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Post by Cully the Swamp Walker on Sept 3, 2009 11:37:17 GMT -5
an author explore mermaids in a fantasy? I was watching a cartoon with my son yesterday that contained a mermaid. It got me thinking about mermaid myths, and I don't recall ever reading or hearing of anything really well done with mermaids playing a central role. I know they appear in Harry Potter, but they are very peripheral. Anything out there? It seems to me that this could be fairly fertile ground for a story.
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Post by veryblessedmom on Sept 3, 2009 11:51:52 GMT -5
Rumor has it Stephenie Meyer is doing that for her next project. Read an interview about it. She plans to call them Sirens.
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Post by beckyminor on Sept 3, 2009 11:52:41 GMT -5
Hmmm...I'd have to say that you're right...mermaids are a fairly under-explored mythical creature. Who knows, maybe mermaids could become the next vampires? Not that I'm saying mermaids should get bitten and actually become vampires...but hey, there's a whole 'nuther direction to go. Okay, just kidding. I'm just being riduculous now.
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Post by Cully the Swamp Walker on Sept 3, 2009 12:17:40 GMT -5
Rumor has it Stephenie Meyer is doing that for her next project. Read an interview about it. She plans to call them Sirens. Well, there went that idea! |
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Post by veryblessedmom on Sept 3, 2009 13:46:03 GMT -5
Sorry. It could be a rumor or you could go ahead and write it. Then the book stores can be full of mermaids like when the vampires took over.
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Post by tonylavoie on Sept 3, 2009 17:49:43 GMT -5
Cully...don't let rumor dry your ink. The chances of your story being similar to any other author's is pretty slim. Plus, if you can get yours out into the world first, you'll be that much better off.  |
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Post by veryblessedmom on Sept 3, 2009 18:14:53 GMT -5
I agree with Tony. Everyone has a different take, that's what makes genre's interesting. Stephenie's would be heavy on romance and aimed at YA females. Find a way to make mermaids that guys want to read and you will stand out. Maybe they could be trapped and trained by the military like dolphins and your hero finds that out and seeks to rescue and expose what's going on. |
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Post by courageforever on Sept 3, 2009 19:57:21 GMT -5
In my "Masters of Sci-fi" Collection there is a book that has mermaids in it. The Moon and the Sun by Vonda McIntyre. In fact, that book bears some similarities to a Marcher Lord Press title, in that part of the plot revolves around what the Catholic church thinks about Mermaids. Whether they are men or beasts.
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Post by Cully the Swamp Walker on Sept 3, 2009 21:16:43 GMT -5
These are some interesting comments. I actually don't have a book idea at all. I just thought, "mermaids...hmmm?" That's about as far as I've gone with it.
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Post by Andy on Sept 4, 2009 8:07:39 GMT -5
Perhaps you were watching "The Little Mermaid?" Of classic stories, this one by Hans Christian Anderson comes to mind. It's a short story and actually has a much different flavor than the Disney movie. The moral of the story is we should listen to our parents.
I've often wondered what mer-folk would eat. Would they feel guilty about eating fish?
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Post by morganlbusse on Sept 4, 2009 9:43:15 GMT -5
I've had a mermaid story sitting in the back of my mind for a couple years now (that along with about a dozen or so other stories...) so not sure if it will actually ever be written ;P.
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Post by waldenwriter on Sept 5, 2009 23:57:31 GMT -5
Hmmm...I'd have to say that you're right...mermaids are a fairly under-explored mythical creature. Who knows, maybe mermaids could become the next vampires? Not that I'm saying mermaids should get bitten and actually become vampires...but hey, there's a whole 'nuther direction to go. Okay, just kidding. I'm just being riduculous now. Mermaid vampires...oh goodness. Please, no more vampires. I'm already having to resist all the Twilight stuff on magazine covers, and I'm not a Twilight fan (haven't seen the movie, and I haven't read the book cause I don't read romances and I'm not into vampires). Mermaids can be somewhat evil though, like (obviously) Ursula and also Soop from the Disney Fairies book Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand, who threatens to drown Pixie Hollow if Rani doesn't bring her a wand. It is possible to mix creatures though. For my current novel-in-progress, I created witch-sirens - women who can do magic and also have the persuasive voices of sirens. For my Walden stories, I created dwelves, a people that are half elf and half dwarf (resulting from an elf and a dwarf falling in love & marrying, à la Aragorn and Arwen). Perhaps you were watching "The Little Mermaid?" Of classic stories, this one by Hans Christian Anderson comes to mind. It's a short story and actually has a much different flavor than the Disney movie. The moral of the story is we should listen to our parents. I've read Andersen's version and it's definitely different than the Disney film. I just re-read it recently because I've been reading a huge book with all his stories and fairy tales in it. Quite a lot of Andersen's stories end sadly, I've found, including "The Ice Maiden" and "The Little Match-Girl." Fortunately, "The Snow Queen" ends happily. I've often wondered what mer-folk would eat. Would they feel guilty about eating fish? That's a good question. I saw the movie Princess: A Modern Fairytale a little while ago, which is about a princess who cares for injured or sick magical creatures, and one was a mermaid. The mermaid's "meal" was some sort of smoothie with seaweed and plankton and a bunch of other stuff like that in it. |
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