Tuesday 15 October 2013

Character project idea

I've started to think about the direction I'm going to be taking with my characters within the theme I've been given. I was trying to think of how I can connect 'Elder gods' 'Wild West' as they are very different from one another. So my basic idea at the moment is having my hero as either a Cowboy or and Indian to keep in line with the theme, and my villain as an Elder God. However I need to keep in mind that a God is u all powerful and a human hero really has no chance against such a villain. So to rectify this I've thought of the Elder Gods as someone has been banished to maybe another dimension, and they have managed to escape in a way that they have possessed a human. Being confined to a humanoid form their powers are limited and the effect their possession has had on the human has deformed them so they posses characteristics of the Elder Gods original form, but this form also limits their powers and although they are still superhuman they are not indestructible. Their aim in my story can be them trying to fully escape wherever they are imprisoned, maybe also to release their brethren. To tie the villain more into the wild west theme I was thinking of looking into Indian myths and ledges and maybe borrowing from their beliefs to design my Elder God villain.
I'm still not quite sure on what to do with the side kick but I'm hoping that's something that will fall into place once I've got more of an outline on the story.

Native American Mythology
Indigenous North American belief systems include many sacred narratives. Such spiritual stories which are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons, weather, plants, animals, earth, water, sky & fire. The principle of an all embracing, universal and omniscient Great Spirit, a connection to the Earth, diverse creation narratives and collective memories of ancient ancestors are common.
To narrow down the search a bit I'm going to look at their stories of evil spirits.
The Wendigo
The Wendigo is a demonic spirit believed by Algonquin-based Native American tribes to possess humans and turn them into cannibals. The "monster" version of the mythical creature is human-like, but very tall and gaunt, with deeply sunken eyes and yellowish, decaying skin. They are impossibly thin and have an unending hunger that craves only human flesh. Below are examples of a Wendigo.


Apotamkin
the Apotamkin is a giant fanged sea serpent that lurks in the Passamaquoddy Bay and drags people, especially incautious children, into the water and eats them. Apotamkin is said to have long red hair, and in some stories was once a human woman who was transformed into a serpent.


Along side this I also found that a number of Native American mythologies feature paired or opposing characters or qualities. Twins or sets of brothers appear in many myths and legends. For example, in Iroquois mythology, Earth Woman gives birth to the twin brothers Good Twin and Evil Twin. Good Twin creates light, forests, and food plants, while Evil Twin creates impassable mountains, mosquitoes, and a toad that drinks all the water. After a long struggle, Good Twin finally kills Evil Twin. However, Evil Twin's soul and his creations survive to make life difficult for the people that Good Twin brings into being.



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