Research Files: Seidr, Magic of Destiny
Seidr is a form of magic practiced in pre-Christian Norse mythology.
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, […]
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 […]
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, to how the Nine Worlds are supposedly arranged around the great tree. Even the Nine Worlds themselves are up for debate, but one thing that seems commonly accepted is that Yggdrasil is a powerful source that holds all of the worlds together at the center of the universe.
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 this act is attributed to Dionysus. The fox wreaked havoc on the city, devouring people in its path. The worst part for the people of Thebes, though, was that the Teumessian Fox was destined to evade its hunter, so despite their best efforts, the fox could be neither captured nor killed.
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. […]
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 cutting off her head, and her power was so great, that even after her death, anyone who looked in Medusa’s eyes turned to stone.
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 for rebirth/reincarnation to a new life. The river was often associated with the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, also named Lethe.