Kwanzaa: Unity and Light

Hello everyone!

This past week has seen multiple holidays.  Today's post is going to be about Kwanzaa.  If you're looking for a Hanukkah post, I did one last year that you can read here.  If you're looking for Christmas posts, I've done three over the years.  Whatever you celebrate, I hope you have a lovely holiday season!

So, on to Kwanzaa!

Kwanzaa is an interesting holiday because it isn't associated with any specific religion.  Instead, Kwanzaa is a celebration of ethnicity.  It has its roots in African culture, but the holiday itself is actually fairly recent.  Despite drawing on traditions from many African tribes, including the Zulus and Yorubas, Kwanzaa was invented in 1966.  It was a time of racial strife in the United States, with serious riots taking place in LA the summer before.  Seeing the troubles of African Americans, an African American professor by the name of Maulana Karenga decided to take action.

Karenga had studied African tribes, their culture, and their customs rather extensively.  Many cultures from all around the world have harvest festivals of some sort or another, usually involving a celebration and light.  Hinduism has the Diwali festival; a Celtic harvest festival is Samhain.  There are so many cultures in Africa that there isn't a single harvest festival, but the many variations on such a holiday all have some things in common.  Karenga examined these similarities and came up with the concept for Kwanzaa.

So if Kwanzaa isn't associated with a religion, what exactly is it?  Well, it's a celebration of one's roots.  Kwanzaa examines the past to strengthen modern ties.

"It is a time to strengthen the bonds among people, just as the harvest was an occasion to gather together, and to give thanks tot he Creator for a bountiful life.  It is also a time for African Americans to honor their roots and heritage, and to commemorate the struggles and survival of their people."*

 

I'm actually very curious to see if there's been an increase in Kwanzaa celebrations in the past several years.  At its core, Kwanzaa is an African American celebration, though it has spread to other countries and cultures since its creation.  I wonder if the Black Lives Matter movement has increased the number of African Americans celebrants.

 

If you'd like to read about all of the customs and decorations associated with Kwanzaa, you can visit the official Kwanzaa website here.  However, I'd like to sum up a few parts of the holiday.

 

There are a number of decorations associated with Kwanzaa.  Within a house, they're usually all placed on one table to form a display.

Corn, or a bowl of other crops, are traditional to represent the harvest.  Ears of corn are also associated with the children of the family.  These are placed atop a mat woven out of straw, called a mkeka.  A cup is also placed in the display, and is filled each night with a wine which is passed around for everyone to take a sip of.

 

There are three pieces of Kwanzaa which are probably the most integral to the holiday, as well as the most easily recognizable.  These are the candles (and their holder, called a kinara), the colors, and the seven principles.

 

The official colors of Kwanzaa are black, red, and green - the colors of the pan-African flag.  Each color represents something important to the African culture.  Black represents their skin, and the unity between all Africans.  Red stands for struggle and the conflicts that Africans face.  Green symbolizes the future, and the hope that is held for it.

 

There are seven days of Kwanzaa (starting today and running until January 1st), and seven candles.  Each candle is associated with one of the seven principles, called the Nguzo Saba.  On each day a candle is lit, and the principle with which it is associated is explained.

 

 

The black candle is lit on the first day.  After that, the candle lighting alternates between the left side (the red candles) and the right (the green candles).  Because of this, the lighting ceremony shows that though there are always struggles, hope follows them.  I think that's a beautiful message.

Kwanzaa is celebrated in different ways by the many people who celebrate it.  Some wear traditional African dress during the seven days of the festival.  Others play African music.  Many families get together and cook up some African recipes for celebration feasts (because, like many harvest festivals, Kwanzaa has lots of feasting!).  Gift giving is also a tradition, though gifts are mostly for the children.  Originally Kwanzaa gifts were supposed to be either educational or African in origin, but the holiday has become more generally commercialized in recent years.

I hope this has been an interesting read for you guys!  If you celebrate, then Harambee! and happy Kwanzaa!

*Quote from Holiday Symbols and Customs.

Odin is Santa Claus

Hey guys! How are you doing? Did you see Rogue One yet? (I confess, I've already been twice and I'm going again on Thursday. Such a great Star Wars movie!!)

It's December, and a ton of holidays are about to kick off. Because of this, today's post and those of the next two weeks will each be taking a look at a different holiday.

Since Christmas Eve (and Santa's trip around the world) are less than a week away, let's take a look at the origins of the world's favorite fat, jolly man.

Except...Has he always been so fat and jolly? Could Santa Claus, good ol' Saint Nick, have his origins not in a Christian saint, but in a pagan deity?

The concept of Santa being Odin was first introduced to me in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, and the idea has stuck with me ever since. After a bunch of research, I finally decided to write up a post about the idea. Let's jump into it!

About this time last year I did a post about Yule, a Norse holiday which celebrates the end of the cold season and the returning of the sun. A large part of Yule revolves around worshiping Odin, who is sometimes called the Yule Father.

Part of Odin's role in Yule-time was the leading of the Wild Hunt. There are so many myths tied to this hunt that it unfortunately is somewhat difficult to explain. A common belief among many cultures is that the lands of the dead and the living are much closer together during times of equinox or solstice. Yule traditionally falls around the winter solstice. Some tales say that the Wild Hunt is a hunting party of monsters – such as witches and devils – who cross the barrier between worlds for this one night. Other stories say that the Wild Hunt is comprised of the souls of those who have died during the year, and that Odin is leading them into the next life. There are many variations in between those two extremes.

One near-constant amongst the Norse was the presence of Odin at the head of the Wild Hunt. Some old folk customs around Yule are tied to the god's presence.

Being American, a yearly tradition for my family is to leave out milk and cookies for Santa Claus. When I wake up on Christmas morning, the cookies have been eaten – and the stockings have been filled with presents. However, I have some friends whose family is Germanic, and they grew up leaving shoes stuffed with straw and carrots for Saint Nicholas' reindeer. The reindeer food disappears overnight, and when they wake up in the morning oranges and small toys are in their shoes instead.

Apparently this tradition stretches back beyond Christianity's influence on the Nordic folk. It was customary for small children to leave their shoes filled with hay and carrots around Yule – not for the reindeer or Santa, but for Odin and his horse, Sleipnir. Sleipnir would eat the goodies, and Odin would leave small presents in the shoes.  That's right - Odin and Santa are both known for distributing gifts to small children!

What I find most interesting about this whole theory is the explanation for how we went from Odin, riding atop Sleipnir, to Santa, with his chariot pulled by eight reindeer. Santa/Saint Nick has ridden many a creature in his travels throughout time and the world. Sometimes it has been a goat, or a donkey. Often it is a horse. The depiction of the reindeer did not appear until the early 1800s. The poem credited with introducing the eight reindeer is known in modern times as “ 'Twas the Night Before Christmas”, though it was called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” when it was first published in 1823. Why does the use of eight reindeer intrigue me so? Well, if you've read my previous posts about Odin, you might recall that Sleipnir has eight legs.

Imagine how different the poem could have been!
 

“When what to my wandering eyes should appear,

But Odin upon his great battle horse, Sleipnir!”

Perhaps the part that convinces me the most that Santa Claus has his roots in Odin lies in the appearance of the Christmas figure. Modern times have painted a picture of a jolly fat man, with a bushy white beard and a red suit. However, earlier pictures of Santa portrayed him as tall and slender – though he maintained the beard!  These depictions are eerily similar to those of the Norse god (as well as Gandalf, whom Tolkien based upon Odin. That's right – if this theory is correct, Gandalf is Santa!).

 

 

Again, if you've read my posts about Odin you might recall his tendency to wander the world disguised as an old human man, who roams about helping out mankind. That sounds rather like Santa Claus to me! More evidence of a connection between the two can be found in one of the most common myths about Santa Claus.

“He sees you when you're sleeping

He knows if you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good -

So be good, for goodness' sake!”

In Norse mythology, Odin sacrificed one of his eyes for great wisdom and the ability to see into the future. He also possesses two ravens, Huginn and Muninn. Every day these ravens fly all over the world, and as the sun goes down they return to Odin to tell him everything they've seen. What better way to spy on children all over the world?
 

Personally, I think that the modern Santa Claus has been influenced by a lot of things. Christianity has certainly has certainly helped form his character, as has commercialism. Pop culture too has had a huge impact, as evidenced by Rudolph. Could Odin have been a part of the beginnings of Santa Claus' story? I'd like to think so. Even if you disagree, I hope this look at some of the parallels between the two has been interesting.

 

 

Merry Christmas and a happy Yule to you all! I'll be back next week with a post about Kwanzaa!

Maui and the Vagina of Death

Alright guys.  I try very hard to keep my posts kid friendly - which can be difficult, considering how sex and violence filled most mythologies are.  For this post...well, there really wasn't any way to make it PG.  You have been warned!

My final post about Maui is also the story of the demigod's death.  In the past several weeks, we've talked about a lot of the hero's exploits.  He raised the islands from beneath the sea; he stole fire for mankind; he tamed the sun.  All of these are pretty impressive accomplishments.

Unfortunately, Maui let his achievements go to his head.  He became very proud of all that he had done, and began to think himself invincible.

Now, at this point in time, things were a little different than they are now.  Mankind was mortal, but no one had died yet.  The goddess of the underworld, Hine-nui-te-pō, existed - but she hadn't yet taken anyone from the realm of the living.

When Maui heard of Hine-nui-te-pō's existence, he took it as a challenge.  For a hero so great as he, one who had accomplished so much already...well, defeating death ought to be easy, right?

Wrong.

Maui set out and found the place where Hine-nui-te-pō made her home.  He knew exactly what he had to do.  The ritual was...interesting, to say the least.

When a person enters this world, they exit their mothers womb.  Life therefore comes out of the vagina, right?  Well, in order to defeat death, Maui needed to reverse that ceremony.  He needed to climb into Hine-nui-te-pō's vagina, through her womb, and out of her mouth.  If he could do this, death would be defeated, and everyone would be immortal.

I'm not joking.  That was his plan.

Now, there were a couple of problems right off of the bat.  First off (in my mind, at least)...how was he even going to fit?  Second, was she just going to lay there and let him try this?  And lastly...did I mention that her vagina was lined with sharp, jagged obsidian teeth?

Yeah, this sounds like a great idea!

Maui arrived at Hine-nui-te-pō's lair and found the goddess fast asleep.  Well, that made life easier!  He wouldn't have to worry about sneaking up on her.  All he had to do was to make sure she didn't wake up.

In some versions of the story, Maui was accompanied by his brothers.  In others, there were birds sitting on a nearby tree.  Whichever it was, the demigod explained his plan to them.  He then warned the spectators that, whatever happened, they must not laugh.  If they laughed, Hine-nui-te-pō would awaken, and Maui would be killed.

The brothers/birds agreed.  Maui stripped and approached the goddess.

(For those of you who are curious and don't mind a NSFW image, you can find one here.)

At first everything seemed to be going well.  First Maui shoved his head inside Hine-nui-te-pō (who somehow remained asleep throughout this).  Next came his arms, then his shoulders.  At last he had made it halfway in!

Unfortunately, the spectacle proved to be too much for the brothers/birds.  They had been swallowing their laughter for as long as they could, but they could hold it in no longer.  One of them let out a loud chortle.

Immediately Hine-nui-te-pō awoke.  Her muscles clenched and her thighs slammed together.  The obsidian teeth of her vagina cut Maui in half.

And so it was that Maui's adventures ended.  He was the first being to die, and with his demise, death entered the world and from there on out would claim mortals.  To add insult to injury...the mighty hero was slain by a vagina.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story, and this look into Polynesian mythology!  Maui is a hilarious character.  What did you think of him?

See you next week!

Maui and the Stealing of Fire

Hello all!  How's your week going?  For those of you about to start finals, I wish you the best of luck.  If you're swamped with homework, hang in there - the end of the semester is in sight!

(On a non-mythological note...Star Wars.  Less than two weeks.  AAAHHHH!)

I've got two stories left that I want to tell about Maui.  Next week's will be one of the more interesting posts I've done.  For this week, however, I want to talk about fire.  There's a lot of variations on the story of how Maui stole fire, so I'll do a post about one story and then link you to another.

Having already raised the Polynesian islands and tamed the sun, one might think that Maui had done enough for humanity.  But no!  The hero was not yet done.  He wanted to be of more help to mankind.  So Maui decided that he was going to set out to steal fire, so that humans could warm themselves by its flames, cook their food, and have light even at night.

(Sound familiar?  The Greek Titan Prometheus stole fire and distributed it to mankind.)

Maui went to visit Mahuika, the goddess of fire.  He asked her to send some fire with him so that he could light the villages of man.  Mahuika obligingly plucked out one of her fingernails - which was an ember - and gave it to Maui.

Remember that Maui is a trickster?  He didn't just take the fire back to humans and call his trip a success.  No, he had to figure out some way to trick Mahuika.  So Maui left the cave she called home, and, as soon as he was out of sight, extinguished the nail she had given him.  The demigod then reentered Mahuika's home and asked for more fire, since the last one had gone out.

Mahuika suspected nothing, and gave him another of her fingernails.  This continued until she eventually had only one left.  By now the goddess knew that she was being pranked, and she wasn't happy.  She threw the last fingernail at Maui, but it caught on some dried wood and created a massive flame.

The demigod was able to escape, but Maui had learned the secret of fire.  He returned to mankind and was able to teach them how to create flames of their own using dried wood.

That's the story I learned for how Maui found fire.  If you want to read another, here's a link!  In it, Maui is even more of a trickster - mankind already had fire, but he wanted to know where the flames came from, so he extinguished all of them to find out.

Interestingly enough, a couple of the Polynesian tribes in New Zealand have a variant on this story where Mahuika is actually Mahu-ika, and is a male giant.  In their stories Maui wrestles the giant and eventually breaks his neck, then beheads him to take a spark of flame (which sets the world on fire, endangering everyone until the gods step in to save the day).

I find the way Mahuika's home is described fascinating, because it sounds to me like she lives inside a mountain.  Though I've only ever heard her called the goddess of fires, I wonder if she's associated with volcanoes as well.  The small sparks of flame (her fingernails) culminating in a huge woodland fire sound like a volcano spitting lava.

What do you guys think?

I'll be back next week with my final (and hilarious!) story about Maui.  See you then!

Maui and the Taming of the Sun

Hello all! Welcome back to my series of posts about the Polynesian hero Maui!
I hope that my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving week.  Did anyone get a chance to go and see Moana?  I still haven't, but I've heard some really great things about it from my friends!  I'm looking forward to checking it out (hopefully) over winter break.

