The Games Gods Play

Odin’s Axes are a symbol within the narrative that, while they do not directly support any of the overarching themes, nevertheless expand Owen’s narrative worldbuilding and the intricacies of the gods’ relationships. Though gods from other pantheons never appear in The Games Gods Play, Lyra’s relic and Hades’s twin axes nevertheless speak to their existence within the narrative world and the possibility of their involvement in future installments. Specifically, they attest to shared histories among the gods and possible allyships, friendships, and feuds, as this passage explains: “‘Odin gifted [the axes] to the oldest son of Cronos after we imprisoned the Titans in Tartarus.’ […] [Lyra] bet Zeus loved being passed over for Hades, given that he was the King of the Gods at that point” (151). Owen implies that not only have the Greek gods been in contact with the Norse ones, but they fought together against the Titans, and while Odin has respect for Hades, the same cannot be said of Zeus. The meaning of the axes, however, morphs over the course of the narrative as they also become an indicator of Zeus’s manipulations and cheating when Samuel offers Hades’s axe to her in the last Labor. Since Lyra already had hers, Zeus would have had to steal Hades’s pair and break the Crucible rules for Samuel to own the second axe.

The nickname “my star” is a recurring motif within the narrative that supports the overarching theme of The Value of Love. Hades seemingly gives out the nickname without much thought when he first encounters Lyra and notices the star tattoos she sports on her wrists. Its true meaning comes to light in one of the meetings between gods and champions, where Hades dresses Lyra in clothes with star symbols, and Hera claims stars as her own symbol: “‘Stars are my symbol,’ Hera calls to Hades […]. ‘And? […] You may be the goddess of the stars,” he says, “but everyone knows who commands the darkness’” (60). As Hades identifies himself with darkness and, in this instance, specifically the darkness of the night sky, his nickname for Lyra takes on a more romantic tone, wherein she, as his star, is the light within his dark existence. The use of a possessive pronoun within the nickname also attests to the changing relationship between them. Though initially used as a marker of Lyra’s status as Hades’s champion, the possessive article becomes tinged with jealous tones from Hades and the building tension between them as Hades struggles with his plans to free Persephone while desiring Lyra at the same time. The notion of a star also suggests how Hades perceives Lyra: brilliant and beautiful, but ultimately out of his reach as he vacillates on whether or not they are able to have a relationship with one another.

The pomegranate seeds represent choice, passage between worlds, and power over one’s fate. Originally tied to the Persephone myth, they are traditionally a symbol of entrapment, but for Lyra, they become a tool of agency. Unlike Persephone, who was tricked into eating them, Lyra learns to wield them intentionally, marking her growth from a survivor to someone who shapes her own destiny. The moment she refuses to use a seed to escape Dex and instead chooses to fight signals a turning point in her autonomy. Later, when she sacrifices her last seed to save Cerberus rather than herself, it cements her role as a protector rather than a self-preserving player in the gods’ games. The seeds also carry an emotional weight in Lyra’s relationship with Hades, serving as a reminder of his past with Persephone and the shadows of past mistakes, complicating the growing tension between them.