Greek Mythology and Portal 2. [contains spoiler talk and easter eggs]

[granderoho]

Alright so there are 3 main greek mythological references in Portal 2 that I know of.

1. If you find the turret that says 'I am different', you know the one you get an achievement for if you save it, if you hold onto it tells you stuff. First it tells you to remember Caroline, then it tells you about the story of Prometheus. This indicates that GLaDOS has some sort of relation to Prometheus.

2. When you find GLaDOS again as a potato she is being pecked at by a bird, just like Prometheus. The imagery is obvious to anyone.

3. One of the co-op partners names is Atlas, Atlas of course was brother to Prometheus.

And from that I re-read Theogony(story of the Titans) and came to this conclusion:

(Imageshack shrunk my original info graphics & I had a HDD failure losing the originals, I'm sure they are still floating around the internet but instead I will just use & credit borealis117's (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/member.php?u=954808) since his is more artistic than mine were but relayed the same information.)

Info graphic 1 (http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t388/borealis117/portal_2_theory_p1.jpg)

Info graphic 2 (http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t388/borealis117/portal_2_theory_p2.jpg)

Bon voyage. (http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=72009384)

[RhinoMatte]

While this was all quite obvious, I like your conclusion.

[saykoshey]

You forgot the part about being cast down into the bowels of the earth. Chell and GlaDOS fall down a shaft which is 4200 meters deep.

[granderoho]

You forgot the part about being cast down into the bowels of the earth. Chell and GlaDOS fall down a shaft which is 4200 meters deep.

Which is of course the same punishment that Prometheus had.

I could also add that Wheatley being like Epimethius, ends Portal 2 with him lamenting what he had done to Chell.

[loodmoney]

Further Grecian references: "Aristotle versus MASHY SPIKE PLATE!" and "Well, you know the old formula: Comedy equals tragedy, plus time."

I'm not sure if that's much to go on, but is anyone familiar with Aristotle's Poetics? I might skim through it tonight to see if anything comes up.

[granderoho]

Further Grecian references: "Aristotle versus MASHY SPIKE PLATE!" and "Well, you know the old formula: Comedy equals tragedy, plus time."

I'm not sure if that's much to go on, but is anyone familiar with Aristotle's Poetics? I might skim through it tonight to see if anything comes up.

I totally forgot about that.

[granderoho]

bump1

[Marshazzle]

Very nice.
Concept map was fantastic.
It shows we have another soul who understands something :)

[granderoho]

Very nice.
Concept map was fantastic.
It shows we have another soul who understands something :)

thanks man.

[Problem]

I get the other three, but I don't really get any of the references to pbody at all.

[shewolf]

I get the other three, but I don't really get any of the references to pbody at all.

Same, but I've not really studied much greek mythology.

[granderoho]

I get the other three, but I don't really get any of the references to pbody at all.

Epimetheus is an obscure character. All you need to know about him is that Zues punished him for his sporadic behavior. P-Body's defining characteristic is that he can't keep still.

If you listen to the commentary tracks for Portal 2 they explain that P-Body is always twitching to keep balanced.

[TenthDog]

Fact Sphere References to the Greek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVMreo1wbEE)

1. "Pants were invented by sailors in the 16th century to avoid Poseidon's wrath. It was believed that the sight of naked sailors angered the sea god."
2. "In Greek myth, the craftsman Daedalus invented human flight so a group of Minotaurs would stop teasing him about it."
3. "In Greek myth, Prometheus stole fire from the Gods and gave it to humankind. The jewelry he kept for himself."

[Ataraxis]

Epimetheus is an obscure character. All you need to know about him is that Zues punished him for his sporadic behavior. P-Body's defining characteristic is that he can't keep still.

If you listen to the commentary tracks for Portal 2 they explain that P-Body is always twitching to keep balanced.

Yes, its "need-to-pee-stand", therefor: P-Body.

[*Kiitty*]

i may be wrong, but doesn't the ending song sort of hint that caroline didn't get deleted? it sort of sounded that way to me, but i'm not sure. lol anyway, great chart. I got the references from the different turret, but i never knew about the rest of it. great job

[granderoho]

I got an updated chart. (http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/118/portalgreek2.jpg)

[granderoho]

I hate to do this but I keep finding the references.

updated again. (http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7696/portal2greek.jpg)

[LordVaati]

I hate to do this but I keep finding the references.

updated again. (http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7696/portal2greek.jpg)

hmm... I wonder where the part in the story where Prometheus makes humans out of clay comes in....

[IIIIGooseIIII]

+rep interesting post

[Antheria]

hmm... I wonder where the part in the story where Prometheus makes humans out of clay comes in....
Maybe the theory that GLaDOS is cloning Chell/other humans?

[loodmoney]

I hate to do this but I keep finding the references.

Honestly, this is fantastic; I don't think anyone here is going to complain. Easily the most interesting thread on here.

I only have two questions: Firstly, can the parallel be extended, so that Chell = Heracles? The only reason I can see at this point is that she rescues GLaDOS from the bird, but I don't know much about Greek mythology. (Relatedly: how might Cave Johnson fit into all this?)

Secondly, and maybe outside the scope of this thread, how might we interpret the story and characters of Portal 2, given the connections you have found so far? This might have to wait until people start looking for and writing more in-depth analyses of the game, but it would be interesting to see discussion on this point.

[LordVaati]

...(Relatedly: how might Cave Johnson fit into all this?)...

He's zeus

[canardu]

following the greek myth hypothesis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium

In Greek mythology, Elysium (Greek: Ἠλύσια πεδία) was a section of the Underworld (the spelling Elysium is a Latinization of the Greek word Ἠλύσιον Elysion). The Elysian Fields, or the Elysian Plains, were the final resting places of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous.


Egyptologist Jan Assmann has also suggested that Greek Elysion may have instead been derived from the Egyptian term ialu (older iaru), meaning "reeds," with specific reference to the "Reed fields" (Egyptian: sekhet iaru / ialu), a paradisiacal land of plenty where the dead hoped to spend eternity.[2]

A reed field: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Harchies_RN1hJPG.jpg

Chell is dead.

[LordVaati]

following the greek myth hypothesis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium






A reed field: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Harchies_RN1hJPG.jpg

Chell is dead.

Explains why companion cube follows you out the door....

[canardu]

Explains why companion cube follows you out the door....

Because you are dead and you are rewarded with what make you happy?
A companion for eternity?

[Barbossa_Haruo]

You should also put in how chell placed wheatley in glados's place. bestowing him a great box of responsibility, and power (glados's body) which he opens, causeing hell to unleash on the world, i mean.. aperture science facilities.

You can also see chell as pandora, since wheatley is paired with her, and then she could be seen as responsible for setting all hell loose by placing wheatley in glados's place.

[LordVaati]

Inb4 someone finds a link between the ending of portal and the final act of Prometheus unbound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Unbound_%28Shelley%29#Act_IV)

[granderoho]

Honestly, this is fantastic; I don't think anyone here is going to complain. Easily the most interesting thread on here.

I only have two questions: Firstly, can the parallel be extended, so that Chell = Heracles? The only reason I can see at this point is that she rescues GLaDOS from the bird, but I don't know much about Greek mythology. (Relatedly: how might Cave Johnson fit into all this?)

Secondly, and maybe outside the scope of this thread, how might we interpret the story and characters of Portal 2, given the connections you have found so far? This might have to wait until people start looking for and writing more in-depth analyses of the game, but it would be interesting to see discussion on this point.
Heracles was always depicted as someone who never gave up.

So it would make sense.

[granderoho]

You should also put in how chell placed wheatley in glados's place. bestowing him a great box of responsibility, and power (glados's body) which he opens, causeing hell to unleash on the world, i mean.. aperture science facilities.

You can also see chell as pandora, since wheatley is paired with her, and then she could be seen as responsible for setting all hell loose by placing wheatley in glados's place.

This just keeps getting deeper.

[slimd1995]

I swear I JUST saw this on /v/.

[Blackgammon]

Wow...

That is a very very observant analogy.

So...is Chell Hercules?

Think about it, Hercules was chosen to perform 12 labours, he also saves prometheus from the Eagle, After Hercules performs the final deed, he dies, And people personify that the fields are heaven or something.

