Selasa, 12 November 2013

Writers: How do you create myths and legends for your stories?

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Q. What I mean is what techniques do you use? Do you take real myths and twist them around? How do you come up with your ideas for them?


Answer
Well I studied myths for my PhD, so that helps. Levi-Strauss is a good read. He analysed mythologies from around the world to see how they are constructed and what purposes they serve. His findings show that within each family of mythologies, the same tropes keep coming back. So yeah, using real mythologies is a good way to go.
Every mythology has a tale about the creation of the universe for example and how the earth and sky came about. Every mythology has a tale about the creation of man. These are funding myths and that's where I started when I started to create my world's mythology. That is where I start to create the gods. I also try to think about what kind of people they are and therefore who they might worship. What's important to them is likely to figure highly in their mythology. For example if they're a nation of farmers, they're likely to have a rich mythology centered around fertility myths, harvest deities and such.

EDIT: I had to go to work so I rushed my answer this morning.
Another few myths that appear a lot in mythology:
The creation of woman: usually it means hell for men. In the Bible, it's Eve getting us banished from the garden of Eden. In greek mythology, Pandora is made of clay and sent as punishment to men. She's given a box and told not to open it. Of course she does and out come every disease and misery that can befall on man. In the House of Night series, there's a cherokee myth told that is very similar (no idea if it's a real one or an invention of the authors though) where a maiden is made of clay to entrap an evil god. She receives gifts from the Wise women of the tribe: speed, beauty, intelligence and a beautiful garment, just like the Greek gods had endowed Pandora. That myth can be changed or left out if you create a matriarchal society (then you could have a creation of man myth instead) or a society where men and women are perfectly equal (assuming they've always been so).
There are also great myths about men, fate and choice. In Ireland, the warrior Cuchulain was predicted to be either the greatest warrior in the world and die young but be remembered forever or to be happy, marry, have a long life but be forgotten afterwards. He chose to become a warrior. That same choice is made by warrior Achilles in Greek mythology.
Magical objects that grant love or power are a big thing too. In some versions of the Irish myth, Diarmuid has a birthmark on his forehead that makes Grainne fall in love with him. In Greece, Aphrodite gives Paris a belt with the same properties to help him win over Helen. While in Germanic folklore, I believe it was Brunhild who couldn't be seduced by Sigurd due to a belt that granted her invincibility. I can't remember the details and everything I google show up with Tolkien's version of the Sigurd myth (which was one of the bases for LOTR and he did write his own legend of Sigurd and Gudrun).

My cousin is leaving Ireland to go to Australia - any good gift ideas?




Tia Bannan


He's going for a year. He's a typical man so I dont want to get him anything to lovey dovey or overly sentimental. Just something thats going to come in useful. Has anyone been travelling and been given something that they really used a lot? Or has anyone got any good ideas for a nice pressie?
Thanks in advance!!



Answer
I reckon a true blue Aussie bloke needs a little red & yellow hat--a pair of black budgie smugglers,
and of course the sunscreen!




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