Seidr is a form of magic practiced in pre-Christian Norse mythology.
Category: Writing
Writing Craft Resource: The Creative Penn Podcast
I don’t remember the exact moment I first discovered Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn. It was sometime in 2015, when I was an almost full-time freelance video editor. I listened to podcasts on my commute to and from the…
Research Files: Norns, Authors of Destiny
In Norse mythology, the norns (with a lowercase ‘n’) visit a person at their birth to determine their future. They weave the newborn’s thread of life based on lifespan and the good and bad events to befall them.
Research Files: Kitsune, the Trickster Fox
Since today is April Fool’s Day in the United States of America, I decided it would be fun—even if a little on the nose—to focus on a figure often associated with trickster tendencies or deception: the Japanese kitsune.
Writing Craft Resource: Secrets of Story Structure
Every month I share a writing craft resource I use. This month, it’s K.M. Weiland’s blog post series called The Secrets of Story Structure. Not understanding why something isn’t working is frustrating. Like this: When I first starting writing, I…
Research Files: Yggdrasil the World-Tree
Yggdrasil is a frequently-used name to describe the world-tree in Old Norse mythology. Scholars can’t seem to agree on much about the tree, from its species (generally considered to be Ash, but not always),to the tree’s name’s origin and meaning,…
Research Files: The Teumessian Fox and Paradoxes
The legend of the Teumessian Fox and Laelaps the dog is a Greek myth from the time when Creon was regent of Thebes. Displeased with the people of Thebes, a god sent the massive fox to punish the city. Sometimes…
Writing Craft Resource: The Emotion Thesaurus
Writing advice often includes the old adage, “show, don’t tell,” without any concrete instructions about how to actually do that. As much as I love (and am guilty of creating) characters with quirked lips who release breaths they didn’t know…
Research Files: The Gorgons
Today, we understand the Gorgons as three ugly monsters in Greek mythology who had hair made of snakes. Two of the sisters, Euryale and Stheno, were immortal, while the most well-known Gorgon, Medusa, was not immortal. Perseus killed Medusa by…
Research Files: The River Lethe
In Greek mythology, River Lethe was one of the five rivers that flowed through the Underworld. Some Greeks believe that after death, a person would drink from the river in order to forget their past life and clear their soul…