I have been struggling to finish the second book that takes place in the world of the Wolf King. I'm aiming to finish the rough draft by the end of November, but we shall see how that goes.
In the meantime, there's a few notes I need to make, and I think it's fun to share my thoughts with other people.
The idea of the Wolf King, Lord Nobious, stems from an old idea I once had that has the potential to delve into strange Middle Eastern folklore. While these things are not worthy of belief whatsoever, they can serve quite well in fiction.
One thing that I've kept finding on the Internet that has always fascinated me is this old Jewish legend about how the world is hollow like an onion, and that there are seven lands within the world. Again, absolute rubbish. But it does let the imagination run wild.
I am a Catholic man. Perhaps, knowing all of the trivia that I know, I might playfully entertain the idea that our world very well might be the center of the universe, or that perhaps St. Anthony met a weird little man who claimed he was not human. But I do not look at other lore in the same manner, fascinating, though, it may be.
Chesed L'Avraham" (the grandfather of the Chida) speaks about what the Zohar discusses about there being seven hidden lands, with various beings living in each land. The Zohar speaks of the inhabitants of one of the lands called "Neshaya", where the people are shorter than our people. The Chesed L'Avraham says that the world is essentially hollow, with various layers, like the layers of an onion, and he describes the inhabitants of "Neshaya" as having large heads, small bodies, no ears or noses, only holes, and a small slit for a mouth, and large black eyes. He says that these people do take people sometimes briefly for their needs. Sounds like "grey aliens". Probably what people think are the aliens from other planets are actually the people from Neshaya under the earth. It is still possible though that there is life on other planets, but those who abduct people are probably closer to us than other planets.
The Me'am Loez on Parshes Berashis (Daf Nun or Nun Aleph) talks about Aliens. He writes that there are aliens with a human head and horse body; like a Centaurs. He also writes there are planets where there are very handsome people, but they cannot grow food. They come to this world to eat people! Speaking of Alien Abduction!
It is fun to find things like this. Perhaps I'll use a bit of it in one of my stories. We'll see. If not, that's fine, too.
Here is the passage about St. Anthony of the Desert, from The Mystery of St. Anthony:
Before long in a small rocky valley shut in on all sides he sees a manikin with hooded snout, horned forehead, and extremities like goat’s feet. When he saw this, Anthony like a good soldier seized the shield of faith and the helmet of hope: the creature nonetheless began to offer him the fruit of the palm tree to support him on his journey and as it were, pledges of peace. Anthony perceiving this stopped and asked who he was. The answer he received from him
was this:
“I am a mortal being and one of the inhabitants of the Desert whom the Gentiles deluded by various forms of error worship under the names of Fauns, Satyrs and Incubi. I am sent to represent my tribe. We pray you in our behalf to entreat the favor of your Lord and ours, who, we have learnt, came once to save the world, and ‘whose sound has gone forth into all the earth.’ ”
As he uttered such words as these, the aged traveler’s cheeks streamed with tears, the mark of his deep feeling, which he shed in the fullness of his joy. He rejoiced over the Glory of Christ and the destruction of Satan, and marveling all the while that he could understand the Satyr’s language, and striking the ground with his staff, he said,” Woe to thee, Alexandria! ” he exclaimed, “Beasts speak of Christ, and you instead of God worship monsters.”
He had not finished speaking when, as if on wings, the wild creature fled away.
Let no one scruple to believe this incident; its truth is supported by what took place when Constantine was on the throne, a matter of which the whole world was witness. For a man of that kind was brought alive to Alexandria and shown as a wonderful sight to the people. Afterwards his lifeless body, to prevent its decay through the summer heat, was preserved in salt and brought to Antioch that the Emperor might see it.
