Folklore, fairy tales, theology, and mythology.

[Tien Long]

I'm doing a series of graphic novels based on Black mythology.

https://www.amazon.com/Isnana-Were-S...ct_top?ie=UTF8



Is'nana the Were-Spider is a horror, fantasy, coming of age book about the son of Anansi, the Spider God of Stories of West African and Caribbean folktales. Is'nana searches for his own place in the world while trying to live up to his father's legacy. I'm also using this book as a way to introduce readers to characters from Black mythology, ranging from African mythology and spirituality, Caribbean folktales, and African American stories given most school don't quite educate people in such figures.

More power to you, bro! Sounds like a great series that delves into mythologies that aren't given much attention in schools. Indeed, as someone who does serve in public schools, it is a little disheartening to see that kids aren't exposed to non-Greco/Roman beliefs. Now, I definitely love Greek and Roman mythologies and really like how students find them to be appealing. Saw a bunch of fourth graders a couple of months ago building props and making costumes for their presentations on Zeus, Poseidon, Hercules, etc. Still, part me of wishes that I could get a chance to expose these kids to other mythologies. I do hope that more options regarding mythology become available in the future.

Thank you very much for answering my direct question to such length! I've never had the chance to ask it.

For me it's mainly that I can really marvel at how much of old or particular seeming culture and lore appears (still) available to me in ways. Also I've lately discovered a number of recent Chinese made movies, next to a Kazakh/Russian/German co-production mostly shot in China (called 'Mongol') seemingly providing folky-cultural windows impressively.

No problem! And yeah, Mongol is a great film. I was impressed with the fact that the main actor is actually Japanese, but spoke all of his lines in Mongolian! Last battle scene is pretty cool as well!

[seismic-2]

Don't forget the African-American folk tales that were adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris in the 1880s into the Uncle Remus books. Most of those anthropomorphic stories originated in Africa and were modified to an American setting during slavery.

[Orunmila-Oni]

Fairytales and myths, yes please.

I'm actually working on a panel for a convention that covers some myths and legends used in Japanese folklore. Like the idea of the Baku, or dream eater. they are a creature that devours your nightmares, but also can be less trusted as they can eat your good dreams as well. They've actually been around from the 14th and 15th century coming over from legends from China. \

Try looking for books translated from the works of Kunio Yanagita. He's thought to be the Japanese version of the Grimms brothers.

Darkspellmaster, oh I love the Baku, I'm actually planning on using it in my own book at some point but haven't quite gotten there or figured out how/what context yet.

[Orunmila-Oni]

This is exactly the kind of conversation I've been craving. I'm well aware of the diluting of some of the original stories such as the Little Mermaid for more modern consumption, as well as I am aware of the many, many stories I have yet to discover. Thank you to all who have suggested other tales and authors to look into.

Always interested in mythology, folklore, and religion. Having a degree in East Asian Studies, I can unabashedly say that I'm partial towards the religious and mythological beliefs of China. As someone who is striving to be a social studies teacher at the middle and high school level, I'm glad to see that the curricula does make time for Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Do the kids' eyes glaze over a bit when you talk about the Eightfold Path, samsara, and nirvana? Yeah, but you try you're best nonetheless .

Still, I think more could be done with East Asia (and other parts of the world) when it comes to teaching kids mythology. Subbing for 4th and 5th graders, I've seen how kids are learning about Greek and Roman myths. I think it's pretty cool to see how these kids are very passionate and excited to learn about these stories and characters, especially since they're being reinvented for modern audiences. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series is a prime example of that. At the same time though, I'd like to see my students learn about non-Greco-Roman mythologies. I'd love to teach them about Sun Wukong, Anansi, or Quetzalcoatl.

Thus, I'm happy to see that kids' literature is moving in that direction. Rick Riordan is starting to publish kids' books featuring Norse mythology with the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series:


One of my 4th grade students introduced me to this title The Serpent's Secret: Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond which marries Bengali folklore with tween angst:


So, for me, I would love to see more world mythologies incorporated into YA literature.

