Jings shapeshifting abilities were usually shown in relation to nymphs and forest/sea/mountain spirits. Lara Dos Santos ability also can be stemmed from Hawaiian myth as well.
Ukupanipo is a shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch. He occasionally adopted a human child who gains the power to transform into a shark.
But like anything else, it all depends on the writers. I see some great potential for all of them.
What do you guys think? or what other new characters do you see potential for if handled correctly? what would you like to see?
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