I stumbeled accross somethings. And I'm only up to the first chapter! Ok, I skimmed through some later stuff too, but...

Anyway, I was reading it and I stumbeled accross several things that seem to be in relation Tammy's books:

1. In the Persian Empire there was a god named Mithras, who was a popular god of the sun and war.

2.Priests in Persia were called Magi.

3.Later in the book (ok, so it was only page 66)when I was flipping through pages was a map of "major regions of the late Shang state" I did a double take and found out Shang was a Dynasty in China!

This stuff has me wondering where stuff came from:

1. Mithros?

2. The word "mage" (and I realize Tammy didn't make it up, ...did she?)

3. The Shangs

I think I'm begining to realize how much history and culture Tammy must know. Wow. And that's just chapter 1!

*goes off in a daze*

Laura

Go ask an invisible dragon.

1. who knows?
2. Being the latin scholar that I am, it is most likely from the latin word for magic or some derivation of that. Or something medival old english.
3. I don't know if the chinese shang dyanasty has anything to do with the hand-to-hand combat warriors have anything to do with that dynsty. she may have derived it from the fact that warriors during that period were..um...hey, I'm just guessing here. Or she could have just used that word to refer to the chinese way of fighting.

yeah. to be a writer and to have realistic cultures you use alot of backinfo and research; sometimes its just for your own benift and sidenotes so you can understand your own story better. I should know -- right now I'm digging up (and buying) as many books on vamps and weres and necromancers and gouls,ghosts,witches,and goblins, and thier history/culture/folklore/myths/stuff that I can find. My current char is a necromancer and she deals alot with that stuff. And even if I try to go on the stuff I have gleaned from other books; it won't be as strong as if I know it myself. god. sorry 'bout that writing rant. I haven't been able to write anything down recently. not fun.
Cheers!

~Amanda

yeah, and in latin class we were learning about Vergil's "the aneid" (sp?) and there was a city he (aneas) went to in northern africa called carthage.

Aeneid ...

OK, don't think I'm a freak for knowing that, it's just that I was in my school's classics club and got to be Aeneas for the fashion show we did two years ago. This meant I got married to a girl played by one of my best friends. The only problem was that I was in an all girl's school. The marriage was quickly annuled after the performance ...

1. Mithros?

I remember a post about this and she didn't get it form there.

2. The word "mage" (and I realize Tammy didn't make it up, ...did she?)

Nope, mage is a word. D&D first introduced it to me when I was like 4.

3. The Shangs

Naw, she got it from Mulan. Lol, just kidding.

~Born Again Gutterer~

+1006

the great southern desert is kinda like Persia...perspolis was actually an ancient city with a palace that was ruined...both my parents were born in Iran...i get all kinds of stories, including the one about my moms visit to the ruins of perspolis...

~rachAel~
I love elephants!!!


thanks, Teggo!

“Tomorrow," said Ron in a muffled voice, "I'd rather you set the alarm clock."

1) Persopolis is a real place.
2) So is the Roof of the World (its in Nepal).

Just thought to add that.

Later Days.
D.J.

| Dyslexic | LJ | Resident Jock |

  

Edited to cure runaway italics!

I like to think of it as my lifelong adherence to the words of the literary critic Lionel Trilling: "Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal." (The trick, as my science fiction/fantasy writer friends will be the first to tell you, is in filing off the serial numbers.)

I did indeed take Mithros from Persian mythology, and had forgotten that Alexander the Great's capital city, now in ruins, was called "Persepolis" until after ALANNA was published. (But I did know it in my subconscious still, obviously.) I quite deliberately named most of the early Eastern and Southern Lands from world history, including Carthak/Carthage, Scanra/Scandinavia, Galla/Gaul (France/Spain). (I've gotten better at hiding my tracks since then!) Yamani is just my rearrangement of Yamato, the original name for Japan, which actually means "land of the gods." I did not know "Himalaya" means "the roof of the world" until after LIONESS RAMPANT--that was one of those Twilight Zone moments. I not only knew there was a Shang dynasty in imperial China, but "shang" means "strong" in one or other of the Chinese dialects.

I first read "mage" in one of Barbara Hambly's books, and liked it because unlike so many other words which mean magic-user, there's no negative side to it (unlike witch, sorceror, necromancer), and it can be used to mean male or female. I did know that the root word means "of the wise," though, from Bible study as a kid: "magi."

I've been interested in the classical world, the medieval world, and the world of the Silk Roads since I was small. I'm still interested in them, and I keep reading in those areas: not just history, but novels, architecture, cookbooks, dictionaries, fashion books . . . There's just so much out there in the world, stuff you think has to be made up until you read about it or see photographs of it. And you never know what will give you ideas for things. I've often mentioned I based the Saren civil war on a civil war going on in Vietnam for centuries, and the Queen's Riders on the original configuration of Special Forces.