Tien Long, these are my thoughts exactly. I grew up on the Greco-Roman pantheons and mythologies, learning about these stories in school during the time when shows like Xena and Hercules were at their peak (I know I'm dating myself a bit). I didn't actually realize how many other pantheons, mythologies, and cultural stories there were out there until I got much older. But as you say, it's nice to see there are far more writers and creators exploring the multitude of myths and folklore from around the world. My goal is to do the same with my own work.

Also, I too find the concepts of otherwolrds, worlds of the fae, and the in-between fascinating. Tho they seem to be more prominent in some cultures such as English and Irish stories, it always stokes a fire in me to see how there are often similar concepts and ideas in unconnected cultures, to some degree, all over the world.

[KOSLOX]

Anyone interested in world folklore, mythology, and the old (original) fairy tales? I'm fascinated by old stories from around the world and any comics or media that re-imagines and reinterprets them. I love any stories incorporating elements of theology and religion as well. I'm curious if anyone else is interested in discussing such things, there relevance in history, as well as there significance in modern story-telling. I've only barely just begun to wade around in such stories as Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., Hellblazer, Fables, and the like. If anyone has any suggestions for similar titles to try out I'm all ears. My own stories/projects tend to incorporate such elements so I'm always interested in learning about different lore from various cultures around the world. I've heard theories and views about the belief that comics are our modern day mythologies; stories told to explain the world around us as well as to instruct and give examples toward our roles and acceptable behavior in society.

Greg Elysee, who posts here as "Greg" has a very cool series called "Is'nana the Were-Spider" that deals with a lot of Akan and Carribean myth.

[Orunmila-Oni]

More power to you, bro! Sounds like a great series that delves into mythologies that aren't given much attention in schools. Indeed, as someone who does serve in public schools, it is a little disheartening to see that kids aren't exposed to non-Greco/Roman beliefs. Now, I definitely love Greek and Roman mythologies and really like how students find them to be appealing. Saw a bunch of fourth graders a couple of months ago building props and making costumes for their presentations on Zeus, Poseidon, Hercules, etc. Still, part me of wishes that I could get a chance to expose these kids to other mythologies. I do hope that more options regarding mythology become available in the future.



No problem! And yeah, Mongol is a great film. I was impressed with the fact that the main actor is actually Japanese, but spoke all of his lines in Mongolian! Last battle scene is pretty cool as well!

Lastly, Greg I've told you outside this forum you're part of my inspiration for exploring some of the African pantheons, mythologies, and legends for my own books. The book I am currently writing is chiefly centered around the Japanese kami of Shinto as well as several gods and spiritual concepts from Africa. That said, the first book starts in Japan but much of it takes place in China, where much of the story will be heavily inspired by 3 of China's most popular folk tales: The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West, and The White Snake. However, the story as a whole (series it looks like), will explore various pantheons and folklore as the group travels across the globe. Maybe I'm being a little overzealous, but I want to explore as much as possible and do exactly what you've described Tien; expose as many children and people to the wealth of stories, mythologies, and beliefs that make up our diverse world.

[Agent Z]

I do enjoy Wonder Woman's take on some myths and am a huge fan of Rick Riordan's work on mythology.

Question are there any myths about people of non-divine heritage (that is no divine parents or ancestors) ascending to deity status?

[Kees_L]

I do enjoy Wonder Woman's take on some myths and am a huge fan of Rick Riordan's work on mythology.

Question are there any myths about people of non-divine heritage (that is no divine parents or ancestors) ascending to deity status?

In ancient times there existed the notion of 'Apotheosis', apparently sort of as an heroic ideal for leaders to aspire to, but I've yet to hear any remotely cool story material towards any such.

I would personally like the opposite or reverse to deity as an aspiration a whole lot better, like "Everyman"-type of tales. But that's me.

[Greg]

More power to you, bro! Sounds like a great series that delves into mythologies that aren't given much attention in schools. Indeed, as someone who does serve in public schools, it is a little disheartening to see that kids aren't exposed to non-Greco/Roman beliefs. Now, I definitely love Greek and Roman mythologies and really like how students find them to be appealing. Saw a bunch of fourth graders a couple of months ago building props and making costumes for their presentations on Zeus, Poseidon, Hercules, etc. Still, part me of wishes that I could get a chance to expose these kids to other mythologies. I do hope that more options regarding mythology become available in the future.

