I have a confession to make. I’m a big old myth nerd. I just love them. From Ancient Greece to the Welsh myths I grew up with; I am gripped by them all.
I can’t pinpoint when this love affair began but I’m pretty sure it’s been for at least 90% of my life. As a child, like most who grew up in Wales, I learnt about the stories that have been interwoven into our collective history (especially in the lead up to St. David’s Day where, no doubt, you would have to draw your own version of a myth or recite the story as part of the school’s Eisteddfod. And for those not from Wales, google Eisteddfod.) The myth that always sticks out for me, and I’m still not sure why even after all these years, is that of Gelert. He was a brave dog who fought off and killed a wolf that was attempting to attack his master’s son but when the prince returned he saw blood dripping from Gelert’s mouth, assumed the dog had killed his and son and promptly plunged his sword into the poor thing. It wasn’t until he heard the baby crying and saw a dead wolf next to him that the prince realised what a prick he’d been. Wales is built on these types of stories and I relish them being a part of my heritage. For those of you that have read The Arben Bridge you’ll hopefully notice a few nods to these myths in there as I felt they encapsulated the otherworldly universe I was trying to create. I also love the myths of Ancient Greece and Rome and I’ve spent years trying to learn more about them. I was lucky enough to visit Rome when I was fifteen and as the tour guide explained the Romulus and Remus myth I was standing there eyes wide open absorbing everything he was saying and determined to learn more (meanwhile my brother was standing there wondering when we were going to eat pasta again.) During lockdown I have discovered the wonderful podcast ‘Let’s Talk About Myths Baby,’ which I would encourage anyone with an interest in ancient myths to listen to because Liv the host is hilarious, and my love for this world has only grown. They are completely ridiculous and the women are always, always, always wronged which incites a huge rage within me and yet I am addicted! I think it’s because so many of our words and basis for our stories come from this time that I find myself utterly fascinated. Plus, as mentioned, the stories are so over the top you just have to embrace it and love them. I don’t think it’s hard to make the link between my love of myths and why I like to write stories. No matter the setting there’s always a sense of right or wrong (in the context of the time period, I’d like to add), a great conflict and a character we’re either rooting for hoping get’s his or her comeuppance. Stories are an integral part of how we interact with one another; it’s how we learn and attempt to understand the mad world that we live in. I recently attended an online event hosted by the networking organisation Warrior Women on this very subject and the emphasis that the speakers placed on telling your story not only highlighted how it connects us to other people but, in a business context, also enables you to stand out and grow your brand. Myths have been my gateway into storytelling and I am proud to continue to get my nerd on and learn as many as I can. The history and grandiosity of them all is simply delicious and, in all honesty, I feel like I owe them a huge debt because without them I wouldn’t have this drive to create outrageous stories for people to, hopefully, enjoy.
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