Create and using a custom version of a part of an existing mythology
In my story, I've decided to create some legends, myths, and prophecies for one of the species I used. I don't think there is any problem with this even if I haven't created this species.
But one of these legends is a rewrite of the legend of Fenrir, from Nordic mythology. The link between my custom version and the original version is obvious in the story told by both versions, and it need to be obvious. It's even explained by the tellers.
Could this point be problematic for readers?
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Several thoughts:
In general, adapting a myth or a classic story is something that is done all the time. Many, many stories are described as "an updated version of Romeo and Juliet" or "the myth of Odysseus set on a starship" etc etc.
I'm a little curious when you say that the link between your version and the original is "obvious". Do you mean "obvious to anyone who knows the original myth and who will thus immediately see the parallels"? Or do you mean that it's spelled out in your story that this is an allusion to Fenrir? (I think that's what you mean by "it's even explained by tellers".) Like, personally, despite being of Norwegian ancestry, my knowledge of Nordic mythology is pretty slim. The name Fenrir means nothing to me.
But anyway, to my mind, here are the potential pitfalls:
If your story retells someone else's story and doesn't add anything particularly interesting, readers may view it as pointless. Why not just read the original myth?
But if your story changes the original too much, readers may find it annoying. Personally, I really hate it when someone retells a story but turns the hero of the original into a villain or a buffoon. Many recent Hollywood remakes fall into this category. The Mission Impossible movies come to mind: in the original, Mr. Phelps and company were dedicated patriots and freedom fighters, risking their lives to help oppressed people. And they were totally matter-of-fact and humble about it, never boasting of their service to humanity or anything, just doing their jobs. Then the movie made them a bunch of egotistical jerks who sold out their country and their friends because somebody hurt their feelings. Okay, I know they're just fictional characters so there's no point defending their honor or anything, but I just found it annoying. If you don't like somebody else's hero, then don't use him. But don't turn him into a villain.
On the plus side, many readers will enjoy the interplay of a classic story with a modern twist of some kind.
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Here's a bit of professional advice for you. If you are creating something for commercial purposes such as for a game, a film or something already established in the public consciousness; you must try and sty as true as your can to the original character. This is the bedrock of lore in franchise. In this case it's a classical mythological character and isn't owned by a media entity. Specifics where the area is grey are in games such as WoW or Skyrim where classic mythology is 'borrowed' for use in that specific product. You need to make clear distinctions in either name or biography.
Congratulations though - you're on the first rung of transmedia!
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Do you think actual myths in the real world each sprang out of nothing? Everyone copied everyone else.
Go read The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campell, or at least The Power of Myth since Campbell is pretty dense. You will very quickly see that most myths nicked from previous mythologies, added new names, tweaked the setting, and maybe mixed in other myths from another country altogether. (Gilgamesh had a flood before Noah did. Osiris rose from the dead before Jesus did. The entire Greek pantheon was renamed into the Roman pantheon. et al.)
Put Fenrir in your own clothing. There's plenty of historical precedent.
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One solid advice how to make it fly and make sure readers who don't know the myth aren't confused, and readers who know the myth aren't annoyed: Hang one good, sturdy lampshade on it.
Have it explained, be it through a narrator/sidenote, or by a character within the story: The original myth retold clearly and in sufficient detail (possibly separated into many parts along the chapters if a single information dump would be too much), some fundamental parallels with your story and some of the essential differences. Leave more parallels as a taste for the readers to find, and have the most startling differences to surface in a glaringly obvious way, giving them a firm contrast against the original.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/9022. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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