Favorite myths

The world is filled with wonderful myths and tall-tales. My personal favorites are anything regarding dragons and the journeys of Odysseus. Myths are amusing. I have no idea how accurate many of them are, though I suppose they probably have a bit of truth to them. Some are called mythology, some urban legends, and others are flat out lies. But, we face myths and legends all the time. Even one of the days of the week is a myth--Thursday ... Thor's day (yup, the god of thunder day).

Sure, I love old myths, but there are plenty of modern ones. There's the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, bumblebees can't fly, a gold pot at the end of any rainbow, and who can forget that the Moon is made of cheese? Ok, sure, I'm having fun with the idea, but all of those are myths of one kind or another. To me, there's a sense of grandeur and fantasy about them, and that's incredibly seductive. Have we forgotten to have a mixture of wonder and delight with old stories?

The famous Loch Ness picture, now know to be a hoax
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Mythology tells of how things began, how they work, creatures in the world, and nearly every aspect of life. Take whatever you want from them, the tales have lasted throughout the centuries and formed the bedrock of many societies. Modern society tends to scoff at "myths" and ignore them completely, but perhaps there's a sound reason these myths persist throughout the years. Many myths are warnings or teachings. Maybe the Loch Ness monster isn't real, maybe it is, but either way I'm not swimming in that place ... I'd rather meet Nessie from the shoreline.

- M

Preparing for the next year ...

It's almost a new year, and so people are thinking of what they plan to do, what they won't do, and how they accomplish it all. It's time for New Year Resolutions, and measuring our past performances. Hopefully we keep things simple and realistic (so, no pledges to surf the waves of Jupiter this year), and truly plan to achieve what we set out to do. I'll be honest, I don't really make resolutions of my own--I just don't see the point--but, that might be changing. I do see value in making long-term plans (even though a single year isn't all that long, really). At least, take the time to consider what you'd like to do.

Some things are easy, like school and work and planned holidays. For me, it's the smaller things that are the most complicated. Why is it so hard to plan cleaning the garage, or seeding the front lawn, or organizing the bookshelf? It seems like whenever obvious road signs are available, then we let those set our goals for us, but when we must set our own goals it's a wrestling match we don't win. I believe that's one of the biggest reasons so very few become ultra-successful in life. People who set goals, strive to achieve them, and then set new goals, are the ones who get things done. Think about it, would you rather have help from someone who never completes anything, or someone who gets things done?

It's also tradition for a new year to bring about a clean state of affairs. It's like getting a do-over in life. Sure, it's just a tradition, but there's a great deal of truth to it. Once in a while, we need to let go of old failures, or successes, and move on to different things. A new year gives permission to do that, in a way that's as simple as a calendar. So, take the leap and jump into the new year with eyes closed, nose plugged, and feet braced. Who knows? Maybe you'll land in a pool of strawberry jam ...

- M

The awe and majesty of our universe. Eclipse totality reaction.

Yesterday, a solar eclipse graced the Midwest portion of the United States. I've never seen one before. When I was young, I saw a partial eclipse and thought, "That's it? A bit of the Sun was scooped out and put back? Big deal." I was wrong. Incredibly wrong. Self-assuredly wrong. My problem was thinking I knew all about the amazing activities in our sky. Seeing the totality of the Sun's eclipse took my breath away, stomped on my intelligence, and turned me into a gibbering mound of astonishment.

The best picture I captured of the eclipse.

If you've seen pictures of a total eclipse, then you mentally know what to expect. You know the Sun's corona is visible, in a dark sky, and darkness will envelop the area around you. But, that's just the cold facts. Reality is very different. Crickets begin chirruping, roosters may crow, sudden chill sweeps over you, and the Sun gradually goes out. Incredibly, the Sun dwindles to a sliver, then a line, and then a single point, yet while the Sun shows any light at all there is more than enough light to see. And, then, night falls within seconds. The Sun's single point disappears and there is nothing. Suddenly, where the Sun should be, a brilliant halo glows in the night.

Yes, a halo. I find no other description of what I saw. No wonder the ancients felt vast wonder and placed religious significance on the eclipse of the Sun. I was struck dumb at the sight. All is dark around you, the sky goes from light to night without any stars and only a marvelous halo floating above you. I'll never forget it. My children and I will have this memory for the rest of our lives. Was it worthwhile to travel hours and hours to see a couple minutes of celestial activity. Absolutely! I'd do it again in an instant.

- M

The impressive power of legends

Why do the construction of the Pyramids in Giza still capture worldwide interest? Why does the story of the Titanic sinking make us hold our breath? Do dragons set your mind ablaze? All these things are legends, which means they are based on fact but may not be entirely true. Yes, the Pyramids are obviously true constructions, but how were they made? The Titanic was a real ship and definitely sank, yet how did it all happen? King Arthur is a real historical figure, but are all the tales accurate?

The Great Pyramids

I think the reason these legends have such appeal is due to their inherent mysteries. Legends generally aren't solved beyond all doubt, leaving plenty of room for theories and wild speculations. This makes people want more, whatever the reliability, to gain a better understanding. And so, the legends grow greater and more grand. After a while it's difficult to separate legend from outright myth. What wonderful resources for aspiring authors!

