Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Mythology and Folklore: Part 2 by Erika M Szabo

The World Tree (Világfa)

By Erika M Szabo

Today, I'm going to continue my blog series: Mythology and Folklore.
If interested, you can read Part One here:
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2018/04/mythology-and-folklore-part-one-by.html

In Hungarian myth, the world is divided into three spheres: the first is the Upper World (Felső világ), the home of the gods; the second is the Middle World (Középső világ) or the world we know, and finally the underworld (Alsó világ).

In the center of the world stands a tall tree: the World Tree /Tree of Life (Világfa/Életfa). Its foliage is the Upper World, and the Turul bird dwells on top of it. The Middle World is located at its trunk and the underworld is around its roots. In some stories, the tree bears fruit: the golden apples.

Upper World
The gods and the good souls live in the Upper World. Gods have the same rank, although the most important figure of them is Isten (Hungarian for "God"). They control the world, shape the fate of humans, observe the Middle World from the sky.
Istenanya "Mother God", also known as Boldogasszony "Blessed Lady", literally meaning "happy woman".
Hadúr "warlord".

The Sun and the Moon are also located in the Upper World. The sky was thought to be a big tent held up by the Tree of Life. The several holes in it are the stars. The Sun, Moon, and symbols of the cosmic word, are known from Hungarian grave findings from the period of Hungarian conquest.

Middle World
The Middle World is shared among humans and many mythological creatures; the latter are often supernatural. There are ghosts of the forests and waters, who are ordered to scare humans. They have different names in different places. There are females, for example, the sellő (mermaid), which lives in water and has a human torso with the tail of a fish.
The wind is controlled by an old lady called Szélanya (Wind Mother).
The Sárkány (dragon) is a frightening beast: he is the enemy of many heroes in fairy tales, symbolizing the psychical inner struggle of the hero.The Sárkány usually has 1-7 heads.
The lidérc is a ghostly, mysterious creature with several different appearances, its works are always malicious.
The manók (elves/goblins) and the törpék (dwarfs) are foxy beings living in woods or under the ground.
Óriások (giants) live in the mountains. They have both good and bad qualities.
Favorite creatures are the tündérek (fairies), who are beautiful young virgins or female creatures (often depicted either as personified purity and innocence or as playful and foxy). They aid humans, who sometimes can ask three wishes from them.
Their opposites are the bábák, who are equated with catty old witches. (Bába means "midwife" in modern Hungarian, and originally they were wise old women, later equated with witches as Christianity became widespread.)
Underworld
The Underworld is the place of bad souls (this includes evil spirits and the souls of dead people who were cruel and evil in their lives) and the home of Ördög, creator of everything bad for humans: for example, annoying animals such as fleas, lice, and flies.
Courtesy of Wikipedia and several Hungarian websites

Next time maybe I'll introduce you to a few famous Hungarian foods such as gulyas, stuffed cabbage, and donut, which is far better than the Dunkin kind. Or, maybe I'll tell you more about Hungarian mythology and folklore.

If you like fantasy and children's books, visit me on my website
http://www.authorerikamszabo.com


COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
A little bit of mythology
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Ruth de Jauregui

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Wow, the more you share, the more I realize how little I know of mythology outside of the Roman and Greek. Thank you so much, that was fascinating!
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We would need hundred lifetimes to learn the mythology and folklore of every nation :)

Mary Schmidt

7 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Sounds fantastic!
 
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Rebecca Tran via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Erika Szabo tells readers about the three levels of the world in Hungarian Mythology on Our Author Gang.
 
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on A Small Gang of Authors, Erika M. Szabo​ talks more about mythology and folklore, and "The World Tree."
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Joe Bonadonna

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Fantastic, Erika! What great research, too. Another post that's right up my other-worldly alley.
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Erika M. Szabo​ shares the mythology and folklore of Hungary. This is fascinating stuff, totally different than the familiar mythology of the Romans and Greeks -- check it out!
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Nikki McDonagh shared this via Google+

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Nikki McDonagh

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Fabulous post. I love reading about mythology and folklore, especially when I don't know anything about them.
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Chris Weigand

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Fun stuff. Thanks for sharing.
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Chris Weigand via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
A little more Hungarian mythology with Erika.
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Toi Thomas via Google+

8 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, Erika M Szabo, breaks down the basics of the hierarchy of Hungarian mythology, including The World Tree and tons of creatures.
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Mary Anne Yarde

8 months ago (edited)  -  Shared publicly
 
Such a wonderfully informative post. Thanks for sharing, Erika!
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Monday, May 7, 2018

Romantic couples of film: Part 1 by Grace Augustine #OurAuthorGang

photo courtesy of 8Tracks

Romance has been around since the Garden of Eden...well, maybe that wasn't romance, but you get the idea. 

