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ettawritesnstudies · 4 years ago

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WIP influences tag

thanks @kittensartswriting and @siarven for the tag! I think the rules are just that you ramble about a few influences for your WIPs so I’m going to do this for The Laoche Chronicles as a whole, including both Storge and the main trilogy that I really need to name.

Life stuff!

Sometimes (a lot of the times) reality is stranger than any fiction I could come up with, and so one of my favorite things to do is take scary and relevant irl situations and then recontextualize them in a fantasy world to get a different POV (and give the characters dealing with them a happy ending). For example in Storge: what would a world look like where sexism and racism don’t really exist, but there’s serious systematic oppression based on magic and religion? How does a healthy vs unhealthy family deal with a crisis? how does a society get so polarized? For Laoche: I was sitting in Calc AP my senior year listening to my friends complain about the upcoming test when someone said “I’d kill to get into X program” and my first thought was “hmm. what if?”

This sort of stuff is the driving force behind the themes in all of my stories. No matter how fantastical it gets, it’ll always have that relatable basis in reality to ground readers in the story.

This is going to get long so there’s more under the cut...

Mythology and religion:

This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one given how many religions and variations on religions I worldbuild for this world but the way people understand the supernatural and approach concepts like faith and hope and a higher power fascinate me. Also a really weird thing that I’ve noticed reading modern literature as a devout Catholic (especially YA novels) is that it’s very commonly sterile and secular for some reason? I only realized this after going back to classics this year like Dracula and being surprised when characters write prayers into their diary entries. This shouldn’t have surprised me becasue that’s something I do, but after consuming so much modern media and then going back to it, I found myself weirdly missing how much faith was intrinsically baked into society back then, for better or for worse, because it adds a really interesting dimension to how characters view the world.

which leads into my next point...

The Sword and Serpent Series by Taylor Marshall and pretty much anything Hannah Heath has ever written (names are links to their books)

I don’t actually like Christian fiction like 90% of the time. A lot of it is written by writers from different protestant denominations which is fine, but sometimes the theology has me going ????, or the genres are just not my thing, and regardless of the denomination it all runs the risk of being really really preachy. (sorry, Narnia, that means you too). These two writers are outliers and I want to be like them when I grow up.

Hannah Heath is a scifi/fantasy/dystopian writer who actively goes out of her way to tell good stories that also happen to have a Christian theme so that they avoid that preacher pitfall, and her worldbuilding and prose are spectacular. She also tackles a lot of hard themes and is a huge disability advocate which is incredible! I haven’t read all of her works yet but I’m slowly working through them. Skys of Dripping Gold made me cry a few different times and it’s a novella.

Sword and Serpent is a trilogy historical fiction retelling of the St. George and the Dragon that ALSO deals with the political climate the Roman empire in 333AD and it’s FANTASTIC. There are saint cameos everywhere and if you know their stories it’s really cool to spot them even if you don’t recognize their period-accurate names, and it does a great job of showing how much the underground church relied on each other to survive. The character arcs and dynamics are amazing, the way it blends mythos and reality is amazing, and my (unfairly underrated imo) confirmation saint, Catherine of Alexandria, is a main character in the 2nd book so what more could you want??

Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan and The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

moreso for Laoche than Storge but these were my favorite book series in middle school when I first came up with the story and their general genre inspired a lot of what Laoche eventually would become. Grand adventures with epic final battles, a small band of heroes trying to save a kingdom becasue they have the knowledge of how, and earning the trust and help of other people through their heroic actions. Swords and magic and bows and knifes and cool capes/cloaks and horses and castles and all that good Fantastical Medieval Aesthetic stuff I absolutely ate up as a kid. Also Alexander’s mastery of voice with the different characters and Taran’s character arc and the platonic love and banter in RA have me dying every time every time I reread them. Good quality fun all around

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Didn’t influence me in time for Storge but now I’m rehauling everything in Laoche becasue I’m ~inspired~. I can’t speak to the extent to which it’ll influence me yet but I expect it’s going to be a LOT. Thanks Jana XD

Honorable Mentions:

J.R.R. Tolkien because what list of influences for a Catholic high fantasy author would be complete without him? This explains itself I think

Avatar the Last Airbender and everything about the way it handles themes and characterization. Also self explanatory because it’s the best

So many??? people here on writeblr! I am so inspired by everyone who is brave enough to put their writing out there and I have read stuff on here that’s better than published books. It would take too long to name everyone, but just assume that if you’re reading this and you got this far in the post I mean you.