Thank you, man! And yeah, I also grew up on Greek mythology. I have a HUUUUGE love and appreciation for those stories, taught myself them as a kid growing up. And I love to see the various adaptions of them. But it's also a requirement for us as students growing up and same in college. You practically have to pass a Greek mythology class to get your degree but for Black myths, you have to take an elective. And many people, including Black people, can't name you 3-5 Black deities from any culture. I'm hoping to help change that a bit and also am trying to get my book into some schools.

Greg Elysee, who posts here as "Greg" has a very cool series called "Is'nana the Were-Spider" that deals with a lot of Akan and Carribean myth.

Bro, thank you! I'm trying to get volume 2 out as soon as I can, which has a story showcasing Haitian folklore characters and spiritual figures.

Lastly, Greg I've told you outside this forum you're part of my inspiration for exploring some of the African pantheons, mythologies, and legends for my own books. The book I am currently writing is chiefly centered around the Japanese kami of Shinto as well as several gods and spiritual concepts from Africa. That said, the first book starts in Japan but much of it takes place in China, where much of the story will be heavily inspired by 3 of China's most popular folk tales: The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West, and The White Snake. However, the story as a whole (series it looks like), will explore various pantheons and folklore as the group travels across the globe. Maybe I'm being a little overzealous, but I want to explore as much as possible and do exactly what you've described Tien; expose as many children and people to the wealth of stories, mythologies, and beliefs that make up our diverse world.

Thanks for the kind words, man. I'm very excited to hear that my work has inspired you in some way. And I am looking forward to seeing what you do with your story. It really sounds awesome!

[Darkspellmaster]

Applogies if these are out of order.

Jean de La Fontaine -I have to find some books by this guy. Right now I only have the Yellow, pink, and Blue, and gray fairy tales books that pull together a lot of western stories.

I'm doing a series of graphic novels based on Black mythology.

https://www.amazon.com/Isnana-Were-S...ct_top?ie=UTF8



Is'nana the Were-Spider is a horror, fantasy, coming of age book about the son of Anansi, the Spider God of Stories of West African and Caribbean folktales. Is'nana searches for his own place in the world while trying to live up to his father's legacy. I'm also using this book as a way to introduce readers to characters from Black mythology, ranging from African mythology and spirituality, Caribbean folktales, and African American stories given most school don't quite educate people in such figures.

This sounds really interesting. I remember reading some Anansi folk stories when I was younger and fell in love with them. I've always liked the tricksters in myths. I'll certainly be checking this out when I get back from my trip. Can you tell me, is it being sold anywhere outside of Amazon at this point? Or is it just there? I didn't know he had a son either. Yeah, that's a rather large issue. I'm a game development teacher in college and one of the things I'm always telling my students is look outside the normal myths you learn in elementary school to find interesting stories that you can adapt. There's so many amazing stories out there, and so much rich folklore that it's a shame that we keep going over the same greek and roman myths time and again.

Darkspellmaster, oh I love the Baku, I'm actually planning on using it in my own book at some point but haven't quite gotten there or figured out how/what context yet.

Bakus are awesome, if they are a bit on the dangerous side. For every good spirit you think exists there are always some other creepy ones. I forget the name of the anime that is out right now, but it covers a lot of Japanese folk myths. It's meant for kids, but the characters in there are all folklore monsters, and the hero of it is actually a half yokai, half human who is just trying to balance the world and help monsters not be scared of humans. Another cool one, that I've seen cover a bunch of myths but with more of a slightly darker edge to it, is the Unusual family. (I can't think of the proper name.) It's about a bunch of Tanuki that are just trying to live a normal life, but their former friend is now part of a group that eats creatures of legend. She's human and the lead is in love with her. As a teen she was taken by a Tengu who was hoping to make her his heir.

I do enjoy Wonder Woman's take on some myths and am a huge fan of Rick Riordan's work on mythology.

Question are there any myths about people of non-divine heritage (that is no divine parents or ancestors) ascending to deity status?

