Homer offers one of the earliest descriptions of the Sirens in The Odyssey. It comes as Odysseus is leaving Hades, having gotten advice from just about all of the shades in his past. Circe makes it clear that there are still significant obstacles to his journey home and offers suggestions as to how to hear […]
The Sirens of Homer’s Odyssey I Read More »
I am working on a series of posts on my research on the sirens — all of which went into creating the character of Erminia, the siren in The Innamorati. I decided to provide something from the novel as an opportunity to see how the research transforms into character. So here is the chapter where
Excerpt From The Innamorati: Erminia, the Siren Read More »
Every time I work on a book, I spend almost as much time looking for evocative images as I do the right word or phrase. I never know exactly where I will find them — though heaven knows, Pinterest has provided me with much joy recently. And I now keep all the found images from
Visual Nutrition: Finding the Satyrs of The Innamorati Read More »
As part of preparing for my talk at Mythcon — which will be focusing on the re-interpretation of myths in modern literature, especially as this is the anniversary of C. S. Lewis’ brilliant novel Till We Have Faces, based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche — I have been reading widely in the histories and
Orality and Literacy: The Sound of Language. Read More »
Above is a curious and captivating of two nude jousters — male and female(?) — on snails. This is from the Baldus de Ubaldis. Lectura super Institutionibus. 1480-1481. The best part of this image is that it remains an utter mystery as to what sort of allagorical or rhetorical meaning they were trying to express by
Jousting Snails: A Medieval Martial Art Read More »
I am so excited to share two new poems from author and poet Marly Youmans (whose previous work I have reviewed here and here). Recently, I realized that the Journal of Mythic Arts Poetry archives was incomplete without something from Marly, whose work in mythic and fairy tale poetry is really stunning. I asked, and
Two New Gorgeous Poems from Marly Youmans Read More »
I have been working through my mother Jeanette Snyder's papers — including a cash of drawings, and strips of contact sheet photographs (many that were never developed and for which the negatives disappeared many years ago) on her research of the Tibetan Lhamo in 1964. She rote a wonderful article "The World Beneath the Tents"
Bittersweet: An Afternoon Under the Tent Watching the A Ice Lhamo Perform Read More »
“In the end, he thought, a neat labyrinth or an untidy maze was a simple place. You reached its heart and were devoured by the beast, or you reached its heart, and the spot was bare and pulseless. Maybe the beast and the blankness were the same. Maybe it was the emptiness that had teeth
An Early Review of Maze of Blood by Marly Youmans Read More »
It’s been one of those months…distracting and demanding. So I am here now, trying to make up for all my lost time. I have a lot to say about these days…but am still wading through the need to get more done here and there. So here…a collection from my pinterest account of gorgeous foxes —
The maze of Labirinto in The Innamorati (and reappearing in Zizola’s story) is a work of alchemy and fantastic art. It has an organic nature, the twisting pathways lined with walls of densely packed trees. From the outside, it appears solid, immutable. But once inside, it expands and contracts, and once on the path, one
Fantastic Life in the Maze Read More »
