Is Myth More Potent Than History?
By A.J. Llewellyn
I am a strong believer in Robert Fulgrum’s The Storyteller’s Creed. It is my mantra. It is my Bible. It is what I write from, what I feel in my heart. It goes like this:
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.
Recently though, something happened that seriously challenged line two – that myth is more potent than history. As a romance novelist, and one who delves frequently into the past, I was surprised that I found a fact that was more potent than any myth, however, I must admit it was borne of…
myth.
As I was working on my book, Tame 2: Savage, the sequel to my best-selling book Tame, I once again dipped into the realm of myth and research. Specifically, the Argentine legends of werewolves, which inspired my first book.
I was astonished to find a small, tossed-away face.
In old Argentina, people so feared werewolves that somehow, a legend began that the seventh son on a family–any family–became a werewolf so people began killing their seventh-borh sons as soon as they were born.
To put a stop to this rampant infanticide, the mayor of each town became the godfather to each seventh-born son to each family.
This tradition continues to this day, and, as I learned, many mayors attend the baptisms of their godsons especially around election time!
Isn’t that a fascinating fact?
Of course I used it in my story. I am sure that there are readers who will think I made this up. That it is myth. And that’s fine because in my heart of hearts I do believe that myth is more potent than history.
Just as I believe that love is stronger than death.
What about you? How do you feel about the Storyteller’s Creed and the myth of fact? I really want to know!
Aloha oe,
AJ