Chell is forced to performed tests by the higher powers, she saves GLaDOS from the bird, and she ascends to the field

OH MAH GAWD ILLEGITIMATE SON OF ZEUS WITH A MORTAL WOMAN= ILLEGITIMATE DAUGHTER OF CAVE WITH HIS SECRETARY

[Ling420]

I approve of this thread.

[granderoho]

I swear I JUST saw this on /v/.

I posted it on /v/

[granderoho]

Wow...

That is a very very observant analogy.

So...is Chell Hercules?

OH MAH GAWD SON OF ZEUS=DAUGHTER OF CAVE

It makes more sense now that I think about it that Chell is Pandora.

[Nuka88]

Oh God, its Halo 3: ODST all over again....

[Blackgammon]

It makes more sense now that I think about it that Chell is Pandora.

I guess I was thinking this, but Chell doesn't really do anything to 'open all the evils to the world' she just sorta overthrows GLaDOS and gives the power to Wheatley,

Unless the cube is the 'box'

...I think I'm thinking to hard here

Nah, I prefer the idea that Chell is Hercules myself.

Oh God, its Halo 3: ODST all over again....

Welcome to the world of gaming. Where everything has to have some sort of philosophical meaning.

To be fair it could still be complete coincidence, but it's not doing any harm, unless people start worshipping Portal 2 as some sort of religion...

[Visiiri]

I don't believe that this is more than a little game Valve has chosen to play. Chell being dead is EXTREMELY unlikely with how much Portal 2 has grossed. Beyond that, you could relate the characters in Portal 2 to MANY things, I'm sure, so this is, although interesting, not really remarkable. (I don't think we'll be battling Hades in the next game, or that this could possibly be more than an interesting humorous easter egg.)

[Blackgammon]

I don't believe that this is more than a little game Valve has chosen to play. Chell being dead is EXTREMELY unlikely with how much Portal 2 has grossed. Beyond that, you could relate the characters in Portal 2 to MANY things, I'm sure, so this is, although interesting, not really remarkable. (I don't think we'll be battling Hades in the next game, or that this could possibly be more than an interesting humorous easter egg.)

The Companion Cube is Hades

[granderoho]

I got an updated version. (http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/118/portalgreek2.jpg)

[granderoho]

bump to fix my horrendous misspellings. (http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/118/portalgreek2.jpg)

[Kr1sP]

wheatley mentions his Achilles heel of explaining his plans to you. Just wanted to contribute...

[meimeiriver]

bump to fix my horrendous misspellings. (http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/118/portalgreek2.jpg)

Brilliant man being brilliant.

+1 rep

[blackaerin]

Epimetheus is also the name of a moon, sharing the same orbit with another moon.
(Space core anyone?)

[blackaerin]

Also, look at this passage.
"And she bare him a stout-hearted son, Atlas: also she bare very glorious Menoetius and clever Prometheus, full of various wiles, and scatter-brained Epimetheus."

Those descriptions sound very familiar.

[TheTurnipKing]

I don't believe that this is more than a little game Valve has chosen to play. Chell being dead is EXTREMELY unlikely with how much Portal 2 has grossed. Beyond that, you could relate the characters in Portal 2 to MANY things, I'm sure, so this is, although interesting, not really remarkable. (I don't think we'll be battling Hades in the next game, or that this could possibly be more than an interesting humorous easter egg.)
Consider it more of a metaphor than a statement of biological fact. She's not "dead", but she's no longer in "the world".

Chell's backstory might be an interesting thing to explore in the next game, and it'll be a lot easier if you're not actually playing as her.

[GuardianTIM]

Because you are dead and you are rewarded with what make you happy?
A companion for eternity?

I think perhaps we can interpret the idea of death slightly differently. Rather than 'dead' in the traditional sense, remember that everything that happens to (and involving) Glados occurs within the Aperture Science facility. The facility is pretty much her entire world.
In Portal 1, when she's discouraging Chell from going outside she admits that even she doesn't exactly know what's going on out there.

To Glados, Chell is as good as dead, now that Chell has left the facility. To Chell, it would mean the end of her 'life' at Aperture.

As much as I doubt there'll be a Portal3 anytime soon, I wonder if she would start by arriving at a river and crossing it via a ferry. :p

[SilverDirewolf]

Awesome catch OP! :D

Maybe update the first post with the new findings?

Also, the P-Body comparison does seem a bit of a stretch to me, though I admit I know little of Greek mythology. One thing I'd note is that P-Body is made from a turret, while Atlas, Wheatly and (I guess) Glados are all personality cores. So for them the "brother" aspect seems rather apt, further distancing them from P-Body.

[TheTurnipKing]

Awesome catch OP! :D

Maybe update the first post with the new findings?

Also, the P-Body comparison does seem a bit of a stretch to me, though I admit I know little of Greek mythology. One thing I'd note is that P-Body is made from a turret, while Atlas, Wheatly and (I guess) Glados are all personality cores. So for them the "brother" aspect seems rather apt, further distancing them from P-Body.
The turrets may well be modified personality cores in the first place.

[blackaerin]

Awesome catch OP! :D

Maybe update the first post with the new findings?

Also, the P-Body comparison does seem a bit of a stretch to me, though I admit I know little of Greek mythology. One thing I'd note is that P-Body is made from a turret, while Atlas, Wheatly and (I guess) Glados are all personality cores. So for them the "brother" aspect seems rather apt, further distancing them from P-Body.

True, PBody does seem to stick out.
If you look at Menoetius, his rash actions was more attributed to anger.

[Nobuga]

Interesting...

[CorNL]

Nice find :)!

[Xalphin]

Hercules doesn't die in the normal sense. He is dieing of poison so they place him on a funeral pyre, still alive, where he is raised up to live in Olympus with the gods. Using the Greek metaphors we can say that:

Chell as Hercules completed her labors and thus is rewarded by ascending (going up the elevator) to Olympus to live with the gods. The gods being humans as humans created GLaDOs and the Aperture science lab. So going to Olympus would be Chell rejoining the real world.

Good post OP didn't notice any of this stuff on my own :)

[canardu]

I think perhaps we can interpret the idea of death slightly differently. Rather than 'dead' in the traditional sense, remember that everything that happens to (and involving) Glados occurs within the Aperture Science facility. The facility is pretty much her entire world.
In Portal 1, when she's discouraging Chell from going outside she admits that even she doesn't exactly know what's going on out there.

To Glados, Chell is as good as dead, now that Chell has left the facility. To Chell, it would mean the end of her 'life' at Aperture.

As much as I doubt there'll be a Portal3 anytime soon, I wonder if she would start by arriving at a river and crossing it via a ferry. :p

Please note.
I'm not saying that i'm 100% sure this is what Valve wants to communicate.
I'm saying that this is what i want read in the story.

What make me think that Chell is really dead and not metaforically dead is the fact that she went trough every sort of emotional, psicological, physical, environmental and biologycal stress.
When we first see her in Portal 1 her hair are becoming gray and her skin is losing pigmentation. I suspect that those gray vetrified staring eyes are also a way for the character design to comunicate the same thing. Chell is losing her vitality.
when Wheatley wake us in Portal 2 he scream horrified, the pigmentation loss in hair and skin aren't there anymore, but the eyes stay.
She's trapped in that facility for a long time, we can see her work from the bring your doughter to work day.
So psicologically she is a 10 years old girl, maybe is true that she is adopted, and this mean that she is already "damaged" when everything happened.
She's closed, introversed, unlovable, like GlaDos say but only because aperture is not her only traumatic event.
But she doesn't give up, she's been true a lot even before aperture science, maybe she assisted to the death of her parents, who knows.

This to say that when we start Portal 2 Chell is already stressed to a level that should kill anybody else.

During Portal 1\2 she is exposed to any kind of chemical dangerous compound, miniblack holes, cinetic sollicitation, space vacuum, space radiation, neurotoxin, asbestos, lasers, rooms full of acid esalation, long enough cryostasis to cause cerebral damages and physical deterioration, emancipation grills, etc.

It make sense to me that she is dying from the start of the game. An every chamber, avery challenge for her is a true "titanic" effort.

When i think about that i finally see a game character different from the others. Not the usual bullett proof super-hero, but one of us.
We start dying from the day we born, like Chell that start dying from the start of the adventure.
The majority of us, like Chell, don't give up, not because we are heroes, but because living our lives and went trough all the difficulties are the only reasonable response.

I don't belive in afterlife but this is a game and is beutiful to see Chell set free and happy in that field, after all what she went trough.