Alright, on to this week's story!

Many Polynesian cultures have stories about Maui beating up the sun. That is the tale we're going to examine today. It helps to demonstrate that Maui is a compassionate demigod, even if the ways he shows that compassion are a little...violent.
 

Long ago there was a time when the days were exceptionally short. The sun moved quickly across the sky, and daylight fled before daytime tasks could be completed.
 

This issue came to Maui's attention. His mother complained that there was not enough time for her to dry her kapa (a type of fabric made out of bark). Other mortal women in the villages raised the same complaints. Upon hearing of their troubles, Maui determined to make the sun move more slowly so that the women would have more time to complete their tasks.
 

There are several variations on how he accomplished this task. In some versions of the story, Maui creates a lasso of sorts out of a female relative's hair. In others, it is his own hair that he uses to catch the sun and drag it towards him.

 

 

 

With the sun ensnared, Maui proceeds to beat it into submission. Several cultures say that he uses the magical jawbone of his grandmother to accomplish this task – how's that for a mental picture? (One version of the story I read even said that he starved his grandmother to death and took her jawbone for his weapon – but that was only one version of the story, so I'd take it with a grain of salt. None of the others mention him murdering his ancestress.)

 

The weakened sun is completely intimidated, and more than willing to give in to Maui's demands. Because of the demigod's actions, the sun begins to travel more slowly across the sky. Days are longer, and the women have the time they need to complete their chores.
 

What do you guys think? Maui was so nice and helpful for his mama!

(This picture had a bit more of a Greco-Roman feel to the armor, but I really love the concept and artwork.)

 

So the good news is that I have successfully completed NaNoWriMo!  That means that I'm no longer trying to cram 50,000 words into this month.  I'm still swamped with papers and finals for school, but I've got more time to devote to posts now.  That's very good news, because today's post is the last I had pre-written!

I'll be back next week with another post about Maui!  See you guys then.

Maui and the Raising of the Islands

(It was so tempting to name this one “Go Fish With a Demigod!”)

Howdy all! I hope you had a lovely week. I'm back today with a story about Maui, a Polynesian demigod whose actions literally shaped the lands the Polynesians live upon – at least according to their stories!

Shall we begin?

The Maori, Hawaiians, and the Te Arawa of New Zealand are a few of the cultures who have stories about their homeland being raised from the depths of the ocean by Maui. It must have taken several fishing trips to raise all of those islands!

The stories usually say that two of Maui's brothers were going on a fishing expedition. The demigod asked to join them, and tagged along in their boat. After a day without catching anything, the brothers began to nod off. Before they fell asleep, Maui asked them to not make any noises, as they might startle his catch.

In some versions of the tale, Maui used his own blood as bait. In others, the fishing hook he used was the enchanted jawbone of his grandmother ('cause that's not disturbing at all!).

Whatever he used, Maui was ultimately successful. His line grew taut with the weight of his catch. He began to haul upon the rope.

In some versions, Maui's brothers woke up and began to row backwards at his command, helping him drag up his catch. Unfortunately, upon seeing that Maui was hauling up not a fish, but a land mass, the brothers broke their silence. Despite Maui's warnings, they exclaimed their shock.

Whatever spell Maui had cast was broken. The land fell off of his hook, only partially out of the water. The Polynesians of New Zealand use this to explain why their islands are so lopsided compared to the rest of the landmass. I've heard Hawaiian stories claim that the multiple islands are because the land fell off of Maui's hook one piece at a time.

In each story, Maui was only partially successful. He had raised land from the depths of the ocean...but not as much as he wanted.

Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed the post.  Moana comes out this week - if you go see it, please let me know how it is!  I'm wondering how many mythology references will be in it.

Have a good week, and happy early Thanksgiving to all of my American readers! I'll be back next week with the tale of how Maui beat up the sun. See you then!

Maui the Shapeshifting Wonder

Hello all!  I'm back with another Polynesian mythology post!

If you've seen the previews for Disney's Moana, you may have seen Maui transforming into a bird. It looks awesome and it makes for a really cool character concept – but it's also accurate to the myths! Let's take a look.

Our story begins with the birth of Maui. He was born prematurely, and did not survive the birth. The baby Maui was wrapped in locks of his mother's hair, and thrown into the ocean.

 

 

His mother's prayers on his behalf drew the attention of the gods, who rescued Maui and restored him to life by their fire.

When he was a young boy Maui decided that he wanted to return to his birth family. His mind made up, the young demigod set out to find his mother.

There's two variations of the story that I know of (though I'm sure there are more!).

In one tale, Maui returns home and finds his brothers there. They are wary of the newcomer, not knowing that he is their brother. Maui eventually wins their favor by shapeshifting himself into several kinds of birds.

 

 

Impressed by this, the boys become friends.

One night Maui is at a party with his brothers. When the event ends, his mother has the boys line up so that she can count them all before taking them home. To her surprise, she finds an extra child with them – Maui! At first she ignores his claims that he is her son, but when he tells her the story of his birth, she knows that Maui is her lost child. At once the mother accepts him into her home.

The second version of the story is much the same as the first. In it, Maui wins the favor of his brothers – though without shapeshifting. He also attends the party and reunites with his mother in the same fashion. After that the story becomes rather different than the first.

Maui returns home with his family and sleeps in their house. He discovers that his mother disappears each morning, and none of his brothers know where she goes. Determined to find out, Maui blocks the light from entering the house. Because the sun does not enter the house the next morning, his mother oversleeps. When she wakes up and realizes that she is late, she rushes from the house, not taking care to cover her tracks.

The curious Maui shapeshifts into a bird – shocking and delighting his brothers – and follows her. His mother unknowingly leads him to a garden, where he finds her working alongside a man: his father! Maui perches in a tree above the man's head and drops berries onto him until his father takes note. Only then does Maui shapeshift back into his human form. His mother explains who he is, and so Maui meets his father for the first time.

While both stories are different, they show Maui shapeshifting at a very young age.

Kind of a cool power to have, right? I'm very much looking forward to seeing Maui shapeshifting in Disney animation!

 

See you next week!

Intro to Polynesian Mythology

Hey guys! I hope you're all doing well!  This past weekend was Tucson Comic Con, so I am exhausted from vending and desperately trying to catch up on homework.  Still, I had a blast!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see me.

For the next several weeks I'm going to be doing a series of posts about Polynesian mythology. Besides the fact that the mythology is gorgeous, there is a reason for this: Disney's upcoming movie, Moana, draws heavily from Polynesian myths. It's set to release on November 23, and I thought it would be neat to give my readers an introduction to some of the stories their film might draw upon.

 

So, first things first: What do I mean when I say Polynesian mythology?

The phrase “Polynesian” covers a wide range of cultures, from the Samoans, to Hawaiians, to groups living in New Zealand and Australia. Polynesian culture is centered around a group of islands in the Pacific. Many of the cultures traveled by boat, allowing them to spread to other bodies of land – which is how the culture arrived in New Zealand and Australia.

Because there are so many cultures under the name Polynesian, their mythology varies drastically at times. Their deities can have completely different names, but have the same stories – or have different stories, but the same names across cultures. Each group has myths that are unique to them; each also has stories that one can see tie into stories from other groups.

One character appears in all of the cultures I have looked into: Maui.

