One of my favorite things in life is mythology…which is probably why I wrote The Ragnarök Prophesies series. I loved getting to delve into this belief system and modernize some of the themes. What, exactly, would Ragnarök look like in the twenty-first century? Who would be called to stand against Fenrir and his beastly offspring, Sköll and Hati? How would those heroes handle it? The Ragnarök Prophesies series explores all of these ideas, and the myths behind them.
But equally as exciting to me was getting to bring some of the creatures from Norse mythology to life. Sköll, Hati, Hugin, Munin, Geri, Freki…there are so many, and each has his (or her) own history and story. It's fascinating to me.
But my love of mythology and mythical creatures doesn't stop with the Norse canon. In belief systems throughout the world, we find sentient creatures who live and fight amongst mankind. And as we've learned over the years, they're not always as mythical as we thought!
In one of my favorite tales, Odysseus and his crew faced extraordinary odds on their journey to their homeland (Ithaca) after defeating the Trojan monarchy and laying waste to Troy. Odysseus and company were captured by Calypso (who wanted to marry Odysseus), forced to battle a Cyclops, contend with angry gods, and required to sail their way through the horrors of Scylla and Charybdis.
If you're familiar with the Odyssey, you know Charybdis was a sea monster who sucked unsuspecting ships into the depths of the ocean via a frightfully powerful whirlpool. Across the strait from this sea monster stood Scylla, a beast with many heads who legend says was no kinder to seafarers than Charybdis. Forced to choose between the two, Odysseus chose to face Scylla, and promptly lost six of his men.
Most believe Scylla and Charybdis were mythical beasts cooked up in Homer's mind, but that's not quite true. In reality, such a dangerous passage exists in the Straits of Messina. On one side sits Charybdis, a whirlpool. On the other sits Scylla, a large grouping of dangerous, rocky shoals. Neither are sea monsters, obviously, but it's not hard to see why Homer thought they were.
And Scylla and Charybdis aren't the only mythical monsters that aren't quite as imaginary as we believed. The world is full of mysterious creatures we've been told don't really exist, but actually kind of do.
Here are some of my favorites.
Hobbits - Remember when you first realized Hobbits weren't real? If you're like me, you were beyond disappointed. But don't count the hobbits out just yet! Several years ago, researchers discovered the bones of a group of tiny people in a cave in the Indonesian island of Flores. These little people stood three feet tall and had skulls one third the size of a modern person. Yes! Hobbitses were real!
The Kraken - In addition to being an ominous sounding monster to release, the Kraken was pretty terrifying to behold, according to those who wrote about this sea creature. In reality, the Kraken myth didn't quite hold up until a Japanese crew filmed a Colossal Squid not long ago, at which point we learned the Kraken might not be so mythical after all. The Colossal Squid can grow to fifty and sixty feet. They also have wickedly sharp hooks up and down their tentacles. Kinda creepy, right?
Dire Wolf - These video game characters are much larger and stronger than their gray wolf counterparts. They're excellent hunters. They're also rather terrifying, but they don't exist. Anymore, that is. Dire wolves were real once upon a time, but they went extinct over 16,000 years ago.
Berserkers - According to Norse myth, the Berserkers were skilled warriors who possessed superhuman strength and prowess on the battlefield. They were hard to kill, and some even turned into frightful wolves in the heat of battle. These bad boys were one of the greatest weapons the Norse people possessed. We've always assumed this was just a myth, but turns out we were wrong. Sort of. The Berserkers didn't turn into wolves, but they did take a powerful hallucinogen that made them the lean, mean, crazy fighting machines history remembers.
*post previously published in 2013
About the Author:
A.K. Morgen is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Ragnarök Prophesies series. She lives in the heart of Arkansas with her childhood sweetheart/husband of sixteen years and their furry minions. When not writing, she spends her time hiking, reading, volunteering, causing mischief, and building a Spork army.
She graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology in 2009 before going on to complete her graduate degree in CJ and Law.
She puts her education to use as a 911 Dispatch Supervisor, where she's responsible for leading a team of dispatchers as they watch over police, EMS, and firefighters for her county.
Ayden also writes steamy romantic suspense under the penname Ayden K. Morgen. You can visit her online at http://akmorgen.com or at the links below.
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About FALL (The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two):
How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?
Those called to stand guard against the end are broken, and Sköll and Hati run free. Now Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews face a threat unlike any before. Ragnarök is coming and they aren't strong enough to stop it.
Arionna thought she understood sacrifice, but she never counted on her destiny tearing Dace apart. Ever since she nearly died, he has been consumed with guilt. Now it threatens to turn him into the monster he always feared.
It's up to Arionna to stop him before it's too late, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and Dace is hurtling toward self-destruction. This time, Arionna isn't sure she can save him from himself.
Can she convince him to let the past go, or is her true destiny to sacrifice her heart in exchange for the lives of the people she loves?
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