AN IMAGINATION FIRED BY MYTHICAL WORLDS

Early morning coffee

When I was a kid I loved stories set around myths. I don’t know how many books I've read in my lifetime on various pantheons of gods and goddesses. I loved the worlds set around them. Magic and lore. 

I've always loved Boris Vallejo's work.

My imagination was always fired by stories of mythical animals and things like the mythical world of fairies and elves of the Celtic lore. I collected pictures or checked books out of the library and drew or painted some of the pictures or pictures based on what I read from my imagination from these stories.

Much of my artwork, through my teen years, involved women warriors with various magical creatures, some not from this world but from portals opening into alternate worlds. I made up a lot of stories about such worlds. To me finding and taming a magical creature always held a special appeal. Hagrit (from Harry Potter) and I are kindred spirits. Probably because I had a close affinity to animals to begin with and just imagine one with magic or telepathy (which all my imagined creatures had). Lol!

Dragons have always held special place in my heart. I love them. I have a dragon mascot sitting on my computer in my office. I have posters too. I’m afraid I was highly incensed with the perception of dragons being something that brave knights killed. 

Uh, no. 

To me dragons were majestic and honorable. It wasn't until I was well into adulthood that a friend, who was involved with astrology and in the process of learning all about the Chinese end of things, told me I was a dragon. 

Hmm, okay, makes sense.

I was visiting my brother over the weekend and I talk about stories I think of or ideas—very normal for me because I always told the *little kids* stories as we grew up. They were my captive audience. They cheered ohh and aahhed and begged for more.

My brother reminded me of a series of stories I made up and told to them about shifters like wolves and cougars, cats with magical powers, and my mighty dragon warriors. You know, I’d forgotten much of it until he reminded me of one his favorite stories. My other two brothers were there and reminded me of my stories of Merlin, King Arthur and the round table and the very unique knights.

Women warriors also figured prominently in these tales. It was fun listening to them recount various stories I told.

My son was all round eyed. He told them of the stories I’d tell him when he was three onward about Lobo the wolf. Lobo was the protector of Jake in all the stories and adventures. Of course, my son found all sorts of trouble and hairy situations to get into when he was little and I wished I had a Lobo to watch over him. Lobo was loosely based on my own half Husky/wolf, Micah. But unlike Micah, Lobo was telepathic. Jake shared with them a "really cool" story idea I had been talking about to him the past few months and this time he added elements to the story. Will I write it? I’m in the process of another one right now, but I do have this one and the world outlined, so yes, I probably will soon.

• Don't you love imagination? So what fires your imagination?

 

Luis Royo is another favorite of mine and of course it's a woman warrior.

MONDAY MUSINGS: THE NATURAL ART OF STORYTELLING

I love listening to and reading stories. Storytelling is as old as language. There is a rich history behind storytelling. To tell a story is as natural as breathing for people. Some are better than others, but we all tell them in one form or another.

Throughout history, narratives were used to entertain, teach, and build a community identity. Storytellers were often revered in their community because they were the source of current news, holder of traditions, the historians, teachers, the holder of religious beliefs, and the entertainers.

Early storytelling combined stories, poetry, music, and dance. Communities were strengthened and maintained through stories that connected the present, the past and the future.

We’re used to books, TV, and other electronic forms for history, religion, news, and entertainment choices. It’s hard to imagine a world without them. At the end of the workday we might eat our evening meal while telling our family about our day and then sit and watch a show on TV, listen to music, or read a book.

I imagine it wasn't so different thousands of years ago. Eating either in a community or family setting talking about the day. It was a time to express their worries, fears, beliefs, and explain the world they faced and usually through narratives. Just as today kids want to hear stories of what the world was like when their parents were young, so it was then. People wanted the tales of the traditions, battles, heroism, and the funny things that made the audience giggle or laugh. These tales draw people together in strength and unity.

Songs are a form of storytelling and were used to make work go by faster. The use of work songs is a very old practice. Some of the songs were songs of praise for the gods to make the crops grow, the hunt successful, to bring in the fish to the nets. Others were rhythmic chants to keep minds focused in unity of purpose and hands steady in planting or harvesting, perhaps cutting or making materials for building. Tough and repetitive jobs are easier with such chants. We still see vestiges of this practice in various cultures. Even the U.S. military use chants to perform marches and other repetitive tasks. At any given time, if you visit a military training installation, you’ll hear chants echoing around you. If you listen carefully you can tell the difference between the battalions by sound of their chants. It’s not hard to see how different people of old had their own style and rhythm.

Telling stories is natural for us. We use narratives when relaying something to friends or family in letters or notes, or telling our kids tales from our wild childhood. Hunters and fishermen tell some great tales. There are those who excel at telling stories. They have down the embellishments, tone, and method of telling a good story. Those few, just as with the ancients, are the entertainers. The bards of today.

There is a rich history of storytellers in various cultures and some still exist today. 

But that’s a tale for another time.