When our minds wander to the big screen, who do you think of as the most romantic couples of film and television? In part one of my blog series, I will share with you three of the most iconic couples in history.

photo courtesy of Biography.com

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were the hot item in the early 1950's.  With movies like "TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT",  "THE BIG SLEEP", "DARK PASSAGE", and "KEY LARGO"...this couple set the screen on fire. The chemistry between these two was real. They were husband and wife. Bacall was only 19 when she met Bogart, 45, on the set of To Have and Have Not in 1944. Bogey was already married to his 3rd wife when he met Lauren, but that didn't stop the scandalous affair. In May of 1945, shortly after Bogart divorced, he married Bacall at a farm owned by Pulitzer Prize winner, Louis Bromfield, in Lucas, Ohio. They had two children and stayed married until Bogart's death in 1957. For more on this romantic couple, please check out their story by clicking this link:
https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/a44357/humphrey-bogart-lauren-bacall-marriage/

photo courtesy of Pinterest

One of my all time favorite couples was Rock Hudson and Doris Day. He was so handsome and she so adorable. Their acting wasn't really acting. They adored one another. My favorite Hudson/Day film has to be the 1959 hit "PILLOW TALK." I still watch their movies every chance I get. In 1961 they starred in "LOVER COME BACK" and in 1964 "SEND ME NO FLOWERS." They were incredibly sweet, silly romances that made you laugh. Movies like this are hard to come by today, in my opinion. Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 and died 1985. Doris Day is still going strong and looks marvelous for being 96 years old.

photo courtesy of American Daily Patriot

They were not a couple of film, but the most iconic romantic couple of that era had to be President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy. Although their relationship was tumultuous at times, they stood by each other until the end. Kennedy married Jackie Bouvier on September 12, 1953 at St. Mary's Church in Newport, Rhode Island. The Kennedys had 3 children: John, Jr., Caroline, and Patrick. Jackie's sense of fashion turned the world upside down and had women everywhere wanting to look "just like Jackie." Their fairy tale marriage ended in November of 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated. Jackie and Ari Onassis were married from 1968 to 1975.

Join me next time for Part 2 as we continue exploring famous romantic couples.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Our Guest Today is Author Stefanie Bridges-Mikota #OurAuthorGang

Welcome, Stefanie! We're excited you could be with us today.


Stefanie Bridges-Mikota grew up in a small town in SW Washington halfway between the beautiful Pacific Ocean and Majestic Cascade Mountains.  She was raised by two hard working people who instilled in her old time values in a modern world. She married her high school sweetheart and together they have two children. The small town they call home is not far from Stefanie’s childhood roots and an easy place to be a writer without all of the business found in the cities to the north and south.

Stefanie is one of those people who, despite quickly approaching middle age, is still trying to decide what to do when she grows up. She has worked in a variety of fields which has given her some great knowledge to work into future books. Now she is trying her hand at writing which she finds quite fulfilling.  Stefanie has other works started and is anxious to introduce them to the world in the near future.

Stefanie loves interacting with her readers. You may reach her here:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Fiction.Novel.Author/
Website:  https://stefaniemikota.wixsite.com/website
Email:  stefaniemikota@gmail.com


Congratulations on the release of your debut novel from all of us at A Small Gang of Authors!


Allie is racing the flames and praying for rain.

Alice Coghill finds herself in a train wreck of a marriage. It pushes her to the edge.

In 1910 Northern Idaho, her choices are limited, and time is running out. A difficult decision must be made, but with each option comes a separate, but still disastrous consequence.

Frank, her childhood crush, appears from nowhere and is eager to join her. While she needs him to help her flight, she doesn’t want to lose her heart. 

Will she settle on an option she can live with before the physical and metaphorical flames consume her?

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Our Guest Today is Terri Bruce


This book series features real afterlife beliefs and mythologies from every culture and religion, though it's not a religious book - I just like mythology :-) I wanted to write a book that took all the various stories and beliefs and combined them together into a seamless whole. I also wanted to write a love story that is not a romance - there are many kinds of love, and I think we tend to focus exclusively on romantic/sexual love. I wanted to surface some of other kinds of love, such as companionable love and romantic love that may not be sexual.

One thing readers of the series may notice is that every book starts with the main character opening her eyes. I did this on purpose because writers are told to never start a book that way, and being told not to do a thing just makes me want to do it all the more! :p (I'm contrary like that. I was also told by numerous agents that books can't feature one protagonist that is an adult and one that is a child because kids don't like to read about adults and vice versa. I thought that was extremely strange advice and am happy I ignored it. Jonah and Irene are great fun to write together and I can't image this story if they were both teens or both adults. They each are who they are, in part, due to their age/where they are in life and they relate to the other person, in part, because of the other person's age. Irene has a wealth of experience that Jonah admires and Jonah has an innocence and naivety that Irene admires/values).