This is my interpretation, the good of Valve's games are that the story is never so straight that you can give your own meaning.
It's also a very sad interpretation, so part of me want that i'm wrong, but this interpretation, in my opinion, give to the story a meaning that lack in other games.

Try to play the game imagining the pain, the mental and physical fatigue, the stress of a terminally ill that doesn't give up. I think this is the way Chell feels during the game.

p.s. sorry for my english, it's not my primary language and it's difficult to me communicate complex and elaborated ideas with it.

p.p.s Maybe the only problem with this hypotesis is the final song "want you gone" that seems to imply that Chell is alive.

[Mandalore313]

Didn't read everyone's posts sorry, but I am Greek, I know my mythology, and all the parallelisms in the 1st and 2nd pictures are correct.

Aeschylus *did* write Prometheus Unbound but I'm not really sure if that's him in CJ's picture.
His most common look is this (http://www.oregonrepublicanparty.org/sites/default/files/quotepics/Aeschylus.jpg).

Apart from that, I can confirm everything else. Not that you need me for that since Wikipedia is here, but still. You know. :)

[granderoho]

I don't think Chell died but you did fine articulating your points, with with English as a secondary language.

[Maje]

hmm... I wonder where the part in the story where Prometheus makes humans out of clay comes in....
Maybe the theory that GLaDOS is cloning Chell/other humans?

Actually she created P-Body and Atlas out of "common" materials in her world.

[Ridnarhtim]

I think Chell is Kratos because she breaks everything and murders GLaDOS.

[Gate21IsClosed]

Hercules doesn't die in the normal sense. He is dieing of poison so they place him on a funeral pyre, still alive, where he is raised up to live in Olympus with the gods. Using the Greek metaphors we can say that:

Chell as Hercules completed her labors and thus is rewarded by ascending (going up the elevator) to Olympus to live with the gods. The gods being humans as humans created GLaDOs and the Aperture science lab. So going to Olympus would be Chell rejoining the real world.

Good post OP didn't notice any of this stuff on my own :)

That sounds pretty interesting, i actually believe that could be what they wanted to tell us with it.

[granderoho]

I think Chell is Kratos because she breaks everything and murders GLaDOS.

Chell is not Kratos, she doesn't have much power at all. In fact one of her defining characteristics is that she is lacking power.

[Supertegwyn]

They have said that P-body is quiet and thoughtful, and that Atlas is brash and quick-minded, so shouldn't it be the other way around?

[SilverDirewolf]

I find it very clever that it's when Glados in the potato that the bird is attacking her, and that potatoes have "eyes". Unless the eye part is a different myth I'm mixing up.

[<>< <--Minnow!]

It's all Greek to me.

[wolfe...]

Interesting observation, especially the paintings of Aeschylus. I just thought that was the Virgin Mary when I saw it the first time. FYI, it's "Prometheus Bound" not unbound.

[Biorawr]

Love this theory, it seems well prooved.

[TheWonderball]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hQeyJ9CRXg
Don't know if this has been mentioned.

[TadMod]

This thread is amazing. I didn't pick up on any of those (apart from the "Atlas" references)!

I think it's spectacular just how FILLED portal 2 is with subtle references and hints, secrets and tidbits. I love Valve for dedicating as much time to the core gameplay as to making the world so multifaceted!

[omfgkevin]

I read a post on youtube about it being referred to Greek mythology....

So Chell's dead? ZOMG that must mean the turrets silent sniped her and then she was in her soul listening to music :O

[Heymanki]

and what about the name P-body? where does it come from?
if i'm not mistaking in cellular biology P-bodies are structures that are responsible for mRNA storage and degradation (stuff that proteins get translated from).
i haven't had time for the co-op yet, but does P-body have any access to delicate info or has to process some data?

[Umgathegreat]

This might be worth something too...


http://www.game-ism.com/2008/04/09/glados-followup-shes-your-venus/

[craft2299]

Wait, so the "Reeds" field is actualy Schrodringers Cat all over again?

Is chell dead or alive?

[Mikel_S]

Wow, OP, great work putting things together. I picked up on a few of those things, but that totally puts it all right in place.

[granderoho]

Wait, so the "Reeds" field is actualy Schrodringers Cat all over again?

Is chell dead or alive?

Well from looking at different types of Wheat. What is depicted in the game seems to be a species called 'combed wheat reeds'. They grow naturally near water sources.

It could be that they are implying that she now gets to live a peaceful life now in a wheat field like all other greek heroes.

[MonkeyJamboree]

Wait, so the "Reeds" field is actualy Schrodringers Cat all over again?

Is chell dead or alive?

Well, at the end of the first game, she's "Still Alive," but now GLaDOS doesn't want Chell dead, just "gone." Perhaps to a higher plane of existence? We never do see who/what takes her away from the final battle with Wheatley, so perhaps she did die and her mind went through the final talk with GLaDOS and the "ascent" through the Turrets to the fields of gold?
...and sorry for all of the spoiler text, I wasn't sure how much I should use :P

[granderoho]

I don't think Chell is dead.

[lichmisfit]

wow this is intesting i only got the glados and the birds part in my playthrough i dint know there were so many references to greek mythology

[a_headcrab]

This is ♥♥♥♥ing brilliant. I bow my (TF2) hat to you.

Everyone give this person some rep.

[Imran166]

Very interesting stuff.

I didn't know this stuff beforehand, thanks!

[meimeiriver]

Hercules doesn't die in the normal sense. He is dieing of poison so they place him on a funeral pyre, still alive, where he is raised up to live in Olympus with the gods. Using the Greek metaphors we can say that:

Chell as Hercules completed her labors and thus is rewarded by ascending (going up the elevator) to Olympus to live with the gods. The gods being humans as humans created GLaDOs and the Aperture science lab. So going to Olympus would be Chell rejoining the real world.

Good post OP didn't notice any of this stuff on my own :)

+1 rep. Let's not derail this into a 'Chell is dead!' thread, as obviously that's taken things way too literal.

[TheLeoCrow]

Let's not forget that the cave johnson recordings often call the listener among other things "olympian"

[int_civ]

Extremely well discovered and reasoned OP. NICE! :D

[vashts1985]

nice thread.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=22015382#post22015382
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21990365#post21990365
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1852937

im still sticking to my guns.

[RawrManbearpig]

Until I got to the statue in the portrait (which seemed a little creepy) I thought it was just the different turret making a greek reference with POTaDOS and everything else being coincidental.

Still I find it hard to believe but I feel like I can't deny that portrait as evidence. I think some of it is a little bit of a reach like P-Body, Atlas seems like it could easily be coincidental, and the Aristotle refrences being Wheatley trying to sound more intelligent, with the classical music and pretending to be reading.

None the less, good job.

[CrowbarSka]

Thanks to TRUNK SLAMCHEST's screenshots I just noticed this:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/trunk_slamchest/screenshot/540640198853679133/?

Tartaros (http://www.theoi.com/Kosmos/Tartaros.html).

[sneakyh]

Great thread OP. Very interested to see what other titbits are out there.

[Achillies]

I love that Atlas has a "dance" so-to-speak, called "Atlas Shrugged"

[Eacaraxe]

hmm... I wonder where the part in the story where Prometheus makes humans out of clay comes in....

Beat the co-op.

[TerribleKnight]

I think GLaDOS relates more to the Prometheus myth in the same way that the Prometheus myth relates to the story of Frankenstein (Often referred to as the Modern Day Prometheus) - That is, it's about Prometheus (in this case Cave Johnson/Aperture) bringing fire (life/ai/whatever you want to call it) to the inanimate (GLaDOS). Make sense?

[Freemon]

Alright so there are 3 main greek mythological references in Portal 2 that I know of.

1. If you find the turret that says 'I am different', you know the one you get an achievement for if you save it, if you hold onto it tells you stuff. First it tells you to remember Caroline, then it tells you about the story of Prometheus. This indicates that GLaDOS has some sort of relation to Prometheus.

2. When you find GLaDOS again as a potato she is being pecked at by a bird, just like Prometheus. The imagery is obvious to anyone.

3. One of the co-op partners names is Atlas, Atlas of course was brother to Prometheus.

And from that I re-read Theogony(story of the Titans) and came to this conclusion:

LINK. (http://spaceghetto.org/images/portal2gre.jpg)

Updated Version (http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/118/portalgreek2.jpg)

Mind > Blown.

You deserve rep. Loads of it.