I collect all sorts of reference materials, but particular anything regarding folktales and old stories. You never know when something will jump out at you and demand to be told. The more you pay attention, the greater your ability to draw from experience to fashion your own legends. Plus, you will educate yourself in the process ... it's a win-win scenario!

- M

Why do we sometimes label characters as "deep" and "complex" and not others?

Carl Spitzweg's "The Bookworm"

I've noticed a trend in storytelling of providing extensive history and backstory for fantasy and science fiction worlds. The question is: how much is needed? One of my favorite characters in all stories is "Luke Skywalker." Ask yourself how much we know about this farm boy? Well, nothing beyond a vague reference to a father Obi Wan knew (and that Luke is a good pilot). Yet, the audience has no trouble at all with accepting Luke for what he is. The fact that there's no history and backstory doesn't matter, because we understand what Luke's goals and motivations are.

Some fiction worlds are vast, such as Tolkien's "Middle Earth," Martin's "Westeros", and Niven's "Known Space." Each of these universes have huge histories and that backstory impacts the stories. While such massive history is undeniably interesting, does it automatically grant complex and deep characters? Nope. I've found that these terms are a bit ... misguided. How do you quantify such a determination? You really can't. In my thinking, these terms are gauges of the strength of our connection to the characters. If that connection is strong, then we tend to think the characters deep and vibrant. If we don't care, then what does it matter if they have extensive backstories? Do we know what the character's goals are and why they want them?

New writers are often told to give their characters a quirk and a physical description. Why? Well, the audience needs something to remind them of the important people--pick well and those quirks can become the only history you need. Think of "Indiana Jones" ... did you immediately remember how he pulled his gun and shot the sword fighter? Funny thing, that scene was improvised--an extensive sword fight was to ensue, but the director loved the improv and so history was made. On the opposite end, we have "Charles Foster Kane" from "Citizen Kane" and we literally see his entire life, and the effect is immense--the movie often considered the greatest movie ever made--and it's because the audience knows all about him.

My point is not to discourage histories and backstory, only to caution that like any big undertaking you need to have a reason for what you do. If it adds value to the story, then go for it, but don't do so simply because it's expected.

- M

Medieval weapons ... romantic or brutally effective?

I collect swords because I find them beautiful and I enjoy slicing potatoes out of the air with them. Yup, I really do that. And, anyone who visits gets to do it too. It's kind of a thing we do at my house. I've also collected a few other items, like a battle axe, a mace, and a flail. One thing's become crystal clear regarding these weapons: these things are ruthlessly effective instruments of war. These things don't play around.

Castilian Sword from Museum Replicas

You've probably seen movies where the hero gets smacked in the face with a mace. What's not shown is how the hero wouldn't have a face left afterwards. For a long time I wouldn't display the flail (which is a spiked ball on a chain, attached to a long handle) because it's the single most brutal weapon I've ever seen. The thing is, when these weapons were created they weren't for play or beauty; this was warfare and not games. But, with the comfort of many intervening years, these items become less utilitarian and more curiosities.

 

I wonder if today's weapons will have the same fate? Will people many years from now look at our guns and tanks and think, "huh, I could put those on my wall." Maybe. There is something to learn though, and that's how incredible our concept of beauty is. Just think about. Technology is a sort of art. It follows that war technology would eventually fall into the same category. Catapults, once used to destroy castles, are now being used to throw pumpkins! (Punkin Chunkin') I think it's a testimony to the resilience of we human beings how we can turn what once took lives into something new that creates joy and pleasure. As a side note, there are two pumpkins on our porch that desperately require a few good slices to fit into the trash cans... hee hee.

 

- M

When does conserving history mean altering it?

I was watching a documentary about the Titanic sinking and was struck by the state of the wreck these days. There is a natural process whereby sunken metal is digested by bacteria and altered. It looks very much like stalactites in a cave (here's a neat article about the rusticles). What is happening is that the Titanic is being lost to natural decay. There's already a prohibition on removing anything from the wreck, but this new discovery poses the question: "Should we stop natural decay to preserve history?" Doesn't stopping the decay alter history?

Prow of the R.M.S. Titanic
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Funny how fragile history has become. We see destruction of monuments and are enraged, yet isn't nature doing the same thing on a constant basis? What about oral history, which changes and is lost as easily as forgetting a phone number. I remember when they were restoring the Sistine Chapel ceiling that they discovered Michelangelo's original paint was actually very garish and bright, which decades of candle smoke dulled, and they actually stopped because we didn't want to see the original--having grown accustomed to the smoked out dullness.

 

History has always been sensitive to how it's presented. I've seen the same points represented completely differently, simply by having someone else show it. Don't believe me, just go to a national park and listen to various park rangers tell the history (we all put focus on different areas, don't we?).

 

It's worthwhile to consider such things, because one thing is definitely true about all history--it won't happen again.

 

- M

Romantic days and times; always in the past?

