Mythological creatures that don't get enough play in modern fantasy fiction?

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

I'll make a note of Iron Council. Thanks, Joseph.

[Mark]

Heduru, Kaous, Kappa, Labartu, Labashu, (Note that given the tale of Lilith there is a lot to be said for merging the last two. Both of which are mesopotamian), Gilgamesh, Matuku, Matrikas, Mark, Rogero, rudra(and Agni for that matter).

[Emily]

Jim wrote: "Unicorns haven't been in any of the books I've read lately, especially the old style, 'I-like-virgins' variety. Come to think of it, virgins seem to be a mythological creature now too.
;-)"

Preach!

Re: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it was nice to see a hippogriff! How about bogeymen?

Re: Pegasus, I'm glad to hear it's a trilogy. Robin McKinley is also an automatic buy for me - but I was disappointed by this novel. Less so now I know it's not a stand-alone.

[Jim]

Preach?

[R.L.]

How about a Yeti. I'm not sure I've ever seen a fantasy book that featured a Yeti.

Anyone know of one?

[Marc]

R.L. wrote: "How about a Yeti. I'm not sure I've ever seen a fantasy book that featured a Yeti.

Anyone know of one?"

Would the Gedemondans in Chalker's Well World series count? They were the originsof our Yeti myths in the story.

[R.L.]

Marc wrote: "R.L. wrote: "How about a Yeti. I'm not sure I've ever seen a fantasy book that featured a Yeti.

Anyone know of one?"

Would the Gedemondans in Chalker's Well World series count? They were the ..."

It's a bit of a stretch, but why not?

[Scott]

I'd like to see some books that deal well with dragons. I don't find that many fantasy authors really use them well. Even Tolkein didn't do as much with Smaug as he could have. When I read The Hobbit to my wife, after the death of Smaug, she said "Is that it? The dragon's dead?"

Dragons shouldn't be pets or big, smart horses like in Eragon; they're incredibly powerful. I'd like to see an author go back to the original mythology of dragons.

[Kerry]

Scott, it's a long time since I read it so I don't remember the details, but you could take a look at Carol Berg's Song of the Beast.

[Bill]

Scott wrote: "...I'd like to see an author go back to the original mythology of dragons. "

What is the "original" mythology of dragons? What are the sources?

[Charles]

Scott wrote: "I'd like to see some books that deal well with dragons. I don't find that many fantasy authors really use them well. Even Tolkein didn't do as much with Smaug as he could have. When I read The Hobb..."

Although the dragon(s)take up only a handful of pages in the 8 book series, Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow does offer something very like the dragon model you are seeking. Her dragons are nearly omnipotent, have the power of divine creation, can make or remake virtually any reality, and even their bones have enormous magical power. The mythology is Wurts' own, as the planet setting is not by any means strictly earth-like, though humans are the main characters. The dragons are neither benign nor malicious, or can be either depending on the inclination of the moment -- they are basically independent of anything "not dragon."

[Marc]

Scott wrote: "Dragons shouldn't be pets or big, smart horses like in Eragon; they're incredibly powerful. I'd like to see an author go back to the original mythology of dragons. "

Diane Duane's Door into Shadow and Door into Starlight have a character who bonds with dragons somehow. These were dragons as characters.
Roger Zelazny's Roadmarks also has a strong dragon presence, mostly behind the scenes though.

[Scott]

Kernos wrote: "Scott wrote: "...I'd like to see an author go back to the original mythology of dragons. "

What is the "original" mythology of dragons? What are the sources?"

What I meant was, go back to the mythologies that featured dragons, such as Chinese, Japanese and others. Particularly in Chinese mythology, dragons are wise and the most powerful of earthly creatures.

[Niel]

That would be nice to see dragons as they were originally meant to be.

[Marc]

Daniel wrote: "That would be nice to see dragons as they were originally meant to be."

Try the stories in Dragon's Lure. Several of these use the myths as a jumping off point. http://www.sidhenadaire.com/books/DL.htm

[Niel]

Marc wrote: "Daniel wrote: "That would be nice to see dragons as they were originally meant to be."

Try the stories in Dragon's Lure. Several of these use the myths as a jumping off point. ht..."

Thanks the book looks promising.

[Trisha]

Scott wrote: "I'd like to see some books that deal well with dragons. I don't find that many fantasy authors really use them well. Even Tolkein didn't do as much with Smaug as he could have. When I read The Hobb..."

some romance authors have done well with dragons, Aisling Grey series made them seem not quite as powerful or as beautiful as a dragon should be but there are other stories that attribute power, wisdom, Grace and even beauty to these creatures. I think Dragons are the ultimate creature but to me I think a dragon should be like the one Sean Connery portrayed in DragonHeart the movie (also starred Denis Quaid).
except he would be prettier and be more magical.

[Niel]

Actually I think the dragon in Dragon Heart was a perfect image of a dragon.

[Jesslyn]

I'm just finishing The Sea Watch and OMG. I did ask for undersea creatures, right? Well I got (almost) my fill!

Awesome, awesome. I love this writer. If you haven't started the series, you can't with this one, I believe it's #6 (7?). Here is the 1st and hopefully they've improved the horrible synopsis. Empire in Black and Gold

[Marc]

Brandon wrote: "What about boggarts and brownies and all those little people. Maybe hellhounds. Anybody know some books with those?"

