Back in undergrad (Aside: EGADS! That’s almost twenty years ago!), I crossed paths with a guy postulating that superheroes were the American pantheon and comics our modern myths. I didn’t buy it then and I don’t buy it now, but the concept of the "American myth" stuck with me. As a boy, Greek mythology and the legends of King Arthur captured my imagination. When slightly older, the Lord of the Rings—J.R.R. Tolkien’s attempt at crafting a truly English myth—grabbed my attention. 

Ever since, I’ve had a strong interest in trying to create my version of the American myth. But what is that?

Our nation is young enough that we arguably don’t have myths as much as legends and regional heroes. Near mythical figures might be (or have been…?) Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, and others like them. Perhaps closer to the mark are the tales and beliefs of North America’s many indigenous peoples. 

Really, though, I think the American myth should embody the history, spirit, and fabric of our people. And our people—we whose family lines all originated somewhere else in the world—are both the product and caretakers of our past.

Thus, I proposed (to myself) a simple answer to a complex problem: The American myth should be multicultural, drawing from world mythologies, folklore, and characters. In addition, it must connect to our land, traditions, pastimes, and beliefs.

How did that influence my plans for the Raiders of Light series and Light’s Shadow specifically? Let’s talk about some fun examples. 

From Greek mythology: 

• Charon, the ferryman of the dead. Beyd has urged me to remind the reader that he invented the term “ferrybot,” which is (or so he says) pure genius. 
• Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld. Thus quoth the Beydin, “Dogs? One-eyed floating urchins? What’s the difference, really?”

From Roman mythology: 

• Minerva, the goddess of law and justice, etc. Minerva seemed to the author an appropriate overseer of the Darktouched elections.
• Sterculius, the god of odor associated with manure, fertilizer, and the privy. A certain debate among the Black Hand in a certain drinking establishment in the Old Town of the Abzu Complex offers a, uh, blunt homage to this maligned yet necessary god.

From Egyptian mythology: 

Seshat the goddess of libraries and record keeping. I have it on good authority that Beyd renamed her to Zezaht, believing it sounded more fearsome.

From Japanese mythology/beliefs:

Red string. In Japanese culture, this refers to an invisible thread that connects two people meant to be together. An unbreakable bond, just like the one that Lucas and Rynn share as Wisdom Sentinels.

From Indian mythology/beliefs:

The Veil of Existence. An illusion accentuating mankind’s ignorance of the true nature of the world that can be lifted through knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. Knowing this, do you as the reader see deeper meaning in Lucas and Rynn tearing their veils?

With the above mythologies blended into a Sumerian base, I felt like I had a good soup cooking. But it was still missing something….

I wanted to include two more things in my version of the American myth: Americana (duh) and elements important to me. For example, as someone who’s ethnically half Filipino and married to a Filipina, incorporating some of those beliefs and myths was a must. In the Deep Infra, our heroes encounter creatures inspired by Filipino myths: the giant, tree-dwelling Kapre; the dog-like Sigbin; and the terrifying Wakwak, whose wingbeats grow quieter the closer it is to (murdering) you.

And, in a certain dream scene, the reader encounters a play on words (that the author is proud of) involving the word “marasa” from the Waray language in the Philippines, which means delicious, and the Marassa twins, who are divinities in Haitian voodoo practices.

Last but not least, the final piece of the American myth is… America.

Central to Light’s Shadow are figures from Native beliefs like Yael the wily raven and the knowing, enigmatic owl. But there are other, more subtle, cultural callouts. 

The reader might remember Tara Devlin mentioning that the main Abzu Hubs are located in Cedar Rapids, South Dakota, and Louisville, Kentucky. Why? Because those places are home to the largest cave systems in North America. What better way to enter the Abzu and Infra? 

Another example is the illusory trees conjured by Eresh in the Deep Infra, which were inspired in part by the Giant Redwoods of California and in part by the live oak that are iconic of the Old South. 

And, perhaps most importantly, the nature of the Darktouched themselves is American in spirit. The Darktouched Rite passes to seemingly random individuals all over the world. Similarly, one could argue (and I probably would, depending on my mood) that Americans are born on every continent and every country in the world—they all just haven’t gotten here yet. 

I hope you’ll continue with me on this journey of discovering the American myth. Until next time. 

Image by Elihu Vedder - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48948850