Lena Corazon

Flights of Fancy

Category: Path to the Peacock Throne (page 2 of 2)

Naming the Seven Sisters

The Seven Sisters, as I’ve mentioned in the past, are believed to be the “founding mothers” of Vao Artan.  Bits and pieces of a myth-like creation story has been floating around in my head, and I’ve been jotting them down as best I can.  They are scraps, but they begin something like this:
The origins of the Seven Sisters are shrouded in mystery — some say that they were born of the Mother Goddess herself, others that they slumbered in the earth’s womb before they were awakened by some nameless purpose, and still others that they came from the glittering stars in the sky, or the white cresting waves of the sea. Whatever the circumstances surrounding their birth, it is believed that they settled Vao Artan, and that each was blessed with a precious gift. It is believed that the talents of each sister has been passed down through the generations, and that each child after her has inherited them.
(This last bit reminds me, ever so slightly, of the Old Testament, and the telling of the 12 tribes of Israel, originating from the 12 sons of Jacob.)  This heritage has grown more diffuse over time, so that at the opening of this tale, the women (and men?  The jury is still out) pursue the profession or calling that they are deemed most suited for, rather than the trade that their mothers’ may have followed.

However, I digress.  I named each of the sisters last night, and I am quite proud of myself.  Each has a specific bird as her emblem/symbol, and so all of their names are derived from that bird’s taxonomic name (I think that’s what it’s called).

Without further ado, the Seven Sisters:

1. Cygne: magic-wielder and spell-caster.  Her bird is, of course, the swan.

2. Ofrysia: cultivation of crops and livestock.  She is associated with the wild fowl, the birds who spread the seed needed for crops, and who offer their bodies for food once their lives are complete.  Ofrysia is derived from the Himalayan quail, otherwise known as Ophrysia superciliosa.
3. Astura: warfare and martial prowess.  She is associated with the falcon and other birds of prey.  Astura is my shortened form of Asturaetus, a synonym for the falcon (genus falco) from 1906.
4. Atthis: music, painting, and the other arts.  She is associated with the hummingbird, which just works so well, because they are the most beautifully-colored, delicate, precious little birds.  Atthis is a genus of hummingbirds (including the bumblebee hummingbird, Atthis heloisa, and the wine-throated hummingbird, Atthis ellioti).  However, Atthis is also the name of a lover addressed in one of Sappho’s love poems, which adds a whole other layer of highly applicable symbolism.

5. Tyto: history and scholarly research.  I think this also will expand to include things like record-keeping, etc.  Her bird is the owl, as they are wise and whatnot.  The name comes from the common barn owl.  If you are so inclined, I highly suggest googling “tyto.”  The pictures are SO awesome.  Barn owls are absolutely gorgeous.

6. Vipio: science and mathematics.  Her bird is the crane (Grus vipio, the white-naped crane), and I’ve started thinking up wee snippets of ideas for her.  In my mind, she longed to have her sister Cygne’s gift of shape-shifting and magic, but the talent was not innate in her, and there was no way that Cygne could teach her.  She is sad and depressed by this, but the crane comes to her and speaks, and tells her that it can teach her other ways of understanding the earth and all that dwells upon it.

The lore, perhaps, states,

And with the crane’s guidance, Vipio comes to learn about the tides of the sea and the phases of the moon, the hidden mysteries of the animals and the rules that order all things.  It was she who built the scales upon which we measure our grain and our gold, she who devised the system by which we understand the passing of time, she who gave us the skills to erect our most beloved dwellings and temples and towers.

7. Zénaïde: Politics and diplomacy.   Zénaïde is the first queen, and her daughters have ruled Vao Artan in an unbroken line of succession ever since.  Her bird is the dove, which seems fitting, for a queen should first and foremost be devoted to keeping the laws and striving for peace within her borders.  This name is perhaps my favorite, for  Zénaïde is a genus of doves, named for  Zénaïde Laetitia Julia Bonaparte, princess of Spain and wife of Charles Bonaparte, an ornithologist who named the Zénaïde doves after her.  Like Atthis, this is a name with a nice, weighty double-meaning.

The Story So Far

I’ve been nursing a story idea for a few months now, since I went home for Christmas break.  I originally saw it as a ‘grown-up’ version of Beauty and the Beast, the story of a young princess who has to free a beast who is, of course, trapped in a horrible spell.  As the weeks have passed, however, the story has become more and more complex in my head.  This is what it’s grown into:

the basic synopsis.

The storyline is a simple one: In order to be recognized as adults, and to be recognized as official heir to the throne, the princess of Vao Artan must undertake a quest by their twenty-first year.  Liandre, the current princess, has little interest in ruling the realm, and even less interest in undertaking her quest.  The story opens, I think, with only a few months remaining before her 21st birthday; her immediate concern is finding a quest, and figuring out how she can get through it with a minimal amount of energy.

