Magical Gains

Friday, April 27, 2012

The Tarasque

The Tarasque

[Image courtesy: Finlay Cowan]

Unless you come from Tarascon in provincial France, are a fan of Warcraft or Dungeons and Dragons, you're probably unlikely to have heard of it.

[image courtesy: The Paradise Post ]

This is a somewhat sad mythological tale, but one that intrigues me. The Tarasque was predictably perhaps, a beast that roamed Provincial France, laying waste to fields and villages. Described as a strange chimaera type creature, it was said to have six short legs (something like a bears) an ox like body covered by a turtle shell, a scaly tail, topped by a scorpion sting and a leonine head. Which you'll probably agree is fairly bizarre even for a mythological beastie. Everything the Tarasque touched, it burned.

The king of the area had sent several knights to kill the beast, to no avail. Finally, St Martha ventured forth to help the people. She came across the Tarasque in a forest, eating a man. She approached the beast, sang hymns to it, prayed at it and sprinkled it with holy water. The creature then became as docile as a lamb. Using her own girdle (as you do?!) , she lead the beast back to the village.

The villagers were horrified by the beast and brutally slew it - despite it no longer being a threat. St Martha reprimanded the villagers and told them they were wrong to kill the beast. Once they realised their error they were very sorry, and converted to Christianity for forgiveness, and re-named the village Tarascon in memory of the Tarasque.

[Image courtesy: Wikipedia]

In mythology there is a reoccuring theme of women calming the beasts of the world. St Martha and the Tarasque, the Unicorn who can only be tamed by a virgin, even King Kong is calmed by a woman. Other more bloodthirsty beasts can only be calmed or sated by sacrificing maidens to them.
The symbolism of virginity and purity in "calming the beast" can be found in almost every culture. It is a theme often played upon in paranormal romance itself.
It is perhaps interesting that in our era of kick-ass heroines that the virgin calming the beast is a theme that dares be repeated. Yet it is, over and over again - but it has evolved with the times. The latest development I've noticed in my readings of paranormal/fantasy romance is of the fiesty virgin. These are women who are virgins by choice, and can still be 'kick-ass' when they need to be. One of my favourite authors, Kresley Cole, frequently has feisty virgin heroines and brutishly male heroes...and I highly recommend them all!

Enjoy your weekend

Monday, April 23, 2012

Magical Redemption is on its way!

1^st NOVEMBER 2012

"Magical Redemption"

Would you trade your soul for love?

"How did a woman as good as you, ever get stuck with a devil like me?"

When Jinx finds herself the Genie of the coldly handsome Lucian, she knows she's in for a rough time.

Lucian is being hunted by the Magical Mafia, otherwise known as the "Family". Years ago, he pledged himself to serve but in a moment of weakness betrayed them. Now, unable to love or live freely, Lucian finds himself falling for Jinx, but knows a future between them is impossible. As they hide from incredible and malevolent magical beings, they search for a way to be together, before fate and the Family separate them for ever...

Here's the lo-down.
Word count: approx 75, 000 words
Main Characters: Lucian & Jinx
Some of the beasties you'll encounter; Chupacabras, Nagas, pelesit and yes, I know you've been waiting, Satyrs.

Eeny Weeny Teaser...

Lucian felt his body crash with hers. Somewhere, above the sudden roar of his blood he heard her swear. He inhaled, but his brain was full of her exotic scent . Her intoxicating smoke was everywhere. He knew this was bad, but it smelled so good. He closed his eyes trying to steady the screaming hunger that howled like a ghoulish wind through the deepest fibers of his being. One kiss was not enough.

Have a super week.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Dryads...there's more than one kind.

I love trees, I think there is nothing lovelier than a grand old tree standing strong in a storm, or a gorgeous small sapling bursting forth from fertile soil... *sigh*

Therefore I find it completely unsurprising that there are many (and I do mean many) magic myths surrounding trees.

The most commonly known mythological creature related to trees would be the Dryads and Hamadryad. As they are the more commonly known mythological creatures - I'll keep my description of them fairly brief.

