So yesterday on Facebook, I asked the question: what supernatural creature is
the most underrepresented that you want to read more about? If you follow me on
Facebook then you know I like posing questions periodically to open up a
dialogue regarding what people are thinking about.
The answers varied, but here is what I pulled together:
- Trolls
- Leprechauns
- Unicorns
- Banshees
- Djinn
- Centaurs
What a wide and varied mix, but as you can see, we're definitely looking at
mythological creatures from around the world. What critters didn't make the list?
- Angels
- Dragons
- Witches
- Werewolves
- Vampires
So arguably those areas are pretty saturated or at least satisfying to the
readers and no one is feeling that they are underrepresented. So here is what I
came up with based on the requested critters:
Trolls
Trolls come from Old Norse mythology and the word meant "monster" - trolls are
most often described as giant or giant like - they are according to the Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures "extraordinarily ugly", live in caves and prey on
humans. Loud sounds are rumored to drive them away
Leprechauns
Leprechauns are kitschky in our modern society, rosy faced and cheerful little
men -- or think about the happy dude from the Lucky Charms commercials -- but
leprechauns were originally associated with the water and these water spirits
were hardly rosy cheeked cheerful buggers -- in fact, they were among the
craftiest and most deceptive of the fae creatures -- perhaps that rosy faced
image is the work of great public relations.
Unicorns
Unicorns are a magical creation and according to the Encyclopedia the most
enduring mythos of unicorns is that there is only ever one at a time
(Highlander: The Unicorn anyone?) The tales vary on whether it is a majestic
white horse with a solitary horn to a Shetland pony with a horn that can become
a sword, even the stories about what kind of hooves it has changes. Still, for
the little girl in me, I will always love the stories of the unicorns.
Banshees
Banshees - or women of the fairy - were responsible for announcing the death of
a family member. The banshee would be attached to particular families and their
cry would let loose the mourning wail that death approached. They are also
associated with the Tuatha de Danan and the goddess Brighid.
Centaurs
Centaurs have a sensuous and orgiastic reputation, their half-man, half-equine
bearing made them fierce both in battle and in life. As children of the gods
though, they rarely had happy endings and only one amongst the legends seems to
be a scholar and that is Cheiron who is said to have taught Hercules (and more
recently, Percy Jackson).
Djinn
There are several classes of Djinn and they are considered demons by some on the
Islamic world, they also have a sensuality and a mystery to those of us from the
West.
Now, here is your challenge. I have a few books I could recommend for each of
these categories, but I want to see what you can come up with. Help out your
fellow readers, share a paranormal romance or urban fantasy that explores these
under-utilized supernaturals. Oh and if you are interested in a supernatural not
mentioned, share that too!
I'll share mine tomorrow!
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