[Dreadjaws]

This is absolutely brilliant. Great job, OP. I did find a few of those references, but there's no way I would have made such a detailed analysis.

[Prof. N'Core]

I read somewhere that Caroline means "free man", who is the main character of the Half Life series and we found Borealis on this game.
Next ARG will propably be about HL2 ep3, and I am 100% the clues are going to be related to greek mythology. Keep that in mind people!

[Goodeye]

I really didn't pick up on any of this, however looking back on the game now it all makes sense.

[craft2299]

Well, at the end of the first game, she's "Still Alive," but now GLaDOS doesn't want...


Random Spoiler
-----------------

The thing is that poeple start too speculate that chell has gone mad and the ending scene is just her imagination and the field is actualy a simulation. We will know only when Portal 2 gets a secret update or something because i must admit, i did feel it was TOO unbelievable ending as it was actualy night time.

So i ask my self, is she alive or dead? The Wheat Reeds make it seem like one of them.

Schrodingers cat again :|

[Heymanki]

we don't know how long she was passed out in the end, maybe she was in coma for a few days?
but for some reason i prefer the peaceful elysium explanation more than the upper-michigan wheat fields. after all she's been through her suffering is over. besides what kind of life quality would she have out there? never mind the messed up HL universe, she also came in contact with multiple hazardous chemicals that will cause nasty diseases pretty soon, probably has a brain damage, will have nice long lasting post-traumatic stress etc...

[TerribleKnight]

I think GLaDOS relates more to the Prometheus myth in the same way that the Prometheus myth relates to the story of Frankenstein (Often referred to as the Modern Day Prometheus) - That is, it's about Prometheus (in this case Cave Johnson/Aperture) bringing fire (life/ai/whatever you want to call it) to the inanimate (GLaDOS). Make sense?

Sorry to repost, but i felt the need. I just have a problem with this theory because why is GLaDOS being punished for giving the portal gun to man? She didn't steal it... however I think the other theories are rather sound and quite interesting. the parallels are very nicely done.

[discrider]

Sorry to repost, but i felt the need. I just have a problem with this theory because why is GLaDOS being punished for giving the portal gun to man? She didn't steal it... however I think the other theories are rather sound and quite interesting. the parallels are very nicely done.

This thread needs pictures of the graphics on the blue-only portal gun chamber that the Ratman drew.

On one of them it clearly shows GLaDOS bending down to give Chell the gun, like Prometheus did with fire.

These pictures make it very difficult to argue that GLaDOS isn't Prometheus although the question of why GLaDOS is being punished for giving away something that was her's is still valid. But the fact remains that she is being punished for it.

[AHUGEMUSHROOM]

that stuff about aeschylus is very cool :D

[AHUGEMUSHROOM]

Portal 3 is gonna be a heck of a game :D

[_Budweiser_]

Some possible mythological metaphors with Portal 2 script incidents:

Chiron replaced Prometheus' place in Tartarus.

Pandora, the first woman, introduced misfortune to men as penance for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire and her own insatiable curiosity

Deucalion, son of Prometheus, built a ship to house the secrets of the gods when a flood came (as per Noah/Ut-Napishtim). Afterwards, He and his wife then re-created men and women from stones.

[Gate21IsClosed]

This thread needs pictures of the graphics on the blue-only portal gun chamber that the Ratman drew.

On one of them it clearly shows GLaDOS bending down to give Chell the gun, like Prometheus did with fire.

These pictures make it very difficult to argue that GLaDOS isn't Prometheus although the question of why GLaDOS is being punished for giving away something that was her's is still valid. But the fact remains that she is being punished for it.

Technically it wasnt hers, in a way GLaDOS (Prometheus) stole the portal gun (fire) from the scientists who built her and the gun. These were the people that gave her live => they are Zeus. So it fits again.

[_Budweiser_]

the people that gave her live => they are Zeus.

Where do you get your mythology, wikipedia or something?

Zeus did not give life to Prometheus. Prometheus was son of the Titan Iapetus, and chose to ally with Zeus against his brothers in the war against Zeus' parents, Cronus & Rhea. Depnding on whether you take Hesiod or Ovid's versions, Prometheus or the gods later created mankind, and Zeus grew angry at Prometheus' favouring them.

[Xalphin]

Zeus doesn't actually punish Prometheus for giving man fire. This is a common misconception.

When Prometheus gave mankind fire, Zeus was quite angry until Man started giving up burnt offerings to the gods, and it's sweet smell soothed his temper.

Normally man would give the best parts of the animals up to the gods. However Prometheus taught man to trick the gods by hiding bones and scraps under the best looking meat and then having Zeus choose which pile he wanted. When Zeus learned of this trickery he punished Prometheus.

Anyways as for why GLaDOs was punished? Well maybe for killing everyone inside the facility? The symbolism is exactly that. Symbolic. It doesn't need to be an exact comparison. The idea behind the giving of fire is that it's the first piece of technology that we discover. It unleashes a new age for mankind. The portal gun is the same.

[_Budweiser_]

When Zeus learned of this trickery he punished Prometheus.

First he punished the men by creating woman (Pandora). Only after Pandora had released the evils amongst man, did Zeus order Force & Violence to bind Prometheus to the Caucasus not only to punish hium, but more importantly to disclose the secret of the name of the mother of Zeus' son who was to dethrone him.

__________________________________________________ ____________

More variations (from Ovid) on Classical Greek myths entail the princess, Io approaching the bound Prometheus, after Io had been changed into a cow by Hera, jealous of her husband(Zeus)'s infidelities. Having sympathy and a common angst against Zeus, Prometheus did his best to comfort Io, though he could do little else, besides tell her that in the future, she would reach the Nile, whereupon Zeus would restore her form. This came to pass, and Io's descendant, Heracles was to assist in Prometheus' later freedom.

---
Not sure if there's any connection with being turned into a potato or anything... bit vague, really.

[NocturnaVG]

If Zeus is Cave Johnson, then that would rather make Glados Hera. That's why I disagree with the Cave Zeus relationship. I also think GLaDOS tried to kill Chell when she went up in the elevator but the turrets perhaps had more of a heart than that.

[granderoho]

Beat the co-op.

Yep. Even before you beat the co-op it talks about GLaDOS having the ability to clone humans.

[SpeedyVT]

What if Chell was dead? I mean like she died a long time ago and Caroline froze her. You remember the part where GLaDOS said she might take up a new hobby reanimating the dead. Maybe Caroline and Cave brought her back alive. Maybe those audio files about the disagreement between Cave and Caroline was about bringing her dead daughter back to life.

Considering all of the Greek Mythologies bringing back the dead is one of the many.

Perhaps Bring Your Daughter To Work was just a test to see if her mind was back to normal. This is probably why she is so used to tests.

ps I posted this on another theory page

[granderoho]

There are no overt references in Portal 2 of Cave Johnson to Zeus so I left that out, even if it makes sense to the rest of the analogies. All I'm going on is actual evidence.

[meimeiriver]

Technically it wasnt hers, in a way GLaDOS (Prometheus) stole the portal gun (fire) from the scientists who built her and the gun. These were the people that gave her live => they are Zeus. So it fits again.

GLaDOS: "... And you make a neat gun for the people who are still alive."

Seems GLaDOS can make/design her own portal guns now. Though, granted, you could say she stole the technology and knowhow from the scientists she murdered.

[granderoho]

I'm editing the original again to add the prometheus making man. What I was wondering was, is wheatley the robot who was in charge of the subjects in the tubes from ending of co-op?

Were they seperate to the test subjects or were they considered test subjects as well?

[meimeiriver]

This thread needs pictures of the graphics on the blue-only portal gun chamber that the Ratman drew.

On one of them it clearly shows GLaDOS bending down to give Chell the gun, like Prometheus did with fire.

These pictures make it very difficult to argue that GLaDOS isn't Prometheus although the question of why GLaDOS is being punished for giving away something that was her's is still valid. But the fact remains that she is being punished for it.

+repped for excellent Ratman observation.

But yes, the portal gun wasn't really hers: she forcibly took it from the scientists she killed.

[meimeiriver]

Hmm, just wondering, if Chell is supposed to be Pandora, and Chell also frees Prometheus, wouldn't Chell be Heracles then?

[granderoho]

Hmm, just wondering, if Chell is supposed to be Pandora, and Chell also frees Prometheus, wouldn't Chell be Heracles then?

Yes in Prometheus Unbound, Heracles frees Prometheus so I guess that connection could be made.

anyone got an answer to my previous question. Was Wheatley in charge of the test subjects you find at end of co-op?

[SpeedyVT]

I've got an awesome find! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcestis_%28play%29

"Some of the decisions by the characters in the play could raise some questions. Hospitality was considered a great virtue among the Greeks, that is why Admetus cannot send Heracles away from his house. In turn as a reward Heracles returns Alcestis to him. Alcestis' fate can be viewed as a reflection of the male-dominated world of fifth-century Athens – her death is decided by her husband, in that he allows her to take his pre-ordained place in Hades; her rescue from Death comes only through Heracles' intervention. Being led silently from the tomb perhaps symbolizes the woman's role in the Athenian household as a subordinate figure, from whom it was preferred to hear little. Other studies suggest that, in Greek tradition, beings brought back from the dead were encouraged not to speak until they had been purified. In all, the play shows that the rules of the male world, guest – friendship and hospitality in particular, are more important that the whims of a female, even her dying wish is disregarded. That Heracles rewards Admetus for his adhesion to these social mores is a reflection of this and it may be this aspect of his contemporary society which Euripides is calling into question with this play."

Hint the reason why Chell can not speak! Definitely supports the Chell was dead theory.

[meimeiriver]

I've got an awesome find! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcestis_%28play%29

I've stumbled on an even bigger find in your find:

When the chorus-leader presses her for news, she gives a confusing response: "She is alive. And dead."

Schrödinger's cat!!!

[TehPrestige]

you remind me of my english teacher

[SpeedyVT]

even bigger find on that Schrödinger's cat!!! remember bring your cat to work day :)

[meimeiriver]

even bigger find on that Schrödinger's cat!!! remember bring your cat to work day :)

Um, that *was* the Schrödinger's cat thingy. ;)

[SpeedyVT]

lols :)

[omfgkevin]

I've got an awesome find! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcestis_%28play%29

"Some of the decisions by the characters in the play could raise some questions. Hospitality was considered a great virtue among the Greeks, that is why Admetus cannot send Heracles away from his house. In turn as a reward Heracles returns Alcestis to him. Alcestis' fate can be viewed as a reflection of the male-dominated world of fifth-century Athens – her death is decided by her husband, in that he allows her to take his pre-ordained place in Hades; her rescue from Death comes only through Heracles' intervention. Being led silently from the tomb perhaps symbolizes the woman's role in the Athenian household as a subordinate figure, from whom it was preferred to hear little. Other studies suggest that, in Greek tradition, beings brought back from the dead were encouraged not to speak until they had been purified. In all, the play shows that the rules of the male world, guest – friendship and hospitality in particular, are more important that the whims of a female, even her dying wish is disregarded. That Heracles rewards Admetus for his adhesion to these social mores is a reflection of this and it may be this aspect of his contemporary society which Euripides is calling into question with this play."

Hint the reason why Chell can not speak! Definitely supports the Chell was dead theory.
She can't speak because of brain damage, not because she was dead.

[mobilpcguru]

Chell was only suspected to have brain damege in portal 2 she just had no one to talk to in portal 1.

[SpeedyVT]

She can't speak because of brain damage, not because she was dead.

but she can't speak in the first one

[Kr1sP]

anyone have evidence on Ratman relating to Icarus? I mean he never had a portal gun but was set on escaping. He says "A hole in the sky through which I can fly" His plan was to use the single portal device to portal to the moon, no evidence on if he did other than his cube being there. He tried to escape a maze with a single instead of dual portal gun, fake wings? Just a thought, Ratman was sculpted as a character during Portal 2 development so he has to relate to something as well.

[Condor_96]

While I did notice the "Tartaros" signs in the pit, I like your linking.

[Gate21IsClosed]

Where do you get your mythology, wikipedia or something?

Zeus did not give life to Prometheus. Prometheus was son of the Titan Iapetus, and chose to ally with Zeus against his brothers in the war against Zeus' parents, Cronus & Rhea. Depnding on whether you take Hesiod or Ovid's versions, Prometheus or the gods later created mankind, and Zeus grew angry at Prometheus' favouring them.

i didnt knwo for sure, only said what i thought, but pbviously you know mre than i do about that stuff

[granderoho]

I updated OP with it but I'll post it here as well.

UPDATE (http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/790/portal3greek.jpg)

[pietranslator]

I updated OP with it but I'll post it here as well.

UPDATE (http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/790/portal3greek.jpg)

"Made them walk upright like the gods..." I believe that in co op, GlaDos said something along the lines of having to give humans a much easier test on walking, and complimenting them on how well they were walking.

[94%]

Did anyone play the Minerva mod for Half life 2?
The person who made was recruited by Valve. Maybe he had some input on the story dealing with mythology. (I highly recommend the Minerva mod, It requires episode 1 to play, and it might be the single most well made single player mod I have ever seen, especially for Halflife 2) check it out. http://www.moddb.com/mods/minerva

[granderoho]

Did anyone play the Minerva mod for Half life 2?
The person who made was recruited by Valve. Maybe he had some input on the story dealing with mythology. (I highly recommend the Minerva mod, It requires episode 1 to play, and it might be the single most well made single player mod I have ever seen, especially for Halflife 2) check it out. http://www.moddb.com/mods/minerva

I've never played that. I'll have to go back and do that.

[pietranslator]

Wait a minute, though. Shouldn't the original Carolyn represent someone different from what GlaDOS represents? But I'm alright with the idea that she represents a "mortal mother of Heracles."

[473NG3R]

She can't speak because of brain damage, not because she was dead.

Remember Alyx Vance's comment, "you are a man of few words" to Gordon Freeman? Main [player controlled] characters in Valve games to my knowledge never speak. I'm guessing it is because they don't want to "force" the player to say something that they wouldn't necessarily say. Plus it makes building the game easier, less voice acting :P Sometimes however, Valve draws attention to the fact that the main character is speechless. This does not mean that it has far reaching implications such as brain damage. I think it is more of a bit of humor from Valve. Keeping that in mind - I would say that Chell is not brain damaged. Considering her accomplishments, a brain-damaged Chell seems absurd.

Just my 2 cents

[473NG3R]

granderoho - thanks for the great post +rep! I had noticed the "Tartaros" reference, and my curiosity led me here. This thread is just more evidence of how clever and well-versed the Valve staff are, and just how observant and quick-witted their fans are!

[473NG3R]

I read somewhere that Caroline means "free man", who is the main character of the Half Life series and we found Borealis on this game.
Next ARG will propably be about HL2 ep3, and I am 100% the clues are going to be related to greek mythology. Keep that in mind people!

I was thinking this too. The games are so tied together it would stand to reason that Portal 2 might eventually be used to tease HL2EP3. Using mythology would be an interesting approach.

[granderoho]

I'm working my way through HL2 Minerva to find any references to Portal 2 or the Theogony storyline. I'll update you guys if or when I find anything.

[473NG3R]

from:
http://www.theoi.com/Kosmos/Tartaros.html

"Later classical writers reimagined Tartaros as the hellish prison-house of the damned"

This struck me as particularly interesting since "Tartaros" in Portal 2 contains huge fortress-like towers with spikes at the tops that look like battlements. Definitely looks like a prison fortress to me.

http://steamcommunity.com/id/473NG3R/screenshot/577795626627308279?tab=pu

[SpeedyVT]

pppsssssshhhhh greek mythology yeah right portal 2 is all about Helen Keller.

[woolysockofdoom]

Interesting observation, especially the paintings of Aeschylus. I just thought that was the Virgin Mary when I saw it the first time. FYI, it's "Prometheus Bound" not unbound.

There actually are three Ancient Greek plays which are part of the Promethia trilogy. The first two are named Prometheus Bound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Bound) and Prometheus Unbound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Unbound_(Aeschylus)), with the last being Prometheus the Fire-Bringer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_the_Fire-Bringer). However, the latter two of this trilogy do not exist in their entirety.

Later, Percy Shelley wrote a four act play, which was also titled Prometheus Unbound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Unbound_(Shelley)). This play could be considered his version of what the original might have been like; however, it is inconsistent with the original Promethia trilogy and should not be considered part of it.

It should be noted that Percy Shelley was the husband of Mary Shelley, who wrote the famous novel Frankenstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein), which is often subtitled as The Modern Prometheus.

