Many romances, especially paranormal and urban fantasy ones, are based on the world of mythology. An example is Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Hunter series. Old myths and legends are rich in ideas for authors, so I thought I’d mention a few characters from within mythology for my Thursday Thirteen today.
Thirteen Tricksters & Means from Mythology
To start, mythology is a collection of stories that helped people make sense of the world. They were passed orally from generation to generation. Sometimes people wrote the myths down, and they were often celebrated in dance and art.
1. Chimera – a fire breathing monster made up of a mishmash of body parts of different animals.
2. Bacchus – the Roman god of wine and ecstasy. He gave King Midas the power to change everything he touched into gold.
3. Maui – he’s one of our New Zealand tricksters, and was supposedly responsible for fishing up New Zealand. He was a slippery one, and frankly, I’d run if I saw him. He pushed up the heavens and stole fire for mankind.
4. Cunning Hare – he’s an animal trickster that always outwits the other animals. He’s known in the US as Brer Rabbit.
5. Loki – the Norse trickster god. He caused the death of Odin’s son, Balder and is still being punished for it.
6. Baba Yaga – is a cannibal witch from Russia. She lives in a revolving hut that’s supported by hen’s feet, and she flies through the air in a mortar (grinding pot)
7. Guan Di – the Chinese god of war. Originally, he sold tofu, but he killed a magistrate and had to flee his home. He became a soldier and was promoted to the status of god of war.
8. Eshu – the trickster god of the Yoruba people in west Africa. He likes playing tricks on people – mischievous ones. He disguises himself as a naughty boy, a wise old man and a priest.
9. Kokopelli – another trickster. He’s also responsible for fertility of crops and the village women. I used Kokopelli as the basis for my story Seeking Kokopelli.
10. Tengu – a part man and part bird. They’re Japanese and have magic invisibility cloaks.
11. Sekhmet – a lioness god, sent by Ra to destroy mankind. Ra changed his mind and the only way to stop Sekhmet was to ply her with drink and get her drunk.
12. Centaur – half man and half horse they’re wild and savage. There are centaurs in the Harry Potter series.
13. Yen-lo – the ruler and judge of the dead in China. He weighs the souls first. Those who were virtuous had light souls while sinners possessed heavy souls. The souls must past several tests before they can be reincarnated.
All of these seem unfriendly to me. I’m not sure I’d like to meet them, but they certainly provide inspiration for stories.
Do you have any favorite stories based on mythology? Which of the above would you prefer to face? Write a story about?
Source: Mythology, an Eyewitness Book, by Neil Philip
