Actress Han Ga-in revealed that she had been waiting for ‘The Private Lives of the Gods: Greek and Roman Mythology 2’ more than anyone else.
In MBN's 'The Private Lives of the Gods - Greek and Roman Mythology 2', which aired on the 6th, an epic story was depicted in which the familiar hero Hercules saves Olympus from being attacked by Gigantes (giants).
Han Ga-in, who brightened the studio as an MC following last season, announced the start of season 2 by sitting side by side with storyteller Seol Min-seok, Seoul National University professor Kim Heon, and art history instructor Lee Chang-yong, famous as the man who reads pictures.
Han Ga-in said, "I've been waiting for season 2 more than anyone else. My family, especially my in-laws, don't usually say that I look pretty, but they first told me that I was very pretty in season 1 of 'The Private Lives of the Gods.'"
Professor Kim Heon predicted an even larger scale, saying, “If season 1 looked at the birth of the universe and the gods, season 2 depicts the process of Zeus maintaining his power.” Seol Min-seok said, "The story of heroes such as Marvel's Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Thor unfolds. It is a journey toward the final war that will be covered in episode 11. Wouldn't the Greek story from about 3,000 years ago be completed in Korea?" added.
Seol Min-seok began the story of Hercules, a hero we all know well. Regarding the birth of Hercules, Seol Min-seok said, "One day, Zeus received intelligence that Gigantes was invading Olympus. However, the oracle said that a mortal man would appear and save the world of the gods, so Zeus thought that the mortal man was his son. “So he met countless human women and seduced them,” he explained.
A woman who was deceived by Zeus's transformation spell gave birth to Hercules, and Zeus took the child to his wife Hera and secretly nursed her, incurring Hera's wrath. Seol Min-seok said that Hera's milk was scattered in the sky and the Milky Way (Milky Way) was born, adding, "The name Hercules also means Hera's glory (kleos)."
Hera became angry because of Hercules and cursed him, saying, "I will cruelly kill him when he is happiest." Hera instilled madness in Hercules, who was living well with a wife and children, and made him kill his own family. Hercules, unaware that he had been deceived by Hera's madness, tried to make an extreme choice. Yoo Byung-jae expressed regret, saying, “I thought it was a fun story, but I didn’t know something so sad and tragic happened.” Lee Chang-yong added interest by introducing famous paintings by Tintoretto and Rubens on the theme of the birth of Hercules.
Hercules was about to make an extreme choice, but changed his mind again, saying that he could not die before paying for his sins. He visited the Scarecrow King, whose fate had been reversed, and begged him to ‘tell me how to pay for my sins.’ The Scarecrow King, who received instructions from Hera, gave him a scary mission that was too difficult for humans to handle, and Hercules risked his life to carry out it and completed as many as 12 tasks. Meanwhile, Olympus was attacked by Gigantes, and Hercules went to the battlefield and killed all of Gigantes. In the end, he saved Hera when she was in great danger.
Seol Min-seok said, "Hera, who had overcome the crisis thanks to Hercules, sincerely apologized to him. Only then did Hercules realize the reason for the adversity and suffering that had befallen him, but he forgave Hera. He was distressed while performing the 12 tasks, but through the process, he forgave her. He said that he had gained a lot and that Hera, who made him stronger, was his guardian deity.”
Han Ga-in expressed her emotion, saying, "I really feel like I just watched a movie. I am a huge fan of Hercules from today." Seol Min-seok added, "There are big and small crises that we face in life. I think Hercules taught us that if we overcome each time with the thought that this crisis may be an opportunity, we will become stronger."
Kim Heon said, "Of the 12 labors of Hercules, 6 take place within the Peloponnese peninsula. Afterwards, the radius of Hercules' actions expands to Crete, Thrace, and the Iberian Peninsula. It is a mythological expression of Greece's expansion. "He also told a historical story contained in mythology. Lastly, Seol Min-seok announced, “I will be back next week with Hephaestus, the story of a hero who surpasses all Olympian gods.”
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr