Writer Wednesday: Worlds on the Backs of Animals

 

This month we've been focusing on creation stories. Last week, we looked at Norse creation stories. This week, we're taking a new direction and looking at stories of creation from the backs of animals. Several myths focus on stories that have worlds entirely on the backs of animals such as turtles and elephants. A story in Chinese mythology finds the goddess Nuwa cutting off the legs of a turtle and then using them to prop up the sky. Late Author Terry Pratchett created a turtle with elephants on top of it for his Discworld universe. Today, you will have three sections that contain fun prompts and exercises that will allow you to stretch your imagination and work on your world-building skills. 

Trivia:

World Serpents: In Norse mythology, Jormungandr (also known as the World Serpent) was so large that it was able to surround the Earth and grasp the end of its tail. In Hindu mythology, Shesha is a primal being that was considered the king of all Nagas. The myth states that when the snake uncoils, creation takes place but when it coils back, the universe no longer exists. The serpent is depicted with multiple heads with the number of which ranging from five to thousands. Your story challenge is to create your own world serpent or primal being at the center. The perspective you write from can be a character living within the world or even the serpent itself.

Turtle Island: Iroquois folklore tells the story of Sky Woman who comes to earth when it was still full of water and various animals banded together to bring dirt from the ocean floor to create land. The turtle gets dirt placed upon its back which continues to grow and causes the turtle to become larger. Set your story on the back of a giant turtle that houses an island.

Quote:

Write a short scene inspired by this quote:

“The forest rose like a dream
from the mind of Chaos’s lonely daughter
and the sun fell heavy and thick
to warm the blood of a world
not quite ready to live
but so tired of its own imagination”
― Tamara Rendell, Mystical Tides (taken from GoodReads)

Exercise:

For your exercise today we want you to further your world-building skills. While building your world you have the option of A.) a world on the back of a turtle, B.) a world on the back of eight elephants, or C.) a world that has a giant snake wrapped around it. Once you select your animal create the size of your world, the climate, the type of people, and the possible wildlife. Be sure to answer if the people in the world are aware of the world's circumstances.