Friday Fiction: Mapping History & a Sneak Peek

I’ve almost finished three small maps showing the changing face of the Midlands during the Midland Wars. Planning on adding the final touches this weekend (like adding colour) and scanning them in properly to post next week. The maps show the changing borders of Guldargan and the surrounding kingdoms mentioned in the posts covering the First Strike and Sanctuaries.
The Maps can be seen here.

Other writing news
I mentioned on Twitter during the week that I’m on the fourth draft of a WIP. I really love this piece, but am not really getting it just the way I want. I’ve changed the beginning a few different times and then realised the chronology I was trying to use is not working for such a short piece (about 2000 words). I’m really hoping that I’ll get a chance to work on it this weekend and finish the fourth draft. Here’s a sneak peak of the WIP at the moment:

I awoke at a sound outside the car window. A child wailing? It took a moment for my mind to clear. The dreams of death, makeshift pyres and graves faded slightly. Maybe it was just the wind. I kept my head down on the sweaty seat, pressing my body closer to the seat. I didn’t really want to find out. But the sound continued. Inside the car it was still dark. I rolled down the window ever so slightly, keeping my head down. Cold wind struck me. The wind, then. Not a child. Not this time.

And today there's also more maps over at Kammastories.

(Stock photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu)

Worldbuilding Wednesday - The Midland Wars

(To read part one of the Midland Wars, click here.)

Part 2 - Sanctuaries

When great swathes of the Southern Fields burned in war, the survivors went to the Keepers of Eamidthéo, the great Keepers’ House which stood beyond the river which was then called the Agréarg*, but in later ages would be called the Ameragh River, in honour of the Lady Ameragh** after whom this House was also later named.

The people chose two leaders to go ahead and speak to the Keepers, one from Guldargan and one from Treddian. They crossed the wooden bridge and asked to speak to the Wíslic. As they told their story to the Wíslic and the Elders of the House, the Keepers took pity on them and decided that a sanctuary would be made for the people. But, knowing that there were a very many people in the Midlands who were suffering, the Keepers decided that the refugees would be given land free of charge if they would agree to share their surplus food with the others of the Midlands, regardless of the kingdom they belonged too. The two leaders returned to their people and told them what the Keepers had said.
Many had been disillusioned by the cost of ongoing wars of greed they cared little for and said that they would share what surplus they had with others in need if it would mean that they could live in peace. But others were unhappy and said that they would just become the Keepers’ slaves. These people moved further east, towards the mountains, where they settled close to the border of Morgeneard.

Those who wished to stay moved across the river to the lands east of the House of the Keepers. Here they formed a new people and built new homes. Through their hard work the land produced a bounty of food and they were able to keep many in the Midlands from hunger and starvation during these dark years. They were the first who were known as the People of the Keepers to those of the Midlands and beyond and some of the greatest healers and scholars have come from among them.

During this time the Keepers of the Midlands guarded their lands and those parts now known as the Sanctuaries closely. While the Eastern Keepers – on the eastern coast of the Continent – had long since had their own guards and soldiers and all the Eastern Keepers were taught some form of self-defence or the use of a weapon, the Houses of the Midlands only served as repositories of knowledge and though many diplomatic talks between kingdoms or parties were undertaken, they had not needed to resort to violence. In the future, however, and most notably during the battles with the Fáll, they became an integral part in the keeping of peace in the Midlands.  

Sanctuaries were formed around the Houses of the Keepers of Eamidthéo in the south as well as Théotriewe in the north. The Keepers’ House of Holt Haliern, however, had been hidden in the Great Wood for many centuries and there was no land around it which could be made a Sanctuary quite like that of the other houses and only took in a few people which they would then lead to one of the other Sanctuaries. Holt Haliern, however, already had one of the greatest of libraries in the Continent and scholars of all the kingdoms embroiled in war sent their most prized texts and copies of their texts to the House for safekeeping.

Photo courtesy of nkzs at http://www.sxc.hu

*Agréarg (a-gree-argh) was an ancient name, literally meaning “River of the Grey Mountains”, the Grey Mountains being the name of the southern part of the great mountain range which formed the border of the Midlands in the east – from the border of Morgeneard southward. 

**Ameragh was the Wíslic of Eamidthéo, who calmed the dragon Skáhag. Read more about her here and here. She is remembered in the sad song “The Maiden of the Stars”.

Maps, maps and more maps!

I'm putting some finishing touches on a few small maps to illustrate this part of the history - holding thumbs that I'll have them finished by Friday... otherwise I'll have them ready for next week's Worldbuilding Wednesday. 

’n Vraag oor fantasie en inspirasie vir die week

Voordat ek begin om allerhande stories te plaas, het ek dit goed gedink om met hiérdie inskrywing oor fantasie fiksie weg te spring.

