When I was working on my Hathor Legacy science fiction romance series, I wanted to use mythological references in the story. For one, the story takes place on an Earth-like planet on another solar system. Characters from Greek and Roman mythology are used to name planets and constellations in our solar system, So, I decided to name the planets in my story after Egyptian mythology.
Hathor is the planet of the Guardians and of the hero and heroine, Jonathan Keel and Nadira. The name of the planet is a perfect fit for the theme of the story. Hathor is an Egyptian goddess who symbolizes joy, love and motherhood.
In my books, mothers play a key role in shaping the events. Both Jonathan Keel and Nadira’s mothers rebelled against the established order of a corporate-run society.
Their rebellion ultimately leads to Jonathan and Nadira getting together and falling in love. Their relationship helps to shake things up in a culture controlled by Novacorp, the corporation that runs the planet.
The Egyptian goddess Hathor is also known as the “cow goddess,” and her symbol is a sun disk sitting between the horns of a cow. Novacorp’s U-shaped corporate logo is based on that symbol.
Since Hathor is also known as “Mistress of the West,” I had Jonathan’s mother be from that part of the planet. Hathor is the patron goddess of miners–-and mining is at the core of the Novacorp economy.
Once I started to research the mythology, I was surprised at how many things fit my story!
Hathor’s mythology is similar to the goddess Isis, and over time a lot of their characteristics were merged. But, Isis has her own story, and it inspired me to name the twin moons of Hathor, Isis and Osiris. This relates to the myth of Isis searching for her husband Osiris after his brother Set killed him to assume the throne.
There’s a lot more to Isis’ story that I won’t go into here, but I used the imagery to symbolize the journey that Nadira and Jon take when they’re searching for Jon’s father, who’s presumed dead. So, even if every reader isn't aware of the Isis and Osiris story, it's another layer that I've added for those who will see the symbolism.
Jonathan Keel is from the planet Astarte, which is another world in that system. Astarte is a goddess who’s also known as Ishtar. Known to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, she was also associated with Aphrodite and Isis.
Since Astarte is the goddess of love, it’s fitting that when Jon arrives on Hathor, he and Nadira are in a romantic relationship at the end of book one.
Once you start looking into the mythology of different cultures, it's interesting to see the relationships. Some deities were known in various countries/cultures or they were merged with other deities, giving them similar powers and origin stories.
One of the moons of Astarte is Demeter (where Jon’s father is CEO of the mine). In Greek mythology, Demeter went into mourning when her daughter Persephone was taken away by Hades. This is a reference back to Nadira being taken away from her mother so that she could be made into a Guardian.
There’s a wealth of stories to be pulled from mythology, and we don’t have to limit our influences to Egyptian, Greek or Roman gods and goddesses. For instance, Nadira’s mother is named after Minona, a West African deity who protects women and the home. And in the books, Nadira’s mother takes action to protect Nadira from the forces that want to use her for their own purposes.
For the beach scene in Hathor Legacy: Burn, I referenced the deity, Yemanja when Jonathan describes seeing Nadira going into the water. Yemanja is an Orisha (a spirit reflecting a manifestation of God), originally of the Yoruba religion.
However, she’s also known as Yemayá in Santería. In Brazil, she’s “Queen of the Ocean,” and the patron deity of the fishermen and the survivors of shipwrecks. As I said, some deities can be found across many cultures!
There are countless stories from various countries, cultures and belief systems around the world. I've even started a Pinterest board where I collect pins of deities from countries across the globe. It's been very interesting and I'm always finding new ones to add.
When you’re looking for ideas, mythological characters (and themes) can provide a great deal of inspiration and add to your worldbuilding.
If you'd like to check out the stories, you can learn more about Hathor Legacy: Outcast, Hathor Legacy: Burn and Hathor Legacy: Revelations on my site https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks.
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