Mythologu, the good the bad and the bizarre

[Hagelrat]

One of the things I love about fantasy / sci fi is the varying interpretations of mythology, as well as the entirely new creations.
Some of the obvious ones I suppose are things like werewolve - monthly cycle or at command?
I was wondering what bits of fantasy mythology people have come across that they especialy liked or disliked or thought were just shockingly bad?

Obviously I think the Grey is a great idea, and I liked the whole communication with demons and the demon mark aspect of Kim Harrisons books, it was pretty well thought out and enjoyable.

(ah dammit I mistyped the title and now can't change it)

[Harper]

But... Mythologu sounds kind of cool...

[Mouser]

I am increasingly becoming tired of the "good" or "conflicted" vampire.

I understand the appeal, but for such a rare creature to be the only vampire to survive attempt after attempt to engineer its demise....

And for some reason, these four hundred year old bloodsucking demons only like to hang out with adolescent girls? How sick is that?

I didn't like Angel, I almost bought into Spike, but an entire genre is growing up around these goody-goody prigs. Now there's a whole series of books about vampires who like to hang around with high school girls (or women in their 20's). Talk about robbing the cradle.

I have to question their sanity.

[Hagelrat]

Thanks Harper.
Mouser - I agree Spike was much more fun than Angel, till he fell for Buffy too. Humph.

[Harper]

To be honest, while I can appreciate the urge to take a traditionally "bad" character and invert it, I have to agree that I think it's gone too far lately. I want my monsters monstrous! I want to have a bad guy who isn't an industrialist or a member of a political party. Allegory works for me, I don't need my vampires sweet and loveable.

When Chelsey Quinn Yarborogh started the St. Germaine series, the symapthetic vampire was still a new thing and I think she did a great job. Let's move on. I find more sympathy for werewolves--at least they have problems I can understand, but a vampire? No. I really don't have empathy for that set of problems.

What I really want to see is some of the more exotic monsters from lesser-known mythologies. Various Asian ghosts, Malaysian vampires (not nice!), Things that live under bridges, proper voudon zombies, hungry ghosts, Chinese demons.... Well, OK, Liz Williams has hit a few good Chinese and Malay myths.... Kamis, and fox-demons, and Russian tree spirits... yeah!

I'd like to get to some of those in a future book, but I'm locked into outlines I did a couple of years ago for the next two. Maybe Book 6.... :satanlook:

[BlueNinja]

That's part of the reason why I like Lackey's urban fantasy. While the elves are a bit Tolkien-esque, she's pulled some wacky villains into her books. Native American spirits, a japanese spirit-vampire, Aztec gods, a salamander. Her one vampire was a goody-two-shoes, but I think she published it before the Anita-verse started, so I'll let her slide on that one. ;)

Hey Kat, how the heck do you pronounce that villain from book three? Sissy-ut-al?

[Hagelrat]

I'm perfectly ok with vampires being the good guys, or just people with fangs, as long as that's what they afre for the purposes of a story. I do get tired of all vampires are Eeeevil, oh except for this one whih is all hugs and puppies.

[Origen]

To cop a phrase from Chimaera, when I watch most vampire shows these days, I have to ask, "Why are you running?"

Why would ANYONE run away from a vampire in these shows?

You get to live forever, have killer abs and bone girls like Sarah Michelle Gellar.

No, please. Bite me.

[Harper]

Hey Kat, how the heck do you pronounce that villain from book three? Sissy-ut-al?

Pretty much. The Salish say, "SIS-seh-utl". The "L" is slightly suppressed. But most people do pronounce it "Sissy-oot-l" or similar.

[Hagelrat]

I always quite like ancient greek and nordic mythology leaking into fantasy, i'd love to see it used more, the way celtic and native americanare.

[BlueNinja]

I always quite like ancient greek and nordic mythology leaking into fantasy, i'd love to see it used more, Have you played Titan's Quest? I liked what of the game I got to play, before my children lost the game DVD. And it's all straight-up Greek mythology, though perhaps not quite exact to the old myths. (Medusa and her sisters didn't turn me to stone - I killed their scaly asses.)

[Hagelrat]

I haven't, I played Rifts a bit at school and magic at uni, but that's my limited experiance of RPG's. Sounds good tho', and yay for kicking medusa's evil butt.

[The Thin Grey Line]

I agree about the 'taming' of vampires. Personally think the Twilight series is the pinnacle of it. I can't stand vampire romances with 'shy, misunderstood, never hurt a fly' sort of vampire. If your going to be a bloodsucking menace of the night, at least live up to the title. :)