"The Accolade" by Edmund Blair Leighton

It's curious to see how many stories of romance and chivalry take place in the Middle Ages. Some are more recent, but there's strange appeal in stories set long ago. For some reason, we humans love to think only of the grand and lovely things long gone. Plus, we have impressively short memories for harsh and difficult days. I think that's why we romanticize about them. And, as storytellers, we get to use known settings for absolute fiction. Daily life from 200 years ago is barely documented, so why not make stories in those settings? Plus, doing so gives the hint of credibility--even to fiction.

My wife loves reading stories from the Pioneer days in America, and I love mythology from the Greeks and Romans. Because of her, I've enjoyed the "Anne of Green Gables" stories and movies (yes, I actually like them and am not pretending). It's great to expand your story horizons. Plus, there's all of history to fool around with, and so the world's your playground. Setting it in the past provides the skin of possibility with the stuffing of fact.

 

Romance is found wherever you want it, place it, or find it. Somehow, it's tough to cast romance into the future (science fiction tends to be, well, science oriented fiction and not romance). I'm not talking about the fluffy, frilly sort either, but the deeper kind most everyone really desires. Strange how it's discovered so often in the past. Well, that's not awful. History should be remembered, even if it's colored by optimism. At least some of the past carries forward.

 

- M

Old photos of yourself that prove you really are ... copied by a gawky robot.

As I've grown older, one thing has become very obvious. Old pictures of me are a conspiracy. Those couldn't be me. They're some sort of alien, or robot, or clone. I refuse to believe I was ever that skinny, or narrow, or ... erm ... good looking. Okay, that last bit was actually true, but how is it possible I was ever that person? It just isn't possible. The only explanation is a goofy robot was put in my place, and I think I'm being generous. 

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I do realize we change and grow and spread out, but sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous. I look at my wedding pictures and wonder who I'm looking at. Only my wife is recognizable. I don't know who the weird bloke is beside her. And, how dare he kiss my wife! Furthermore, why do I have a picture of him doing it?

 

Maybe it's an alien? Could be. I'm a bit foggy of that day's particular events. I truly only remember my wife's face. (Hint: that's a great brownie-point technique for when we men do something awfully wrong, like forgetting a birthday or not buying flowers for our anniversaries.)

 

So, by extension, I think it's safe to say we've been invaded by alien robots. Even worse, the conspiracy is they take our places in photos for the devious purpose of making us doubt our own existence. What could be more horrible? I think we need to round up all our old photos and burn them, yet can't quite get myself to doing it. It's possible it's not a conspiracy--

 

- M

Choreographed fighting, the art of combat

I love stories with good fighting scenes. Many fantasy and science fiction stories feature large scale battles, and then of course military history. There's a chance you'll find action scenes in any story, even romance stories, oddly. Wherever you find them, fights heighten the tension while driving the story forward. Hopefully it's all exciting and thrilling, while providing a sense of genuine danger.

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 The odd thing about story fighting is that the result is basically known from the start--the good guys win and the bad guys lose. Now, there are times when that doesn't happen, but it's so reliable I doubt many audiences are even worried about it. Even so, I can't believe I'm the only one thrilled with the large battles in the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy? Probably the most suspenseful fights are the ones between evenly matched combatants and in the middle of a story. There's no telling how such fights will end, because there's still lots of time left to fix any loss.

 

Another great aspect of such choreographed fighting is that it isn't all that realistic. After all, does anyone seriously expect lightsaber duels to be so balletic? Nah, but who cares? It's entertaining, and that's the goal. Such warfare can be totally insane, breaking reality without regard, and still be useful to the story. In a way, reality is boring and far too quick. Dropping a bomb on something isn't nearly as interesting story wise as sending in an army (which is probably why most fantasy tends toward less modernized military).

 

However it's done, the art of combat is secondary to the art of the story itself.

 

- M

Cartography -- ie. mapmaking

Have you ever looked at really old maps? Especially ones without North America on them. They have really interesting parts, such as the famous "Here be dragons" and vague boundaries of Africa and other areas. There was so much unknown at those times, and it's interesting to imagine how this changed as the world became understood. I wonder what it was like not to know? Going into the darkness must have taken real courage. After all, dragons were real, weren't they?

 

Do we still have that kind of unknown now? Yes, there's space and the vast areas underwater. I think we all have a primal fear of large vistas of water, because who knows what's underneath. And space, wow, it's totally empty, hostile, and filled with unexpected terrors. But, also very beautiful. The unknown is like that, I think. When you really come face-to-face with it, there's a surprising beauty to be found. Well, unless it's a zombie or some kind of space vampire or something--that wouldn't be nice at all.

 

I'd love to collect old maps. They are works of art, and relics of a bygone era. The world will never again look strange and unknown. And, there are stories hidden in those maps, secrets to find, and mysteries to solve. Mostly, they're history and I'd love to own a small piece of it. Funny, I never expected I'd want to learn more history, but I do. Truly, knowing the past helps us know the future. And, it's like time travelling, with art at your side.

 

- M