Euterpe YA Event: Jack Hillman Guest Posts!

Hey everyone! Welcome to Mera's YA Book List, and welcome to the ongoing Euterpe YA Event!

Today we have a guest post from Jack Hillman, author of  The Giants War Trilogy!

Keep reading for Jack's thoughts on mythology!

Finding THAT Grain on The Beach-  by Jack Hillman

Back when I was (much) younger and in school (you remember: walked five miles, uphill both ways, in three feet of snow, in July, barefoot, etc.), one of my teachers made a comment during a discussion on Roman mythology that stuck with me (not unlike that chewing gum under the seat of my desk chair).  She stated: “Mythology is built up of stories told down through the ages, and will grow in the telling.  But if you search long and hard enough, you just might find the grain of truth that began the entire discussion.”

That idea got me to thinking furiously.  If all, or at least many, mythologies start from a grain of real truth, does that discount the mythology entirely or actually confirm the truth of the story?  And does that same grain of truth bear fruit in different mythologies in different cultures in different ways?

Over the intervening decades, I’ve become something of a student of comparative mythologies.  I can’t claim scholarly level abilities, nor have I published doctoral thesis material on the subject.  But I have read widely, from an array of cultures that span both the globe and the centuries.  One fact comes to the forefront most often: there are more similarities in the myths and legends of cultures than there are differences.  Some things seem to be buried deep in all humans on this planet, and given even the least possibility to emerge, they spring forth in a wide variety of forms.

Take, for example: Dragons.

Almost every culture I’ve studied has dragons in some form.  They are not all the same.  For the European and Celtic cultures, dragons were the epitome of the baser instincts of mankind: greed, lust, rage, etc.  For the Asian cultures, dragons were mainly a source of wisdom, skills and provided aid in troubled times.  In South America, creatures names Quetzalcoatl, Kukulcan and Gukumatz- all names translating loosely as “feathered serpent”- roamed the skies and either provided aid or rained down fire on those who failed to follow the prescribed rules of the day.

So did dragons ever exist?  One of the myriad science shows on television once examined the studies of an anthropologist who stated the possibility that early man, on seeing the fossilized remains of a pteranodon or a pterodactyl, could have easily conceived of a large flying creature providing either aid or harm, depending on their point of view at the time.  And recent archeological studies have unearthed a much smaller flying lizard (about two feet long) which may have added to those same stories (fire lizards, anyone?).  The small lizard may be the truth that led to much larger cousins.

So, when I sit down to write, I occasionally look back across the mythologies, and try to imagine where that grain of truth might lie.  Are flying saucers really from some other planet or galaxy?  Or are they reflections off an inversion layer high in the atmosphere, aided by fertile imaginations and more than a little paranoia?  Did elves live in trees and bake cookies?  Or, more likely, did a race of simply evolved Homo-Sidhe inhabit an area of the planet not yet fully explored, only to move farther away at the approach of uncouth, supposedly civilized humans, who brought poisonous materials- not to leave out disease and firearms- until we no longer see their traces except in legend and myth?

And I dream of the day I can walk with A. Merritt’s immortal Dwayanu, and cross into the caldera which holds the remains of both ancient gods and gentle people unfettered by war.

-End-

Thanks for checking out Jack's guest post! What's your take on dragons? Another mysterious myth, or a forgotten creature? What about other mythological creatures?

Keep reading for more on Jack Hillman and his novels!

When Eric Johnson moved from Philadelphia a year ago, he didn't have any friends in the Lehigh Valley. Now he has a lot of them, just not the usual sort for a thirteen-year-old boy. Aside from Tommy Kuhns and Stephanie Fuller-two kids his own age-Eric's house is often visited by Norse Gods, Rock Dwarves, Valkyr, and unfortunately the occasional Frost Giant. And most teens aren't caught up in a war that crossed multiple dimensions.

Now the Frost Giants are trying to get access to Enigma Caverns and the Lost River, so they can continue their battle against the Aesir and conquer the people of Earth. Eric, Tommy, and Stephanie have to find out why the Giants really want the Lost River and stop the Giants from taking control of Enigma Caverns.

When Eric is thrown into the Lost River and disappears, things really start to get strange! 




Thirteen-year-old Eric Johnson never wanted to move out of Philadelphia.

But the untimely death of his parents left him little choice in the matter and dropped him in the farm country outside the Lehigh Valley, an hour away from his old home, living with an aunt and uncle he barely knew. Used to the big city with its constant action and excitement, Eric found the slow pace of the rolling farms frustrating. He kept looking for ways to move back to the city, back to his friends and all his familiar activities.

But when Eric helped a tall, blond-haired stranger escape from a pack of wild dogs, he took the first step in an adventure that took him out of the mundane world of Eastern Pennsylvania and dropped him in the middle of Norse mythology; right at the heart of a centuries old war between the Norse Gods and their ancient enemy, the Frost Giants.


For more Jack Hillman, check out his website:

JackHillman.com