Guest Post: Heather Marie Adkins, Author of The Temple

Writing into Myth

Heather Marie Adkins

            I have always been fascinated by mythology.

            A lot of people are, of course, evidenced by the vast number of scholars on the subject.  Run a search on mythology degrees and you will find there are folklore/mythology graduate programs around the world—whether they focus solely on biblical studies, ancient world mythology, or folklore.  The demand is there.

            So, what is it that draws us to mythology?  Is it the same thing that drives us to cuddle up with a good book?  Is it an innate need to escape, to exercise our imaginations and take flight to a world not our own?

            If you listen to Joseph Campbell of heroic monomyth fame, every story emulates mythology—and vice versa.  Every well-plotted tale has three stages: the departure, the initiation, and the return.  Within those three stages are various sub-stages that form the story.  This holds just as true for Ancient Greek myth of “Hercules” as it does for George Lucas’s “Star Wars”.  This three-fold scheme is what makes people relate to these stories and myths.  And when we can relate to a story, it increases our chances of truly falling in love with it.

            The idea of the monomyth really strikes me in my yummy bone.  Another characteristic of myth that I love is the idea that many tales carry indirect correlations. Every culture, from the smallest tribal society to mainstream Christianity, boasts its own myths.  Each culture uses their myths to show how people arrived on earth, where the divine reside, and to explain other mysteries of the Universe.  The amazing thing about these different creation myths is how closely many of them compare to each other—especially considering these cultures had never before met or exchanged information.

            A stirring example of this correlation is that of Jesus on the Cross and the Norse myth of Odin and the World Tree.  In the poem Havamal, the reader learns through the words of Odin, a Norse God, how he sacrificed himself by hanging on the branches of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.  He describes nine nights of hanging, a spear wound in his side, as the secrets of the Norse Runes were taught to him.  Parallel to this is the story of Jesus and the crucifixion.  The cross has often been visualized as a tree in myth and poem, such as the beautiful and heart-wrenching “Dream of the Rood”.  In the latter poem, the tree from which the cross was carved tells his story.

            In both tales, there is a method of death involving hanging by a tree (or nails in the cross), a spear wound to the side, and then resurrection with higher knowledge and power.  The tree theme doesn’t just exist in these two myths; it’s also prevalent in Australian Bushman and in Native American Iroquois folklore!

            This is only one example—there are numerous ways in which world myths parallel one another.  It is ideas like this that completely fascinate me and fuel my love for using myth in my books.

            My debut release, “The Temple”, is heavy in mythology.  When Vale Avari moves to England, she finds a small town plagued by the Wild Hunt, a hunting party from Norse mythology.  Though she doesn’t believe in the Hunt, it plays an important part in the novel.

            In European folklore, the Hunt’s themes may vary, but across countries there are common characteristics, and those characteristics are used in “The Temple”.  The Wild Hunt is a party of lost souls, howling dogs, and braying horses that travels the sky, often accompanied by thunderstorms.  Anyone who sets eyes upon the procession is said to have their soul taken to join the Hunt; another interpretation is that seeing the Hunt could prophesize a disaster in the person’s near-future.

            Needless to say, the Hunt strikes fear into the souls of many, and it certainly does that in “The Temple”.

            In my second release, “Abigail”, the protagonist is a half-human, half-fairy who is sold into slavery by her father after her fairy mother is found slain.  While fairies seem to be the current “It Thing” of the literary world, many  people aren’t familiar with the fact that fairies are mythology—not just the whimsy of J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan.  Ancient Celts believed in the sidhe, a race of beings known as the “wee folk” who were forced into hiding as humans began to invade Ireland.  Even today, people believe the fae folk are still alive and well, and living in fairy “forts”—perfect concentric tree rings or small, hilly mounds.  Many Irish farmers allow these fairy plots on their land to become overgrown and wild in deference to the wee folk who supposedly live there.

            I have several other pieces in the works that dabble heavily in mythology.  I must really adore Norse myth because one of my upcoming novels concerns the goddess Freya and her followers, and the tale of Freya’s necklace.  Another of my works in progress is a paranormal romance with a Native American heroine…from the past.  Native American myth is (obviously!) prominent in the book.

            I’m not the only author who adores using mythology; my good friend Shéa MacLeod is the same way.  Her novels concern Templar Knights, vampires, Atlantis, and even dragons.  Paranormal romance at its finest!

            Simply researching and reading mythological stories can jump-start one’s muse; it certainly does mine.  So, if you’re looking for some really cool stories, check out some books on myth and legend from your local library—you won’t regret it.

Heather Marie Adkins is an independent fiction novelist and avid bibliophile with the library to prove it. She first began publishing her work in June 2011—much to the chagrin of her mother—and now has five published ebooks in various genres.  In September of 2011, she was chosen as the Louisville Eccentric Observer’s Reader’s Choice 3rd Best Local Author.  She loves to garden, cook, and travel, and would give anything to live in a cottage in Ireland.  She can be found barefoot on her urban Kentucky farm.

Heather’s Samhain Blog Tour starts October 18th and will run through to Halloween!  She’ll be featured on 12 different jobs either through guest posts, interviews, or reviews and will be offering numerous book giveaways!  Find out her schedule at her blog.

Find me online!

http://heather.bishoffs.com

http://www.facebook.com/heathermarieadkinsauthor

http://www.twitter.com/hmarieadkins

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2564411-heather

The Temple (ebook)

• Amazon
• Amazon UK
• Barnes & Noble
• Smashwords

Abigail (ebook)

• Amazon
• Amazon UK
• Smashwords
• Barnes & Noble