Chapter 542: It's Easy, Right?(2)
Chapter 542: It's Easy, Right?(2)
Since Earth produces an endless stream of stories, the media related to mythology is equally diverse.
There are works of fiction based strictly on actual myths, and then there are those that twist the original tales to pique the audience's interest.
Among these, the most preeminently famous trope is "God-slaying"—the act of killing a god. For whatever reason, cases of stories adopting the cliché of a god dying are countless.
The very existence of a "God" is something that distantly transcends mortals; thus, the mere act of killing one serves as a powerful way to define a character's identity.
In particular, a certain character who stands as the undisputed legend in this field is famous for slaughtering gods whenever he gets the chance. He serves as a peerless demonstration of just how powerful a God of War can be.
Of course, while gods might die at the drop of a hat in fiction, they still display power befitting their status. They aren't worshipped as gods for nothing.
Occasionally, there are cases where overwhelming scientific prowess is used to demonstrate power equal to that of a god. I suppose that's a matter of perspective.
By Earth's standards, a "nuclear bomb" isn't a divine power but a human creation; however, in the eyes of the people of this world, it would be indistinguishable from the power of a god.
Conversely, magic in this world is a gift from the gods, but by Earth's standards, it would literally be a divine ability.
Since Earth is a place where so many creative works related to "mythology" are poured out, writing one isn't difficult.
First, I just need to investigate the gods' pasts as much as possible, then bring in stories from Earth's myths and fiction and mash them all together.
'There are even cases where they change the gender entirely.'
I wonder what would happen if I pulled a stunt like that. Would it end with me being struck by divine punishment, or would they just laugh it off?
Religion is a sensitive subject to touch upon, but as long as one doesn't "insult" it, most tend to be quite generous.
Of course, one could also face the true meaning of madness through countries like Japan.
I imagine even the gods would be appalled if they saw that.
[Do you truly mean to say you can create a myth? A mortal like yourself?]
King Morgan, who had been lost in thought for a while, finally opened his heavy mouth.
He seemed to have gone through thought after thought, but unable to find the right words, he settled on a question.
The expression plain on his face was close to disbelief. Then again, by the standards of this world, my words must sound utterly impossible.
Furthermore, this place doesn't even have a proper mythology. What little could be called a myth is closer to a form of history.
'The story was that Luminous and Mora personally cultivated the world during a time of chaos, right?'
In Norse terms, it’s a tale from after Ragnarok. A myth where the resurrected Baldur opens a golden age, and two superhumans descend from the heavens to make humanity flourish.
The content describes Luminous defeating evils with the powerful force of light, while Mora protects the weak with the power of darkness.
That process is recorded so meticulously that it could be called history rather than myth. I remember finding it quite interesting myself.
"Yes. To this world, it would be a myth, but to me, it’s closer to a novel. However, the fact remains that I need to know the gods' pasts."
[To create a myth... Those are hard words to believe. Has there ever been a mortal who created a myth as you describe?]
"The scope is a bit vague, but yes, they do exist."
There is Lovecraft, famous for the 'Cthulhu Mythos.' A body of work that pushed nihilism and cosmic horror to their absolute limits.
Thanks to content that is as sophisticated and alluring as any other mythology, quite a few people mistakenly believe it to be a real, existing myth.
And usually, the gods within the Cthulhu Mythos roam the universe, depicted as external invaders or beings beyond comprehension.
Most ancient evil gods or gods from beyond the stars are related to Cthulhu. Humans, naturally, are the mortals destined for eternal suffering.
However, if overused, it’s a subject that can easily make a story go off the rails, so it’s difficult to blend in properly.
[Hmph... Then, does the content within those myths actually exist?]
"No one knows. Our world is one where even the existence of gods is uncertain. To begin with, too many different myths exist."
[I suppose that is why such a variety of myths and stories are poured out. Because the gods do not directly interfere in the mortal world.]
King Morgan nodded as if that made sense. As he said, if the existence of gods were confirmed as it is in this world, it would have been burdensome in many ways.
Of course, as one can see from Greek and Roman mythology, people who cross the line would inevitably appear.
I wonder what kind of monstrosity would be born if this world's culture became as developed as Earth's.
'Lord Luminous might be turned into a woman...'
That would probably be the most troublesome case. It’s not a direct insult, but a situation where tastes would be severely polarized.
Given Luminous's personality, he might just laugh it off awkwardly, but the believers would fight to the death, screaming about sacrilege.
Even if he wanted to stop them, he probably couldn't. The moment he took a side, the situation would only get more complicated.
[The more I hear, the more curious I become about this place called Earth. To think that countless stories, including myths, are poured out, and furthermore, that mortals who create them exist.]
"It’s not that difficult a task."
[Then give me an example. How would you begin a myth? In the beginning, there would be nothing.]
Still finding it hard to believe, King Morgan asked for an example. Upon hearing that, I fell into thought.
'Usually, the beginning of a myth is...'
An empty space. It starts with a god being born from "nothingness." A setting frequently adopted across countless media.
Whether it’s Greek and Roman mythology, Norse mythology, or finally, myths created by humans, they all start from a void.
Afterward, the first god is born, and the myth truly begins as that god bears children or kills someone(...).
"It should start with a god appearing in a space where there is nothing."
[A god appearing in a space where there is nothing? Do you think that is possible?]
"Because it’s a myth."
[... ...]
At my blunt retort, King Morgan fell silent, like a mute who had swallowed honey.
In mythology, the lack of plausibility is the plausibility. It means the content should be something a mortal cannot understand.
Such content is precisely what makes the dignity of the gods stand out even more, serving to clearly distinguish the transcendent from the mortal.