Hereafter
(Afterlife #1)
by Terri Bruce

Why let a little thing like dying get in the way of a good time?

Thirty-six-year-old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on Earth as a ghost, where the food has no taste, the alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, and the sex...well, let’s just say “don’t bother.” To make matters worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen-year-old boy genius obsessed with the afterlife.

Unfortunately, what waits in the Great Beyond isn’t much better. Stuck between the boring life of a ghost in this world and the terrifying prospect of three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment in the next, Irene sets out to find a third option—preferably one that involves not being dead anymore.

Praise for the Afterlife Series:
Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Neverwhere in a series readers are calling “Smart and Funny” and “Insightful, Refreshing, & Down-to-Earth.”

5 out of 5...[Hereafter]  is so good that I can't wait to make time to reread it. I highly recommend it. Not what I expected, in fact much much more.” ~Mallory Heart Reviews

“5 Stars… The first few pages of [Hereafter] will get you hooked… and will entertain you until the end. This book is absolutely superb and is a must read.” ~Reader’s Favorite

"Readers looking for a lighthearted book that still touches on some serious themes or for a novel with fantasy elements that doesn’t feature a sexy vampire huntress or a paranormal detective agency might try Hereafter." ~Bay State Reader Advisory

"4 out of 5...An amazing book...those who love the feisty heroine that we often read in Paranormal and Supernatural Fantasy novels will love Irene and the flavour that Terri Bruce has given her" ~The Phantom Paragrapher

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hereafter-Afterlife-1-Terri-Bruce-ebook/dp/B00HSX5LLA
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hereafter-terri-bruce/1112511494?ean=9780991303601

Excerpt:
    “Come.” Samyel gestured, indicating that they should follow him. “We must go.”
    “Go? Go where?”
    “Away. Inside. Or they will see.”
    “Who will see what?”
     The dark glasses revealed nothing as he stood impassively for a moment. “Everyone.”
     Samyel was attracting a lot of attention. The crowd moving around them was giving him a wide berth, and he was the focus of a lot of strange looks, which just confirmed that he wasn’t dead—people could see him. Irene knew that it looked like a seven-foot tall man in a trench coat and dark glasses was talking to himself in the middle of the sidewalk. It wouldn’t be long before the cops came to investigate.
     Irene gestured for Samyel to lead the way. “Fine. Let’s go.”
     Irene heard another choke of protest and glanced at Jonah. There was a silent exchange of mouthed words, pantomimed gestures, and angry, exaggerated looks.
    “Don’t be crazy,” Jonah hissed. “You can’t go with him!”
    “You’re the one that always wants to stop and talk to every weirdo we meet,” she countered. “And what do you mean ‘you’? We’re both going.”
    “Uh uh,” Jonah said. “This is your idea. If you get murdered, I’m not saving you.”
    With an exasperated look, she motioned for Jonah to follow and set out after Samyel, who was nearly out of sight. Jonah reluctantly followed. Irene gave him a wry look as they trailed, side by side, a few feet behind Samyel. “You know, at some point, we’re going to have to talk about your propensity for picking fights with people bigger than yourself.”
    “What’s propensity?”
    “A really bad habit that you should stop.”
    Jonah’s expression turned unreadable for a long moment, as if he was debating with himself, and then he looked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets and bowing his head to stare at the sidewalk as they went.
    “I’ve changed the password, by the way, so you can’t do that again,” he said darkly.
    She grabbed his arm, pulling him to a halt. “Jonah, listen to me. It’s not that I don’t appreciate you trying to protect me. I do. Even when it’s annoying and misplaced, like with Ernest. You’re the bravest, sweetest guy I’ve ever met, but I’m dead. You’re not. I’m already probably going to Hell for dragging you along on this adventure. Don’t add being the cause of your death to my list of crimes, okay?”

    The tips of his ears had turned pink and his head was down, shoulders hunched. Then, to her surprise, he suddenly looked at her, his eyes inquiring as he searched her face. She didn’t know what
he was looking for, but he was gazing at her so earnestly that she blushed.

About the Author
TERRI BRUCE is the author of the paranormal / contemporary fantasy Afterlife series, and her short stories have appeared in a variety of anthologies and magazines. She produces hard-to-classify fantasy and science fiction stories from Downeast Maine where she lives with her husband and various cats. Her fourth novel, Whenafter (Afterlife #4), will be released April 2018.

Contact Details
Website/Blog: www.terribruce.net
Twitter: @_TerriBruce 

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