The Prose Edda has been used throughout history as the bible for the Vikings, talking about tales and myths they believed during their reign. I stated in my proposal and statement of intent that my book was going to be historically accurate – historically accurate that documents true things the Vikings either did (The food they ate, rituals, lifestyle, weapons…etc) and within that add some fantasy aspects.
I didn’t want fantasy to dominate the whole novel, maybe include it within one chapter, showing characters the Viking believed exists. So, I decided to read the Prose Edda for inspiration of what I could add to my novel. When I was reading the Prose Edda, it seemed like a good idea to maybe introduce a God, but that didn’t really match with the fantasy subtlety I am trying to go for. But then I came across a section that talked about light elves and dark elves – it seemed perfect. Introducing such minor fantasy characters did fit well with my story and added a bit more of a story for my character: how did he meet these elves? Is Gunnar close with these characters? How did they live? Questions asked but never answered.
Along with Elves, the Edda talked about Dwarves: the kings under the mountain. Elves and Dwarves are so commonly used throughout media that it would not seem like too much of a push from realism to fantasy – a very subtle aspect.
jadehopeblog 