[note from Amalia: In honor of Diana Paz and her book birthday for TIMESPELL, she's telling us a little bit about the monsters of mythology -- more than a few of which appear in her book! Leave a comment and I'll send one lucky commenter a Timespell sticker and bookmark! Plus maybe a Forged by Fate something as well.]
In Greek mythology, animal-like creatures are part of
nearly every legend. Whether it be centaurs, satyrs, or the famed Minotaur,
Greeks of old were plagued by numerous part human, part beasts who reared their
beastly (or humanoid) heads throughout the ancient Mediterranean world.
I’ve always been fascinated by these monster-humans, so
when I thought up the kinds of beasts my main characters would be up against in
my novel, Timespell, I knew they
would be perfect. Creatures of Greek mythology could have the intelligence and
cunning of a human, but with the fearsome horror of a mindless beast, all mixed
into one. Not to mention, incorporating mythology into my fiction is always a win.
But as I researched, I noticed two things. One, there was
a ton of snake action going on in ancient Greece, and two, most of the
creatures involving snakes were either female or possessed typically feminine
qualities.
This led me to wonder, what’s up with all the lady snakes
in Greek mythology? Here are a few of the ones I found the most intriguing:
Gorgons
The most famous of these being Medusa, she and her
sisters, Stheno and Euryale, all three had writhing, living snakes growing like
hair out of their skulls. Born of Phorcys and his sister Ceto, these
monstresses turned men into stone with only a look. Although they're originally
depicted as gruesome and horrific, Ovid gives Medusa’s origin story a tragic
spin, and one I’m not sure I buy into. Medusa was originally a beautiful maiden
who was raped in Athena’s temple by Poseidon. Athena became furious and
punished Medusa by turning her hair into snakes while making her face so
beautiful to behold that any man who looked at her would turn to stone. I don’t
know about that one. Athena, goddess of wisdom… she doesn’t strike me as the
type who would punish a maiden like this, but moreover, what about Medusa’s
sisters, then? Ovid claims that only Medusa had snake hair, but it still
doesn’t jive to me.
Erinyes
Known as the Furies in Roman mythology, the horrifying
Erinyes didn’t make it into the first Timespell
novel, but they will definitely show up throughout the series. Depending on the
origin story, the Erinyes were either born of the blood of Uranus when his
unmentionables were cast into the sea by his son, or they were born of Nyx.
Sometimes referred to without number, the three named Erinyes mentioned in
ancient texts are known as Alecto, Magaera, and Tisiphone. Sometimes depicted
with bat wings or canine bodies, the one thing these ladies always have in
common—other than having eyes that drip blood—is that their waists, arms, and
sometimes hair are wrapped with snakes. They were in charge of meting out
punishment, particularly for crimes against nature, such as patricide and
matricide. They also oversaw netherworld torture.
Echidna
I really like this mega monstress, and as soon as I read
about her I found a place for her in Timespell.
Echidna was depicted as a beautiful, fair-cheeked nymph from the waist up, and
from the waist down she was a snake—sometimes a two-tailed snake. She was often
referred to as the mother of all monsters because she gave birth to so many.
She was also a she-dragon, also known as a drakaina. There are so many cool
things about her, as a monstress villain, particularly that she devours raw
flesh. I love this idea for an evil creature… this lovely, sweet-faced nymph
just horrifically chasing mortals down and eating them raw. That’s some scary
stuff!
So, what is
with all the snakes in Greek mythology and their tendency to be linked up with
homicidal females? What is it about snakes and serpents that lend themselves to
feminine horror? In looking for great monsters to include in my novel, I ended
up with a lot of female snake monsters, and it left me wondering… what kind of godly
psychology might have been behind the creation of all of these female snake
beasts?
In TIMESPELL,
the brash and impulsive Julia must team up with her sweet and straight-laced
best friend, Angie, and the malicious and power-hungry Kaitlyn in order to keep
the witch-like powers of her inheritance. But these powers come at a cost. The
girls are bound to serve the Fates, and their first mission sends them back in
time to Marie Antoinette’s Paris and eventually, into the chaos and war of the French
Revolution.
or your favorite book retailer!
And you can find more of Diana Paz at her website!
[Winner announced HERE on Friday -- comment before 11pm Thursday night! if you don't claim your prize within 7 days, I'll pick someone else!]
I don't have any original Eve art (yet) but I did take a trip to the National Gallery, recently, and found a couple of interesting portrayals, which you all might be interested in.
It isn't until you come to the other side, and see the rigor and strain, the agony of the Apple's gift. Eve is in very real pain -- we see it in the awkwardness of her limbs, and it even looks almost as though she's clutching her head. This is an Eve I can understand and relate too. She isn't coy, or flirtatious, or seductive. She is real, and suffering, and struggling with her choice -- recognizing the reality of what's she's done. This isn't Eve the temptress, this is Eve the woman, waking up in a world that is suddenly, terrifyingly different.
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