Mythic Monday: How Pretty Little Liars Uses Greek Myth to Deepen the Mystery

If you haven’t dipped a toe into the Pretty Little Liars phenomenon, you’re missing out on a fascinating roller coaster ride. Based on a series of books by Sara Shepard, the television show is a teen mystery thriller set in a town called Rosewood where a small circle of high school girls is tormented by a mystery person called ‘A.’

From the point of view of a writer, it’s illustrative to see how a story catches on fire and continues for years to mesmerize its passionate and outspoken fans. From the point of view of a mystery buff, it’s intriguing to try and put the puzzle pieces together as the stakes rev up higher and higher with the beginning of season 6—coming tomorrow. From the point of view of a mythology lover, it’s over the moon fab to discover the ingenious use of Greek myth in the intricate weaving of the story.

One example starts off with a gigantic clue involving the French King Charlemagne or Charles the Great, King Charles, Prom King, and Charles DiLaurentis. The audience now knows that someone named Charles is ‘A.’ However, no one knows who the tarnation Charles is or why he is tormenting the Liars. Who is the twisted person behind the hoodie and the mask?

Recently the actions of ‘A’ turned darker and more sinister. He kidnapped and is holding the Liars in an underground bunker, playing with their emotions and reactions as if they are dolls. He forced them to dress up for a demented prom attended by chained mannequins dressed to the nines. Charles was there too, in a mask. The title of the season 5 finale was “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” As season 6 ensues, he will implement various forms of punishment following their attempt to escape. Fans crave to know the identity and motivations of Charles, of ‘A.’ Theories abound on Tumblr and Reddit, providing marvelous reading and pondering opportunities.

We must look for more king clues. One character named Wren has a correlation with all things king. His last name is Kingston. In an age-old European folk custom that persists to this day, a wren (the bird) is hunted and killed or symbolically killed as the Winter King or King of Birds. The same custom sometimes refers to the hunted wren as King Charles. Pretty Little Liars is folding folklore into its tapestry. Is Wren ‘A’?

Now for Greek mythology. A pivotal character named Jason also has a strong connection to all things king. The intrepid Jason, of Argonaut and Golden Fleece fame, was the rightful heir to the throne of Iolcus. His Uncle Pelias murdered Jason’s father and usurped the throne. Jason should have been king. As a point of interest, Jason had a sister and a brother, as supposedly does Charles. 

Over the years ‘A’ has maintained various secret lairs and watched the Liars on an array of computer screens. The latest is the old abandoned Campbell farm where Rosewood folk used to go and pick apples. The symbol on the outside of the old barn is a Compass Rose, which indicates cardinal directions for mariners and travelers. See example to the right. For the one on the barn of the old Campbell farm, Peacocks add to the elaborate design. The design is similar to the symbol on a cigarette lighter that figured prominently in an earlier episode. It’s also faintly reminiscent of the design on Charles’ colorful mask at the demented prom. On the cigarette lighter, the direction NW is shown much larger than the other directions.

In Greek mythology the direction of NW is governed by the NW wind, Argestes. Sent by the goddess Hera, queen of the gods, Argestes is the wind that carried Jason off course and to the land of the Amazon women. The peacock is Hera’s signature symbol. Remember peacocks appear on the Compass Rose on the barn.

Another name for the NW wind is Mistral or Maestro, which means master, genius, or wizard. It is a harsh, cold wind that blows from southern France.

The Greeks used a twelve-wind navigational system that resulted in the useful instrument known as a Compass Rose. King Charlemagne of France came up with names for the twelve classical winds, including Vuestnordroni or Northwest.

What does the land of Amazon women have to do with Jason on the show? Some ‘A’ theories maintain that Jason experiences gender fluidity. At the very least he was inundated with over a dozen girls and women sneaking around his yard on the fateful night that started the events of the show—the night his sister Alison was hit on the head with a shovel, supposedly murdered, buried, helped out of the grave, and fled Rosewood in terror.  Starting with a tidbit of Greek mythology, see the #PLL puzzle pieces begin to form a picture?

Are the connections surrounding the Compass Rose pointing to Jason DiLaurentis or someone close to him, such as a secret brother, cousin, or close friend, as Charles, as ‘A’? Did Jason tragically lose Charles and assume the persona of Charles?

How’s all that for a great job by the writers of #PLL of weaving Greek mythology into the tapestry?

I’m sure the audience will not find out the identity of Charles as season 6 starts tomorrow night, but the #PLL chief Marlene King has promised a full and complete answer to all pending questions within the next ten episodes. I find it refreshing and energizing that a modern teen television show uses Greek mythology to help keep its fans riveted to the story. The old myths live on!

Cheers & Happy Reading! 
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Paranormal Fantasy Romance