[MrtiansinUranus]

Remember Alyx Vance's comment, "you are a man of few words" to Gordon Freeman? Main [player controlled] characters in Valve games to my knowledge never speak. I'm guessing it is because they don't want to "force" the player to say something that they wouldn't necessarily say. Plus it makes building the game easier, less voice acting :P Sometimes however, Valve draws attention to the fact that the main character is speechless. This does not mean that it has far reaching implications such as brain damage. I think it is more of a bit of humor from Valve. Keeping that in mind - I would say that Chell is not brain damaged. Considering her accomplishments, a brain-damaged Chell seems absurd.

Just my 2 cents

Brain damage or not, Chell has been diagnosed with mute lunacy.

Moon-The symbol of the Greek god Artemis. Plays many major parts in Portal 2.

I don't know if that's really anything to go on.

[granderoho]

So I played through all of the first Minerva mod for HL2 to try to find references to Portal II or Greek Mythology. I found nothing. Other than the girl being named Minerva it was pretty.

What I did find was that Portal 2 is built a lot like Minerva in that instead of building out horizontally, the game builds vertically. So I guess the guy who made it had some kind of impression on Valve. It's cool finding stuff like that out.

[Nobuga]

Really liked the updated version.

[PartyAssociate]

I didn't have time to read the whole thread, but I'm pretty sure that the developers have stated that the model for GLaDOS is based off of The Birth of Venus.

Venus: http://www.virtualuffizi.com/uffizi/img/878.jpg
GLaDOS: http://www.elitistcritic.com/images/games/portal_glados.jpg

[meimeiriver]

Moon-The symbol of the Greek god Artemis. Plays many major parts in Portal 2.


Used to be the goddess Selena -- also known as Luna, by her Roman name. Selena comes from the Greek selas, meaning "brightness". Hence, Aurora Borealis, in Greek, is called Boreion Selas.

Hmmm, Borealis?!





EP3!!!

[gtaivpc]

Used to be the goddess Selena -- also known as Luna, by her Roman name. Selena comes from the Greek selas, meaning "brightness". Hence, Aurora Borealis, in Greek, is called Boreion Selas.

Hmmm, Borealis?!





EP3!!!

The actual pronunciation in greek sounds nothing like borealis. More like "Vor-ee-o Sell-a$s"

[meimeiriver]

The actual pronunciation in greek sounds nothing like borealis. More like "Vor-ee-o Sell-us"

Uh? Why would it sound like Borealis in Greek?! Just saying Boreion Selas is their term for what we call Aurora Borealis.

[gtaivpc]

Uh? Why would it sound like Borealis in Greek?! Just saying Boreion Selas is their term for what we call Aurora Borealis.

Because the pronounciations of "Borealis" and "Boreion Selas" (or Βόρειο Σέλας) bare no resemblance, at all. Neither do the words themselves if you ask me. I'm calling BS.

[granderoho]

Why would you call bull♥♥♥♥? The moon is characterized by it' brightness, and that's what Borealis means as well. I'm not following the disconnect.

[meimeiriver]

Because the pronounciations of "Borealis" and "Boreion Selas" (or Βόρειο Σέλας) bare no resemblance, at all. Neither do the words themselves if you ask me. I'm calling BS.

Sigh. Ok, let me connect the dots for you, then:

* Portal 2 involves the moon;

* Selena was the old moon-goddess in Greek Mythology;

* Selena comes from the word selas, meaning brightness.

* The word selas can be found in Boreion Selas, the Greek term for Aurora Borealis.

* Borealis is the ship gone missing in HL2.

Funny coincidence, is all. At no point, whatsoever, was the pronounciation of Boreion to resemble that of Borealis. The need for that is all in your own head.

[Coldin]

Very interesting thread.

One thing regarding that Chell is dead, or at least in some "next life". The Companion Cube that joins you at the end is very beat up, and burned looking. It could be reasoned that this is the very same Companion Cube Chell "killed" in Portal 1. Thus, now that Chell is "dead", she can be with her Companion Cube again.

[meimeiriver]

Very interesting thread.

One thing regarding that Chell is dead, or at least in some "next life". The Companion Cube that joins you at the end is very beat up, and burned looking. It could be reasoned that this is the very same Companion Cube Chell "killed" in Portal 1. Thus, now that Chell is "dead", she can be with her Companion Cube again.

Hadn't thought of it that way yet. :) Food for thought.

Still, I think reports of Chell's death are highly exaggerated. I know there be some who say "The wheat is a lie!" And, in a way, I think it is, in that it looks too cleanly trimmed and all. But I think that was merely done to rub our noses a little closer on the Elysian Fields parallel -- and not necessarily to create another 'Truman Show' effect, where even the wheat field is some sort of test-chamber again.

[MrtiansinUranus]

Very interesting thread.

One thing regarding that Chell is dead, or at least in some "next life". The Companion Cube that joins you at the end is very beat up, and burned looking. It could be reasoned that this is the very same Companion Cube Chell "killed" in Portal 1. Thus, now that Chell is "dead", she can be with her Companion Cube again.

She is not dead or in heaven or hell. It is the same cube you MURDERED, GLaDOS just took it out of the incinerator to give to Chell as a parting gift.

As all Aperture Science devices remain operational up to 4000 degrees kelvin. So you never actually murdered the companion cube...except when you endangered it's life by bringing through the emancipation grill and GLaDOS fizzled it because of your own stupidity...you monster.

[gtaivpc]

Sigh. Ok, let me connect the dots for you, then:

* Portal 2 involves the moon;

* Selena was the old moon-goddess in Greek Mythology;

* Selena comes from the word selas, meaning brightness.

* The word selas can be found in Boreion Selas, the Greek term for Aurora Borealis.

* Borealis is the ship gone missing in HL2.

Funny coincidence, is all. At no point, whatsoever, was the pronounciation of Boreion to resemble that of Borealis. The need for that is all in your own head.
I see. It's OK. I had it wrong, lol. It's definitely a coincidence though.

[granderoho]

Sigh. Ok, let me connect the dots for you, then:

* Portal 2 involves the moon;

* Selena was the old moon-goddess in Greek Mythology;

* Selena comes from the word selas, meaning brightness.

* The word selas can be found in Boreion Selas, the Greek term for Aurora Borealis.

* Borealis is the ship gone missing in HL2.

Funny coincidence, is all. At no point, whatsoever, was the pronounciation of Boreion to resemble that of Borealis. The need for that is all in your own head.
I'm adding this to the OP image later. Yeah that's totally a good reference.

[granderoho]

Here is an updated version of the infographic. (http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2149/portal5greek.jpg)

[mu11etboyz]

Very well put together. You made a lot of connections I didn't remember from Greek Mythology. +rep

[freequebec86]

Nnnnice find :D ! Some story can be retold for-ever :D

[meimeiriver]

Very well put together. You made a lot of connections I didn't remember from Greek Mythology. +rep

Yep. As soon as the board lets me again, I'll give him some more rep.

[granderoho]

I'm getting a lot of praise here but a lot of people are giving me ♥♥♥♥ for the last two on the infographic.

Can someone dispute those here?

I think it comes down to my wording.

[Grim Tuesday]

Read an article on rockpapershotgun about the "Different" turret. The writers called it the "oracle" turret, and it kinda is. Fits in/confirms the greek mythology.

[mu11etboyz]

I'm getting a lot of praise here but a lot of people are giving me ♥♥♥♥ for the last two on the infographic.

Can someone dispute those here?

I think it comes down to my wording.

I think the moon/borealis connection is kind of dubious as far as the story of portal 2 goes, but the rest seem really solid.

[meimeiriver]

I think the moon/borealis connection is kind of dubious as far as the story of portal 2 goes, but the rest seem really solid.

The Borealis is the subject of the 'Ship Overboard' Achievement, so it's still referenced in Portal 2.

Still, feel free to remove it, whilst I pick up another 'No Hard Feelings' Achievement. :)

[granderoho]

I took it off, it's really just semantics now that I think about it.

[Kr1sP]

I like the moon/borealis but it's more of a coincidence. I mean, the moon was originally an easter egg and Borealis came even before that idea. Keep working on this though, it's amazing gratz on having more rep than post count.

Anyone got info on ratman? there's got to be something there.

[granderoho]

I think I'm through with updates. The greek myth thing has been exhausted.

[portalogic]

this really is a great thread. portal 2 definitely has some great allegorical elements. great job OP for putting all the pieces together. imagine that, thousands of years ago greeks wrote these stories down and we're still using them in our work today because it still makes for a good plot. amazing when you think about it.

