Un-hiding a Path

[Note: Will be doing comments tonight, might nap first.]

I have had a moment of clarity. though brief and fleeting I think there was just enough power in it that it may have changed where I’m heading in life.

A few months ago, just after November and the NaNoWriMo, I started looking into Norse myths because I had somehow subconsciously weaved what I knew of them into my story. It was a wonderful moment when I discovered this and I immediate set out and started to do some research, looking further into Norse mythology and history (neither I’m a novice at). It was fun and had a great effect on my whole story writing experience and helped to shape my story with new ideas and old concepts. Truly wonderful all around.

A month or so later I had an idea for a story I have yet to begin. It’s in the ‘if I get sudden inspiration and time’ pile for now. It tied into all the different mythos I’ve read about the moon and sun, mostly the moon me being primarily a Wiccan for the longest time. Lots of Celtic and Egyptian concepts all tied together in ways so small that only a historian or another person with great interest in mythology would be able to pin point.

Now I’m working on my project called Other World. OW for short. One character, not a main or even a side kick though they do have something to do with a turning point in the story, is based on and old African water spirit/goddess of sorts. She had started out as a simple obscure mermaid and then I transformed her into this being portrayed in the old stories. It was unknowingly at first, just something I did, but then I realized I didn’t know a tidbit that I thought was important about old Mami Wata (or the river mamma in some languages) so I did a bit of research. It lead me to some things I didn’t know as I’ve never studied myths from this part of the world in detail.

Suddenly one or two things about her gave me some ideas and I ran (moused) back on over to my yWriter document and started typing as fast as I could. I now has a sub plot that I didn’t have before as well as a motive for a main character that I didn’t realize I was lacking.

Seeking to do more research on Mami I went to the book store (the net is too variable when it comes to myths, anyone can publish something, I wanted references and such) and found the myth isle which I’m becoming increasingly familiar with and sat down for the better part of four hours.

Sitting there I realized that I’ve read most of these books and seriously took something out of them that I’m using in real life. I’m not trying to tie myths from around the world into the plot of my latest fantasy idea and often I’m half way through before I realize it. I think back to when I went to Concord (it’s a charter school focused primarily on art, alas, they don’t prepare you much credit wise for beyond high school) where I took ancient history and passed even though it was my lazy years.

Then I went back to public school after public school, and so on and so forth until I came to the last one I attended. There I took Mythology and I loved it. I really did my work in that class and it really all stuck with me. I got along with my teacher very well, though I didn’t do much home work, well, any. We would have long discussions and I’d tell her about my writing and she’d lone me her personal books to take home (she’d rather I was reading ‘good’ literature in her class if I wasn’t going to do my work). I remember when she discovered my love of Hamlet she gave my a bag full of Shakespeare’s works and told me to keep them.

She really had an effect on me. When I was younger I had tons of reference books on ancient history and mythology, mostly Celtic/Irish in nature but I loved to learn it all. I even taught myself how to write in Ogham (semi Norse’ish) and Theban (somewhere near Egypt but after hieroglyphs… I think). I loved it all. I’ve always had a true love of it and I’ve never realized it until that moment sitting in the store.

With my train of thought my mind goes back to my teacher. Mind you I’ve only been out of public school two years or so I suppose, maybe three. She had a true blue effect on me in a way no one else has. We didn’t have personal talks but she knew what I was going through. I didn’t do work in her class but she made sure I still learned and let me flow my own way.

She has died recently. About six months back, very near to my home and though I hadn’t seen her for a long while and we weren’t close I sent a prayer. I find myself thinking of her often when I think about writing, another class she taught that I loved though oddly I failed (didn’t do my work).

I don’t think without her short presence in my life I would have had this startling realization after her death. I have realized that after I’m done with my education and I go on to continue it I want to learn more ancient history with a special emphasis on mythos. I want to get a job someday that requires me to talk about and delve and research all of this and especially to write about it.

The passion has always been there and the path has been waiting in front of me for the longest time but she helped me unveil it. She didn’t lift a finger and true- my writing is what led me to the bookstore but she kept my love of myth and history alive during the roughest time in my life. I didn’t even remember I loved it until now but if I hadn’t had that bridge point….

I’m babbling now. Anyway, I’m happy. I’ve found something to love and to strive for. Maybe this is the kick in the pants I need to complete my education. Who knows, perhaps I’ll end up teaching myth/ancient history and creative writing just like she did. Maybe, like her, I’ll have an impact on others with the smallest of touches long after presence.

This is a very babbly post, sorry about that. Might be because my thoughts on this all go in circles and it was during a moment of ‘clarity’ that all this came to the front of my mind. The key word here is moment. To realize something and relay it a day later is, well, fun to try.

Side note: I also just realized that I’ve used a lot of Japanese myth in one of my characters as well as ancient Japanese culture for their past. :)

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