Dynamotheos Powers

I got an email last week asking me about the superpowers in GODDESS BOOT CAMP, whether they were real or made up powers and whether I named them myself. This seems like the perfect (easy) topic for a blog post.

In OH. MY. GODS. the powers of the hematheos (of godly blood) students were kind of vague and unlimited. But when GODDESS BOOT CAMP came around, I had to be more specific. First, I needed to name the powers as a whole. I broke out my trusty Latin dictionary (which was essential in this whole process) and came up with dynamotheos (powers of the gods).

Next, I had to define the individual powers. Because there are twelve Olympians, I needed to be twelve powers, one assigned to each god or goddess. But, because Hades, while one of the coolest gods, is not technically an Olympian, I had to cheat a little. I kicked Demeter to the curb (actually, she decided to pass on her knowledge of the earth through education and outreach, rather than a superpower) and added Hades to the list.

Then I thought about what kind of power each god would bestow on their descendants and, with my Latin dictionary on speed dial, named them. Here’s the final list:

• Poseidon — The god of the sea would definitely want his kin to be able to control and move liquids — hydrokinesis.
• Hephaestus — Who but the god of the forge would give his descendants the ability to create an object out of nothing — neofaction.
• Aphrodite — The goddess of love and beauty wants all things to be as beautiful as she, so she gave her offspring the ability to change the appearance of an object — visiomutation.
• Hera — Of course the queen of the gods can read minds, so her descendants have the ability to read the thoughts and emotions of others — psychospection.
• Artemis — As the goddess of the hunt, with a bow and arrow at her side, she appreciates the ability to control and move air and wind — aerokinesis.
• Athena — The goddess of wisdom finds it very helpful to be able to communicate, whether in words, feelings, or other senses, telepathically with another hematheos — psychodictation.
• Hades — The god of the underworld is also the owner of the cap of invisibility, so he gave his descendants the ability to hide, mask, or cloak an object — visiocryption.
• Zeus — As the king of the gods, he chose the most powerful ability for his descendants, that of being able to move oneself to a different location through non-physical means — autoportation.
• Ares — Who but the god of war would want the ability to move objects (like maybe spears and swords) through non-physical means — telekinesis.
• Hestia — As goddess of the hearth, she takes the protection of home and family very seriously, and so she gave her descendants the ability to protect themselves from harm, whether seen or unseen — corpoprotection.
• Apollo — The god of light and the sun bestowed the ability to control light and fire on his kin — photomorphosis.
• Hermes — The speedy messenger god gave his descendants the ability to use the body to its fullest extent — corpopromotion.

Of course, the individual powers are not limited to descendants of that god or goddess. The be fair, all hematheos have some ability in all twelve powers, though they are strongest in that of their ancestor. (You can find out more about the powers and how they’re used in GODDESS BOOT CAMP.)

If you could create a power for another god or goddess, what would it be? And what would you name it?

Hugs,
TLC