 

Maui is a trickster – and we've seen several of those across mythologies! Unlike the Norse Loki and the Japanese Susano, Maui is not antagonistic to mortals. He can be boastful and reckless, but he cares for humans and strives to help them. In so doing, he has more in common with the Greek trickster god, Hermes. Interestingly enough, Maui is not a full deity; he's only a demigod.

Maui is set to be one of the main characters in Moana, voiced by Dwayne Johnson. (I'm super excited for this casting for two reasons. 1: The Rock is in a Disney movie? I get to hear him sing?! Heck yes!! 2: Johnson actually has Samoan ancestry, so he's portraying a character from the stories of his ancestors. I love that!)

 

Because of this, I've decided to spend the next several weeks doing posts about the adventures of Maui. At times he is triumphant, his actions heroic. Other times his stories seem more like those of a braggart. And though he tries his hardest to save mankind, failure awaits him in the end.

(By the way – one of the islands of Hawai'i is named Maui. If you want to look up more stories about the demigod, make sure and specify!  Otherwise you'll end up looking at pictures of islands.)

 

I'm really looking forward to this, guys! I'll see you next week.

Diwali: The Festival of Lights

Hey guys!

Today I'm doing a special holiday post. That's because it's Diwali – the Hindu Festival of Lights!

If you're not familiar with the name, you may have also seen it spelled as Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali. I'll be sticking with Diwali in this post, but depending on where it is celebrated it can be called by different names. Diwali is celebrated all over the world, wherever Hindus worship. The holiday marks the beginning of the New Year for Hindus in northern India.

I regret to say that I had never heard of Diwali until about two months ago. I went to look at something on Etsy and they were advertising gifts for Diwali. I was immensely intrigued, and I've truly enjoyed looking into it! Diwali is a beautiful festival.

Here's some of what I've learned:

Gambling and games of chance are a major part of the festivities of Diwali. Stories in Hindu mythology tell of mortals gambling with the gods, or of the gods gambling with one another. When humans gamble during Diwali, it is hoped that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, beauty, and luck, will grant them some of her good fortune.

Besides gambling, Diwali celebrations are marked by two truly beautiful visual celebratory acts. The first are a series of patterns called alpanas. Only some regions of India make alpanas part of their celebration, but some of the places which do hold yearly competitions to find the most beautiful. Aplanas are designs painted on the floor, traditionally using a flour-based substance. I've also seen a similar style of floor art called rangoli. These patterns are believed to bring good luck the household...and they are beautiful.

(This pattern was called "simple".  I can't imagine painting something like that - let alone a more complicated pattern!)



Yet it is the second act for which Diwali is perhaps most famous. Throughout the celebration, there are lights everywhere. In recent years electric bulbs have begun to be used, but fires, candles, and oil-based lamps are still used. Enormous firework displays are also common.

Depending on where Diwali is being celebrated, the reasons for the lights vary. I've heard stories say that the lights were lit to welcome a great war hero home; other locations line paths with torches to help guide the spirits of departed ancestors to the afterlife; still others say that the lights are lit to celebrate a mighty god leading the world out of darkness. However, the tale I've heard most often revolves around Lakshmi. It says that the lights are lit to guide the goddess to the houses of her worshipers so that she might bless them.

“During the festival of Divali in October or November, Lakshmi roams the Earth in search of a place to spend the night and bestow her gifts. All over India hundreds of little oil lamps are lighted and placed around houses and rooftops and even in ponds and streams to attract her to them. The whole of India is like a fairyland, glittering and twinkling in devotion.”

Variations of Diwali are celebrated all over the world by Hindus, with the celebration taking on its own unique customs based on the country of celebration. An example is Tihar, a holiday similar to Diwali which is celebrated in Nepal. Though Tihar also honors sacred animals, it maintains many of the festivities of Diwali. Most similar is the practice of gambling and games of chance during Tihar (both of which are illegal during the rest of the year, but are allowed during the holiday) and the lighting of oil lamps to welcome Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, into a family's home.

If you're celebrating Diwali this year, I wish you a very happy one - and I'd love to see pictures!  Want to learn more about the festival?  Check out this link!

Tomorrow is another holiday, so if you'd like to read my post about Halloween/Day of the Dead/Samhain, check it out here.

I'll see you guys next week!

Three Travelers and a Dream for Bread

Hello all! I hope your Monday is going well so far.

Today we're taking a quick look at a folk tale. A friend of mine sent it to me – thanks for the idea, Katie! I hadn't read this particular story before, but I've heard several similar ones.

A common trend in folktales is that the underdog is frequently the victor. The idiot often trumps the wise men. The beggar marries a princess. The youngest son bests his brothers and becomes king. In almost all of these stories, it is either the kindness or the intelligence of the underdog which causes them to win the day.

The same is true in this folktale.

There were once three men traveling together. One was poorer than the others, and they looked down on him somewhat. Their journey took some time, and one night they found that they were almost out of food. Between the three of them they only had enough flour to bake one loaf of bread.

 

Now, a single loaf of bread would not be enough food if it was split between three people. After setting the bread to bake, one of the richer fellows came up with an idea. He declared that they would go to bed, and whoever had the best dream could eat the bread in the morning.
 

These terms were agreed to by all three, and they went to sleep.

However, the poorer man was cunning. He guessed that his traveling companions were trying to trick him so that they would get the loaf of bread. Rather than falling asleep, he waited until the other two had drifted into slumber. Then he arose, ate the loaf of bread, and returned to bed.

When the morning came one of the travelers sat bolt upright. He woke the other up and exclaimed that he had had the most amazing dream. The man claimed that in his sleep two angels had come to him, and had raised him up to the gates of heaven. Surely his was the most marvelous dream – and therefore deserving of the bread!

His companion disagreed. He claimed that he too had been approached by two angels in his sleep...but they had split open the earth and taken him to the bowels of hell. Obvious it was his dream which deserved the bread!

Little did the two know that their poor traveling companion had been listening to both of their stories – he was still laying as if asleep. Eager to claim the bread, the duo awoke him.

The poor man opened his eyes and exclaimed in shock that the two had returned. They were confused, and informed him that they hadn't gone anywhere. But the cunning man shook his head and told them that they had both been taken in the night. One had risen to heaven with two angels; the other had descended into hell with two others.

Seeing that they were both gone, and thinking it unlikely that either would return, the poor man had eaten the bread and gone back to bed.

And so it was that his traveling companions were outsmarted by their own “dreams”!

What did you guys think? I love the humor in the tale. There are many variations of this story.  If you'd like to read some of them, you can find more here.

I'll see you next week with a special holiday post!

Ganymede: Beauty and Cups

Alright, so today's post was going to be about a totally different topic, but then I had a package show up this morning with this little cutie:

This is Ganymede, a plush version of a bird from Blizzard's video game Overwatch.  Ganymede is the friend of a giant robot named Bastion.  If you feel like having your heartstrings tugged, I'd highly suggest watching the story of their friendship in this video.

Why am I telling you about Overwatch?  Well, Blizzard has a tendency to utilize mythology in their video games.  (So much so that I did an entire series of posts on the myths of World of Warcraft!)  Sometimes they put references to entire myths within their story; at other times, all they draw on is a name.

Ganymede is one such name.

In Greek mythology, Ganymede was a mortal who drew the attention of the mighty god Zeus.  The young lad lived the life of a shepherd.  One day, Zeus looked down from Mount Olympus and happened to see Ganymede.  The human was the most beautiful he had ever seen, and Zeus just had to have him.

