Fantastic research and history lesson. I'm quite surprised and interested by how consistent world mythology is. While the names and faces change, the underlying mythos is quite similar the world over.
And then there is the question of how much fiction is actually fictionalised ancestral memory. I once set an entire fantasy novel in a desert kingdom around a city I called Samarkand that was rich from trade. and it was moorish in nature. Only to discover that a moorish city called Samarkand exists on the silk road. I had never had any interest in Eastern culture before then so it's unlikely I picked this up in earlier years. Weird. This happens to me so often now that after I write something I go and research the details to see if it's popping up in history somewhere and if so I tweak things a bit to make it consistent with that historical context. But I am in no way a historian, more an enthusiast for various time periods.
Incredible. I'm humbled by your character research. I've always been afraid of historical fiction because I know it requires this herculean research regimen. Regarding character names, Tolkien was one of the best, I think. His names were always so fitting and filled with personal history for the character. I often do times writing about my characters, sometimes around their favorite or most cherished objects, etc., just to help me discover them. Niece piece. Thanks!
Fantastic research and history lesson. I'm quite surprised and interested by how consistent world mythology is. While the names and faces change, the underlying mythos is quite similar the world over.
And then there is the question of how much fiction is actually fictionalised ancestral memory. I once set an entire fantasy novel in a desert kingdom around a city I called Samarkand that was rich from trade. and it was moorish in nature. Only to discover that a moorish city called Samarkand exists on the silk road. I had never had any interest in Eastern culture before then so it's unlikely I picked this up in earlier years. Weird. This happens to me so often now that after I write something I go and research the details to see if it's popping up in history somewhere and if so I tweak things a bit to make it consistent with that historical context. But I am in no way a historian, more an enthusiast for various time periods.
Incredible. I'm humbled by your character research. I've always been afraid of historical fiction because I know it requires this herculean research regimen. Regarding character names, Tolkien was one of the best, I think. His names were always so fitting and filled with personal history for the character. I often do times writing about my characters, sometimes around their favorite or most cherished objects, etc., just to help me discover them. Niece piece. Thanks!