Myths, magic, rituals, quests, places, people and animals; all of these elements are helping to shape the forthcoming tales in my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series. Part three in a series of four posts.
Immortality
This comes in the form of apples (among other things) and
straddles Norse, Greek and Celtic mythology. Norse ‘Idun’ is the goddess
who keeps the apples of immortality. Greek ‘Hesperides’ grows apples
that give immortality, on a paradise island. The Garden of Eden is home to the
fabled apple tree and ‘Avalon’, the ‘isle of apples’, is the
otherworldly paradise King Arthur is taken to, where he meets the three fairy
queens – the three fates – rather like the Norse Norns who guard the foot of
the World Tree, ‘Yggdrasil’.
Cut horizontally, apples reveal a five-pointed star in their
core: a symbol sacred to the Mother Goddess and still used today as a symbol of
belief in Pagan or Wiccan faith. Gypsies call it the ‘star of knowledge’. Also
a wild fruit that seeds in hedgerows, it contains ancient links to
Hedge-Sitters or wise women and would have been a natural food source that
could have saved the poor in hard times, as they can be stored through winter.
You will find mention of apples and their trees in my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series.
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| Apple quarters |
Magical Drinks
These can also bestow immortality or conjure transformations.
Throughout history there are countless tales of magical brews and important
drinking vessels, that cross cultures and continents. Eating and drinking
communally is an important part of human life and is an ideal time for
characters to be brought together. I use this constantly throughout my ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series.
Consider: The Holy
Grail;
The Mead of Odin, which can confer
the gift of poetry on whoever tastes it, made by the dwarves ‘Fjalar’ and
‘Galar’.
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| Gundestrup Cauldron |
Enchantment
Through beauty, music and Ritual Bathing the theme of
enchantment abounds in various mythology and folklore.
Think of: Orpheus,
who could bewitch animals and women with his lyre playing, but was then himself
bewitched by a water nymph or ‘nix’;
Acteon, while out hunting with his
hounds observes Artemis bathing naked. He is then changed into a stag and
hunted and killed by his own hounds.
These men are doomed to die for witnessing female goddesses
bathing. This reinforces the importance of the female deity sanctity in
pre-patriarchal cultures. The priest or priestess figure, bathed by servants,
is another element of this ancient theme. You will find this in my writing
also.
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| Stag in misty forest |
Hunting, Hounds and Wolves
Hounds and wolves devouring various people and things runs
through Norse, Celtic, Ancient Egyptian, Asian and Native American mythology.
Wolves are ancient creatures from the oldest forests on earth and so are
entwined in the lives of humans and their mythological tales. The hierarchical
make-up of wolf society also reflects the same social relationships found in
the human world, with leaders, their bodyguards, their marital partners and
foot soldiers. Like humans, wolves have nannies to watch over the young while
the rest of the pack hunts and these are usually older, trusted females who
were often former alphas. Wise-wolves, if you will. Strong, female components
essential to the survival of the pack and its future. There is much to draw on
from these classical themes and as you will probably guess, I use them
frequently in my ‘Wolf Spear Saga’ series!
Consider:
Hel’s Hounds; the
Hounds of Arawn;
Anubis the Jackal-headed god;
Up-Uat, the wolf-god;
Native American ‘Opener of the Way’ – the coyote that helps
Mother Earth give birth to the human race by scratching an opening in her side.
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| White wolf |
What classical themes do you seek to include or allude to in your writing?
Let me know in the comments below!
~ ~ ~
E S MOXON has had a lifelong passion for history and writing. A
childhood filled with family visits to ancient burial sites and stone circles
fuelled her imagination. Inspired by classic medieval tales and Norse sagas,
Elaine imagined herself inhabiting these Dark Ages and exploring the landscapes
in her mind and continues to do so through her novels. The first in her ‘Wolf
Spear Saga’ series is ‘WULFSUNA’ and books two and three will be out soon. When
not lost in pages of the past, she lives in the Midlands with her family and
their chocolate Labrador.
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| WULFSUNA - Wolf Spear Saga 1 and Tales of the WULFSUNA |
Blood,
betrayal and brotherhood.
They come to honour a
Warrior-Lord’s dream,
An ancient saga weaving their
destiny,
But a treacherous rival threatens
their fate.
The Wolf Sons are coming.
WULFSUNA
Capturing vivid memories of members of the 'Wolf Sons' Saxon tribe, they emotively convey the sagas that shaped their lives, in their own ancient language and in their own humble way.
A fictional feast for lovers of Old English with alternative views of events from the novel 'WULFSUNA' - Six tales presented in both Modern and Old English. A unique companion with detailed forewords by author E S Moxon and Prof. Stephen Pollington (author, speaker and historian) who says "the opportunity to produce fresh Old English songs proved too tempting".
TALES OF THE WULFSUNA
