myths and stories

I'm reading The Power of Myth right now, which is fantastic by the way, and there was a question that made me think this was something I wanted to write about.

In the first chapter, Bill Moyers asks Joseph Campbell about when the first time these stories became alive for him. And that got me thinking about my interest. For as long as I can remember, I've loved mythology. Long before we studied them in school, I was checking out every book at the library about them that I could find and finding out that some stood out more than others (Athena was one of my favorites, as was Poseidon). But what sparked this interest?

*Artemis with a Doe at the Louvre

For me it happened so long ago it's almost out of a conscious memory. It was during one of Texas' famous thunderstorms, where the lightning provided a brilliant light show and the thunder was so loud and so powerful that the walls shook. And my dog was not a fan. She shook and cowered between the room where my grandmother and I sat and a table or a bed that she could crawl under.

And my grandmother chided her, telling her something along the lines that she shouldn't let Thor scare her (as if a dog would even listen, but still). Having no idea who, or what, Thor was, I had to ask. And I was told that he was a Norse god who ruled the skies and thunder and lightning. And from there I was hooked. That night she told me more stories in the grand Irish tradition, though covering mostly the Greek gods.

Since then the myths still come to my mind often, and I've written stories incorporating them from time to time. And I still continue to study them, whether it be brushing up on my first love of the Greeks and Egyptians or delving deeper into my culture and studying the Celtic myths. I've also kept my eye open for books detailing Native American myths or Asian myths that may not come across my reading very often. They're just all so fascinating and incredible story-telling.

And if you're ever trapped inside by a thunderstorm or maybe sitting around a fire, then it's definitely a great time to continue that great bardic tradition and tell those stories. Anyone else hooked by myths?