Now, Zeus isn't exactly known for his self control.  As soon as he saw Ganymede he transformed himself into an eagle, swooped down, picked the lad up, and carried him off to the home of the gods.

Most of Zeus' conquests come to a tragic end.  The story of Ganymede is quite different, in that the boy was actually granted immortality.  He became the cup bearer of the gods, keeping their glasses full during feasts.

In fact, Zeus is actually at his most compassionate in the story of Ganymede.  Usually the god only thinks of himself, but for some reason he took notice of the grief of Ganymede's father at the kidnapping of his son.  Zeus sent the lad's father a gift of two mighty horses.
(Okay, so horses might not make up for a stolen child - but still, it's more than Zeus normally does for grieving families!)

Two quick facts about Ganymede:

It is said that Zeus made the lad into a constellation - Aquarius.  Aquarius has been associated with drinks in several different mythologies.  The Egyptians viewed it as connected to the Nile River.  The Mesopotamians considered Aquarius to be the constellation of Enki/Ea, holding a vase filled with water.

Usually when Zeus has sex with a character in mythology, it's pretty obvious.  Of course, that's because he usually gets them pregnant.  It's been debated whether or not Zeus' relationship with Ganymede was sexual.  I won't jump into that debate, but I can tell you that 1) Hera, Zeus' wife, was exceptionally jealous of Ganymede and his beauty. 2) Of the four moons that Galileo discovered of the planet Jupiter, three are named after Zeus' mistresses - Io, Callisto, and Europa.  The fourth is named Ganymede.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post!  Any Overwatch players out there?

See you next week!

The Hounds of Hel

Today we're going to be looking at several different mythologies: Egyptian, Greek/Roman, and Norse. All of these mythologies have their similarities, but the one I'm focusing on today is their portrayal of dogs. All of these cultures have myths associating dogs with the afterlife. In particular, all of them have named dogs who serve as guardians to the afterlife.

Ready? Let's get started.

The Egyptians worshiped a deity named Anubis.  Anubis has the body of a man and a canine head. The Egyptians often associated Anubis with graveyards. Although he is sometimes depicted as escorting dead souls to the afterlife, the deity's role is primarily that of a gatekeeper and judge. The Egyptian afterlife, ruled over by Osiris, is guarded by Anubis. To enter into the afterlife, a person's heart was placed on a scale opposite the feather of truth.

 

 

If the scales balanced out, or the heart was lighter, Anubis judged them worthy and allowed them into the afterlife. If the heart was heavier, however...well, then the person was unworthy. They were tossed aside to be devoured by a sort of hippo-crocodile-lion thing (it's as unpleasant as it sounds).

Let's change cultures, shall we?

Perhaps the best known Hound of Hel is the Greek Cerberus. Frequently depicted with three heads (though sometimes with only two), Cerberus is the fearsome hound who guards the entrance to the Greek afterlife. His master is Hades.

 

 

Cerberus prevents the living from entering or exiting the underworld, but there are a few times where he has failed in this task. Hercules himself bested Cerberus, and was therefore allowed to leave the underworld. Music is as effective on the hound as brawn, however. The great poet Orpheus was able to enter the underworld in search of his dead wife by playing his harp, lulling Cerberus into letting him pass.

 

(Three headed dog? Harp? Can't imagine why that sounds familiar!)

 

The Romans also included Cerberus in their myths, one of a few characters whose names did not change. Roman mythology adds another person to the list of those who have made it past the guard dog of the underworld: Aeneas. In this story by Virgil, Cerberus is bested not with strength or with music, but with treats. Every dog likes a good treat, right? Turns out a barley cake soaked in mead is the way to this giant puppy's heart.
 

So Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythologies all have dogs who guard the gates of the underworld. This could be explained by the proximities of the cultures to one another. After all, all three mythologies share quite a few similarities. But the Norse culture is pretty far from the Mediterranean. Because of this, I find it fascinating that they have:

Garm!

 

Garm is the guardian of Hel, the Norse underworld for those who did not die a valiant death. His mistress is Hel herself. Garm is described as a fearsome hound whose fur is coated in blood. When Ragnarok comes, Garm will do battle with Tyr, and both will die in battle.

Most interesting to me is the fact that Garm can be calmed...by being given a piece of bread. Sounds pretty similar to the Roman take on Cerberus! Dogs and their treats, right?

What do you guys think? Know of any other cultures that have dogs connected to the underworld?

Treebound is Published!

Hey guys!

Chosen of the Gods: Treebound has been published!  You can order it here on Amazon.  It's available as both a paperback and a Kindle.  If you buy the physical copy, you get the ebook for half price!

If you read Treebound, I'd hugely appreciate a review!  I always love hearing what my readers think of my work.

Haven't read my other books?  To celebrate Treebound's release, you can get a free Kindle copy of Hammerfall and Lovesick through today (October 2nd)!

Thank you all so much for your support!  I can't tell you how much it means to me.

I'll see you next week with a post about several mythologies, wherein I look at a common myth - the Hound of Hell!

Ibeji: Divinity in Twins

Hey guys!

I wanted to discuss a few things before I get started with the post.  First off, we passed 20,000 pageviews over the weekend!  This is a milestone I've been looking forward to, so it was very exciting.  Thank you so much to all of my readers!  When I started this blog almost two years ago, I never expected it to reach so wide of an audience.  It's amazing to see how many people remain interested in mythology.  Thank you, and I look forward to another 20,000!

Next: Today is going to be my last post about African folktales for the time being.  Next week I'll have a special announcement post.  After that, I plan to spend the month of October hopping between various mythologies and/or fairy tales.  Beginning in November I'll begin a series of posts about Polynesian mythology, which I am very excited to look into.  I hope you guys enjoy!

For today's post, let's take a look at an interesting practice in the Yoruba culture of Africa involving twins.

"Ibeji" is the name for the Yoruba god of twins.  It is also the Yoruba word for twins.  Because twins are so uncommon, they are seen as having a little bit of the divine within them.  The spirits of twins are said by the Yoruba to occupy both the mortal world and the realm of the animals.  Twins are said to share one spirit.

The rarity of twins is reflected in the attitude of the Yoruba towards them.  Childbirth is said to be twice as difficult for twins, but the fortunes of the family increase by twice as much as they would if only one child were born.  Because the Ibeji are considered semi-divine, great care is taken to not anger them.  Ibeji are doted upon and their whims are appeased by their parents.  If the twins are displeased, the god Ibeji might take note and cause the parents to become unlucky.

The most fascinating thing about Yoruba twins is the practice of ere ibeji.  An ere ibeji is a small statuette carved when a twin dies.  Should only one twin pass on, the living twin claims responsibility of the statue.  It is their job to care for the ere ibeji as if their counterpart were still living.  The statue is bathed once a day, and food is offered to its mouth with each meal.  Essentially, the surviving Ibeji lives the lives of both.

(The surviving twin, pictured with the ere ibeji of their deceased sibling.)

If both twins should die, two statues are carved, and it becomes the mother's duty to care for both of them as if her children were still living.

(Some museums keep old ere ibeji on display.)

