It’s no secret I have a thing for Norse Mythology. I think my parents must have known about it ahead of time because they gave me an odd name–Rinda– which, according to several sources, was the name of Odin’s third wife. Rin, Rind, Rinda…
But my interest in all things Norse began way before I discovered the meaning of my name. Ironically, my second completed manuscript was called Ian’s Curse and it was about a descendant of Vikings cursed to shape-shift into a large black cat. (And I end up with a critique partner who is making a name for herself with her black werecats… fate is an odd monster, yes?) But Ian’s ancestors raided an island of magic and after being at sea a little too long, were, er, overly friendly with the very powerful women who were in control on that island. Only a few of the Norsemen survived and they escaped with a curse that made my poor Ian’s life a lonely, living hell. I still love the hero in that book. Love the setting of Wales, the secondary characters. The problem with that book was the heroine. She was TSTL. I still think of rewriting that book, of giving Ian a more worthy heroine. I even have a wraith-like formation of her in my mind.
But I’ve found that my love of mythology– Greek, Roman and Norse– creeps into a lot of what I do. I wrote a couple of contemporary romantic suspense manuscripts and recently, I went through them to see if they were at all salvageable. In both, I used mythological references, even in my computer hacker novel.
So, on that note, let me just say, I’m having a blast incorporating Nordic magic and myth into a contemporary fantasy setting. It’s almost eerie the way a scene will unfold and I’ll pull out a book to check my research, only to find I’ve threaded other, forgotten references in automatically.
But I have to watch myself. I can get soooo caught up in the research. Lately, I’ve been trying to find information on one particular reference and that can suck up too much time.
Oh, and speaking of research, fellow Oklahoma Writer’s Federation Member, David Farney, has started a new blog with all sorts of goodies if you’re into all things Icelandic. Storm of the North. Hmm… wonder if he could help me with that obscure reference…
Anyway, my only other time suck issue lately has been… playing Zelda’s Ocarina of Time with my son. Yes, I’ve completed the game. Several times… but I know where to load up on fairies now and how each boss moves…
What does this have to do with Norse Mythology? Quite a bit, in fact. I once visited a message board (major geek admission here) where a few gamers were discussing the mythology used in creating the world of Zelda. In fact, they were complaining that it used too much of the old world creatures and lore, that it needed original ideas. To me, spotting a mythological reference was a kick. (Did the same thing while watching O Brother, Where Art Thou–drove my husband batty.)
Does that mean I don’t have any original ideas? Nah. That just means I like taking familiar concepts and twisting them to fit my own worlds. Good fun, that is. 😉