Sharing Credit with the Gods

In writing my soon to be published book Identity and the Quartered Circle, I took Lamia as my Patron Goddess.  Or she took me.  In either case, I re-told part of her story as she loved Zeus and partied with him in Libya where she was the Divine Queen.  When she is informed by his angry wife Hera that Lamia is not the first but only the next in a long succession of lovers, Lamia banishes him from Libya and turns in on herself. 

In this months National Geographic Magazine (February 2013) They print an article about the archaeological treasures in Libya, sorely neglected by the previous dictator, but now being restored and honored by locals and international experts.  There are few Libyans of stature in the field currently, since Qaddafi believed all such ruins were examples of western imperialism, according to the article. 

Figuring prominently in the pictures is the Temple of Zeus.  It is the only Greek ruins in the World Heritage sites in Libya.  Although I did not say it in my story, that Lamia would have overseen creating a Temple to her lover is only a short jump. The National Geographic pictures are not available on the web, so I went to the Megalithic Portal and a travel site. I was excited to see history and science come together with my re-created myth.  Of course I am not saying Lamia's existence is proven by a temple any more than Zeus' is .  However, the commonality between the story and the artifacts is encouraging. 

This happens with other writers too.  Jean Aurel years ago wrote Clan of the Cave Bear and its sequels.  In it she proposed a child born of a CroMagon woman Ayla and her captor, a Neanderthal.  The scientists poo poohed her work, saying that such a ting was impossible.  Yet lately genetic mapping has shown that there is a small but significant portion of our genes from Neanderthal ancestors.  I am sure Aurel feels vindicated.

In writing my historical novels, Witches of Fawsetwood and its sequels (as yet unpublished) I have had many such things fit together.  Eric is currently reading a group of unrelated books on the Knights Templar.  We just had a fascinating conversation about them, in which he explained that the problem with the Knights is that they are unbalanced by women.  The polarity is single sexed.  I laughed.  If I ever get to Margot's book in my series, that is exactly the theme.  She was in Palestine when the Templars were organizing.  She spends a good deal of time warning the men in her life not to become involved with them because they are not in balance, that it is a mistake to leave women out of the magical workings.When things start to fall apart, she goes to France to deal with some of the heads of the Templars herself.  I don't know what happens next.  She hasn't told me. 

For me the writing process involves a sort of psychic connection to the ideas and people involved behind the scenes.  That is as true of fiction as it is non fiction.  When I say Lamia is my Patron for Identity and the Quartered Circle, I do mean that in a literal sense.  She inspires, edits, points the way, encourages flagging energy and insists on going further than I intended.  In Witches of Fawsetwood, I think the characters (friends of mine from another life) serve the same function.  So do the Gods and Goddesses they worship.  One of the story details in the second novel, Knights of Lancaster, is about live willow weaving.  When I wrote it, I had no idea if people had ever done such a thing.  I searched it on the Internet then, to be sure I was not way out in left field.  Happily I found many references and examples.  Another one popped up on Facebook today showing a domed bower of live willow weave.

 

 

 

Overall, the synchronicity of these events indicates there is something going on in the creative process that exceeds the imagination or research of the writer. Once again, all things are connected.