[Sepinox]

This could be purely coincidental, but one of the moons of Saturn is called Prometheus and is famous for being potato shaped. This could link in with GLaDOS becoming a potato (in particular the scene with the bird). Also other moons share their names with Atlas, Pandora and Epimetheus.

[phnx90]

This could be purely coincidental, but one of the moons of Saturn is called Prometheus and is famous for being potato shaped. This could link in with GLaDOS becoming a potato (in particular the scene with the bird). Also other moons share their names with Atlas, Pandora and Epimetheus.

That is true. Prometheus is one of many satellites of the planet Saturn and is shaped like a potato.

I can't believe I didn't notice any of the parallels to Greek mythology in this game! Then again, I did rush through the game without looking around...

OT: Allusions to Greek mythology in games are awesome. My old Steam account was called Hephaestus so I could play as engineer in TF2 exclusively. My current account and many items are named with relation to Greek mythology too! :D

http://www.tf2items.com/id/phnx90

Rocket Launcher - "Deimos"
Backburner - "Adrestia"
Degreaser - "Prometheus"
Shotgun - "Phobos"
Knife (spy default) - "Ephialtes"

Anyway +1 to you good sir!

[granderoho]

That's pretty convincing about the Prometheus moon thing.

[pietranslator]

No. There is no way that any of this is coincidence. I will not take coincidence for an answer.

[FusedCore]

read this: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1850363

Ninja'd

[Kr1sP]

@JimRory, I dunno most of these relations are obvious and dead on once your told about them, this makes some sense. I mean it definitely reminded me of the Turret Opera, singing, rising. That's about it to me.

[granderoho]

Alright I think you are looking a bit to deep into the moon thing.

[Kr1sP]

Alright I think you are looking a bit to deep into the moon thing.

...welll, hole in the sky through which I can fly. I mean, it makes sense if they're using the flame(portal gun) to shoot through the moon, however it's already a fact that valve planned the moon as an easter egg for the ARG Final Transmission. It was changed into the ending, I think it fits, but it seems like more of a coincidence. Good catch though.

[JimRory]

...welll, hole in the sky through which I can fly. I mean, it makes sense if they're using the flame(portal gun) to shoot through the moon, however it's already a fact that valve planned the moon as an easter egg for the ARG Final Transmission. It was changed into the ending, I think it fits, but it seems like more of a coincidence. Good catch though.

when was it a fact that valve planned the moon as an easter egg for the ARG Final Transmission, and what exactly does this mean at all?

the moon/borealis thing is pure coincidence, but having a light from the earth shoot at the moon, which is what happens in portal 2, seems far from coincidence.

[meimeiriver]

Prometheus is one of many satellites of the planet Saturn and is shaped like a potato.

I'd say this deserves a mention in the start-post.

[meimeiriver]

having a light from the earth shoot at the moon, which is what happens in portal 2, seems far from coincidence.

I'd say this deserves a place in the first-post too. So far the best and only plausible 'hole in the sky' explanation I've seen to date.

[JimRory]

just to pull out the only things that aren't too much of a stretch from promotheus unbound that people seem to agree with:

"The Earth interrupts and describes "The joy, the triumph, the delight, the madness!/ The boundless, overflowing, bursting gladness,/ The vapourous exultation not to be confined!"[51] The Moon responds by describing a light which has come from the Earth and penetrates the Moon. The Earth explains how all of the world "Laugh with a vast and inextinguishable laughter".[51] The Moon then describes how all of the moon is awakening and singing. The Earth sings of how man is restored and united: "Man, oh, not men! a chain of linked thought,/ Of love and might to be divided not,/ Compelling the elements with adamantine stress".[52] The Earth continues by declaring that man now controls even lightning, and that the Earth has no secrets left from man."

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Prometheus_Unbound_-_Shelley.djvu/143

i think there's a lot more from promotheus unbound, but so far, this is the strongest connection

and everything we've said about the promotheus bound can be applied to promotheus unbound. they are both based on the same original myth.

[jray1806]

Based on what you have said, you could almost consider Chell to be Pandora. Pandora was sent from the gods (ratman changing the testing lineup) to be a punishment against Prometheus (GlaDOS) for stealing the fire. Since Epimetheus is (Wheatly) who accepted the gift (rescued Chell) who carried with her the Jar, sometimes referred to as Pandora's box (in this case the portal gun)

Just another interpretation

[warnecruid]

If the Companion Cube is Pandora's Box,
maybe there is something inside?

Also Pandora's Box was full of evils of mankind.
Hope was left.

[granderoho]

The companion cube probably has something related to bringing down the Apature facilities.

[pietranslator]

Oh, I got it- GLaDOS's body could be the Pandora's box. Think about it- the evils of mankind being in the box, and GLaDOS not being evillish after being taken out, Wheatley becoming corrupt by the evils of mankind- holy ♥♥♥♥- Wheatley shows signs of jealousy, vanity, ills, laziness, misery, fear, sickness, and toils!

When GLaDOS gets her body back, instead of killing Chell, she frees her. The credits have a repeated line, "that's what I'm counting on." Supposedly resembling hope. Was Caroline hope? If she was, did GLaDOS really delete her? If not, then maybe GLaDOS was left with hope regardless of deleting Caroline. I'm gonna need help stretching this out. There's still more to this, OP.

Also, anything about lemons?

[pietranslator]

Seriously I want my answers too folks.

[granderoho]

Lemons were first discovered in south east asia and did not reach the mediterranean until after the death of jesus. So no, lemons don't have anything to do with this in terms of greek mythology.

[pietranslator]

Lemons were first discovered in south east asia and did not reach the mediterranean until after the death of jesus. So no, lemons don't have anything to do with this in terms of greek mythology.

Yeah. Oh, interesting, my bro suggested golden apples in greek mythology instead. Eh? Eh? Golden apples? Lemons? What's the difference? But seriously though, one of Heracles (Chell) labors involve Atlas and his daughters, who have golden apples in Hera's garden, so there's that.

Oh wait, what about cats? The Greek were connected to Egypt somehow...

[granderoho]

I don't want your damn golden apples.

[pietranslator]

I don't want your damn golden apples.

What about my combustible semi-potentially deceased auto-tune cat boxes?

[meimeiriver]

Oh, I got it- GLaDOS's body could be the Pandora's box. (...)

When GLaDOS gets her body back, instead of killing Chell, she frees her. The credits have a repeated line, "that's what I'm counting on." Supposedly resembling hope. Was Caroline hope? If she was, did GLaDOS really delete her? If not, then maybe GLaDOS was left with hope regardless of deleting Caroline. I'm gonna need help stretching this out.

I say you already stretched it out too much as it is. :) "That's what I'm counting on." is ere suggestive of GLaDOS still running some sort of experiment on Chell when outside the facility (Or is she?). Not saying I believe that, btw; just saying it's got nothing to do with hope.

Caroline representing 'Hope,' while that would work, of itself, still seems odd, as Hope was the one thing Pandora left inside the box after closing it again, whereas is in Portal 2 Caroline resides, for the most part, outside the box.

[pietranslator]

I say you already stretched it out too much as it is. :) "That's what I'm counting on." is ere suggestive of GLaDOS still running some sort of experiment on Chell when outside the facility (Or is she?). Not saying I believe that, btw; just saying it's got nothing to do with hope.

Caroline representing 'Hope,' while that would work, of itself, still seems odd, as Hope was the one thing Pandora left inside the box after closing it again, whereas is in Portal 2 Caroline resides, for the most part, outside the box.

Okay, you're right, probably not. But now I remembered GLaDOS mentioning a new voice that sounded just like hers, representing a conscience for once. And supposedly even with Caroline "deleted," GLaDOS didn't have it in her to even want to kill Chell. "When I delete you maybe I'll stop feeling so bad" would imply that she wasn't just pushing Chell out of Aperture because she was a "dangerous mute lunatic," but that Caroline left an, perhaps, impression in which GLaDOS doesn't want to burden Chell anymore.

Now I'm not sure if there is hope in GLaDOS for hoping that Chell leaves or if GLaDOS is hoping that Chell, well, lives.

