The film “The Hunger Games” has many similarities and relationships with world mythology. While it may not seem like this film is as tied to myth as others, like Troy and Thor, many of the film's themes and situations were inspired by the stories of the great myths and epics. The overall theme of the film is courage, strength and destiny. The first theme of the film, similar to that of mythology, is sacrifice. “The Hunger Games” begins with the reaping, a ceremony in which one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games and fight to the death. Children are chosen as sacrifices to pay for the past wrong deeds of their ancestors. The ritual begins and a video is played before the audience stating: “This is a reminder of the rebellion, a price the districts must pay. Freedom has a cost; we swore as a nation that we would never know this betrayal again. So it was said that every year one female and one male from each district would be chosen to fight to the death as tribute. This is how we remember our past, this is how we guarantee our future." The need for sacrifice to ensure survival and the availability of food for the future is similar to the sacrifices of many ancient cultures; particularly that of the Egyptian myth. Osiris was killed and his body torn to pieces by his brother Set. Wherever Osiris' body was scattered; Abundant crops grew as the gods' supply. This also connects to the myth of Persephone, who was kidnapped by Pluto and taken to the underworld. Each year, when Persephone returned to earth, the world flourished with abundant growth, when Persephone returned to the underworld, all plant life ceased to exist until her return. This shows... half the card... no, Katniss decides to no longer play by the rules and shares a handful of poisonous berries with Peeta. He decides that he will no longer allow the "Gods" to manipulate the game. Right before they eat the berries, the leader's voice comes overhead and tells them that they have one for both of them. The reason he decided to do this is because the audience would be incredibly disappointed if the "show" ended this way. This is Katniss' true display of courage, defying the leaders/gods and creating her own ending. You could say that this was Katniss' destiny or fate: that she was destined to win the Hunger Games. Works Cited Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 5th ed. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Pub. Group, 1994. Stampa.Murty, Govindini. “Decoding the Influences in “The Hunger Games”” The Atlantic. The Atlantic, March 26, 2012. Web. November 25. 2013.