"The God of the Sea and Lord Hirt are husband and wife, and they gave birth to Lord Luminous and Lady Mora. However, we would need to look more closely at the exact relationship between the God of the Sea and Lord Hirt."
[What do you mean by that?]
"It means Lord Hirt could be the daughter of the God of the Sea, or it could be the other way around."
[... ...]
King Morgan fell silent once again. He looked as if he were deeply pondering whether the story he just heard was the truth.
Following that, he glanced around, showing a restless reaction that was unlike him.
[Ahem. Ahem. I say.]
"Please, speak."
[I am not afraid of Luminous or Mora. But I fear Lord Hirt, the Goddess of Nature and the Goddess of All Life. When I was alive, what I feared most was not anything else, but natural disasters. Is it truly alright to insult such a being?]
It was unexpected, yet at the same time, an understandable reaction. Even the Kingdom of Gerios, which had conquered the entire West, was helpless before natural disasters.
Furthermore, Hirt is the Supreme Chief God and the Earth Mother Goddess. Even if she rarely exercises direct influence, she possesses the power to destroy the world.
During the recent Ascetic Incident, didn't the sun and moon stand still? Scientifically speaking, the planet stopped its rotation.
"It’s fine. Because it’s a myth. In our world, such stories were common as dirt."
[I am deeply curious as to what kind of place it truly is.]
"There is even a case where a son cut off his father's genitals, and the blood that flowed from them went into the sea, where a god was born."
When I told him the birth myth of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty, King Morgan shook his head vigorously.
To think he’d react like this to just that; I realized once again how lacking this world's mythology is.
'But that doesn't mean mythology has completely vanished.'
Mythology is the first philosophy and the oldest. Without mythology, it would have been difficult for this world to develop to this extent.
The Demon War is also a myth, if you think about it. It just feels somewhat closer because of the long-lived species like elves and demons.
However, because Luminous and Mora are perceived as such purely benevolent beings, various incidents have cropped up.
A prime example is the Savior's Demon Hunt. An event where an entire group was consumed by madness in an attempt to completely wipe out the demon race.
The reason Luminous stopped them back then was likely because it was all too similar to his own past.
"As Your Majesty knows, just as Lord Luminous presides over light and war, the gods hold various authorities. The sky, the earth, plants, the sea, the sun, the moon, strength, rivers, mountains, and so on. In the past, numerous gods would have presided over each domain."
[And Luminous likely killed them all.]
"... ..."
Now it was my turn to fall silent. King Morgan chuckled at my reaction and spoke jokingly.
[Why so surprised? If you said you were writing a myth, it would naturally be the story of Luminous, the God of War. Were there no such stories in your world?]
"Uh... well, there are. I can probably just adapt those stories appropriately."
As I said earlier, the world being destroyed by a war of the gods is most similar to Ragnarok in Norse mythology.
Just as Luminous and Mora rule the world after the destruction, the world after Ragnarok is the same.
I just need to properly explain Luminous running wild as a God of War.
'But the problem is the God of Earth who spread the ideologies...'
If you look closely, Earth's myths share many similarities. A prime example is the Great Flood that occurs at every opportunity.
Furthermore, there are cases where gods appearing in different myths are considered the same. Egyptian mythology is a classic example.
There is even an interpretation that Egyptian mythology moved north and gave birth to Greek and Roman mythology.
However, in this world, the God of Earth basically released poison and then bailed, so it’s a bit awkward to decide how to tie it all together.
'It wouldn't be bad to show how terrifying ideologies can be, but...'
Even if myths don't need plausibility, this is a problem that precedes plausibility.
It’s just too out of the blue. Everything is going fine, and then suddenly, a god from a foreign land shows up?
I don't need a crystal ball to know what the readers would think. They’d scoff and ask what kind of nonsense this is.
Blood and Iron is treated as 'fantasy,' so it’s fine, but mythology is a field on a different track.
'I should think about this when I actually write the book.'
To think about writing the book when a proper past hasn't even been illuminated yet. I'm getting way ahead of myself.
For now, I should focus on writing Blood and Iron while slowly learning about the gods' pasts. That must come first.
[I am starting to look forward to it. A myth with Luminous as the protagonist...]
"Strictly speaking, Lord Luminous and Lady Mora are the protagonists."
[It matters not. If that is the case, I shall help you. The books detailing the gods' pasts should be stored in the basement... Ah, that’s right.]
As he spoke, King Morgan seemed to remember something and explained it to me.
[In the basement, there will be the tombs of other ancestors besides my own. My tomb will be open, but the others will not. A key is required to open them.]
"What kind of key is it?"
[Blood.]
"Pardon?"
While I was taken aback by the answer of "blood," King Morgan continued.
[If you examine the doors of the tombs closely, you will find a tiny hole. You simply need to let blood flow into that hole. It is a device that reacts only to the blood of the Maishal family.]
"...How is that even possible?"
[Why would it not be?]
One of the characteristics of fantasy: ancient cities are often ahead of the present in various aspects.
I let out a hollow laugh at this genetic recognition that far surpassed fingerprint scanning.
Just as they find our world fascinating, I find the artifacts of this world fascinating as well. I suppose this, too, is a cultural difference.
"......No matter how many times I think about it, this world is full of wonders."
[I find your world more surprising. Is there nothing interesting among the things related to mythology?]
"Something interesting..."
If it’s something interesting, there is one.
"Do you know what a 'prophecy' is?"
The moment I asked that question, King Morgan's face crumpled into a scowl.
[You mean those goddamn prophecies?]
"... ..."
It seems he has some bad memories.