Monday, April 15, 2013

Mythology and Legends

I love folklore. I love reading about the various myths and legends from around the world. I'm not sure when this obsession started, maybe after I watched the movie Legend with Tom Cruise and those awesome unicorns and goblins, or perhaps it was after David Bowie made his debut as the Goblin King in Labyrinth. Whatever it was that sparked my interest, all I know is I still love reading about those things. I love watching movies based on those things. There are so many amazing stories to choose from. There are the Selkies, mermaids, the Seelie and Unseelie courts, Leprechauns, Unicorns, Dragons, the Four Guardians in Buddhism, the lord Vishnu from Hinduism, The Grimm fairy tales, stories by Hans Christian Andersen. The list could go on and on.

Some of my favorite books weave those stories into life. Juliet Marillier is one of my favorite authors and her Sevenwaters Trilogy focuses on the story of the six swans. Tithe by Holly Black is another favorite, a darker version of the fairy world with twists, blood, and Kelpies. I'm always on the look out for a new story based on these magical tales. I'm also inspired by them. There are so many endless opportunities to create brand new worlds based on the endless stories from all four corners of the Earth. What about you guys, what are some of your favorite myths and legends?

15 comments:

  1. I love mythology based stories too! And Juliet Marillier! And I just finished a book that features an Irish mythological creature called a Gwyllion. Good post!

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    1. Oooh, I like the sound of that...I'll have to check it out!

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  2. Myths and Fairytales are among my favourites.

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  3. Absolutely. I am especially a huge fairy tale fan. :) I love retellings and totally want to write retellings. The ms I'm working on now sparked from an idea to do a contemporary twist on Rapunzel. . .but I'm not sure that's coming across any more. I still love it, though! :)

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    1. I love the sound of a contemporary twist on Rapunzel!

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  4. Yes! I love them too! Especially with a new twist. It's why I write fantasy. *love*

    Great post, Prerna. :D

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  5. I love stuff like that too! I just wish i could write them well :)

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    1. i've thought about doing a retelling, but alas, i don't think i am gifted enough for such a task.

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  6. Labyrinth is still one of my favorite movies. Oh and have you watched Grimm? It is really good.

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    1. It's still one of my favorites too! And I love the show Grimm, I tune in every week. They have some really creepy monsters on there.

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  7. Yes, I love books with mythology! Thanks for a great post!

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  8. I read one book by Juliet Marillier--loved it. Have you ever read anything by Robin McKinley? She combines legends with Fantasy settings in some pretty interesting ways.

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  9. I love all the old King Arthur stories. Also Norse Fairytales, especially the trolls.

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