I got the ideas for the plots in The Circle Opens from my true crime books, except for STREET MAGIC, which came from my work as a social worker with gang kids in Philadelphia. And the basic ideas for the Trickster books come from the rule of the Ptolemies over ancient Egypt, the Norman invasion of England, India under the English, political battles at the court of Edward VI of England, and maybe a touch of Plantagenet history.

The screwy thing is, this is all stuff I read for fun from the time I was small. It's why I tell people who want to write to look at their old obsessions for ideas. You can get things to try from the most modern of stuff. Sometimes you won't even know that's where you've gotten it from!

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

I just have to mention that I absolutely ADORE Plantagenet England. Although I must say the whole evil Uncle/cousin thing from the Alanna books reminds me slightly of some of the stuff that took place in England during the war of the roses.

I adore English history. Its my obssession other then you're books Tammy, and its the reason I am going to be a Social Studies teacher at the end of December. I can't wait.

Later Days.
D.J.

| Dyslexic | LJ | Resident Jock |

  

ahem, or that people *claim* took place... (*shnuggles RIII*). sorry, DJ, had to do it.

people always wonk out on me when i explain that no, i really haven't read many novels lately, and i'm currently in the middle of reading a textbook on the history of machine gun warfare, a book on medieval hygiene, and some reference materials on astrologies besides the major western and chinese ones.

tammy, when i first read sotl i was RPing a character who was obsessed with comparative religions, so i wrote you a fan letter that i, uhh, got embarrassed and didn't send, where i asked if you were a zoroastrian.

http://www.antagonia.net

If I'd had time, tea, I woulda answered!

I love the Plantagenets, too, DJ. They got up to so much stuff, and they include one of the all-time great queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine. I need to read up more on the Wars of the Roses, though. I know George R.R. Martin's tapping them for his Song of Fire and Ice, and I want to see where he diverges.

The nice thing about royalty is you can find relatives killing each other in royal houses all over the world. All that power, and so many hands want to grab it!

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

I'm going to recommend Pauline Stafford's "Queen's, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early Middle Ages" to anyone who enjoys reading about royal scheming for power and in particular women who were involved in it.
I read bits of it when researching for my dissertation (She covers most of Europe, and I only needed the bit on English Queens), and found it very readable - am very tempted to read all of it for pleasure.
The period she covers may be earlier than what people are interested in, however.
Kinky.

"Age and treachery!"

Ooo! Must acquire!

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

Sounds good....
*ponders*
Later Days.
D.J.

| Dyslexic | LJ | Resident Jock |

  

You would like... *searches shelves*

Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes
by Bertram Fields

I really liked it. He cleverly argues with the conclusion that Alison Weir and other historians have come to regarding who killed the Princes.

Later Days.
D.J.

| Dyslexic | LJ | Resident Jock |

  

Thanks for the info, Tammy! *goes skipping off to read history book and find more about the Indian culture, which is chapter two*

Laura

Go ask an invisible dragon.

Please forgive me my insanity.

And the word for mountain in Japanese is yama. My daughter learns a style of weapons work in karate called Yamanni-ryu which loosely translates "mountain style". I'm told it's considered distinctive especially for it's effective use of the Bo (staff).

Kit

"Yamani is just my rearrangement of Yamato, the
original name for Japan, which actually means 'land of the
gods.' "

Wasn't Yamato Matt's real name from Digimon? V. cool.

It took me a while to figure out that Yamani=Japan, which is sad, because I'm obsessed with Anime and many Japanese things. I knew what Hoshi meant, though. When I read it started bouncing up and down like a dork, going, "Oo! Oo! I know what it means! I know what it means!" It was the first time my sporadic knowledge of Japanese actually came in handy.

On another subject entirely -- I use names and locations in my stories for character names, although they usually don't have much relevance. I had a character named Sirius (*before* I read Harry Potter, that is), for the star, and one of my favorite characters is a girl named Calypso. Also Tomoko, Hermione (from Shakespear, not Rowling!), Lyra (the constellation), and Persephone. And then there's that interesting Greek god Hermaphroditus, who's never had a namesake from me, although I'm dying to give him one.

--Ceresi

If toast always lands butter side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens when you strap a piece of toast to a cat and then drop it?

> I knew what Hoshi meant, though. When I read it started
>bouncing up and down like a dork, going, "Oo! Oo! I know
>what it means! I know what it means!" It was the first time
>my sporadic knowledge of Japanese actually came in handy.

I don't know if there are any other Enterprise fans here, but when I watched my first episode I was tickled to death to discover that one of the characters - later my favorite - is named "Hoshi Sato." Not only did I know that "Hoshi" means "star" in Japanese - an ironic name for a reluctant starfarer like Ensign Hoshi Sato - but to the best of my knowledge, "Sato" means "sugar." I started thinking of her as "Ensign Star Sugar" and even referring to her like that, to the confusion of my family.