There are a few from Japan, although I can't think of the names right now. There's one about a white butterfly. Oh there's a weird one called Hachiko the earless (and I'm pretty sure I got his first name wrong). Anyway the myth goes something like this. There was a musician who was either blind or he had trouble seeing, and he was famous for his skills. He was friends with a monk and stayed at the monks temple frequently. One night this samurai comes to the temple and goes to see Hachiko, and is like "Dude I need you to do me a favor, come with me to meet my master." So Hachiko being a nice person went with him, and because he couldn't see he didn't realize they were in a grave yard. So the samurai and his master were ghosts, and Hachiko played for them. Well the master liked his music so much that night after night he was summoned. This was wearing on Hachiko, who was getting sick, and his friend the monk started to notice this.

So one night the monk stayed up late and wound up seeing the ghostly samurai and followed the two at a distance. He saw the scene at the grave yard and was worried his friend would be taken away from the living world. So The next day he tells Hachiko that he can't go with the samurai anymore and that he's going to put blessings on him. So he does so with sutra writing and covers his whole body, except his ears. So that night when the ghost comes, he can't see Hachiko, because of the sutra writing, and he becomes livid threatening the poor man, but Hachiko doesn't speak, because he doesn't want to die. However the ghost sees his ears, and as punishment for not coming with him, he chops off Hachiko's ears so that he can't hear his own music anymore. The Monk feels terrible, but Hachiko doesn't mind, because he can still play his music and seeing the reaction from the people lets him know that he's playing well. He stayed a famous musician.

Thank you, man! And yeah, I also grew up on Greek mythology. I have a HUUUUGE love and appreciation for those stories, taught myself them as a kid growing up. And I love to see the various adaptions of them. But it's also a requirement for us as students growing up and same in college. You practically have to pass a Greek mythology class to get your degree but for Black myths, you have to take an elective. And many people, including Black people, can't name you 3-5 Black deities from any culture. I'm hoping to help change that a bit and also am trying to get my book into some schools.



Bro, thank you! I'm trying to get volume 2 out as soon as I can, which has a story showcasing Haitian folklore characters and spiritual figures.



Thanks for the kind words, man. I'm very excited to hear that my work has inspired you in some way. And I am looking forward to seeing what you do with your story. It really sounds awesome!

Dude, that is a very amazing idea, and a powerful one indeed. Stories from all over the world should be shared! Thinking about it, I'll probably go for three books, one for me, and the other two for the libraries I frequent. I know the guy in charge of the kids area, and he's a comic book geek, so I know he'll be happy to have this donation! I'm really excited to read this now, and it's going to be so cool learning about new myths through this. Then I can look up new stories to read. Thank you for writing this awesome series. It really is an inspiration.

[Darkspellmaster]

Don't forget the African-American folk tales that were adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris in the 1880s into the Uncle Remus books. Most of those anthropomorphic stories originated in Africa and were modified to an American setting during slavery.

I knew about the Uncle Remus stories (Thank you song of the south) but I never got the chance to read the original book. I'm going to have to hunt those down and read them.

Also for those looking for an easy way to learn some of the Welsh Celtic gods, I would say read the fictional story of the Chronicles of Pyrdain by Lloyd Alexander. Reason being all of the main characters (although a few of their names have been changed) are based on real welsh myths and you can take the names and go from there.

[Rob Allen]

Here are a couple of new takes on old stories, written & drawn by a former member of this board:

[Darkspellmaster]

Here are a couple of new takes on old stories, written & drawn by a former member of this board:

Oh my gosh I needed that laugh! Thank you!

[Orunmila-Oni]

I do enjoy Wonder Woman's take on some myths and am a huge fan of Rick Riordan's work on mythology.

Question are there any myths about people of non-divine heritage (that is no divine parents or ancestors) ascending to deity status?

There are a lot of stories in various cultures where a hero or someone of great virtue attains godhood or divine status after, and sometimes even before, death. I can't recall any names off the top of my head, but I know that there are a number of gods who were once human but through their actions became deified; much like catholic sainthood.

Here are a couple of new takes on old stories, written & drawn by a former member of this board:

These are awesome. I definitely needed this laugh as well.

[Orunmila-Oni]

It's good to know that I'm not the only one interested in and inspired by these stories. I don't know what it is, but discovering (or rediscovering) these as an adult has seriously rekindled my creative spark.