Analysis: Karen Haegemans on Elissa of Carthage
Elissa of Carthage (commonly known as Dido, the wanderer) is one of the more fascinating examples of history becoming myth. History is rife with examples of strong women dismissed as mythology...
Category: Mythology
Religion and mythology differ in but have overlapping aspect. Both terms refer to systems of concepts that are of high importance to a certain community, making statements concerning the supernatural or sacred. Generally, mythology is considered one component or aspect of religion. Religion is the broader term: besides mythological aspects, it includes aspects of ritual, morality, theology, and mystical experience. A given mythology is almost always associated with a certain religion such as Greek mythology with Ancient Greek religion. Disconnected from its religious system, a myth may lose its immediate relevance to the community and evolve—away from sacred importance—into a legend or folktale.
Deity as Celebrity: Crafting a Myth Cycle
Creating a myth cycle is one of the hardest and most exciting parts of worldbuilding. I’ve written previously about how to frame a myth cycle around a war, but another...
Vikings & Spartans: Women in a Militaristic Culture
Throughout history, the more militaristic culture is, the more it tends to value feminine power. I had this epiphany when a friend and I were discussing how some people –...
Ancient Priests: Practical Impacts of Early Experts
Recently, I’ve been thinking about the role of ancient priests and how temples helped early civilizations thrive. As a culture, we do a pretty poor job of looking beyond the...
Interview with Katharine Wibell
Katharine Wibell, author of the Incarn Saga, has graciously agreed to be interviewed this month! Even more graciously, she agreed to give us some spoilers for her novel, Issaura’s Claws. This interview represents a...
Modern Folklore: Gremlins & Road Gators
Humanity has created a huge volume of stories over the last few millennia… some truer than others. We pass down these tales through the generations, for a variety of reasons:...
Heroes and Parenting: Achilles vs. Hawkeye
I recently read a Washington Post article claiming that President Obama’s most unusual legacy will be that he was a good father. It rang true for me. We rarely get...
Giants in War: Frost Giants & Firbolgs
When I attended Balticon 50 over Memorial Day Weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing an amazing panel that looked at created religions in science fiction and fantasy. I arrived...
Curious Disasters: Failed Marriages in Folklore
It’s hardly a secret that folk tales exist to deliver a message. Most people can name a piece of folklore that warns about the dangers of talking to strangers, or...
History’s Leaders: Great Men or Sons of Society?
I’ve mentioned before that my novel features a religious element. It’s a central part of the conflict that a small, anti-mage religious sect became very powerful after a cataclysmic series...