’n Ruk gelede het ek ‘n vraag aan my mede Anomaliane gestel op Where the Map Ends. Dit lees as volg:

Hallo almal,
Ek wonder al ’n ruk hieroor en ek weet nooit regtig wat is die beste antwoord wat ek vir mense (Christen of nie) kan gee wanneer hulle vir my vrae het nie.
Sien, daar is nogal baie mense wat blykbaar glo dat, wanneer jy van fantasie (of wetenskapsfiksie) hou jy nie ’n Christen kan wees nie. Nou, ek weet óns almal weet dat dit net nie waar is nie, maar wat is die beste manier om dit aan mense te verduidelik?
Ek het ’n paar vriende wat slegs feëverhale of selfs net heksery en die bose sien en dink dat, omdat ek van fantasie hou, ek myself met daardie soort goed besig hou. 
Ek het al aan hulle gesê om van my goed te lees indien hulle bekommerd is – indien bose en heksery genoem word is dit die “slegte ouens” wat dit gebruik, nié die held nie. Baie van die stories in my wêrelde (soos Airthai) ontwikkel ook langs die lyne van goed en sleg en hoe om “slegte” mag te weerstaan. Vir my maak dit sin dat die held/-in teen groot struikelblokke te staan moet kom, want anders is dit nie die moeite werd nie.
Ek hoop dit maak sin! 
Marsh

Ek is seker ek is nie die enigste een wat al hiermee gesukkel het nie. Die Afrikaanse literatuur het ook nie veel fantasie of wetenskapsfiksie nie en alhoewel ander mitologieë (meestal Klassiek) soms in die letterkunde gebruik word, is daar geen hoë of epiese fantasie waarvan ek weet nie. Toe ek my Meestersgraad oor die invloed van Noorse mites op die Afrikaanse literatuur begin het, het ek gou gevind dat ek dit moet uitbrei om Nederlandse letterkunde ook in te sluit sodat ek genoeg tekste het om te studeer! En selfs net met hierdie studie het mense my al gevra of ek in daardie gode glo en wanneer ek weggedraai het van God af!

Dus, wanneer jy ’n Christelike fantasieskrywer is… en jy mites gebruik om ‘n punt te bewys of jou eie mites opmaak… wat sê jy aan hierdie mense?

Ek het hierdie wonderlike antwoord van Sean Rackley ontvang wat ek graag met ander wat dalk in dieselfde bootjie as ek sit wil deel:
Die manier waarop ek hierdie vraag hanteer is om dié wat ook aan die gesprek deelneem Jesus se vergelykings as spekulatiewe fiksie te sien. Dan is die sprong na fantasie en wetenskapsfiksie nie so groot nie. Jesus het die Waarheid aan ’n sterwende wêreld verkondig deur stories te gee waarby hulle kon aanklank vind (ek wonder soms of die stories nie waar is nie as mens kyk na wie die outeur is, maar ek dwaal nou van onderwerp af). Hy het byvoorbeeld ’n landbougemeenskap geleer deur meestal lanboustories te gebruik (soos byvoorbeeld ’n boer wat saad saai).
Ons gehoor is bekend met dinge ver verwyderd van landbou (dus kan die vergelyking van die saaier oorvertel word as ’n kolonialiserende gemeenskap wat veraardsing uitvoer met verskillende resultate op verskillende planete, of as ’n ridder wat sy ryk beskerm teen voëls wat saad steel, klippe en dorings wat per toeval drake, golems en donker elwe – met gepunte pyle is). Gooi ’n paar nodige storie elemente in om dit meer as ’n paar paragrawe lank te maak en voilà! – ’n storie is gebore.

Mense stem steeds nie altyd ooreen nie, maar op daardie tye herinner ek myself daaraan dat God my nie geroep het om te stry hoekom ek skryf nie, net om te skryf. Selfs indien ek die enigste persoon is wat nader aan God kom deur my fiksie en poësie het ek my werk gedoen.

Hierdie stuk het die eerste keer hiér by Hersenskim verskyn. 

Inspirasie vir die week
’n Bietjie musiek om die litte los te maak so op die Maandag – Bon Jovi se “It’s My Life”.

Monday Inspiration – It’s My Life

I love this great song by Bon Jovi to start the day or the week with – definitely an energy boost!

And in other news, I received a nomination for a Liebster Blog Award! What this space for more information and my own nominees.

Kammastories en kammalande

Welkom by die eerste inskrywing hier by Kammastories, ’n hoekie op die internet vir allerhande stories, sketse en verbeeldingsvlugte. Reeds vir meer as ’n jaar blog ek by Hersenskim oor stories, boeke en ’n kammawêreld genaamd Airthai. Hier en daar het al ’n paar stories in publikasies verskyn, maar met die dat die oorgrote lesers slegs Engels magtig is, was dit moeilik om die Afrikaanse teks by die Engels in te werk sonder dat die inskrywings lomp raak. Dus het ek besluit om hier ’n plekkie te skrop vir die Afrikaanse stories – veral aangesien meeste van die kort fiksie van Airthai oorspronklik in Afrikaans geskryf is.

