I know I’ve recently become really interested in Celtic mythology and I’ve always enjoyed Scandinavian myths. But I don’t want to narrow my storybook topic to just one region. I’d really like to work on a storybook that somehow encompasses something central or present in all myths from around the world.
Topic: The Gods Among Us
Comments: So, if anyone has read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, you’re probably thinking this idea is a rip-off of his story. Honestly, it’s a similar idea, but it’s an idea for stories I toyed around with long before I ever read American Gods. Reading the first chapter in the Ancient Egypt chapter, the last line mentions how Ra took the form of a mortal man and stayed on Earth and how centuries passed like years to him.
Possible stories: I know the gods are thought to walk amongst mortals in many different myths. I’d like to make a compilation of stories about gods interacting with humans in the modern age.
Sample Story comments: In Greece, Norse, and I guess Egyptian mythology, the top gods (Zeus, Odin, Ra) are spoken of taking human form and helping/dispensing wisdom to humans. I’m sure this is the same for many other cultures across the world, too.
Bibliography:
Story: Creation,
Book: Egyptian Myth and Legend,
Author: MacKenzie, Donald
Year of Publication: 1907
Topic: Marriage Across Worlds
Comments: I’ve read stories about humans who marry fairies (or even animals in Native American folklore). Sometimes the marriage doesn’t end well, but other times it does.
Possible Stories: I would like to set up a storybook that reads from the account from a ‘special’ marriage services agency, with fantastic tales of their successful (and failed) marriages.
Sample Story comments: I like the tale of the fish-peri in Turkish fairy tales, as it’s one of a happy marriage. There are other stories of animal-husbands or wives in Native American legends, but those sometimes take a turn for the worst (such as the Bear-Woman).
Bibliography:
Story: The Fish-Peri
Book: Forty-Four Turkish Fairytales
Author: Kunoz, Ignacz
Year: 1913
Topic: Magical Devices throughout tales
Comments: A common theme in many stories is that of a magical device which somehow benefits the protaganist - Excalibur in the tales of King Arthur, the Sampo in the Kalevala, fetishes in the Congo… I’m curious to see what other magical items there are in different folk tales.
Possible stories: An unassuming, totally plain-looking antique shop that has magical artifacts for sale and the stories behind them.
Sample Story comments: The great sword Excalibur was drawn by Arthur, which proved him to be the true king of England. I know that Arthur will use this sword on many of his quests, so I’m interested to see where this enchanted piece takes him and how it will be used.
Bibliography
Story: The Drawing of the Sword
Book: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table
Author: Lang, Andrew
Year: 1902
Topic: Powerful women of the Mythoverse
Comments: Powerful women, especially in the forms of priestesses, enchantresses, etc, play a large role in shaping myths. There’s Morgan Le Fay in Arthurian legend, Isis in Egyptian mythology, and Britomart of the Faerie Queene tales.
Possible Stories: Going along again with my theme of the gods in the modern world, I could tell the stories of these women and how they influence still today the workings of the world (in ways big or small).
Sample Story Comments: I enjoyed reading about Britomart’s cunning and moral composure when she fought with the six knights who were beating up on one. Not only is she physically strong, she’s strong-willed and bright.
Bibliography:
Story: How Britomart Fought with Six Knights
Book: Stories from the Faerie Queene
Author: MacLeod, Mary
Year: 1916
"Isis" by Janice Duke on Deviantart
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