Finding mythical monsters to put in my books

I'm having a blast writing Death Storm, the latest book in the Island of Fog Legacies series. It's got more monsters than you can shake a stick at!

If you've read Forest of Souls, which was Book 10 in the Island of Fog series, you'll have some idea what this cross-series sequel is all about and why it features a pretty wide assortment of mythical creatures. I don't think I've had so many different species since Castle of Spells.

Now, granted, most of the characters you'll meet in this book are "intelligent" in that they walk, talk, and think like the sort of people who might co-exist with humans -- goblins, elves, centaurs, dryads, the naga, and that sort of thing. But there are plenty we haven't really met yet. In Castle of Spells, we bumped into a gnome, pixie, brownie, minotaur, cyclops, and others. All these could be considered "equals." Some are less intelligent than others, but we won't judge them for it.

In Unicorn Hunters, Travis met a whole load of others. Two of my favorites were the cherufe and the empusa vampire. The cherufe showed up in Haunted Fortress, and the empusa will play a role in Death Storm.

But wait a minute -- the empusa is not your typical vampire...

I was writing a scene last night featuring the empusa (pronounced "empoosah," plural empusae). This vampiric creature from Greek legend is credited by some as being the source of all vampire stories, though other vampire stories existed before hers in other parts of the world. She's described as a demon-phantom who drains the blood of innocent men while they sleep, and as usual, legends get a bit mixed up, and the empusa was later called (or confused with) the lamia, which is another vampiric creature I wrote about in Castle of Spells. The empusa is also called the succubus in medieval history.

I like to keep all these different creatures separate. The empusa, lamia, and succubus are all different as far as I'm concerned. In my books, the empusa is a fanged woman with goat legs whose hair bursts into flames when she's angry or frustrated. The lamia is a catlike creature with a woman's head, a serpent's tail, and a generally silver, scaly, reptilian body. As for the succubus... I haven't written about her yet, and probably never will. She's a phantom creature that steals into a sleeping man's room at night and... well, I'd have to come up with a less "adult" version!

The empusa is described as having one leg made of either brass, copper, or bronze depending on what you read. (Other stories say she has multiple feet, "one of bronze, one a donkey's foot, one an ox's, one a goat's, and one human." I think that's going too far. Come on, Ancient Greeks, get a grip.)

Anyway, I deliberately avoided a metal leg when I wrote of the empusa in Unicorn Hunters. That one clearly had two normal goat legs with which to leap enormous heights. But the one in Death Storm... well, I won't give it away, but this is what I love about writing fantasy. I can interpret old legends exactly as I wish and make them "my own." One day, my take on these creatures will become part of Wikipedia along with Robert Graves in the "Modern Interpretations" section, or even just listed with Rudyard Kipling's Tomlinson, Goethe's Faust, and Rick Riordan's The Battle of the Labyrinth.

And then there are gnomes...

Gnomes are a funny lot. You immediately think of colorful ornaments in the garden -- blue coats, red pants, big white beards, happy smiles on their faces, that sort of thing. The real legend is, of course, is a little different. They date back to the sixteenth century or so, and apart from being "very reluctant to interact with humans," they are also "able to move through solid earth as easily as humans move through air." I've found both these traits to be accurate among the gnomes I interviewed for roles in my books.

But it's hard to get an accurate description when they're described so differently by so many modern writers:

L. Frank Baum, in his Land of Oz, described gnomes as ugly, hot-tempered, round-bodied, and with spindly limbs. They had long beards and wild hair, and they lived underground.Tolkien wrote them as tall, beautiful, and "the most gifted and technologically minded of his elvish races." They lived in underground cities.C.S. Lewis depicted gnomes, or Earthmen, with "a wide variety of physical features and skin colors." They lived in the Underland.J.K. Rowling wrote them with "heads that look like potatoes on small stubby bodies" and were generally "considered harmless but mischievous and may bite with sharp teeth." They lived in the gardens of witches and wizards.Terry Brooks described them as "tribal and warlike," and easily subverted to an evil cause.

Lots to chew on there. It seems they live underground more than in gardens, but honestly, I like the idea of them being partial to gardens. Tolkien may have described them as tall and beautiful, but I think short and fat is more likely. Not just short and fat, though. The spindly arms and legs kind of appeals to me. That's how I see them -- short, rotund people with thin arms and legs. As for wild hair and flowing white beards... I don't think that's necessary, but there's no reason why some can't have the traditional bushy beard, right?

One thing I added to my gnome characters in Castle of Spells, Forest of Souls, and now Death Storm is the oversized head, which they keep banging on walls when stressed. That's entirely my own design, and I have a good reason for it, as will be explained. Again, this is just my take on them, but that's my right as an author.

Mentioning different creatures in passing can be tricky. In Castle of Spells, when I briefly described a brownie as "a thin creature the size of a small boy with large ears and long black hair," I have to make sure to stick to that when I mention one in a later book. And by golly I do. I'm always very careful about that sort of thing. There are brownies in Death Storm too, but I haven't gone into detail about them yet. I will if I find a suitable scene to do so, but otherwise I'll save them for another book.

What would YOU like to see featured in the Island of Fog world?

Finally, I wanted to asked all you Island of Fog readers which creature you want to see given some screen time? I'm about two-thirds through Death Storm, and there's still time to throw in some extra creatures if they're suitable. I hereby invite you to offer one suggestion each -- something that hasn't yet been featured in detail in my books, and something that is at least reasonably humanlike and could live alongside people as neighbors (so no griffins or krakens).

Maybe I can squeeze your suggestions in. :-)