It all started with a griffin.
As I mentioned in my recent post Myth Matters, I have a bit of a “thing” for griffins. A fetish, if you will. I’m not sure whence it comes, but it might have something to do with the seriously badass* Narnia griffin generals portrayed in the 2005 cinematic reimagining of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
*I apologize for the language, but let’s be real: when you give me an eagle crossed with a lion and then put that regal creature in charge of an air assault against the White Witch, I just can’t think of any word other than “badass”. If it really is a sign of the “paucity of my vocabulary”, to quote Madeleine L’Engle, DO find a better word for me and leave it in the comments below! 😊
Unicorns and dragons and centaurs and mermaids and phoenixes I adore, but griffins are my favorite. That is why, when I first set out to write The Ancient, I knew I had to fit a griffin in there somewhere.
The original idea for The Ancient came early one Sunday morning on the ride to church. My husband and I liked to listen to a certain radio program of sacred music on those drives, and on that particular day, they were playing Gregorian chant. (I also have a fetish for Gregorian chant. Who knew fetishes could become such fruitful soil in the realm of creative inspiration?)
As I listened and sipped my coffee, I saw in my mind’s eye a line of monks, hooded heads bowed, hands clasped within their sleeves as they filled a cathedral with haunting vocal beauty. Then, I suddenly knew – in my “knower”, as a dear friend would say – that one of those monks was not a monk. He wasn’t even human.
He was an Ancient.
I went home that afternoon and pulled out my writing journal, meaning to jot down some notes for the novel taking shape in my head. Instead, I wrote most of the first chapter. I wrote every night for a week, finishing that chapter and starting the second, thrilling to the feeling of brand-new creation. (It was the spring of 2016, so I hadn’t finished Gatekeeper III yet. After living with Anna Merritt & co. for almost a decade and still seeing no end in sight, the thought of a new story – a post-Gatekeeper authorial life – was both elating and terrifying.)
I immediately gave the Ancient a griffin as a companion, happy for the chance to spend some time with my favorite mythical creature. Soon after, and to my supreme delight, I discovered that they were both Ancients – in fact, they were part of a mighty race comprising every mythical creature that has populated mankind’s imagination. Delight became apprehension as I slowly understood the task I had set myself: to reimagine the mythology of as many creatures as I could, explaining how they fit in my “historical theological fantasy” world (see my recent post on genre-bending for the translation of that mess). Not only did I want to tell each creature’s story as I saw it, but I also felt I should explain how their stories morphed into the myths we know today.
Confused?
Fret not, gentle reader. Over the next few weeks, as I near the end of The Ancient’s first draft (I reached 70,000 words yesterday! Huzzah!!!), I plan to share with you a taste of some of these re-envisioned myths. May each glimpse prepare your palate and stimulate your taste buds for the feast I hope – and am working earnestly every day to ensure – The Ancient will be.
We will start with the griffin.
Because that’s where it all started anyway.
~ ~ ~
“First, a question,” said the Faithful. “What do you know of griffins, Dáibhí?”
“I have heard you are fierce guardians of gold,” replied the young man. “It is said that you live in the mountains across the sea, far to the east, and that you are forever at war with a wild, one-eyed people on horseback, who covet your treasure and plague your nests.”
The Faithful smiled sadly.
“Remarkable it is, how subtly and adeptly the Wasting can weave such colorful lies out of one or two threads of truth. As with the Unicorn, the reality is much more wondrous; though, unlike the story of my gentle and lamentably missed kin, we will end in hope.”
The Griffin settled into his favorite spot outside the cavemouth, the Phoenix alighted on his back, and they stepped with the mortal onto the Plain of Spoken Sight.
“This is a tale of the Faithful, whom you, in your tongue, call the Griffin.
“As you have heard, I am the guardian of a great treasure – but not gold, as the tales say. Perhaps such a fancy arose from the notion that gold is the most precious substance to be found on earth; but, as you know, the true value of gold is found in the measure of the hand wielding it. When that hand is governed by a generous heart and a mind illuminated by the Light, then gold can indeed be a worthy asset; but, when the hand is clenched tightly out of fear and the greed that is fear’s offspring, gold becomes a vain and empty metal, deserving only to be cast aside.
“As the calling of the Pure was to nourish and protect the clean wholesomeness of the Light, mine is to guard and cultivate a reverence for life – particularly when that life is weak, and vulnerable, and unable to protect itself. Such a treasure far surpasses the value of any gold, and the fruit it bears is richer and more enduring.
“I traveled widely, as did most of the Ancients; but, if I had a home, it was the mountains far to the east, of which you spoke. ’Twas there I found myself returning most often, and ’tis there that the events of this tale transpired. Perhaps I was drawn there because it was a place deeply in need of my labor, for it is a hard land, unwelcoming and unforgiving to those who strive valiantly to scratch out a life in the rocky soil. Yet this very hardship yields a rich harvest of spirit, strong and true and much more pure in zeal for existence than the finest gold. Life is valued most where it is hardest won; and, thus, one could say that those mountains do contain a treasure, and one I feel peculiarly bound to protect.
“Of course, not every spirit responds so nobly to adversity. Some souls, weary of the constant beating and refining necessary to produce such precious results, shrivel and crumble into base earth. They resent life, for they feel it has abused them, and they reck it little in others. One such pitiable wretch forms the centerpiece of my tale.
~ ~ ~
AARRGGHHHH!!! Just when I was rolling ahead in my imagination!! I shall indeed wait for the novel, but patience will most certainly elude me. 😍
No suggestion for another word, but I do wait, eagerly, for the completed novel.
Very intriguing introduction to wet our appetite for your new book!! Can’t wait!!!
I love griffins too. They are mystical and mysterious and yes, the movie did throw an amazing light on them. What I love about your concept for the upcoming book is that appears to delve into the backstory of some of these creatures about which we ponder and dream. So very excited for the upcoming novel! Congrats on hitting 70k words! That is a feat!
Thou hast hit upon it! The novel does, indeed, deal with many backstories. I look forward to sharing more sneak peeks with you soon!
I know that this is a commonplace word, but is awesome acceptable??
Hmmm. There’s just something so . . . inherently audacious about the other word. Bold, I guess. But “awesome” is definitely worthy of consideration!
True, Mom was very surprised at your word choice.