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Myths and Monsters and Heroes, Oh My

I have always been a bit of a mythology geek. Okay, maybe more than a bit. My favorite classes in high school were English and Latin. English for obvious reasons, Latin because I loved mythology. The gods and goddesses of Latin and Greek mythology were a randy bunch. They killed with impunity, slept with whoever they wanted and wreaked general havoc.

They were blamed for everything from the fall of Troy to crop failures. They could transform themselves into anything they wanted, from bulls to showers of gold. They controlled the weather, threw lightning bolts as weapons and occasionally ate their own children. Ew, I know.
As an erotic romance writer, myths provide a wealth of ideas. Sex, especially, was something the deities excelled in. With anyone and everyone. The Greeks, Romans and Etruscans all have gods and goddesses dedicated to pleasure, sex and excess.

Creatures of all types inhabit mythology, as well. Satyrs, unicorns, witches, shapeshifters. Nymphs. And more evil, darker things. Baby-eating ogres. Demons from the Underworld.

In the darkness, the myths and monsters have free reign to play and pillage. Only the heroes stand between us and them.

Sometimes the heroes live in the darkness too. They have their flaws and their personal demons. But they (usually) manage to save the day and the damsel in distress.

My favorite myths involve lovers, though most of those stories don't end well. Orpheus fails to save Eurydice. Leda is raped by Zeus. Juno was always killing off women who looked at Jupiter the wrong way.

Murder, mayhem and sex. A perfect recipe for myths. And for the dark of an October night.

Comments

  1. I like fairy tales too, particularly the ones that vary from culture to culture. It's interesting to see how something like Little Red Riding Hood got cleaned up as is aged. And now we may not acknowledge gods, but we sure do love our super heroes...

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  2. I loved Greek mythology and myths and legends and tales from around the world. I often reference them in some way in my tales. :)

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  3. I love ancient greek myths and gods! Even the horrifying parts. Fascinating stuff. I do wish there were more romances out there that incorporated these myths. I can not WAIT to read your book, Stephanie.

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  4. Sounds great, Stephanie! Gotta love those gods and goddesses. They really knew how to have a good time.

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  5. I used to teach high school lit, and when we did mythology the kids were always like, "What? This stuff is in books?" It sure got them reading!

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  6. I'm a mythology geek, too, and I love picking out references to myths in books. I can't wait to read your book!

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  7. I am also interested in myth. They certainly tell us about the things we humans find important and fascinatng and yes - sex is definately high on the list!

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  8. Great post. I love the Demi-Gods. I'm really looking forward to reading your book. It looks delicious.

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  9. Hi Stephanie! Since I write adult fairytales, we speak the same lingo. :} I love the mythological elements as well, although I have a tendency to alter them to my own versions. Great post!

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