''The Pig Scrolls'' (2004), by

Paul Shipton Paul Shipton (born 1963) is an English children's author. He was born in Manchester and attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge and Manchester University. After completing two master's degrees (in Classics and Philosophy), he taught English in Is ...

, is a young adult comedy adventure novel about a talking pig (Gryllus) and his endeavours to save the world. The novel is set in Ancient Greece with many, often comical, references to ancient Greek mythology and life. The characters include all the major Ancient Greek gods, some minor deities, the young

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

and Sibyl, a prophetess in training at the temple of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

in Delphi.

Plot

After all the Olympian gods go missing, Sibyl has a premonition in which the sun god Apollo tells her to find "the talking pig". Sibyl then sets out looking for the talking pig, Gryllus. She finds him first at an auction where she buys him for 200 drachmas then Gryllus runs away and he winds up at Big Stavros's Kebab bar where he is forced to entertain customers and where Sibyl takes him back. Together they set off for the temple at

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...

. Apollo informs Sibyl that she and Gryllus must find a goatherd boy living on top of a mountain. Once Sibyl and Gryllus find the goatherd, (who turns out to be the god Zeus) they set off once more for Apollo's temple at Delphi. It is there that Gryllus, the talking pig, must save the world from utter destruction. Additional: What the author had to say about his work: “I got the idea for The Pig Scrolls when I was rereading Homer's Odyssey and found myself more interested in some of the non-heroic characters in the background. Working on the book gave me a chance to revisit a world I have always loved—that of ancient mythology and history. And, of course, in order to research the character of Gryllus fully, I was forced to eat a huge number of pies.” The Pig Scrolls is set in Ancient Greece, and is about a pig named Gryllus. Gryllus, who was once a member of captain Odesseus’ famous crew, was transformed into a pig by the enchantress Circe. Gryllus, enjoying his quiet life in the woods is soon captured by local hunters when they realize he can talk, and is soon “rescued” by a junior prophetess in training (Sibyl). Sibyl informs Gryllus of a premonition showing her the end of the world. Gryllus believes her to have lost a couple of marbles and escapes, so Sibyl kidnaps him. On their journey to the temple in Delphi, they encounter monsters, gods, a strange goatherd and a scientist who has invented the awesome Atomos Device. Gryllus comes to realize that the entire universe is in the trotters of one talking pig, himself...

Sequel

''The Pig Scrolls'' is followed by a sequel, ''

The Pig Who Saved the World ''The Pig Who Saved the World'' (2006) is the sequel to ''The Pig Scrolls'', both of which were written by Paul Shipton. It is set in ancient Greece and makes references to Greek mythology concerning their gods and heroes. The main character ...

'', which won a Nestle Bronze Award in the UK.

Film

On April 8, 2010, Pajiba.com reported that

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...

was developing an animated feature film based on ''The Pig Scrolls''. As a possible directing job,

Barry Sonnenfeld Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1, 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director. He originally worked as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers before directing films such as ''The Addams Family'' (1991) and its sequel ''Addams Family Va ...

was tasked to develop the film, while

Kirk DeMicco Kirk DeMicco (born May 15, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing ''Space Chimps'', ''The Croods'' and '' Vivo''. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey and a former resident of Franklin Lakes, DeMicco attended Ramap ...

wrote the most recent script revision. DreamWorks Animation had also optioned rights for the book's sequel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pig Scrolls 2004 British novels Children's historical novels British children's novels British young adult novels British comedy novels Novels set in ancient Greece Classical mythology in popular culture Pigs in literature 2004 children's books Puffin Books books