Inheritance as a burden

Heroes have a shared history of familial rejection and trauma. Riordan develops the rune Othala, which literally means inheritance, as a symbol for the burden of a negative family history. Riordan primarily connects the rune to Hearthstone. Hearthstone must reclaim the Othala rune he left in Alfheim when his brother Andiron died. By connecting the Othala rune to Alfheim and Andiron’s death, Riordan shows how inheritance can be burden. Throughout the series Riordan shows the group sharing the burden of inheritance, which ultimately makes it easier to overcome. For Hearthstone, the group shares his burden when Blitzen and Magnus help him face down the dragon.

Riordan also shows how inheritance can be reclaimed as strength through Alex and Samirah's relationship to the shape-shifting heritage. Both have a negative relationship with their father Loki, which gives their shapeshifting heritage a negative aspect. Loki...