A few weeks ago, I went to a Brisingr booksigning party. Brisingr, for those who don’t know, is the third installment of the Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini. To launch the event, he did a little presentation during which he told a very interesting story. I hope he doesn’t mind my recounting it (a bit poorly) here. (And if he does, I hope he will come on my podcast and tell it for the record…): Early in Eragon’s life, before Paolini had made it very far in the major publishing world, he was playing an online video game and someone logged in under the nickname “Eragon.” Paolini engaged in battle with “Eragon,” and, if memory serves correctly, the words “You have been killed by Eragon” flashed across the top of Paolini’s screen at least twice, though I am remembering thrice.
What a fantastic opportunity for a young writer!
As often happens in our lives, a mythology will come and grab us in its Vulcan death grip and hold us fast until it’s through with us. During this time, we are molded and shaped by the hands of the myth. For example, look at the Harry Potter fan community. Many Potter fans are caught by the myth so strongly, they create music, fan fiction, dissertations, podcasts, etc., or, at least in my experience, they enroll in Hogwarts (Pacifica).
The idea of getting killed by one’s myth implies that the power of myth reaches beyond our control.
Thoughts?