The characters in my book are based on real people and real situations. I have researched the different mythologies on the "creatures" and in some cases made them up, to fit as closely to the actual figure as is possible. I have taken some liberties, but I will attempt to explain below as well as site some examples.
THE RAVEN
All the mythology for the Raven speaks of him as a god figure. A messenger and bringer of life as well as a trickster and jester. The references are many and varied,but they all point to the raven in position of power, as a god, the companion of a god, or the messenger/courier of the dead. The raven's role in the story is that of a god figure. And individual who has proclaimed himself God and asks for complete servitude from the protagonist. He seeks to play tricks on her as well, showing himself then flying away, creating false hope. The fact that the actual person came into my life modeling black feathered wings does not go amiss.
THE TOAD
The toad comes from several places, the toad in Pans Labyrinth, the European mythology of the toad which is more negative, the earlier myths which show the toad in a grander light can be seen in the beginning of the toads behavior toward the girl, the frog prince myth which is parodied by luring the little girl into kissing him with a promise of wealth but changes or metamorphosis’s much like Marina Weber discusses, into something that he was not before. The change denotes an evolution in the story, the specific character, the main character and in the overall atmosphere of the story. By changing the toad has giving the girl knowledge that the Ravens change of heart may not have been her fault as all people change. She also learns that sometimes it is better to do things the hard way, such as finding food on her on, than it is to go the easy route, going home with the toad to get food. She also has her first lesson in protecting herself from unwanted advances and anger, which will help her in the future, especially in her quest for raven. This character is based on a person who lured me into believing that they were trying to help me and in the end was a cause of a lot of heartache and head ache. I considered making this part of the story more sinister and adult, and may still change it later.
STONEWALL
Taken directly from two movies, the rock-biter in Neverending story (http://141.24.37.187/paulchen/prod/creat/e_creat.htm#FB) and the walls and doors of Labyrinth.
Saying such as “If the walls had ears” meaning that walls would know everything… or at least interesting things, contributes as well. The actual person was known for his immense intelligence and his immense size. He towered over everyone intellectually as well as literally. He was a source of comfort for awhile and then disappeared.
THE PEACOCK AND PEAHEN
The story of Hera taking the 100 eyes from argus and placing them on the peacocks tail as well as the idea of evil eyes and the reputation of being owned only by the wealthy inspired my choice for the peacocks who are busy bodies, watching everyone’s business and thinking that they are protecting something. They watch everything going on and will repeatedly show up in the story watching and waiting. They are based on my parents.
MUDD
Mudd is a combination of things including the basic mythology from all over the world that the first man was made from mud and the idea of the sentimental psycopath. Mudd is obviously not the first man ever but he is a representation of the first Man-like person our protagonist will have met. But he is frightening to her. Carrying his tool around in a threatening manner he seeks to protect her, but does not know how to tell her and due to his appearance, she does not try to understand. He is ever present through the story, watching her from a distance and scaring off many of the elements that would normally harm her. I based his appearance on Horror movie characters such as Micheal Myers and Jason Vorhees for two reasons, 1) the person the character is based on makes first impressions in much the same way and 2) The idea of appearances being misleading is a running theme through the story, as well as preconceived knowledge being incorrect. I want to give the character and undeniable element of being feared, and rightly so, but also that this is a good person who is there to help when needed. His name comes from the Primus song, "my name is mud"
WATER DEMONS
They could be called sirens, sprites, nymphs or any other number of water creature names. I am still deciding on the appropriate thing, but the creatures themselves are twins, both beautiful and alluring with mosy hair and willowy bodies. They are made of water and sparkle and shine like sunlight diamonds on the ripples. They distract our protagonist and between the two of them almost convince her that the treasures would be better off with someone else and she should stay with them. They are based on the many different water mythologies that are out there. They are also based on my ex-girlfriends who tended to want me to give up my children to be with them.
WHITE KNIGHT
The white knight is based on my best friend Brian who always seems to come and pull me back from the brink, he's ther whan I need someone to talk some since into me, but he's also not the typical white knight figure. He is not gallant or overly brave. He does not show himself in such a way that you would know he is a white knight, which in my opinion makes he even more of one. Thus I have based him on the white knight from Alice through the looking glass. One of my favorite characters of all time.
BATGIRL
Based on Miranda, who is a little ditsy at times, and has the bad habit of running into glass doors, Brianna the bat takes on a sister role for Pauline. Based on the native American myths of bats that are far kinder than the Halloween type images Brianna becomes pivotal part in Pauline's journey allowing her to realize that she doesn't have to keep moving, that she is allowed to be happy and that her treasures shouldn't be hidden away all the time.
THE TREE
The tree is all the "judges" and negative voices in my head, the people who have put me down, held me back, or made it really difficult to want to go on. I chose a tree from different movies and shows I have seen. "Ferngully" where the evil spirit is trapped in a tree, Sailor moon has an Alien tree that sucks the life from people, the tree in Pans labyrinth that houses the toad, which is significant for me since the same toad has appeared as an earlier nay-sayer.