Tanya Huff's Summon the Keeper has many of them show up, although some only as a Halloween spook.

[Malissa]

Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series has hellhounds (though I'm not sure which book they come up in).

As for dragons, check out "Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea" by Diana Marcellas. Dragons are basically the keepers of magic, and they choose humans to share magic with. Marcellas is also an amazing writer, and her characters are unforgettable.

I agree that unicorns haven't been well-represented. I've been writing about unicorns for years, and they feature in my (not yet published) novel. Maybe I should put up some of my short stories about unicorns...

[K.A.]

When I was eight, I read one of my mother's books that she had warned me not to read. It was a book of Japanese Fairy Tales and included a story called "The Boy Who Drew Cats". Besides the giant magical ghost rat, the giant bloody-fanged cats were pretty scary. I had rat nightmares for years. Point is, normal, everyday animals and even plants can be monsters when they'e slightly distorted from their familiar forms...

[Barbm1020]

Hi Brandon - I'm late to this party, having not seen this thread before, but I wanted to add that Jim Butcher (Dresden Files) uses a hellhound in at least one of his books. He uses other mythological creatures too. The hero tells his own story, with wry humor and a lot of action.

Marc wrote: "Brandon wrote: "What about boggarts and brownies and all those little people. Maybe hellhounds. Anybody know some books with those?"

Tanya Huff's Summon the Keeper has many of them sh..."

[David]

I think it would be safe to say that some of you are former (or currect) Dungeons & Dragons players (me, too). I'm all over this thread mostly because of my love of mythology. I'd say the following don't get enough play: Chimerae, Hecatoncheires, Orthrus (relative of Cerberus), and possibly Scylla (from the Odyssey). I much prefer seeing the obscure monsters get some fame since we see a lot of pegasi, medusae, and hydrae.

I'd open my AD&D books to find a few more, but they're in my classroom where my students like to examine them and simultaneously remain aghast that someone 44 years old still likes fantasy literature.

[Matt]

Carolyn wrote: "Griffins and phoenixes!
They were each used once in a HP, but other than that, nothing else recent..."

Phoenix is my favorite, by far.

[Becky]

I'm actually fairly bored with the whole "evil person" as the arch-villian in a series. I know authors always say they are the most fun to write, blah blah blah, but we get it. We watch the news every night, and know just how terrible people can be. I don't need to be incessantly reminded by people in fantasy. Not that I mind it, but I also miss Cthulhu, and randomly evil monsters. I think thats why I liked Olympos by Dan Simmons so much- it had everything. Mistborn has some crazy creatures in it.

So I absolutely agree, I miss fantasy/mythological creatures beyond vampires and werewolf. I want to see a return of fairies, real medieval fairies, mermaids, etc.

[Becky]

I really liked Neil Gaiman because he often experiments with old mythological characters. It was a YA book but I adored The Graveyard Book and the Hounds of Heaven.

[Terry]

Elementals, I need more elementals, you know, Dryads, Undines, Salamanders, Fauns.

[David]

Terry wrote: "Elementals, I need more elementals, you know, Dryads, Undines, Salamanders, Fauns."

Now you're talking!

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

The YA fantasy is all over the various mythological creatures (part of why I read it, because they are incredibly creative). I just recently read Amos Daragon: The Mask Wearer and it had a little of everything.

[Maggie]

C. E. Murphy's Negotiator series features a gargoyle Heart Of Stone and intelligent dragon. They're the same characters touched on in most of her Old Races short stories. She did throw in the requisite vampire, but he appears the least.

[Tweedledum]

Malissa wrote:

I agree that unicorns haven't been well-represented. I've been writing about unicorns for years, and they feature in my (not yet published) novel. Maybe I should put up some of my short stories about unicorns... "



Ariel and Elegy Beach both have prominently featured Unicorns. Heck there is even a dragon and some other mystical creatures, I think (haven't read it in a while).

[Tweedledum]

Becky wrote: "I'm actually fairly bored with the whole "evil person" as the arch-villian in a series. "
Sorry to double post but I don't know how to multi quote.




The Warded Man is about demons that come out at night and kill. So not exactly an "evil person" more of a group preying on humans. I would say they are the main villain in the books.

[Lis]

Chupacabras, anyone? Strangely enough, I haven't really seen that much of centaurs, tbqh. I mean, I guess Harry Potter and Fablehaven and all that, but nothing else...

My favorite ones, though, are the "fey" that aren't actual fairies. Like, pixies, dryads, nymphs, naiads, hamadryads...

[Anna-louise]

Ive read a series of childrens books called Companions Quartet Secret of the Sirens The Gorgon's Gaze Mines of the Minotaur The Chimera's Curse it has Minotaurs, gorgons that sort of thing which i guess can be over used but its also has water sprites and dragons and much more! i'm 28 i loved them they are cool little reads if someone wanted lots of types of mythical in one series and doesn't mind reading children books they are worth a try.

[Richard]

I've tried to use some more obscure mythical creatures. As one of the Dragonlance authors, I expanded on the minotaurs of Krynn. I also used gargoyles in more than one novel (always loved both types of creatures). I also wrote a book called Frostwing, that featured a very cunning gargoyle in modern Chicago.

I'm glad to see mentions of other works with those two creatures. I'll have to check some of them out.

[Joseph]

Just started reading Sword of Fire and Sea by Erin Hoffman and it includes gryphons (a.k.a. griffins).