N. Lang's Blog
May 1, 2025
Myth of the Manticore
My next book unrelated to The Chronicle Gate is going to be about the Manticore, or at least that’s going to be the main creatures. So, I’d thought I’d discuss the myth of the Manticore.
One of the earliest mentions of the Manticore comes from the work titled Indica by Ctesias of Cnidus. Ctesias was a Greek historian of the 5th century BC.
Ctesias told a tail of a man-eating beast with the body of a lion. The fantastical nature of the beast wasn’t the size of the animal, but the fact that it has a face of a man and a tail similar to a scorpion.
Three scorpion like stings could be found on the tail. Each sting was over a foot in length. The poisonous nature of the stings was deadly to all whom they hit. The stings on the tail could be unleashed like an arrow from a bow, so the Manticore was deadly from a distant, but was also deadly at close range for the Manticore had a sting on its forehead, lethal claws and rows of sharp teeth.
Later writers would rewrite the Manticore myth and instead of a body of a lion it became a body of a tiger from stories of India.
The Manticore appears in several books and movies. In literature, it’s part of the Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies.
In the Harry Potter universe, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
In the Onward animated movie.
In 2005 Sci-Fi Pictures film titled “Manticore” and a 2022 Spanish film with the same title.
To find out more click on this link:
https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/manticore.htmlAnd here’s a cool video about the Manticore I found
November 22, 2024
Elementals
Everything is made up of a mixture of elements in different amounts. In ancient Chinese and Eastern teachings there are five elements: earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. It is thought that a philosopher named Empedocles (490-430 B.C) first developed the idea of the four elements. Then certainly Plato (428-348) and Aristotle (385-322 B.C) accepted this as a scientific fact.
Earth Elementals:
Gnomes belong to the earth. The earth is where they live. They are ancient and dark and often dressed in a monk’s habit. They can shape shift into giants at will.
Fire Elementals:
Salamanders are symbols of fire. Some believe that their skin was so cold that it could put fire out. Others think they chose to live in flames and could even strengthen them. However, these are stuff of fantasy. In reality the lizards, the black or gold ones, could survive the flames.
Air Elementals:
Slyphs are the light, ethereal sprits of the air. Like the gnomes and the Undines, they were first named by Paracelus (1493-1541) a physician and alchemist, whose real name was Theophrastus Bombastus Von Hohenheim. He was a famous Roman authority on medicine.
Water Elementals: Undines, or Nereids, are water elementals. They are rarely seen, although they may sometimes become visible in the spray from waterfalls or the mist that rises from surface of water.
Some movies and books that have Elementals are “The Tears of the Salamander” by Perer Dickinson
The Ragwitch by Garth Nix
Fantasia (1940)
Captain Planet (1990-95)
Avatar the Last Airbender (2005-2007)
I’m sure there are many other’s I’m missing. The oldest stories about elements have been told from the early humans with many ancient cultures weaving these materials into their creation myths and associating them with powerful deities.
Source: Fantasy Encyclopedia Judy Allan (2005)
By
September 21, 2024
Back to the Future day returns
We’re fast approaching the 35th Anniversary of “Back To The Future II” where the film will be re-released in theaters for a limited time. To mark this date let’s see what innovations from the BTTF films have come out to-date. And which ones are we still eagerly waiting for.
Video chat on TV: I’m sure in 1985 no one thought we’d be able to do video chats from our computers or phones. Smart TVs not only have Netflex and Youtube but it also has Skype. We can now have conferences across the world.
Policing in the future: When Jennifer is found passed out in an alleyway by the police, her thumbprint is used to retrieve all of her information. Biometric data is more important to police services at all levels than ever in 2015. Not everyone is on a national fingerprinted database just yet, police in NSW can retrieve information on any offender from the Galaxy Note 4 they carry around with them.
Now let’s look at some of the items we would like to see. The Hoverboard. Unfortunately, the one from the movie is unviable. However, a team has developed bulky hoverboards with a battery life of three hours. They can only be used on metal flooring forcing the metal in the board to repel and hover. Not quite what we wanted, but it’s close.
Flying cars: Although vehicles such as these don’t exist today in Japan, Germany, and China, Maglev trains hover above a set of rails containing magnets.
Holograms and 3-D’s : Yes. We do have 3-D and holographic adds. Not as elaborate as the shark coming at you from Jaws 19 but moving billboards have been around since 2000. Driving distractions is what they were called and the billboards went back to stills.
Fax machines: Although these machines came out in the 1980s, in BTTF II a fax machine is set up in every room of the McFly home to produce messages. But phones with text messaging is pretty much the same thing.
The jacket that Marty uses is out for purchase now. But it does not dry on its own or shrink to fit. We would like that to be a reality someday. However, I looked it up and turns out someone did make this from a 3-D printer.
https://www.instructables.com/Back-to-the-Future-Part-II-Auto-adjusting-Jacket/
Amazing!
Maybe someone will make a real hoverboard next!
Great Scotts! I’ll see you all in the future!
July 4, 2024
Summer sale of books!
Looking for some summer reading at night before bed?
If you love urban fantasy where Angels and Demons cross blades or check out a scifi fantasy series about creatures going across the galaxy and through time to save their planet, Ethereal!
Now is your best chance to find my entire ebook collection for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! Find my books at Smashwords book sale
Hurry, sale won’t last!
Adventure awats!
July 1, 2024
Summer Sale all books
Looking for some summer reading at night before bed?
Now is your best chance to find my entire ebook collection for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! Find my books and many more at https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/ all month! #SWSale2024 #Smashwords
Adventure awats!
