Writing Challenge Discussion — MARCH 2011

[HareBrain]

Very good summary, Judge (and congrats on your most recent win), but you've carelessly left out the important consistency rating, ie who got votes in the most months?


Edit: thanks Arkose. And many thanks too for the three unknown voters (unless I haven't been paying attention) for the March votes, and to all who shortlisted me.

 

[The Judge]

Thank you, my Hare, but to do it proper justice, it's complicated. For instance, both alchemist and chopper had votes in 5 out of their 6 entries. Hmm... Seeing their rows together like that, I've just realised that chopper's last of 6 posts was in September, and alchemist's first of 6 posts was in October... Spooky co-incidence or something more...?

 

[Moonbat]

Maybe, as Harebrain is the overall winner for the first year, he should be tasked with compiling and editing the first year's anthology
Only 570 stories to pick through.

 

[HareBrain]

I've just realised that chopper's last of 6 posts was in September, and alchemist's first of 6 posts was in October... Spooky co-incidence or something more...?

Well, we know Chopper has form in this area, from the DISGUYZ affair.

Anyone seen him and Alchemist together?

(Edit: Thanks Moonbat for the poison chalice, but paws find it hard to hold, sorry.)

 

[Mouse]

Congrats, TJ! Do we get any applause for voting for a winner too? I think The Judge is my third one now (StormFeather and Hoopy being the other two). Maybe I should take up gambling.

Anyway, I was going to say something else, but I've forgotten.

 

[crystal haven]

Congratulations, The Judge!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Congratulations, Judge!!

And aw, our little competition is almost a year old.

And oh, me in tied second place for this first year of stories? Wow. So many other people have been deservingly reaping votes lately that I thought I would've been outstripped. Somehow I managed to cling on so, *dances* Thanks to every vote and every mention!

 

[Parson]

Re: Writing Challenge Discussion MARCH

The title of the story (at least the first part of the title) is the title of the source material. The story is partly based on Völuspá in the Elder Edda (also known as the Poetic Edda) which is a collection of Old Norse poems. Völuspá is supposed to be a seeress's description of the creation of the world and then her prophecy describing Ragnarök, the fall of the Norse gods and the end of the world (which was, according to the mythology, to be followed by the beginning of a new world).

Most of the poem is about various mythological figures, but there is a verse about "a wind age, a wolf age" during which fratricide, incest, and adultery also herald the crumbling of the world. There are different translations, and right now I can't find the one that I used, but I was previously familiar with the poem as a source of inspiration for Tolkien. (He took the names of his dwarves from it, and the poetry of the Rohirrim has something of the same feel to it.)

I see. We have another move into the world of mythology about which I am nearly clueless. But in the circles in which I regularly move the fact that I can name Odin as a Norse God draws stares of disbelief and head shaking about the utter waste I must make of my time.

 

[Ursa major]

Call Odin, Wotan, so that if anyone overhears you, you can tell them that you're talking about a brand of sun block....

 

[Pyan]

Re: Writing Challenge Discussion MARCH

But in the circles in which I regularly move the fact that I can name Odin as a Norse God draws stares of disbelief and head shaking about the utter waste I must make of my time.

Nonsense! Have none of them heard of the saying "Know thine enemy"?...

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Re: Writing Challenge Discussion MARCH

But in the circles in which I regularly move the fact that I can name Odin as a Norse God draws stares of disbelief and head shaking about the utter waste I must make of my time.

I shudder to think of how people would act around you if you could name off any Roman or Egyptian gods. After all, in history those were the two biggest enemies to the religious bases of Christianity and Judaism.....




But I'm getting into a field I shouldn't be, aren't I?

 

[Parson]

Parson assumes Pyan does not believe that to be a Biblical Quote. "Know thine enemy..." sounds like a recipe for disaster. "Your adversary is like a roaring lion... seeking whom he may devour." [My own free translation.]

Ursa... If I could have understood that story, I would have voted for it. It was like "Deep man."

Brev... that story was deep something else.

 

[Ursa major]

Hold your horses there, Parson: Wotan sounds very like Whoa tan!

(Oh, you meant my challenge entry, not the pun....)

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

While mine had a heavy basis off the video game Dante's Inferno-something I do not think you should look up, Parson, on the basis that it may quite very well sicken you....




I'm not sure how accurate it was to the Divine Comedy, though, as I have never been able to find any copy of it to read.

 

[Parson]

Parson determines not to look up the video game Dante's Inferno, but he has read the Divine Comedy which was sick, sick, sick. And somehow still a classic.

Thanks Karn.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Parson determines not to look up the video game Dante's Inferno, but he has read the Divine Comedy which was sick, sick, sick. And somehow still a classic.

Thanks Karn.

Well, having read my story, it came from the part of the game that Dante met with King Minos, who, at least in the game, was the sorter of souls, determining which circle of Hell each belonged to, and it pretty much did go in the game as it did in my story, with a couple exceptions, obviously. What I'm wondering is, how accurate it was to the Divine Comedy?