[Image (how cool is this?!) courtesy :laughingscared.blogspot.com]

Dryad

Dryads are tree-nymphs from ancient Greek mythology. They are generally carefree female spirits that watch over trees and forests. They protect trees and punish careless humans who may harm their forest. If the dryad lives alongside or (in some cases) inside the tree, then they are referred to as Hamadryads. The Hamadryad's life is so intrinsically linked with its tree that if the tree dies the nymph will die with it. In mythology the Dryad nymphs are often hotly pursued by their lusty counterpart the Satyr.

Moss Folk

[image courtesy: mindscapefx.com]

I had not heard of these until I began pawing through my new set of mythology books *joy*. The Moss Folk are also known as Moosleute or Holzleute, Eschenfrau in German. Similar creatures also appear in Scandinavian folklore as Askafroea. They are often considered to be forest dwelling Fae or Fairies. According to myth they sometimes borrow items from people but always repay the favour. In a number of myths they are said to approach human lactating women and ask for their milk in order to feed their young.
In southern Germany in particular they are considered to be tree spirits referred to as 'wood people' and 'moss maidens'. Their descriptions vary. Sometimes described as being small and gorgeous with faerie wings, and at other times depicted as being old, hairy and covered in moss. There is also some link with the moss people and the "Wild hunt", the moss people apparently targeted in this hunt and therefore hide in the trees. Like the Hamadryad, their lives are often entwined closely with a particular tree and if the tree dies, then so does the fairy.

Lunantishee

[image courtesy; celteros.tumblr.com]

These are an interesting group of mythological faeries that hail from Irish Folklaw. The Lunantishee are the guardian's of blackthorn bushes, from which traditional Irish walking sticks are made. Apparently the Lunantishee absolutely hate humans for damaging their blackthorn bushes. Legend has it that you are not allowed to cut a blackthorn bush on May 11th or November 11th without some dreadful accident befalling you.

[image courtesy; knittingsexandgod.blogspot.com]

Ghillie Dhu
This is the one I really wanted to look into because in my new mythology books *double joy* there is a truly awesome picture of one. Alas my scanner is not working so I am unable to share that particular image, but I sourced this one from the net to give you an idea. The image I have in my book is of a much more romanticised version, who would potentially make a great hero for a book... if you increased his size...just a tad.

Anyway. A Ghillie Dhu is from Scottish folklore.
They are said to be solitary Fae creatures, around 7 inches tall with long limbs and pale green skin and wild black hair. They wear clothes of moss and leaves and are said to be protective of certain trees particularly Birch. The Ghillie Dhu were considered very shy and docile, living on berries and nuts. However as their natural habitat in the Scottish forests was destroyed for farming/development they became more accustomed to man and began emigrating out to other countries! Some ended up in Canada and France. Some of course, remained in the remnant Scottish forests. It is said that the Ghillie Dhu were very adaptive and the modern Day Toothfairy is actually one of the roles they have adopted in modern day society. If you want to read more check out this link. I think its a very sweet little myth.

There you have it if you're considering writing about Dryad's be aware there are so many more (I've just shown you the tip of the iceburg!) that you might want to consider a lesser known Fae instead.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Ugly Heroes... ever read one and suddenly found him HOT?!

We're all fairly familiar with the ugly/plain heroine aren't we?

We've got Bridget Jones (slightly chubby, socially awkward), Ugly Betty (dorky hair and braces), and Mary Balogh's "One of the Slightly" series also has an ugly heroine. In fact, my latest Heroine Jinx (in Magical Redemption) is definitely not conventionally attractive...

Danny Quinn

However! What I'm interested in today is the unconventional looking hero. I am absolutely taken with the TV series Primeval, it's been around for a while, but we've only recently discovered it. I'm into series three, and they have replaced one of the main characters Nick Cutter (Douglass Henshall) with Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng). Admittedly initially I didn't find the character of Nick Cutter at all attractive (physically or personality wise). Yet I grew to like him. Now he has been killed off, and the directors have introduced Danny Quinn, and most people will agree he isn't your conventionally attractive actor.

So I'm interested to see if my opinion of him changes throughout the series. Can his personality win me over, and will he grow on me? (hopefully in a good way and not like a fungus).

