Philosopher

The Child of Omelas + Dionysus (New Main Theory)

Hello and welcome back to "Alyce has to get this theory out of her brain before she explodes". Okay, so first off, I'm gonna just say that I feel pretty confident in this theory. It perfectly bridges the Child of Omelas and Greek mythology elements together. However, this theory also proves that previous theories I've had are most likely wrong. 

Also, this could be the only aspect of Greek mythology, however, I don't think so because of ALL the allusions we've gotten (especially to Icarus). I feel other myths still inspire their characters and individual storylines and I am still actively trying to figure those out (I was completely wrong about Jungkook and Yoongi and now I know part of it but I'm also confused af lol). 

This theory is actually pretty simple (deceivingly simple tbh), but it requires taking a look at the two stories. 

The Child of Omelas:

In the short story, "The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin the end of the story reveals that the reason Omelas (a city) is a utopia is that there is a child who lives underneath the city and is being tortured to endure all the suffering for everyone so that can continue living lives without pain. (The sort of coming of age ceremony is Omelas is finding out about this and being given the choice to leave Omelas and thus choose to experience pain, but spare the child your pain, or continue living your pain-free life in Omelas).

While I don't remember if the story ever explains what happens if the child dies (or even if the child can die), it's possible this is explained (as I believe she extended upon Omelas later and I have only read the original short story). 

My current theory is that each member is an incarnation of this child and each of their tortures is different. (Yoongi's has to do with fire, Jimin's with water, Hobi's with overindulgence/ his mother, etc.)

Dionysus:

Okay, so when I learned about one aspect of this theory in my Roman Lit class, the professor told us not to tell anyone. This may have been a macabre joke because of the secretive nature of what we talked about, but for the sake of keeping a promise, I will be vague and y'all can feel free to look up the specifics yourself. 

So, basically, there are two origin stories for the god, Dionysus. In the most popular version, Dionysus is the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele. When Semele is killed while pregnant, Zeus takes the fetus of Dionysus and implants it in his thigh. It's likely you might already know this story or at least some of the details. 

However, there's a second version that is not as well known and has been the source of various cults and religions throughout history (*cough* Fake Love *cough*). In this version, Dionysus is the son of Zeus and the goddess of Spring and the Underworld, Persephone. When the child is born, it is known that Hera/ Juno would attempt to kill Dionysus if she knew about his existence (and possibly Hades/ Pluto as well, I can't remember lol). So, the boy is hidden away in various places, but eventually, is hidden and raised by nymphs where he dresses as a girl to hide his identity. It is very common that Dionysus is associated with femininity or said to be a beautiful god (in a feminine sense). 

Dionysus is also said to have at least 10 incarnations (one of these incarnations being the son of Zeus/ Persephone). Dionysus didn't grow up as a god, therefore, he is in a very interesting place within mythology. There are also brutal sacrifices performed in his name.

My first theory concerning Dionysus that connects him to the Child of Omelas is his incarnations. Dionysus, when born has at least one god who wanted him dead, and so he was forced to live as a woman (not himself). The brutal sacrifices require pulling someone apart limb from limb and occasionally eating them. Absolutely torturous.

If you connect these two stories, the overlap is obvious. Each incarnation of the Child of Omelas is also an incarnation of Dionysus within the BU. So, each member is both the tortured child and Dionsyus, showing that there was power inside the child all along. However, it seems it isn't until Jungkook (I think Jungkook may be the last/ final incarnation of the child, but I have not 100% worked this out), that any of them realize this (this would easily follow/ explain the Love Yourself concept).

This is my new main theory, however, I do have another theory concerning Dionysus, but I will save that for another time. 

Hope you enjoyed!