 

[Parson]

You are asking me to remember a book I read more than 30 years ago, so my memory of the details is sketchy at best. I do not remember "King Minos" sorting the souls. What I remember most is how each ring of hell was punishment (unspeakably horrible to my modern mind) in accordance to the sins that sent the souls there, (at least in Dante's mind) and the inmost circles of hell were largely reserved for the clergy.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

But in the circles in which I regularly move the fact that I can name Odin as a Norse God draws stares of disbelief and head shaking about the utter waste I must make of my time.

I am surprised that you didn't have at least one class on World Religions at the seminary.

It seems to me that as a future pastor you should have been encouraged not only to study theology but also to study humanity, the better to minister to your flock. Ancient myths can offer many insights into how the human mind works, and how people down through the ages have viewed their relationship to the divine powers that shape their lives. And many of these beliefs still hang on. The popular conception of God expressing his displeasure with thunder and lightning bolts -- is that really based on the Bible (where God seems to have a heck of a lot of ways of expressing his wrath), or are we seeing echoes of the old pagan gods like Thor and Zeus?

And fantasy, the best fantasy anyway, is not merely about make-believe. It's about inner realities: our dreams and impulses, and the things that the heart knows but the rational mind is incapable of expressing directly. It is the same with myths, fairy tales, legends, folk lore. Although there may have been quite a lot of nonsense mixed in over the centuries, there are still some important insights into human nature to be found if one looks at these things with more than a casual glance.

So I hope your time here is not a waste but a chance to expand your mental horizons, to the benefit (ultimately) of those you serve not simply to council them on a spiritual level but also as a counselor when it comes to their everyday troubles and dilemmas.

And on another note, I believe "know thine enemy" is a maxim based on the idea that it you can figure out how your enemies think you can predict how they will act, and therefore be more effective in defending yourself and/or turning their own strategies against them.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I am surprised that you didn't have at least one class on World Religions at the seminary.

It seems to me that as a future pastor you should have been encouraged not only to study theology but also to study humanity, the better to minister to your flock. Ancient myths can offer many insights into how the human mind works, and how people down through the ages have viewed their relationship to the divine powers that shape their lives. And many of these beliefs still hang on. The popular conception of God expressing his displeasure with thunder and lightning bolts -- is that really based on the Bible (where God seems to have a heck of a lot of ways of expressing his wrath), or are we seeing echoes of the old pagan gods like Thor and Zeus?

And fantasy, the best fantasy anyway, is not merely about make-believe. It's about inner realities: our dreams and impulses, and the things that the heart knows but the rational mind is incapable of expressing directly. It is the same with myths, fairy tales, legends, folk lore. Although there may have been quite a lot of nonsense mixed in over the centuries, there are still some important insights into human nature to be found if one looks at these things with more than a casual glance.

So I hope your time here is not a waste but a chance to expand your mental horizons, to the benefit (ultimately) of those you serve not only to council them on a spiritual level, but also as a counselor when it comes to their everyday troubles and dilemmas.

And on another note, I believe "known thine enemy" is a maxim based on the idea that it you can figure out how your enemies think you can predict how they will act, and therefore be more effective in defending yourself and/or turning their own strategies against them.

Ironically enough, Biblical mythology is my one greatest weakness in the field, but you are right about it, TE. I am most familiar with Greek mythology, followed in this order by Norse, Egyptian, Native American, and Far Eastern. Greek is where I really shine, and the thunder and lightning wrath I have to say is obviously heavily based off Zeus.


And not only that, but Parson also needs to remember that Christian mythology is more inspired and based off Norse than it is any other culture, really. One only needs to compare the name of the realm of punishment in Christian mythology-Hell-to the name of the queen of the underworld of Norse mythology-Hel-to really see the similarities. Another similaritys includes the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of Baldur, while yet another one is the Christian army of saints during the Apocalypse and the valiant warriors of Valhalla during Ragnorok.


There are more similarities between Norse and Christian mythologies, from what I've seen, than there are between any other culture I've read and Christian, so I believe it is only a good idea for a man of God to have at least a good glance into Norse mythology.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

And not only that, but Parson also needs to remember that Christian mythology is more inspired and based off Norse than it is any other culture, really.

It depends on what you mean by Christian mythology. I am sure that you and Parson will have very different ideas about what that is. There are certainly elements of Christianity that have been added on along the way and have little or nothing to do with the Bible. Those were clearly influenced by the pagan religions they were trying to "compete" with, but it could go both ways, you know. The Vikings, for instance, went just about everywhere, and they could have picked up ideas from other religions. I think the story of Odin sacrificing himself on the tree to gain knowledge of the runes was first written down many centuries after the crucifixion, so there is no knowing how far back the story went in the oral tradition. Maybe not far at all.

And some similarities may be coincidental.