[meimeiriver]

Okay, you're right, probably not. But now I remembered GLaDOS mentioning a new voice that sounded just like hers, representing a conscience for once. And supposedly even with Caroline "deleted," GLaDOS didn't have it in her to even want to kill Chell. "When I delete you maybe I'll stop feeling so bad" would imply that she wasn't just pushing Chell out of Aperture because she was a "dangerous mute lunatic," but that Caroline left an, perhaps, impression in which GLaDOS doesn't want to burden Chell anymore

I always believed GLaDOS let Chell go out of a sense of honor more than conscience, really. Chell has been a worthy opponent, and GLaDOS owes her one (for saving her life). So, to her I guess letting her go is GLaDOS' way of wiping the slate clean between them: Chell no longer owes GLaDOS, and GLaDOS no longer owes Chell.

As for Caroline having left some sort of impression, I suggested this (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22082798&postcount=1181) earlier as well. Then we were led to believe Caroline was truly deleted; but, since yesterday, a dev re-opened the possibility again she may not be entirely gone, after all.

Now I'm not sure if there is hope in GLaDOS for hoping that Chell leaves or if GLaDOS is hoping that Chell, well, lives.

I think the credits song makes it clear GLaDOS understands Chell's loneliness, and the shortness of her life. "One day they woke me up, so I could live for ever." is just as sad as Chell's "short, sad life." I think giving Chell the Weighted Companion Cube back was GLaDOS' way of showing (not saying) she understood what binds them: loneliness.

[gutl0ver]

I don't really know much of this mythlology stuff, but could the Half Life universe also be related to a mythological story and could that story also somehow be connected to the Portal 2 universe?

Just wonderin...

[Firebrand]

If you are still playing Minerva to find Greek references as a signature of the dev involved, or are about to because of an earlier post (like me) then please, read the dev's post about the mod.
It's all greek and not just to me.

Now I'm gonna play the mod for the fun of it.

[Icewolf51]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnADGm2f730

[theRx]

Got a question for OP: What's the name of that painting with Aeschylus you're using?

[CoolEraser]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnADGm2f730

More clear video IMO, if you don't want to watch all 5 minutes. Describes the GLaDOS/Prometheus parallel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9PcuV_Osak&

[Deidre]

pppsssssshhhhh greek mythology yeah right portal 2 is all about Helen Keller.
Helen Keller was blind and deaf, not mute, I even read "the story of my life" by her :P. And Chell is the opposite of Hellen Keller. Hellen Keller is coated with happiness, rainbows, and love while Chell is definitely lonely and imprisoned (well, not much anymore in the end though.)

[anemos137]

I think I found more Greek references.

For me, Cave Johnson represents Hades. He is the only one who habits* the old facilities (Tartaros, the underworld) so he takes over it. Cave doesn't turn up in all the game (obvious, he is dead) but that reminds the invisibility power of Hades.

*Even if he is only a record, which makes the reference to king of the dead stronger.

In this way, Caroline can be Persephone, but there are no links between they.



Other parallelism can be the gels with the Cerberus.

The Myth:

In the last job of Heracles, he has to go down to Tartaros in order to capture the Cerberus, a big dog with three heads. Hades let Heracles take it if he doesn't hurt it. Then, Heracles dominates the beast and he takes it out of the underworld to the surface.

Portal 2:

To escape from the old facilities, Chell has to dominated the three gels, three. Afterwards, Chell takes the three gels out of the old facilities to the present facilities.

[Sajuukkhar]

I think I found more Greek references.

For me, Cave Johnson represents Hades. He is the only one who habits* the old facilities (Tartaros, the underworld) so he takes over it. Cave doesn't turn up in all the game (obvious, he is dead) but that reminds the invisibility power of Hades.

*Even if he is only a record, which makes the reference to king of the dead stronger.

In this way, Caroline can be Persephone, but there are no links between they.



Other parallelism can be the gels with the Cerberus.

The Myth:

In the last job of Heracles, he has to go down to Tartaros in order to capture the Cerberus, a big dog with three heads. Hades let Heracles take it if he doesn't hurt it. Then, Heracles dominates the beast and he takes it out of the underworld to the surface.

Portal 2:

To escape from the old facilities, Chell has to dominated the three gels, three. Afterwards, Chell takes the three gels out of the old facilities to the present facilities.

Seriously don't necro a 3 month old thread.

[anemos137]

Seriously don't necro a 3 month old thread.

Well, I just though it was interesting to talk about. You can always ignore old threads, isn't it?

[TheJaneite]

Seriously don't necro a 3 month old thread.


Just because it's three months old doesn't mean it's not relevant anymore. It's not like he's bumping a thread about the delay of Portal 2's release.

Besides, you bumped your own thread after "a month trying to figure out what [you had] missed" because you seemed to think it was a relevant addition. I'm sure anemos137 had the same thought. :) Certainly you'll agree.

[tragikos]

I'm greek and have never even thought about these things when I played Portal 2 :P

[Dörte Sánchez]

You forgot the most obvious one:

Wheatley's chimaeras.

[TheJaneite]

You forgot the most obvious one:

Wheatley's chimaeras.

Hah! That's quite interesting. Frankenturrets..

I do wonder how much of all this was intended.

[Sajuukkhar]

probably all of it.

[anemos137]

You forgot the most obvious one:

Wheatley's chimaeras.

Well, Epimetheus (Wheatley) isn't related with the creation of the chimera, but it's a good one, since he is the titan of the hindsight. A completely foolish on predict his acts. :)

[granderoho]

What about my combustible semi-potentially deceased auto-tune cat boxes?

Yeah sure.

[mobilpcguru]

What is with people bumping all of these threads lately!?
And for dumb reasons!

[meimeiriver]

What is with people bumping all of these threads lately!?
And for dumb reasons!

Simple enough: people who have been absent from the boards for a while are now re-emerging, checking up on the DLC. As a result, they pick up their activity with the threads they last received notifications for.

Elementary, my dear Watson. :)

[mobilpcguru]

Ugh... it is annoying... now if you were in timeout for 5 months (unlikely)
Then sure.

[granderoho]

Ugh... it is annoying... now if you were in timeout for 5 months (unlikely)
Then sure.

I came back to the forum to post in a different section and noticed the notification that someone had quoted me. So I bumped the thread. Sorry.:o

[mobilpcguru]

okay.
I forgive you.
Why haven't you posted for... 5 months?

[meimeiriver]

I came back to the forum to post in a different section and noticed the notification that someone had quoted me. So I bumped the thread. Sorry.:o

Just as I surmized. :P

No biggie, though. All of this has happened before; and all of this will happen again. We'll live.

[mobilpcguru]

Just as I surmized. :P

No biggie, though. All of this has happened before; and all of this will happen again. We'll live.

No we won't!
Are you insane!
We are all going to die!
:(

[blaa.nox]

Thread died?
Ok, let´s get a little insane here. :D When I stumbled upon this I immediatley thought of this Portal 2 interpretation.

Image:
http://vigilantcitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/7a05471a6326-e1308346124163.jpg

Text:
“An image of a devil features on the launch patch. The old tradition of giving rockets personal names also appears to have been revived; Delta 352 seems to have been named “Betty”, and the Atlas V that launched from Vandenberg last year was named ‘Gladys’.”
- Ibid.

Link:
http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/top-10-most-sinister-psyops-mission-patches/


Make sense of it, servants! M a k e s e n s e. Then explain it to me. And do remember: Let us always tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning Portal 2!

[Humma Kavula]

Wow! That's incredible :O

[borealis117]

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t388/borealis117/portal_2_theory_p1.jpg

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t388/borealis117/portal_2_theory_p2.jpg

[granderoho]

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t388/borealis117/portal_2_theory_p1.jpg

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t388/borealis117/portal_2_theory_p2.jpg

These are very aesthetic updates to my originals, thankyou for making them.

[borealis117]

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r636/KUVGXMX/portal_2_theory_p1.jpg

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r636/KUVGXMX/portal_2_theory_p2.jpg

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r636/KUVGXMX/portal_2_theory_p3.jpg

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r636/KUVGXMX/portal_2_theory_p4.jpg

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r636/KUVGXMX/portal_2_theory_p5.jpg

[Solarmech]

Well Theory #4 is certainly not correct, Chell is out in the wider Half Life Universe. Aperture might well be a safer place to be. sm

[granderoho]

Since I enjoyed making going down the rabbit hole so much, I figured while I was re-reading Prometheus Bound I would make a level using the new tools Valve just released for the game.

It's simple, but it's sort of my sendoff for this thread. (http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=72009384)