#lo analysis

Persephone’s dress really made me swoon 💖💚💖💚💖 The fact that Persephone’s dress is eerily similar to Meghan Markle’s design she wore on Commonwealth Day

Me:

@hollytoonsstudiosofficial​​‘s response:

Information on the rarest and most delicate nymphs in the Lore Olympus universe. Kinda wanted to provide a post with vital evidence that favors Persephone's version and the human's inability to respect sacred land. It's always the damn humans.

“a flower knows, when its butterfly will return, and if the moon walks out, the sky will understand; but now it hurts, to watch you leave so soon, when I don't know, if you will ever come back.” ― Sanober Khan

I hope you understood that Persephone = the butterfly, and that flowers = the nymphs that were lost to human hands. To the nymphs, Persephone was their own butterfly they helped raise and nurture. In return Persephone protected them. I can 100% guarantee that the nymphs' last thoughts (before dying) were all about Persephone and about how to reassure/help. It happened so fast that I doubt they would've placed any blame on Persephone. Nymph's don't exactly die. The myths tell us they just cease to exist and are returned to earth. Persephone lost family members because the humans were ignorant.

Me: This conversation was wilding.

These responses:

Me (at that moment):

Minthe is a river nymph. What is a river nymph? More specifically, a Naiads. These were the nymphs of rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, fountains, and springs. They were classifies as minor goddesses who attended to the nature that surrounded them. More specifically, Minthe would be classified as a Potameides. A Potameides was a nymph that presided over rivers. Children were especially fond of river nymphs as they coaxed children, away from the currents or the dangers of the depths. Minthe has a special life purpose, though. She protected river Cocytus, which translated roughly into "wailing" in English if you translate it from ancient Greek. Cocytus flows into the river Acherôn. While in distress, her anxiety shows through her hair, which spreads and taints just as Cocytus does. FUN FACT! Cocytus also makes an appearance in John Milton's Paradise Lost & Dante’s Inferno. Cocytus is the ninth and lowest circle of The Underworld. It was said that the river filled itself with the tears representing the sins of humanity. Dante describes Cocytus as being the home of traitors and those who committed acts of complex fraud. What is fraud? Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain. Alluding and connecting to Minthe, who will soon deceive or injure both Hades and Persephone.

Me right now:

THERE WILL BE NO REDEMPTION, ONLY ISOLATION! You are responsible for your life. You can't keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on." - Oprah Winfrey. ✨ Rachel Smythe is isolating her abusive character, and I'm very impressed. A few readers may be a little confused, and I’ll try my best to explain. Rachel Smythe created an abusive character, and the most realistic outcome for characters like these is isolation. Isolate them from the main characters and most of their former relationships. Her actions currently move in that direction, but before a character can be put into isolation a great catastrophe has to happen. Soon we’ll get a Minthe that is reckless and lawless. I am not looking forward to seeing what sort of scheme she has planned out for Persephone, since her motive will be to psychologically ruin Persephone. This is the most realistic way out, and the foundations behind her seclusion are starting to set themselves up. This will launch Minthe into becoming a chaotic character, and later on an isolated one. This I can guarantee because Minthe is starting to get set up into becoming the “hermit” trope. This will take awhile, since the upcoming break-up will likely lead her towards destructive chaos. A chaos in the LO universe that will intertwine itself interestingly with more than one character 👀 After she’s caused chaos, she’ll descend into a state of seclusion after her banishment. Banished for what you say? You will see soon. This episode makes it seem like Minthe might have a chance at redemption, yet all I see is foreshadowing of a greater more violent event to come. Minthe won’t get a redemption arc, she’ll get an arc that is investigative. One that allows the readers to follow a quiet sort of downfall. The position she’s in could be a dubious one because of the psychological weight of wrongness in her mind. She knows what she did was wrong, yet won’t do anything about it. She will continue to seethe at Hades/Thetis (who she considers caused all of it).

Me towards this webtoon theorist:

The color of her complexion “red” has a positive and negative meaning behind it, THYNOVEL stated her old thoughts on the color red and how it influences certain characters in the Lore Olympus story just like any other kind of color you can think of. Next is how her eyes genuinely looks like, close up, to anyone that is figuring out the right color palette. Lastly, her known abilities tied to the river that she was conceived from. When it comes to unpleasant emotions, Minthe’s hair as well as her skin becomes liquid-like as the river she originated from. THYNOVEL remarks, “While in distress, her anxiety shows through her hair, which spreads and taints just as Cocytus does.”

🤑fandom_freak.geek😜’s version seems to be quiet fascinating to me. For instance, she looks as an untamed beauty that wasn’t ruined by Deity Society as well as her own volition, not yet at least.

Minthe’s behaviour appeared to be similar to a cat, recluse and moody. The first picture describes the Naiad being annoyed, for someone is staring at her while she’s eating. The next picture of her being frightened by an intruder, she decided to hide from that person. The final picture describes the playfulness she displays to her companion.

