Myths. I’ve loved them since I was a very young. Greek myths, Norse and Northern European, Asian. It didn’t matter as long as it spotlighted some really cool creature. That’s what I liked: the monster. And the bigger the better. Give me the legend of some unknown beast and the quest to discover it, and I’m in geek nirvana. I don’t know how many times I watched Jason and the Argonauts. Ditto the Sinbad movies. Shoot, I have my fingers so tightly crossed for Pacific Rim that I’m losing circulation. Monsters. Yeah. Heck yeah. Bring ‘em on.
I’ll admit, I never really thought much about their origins–about how ancient civilizations and cultures came up with such cool creatures. But then–several years ago, I came across a blurb for a documentary about scientists claiming dinosaur bones were the basis for most world myths. T-Rex/dragon, plesiosaur/sea monster, pterosaur/Roc. Huh. Whadda ya know?
I never got the chance to see the documentary, but I never forgot the premise. It stayed with me until finally, I flipped it around in my head. What if, I thought, the scientists were wrong? What if the ancient civilizations were right? Forget dinosaurs–what if he fossils really were dragons and minotaurs and sea serpents. What would that mean?
For me, it became the foundations for my debut novel, Kojiki. I brought in every giant monster I could find, starting with dragons and sea serpents and working my way to thunderbirds and stone giants.
You’ll find about ten of these beasts in Kojiki, some with little more than cameos. They’re all important to the story’s overall tone, and they open the door for more creatures from a whole host of myths. I hope you’ll check it out.
And don’t forget to head on back to the book lover’s hideaway blog to win some great prizes. Speaking of prizes, I will select one person at random to send an e-copy of Kojiki. Simply leave a comment about your favorite myth and you’re entered. I’ll notify the winner here on June 8. Good luck and enjoy the hop!
Here are the links to join the blog hop:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ODcwYTRiZjllMGZhMzkzNTBhMzY0Y2IxNTdmYmQ2OjM0/
It's Kind of an Electronic Book 
My favorite creature of myth would be dragons and if scientist were wrong I’d probably jump for joy while my son lamented the loss of dinosaurs.
Hades and Persephone
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
My favorite myths are all to do with the Norse god, Loki. I love that he’s a prankster, and I think that he’s a misunderstood “bad boy.” I’d very much enjoy tricking people with him.
Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite is the story of Osiris and Isis. Thanks for the giveaway!
mearles1982 (at) hotmail (dot) com
BN100-I trust you’ve been over to Kaitlin Bevis’s part of the hop. Her book IS Persephone
Here: http://kaitlinbevis.com/2013/06/01/mythology-blog-hop-persephone/
I love reading about dragons and wish more authors wrote about them.
sstrode at scrtc dot com
Sherry–Hard to top Smaug, but I’ve found a couple of good dragon books. Dragon World is old, but it really surprised me. Good and adventurous, though I read it while in High School and I might not feel the same now. I also listened to the audio book of Eon. It’s very good, even if you rarely see the dragons.
Great subject. I have a documentary about Beowulf on the PVR and I’m just waiting for the right accompanying chocolate to come along.
Thanks, very interesting
My favorite myth is Persephone and Hades. Thanks for the giveaway.
bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love the Romulus and Remus myth.
Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com