Douglass Henshall

In all my novels, my heroes are what I would call universally attractive. Their appearance, personality and body type fit with the general concensus of what makes someone attractive. (Having said that, a friend infomed me the other day that she didn't find Lucian particularly attractive *gasp*)
Anyway, my question is this, have you ever read a character who you initially found revolting, but then grew on you?

I read a book some time ago, in which this was the case. For the life of me I can't remember which book it was. Which is a shame. I remember being completely revolted by the hero but by the end couldn't put it down and thought he was was Adonis, (just without the good looks).

So what makes ugly to you?

Here's my ugly list. These are the three points that I think really affect my judgement on what physically attractive is. You'll notice my 'ugly list' doesn't contain things like; weight, facial symmetry, missing limbs etc, because I think characters can still be appealing in the romantic sense with them. The points on my ugly list are pretty much all rectifiable - and thus, having these traits is less attractive, because you don't need to have them.

1. Diseased and damaged skin - this is fairly undestandable, I think healthy skin is fairly symbolic in our culture of good health and generally our heroes are healthy inorder to be heroic.

2. Rotten teeth, bad breath - again, healthy teeth/breath symbolise healthy everything else.

3. Lank greasy hair - I think this reflects the heroes ability to care for themselves as well as care for others. If their hair/body is disgustingly unkempt and particularly dirty, then they clearly are unable to look after themselves, and therefore how can they rescue/look after/ help the heroine?

Do you think you could grow to like a hero had had halitosis and rotten broken teeth? (I'm talking about 'like' in the romantic heroic sense not about 'like' because he's a "nice guy despite his unfortunate acne" kind of way).

I would love to know if you've read of a male character (with at least one of the ugly points) and you still managed to find him attractive in the romance stakes.

Anyway, have a great week.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Interview with Lugh

Yep it's up. My 'interview' with Lugh.

For all of you unaware Lugh is a sub character who makes an appearance in "Magical Gains" "Magical Creations" and "Magical Redemption" - (Hopefully coming soon!)

Here's the link, I'm also giving away an e-copy to someone who follows me on FB or Twitter .

Cheers!

Enjoy!

http://www.identitydiscovery.net/2012/03/magical-creations-interview-with-lugh.html

Friday, March 16, 2012

Underwater Panthers, the Alkonost and the Nandi Bear...

I'm very lucky I have family that indulge my nerdiness. My sister sent me a great birthday present recently, a three book series of Fantasy Artist's Pocket References. By Finlay Cowan. All images in this post are from the books.
Anyway. These books are so cool. Not only do they have some awesome creatures, (some of which, *gasp* not even I had heard of...) they show you how to draw them! If only I had more time on my hands at the moment, I'd be sketching away like a crazy woman!

[Nandi Bear by Finlay Cowan]

A couple of them particularly caught my eye as unfamiliar, and I'd like to share them with you. The first is the Nandi bear. This one is a cryptid, rather than a mythological creature (see my blog post on the Chupacabra here if you don't know the difference between a cryptid & mythological beastie). The Nandi bear is said to inhabit a region in Kenya unsurprisingly inhabited by the Nandi tribe. Also known as the Kerit, this creature has the same kind of 'elusive nature' as the Abominable Snowman. It's believed to have a loping gait like a bear crossed with a hyena, but can also stand on two legs. It is known to attack people and there are many alleged 'sightings'. Current theories on it's origin suggest it may be a type of unknown hyena, or bear (although bears are not indigenous to the Nandi area), or perhaps some ancient, rare giant baboon.
I think it is a particularly cool cryptid anyway.

Secondly, the next creature from these books to catch my eye, and one that was completely unfamiliar to me - was the Underwater Panther, sometimes called Mishibizhiw. This creature originates from Native American mythology particularly the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi nations around the Great Lakes area of the US and Canada.

[picture by Finlay Cowan]

Underwater Panthers are considered to be water monsters, and have various descriptions and personality traits depending on the legend. The beast can take a variety of forms... the body of a wild feline (lynx or mountain lion), the horns of a deer or bison with upright scales on its back and occasionally feathers. They usually have extremely long tails, and hiss or roar. They are said to live in the darkest, deepest parts of lakes or rivers and can cause storms.
Personality varies, sometimes benevolent and sometimes malevolent - to possess a hair from it would bestow great power.