A lot of classic literature? Not a direct influence per se but the writing style is something I want to emulate. Some of my favorites are The Count of Monte Christo, Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities, Frankenstien (sans Victor’s incessant whining), The Divine Comedy, A BUNCH of scifi stuff by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells I loved in middle school and need to reread, and Little Women.

movies and music should also probably go here but that’s a rant for a different day. I take more general vibes and aesthetics from those.

Tagging (no pressure though!): @andiwriteunderthemoon @abalonetea @inkwell-attitude @zielenbloesem

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didanawisgi · 8 years ago

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The African origin of heroes, super and otherwise

July 7, 2011

by J.D. Jackson

Historically, heroes – super-powered or not – come in all shapes and sizes. But what about colors? If we allow your standard history book and Hollywood small and silver screen productions to answer that question, the overall answer would be that the color is only one – white. Black heroes, it seems, do not exist.

But nothing could be further from the truth, especially for the sharp-witted student of world history or even popular culture. For such a person – though not without long-lived hard work and patience, intense study and research, and steel-spined dedication – would discover that throughout time immemorial, the Black hero – real and imagined – repeatedly appears and impacts culture as well as individuals who either welcome or disregard his or her heroic appearance, words and/or deeds.

Speaking of words, some scholars now agree that the very word “hero” comes from an African (Black) word and an African god. The 19th century scholar, Gerald Massey, states that the word “hero” comes from the Egyptian, “ma haru,” meaning “the typical warrior” or the “true hero.” Whereas another scholar states that the word “hero” is derived from the Latin name of a Greek word for the African god, Heru or Hor, who most Egyptologists call “Horus the hawk, the avenger.”

Interestingly enough, the hawk is an ancient and sacred bird of Africa, particularly Ethiopia, and what the late but legendary African world history scholar, Dr. Chancellor Williams, calls “Ethiopia’s oldest daughter, Egypt.”

Furthermore, based on the testimony of the Greek historian, Herodotus – often dubbed the “father of history” – and other scholars past and present, the very names – if not the very same gods, Greek then Roman, under different names – of the gods from Greek and Roman mythology came from, or were heavily influenced by, the ancient Egyptian and African mythology which predated them.

Those African-derived Greco-Roman gods would consequently serve as the backbone of today’s multi-billion dollar superhero comic book and movie industry.

Obatala, God of Yoroba mythology.But the unmatched impact of Black heroes, real and fictional, would not stop in Greek and Roman mythology or even in Western society today. It would encompass both Asia and the Far East too. Whereas there is little, if any, hardcore evidence that King Arthur truly lived, in the Asian country of Saudi Arabia, there is evidence that over 1,500 years ago, there lived a courageous, 6th century, Black or Afro-Arabic warrior-poet and lover named Antar.

History has dubbed him the “father of knighthood … [and] chivalry” and “the king of heroes.” Greatly admired by the founder and prophet of Islam, Muhammad, he is still widely celebrated for his poetry and warrior spirit throughout the Arab world today.

Those African-derived Greco-Roman gods would consequently serve as the backbone of today’s multi-billion dollar superhero comic book and movie industry.

Then, in the Far East – China, specifically – during the 9th century, there lived a writer named Pei Xing. Although there is virtually no proof that he was Black, during the Tang Dynasty of said century he wrote what some have called “China’s first martial arts short story,” entitled “Kunlun Nu.” It means the “Negrito,” “little Negro” or “little Black” slave and its hero is an enslaved Black man who can fly and has incomparable martial arts skills – just as in the traditional Chinese martial arts films of the 1960s and ‘70s, if not in earlier and even in modern-day movies.