This entire concept fascinated me as soon as I read about it.  I lucked out and found a number of articles about the Ibeji in my college's online database.  There the matter became even more interesting.  You might have noticed that I've been using the present tense when talking about the Ibeji - this is deliberate.  The Yoruba culture still regards twins as having control over a family's fortunes.  When an Ibeji dies, an ere ibeji is still created.  However, the Yoruba have begun using photographs in place of carvings in some cases.  The surviving twin is photographed twice, once as themself and once, mirrored, as the deceased Ibeji.  The photographs are then blended together to make it appear as though both twins are pictured.

What do you guys think of the Ibeji?  The thought of twins sharing one spirit (and of one having to live out the life of the deceased) made me think of the Weasley twins from Harry Potter.

I'll see you next week!

Anansi: Tricking His Way to Stories

There was a time before Anansi was the keeper of the stories. In fact, he had to undergo a series of trials in order to earn the role of storyteller. Let me tell you the tale:

In the beginning all of the stories of the world were kept by Nyame, the sky god. Anansi wanted to be able to tell stories, so he went to Nyame and asked to buy the stories from him. Nyame warned him that the price was steep, but Anansi still pushed for them. The sky god agreed that the stories would belong to Anansi if the spider could bring him a nest of hornets, a giant python, and a mighty leopard.

 

Anansi set out on his quest, confident in his abilities. He began with the hornets. First the spider found a hollow gourd and cut a small hole in it. He went to where the hornets lived and poured water all over the nearby trees and himself. Thoroughly soaked, Anansi incredulously asked the hornets why they were staying in the rain. He held up the gourd and offered it to them as shelter from the storm. The grateful hornets flew in one by one. When they had all filed in, Anansi plugged up the hole. He delivered the hornets to Nyame.

The next challenge was the python. Anansi greeted the enormous snake and struck up a conversation with him. The spider claimed that he and his wife had gotten into a debate – was the python larger or smaller than a pole which lay nearby? The snake obligingly offered to lay near the pole so that Anansi could measure him against it and see which was longer. The spider asked if he could tie the python to the pole, to make sure that both lay straight.

In the end, of course, the python was strapped to a pole. It was all too easy for Anansi to carry him off to Nyame.

The last animal needed was the leopard. Anansi dug a deep pit in the ground, then covered it with branches and leaves so that it was invisible. When the leopard walked over it, the branches gave way and he fell. Anansi “just so happened” to be walking along, and offered to help rescue the leopard.

The spider bent a tree over so that its top touched the ground, and tied it off. He tied another rope around the tree and dropped the other end into the hole with the leopard. The cat, thinking it would lead to his freedom, followed Anansi's instructions and tied the rope around his tail.

 

As soon as he had, Anansi cut the rope holding the tree to the ground. It sprang back into the air – and it took the leopard with it!

Anansi found the cat dangling from the tree by his tail. It was a simple matter then to capture him.

When he returned to Nyame with the leopard, the sky god could not deny that Anansi had met all of his terms. He gave all of his stories to Anansi.
 

That is the story of how the spider got his tales.

Alright, I promised you guys I'd take a look at some of the appearances of Anansi in pop culture. He appears in some of the works by author Neil Gaiman (who's absolutely brilliant and you should totally check out if you haven't!). The books American Gods and Anansi Boys both deal with the spider trickster.

It's been years since I've seen it, but the Gargoyles animated television show had a few episodes where a spider named Anansi appeared. I hadn't realized when I watched it, but Gargoyles actually draws a lot from various mythologies and folktales. Avalon and the character of Oberon (most well-known for his Shakespeare character) both make appearances in the show. I'll have to go back and watch it again to see what else does!

The last set I'll mention in this post is comics. Both DC and Marvel have incarnations of Anansi. The DC version interacts with the character of Vixen, and his actions are pretty fitting for a (mostly) benevolent trickster. The Marvel version appears a few more times, and his appearances are frequently tied into the Spider Man stories. Though I haven't read it myself, I'm told Anansi was actually the first Spider Man.

Thanks for reading, guys! And, since I neglected to mention it elsewhere in my post...Arrr, maties! Happy Talk Like a Pirate day! I hopes ye're havin' a good time, and doin' somethin' piratical and awesome! Avast!

I'll see you next week!

The Buffalo Hide

Hey guys.

Today's post is shorter than usual, and I'm sorry, but it isn't about Anansi.  I had my wisdom teeth out a few days ago, and I appear to have misplaced my reference book that talks about the story I wanted to cover today.  Looking for it hurt, so I eventually settled on this story instead.  I'll do my best to find the book and have it prepared for next week.

I hope you all are doing well!

Today's story is a short folktale that has similarities to tales told in cultures all over the world.  Let me tell you the story, and then I'll look at some others like it.

Once there was a hunter who liked to lurk by a river, knowing that doing so would make the animals come to him.  One day he approached his usual territory and hid in the grasses.  To the hunter's surprise, he found a large number of people bathing in the water, with not an animal in sight.  These people looked a little bit different to him, though - they were big and burly, with dark brown skin.  The hunter knew of no such people in any village nearby, and wondered where they had come from.

Then the hunter noticed something.  On the banks of the river lay piles of buffalo hides, and very fine ones at that.  There were so many that the hunter thought he could take one without being noticed.  He snuck down to the river and grabbed a hide - judging from its size, it had come from a female buffalo.

Just then the bathers began to emerge from the river.  The hunter darted back into cover.

What he saw next left the hunter flabbergasted.  One by one, the bathers left the river and approached the pile of hides.  Each picked up a buffalo hide and shrugged it over their shoulders.  As they did so, a change occurred.  Each human transformed into a buffalo!

The hunter could only stare as a herd of buffalo marched away from him.

But one hide was missing, and so one human was left.  It was a female whose skin he had taken.  The young woman looked up and down the riverbank, crying when she could not find her skin anywhere.

The hunter fell in love with the buffalo woman.  He approached her and soothed her, then asked if she would be his wife.  He built her a house, and together they had a son.  He was big and brown, like his mother's people.

One day, the buffalo woman found her skin, kept carefully by the hunter for all of their years together.  That night she told him that she wanted to return to her people, and that she wanted him to come with her.

(I had a very hard time finding pictures for this story.  There's a Native American tale with a similar name, and all the images I could find were for it.  Still, this was one of the first pictures to pop up when I searched for "Buffalo Bride".  It was too cute to not include!)

 

The woman put on her buffalo skin and led her husband to her family.  When they heard how kindly he had treated her, they accepted him as one of their own.  A buffalo skin was sewed for the hunter, and he became a buffalo himself.

The hunter and the buffalo woman had many other children, but all of them were buffalos.  Only their first son remained a human.  The story goes that he married into a chieftain's family, and that all of his descendants were strong and stubborn...just like the buffalo.  To this day, that tribe will not eat buffalo meat.

What do you guys think?

There are a number of stories I can think of in which similar occurrences happen.  A female animal sheds its skin and becomes human to bathe.  That skin is found by a mortal man, who the woman marries.  Eventually, she reclaims her skin and returns to her people.  This one is different in that I haven't read many versions where the husband and wife stay together.

What interests me is the disparity between cultures which have this story.  This African version has a buffalo.  The Scottish Selkie is a seal version.  There's a Japanese version involving a crane which I'm very fond of.  Several Eastern European countries have variations on the tale with the animal involved being a swan or a dove.  It's fascinating to me to see how many cultures have a tale so similar.

I hope you guys were interested too.  I'll see you next week!

Chosen of the Gods: Treebound Sneak Peek!

