This summer I have been working on the first draft of a magical realism novel tentatively named The Age Of Dionysus. Right now I am trying to develop various characters, both human and divine. The divinities (one of which of course is Dionysus) populate the novel though I am trying to keep Their numbers in check as I don’t want this to become a literary Cecil B Demille epic with a celestial cast of thousands.
One way to avoid divine overpopulation was to float the idea that many of the divinities have ‘transcended’ to a different plane of existence, perished when They lost their worshipers or simply dwindled into insignificance which is why we no longer see or worship Them.
A few of the more familiar divinities still linger; Odin, Athena, Pele along with a few less well known figures such as Mannanan Mac Lir and Sethlans, an Etruscan precursor to Vulcan/Hephaestus. The notorious Trickster Coyote makes a brief appearance and I may bring in His ‘cousin’ Anansi, though I am not likely to do too much with Him as Neil Gaiman has already published a novel about Him.
One divinity I briefly show is a water divinity called Takannaaluk, probably better know as Sedna. She is known by a variety of different names among the Inuit and many origin stories involving Her falling into the sea, sometimes thought of as the Underworld, losing Her fingers either by having them chopped or frozen off. One version of the story describes her as being a giant, so hungry all the time that She attempts to eat her own parents. Takannaaluk’s severed fingers become the sea creatures native to the Arctic Sea and since they were once part of Her, She has the power to control them. Inuit had to follow strict hunting rules laid down by Her if they wished success in catching anything.
I put my own spin on Her while hopefully staying true to the legend. Here are two characters in my story having a brief conversation regarding Her:
Coyote: Is it true She threatened to eat you?
Mannanan Mac Lir: She did hint I was a tasty looking morsel. She’s like the other giants; the Jotnar, Gigantes, Nephelim – all with vast appetites and all very old. She remembers how it was before humans. If She thinks Dionysus will bring any of that back with His new Golden Age, then yes, she’s going to help Him no matter what I tell Her.
While researching Sedna and other mythic beings, the topic of giants caught my interest. Legends of giants are world-wide. They are generally described as being somewhat human in appearance, although they can have extra heads, long hair on their bodies, a single eye (as in the case of the cyclops) or snaky legs (occasionally in Greek legends). Their most obvious characteristic is their enormous size as well as their great hunger.
Their stories probably arise out of dim memories of childhood when everybody towered over you and was significantly stronger. Also the environment, with its powerful storms, volcanic explosions and earthquakes, must have made early humans feel very small indeed compared with what they saw as vastly powerful beings.
The Jotnar (singular, Jotunn) were primal beings from Norse mythology. While they might be described as not much bigger than their rivals, the Aesir, they could often be gigantic in proportion. One adventure has Thor and some companions take shelter during the night in what they perceive as a large building, only to discover it is in reality one of the gloves of Utgard-Loki.
The Gigantes, from Greek mythology, are children of Gaia and Uranus along with other giant-like beings such as an early version of the Cyclops, and the Hundred-handers. Like the Jotnar they could be fairly normal in proportion or very large. They were often portrayed with snake-like legs.
The Nephelim were very similar though by the time the Old Testament stories were finally written down, they had been redacted enough to remove any mention of them being children of a divinity such as Gaia. Instead they seem to be more a race of large humans, though some Jewish writings refer to them as fallen angels. For the purposes of my novel, I’ve gone back to the likely older meaning of them as giants.
Sadly tales of giants have faded from more recent folklore. The figure of Paul Bunyan is about the only recent giant to emerge out of folk tales told at lumber camps and he is more a creation of popular culture rather than mythology. Perhaps in the future, after our civilization has passed, people will look at the ruins left behind and compose new stories about the fabled giants who built them.
In my novel, I picture the races of giants (Jotnar, Gigantes et al) as ancient divine beings who predate humanity and are older than more recent gods such as Athena or Odin. They are largely indifferent to humans, though Takannaaluk resents the environmental destruction done by people and is hostile to their spread. Her domain is confined to the Arctic Sea, so Her ability to oppose what humans are doing is limited. Hence Her threat to eat Mannanan, who is sympathetic to them.
Since my novel is still in the first draft stage, there are likely to be minor changes as I develop the plot but Takannaaluk and Her kind are keepers. Stay tuned.
