all the cool authors reference Norse mythology
I'm doing research into basic Norse mythology, reading stories, reading encyclopedias and short tomes about Scandinavian religion. It's research for a story, just to get a flavor before writing. It's led to some interesting illumination, not to mention an interesting dream last night about me being in Iceland (again; I've visited twice and would happily go again, many times) and T., the guy at the green house with the purple door where I'd hoped to move, but now wasn't the time. I don't have a thing for T., but he is Danish, so perhaps that explains his being there.
Anyway! I knew about Loki, and Thor, knew vaguely of the Valkyries, Ragnarok and Odin. What I didn't realize was just how much Norse mythology is in our modern life (many days of the week are based on people from Norse mythology, and the very name of Hell for the down-below afterlife is named for Hel, a child of Thor and Angrboda) nor exactly how much of it Tolkien used in his works. I've studied The Professor and knew he was highly influenced by it, but in reading stories of the mythologies, he really did pull a lot, even the direct name Narvi, a Second-age Dwarf I've written a fanfiction story about, so the name jumped out to me.
It doesn't stop there! The lovely maculategiraffe in whose Slave Breakers original fic universe I've written several stories, her slave caste swear by (and swear in general) using Norse figures. But until this research, I didn't know the World Ash Tree was Yggdrasill, nor that Sif was Thor's wife. What surprised me more was discovering that in the HP world, the werewolf Fenrir's name is directly taken from norse Mythology, as he is the wolf son of Loki and the frost giantess Angrboda. Over in Wraeththu, I knew Galdra and Pell's son Loki was a direct Norse reference. But Tyr on the other hand, Galdra's brutally and disturbingly murdered chesnari, was the son of Odin and wife Frigg. His Anglo-Saxon name was Tiw, and Tiwesdaeg from Old English became Tuesday.
Lesson over, but I was startled to find out just how many authors whose works I know pretty well daub generously with the paints of Norse mythology.
On the docket for today: some writing, lamenting the meandering, focus-less, several thousands words of insecurity that is my AiA fic which needs to come to an end very soon so I can do a major edit and have it be a worthy entry. In fun stuff, around mid-day I'll be going to a cake extravaganza with evannichols. Hope you all are having a lovely weekend! Special wishes to those at Azkatraz, most of whom are contentedly AFK and enjoying each other's company in real time.
Anyway! I knew about Loki, and Thor, knew vaguely of the Valkyries, Ragnarok and Odin. What I didn't realize was just how much Norse mythology is in our modern life (many days of the week are based on people from Norse mythology, and the very name of Hell for the down-below afterlife is named for Hel, a child of Thor and Angrboda) nor exactly how much of it Tolkien used in his works. I've studied The Professor and knew he was highly influenced by it, but in reading stories of the mythologies, he really did pull a lot, even the direct name Narvi, a Second-age Dwarf I've written a fanfiction story about, so the name jumped out to me.
It doesn't stop there! The lovely maculategiraffe in whose Slave Breakers original fic universe I've written several stories, her slave caste swear by (and swear in general) using Norse figures. But until this research, I didn't know the World Ash Tree was Yggdrasill, nor that Sif was Thor's wife. What surprised me more was discovering that in the HP world, the werewolf Fenrir's name is directly taken from norse Mythology, as he is the wolf son of Loki and the frost giantess Angrboda. Over in Wraeththu, I knew Galdra and Pell's son Loki was a direct Norse reference. But Tyr on the other hand, Galdra's brutally and disturbingly murdered chesnari, was the son of Odin and wife Frigg. His Anglo-Saxon name was Tiw, and Tiwesdaeg from Old English became Tuesday.
Lesson over, but I was startled to find out just how many authors whose works I know pretty well daub generously with the paints of Norse mythology.
On the docket for today: some writing, lamenting the meandering, focus-less, several thousands words of insecurity that is my AiA fic which needs to come to an end very soon so I can do a major edit and have it be a worthy entry. In fun stuff, around mid-day I'll be going to a cake extravaganza with evannichols. Hope you all are having a lovely weekend! Special wishes to those at Azkatraz, most of whom are contentedly AFK and enjoying each other's company in real time.