The flower used on Minthe’s head is a red hibiscus flower with a yellow anther. The name is derived from the Greek word “hibiskos”, meaning “mallow”, while the red color for this particular flower represents passion and deep romantic love. The meaning behind this particular flower is  femininity, beauty, and glory.

Her Family is unknown to the webtoon readers, so lets state the obvious facts in Greek Myth. She is the daughter of Cocytus, one of the five Underworld River-Deities.

In the Greek Mythology Wiki on Minthe, It states that Cocytus procreated with someone in order for this nymph’s existence. During Episode 52, she clearly finds Persephone’s container cute. She even comment that her (supposedly) mother would have. Imply in that comment that Minthe had a mother at one point, then she was gone (died or left), causing the Naiad to lack a genuine mother-figure.

[THEOI’s Encyclopedia “C”] [Nymphes of the Underworld] [Underworld River Nymphs - Cocythiae] : Next, is the possibility that the other two nymphs that Minthe is hanging out with may have been her fellow Cocythiae or old friends back home.

Then there’s Minthe’s possible cousin, Ascalaphus. An Underworld Daemon, son of Acherôn & Gorgyra, and the orchardist to Hades. They might have been distant towards each other as cousins, but maybe been close-like siblings.

Last but not least Styx, the goddess of oaths and the River Styx. Her first debut was in a banner poster at Underworld Corp in episode 33 and full appearance at Acherôn in episode 57. Hades settled, “She’s the underworld’s most powerful river. She carries all the boats further into the underworld for judgment.” Not only is she bind oaths between deities, but escorts the shades ferried by Charon for their grand trial with the King of the Underworld. Styx’s four children reside in Olympus as Zeus’ enforces after the Titan War, they’re possibly childhood friends to Minthe and Ascalaphus.

Here’s —thynovel’s take on the Titans, especially the Oath-bounder. Styx’s hair tends to be incredibly long to turn liquid down and her skin tends to constantly glisten with water. Carmen said, “Her hair is incredibly long and appears to melt into the River Styx.” This Titan’s seem to overpower the other River-Deities and may possibly be their leader. 

Then there’s Minthe, her Naiad-form appears oozing and flowy connected to genuine negativity. —Thynovel explained, “Minthe’s appearance becomes runny and gooey when stressed. She’s going back to her most comfortable and primordial form.”

One of the many literature tools any compelling character, either a protagonist or antagonist, is their personal background. Especially if someone is meant for a tragic fate, it’s to understand what lead to “that very moment”. Whatever kind of backstory this Underworld Naiad has allows the readers the choice to sympathize or criticize towards her.

In Episode 104, Thetis gaslighted Minthe in order to assert dominance as the leader of Snarky Chat. The reason this Nereid did this to a fellow member is because put the Naiad in her place. Stated if Thetis hadn’t found her, Minthe would stay a nobody and prejudiced her social class. The only comeback Minthe said to her “supposed” best friend is:

This may be a piece of her past that she would like to bury, as mortals would entomb their dead. Minthe may have prefer being a miserable nobody than being manipulated any further by Thetis.

Although other LO fans like their spin on Minthe’s backstory, so let’s see it for ourselves.

♏whore♍olympus♎’s verion: Cocytus created Minthe from his river or procreated with another nymph. He’s a river-god of lamentation that wants his daughter to take over the river, but she refuse, resulting to an argument.

hades_is_a_thot’s version:

I know a lot of you are probably wondering by now why I've spent so long chasing after Minthe. Today, I have an answer for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I met Minthe on my weekly rounds one evening when I was passing by the Cocytus river. I'd never paid much attention to any of the nymphs before until that day. She was alone; her body racked with sobs. She reminded me of myself really. She'd barely noticed who was watching her, and instead of looking first, she snapped and threatened me with a dead fish. In the moment, I couldn't help but laugh. A small river nymph threatening the king of the Underworld with a fish. She was a flustered mess until I spoke. Minthe was rather petite even then, her beauty and pain was what drew me to her that day. Though, she held quite the attitude when I asked why she was crying. Somehow, I convinced her to walk with me. It didn't last long though. When I tried to reach out to her, she pulled away with that same sassy attitude. You wonder why I stayed with her for a thousand years. At that time, she'd already had someone, someone who didn't treat her well. Every day I would check up on her, and every day there would be new bruises or burned cigarette marks in her skin. It pained me to see her so afraid, so alone and distraught. It might not have been my best moment, but I sent him to live in the deepest pits of Tartarus for a couple hundred years. Because even in those moments, she was still the most beautiful creature I had ever laid my eyes on. You would've done the same for someone you loved.

sundayxl’s version: Minthe was new to the rural-part of the Underworld, the need money seemed to cross the Naiad’s mind. It lead her to make a dangerous deal with “someone” in order to secure her place in the Underworld Corp, so she could be paid highly as an intern. She has to transfer him all the money, however, this Naiad ran out. But surprise! surprise! Thanatos comes knocking on her car door. He demands to have his money this instance, making her agitated towards him.