Then there’s Japan, where this ancient but little-known proverb was found: “For a samurai [warrior] to be brave, he must have a bit of Black blood.” Another version says: “For a samurai to be brave, he must have half Black blood,” meaning one of his parents must be Black.

We also find in Japan a noted Black warrior who historians have called “the paragon of military virtue,” a Japanese general and the first person to bear the Japanese title of sei-i tai shogun – meaning “barbarian-subduing generalissimo.” His name was Sakanouye Tammamura Maro, sometimes spelled Sakanouye No Tamuramaro.

Furthermore, let’s not forget about the only “thoroughly documented amazons in world history,” the women warriors of Dahomey, who were West African women often serving as the king’s bodyguards and who, unlike the Grecian “amazons” and the comic book “amazon,” Wonder Woman, truly lived.

And what about the beautiful, fictional or factual, Black warrior-queen, Califia – after whom the state of California is said to be named; or Nzinga, a lioness-hearted Angolan warrior-queen, who fought against the Portuguese for decades to keep them from enslaving her people? Nzinga lived. Xena, the warrior-princess, did not.

Nor let us ignore the Black steel-driving man, John Henry, who not only – according to legend – beat a steam-driving machine with his hammer in his hand, but – according to one scholar – serves as the model for both Superman and Captain America, who is called the “first avenger” in the trailer for the movie to be released July 22.

Then there’s the Black Frenchman, Alexandre Dumas père, who wrote both “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which both influenced fictional characters such as Mickey Spillane’s private eye, Mike Hammer, Ian Fleming’s super spy, James Bond, and characters created by the cowboy novelist, Zane Grey.

But what about the gun-slinging, outlaw-catching – catching between 3,000 and 4,000 outlaws – greatly feared, highly respected, often disguised, Black deputy marshal – serving for over 30 years – Bass Reeves? Says one scholar, Reeves may have served as the model for both the Lone Ranger and the Rooster Cogburn characters in the novel and movie, “True Grit.”

And let’s not fail to acknowledge the literal and literary hijacking, if not outright theft, by movie productions of African people’s centuries-long struggle against racial oppression, especially the Civil Rights Movement. Examples of such productions, if not parodies, are the “Planet of the Apes,” “Matrix” – an idea which allegedly was written by and stolen from a Black woman named Sophia Stewart – and “X-Men” movies.

And not one movie has been made about the late Henrietta Lacks, whose legendary cells are considered to be the world’s “first immortal cell lines,” reproducing on their own, adding billions to the coffers of medical researchers and research companies, and having been instrumental in the developments of the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, gene mapping and the possible cure for cancer, if not AIDS. It’s her mutated cells – the He-La cells, if you will – that should be the subject of a major motion picture, or several of them.

Truly heroic, African-centered people should make movies about her, her poverty-stricken family and the other Black heroes and she-roes, real and imagined, that may or may not have been mentioned.

For they, like Robert F. Williams – the Black, Marine Corps trained weapons expert and stalwart, armed self-defense advocate and major but little-known Civil Rights Movement activist – clearly indicate that Black heroes do exist, should be studied and known and their lives should be written about and filmed for the small or silver screen by African people. It’s important for us to restore what the Afro-Puerto Rican bibliophile, Arthur Schomburg, once said “slavery took away” – our sense of humanity, self-worth and undying willingness to work together and improve the overall dismal plight of the world’s 1 billion-plus African (Black) people – as crafted by anyone’s hand, mind or faith – come hell or high water. Such people are the real heroes – walking, talking and doing superheroes.

This is dedicated to Brother Obadela Williams, who suggested research on this topic over 20 years ago.

Source: http://sfbayview.com/2011/07/the-african-origin-of-heroes-super-and-otherwise/

#mythology #sumerian mythology #Greek Mythology #american mythology #ancient egypt #superman #african mythology #sociology #egyptian mythology

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thelastdiadoch · 8 years ago

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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES AMONG THE HAUDENOSAUNEE (IROQUOIS)

This excerpt is from my post: ‘THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY: THE RED ROMANS AND THE RED COATS’.

