Hello again! Here is another "behind the scenes" from Tales of the Myths, where I pick a snippet of a scene from the book and talk about it.
On page 109, the characters enter a sort of pavilion or temple complex, decorated with stories of the gods through mosaics.
Above, a domed roof with gold accents had intricately designed mosaics, describing ancient stories, such as Vahagn’s birth: how he came forth from a flame, his eyes like suns. Another depicted Vahagn creating the Milky Way by stealing straw from a king.
I had come across these stories in my research of Armenian mythology and wanted to incorporate it somehow. I didn't find many stories like the ones above describing the gods as such, which made this one fascinating to me.
What better place than to insert this story into the home of the gods? You see, this scene takes place in the realm of Heaven. Heaven, in this story, is a stand-in name for the home of the gods. It is a physical realm. (It's like Mount Olympus for the Greeks.)
Little details like the mosaics, for me, helped to bring more of the Armenian stories to life and give more detail to the world that the characters visit.
See you next time!
Nara E.