Hey guys!  I promised you something special this week - here it is!  Without further ado, I give you chapter one of my upcoming book, Treebound!

Day 188295

Tom had seen some pretty curious things in his days as a relic bearer. He had witnessed the Norse apocalypse. He had watched a power-hungry goddess try to frame her husband for her son’s kidnapping. He had seen relic bearers try to recreate the fictional game of Quidditch (successfully), cosplay as superheroes (powers and all), and attempt to use their abilities to rig the results of the Super Bowl (which the Council quickly prevented).

All of that paled before the curious nature of what he was currently watching.

Tom ran a hand through his curly black hair, openly staring at the horde of cats sitting on the rooftops of the street across from him. Most of them seemed focused on a single building – a jewelry store about a block away from the alley where Tom was observing from. A few minutes ago he had watched the cats cross the rooftops to take up their current positions, their movements almost perfectly in sync with the young woman who had just broken into the store with quick efficiency.

He was fairly certain he had found his relic bearer.

Tom jumped at a soft sound behind him. He whirled around to see a sight nearly as unexpected as the militant formation of the cats. A man with short cropped red hair and a gently bristling beard stood a few steps away, a broad smile on his face. He wore blue jeans and a dark t-shirt, and his jacket mostly concealed the gun holster he wore with confidence.

“Liam?” Tom whispered, not quite believing it.

“Sup?” his friend replied, still grinning. “What are you doing here, Tom?”

The redhead stepped forward to join Tom as the former butler turned, once more focusing on the jewelry shop down the street. “Thought I’d actually do some work,” Tom answered quietly. “Word is there’s a new relic bearer in this area, and I think I’ve found her. What’re you doing here?”

Liam frowned slightly, his trained gaze taking note of the unusual behavior of the multitude of cats on the rooftops. During his day job, Liam was a police officer – and he used those same skills to aid the Order of relic bearers. “The Order thinks there’s a bearer using their relic for crime. I’ve been sent to stop them. Is the Order running short on Seekers or something? I thought you were too important for field work now.”

Tom’s face flushed at his friend’s words. “I needed a break. Being Ambassador for the Norse and Greek gods is killing my head, especially now that the other pantheons are chiming in. Besides, I miss being a Seeker.”

“Gotcha,” Liam replied, his eyes still roving the street. “What are the odds that we’re here for the same relic bearer?”

“Given that I just saw her break into a store, I’d say pretty good,” Tom replied wryly. “What is it with you and catching cat burglars?”

Liam blinked. He looked at the cats calmly surveying the area, then back at Tom. His blue eyes sparkled. “Pun intended, I assume?”

Tom grinned, and let that be his answer. He had missed his friend. Work kept them both so busy that they rarely had time to catch up. Getting to see Liam, if only for a few minutes in the field, was a joy.

A sharp shattering noise far off drew their attention back to the store. Liam hissed softly. “Sounds like a broken counter display. She’s definitely stealing.”

Tom caught his elbow as his friend moved to exit the alley. “Hold on. I’ve never seen cats act like this before. I’d rather know what she can do before we confront her.”

Liam glanced at the rooftops, and blinked when he found two of the cats watching him, their eyes glowing yellow in the streetlights. He carefully stepped back into the shadows Tom stood in. After a moment the cats looked away, but their ears remained turned towards the human duo.

“Maybe you’re right,” Liam replied softly. Almost all of the cats he saw were street cats – huge, tough things covered in scars and used to rough living. Hardened street cats could be vicious and dangerous on the best of days, when acting alone. But multiple cats acting under the direction of a bearer? Liam shuddered at the thought. He could see half a dozen cats from where he stood, and he was sure that more lurked in the shadows where human eyes couldn’t penetrate.

Movement drew he and Tom’s eyes back to the store, where the girl was emerging. She looked to be in her early teens, with her curly hair cropped in a short black bob. Sparkling jewels hung from her neck in large quantities – she seemed to be wearing the spoils of her night’s work.

Liam glanced towards the rooftops as the girl began to prowl down the street away from them. He sucked in a breath. “Tom. The cats are gone.”

The butler looked up and blinked. Sure enough, all of the felines seemed to have silently vanished. The girl continued moving away, this time without her protective detail of cats. After a moment, a large figure detached himself from an alley ahead of the two men and began to follow her. Something metallic in his hand glinted as he passed under a light, and Liam hissed as he recognized a knife.

Without a word Liam left the alley and broke into a soft run, followed immediately by Tom. Downtown LA was dangerous at the best of times, and that girl – criminal or not – looked too young to be on her own.

Some sound seemed to alert her to her pursuer. She turned around and caught sight of the man behind her. Her eyes were large, almost feral looking, and she immediately broke into a run. The man let out a harsh curse and began a sprint of his own, rapidly gaining ground on her. Liam and Tom were still a ways away when she turned down a back alley, the man right behind her.

Tom quickly grabbed Liam’s arm. The dizzying blur that accompanied the use of the butler’s relics left them standing in an alley across from the one the girl had ducked into. Liam moved to run towards it, but Tom’s arm stopped him.

“Look up,” he breathed.

Liam followed his friend’s gaze and saw what had made Tom stop. The six cats they had watched earlier stood on the rooftops surrounding the alley.

Every one of them was focused on the ground below.

It was too dark in the alley for Tom and Liam to see what was happening, but they heard a man scream in sudden agony. After a moment his footsteps pounded and he raced out of the alley, one hand held to his face with blood gushing through his fingers.

A score of cats, all of them fierce and large, chased after him.

Tom and Liam watched as the man raced down the street, the cats easily keeping pace. Two of the cats continued to swat at his heels as he ran. Judging from his yelps, their claws inflicted some wounds.

After a minute the man disappeared from view, and the street was silent once more.

The duo let out a soft breath. “I’m very glad we didn’t try and stop her,” Liam whispered, his voice stunned. “I’ve never seen anything like that. What sort of relic does she have?”

Tom shrugged. “The Order wasn’t sure. I’m guessing some sort of animal deity – Dionysus and Artemis are both popular with cats, and Freya’s chariot is pulled by them. Most pantheons have at least one god associated with felines.”

“Dionysus? I thought he was the god of wine?” Liam replied. His voice was still soft, but it also sounded incredulous.

“Wine. Partying and general debauchery. Leopards.” Tom was still watching the alley the girl had run into, but there was no sign of movement.

“Leopards. Good Lord, she chased a man off with tom cats. Can you imagine what she could do with leopards?” the cop said, horrified.

“Interesting idea,” a soft voice purred above them. “Maybe we should visit the zoo.”

The two men looked up as a loud meow answered the girl. She was perched on the rooftop above them, crouched on the very edge with seemingly no care for its height. A cat, black and white with a stub of a tail, arched his back and bumped into her side, his wide blue eyes fixed on the men below even as he purred.

Tom noticed that Liam was careful to not reach for his gun.

“Hello,” the butler said, trying to keep his voice calm. “I’m Tom, and this is Liam. What’s your name?”

The girl jumped lightly to the ground before them, then sprang up and held out her arms to catch the cat who followed her. “Cas. This is Stubby.” The cat mrowed at them cheerfully, nuzzling into the girl’s face before hopping to the ground. “What do you want?”

“We’d like to talk to you about the gods,” Tom replied. He watched as the cat patrolled around he and Liam, sniffing curiously at both of their legs.