[Picture by Finlay Cowan]

Thirdly there is the Alkonost, who is a rather lovely birdlike mythological woman.
The Alkonost is, according to Russian folklore, a creature with the body of a bird but the head of a beautiful woman. She makes sounds that are amazingly beautiful, and those who hear these sounds forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again - which you'll agree is very smiliar to the Sirens of Greek mythology. The Alkonost however, is generally benevolent towards humans. However, when lays her eggs on a beach she then rolls them into the sea and upon hatching a thunderstorm will ensue. The thunderstorms are so fierce that the ocean will become so rough no one can sail that day.
The name of the alkonost comes from the Greek demigoddess, Alcyone. In Greek mythology, Alcyone was transformed by the gods into a kingfisher.

Don't you just just love how mythological creatures are transformed from culture to culture? I do.

Anyway, if you are looking for a particularly interesting set of books about mythology with the added bonus of drawing thrown in - two of my favourite subjects!) I thoroughly recommend these books for inspiration! Rest assured I'll be pawing over them for years to come.

Here are the links;

Fantasy Artist's Pocket Reference - Dragons & Fantasy Creatures

Fantasy Artist's Pocket Reference - Phantastic faeries

Fantasy Artist's Pocket Reference - Incredible Characters

Have a wonderful weekend.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Jörmungandr - more than your average sea-serpent!

Image Courtesy: Kool-Mike

Special isn't he?

May I introduce Jörmungandr, from Norse Mythology. Anyone who is at all familiar with Norse Mythology will know that Jörmungandr (also known as Midgarðsormr in Old Norse) is one of the three children of the god Loki and a giantess Angrboða. Quite frankly if I were in Loki's position, I'd be asking for some serious paternity testing... as from the varying appearances of Loki and Angrboða's children, you've seriously got to wonder what she got up to in her spare time...

[Image courtesy Loki's Children: (graphite on paper/color by corel painter) ]

Anyway, Jörmungandr full siblings were; Hel (humanish woman) and Fenrir (a giant wolf). I am particularly interested in Fenrir, mainly because one of my favourite authors JK Rowling, chose to name her werewolf after him (Fenrir Greyback). Rowling is always clever with her use of mythology.

I will say that Jörmungandr also had a number of half-brothers, from Loki's wife Sigyn. One of these half brothers turns into a wolf and disembowels the other. Nice family. However, the most bizarre fact about Jörmungandr's family is that his father, when in the form of a mare, actually gave birth to an eight legged horse named Sleipnir - who rather horrifically, was fathered by an enormous stallion.... seriously, the mind boggles.

Image courtesy Wiki Loki and Svadilfari (1909) by Dorothy Hardy
(personally I'd entitle this one "RUN LOKI RUN!")

Anyway, Loki's three children by the giantess were all thrown into the ocean by Odin (a fellow God). In the ocean, Jörmungandr grew to immense size. He apparently grew so large his body ran the circumference of the Earth and he could place his tail in his mouth.

Naturally all great Serpents must have an enemy, and in this case Jörmungandr's arch enemy is the God Thor. Legend has it that the last meeting between the serpent and Thor is predicted to occur at Ragnarök (an epic battle for supremacy) when Jörmungandr will come out of the ocean and poison the sky. Thor will kill Jörmungandr and then walk nine paces before falling dead, having been poisoned by the serpent's venom.

There isn't anything particularly unusual about Jörmungandr as a serpent, with the except of his massive size and his unique family. Most cultures have a serpent mythology. If you're interested in sea serpents (and seriously why wouldn't you be?!) Here are some other very interesting serpent like beasties to check out.

Bobbi-Bobbi - Australian Aboriginal benevolent mythical serpent.
Kolowisi - Zuni Northern American mythical serpent
Yofune-Nushi - Japanese malevolent sea serpent, with a very similar story to George & the Dragon.

I got this massive list from the Mythical Creatures List - which is a great resource if you're looking for something unusual to ad to your creature data base!

If you liked the one's above, I'm sure you'll find something even more exciting there.

Have a wonderful week!

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