Writer’s Bestiary

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While researching the various mythological races for my Abaddon series, I found it to be a bit frustrating. There were sites dedicated to Irish mythology and Egyptian Mythology and the mythology of ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ and so forth. The same creatures would be mentioned on various sites, but they would be described differently.

A lich on one site would be an undead creature. On another, it would be a dark wizard who stole the souls of others. One myth claims a lich is skeletal in appearance, another that they were visually indistinguishable from men.

In short, in order to find the characteristics I could use in my plot, I had to read numerous sites with often conflicting descriptions.

It then occurred to me how nice it would be to have a single site that had all such myths combined into a single page. In that way, a writer wishing to use the mythology of a creature in their stories would require only a single page of research. One page to list all of the mythology surrounding a creature, even those that conflict with each other. (One page to rule them all….sorry, couldn’t resist.)

And so the idea for this blog was born. As I continue my research, I will compile the data on each creature. Some, perhaps most, will have details listed that conflict with each other. A gryphon’s front feet, for example, are an eagle’s talons in some mythologies, while in others all four feet are those of a lion. I will list both options so that the writer may choose what suits their plot.

Writers of fantasy, I invite you all to share the fruits of my research. And, if you find other details that I have missed, please feel free to contact me. Unlike most publish-then-archive blogs, I will keep all posts in this blog active, updating them as I discover new myths, legends, or stories.

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