Liandre is an interesting character, and the first I’ve written who bears little resemblance to me.  She’s exceedingly spoiled, self-centered, incapable of self-reflection, somewhat lazy, and content with mediocrity.  She is the opposite of her mother, Vaedyn, who is widely-regarded as one of the greatest queen’s in the country’s history.  Vaedyn is a fierce warrior, and undertook her quest at the age of 17.  The outcome of her quest is a little fuzzy, but she did something really brilliant, like save Vao Artan from complete danger and calamity.  Liandre and Vaedyn, of course, clash greatly; the queen was hoping to raise a daughter who would be just like her, but Liandre realized when she was young that she would never be like her mother.  Many of Liandre’s frustrations, I think, come from the fact that her mother won’t love her the way that she is.  Rather than conform and attempt to do what her mother wishes, she takes the opposite tack — she does everything that her mother will hate, and refuses to face her responsibilities.  That is, of course, until she has no other choice.

Supporting Characters.

I’ve thought of two other characters so far — Simone, Liandre’s many-times removed great-aunt, who is the mysterious, secretive, but compelling royal mage, and Kam, Liandre’s childhood friend and sometimes-lover, a young woman who is about to join the country’s elite warrior force. (Same-sex relationships and bisexuality are accepted in this culture.)

Kam, in many ways, is the daughter that Vaedyn would have wanted — serious, sober-minded, lethal with a two-handed sword, and dedicated to Vao Artan.  She is Liandre’s foil, the one who tried to keep he princess from trouble when they were children, yet who was always implicated in Liandre’s schemes.  She loves Liandre despite the fact that she’s a hopeless mess, but there will be some sort of decisive quarrel and split that occurs between them when it becomes clear that Liandre has little interest in completing her quest.

Simone is the quest-giver.  It is she who saves Liandre’s skin by proposing a duty for her to undertake.  I’m not 100% sure what this quest will be.  Originally i had conceived of this tale as a spin on “Beauty and the Beast,” with Liandre heading off to find the Prince-turned-Beast  and break the spell.  Since then, though, my thoughts have changed slightly.  I’ve got a few ideas for how to tweak this, but I’m still working on it.

As a mage, Simone is blessed with a lifespan longer than most mortals; she was sister to Liandre’s great-grandmother.  There is, however, a strange tension between Simone and Vaedyn.  Vaedyn doesn’t trust the mage, and cautions her daughter to beware of the woman’s intentions, as she operates “on her own agenda.”  Due to Liandre’s antagonism towards her mother, she of course ignores this advice… to her peril?  I’m not totally sure, but I do know there are details of this quest that Simone hasn’t disclosed.

The world.

It’s a fantasy tale, set in a pre-industrialized world (like so many fantasy novels are).  Inheritance is matrilineal, and the country of Vao Artan has always been ruled by a woman.  (I am currently uncertain about where the men are, and what they do.  I imagine, however, that this will reveal itself in time).  I have an inkling that their religion is monotheistic, focused around the worship of a goddess-figure, but this might change.

The capital city, Avicella, is a port city located on the western coast.  I have this image of a bustling, thriving city that sees a great number of visitors from other countries there to trade and, perhaps, to lay eyes on a land that is legendary.  I don’t know who the neighboring countries are, but I have a funny image of male-led kingdoms that periodically try to invade, only to have their asses handed to them (“A country led by a woman?  What do women know?”)

The creation myths.

This leads me to the creation myths, which occupied much of my time yesterday morning.  Again, all of this is a work in progress, but I am getting chills down my spine thinking about it all, which means that the ideas must be at least somewhat interesting.

Every culture has a set of tales that describes its origins, and whether or not they are completely factual, there are important organizing forces.  Vao Artan’s myth, I think, is that the realm was settled by seven sisters — daughters of the goddess, perhaps, or siblings who were in the goddess’s favor and blessed with dominion over the land.  Each sister had a specific talent — the cultivation of land and livestock; hunting and martial prowess; music, painting, and the arts; scholarly research; mathematics and science; magic; and diplomacy and rule.  The descendants of each sister correspond to a specific strata or occupation within the society, or something of that nature.

This is where things get interesting.  It’s a little fuzzy, but there is a whole thing going on here about birds.  I’m not sure if birds are the favored animal of the goddess or what, but each of the seven sister is associated with a type of bird — swans and magic, owls and scholarly research, nightingales and the arts, etc.  The bird imagery continues throughout the duration of the society, to the point where the military’s headquarters is known as “The Falconry,” and the royal mage is known as “The Cygne” (cygne being French for “swan”).  I’ve also got this idea that each queen takes the name of a bird to represent her personality/rule, or commemorates her coming-of-age quest, or something.  Vaedyn’s is some sort of bird of prey — hawk or eagle, perhaps — to symbolize her status as a warrior.  Liandre’s, of course, will be the peacock — a bit vain, a bit show, rather proud.

The ideas are rough, but the whole idea of integrating birds into the tale reminded me of Susan Seddon Boulet’s artwork.  I had a calendar of Boulet’s goddess paintings years and years aog, and I absolutely fell in love with her style.  Some examples, all taken from here: http://www.tendreams.org/boulet.htm

These are my current inspiration pieces as I think about this country’s religion and culture, and as I imagine what can be done with this whole bird concept.

At any rate, that is more or less what is happening in my head right now.  I’m jotting down ideas as they come, and kicking around the thought of writing out the lore, mythology, and fables so I can have a better handle on where these people come from.  There are still many, many questions to work through (like, er, where are the men?) but I feel rather confident that the answers will come.  They always do.

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