June 30, 2024
Beginnings and Endings
Well, it’s been a while since I posted. Just got done writing my third spin off in my “Chronicle Gate” series where a new character discovers…oh, wait, almost blew it. The only spin off that is out is Loreena, as of right now. I started the “Chronicle Gate” series, in 2007…so it’s been a while. The newest one is being edit soon, “Mystic Mages” coming up, hopefully next year. But I’ve also started another series entitled, “Mantico Knight.” Draco has been running from his past from his old land of Elm to hide and run from his shame that his powers took over and wiped out a village. Now going back, everyone has a grudge, but he must save his nephew who found his way into Elm. Ohhhh, I can’t wait to get started editing this one.
Well, That’s all I have for you right now. Got to get back to and I’ll give you more updates as I go. I might try making some crossword puzzles based on my books.
March 2, 2024
The Mer-Dragons are vanishing!
Join Dot and her apprentice, Loreena, as they investigate the cause of the disappearing Mer-Dragons. But when Dot’s magic starts to backfire they embark on a journey to restore their magic in order to finish the investigation of the vanishing creatures.
The answers that they seek may be from Taylinn, her old friend and a mage, but she evades them, leading them to a planet where they might find answers from a Mer-Dragon with powers to restore their magic. Dot must protect Loreena from the dangers of her own magic, but also come to terms with changes she sees in her apprentice. Will they be able to save the Mer-Dragons and restore their magic, or will their actions lead to even more trouble? Find out in this coming-of-age story. Set after the events of The Chronicle Gate trilogy but a great story on its own as well.
See how it all began with the trilogy
Sinya wakes to find himself on another planet with creatures known as Elousens. Taken in by a family, Jasper tries to find Earth but must go in space to find it. His daughter, Taylinn overhears it’s really to save his family from “him” Could he mean Sinya? As Sinya tries to fit into his surroundings and make friends, Taylinn grows not to trust him. Sinya alarms everyone to “Mer-Dragons” a once mythcal story who Taylinn and her sister told to Sinya as a joke, but finding them real, the children find they are working with someone named “Marlic” and could be a danger to Jasper and the family.
While Taylinn can’t get anyone to believe her except Sinya, they must join together to save Jasper!
February 3, 2024
Special price two books in one
Book I : Lisa, an aspiring artist, can’t stop painting what she’s dreaming about. . . an angel. She also starts to see things while awake, like demons trying to kill her. A mysterious man shows up to save her. Joe, who might hold the answers to her painting. . . a forgotten past. . . and a mission to find the divided Angelheart with the help of three once angels, before the demons of the Underworld find it and release Hell on Earth. . . and in Angelic City, the angels home!
Book II : Rachel has a family now but It’s so hard to control kids with angelic abilities though. Two strangers have been watching the kids, unseen to Rachel or Lisa, since their abilities are gone and the only way to help the kids is to reawaken their powers.
Lisa finds Kara, a once demon that tried to kill them, and Lisa takes her in against suspious Rachel. Now they must work together to discover who’s been watching the kids. Are they good or foe, trying to use them for a sinister scheme!
Find out what happens to Lisa and Rachel in their final hour!
In Kindle Unlimted for a limited time!
or buy it in Paperback here
September 4, 2023
The Human Guise
A human guise, a creature or mythical being taking on the form of a human is a concept found in fantasy, folklore, mythology, religion, literature, and science fiction. Stories all over the world have used this deception as a means used to blend in with people. Science fiction had used it long ago to ask the question “What it means to be humans”
In Pagan religions, gods often took the form of human guises for various tasks. The gods in Homer’s IIiad watched the humans and came down to Earth invisible or in human guise to interfere, sometimes to protect their favorites from harm. While in human form, sometimes they would have to put themselves in harm’s way.
In the Torah, angels only appeared to men in a human guise. In the Old Testament, the Archangel Raphael takes on a guise and the name of Azarias. The Book of Genesis tells of three angels visiting Abraham and two visiting Lot in Sodom. It is believed, when an angel wears its human disguise, human beings cannot penetrate the disguise due to the superior abilities’ angels possess. Some people have encountered angels without knowing it. “The angels in the Old Testament were known to be messengers of God, sent to do his will, usually invisible, but sometimes coming without wings in the guise of men.”
Monsters like vampires and werewolves could take on human form at certain times as well. With these stories, lore gave advice as to how to detect and drive away such human creatures. Stories are told of mermaids walking in human form, such as “Han Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid” Changelings are described in European folklore as a creature, left in its place is a human child.
Japanese myths has foxes, that take on human guise as well, including the bakeneko (Ghost-cat) taking the form of a elderly man, an attractive woman, or a child.
No matter what culture you look at, the human guise has always been around from Native American to Japanese folklore, from Africa culture to the Bible. Creatures and spirits becoming human will always be with us.
July 13, 2023
Coming Soon: The Lost Angels II: The Eternal Story
Synopsis
Lisa has been running her own gallery for the past ten years and Rachel has a family now. It’s so hard to control kids with angelic abilities though. Two strangers have been watching the kids, unseen to Rachel or Lisa, since their abilities are gone and the only way to help the kids is to reawaken their powers. Lisa finds Kara, a once demon that tried to kill them, and Lisa takes her in against suspicious Rachel. Now they must work together to discover who’s been watching the kids. Are they good or foe, trying to use them for a sinister scheme!
Excerpt of ch 1-5 Saturday’s Sneek A Peek!
Ch. 1-5 Lost Angels II for webDownload
