This article contains mentions of rape, incest, and violence.

SPOILERS for Netflix's Kaos are ahead!

Rather than stripping down Greek mythology, Netflix’s Kaos is perfect for adult fans of Percy Jackson, expressing the same sense of adventure. However, the two series centered on Greek mythology have one stark difference. The new Netflix series infuses the story with the darker, more dramatic, more mature parts of the original myths.

This choice makes Kaos unique from not just Percy Jackson but most other representations of the Greek gods, as they tend to bowdlerize the stories. Contrastingly, Kaos understands that, at its heart, Ancient Greek mythology has always been stories about a messy, dysfunctional family of immortal beings with too much power for their own good. By accurately representing details of mythology, big and small, Kaos captures the magic that makes these stories meaningful over a millennium later.

10 Zeus Chose Favorites Among His Children

Dionysus Wasn't Zeus' Favorite Child In Mythology, Either

One of the driving forces for the character Dionysus is his desperation for Zeus’ approval. It’s particularly painful to watch him give a nice watch to his father and have him refuse it because he has one from Hercules. This scene would still hurt without any background information on Greek mythology, but it’s even worse with the knowledge that Herakles is Zeus’ son. Even though Dionysus is the only child who visits Zeus in Kaos, he still puts another child above him in priority and importance, which seems particularly cruel. This favoritism among kids accurately reflects the original myths.

Based on the original myths, Zeus’ favorite children were Herakles and Athena. They both receive special treatment over the other children. Meanwhile, he’s especially hard on Ares and Hephaestus, treating them like the black sheep of the family. This proves that the Greek gods’ had just as unhealthy family systems as humans, giving them the same dysfunctional family roles.

9 Greek Mythology Was Filled With LGBTQ+ Characters

LGBTQ+ Relationships Were Normalized In Ancient Greek Mythology

From start to finish, Kaos season 1 is filled with LGBTQ+ representation. The series includes trans actors, trans characters, and queer sex. Dionysus makes out with people of all genders. The show consists of an LGBTQ+ experience that seldom appears onscreen, an old queer couple who are physically and emotionally intimate – Prometheus and Charon. While having a nonbinary creator could contribute to the inclusion, the prevalence of LGBTQ+ characters also comes directly from the source material.

Greek mythology is packed with queer characters. It’s harder to find a character that is straight and/or allosexual than the other way around. Almost all the gods engaged in romantic or sexual relationships with both men and women, except for a handful who weren’t concerned with sexual or romantic relationships. Transgender and intersex characters like Dionysus, Hermaphroditus, and Caeneus also existed but were treated with less comion and tact. Luckily, Kaos takes inspiration while modernizing elements, making it one of the best LGBTQ+ comedy TV shows.

8 Dionysus Was A God Despite Having A Mortal Mother

Dionysus Should Have Been A Mortal By All Logic

In the Netflix show, it’s established that Dionysus was born to Zeus and a mortal woman. However, unlike Zeus’ other children born to mortals, Zeus made him into a god – presumably using Meander water in Kaos. This matches up with mythology, though Zeus didn’t choose to make Dionysus a god in the ancient version of the story. While myths vary on the identity of Dionysus’ mother, the most common woman credited in that role is Semele, the Theban princess.

She and Zeus had an affair, resulting in her pregnancy with Dionysus. In anger, Hera tricked her into asking Zeus to show him his god form, and she died from the firebolts. However, Zeus saved their child, sewing Dionysus into his leg and carrying him until he could be born. While most children with one mortal parent and one god parent are mortals, Dionysus was born as a full god, possibly due to Zeus carrying him during his fetal state.

7 Zeus Slept Around With Everyone

Zeus Had 5 Wives And At Least 11 Extramarital Partners

Kaos episode 1 introduces Zeus as a philanderer who cannot stay faithful to Hera, sleeping with many mortal women. Prometheus confirms that the god of thunder always has people pregnant with his children on Earth, one of whom is shown onscreen. This storyline and characterization are representative of Greek mythology.

In the myths, Zeus had multiple wives and many consorts (both male and female). He also made a habit of shapeshifting into different appearances and animals so that he could rape people, either by forcing himself on them or by tricking them. According to GreekMythology.com, his extramarital lovers include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Europa
• Lo
• Semele
• Ganymede
• Callisto
• Dione
• Persephone
• Nemesis
• Thaleia
• Alkmene
• Danae

Ultimately, Koas captures the spirit of the character while removing the nonconsensual elements, making him an unfaithful prick instead of an unforgivably disgusting individual.

6 Hera Punished Zeus’ Extramarital Consorts

Hera Took Vengeance Because Of Her Jealousy

In addition to getting Zeus’ characterization right, Kaos captures the jealous and spiteful nature of Hera, Zeus’ wife. Out of jealousy, Hera shapeshifts into Zeus to have sex with one of his mistresses. She then accelerates the pregnancy, forcing her to give birth, and turns the mistress into a bee to punish her. The onscreen punishment isn’t the first time she has done this either, having a whole beehive of Zeus’ mistresses. In Greek mythology, Hera also punished the objects of Zeus’ affections, though in more varied ways.