For yet another Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) religious society, see an excerpt about: ‘THE FALSE FACE SOCIETY’. (the standing masked figure pictured above is an example)

BUSHY HEADS/HUSK FACE SOCIETY

The ‘Bushy-Heads’ are a religious society within the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy: Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga and the Cayuga) which represented a group of spirits that focused on hunting and agriculture. The latter is represented by the fact that these masks were made of braided or woven corn husk. This is what granted them one of their other names, the ‘Husk Faces’. They were also seen as messengers of the agricultural ‘Three Sister Spirits’; corn, squash and beans. Their ceremonies involved water; they would sprinkle water on their patients in order to heal, cleanse and nourish them, again relating to agriculture. (example of this member is shown above, the crouching masked figure)

‘IDOS MEDICINE SOCIETY’

The ‘Idos Medicine Society’ was similar to the ‘Midewiwin Medicine Society’ of the Algonquin speaking Natives west of the Iroquois that I mentioned in another post [LINK]. This group however was not a single group but incorporated several different groups, an example being the ‘Company of Mystic Animals’. The origins of this society stems from a tale of the ‘Good Hunter’ that was killed by another person and was then revived by the animals of the forest.

^ Osprey – ‘Men-at-Arms’ series, issue 395 – Tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy by Michael G. Johnson and Jonathan Smith (Illustrator).

The ‘Company of Mystic Animals’ had a variety of different mask variants, many of which were in the form of animals, they performed rituals to maintain the balance between man, nature and animals by performing specific dances meant to keep them happy. During their rituals they would carry and toss red-hot stones and use corn-husk dolls to mimic dancing. Wearing masks without eye-holes, they were able to dance around the Longhouse and pick up objects previously hidden by members. During ceremonies if someone (usually new members) would laugh and mock the dancer as they doubted their abilities. The dancer, while virtually blindfolded, would cut the strings of the skirt of the offender’s doll. Being that the masks lacked eye-holes they wouldn’t notice this till later as the other members begin laughing because the offender’s skirt or pants were also mysteriously cut, leaving them exposed.

‘SOCIETY OF THE LITTLE PEOPLE’

The members of these masked societies were lured there either by dreams that they believed showed them their destiny or by way of a seer that saw it in them. Not all of these groups wore masks though, one of these was a group known as the ‘Society of the Little People’. Being that the members were known to sing and dance in dimly lit areas and at night, they were also referred to as ‘Dark Dancers’.

^ Land of the Iroquois by John Buxton.

The Jogäoh or ‘Little People’ were small nature spirits that are usually invisible to us, only revealing themselves to us when they wish to – usually to children, the elderly and medicine men. Those that treated their homelands with respect and left them offerings of tobacco would aid farmers with their crops and protect man from dangerous and often unseen monsters or spirits. There are various types of these powerful spirits, each defending those who cared for them or their environment while harming those that endangered their ecosystem, either directly or indirectly (by not protecting you from monsters and spirits).

The Gandayah were spirits that protected vegetation from pests and sickness, and are especially associated with strawberries. There was a spring festival known as the Strawberry Ceremony (Middle of May) in which these spirits were thanked for providing them with strawberries, there would be dancing and music which these spirits would join in, thought unseen, they were heard. They were also known as messengers since they would take on the form of certain living creatures and visit man bringing warnings; robins were a sign of good fortune, owls warned the opposite while bats represented a life-and-death struggle.

The Gehonga dwelled in and around caves, rivers, streams and rocks; they were known for their strength and competitive nature, loving contests and sports. The third type were the Ohdowas who dwelled underground and are similar to the European myths of fairy rings or elf circles as they would arise at night and dance around leaving rings where vegetation would no longer grow (Elves in Germanic mythology, though some tales speak of them leaving a ring of flowers) or leaving a ring of mushrooms (fairies in Celtic mythology). Another similar feature is that if someone watches them dance or spends time with them, time passes either very rapidly (hours into years) or very slowly (days where time never passes). The underworld they dwelled in was believed to have been a forest inhabited with wildlife.

If there are any errors please privately inbox me so I can update it. As always, if you’d like to read or learn about any specific historical subjects just let me know what they are and I will take note of them.