From an Adolescent Freak to a Hope-Spreading Messianic Demigod: The Curious Transformations of Modern Teenagers in Contemporary Mythopoetic Fantasy Literature (Percy Jackson, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Syrena Legacy)

In international fantasy literature for teenage readers based on motifs of the ancient Greek and Roman mythology often an adolescent protagonist is focused on, who has a lot of problems with growing up. Therefore a mythic narrative emerges in the plot to help the main figure mastering his problems. This narrative filled with supernatural incidents is a vehicle for the protagonist to become a strong and selfconfident adult, who saves the world from evil mythical creatures. In this paper the famous Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, the popular Blue Secrets series by Anna Banks and the blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are subjects of this investigation and the author demonstrates that normal human protagonists are described as holy Redeemer-figures by amalgamating them with the mythic god Poseidon. In this way mythic motifs are mixed with Christian values to create a modern kind of superhero giving people a new sense in life. This superhero spreads hope for the threatened mankind, which is very important in (actual) dark times.