Twice Upon A Time—Fairytales Reimagined and Remastered

Joshua Allen Mercier at The Bearded Scribe Press has put together an anthology featuring over forty authors putting new spins on classic tales, which I am incredibly honored to be a part of. You’ll see some well-known fairytales and some less familiar myths. My story is a fantasy retelling of Deborah from the Old Testament, complete with my trademark touch of strong heroines, adventure, and redemption. I hope you’ll check it out!

 

Not all stories end happily ever after, and not all stories only happen once upon a time. Sometimes Beauty is the only hope to save the Beast–not from a curse, but something darker. Other times, there’s a reason why Sleeping Beauty is slumbering–and waking her could quite possibly be the worst thing the Prince could have done…

Join Joshua Allen Mercier and The Bearded Scribe Press as they bring you on a whirlwind ride through fairytale and folklore, myth and majick. Treasured stories from your childhood are revisited and remastered into newly-treasured tales go hope and heartache, of adversity and adventure.

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Nereids

The Nereids are sea nymphs of the Mediterranean.  It was said there were fifty of these daughters to Nereus and the nymph Doris, and they lived with their father in an underwater dwelling.  These young and beautiful maidens were also part of Poseidon’s retinue.  They either had lovely blue hair, or striking golden hair, depending on what you read.  Individually, they are also said to represent various aspects of the sea: foam, brine, currents, shores, etc.  Unlike some mermaid and siren myths, the Nereids gave aid to sailors and fishermen and were therefore worshiped in port towns.

Nereid riding Sea Bull via/ wikipedia

Art often depicts them riding various sea creatures, from dolphins to sea monsters such as Cetus.  In addition to having power over the sea, they inherited the ability to shape shift from their father.

Thetis is the most famous and sometimes called the leader of the Nereids.  Peleus sought her for a bride and managed to capture her.  She changed shape repeatedly, becoming water, fire, a lioness, and a serpent, but still Peleus held fast and did not let her go.  So, she finally consented to marry him.  Later, she gave birth to Achilles.

For more information and images of the Nereids, you can check out theoi.com.

In Elemental Magic, Aileen begins having visions of her deceased mother.  She chalks it up to stress, until an encounter with a sea dragon—Cetus to be precise—has her questioning if perhaps her mother wasn’t human like she thought.  And if she’s the half-daughter of a Nereid, what does that mean for her?

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Cetus the Sea Dragon

Cetus, derived from Ketos, is the Latin name given to multiple sea monsters that appear in Greek mythology, from a serpentine dragon to a blubbering whale monster.

There are two primary tales regarding this creature, and though they feature different characters, the stories are quite similar.  In the first, Queen Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter, Andromeda, was more beautiful than any of the Nereides, sea nymphs that made up Poseidon’s retinue.  As punishment, Poseidon sent the sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the land.  In order to appease the sea-god, Andromeda was left on the rocks as a sacrificial offering to the sea dragon.  Luckily, Perseus was returning from slaying Medusa, and he swooped in on Pegasus to save the girl, slaying the dragon by turning it to stone.

In the second, very similar tale, Poseidon had hidden in human form and helped King Laomedon build the walls of Troy.  When the king refused to pay Poseidon for his help, the sea-god sent Cetus as punishment.  Again, it was decided that the only way to get rid of the monster was to offer the king’s daughter as a sacrifice.  (It never bodes well for princesses, does it?)  This time, the hero Hercules swoops in to save the day and slays the beast.

Cetus can also be found amongst the constellations, though his form in the stars is that of the gigantic whale monster.  He lies in the region of the sky where several other water-related constellations are, such as Aquarius and Pisces.

In the movie Clash of the Titans, Cetus is interpreted as the Kraken, an even more massive whale of a monster.

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In Elemental Magic, Cetus is more serpentine like the dragons in the first two pictures.  He’s also quite intelligent, the last of his kind tucked away under a spell until an evil alchemist releases him.

The silhouette against the backdrop of stars was tall and thin, at least compared to the width of a whale. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t incredibly large. It loomed at least seven feet over the top of the ship. Keenan swept the spotlight over it, and I caught a flash of teeth bared in a menacing sneer and bright, blue-green scales. Eyes glowered gold with the reflection of the light.

No. Freakin’. Way.

And, just as in the above tales, poor Cetus is forced to follow orders and wreak havoc along the coast.  I won’t tell you what happens to him though.  You’ll have to read the book.  😉

Do you have a favorite interpretation of Cetus?  If you saw the new Clash of the Titans, how’d you like the Kraken?  With the hero stories being so similar, are you for Perseus or Hercules?

The Phoenix

The phoenix is one of my favorite mythological creatures.  The power of fire as both destructive and regenerative is mesmerizing.  The myth is essentially the same across cultures–the phoenix is a firebird who bursts into flame at death every 100 to 1,000 years and is reborn from the ashes.  But there are some interesting varieties.

Egyptian Phoenix

The Egyptian phoenix was called the Bennu, and was thought to be the soul of Ra, the Sun-God.  It was not depicted in the traditional colors associated with the phoenix, but instead was a grey, purple, blue, or white heron.  At the end of its life cycle, it would make a nest of cinnamon twigs and ignite, thereby burning completely to ashes.  Once the new phoenix emerged, it would embalm the ashes of the old phoenix into an egg and deposit it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis.  The Greeks adapted the same myth to their own liking, making the colors more bright and fiery, and associating the bird with their Sun-God, Apollo.

Persian Phoenix

The Huma bursts into flame every few hundred years.  It is said that the Huma spends its life flying above the earth, never to land.  To be touched by its shadow alone is said to bring good fortune, and should the bird alight on your shoulder, it foretells kingship.  Catching the Huma is impossible, but just the sight of it will bring happiness to a person for the rest of their days.  The Huma bird contains both male and female attributes, one on each wing/leg.  It is also said to be large enough to carry off a whale!

Chinese Phoenix

Originally, the feng were the male birds and the huang female, but tradition later blended the two into a single entity, the Fenghuang, and made it female.  The phoenix then became the symbol for the Empress and could be paired with the male Chinese dragon, who symbolized the Emperor.  Unlike Western traditions, the Chinese phoenix is more like a chimera, and is said to be made up of various different types of birds.  Phoenix are pure, and are said to only dwell where there is peace and prosperity, loyalty and honesty.

Russian Phoenix

This is the mythology I chose to base my novel, Phoenix Feather, on.  The firebird’s majestic plumage glows brightly like flames; even after a feather falls, it continues to glow.  The firebird is a symbol of blessing and doom.  It signals a difficult quest, usually inspired by the finding of one of those illuminated feathers.  The finder, mesmerized by the bird, then embarks on a journey to catch it, but the journey usually ends in woe.  The phoenix is also said to cry tears of pearls.

There are more legends and variations, not to mention popular modern day interpretations of these fascinating creatures (Fawkes in Harry Potter), but I didn’t want to get too encyclopedic on you.

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While the feather by itself seems innocuous, there is a deep power associated with it.  Like fire, it is neither good nor evil, but has the power to either destroy or refine.  It’s entrancing by its beauty, and the potential to blaze with glory, yet it is also dangerous because of those very qualities.  This feather and what/who it represents is both a catalyst for darkness and destruction, and the vessel of love and hope.  In a world full of joy and sorrow, love and misery, this agent is a light seeking a balance between two inevitable realities in a sinful world, and is ultimately the final hope for something better.