Hera delayed Alkmene giving birth so that her son wouldn’t be the ruler. The goddess cursed Leto to walk the Earth for months as an outcast. She tricked Semele into seeing Zeus’ true form, causing her death. Hera turned Lamia into a demon who eats kids because the god of thunder was attracted to her. She even cursed the nymph Echo to only repeat back the last words spoken to her.

5 A Vulture Pecked Out The Liver Of Prometheus Every Day

Zeus Punished Prometheus For His Betrayal

One of the funniest characters in Kaos is Prometheus, the narrator. He is nailed to the side of a mountain and has his liver pecked out repeatedly by an eagle. Zeus previously placed him there as a punishment. This matches up with Greek mythology. In most retellings of the Prometheus myth, he stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals. As punishment, Zeus took two big actions. Firstly, he sends Pandora down to Earth with her box of evils and plagues. Secondly, he nails Prometheus to the side of the mountain, where an Eagle pecks out his liver.

Because he’s a Titan, his liver continually regenerates, so this goes on forever. The primary difference between Kaos’ version and the mythological version is the reason for Prometheus’ punishment. In Kaos, Zeus sees him as a threat because of how much the Titan knows about the god of thunder.

4 Greeks Were Buried With A Coin To Get age To The Underworld

The Gold Coin Is An Interpretation Of Charon's Obol

After her death, Riddy gets trapped in the Afterlife in Kaos because her coin-bearer, Orpheus, stole the gold that she needed to pay to move through the Frame in the River Lethe. Consequently, she’s sentenced to 200 years of labor, after which she can move on for free. This lore and worldbuilding is pulled from Ancient Greek mythology, only making a couple of minor changes.

An important burial rite during that period was Charon’s Obol, a coin placed in the mouth of the deceased to pay the River Styx ferryman so that a soul could from the side of the living to the side of the dead. Without the proper payment, souls were sentenced to 100 years roaming the banks of the River Styx, after which they could move on to death for free.

3 Zeus Killed His Own Father (Kind Of)

Zeus Became The Gods' Leader After Defeating His Father

Kaos establishes that Zeus gained power and became the ruler of the pantheon after defeating his father. In the show, he killed his father by absorbing his soul. The basic storyline of Zeus becoming the most powerful god after defeating his father mirrors that of Greek mythology. In the mythos, his father Kronus feared his children, eating all of them except Zeus, who was switched out for a rock.

After growing up, Zeus tricked his father into eating a concoction to make him throw up the siblings. The siblings all rallied to take down the Titans, including Kronus. After taking the Titans down, Zeus did the closest thing he could to killing his father. Using a scythe, he cut him into thousands of little pieces and scattered them in the prison Tartarus. The method of killing might be different between the myths and the Netflix show, but the premise remains similar.

2 The Greek Gods Had Incestuous Relationships

The Greek Gods' Family Tree Is Messy

When Hera is introduced in Kaos, she’s first called Zeus’ wife, and then they point out that she’s his sister, too. This detail from Greek mythology is entirely accurate and points to the fact that the gods engaged in incestuous relationships. The family tree for the primordial gods, Titans, and Pantheonic gods is beyond messy. Kaos, the first primordial god, created the primordial gods Tartarus, Eros, Nyx, Erebus, and Gaia. Gaia created the next generation of primordial gods – Uranus, Mountains, and Pontus.

Gaia then procreated with her son Uranus to create the first generation of Titans, including Kronus and Rhea. These two siblings procreated, resulting in six children – Hestia, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, and Zeus. Zeus’ five wives included two aunts, two cousins, and a sister. Zeus’ siblings were equally incestuous, with Hades marrying his niece and Poseidon marrying a distant cousin. Ultimately, it’s better not to think about this part of Greek mythology too hard.

1 Orpheus Famously Returned From The Underworld

Only A Handful Of Ancient Greek Characters Returned From The Underworld

The last major aspect of Greek mythology that Kaos correctly represents is the fact that Orpheus famously traveled to the afterlife and returned alive. In the mythology and the Netflix show, he travels there against all odds with the desire to save his lost love, Eurydice (called Riddy in the show). Both versions of the story present him as a talented singer and musician, using his music as a tool to help him in his journey.

However, the big point of divergence is what happens after Orpheus and Eurydice when they attempt to leave the afterlife. In the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice must walk out with her behind him, and he can’t turn to look behind. It’s an act of faith that she will follow him. Sadly, because he turns to look at the last moment, she goes back, to the Underworld, and he returns to Earth alone. However, Kaos shows both of them returning to the land of the living together, albeit romantically alone.

Sources: GreekMythology.com