Soos op Hersenskim, sal inskrywings op Kammastories gewy word aan skryfwerk, stories en boeke op Woensdae en Vrydae en mooi en inpirerende liedjies, poësie en musiek op Maandae. (Sommige van die inskrywings hier en op Hersenskim sal steeds ooreenstem*.)

Maar, intussen, hier is ’n bietjie inspirasie vir die naweek – Prime Circle se liedjie “My Inspiration”.

*Soos byvoorbeeld die week se liedjie of gedig.

Of Fingers, Pies and Inspiration

Sometimes, there is such a thing as too much pie. Especially when you have fingers stuck in them. Although I picture the ones I have fingers stuck in more like a range of different kinds of pie and some of the experimental fillings aren’t working as well as I’d hoped. And now I’ll stop with the pie-metaphor and get to the real news:

Kammastories*
Kammastories will be a new blog filled with stories and spinned yarns – but these will all be (as far as possible) in Afrikaans (if you are new to this blog – Afrikaans is my mother tongue**). Many of my shorter pieces of Airthai worldbuilding and fiction were first written in Afrikaans, but, while this blog has some Afrikaans content, I find that my readers predominantly have English as their mother tongue or as an additional language, but do not understand Afrikaans. Therefore, rather that simply having the same posts in both languages on one blog – which may become very confusing – I’ve decided to split them, but still have some of the same blog posts on both, or the same story in both languages. I also want to write more fiction in Afrikaans, and this will give me a specific platform for those pieces. Which brings me to “Small Mercies”.

This short-lived blog – which I just feel does not work on its own – will rather be incorporated into my usual posts here on Hersenskim and will give me more freedom than just saying that I’ve been surrounded by books for another week or to stay on such a narrow subject. That said, I am not quitting my Finish Year list, but will just go about noting progress on finishing that list a bit differently!

Plans for Hersenskim
The format (or, rather, the order) of the posts here will change slightly – I’ll start Monday with some Inspiration†, Wednesdays will remain days for Worldbuilding and Fridays will have posts about fiction, book reviews, writing and other bookish endeavours. I’ll also give a short update on Finish Year at the end of the Friday post.

Weekend Inspiration
But, to get everyone in weekend mode and give some inspiration (albeit a bit louder than usual), music by a wonderful South African band called Prime Circle. Here’s their song “My Inspiration” – enjoy!

*”Kammastories” means “fantastical stories” or “fantasy stories” in Afrikaans. Cue evil laugh of glee!
** Or now you now why my “Friday Inspiration” posts also have an Afrikaans translation…
† Simply because you need inspiration more at the beginning of the week than at the end of it!

Stock photo courtesy of www.sxc.hu 

Worldbuilding Wednesday – The Midland Wars

The ‘short story’ called “The Price of Freedom”, which was supposed to take place after the story “A Dragon’s Freedom” in order to move the overall story of Airthai forward a bit*, turned into more of a novel length work… but the stories of the kingdoms and peoples of the Southern and Midlands doesn’t end there.
After Gile received the crown some of his men decided that they could not longer follow him and the surrounding kingdoms saw an opportunity. And the paw-paw kind of hits the fan** for Gile – especially when he learns that he won’t be getting his hands on any more dragons and he only knows one order in their tongue (now quite useless, thanks to Ryger). This brings me to a time of great change in the kingdoms of the Midlands.

The Midland Wars – part 1:

First strike
The kingdoms of Ealdfesten and Guldargan already had a disputed border to the east of the capital city of Guldargan and when Ealdfesten learned that Guldargan no longer had any dragons, they were the first to launch small raids beyond their border.
When Marcus passed away and Gile became king, it was not even a fortnight before Ealdfesten attacked Guldargan with a large force of men and pushed their own border westward to the main city.

Through the next six decades various battles and wars were fought and the borders of the kingdoms of the midlands changed dramatically through these years. These wars are collectively known as the Midland Wars and would change not only the kingdoms and their people, but also the Keepers and their function in the Midlands for good.

After Ealdfesten’s attack, the kingdoms around Guldargan now took their chance and Aefterra – to the northeast of Guldargan and north of Ealdfesten – attacked Guldargan as well. While Treddian at first stayed an attack on Guldargan, they did attack when Ealdfesten had conquered all of the southern lands of Guldargan and had reached Treddians eastern border. The Keepers of Holt Haliern and Eamidthéo tried in vain to reach a compromise with Ealdfesten, but they would hear none of it and the bloodshed on the Southern Fields was great and the men from Ealdfesten burned a great swathe of the land as well. Because it was autumn and quite dry, the fire spread fast and many who were not soldiers lost their lives and many others their livelihoods. These people were both of Treddian and Guldargan (before Ealdfesten conquered the land), but with nowhere else to go, they made their way to the Keepers together to look for help.  

Next week: The Midland Wars, part 2 - Sanctuaries

*To get the “middle part” between “A Dragon’s Freedom” and “Yet untitled story” told… Stories just love getting out of hand!

**Yes, this is an accepted rendering of the “item + fan idiom”…