What are the hidden meanings of the boat names in Netflix's 1899?
*Contains spoilers for 1899*
We love a dramatic mystery and Netflix's newest show 1899 has it all. Intriguing characters, a mind bending plot and a dark foreboding sense that everything is just not going to go well, at all.
The eight-part series tells the story of a group of European migrants travelling across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the steam ship Kerberos to New York in search for a new life. However, their journey is put in jeopardy when they come across their sister ship Prometheus, which has been missing for four months. Once they step on board Prometheus however, their journey to a new life turns into a complete nightmare.
If you're into your Greek mythology then you will know the names of these two ships already spell disaster for the hopeful travellers. However, if you're not too sure on what the ship names mean then this is everything you need to know about the hidden meanings behind the ships in 1899.
What are the hidden meanings of the ship names in 1899?
In 1899 there are two ships and both their names have significant meanings. The first is Kerberos, which is the boat the passengers begin their journey on to New York.
In Greek mythology Kerberos or Cerberus, as it's officially known, is the multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld and prevents the dead from leaving.
Looking at this from the point of view of 1899 the boat Kerberos can be seen to be doing just the same thing with the passengers of the boat, holding onto them and not allowing them to leave.
The second boat name of significance is Prometheus which we are first introduced to when Maura looks at a newspaper headline about Prometheus being missing for four months at sea.
In Greek mythology Prometheus was the Titan god of fire, and stole fire from the gods to give to humanity, thus allowing them to have knowledge, technology and civilisation.
Zeus, king of the gods, was furious with Prometheus for doing so and so punished him greatly. For his punishment Prometheus was chained to a rock and an eagle would come and eat his liver every day. Over night his liver would re-grow, only for the eagle to return and eat it once again, therefore keeping him in eternal pain and suffering.
There are a number of ways to look at the name of Prometheus in relation to 1899. Firstly, that it represents the hellish time the passengers of Kerberos are constantly going through. The other way to look at it it is as a representation for Maura's search for knowledge.
Spoiler alert: As her father explains in the last episode Maura was constantly seeking knowledge, she even created the simulations of Kerberos and Prometheus to spend more time with her dying son. It therefore makes sense as to why Maura would name the boat Prometheus, after a man who was punished for his pursuit of knowledge.
1899 is available on Netflix now.
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