Mythology

Readers of The Gemstone Chronicles know that I didn’t use any sparkly vampires, werewolves, or zombies for the guardians of the stolen Elven Bow gemstones. In spite of the popularity of the common monsters, I wanted different monsters. In Book One: The Carnelian, a kelpie guarded the gem. Book Two: The Amethyst had the most familiar creature, a giant named Brendan. Book Three: The Emerald had a strange combination creature, the cockatrice. The final book of the series, The Ruby, the cherufe, a fearsome lava monster, protected the gemstone. However, I like dragons, and had to find a way to get them in the story. I didn’t want the dragons to be necessarily bad or good, and they didn’t even have to be a major player in the books, but they had to be there!

Dragon Lore:

First a little background on dragon lore and history. Dragons have been in the mythology of the world for thousands of years. They permeate Asian and European stories and literature. Who hasn’t seen the dragons as part of Chinese New Year celebrations? Or St. George slaying the Dragon? So where did dragons originate? According to Wikipedia, the word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century. However, the concept of a serpent being overcome by a heroic figure was part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the mythology of the ancient Canaanites, Hittites, and Mesopotamians. Dragon depictions have been found on artifacts in China dating back to the 16th century BC!

Dragon types:

Despite the same name, two distinct groups exist. The European versions are often winged and the Chinese counterparts typically resemble snakes. Most often, the beasts are snakes or reptilian and hatch from eggs. Dragons are often shown as being wiser than humans, have speech capability, have great longevity, guardians of treasure, and many can breathe fire. Heraldry incorporates dragons in Coats of Arms. Even Oliver Cromwell had a winged European dragon in the Coat of Arms of the Protectorate.

Dragons around the world:

There are tons of examples from other cultures, too. Dragons exist in the legends and myths of Japan, Bhutan, Greece, Russia, India, Persia, Korean, and Vietnam, among others. In the Norse Poetic Edda, the wyrm (dragon) Nidhoggr is wrapped around the roots of the One Tree (Yggdrasil).

Modern manifestations of the beasts abound, too. From Tolkien’s Silmarillion and The Hobbit to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, and the fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons, the creatures have captured the imaginations of millions. One of my writer friends (Colin Rutherford) has a fantasy series called Tales of the Neverwar that features dragons. I’ve read the prequel and the first book of the series and they are great! What dragon inspired books do you like?

Dragons are allies of the Drow in The Gemstone Chronicles Book Four: The Ruby. The first dragon in the book is a red dragon, which, in my story, is not the most intelligent of creatures. He breathes fire (and burns trucks, but you have to read the book to discover how it all comes about). Other dragons appear in the story, but mostly play a minor role. One exception to that, but no spoilers from me!

There you have my homage to dragons! I think they are cool and, in the words of the cartographers of old, “Here Be Dragons!”

What are your favorite dragons? Are they treasure guarding beasties? Misunderstood creatures given a bad rap? Truly evil creatures? Leave me a comment and let me know. Share your dragon lore with us!

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Yggdrasil – The World Tree springs from Norse mythology, so it made perfect sense to me to use it as part of the elves story in The Gemstone Chronicles. Referenced in Book One: The Carnelian, by Findecano, the elf freed from the chiastolite fairy cross, the story of Yggdrasil dates back to at least the 13th century, though its first attestation in the Poetic Edda from that time is a compilation from earlier traditional sources (according to Wikipedia). Regardless of the source, I think the tale is fascinating!

Yggdrasil:

Wikipedia says Yggdrasil is a Norse word thought by some to mean Odin’s Horse. Ygg(r) was one of Odin’s many names and drasill means horse. Gallows are sometimes called horse of the hanged, and Norse mythology holds that Odin hanged himself from a tree, so Odin’s gallows becomes Odin’s horse and now you have, Yggdrasil. There are certainly other interpretations, but I kind of like this one! In my book, Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree and provides connection to life and death as a natural cycle for the elves.

About the tree:

Yggdrasil, in the mythology, connects the nine worlds together and is the home to  the wyrm (dragon), an unnamed eagle, and others. The three roots of the tree extend into the well Urðarbrunnr, where the gods gather daily to meet and where the three Norns live, the spring Hvergelmir, that is near Nidhoggr, and finally, the well Mímisbrunnr, which runs to the land of the giants (Jotunheim). I think the wyrm, Nidhoggr, is particularly interesting. The name comes from the Norse word “nid,” which was a term for social stigma and loss of honor. In the mythology, Nidhoggr gnaws at the root of Yggdrasil. The picture below is from an Icelandic manuscript showing Nidhoggr at the roots of Yggdrasil.

The nine worlds:

As mentioned above, Yggdrasil connects the 9 worlds, which are divided into three levels. The highest level is Asgard, home of the Aesir (Gods of the Vikings including Odin), Vanaheim (home of the Vanir), and Alfheim (home of the Light Elves).

The second level consists of Middle Earth (home of the humans and connected to Asgard by the Rainbow Bridge, but no mention of Hobbits). Jotunheim (home of the giants), and Svartalfheim (home of the Dark Elves or Drow). Alfheim figures prominently in Book Four: The Ruby.

The lowest level contains Nidavellir (home of the Dwarves), Niflheim (to the north and somewhere under it is Helheim, home of the dead), and Muspelheim (to the south and home of the fire giants and demons). Here is a picture of how the 9 worlds might be connected.

Yggdrasil (or the World Tree) is not exclusive to Norse mythology, though. According to Wikipedia, there are similar myths among the Siberian shaman and ancient Germanic people. The notion of an eagle atop the tree and a serpent coiled around the roots has parallels in Asian cosmologies.

There you have a brief story of Yggdrasil. Very cool mythology and absolutely fascinating to me. I like to imagine the connections the myths have with events today. It’s a great way to develop story lines and future writing projects!

What are your favorite myths? If you’re a writer, have you used myths in your writing or do you plan to? If you are a reader, what myths do you like to read about? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Connect with me:

If you want to connect with me, I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, or email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. I enjoy getting to know new people and connecting on social media!