>On another subject entirely -- I use names and locations in my
>stories for character names, although they usually don't have
>much relevance. I had a character named Sirius (*before* I
>read Harry Potter, that is), for the star, and one of my
>favorite characters is a girl named Calypso. Also Tomoko,
>Hermione (from Shakespear, not Rowling!), Lyra (the
>constellation), and Persephone.

"Hermione" also comes from Greek mythology - she was the daughter of Hellen of Sparta and King Menelaus. Hellen left her behind when she ran off with Paris.

Salvia

"Emotion is the currency we pay out so our readers will repay us with the currency of belief and enjoyment."

~Tamora Pierce

Helen did not run off with Paris. He kidnapped her.

About Mithras...an author has to get ideas from somewhere, although that one is easy to see. No offence meant.

Mage, I note, is widely used by fantasy authors. I won't bore you with the list.

Signing Off,
Grathlongfletch

>>Helen did not run off with Paris. He kidnapped her.

Actually, accounts vary--it's about 50/50 whether he kidnapped her or she ran off with him.

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

This is completely off topic, but my cousin's name is a Twilight Zone-type thing. His name is Rory, which meant red-haired. My aunt and uncle picked the name before he was born, and neither one is anywhere near red-haired, but after he was born, he was a carrot-top! It was the strangest thing.

Just Finished: Vacations From Hell by Libba Bray, etc.
Currently Reading: The Singing by Alison Croggon

Novel Count for 2010: 26

Do you know what Chinese dialect "shang" means "strong" in?

I asked my parents (we're Chinese) what it meant and they said Shang was more of a surname for that Dynasty. I think it was that the rulers of China then had that last name. They also said the word "shang" means business.

>>Do you know what Chinese dialect "shang" means "strong" in?

I honestly have no clue. It was something I dug out years ago.

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

Everytime I read her Japan references I bounce up and down...my friends never should have tried to teach me both Japanese and Chinese...they created a monster with a bad accent. Texans were not meant to speak Chinese or Japanese, especially not when they mix the two up and speak Chipanese.


GabbyoftheMoon
"Don't interrupt. How do you expect to become wise?-A Wizard Abroad, "You're actually a nice person, aren't you?"-Shatterglass
Don't worry, we percussionists do not expect you to understand us.

to add on this is a qoute from a eyewitness book:

"In Ethiopia.... are still worn by the Galla people....."

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
with a pink carnation and a pickup truck

And I found "Rayong" in a map of Thailand I was looking at the other day, trying to find interesting names. Obviously I was not the first to think that Thai is a rich source of syllabic combinations.
nim

And you missed Chitral Pass in Tibet? I'm shocked! Yes, shocked

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

In ancient History There was alot of things she copied from. In Wicca the chif goddess's name was the Godess, the word "mage" was used efore Tammy was born, In every country there were Magi. The singular term is Magus, though.

Yeah, Yamato was the Japanese name for Matt from Digimon. *drools* I love Matt. He's not as hot as Yamaki form the third season though

~*~Lee~*~
~If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten.
~Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- fear of long words
~The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, through his chest, an axe.

Oh yeah, Matt's last name was Ishida.

~*~Lee~*~
~If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten.
~Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- fear of long words
~The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, through his chest, an axe.

You can learn a lot of Japanese from anime.

~*~Lee~*~
~If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten.
~Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- fear of long words
~The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, through his chest, an axe.

>>You can learn a lot of Japanese from anime.

Certainly Tim thinks so. "Shonenai" and "Shojo" have entered household vocabulary, as has "menchi" (which is what he calls poor Gremlin, who gets wide-eyed and flees at the thought of being turned into chopped meat), and "gambatta!"

In any case, ours is a household prepped for the aquisition of Japanese words and phrases, what with my love of Japanese culture, our long friendship with our friend Iris, who sends us much cool omiyage, and my correspondence with a fan who lives in Tokyo. I've actually caught myself answering a question of Tim's I didn't get with "Nani?" (sp? I've only heard it, not seen it written in Roman.)

Tammy

“No person is your friend who demands your silence.”
Alice Walker

AAAAAAAAAAHHH!! *growls at Anime* I love Japan and the language and the culture... I. Can't. Stand. Anime!!!!!!!!!! I guess five years of it being pumped into you does that.

hehe.... for anime fans, check out this link: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail57.html

autumnleaf

SUPPORT G R O G. . . THE REAL PYRATE DRYNKE

  

*laughs* I love that cartoon..."First, my head would be a little bean. And then for some reason, I'd have blue hair. You gotta have blue hair!"

Just Finished: Vacations From Hell by Libba Bray, etc.
Currently Reading: The Singing by Alison Croggon

Novel Count for 2010: 26

Of course anime's a good way to learn Japanese. It's the reason I started learning Japanese in the first place. And then about Japanese culture...feudal Japan was quite cool. And I'm sure at some point being able to say 'in the name of the moon, I'll punish you' in Japanese will come in handy...really ~_~
--Ashley/ChibiSerenity
tsuki kawatte oshioki yo!