Cas broke into a hearty laugh. “A little late for missionary work, don’t you think?” She frowned at Liam as the cat continued to sniff his shoes. The cop held very still, and swallowed as the cat looked up at him with disdain. “You’re a dog person. We don’t like dogs.”

“I like cats too,” he assured her, reaching out a careful hand for Stubby. The cat regarded him for an instant before his eyes softened, and he leaned into Liam’s hand with his head, arching his back and flumping his rear into Liam’s leg as he did so. He maowed again, very loudly, and Cas relaxed a little.

“I suppose you’ll do,” she said, looking curiously at the two. One hand sat impetuously on her hip as the other fingered the diamond necklace that dropped to her waist. “Follow me.”

She breezily stalked past the two, Stubby following her cheerfully. Tom and Liam exchanged an incredulous glance, then moved after her. Cas moved as gracefully as any cat they had ever seen. Her footsteps were silent as she prowled through the streets. In contrast, Liam and Tom’s footsteps rang out loudly on the pavement. She looked back and flashed a very feline smile, then sped up slightly, forcing them to jog to keep pace.

After a few twists and turns through back streets they finally reached her destination. When Liam and Tom rounded the last corner they found Cas stretched out on a cushy couch, battered and torn but still comfortable looking. The couch rested in the dead end of an alley, and multiple crates and boxes had been stacked all around it. Soft, warm blankets filled most of the boxes, and several were draped upon the couch itself. Liam noticed that the crates made an effective stairway up to the surrounding rooftops, allowing Cas several easy escape routes.

Cas gestured for the duo to sit, and they settled onto crates that proved surprisingly comfortable. Liam and Tom exchanged glances, unsure how the girl had wound up in control of the situation. She lounged on her couch, looking as luxurious as a queen holding court. Stubby hopped up next to her and gave a soft yowl. Cas reached out and began to pet him. She scritched his back all the way to the stub of his tail, and he mrowled again as he stretched his rump as high into the air as it would go, eventually falling over onto the cushions.

“Now,” Cas said, still petting the cat, “I believe you said something about leopards?” Her tone was curious, and Tom felt his eyebrows climb at her calm reaction to their presence.

“Uhh,” he replied, thinking quickly. “Well, it depends on what god your relic is from.”

“God?” she interrupted. “Relic?” Stubby yowled sadly as her hand paused in its petting, and Cas quickly resumed rubbing his back.

“Maybe this would be easier if we found out what you know,” Liam replied. “How do you control the cats?”

Again Cas laughed at them, her white teeth flashing against the darkness of her skin. Her teeth, Tom noted, looked rather sharp. “You don’t control a cat, silly. They do what they want.”

Liam blinked. “Then how did you make them chase off that mugger?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t. They chased him off because they wanted to.”

“Why would they want to do that?” Tom asked. “For that matter, I’ve never seen a group of cats that large. Why were they there in so many numbers?”

“We have an arrangement,” the girl replied, still languidly petting her cat. “They work as lookouts for me. They keep me safe. In exchange, I pay them.”

“You…pay them.” Liam looked rather confused, and Tom didn’t blame him at all.

“Yes. What, you think that’s all for me?” Cas gestured towards a large barrel full of salted fish behind the couch, and the two men took note of it for the first time.

“Ah. So, you feed the cats, and in exchange they help you?” Tom asked. “I just want to make sure I’ve got this right.”

“Yup! That’s it exactly.” Once again Cas had begun to play with the necklace hanging from her slender neck. Similar sparkles drew Liam’s attention to jewels all over the girl’s lair, mixed in with the blankets and crates. Some were obviously fake theater jewelry, but others appeared to be actual jewels. Miscellaneous shiny pieces of metal, including quite a few coins, also caught the dim light that illuminated the area. Liam was abruptly reminded of a magpie’s nest, full of random shiny trinkets.

Tom’s voice drew Liam’s attention back to the conversation. “Most people can’t…create working relationships with cats,” he explained to the girl. “How do you talk with them?”

She yawned, once more showing her pointy teeth. “I don’t. I just know what they want, and they know what I want. When do we get to the part about the leopards?”

“Again, it depends on your relic,” the Seeker answered. “If it’s a relic of Dionysus, you might be able to…interact with leopards.”

“Who’s Dionysus?” she asked, curious.

“He’s one of the Greek gods,” Liam replied.

“Oh. And what’s a relic?”

“A relic is something one of the gods used to possess,” the cop explained. He was somewhat disturbed by how calmly Cas was taking all of this; she seemed only vaguely interested. Her curiosity reminded him of nothing so much as a cat. Liam’s gaze flicked from Cas down to Stubby, and then back up to the young woman. It was her eyes, he realized with a start. The pupils in her gold-brown gaze weren’t round, but slit – exactly like a cat.

“Why would I have a relic?” she asked, stretching.

“I don’t know,” Tom answered. “Sometimes the gods give them to mortals. Sometimes they’re just found by us. Do you have anything that you acquired around the time you started working with the cats? Something that’s on you at all times?”

She frowned. For the first time Cas seemed to completely focus on the conversation. Her hand stopped petting Stubby, who was purring in a near-slumber. She gazed at the cat in wonder. “Maybe,” she replied hesitantly. “Why do you care?”

“We represent an Order of relic bearers,” Tom answered. “We seek out new bearers, explain their relics to them. We also explain the god it came from. We want to help relic bearers understand their new powers, and how to use them without harming anyone, or disrupting the normal world.”

She looked up, her gaze sharp. “What about him?” she asked, eyeing Liam suspiciously. “I know a blue when I see one.”

“I’m part of the Order, but yes – I am also a cop,” he replied honestly. “The Order sometimes sends me to stop bearers who are using their relics for crime.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because it increases the chance of normal people finding out about relics,” Liam answered. “And because most cops can’t keep up with a criminal who has a relic.”

She grinned at that. “So what, you’re here to arrest me? Take away whatever relic I have? ’cause I won’t let you do that.”

Tom shook his head. “We’re just here to tell you about the Order, and to let you know that there are people like you out there.”

Cas frowned at that. “But what if I want to keep stealing?”

A thought struck Liam, and he followed his instincts, attempting to play to her curiosity. “Wouldn’t you rather do something more challenging? More…unique?”

“Like what?” Her feline eyes focused entirely on him, and Liam fought an unnerved shiver.

“Come see the Order,” he suggested. “See what we do. Learn about us. Then decide whether or not you might want to help us. We could use someone like you.”

She eyed him for a moment, then Tom. Cas looked down at Stubby. “What do you think, boy?”

His sleepy eyes were immediately clear, and the fully awake cat also eyed the two humans. Then he gave a long, loud mrowl. Cas nodded, apparently satisfied.

“Alright,” she told Liam. “Show me.” She stood with feline grace and vaulted over the couch, opening the barrel of fish – and sending a very strong aroma over the little alley alcove. Stubby hopped after her and waited as she offered him one.

Liam and Tom also stood, a little uncertain. “Now?” Liam asked.

“Yes, now.” She turned towards them, wiping off her hands. “The cats will have their payment when they come, so there’s nothing else for me to do. Show me. I want to see this Order.”

The two men exchanged another glance, then nodded. “Alright,” Tom replied. “Have you ever traveled by rainbow, miss?”

Treebound, the final book in my Chosen of the Gods trilogy, comes out in October.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week with a return to African folktales!