Scary Skeletons, a Magnificent Mummy, and Chilling Climate Change
Plus a Halloween-themed creative writing prompt at the end.
Scared of Skeletons
I used to be terrified of skeletons—so scared that I begged my mother to hide the “S” volume of the encyclopedia so that I could practice piano without a skeleton creeping out of the pages stored in the bookshelf behind me. My brother took great pleasure in randomly sneaking up on me when we were kids, saying “Skeh-leh-ton!” in low, extended syllables just to hear me scream.
Maybe that early gullibility was the seed of imagination, because I later came to find archaeology—and thus skeletons—rich fodder for my writing. Now, when I look at the remains of people buried thousands of years ago, I don’t see gruesome morbidity but a life lived and lost, now rediscovered to be pondered again.
In this season of scares and skeletons (Several ten-foot-tall ones loiter in my neighbors’ front lawns.), I think it’s high time to share a real one. In this case, inspiration comes not from a mere skeleton but a mummy—a particularly magnificent mummy that inspired my protagonist, Akmaral. And while craft-store skeletons and gauze wrapped children proffering plastic pumpkins aren’t all that frightening, the following images are a bit grisly. If you can set aside your squeamishness, as did I long ago, I hope you’ll see the fascinating stories in what remains.
The Mummy (Artifact of the Month)
The Siberian Ice Maiden and a few of her skeletal warrior friends
I’ve mentioned the Siberian Ice Maiden before, since her famous tattoo is featured on AKMARAL’s cover, but here’s a fascinating six-minute video that tells more about her, including a legend that her corpse brings both blessings and curses. In the Altai Mountains where she was found, droughts and natural disasters are blamed on the fact that the mummy was disturbed. But she is also said to have protected the region from COVID-19.
When I started AKMARAL, researchers had not yet discovered that the Ice Maiden died of untreated cancer, as well as severe injuries. (See what I mean about evolving research?) But that new discovery only expands the historical possibilities—perhaps for more writing down the line.
Other female warrior burials reinforced my research, including a burial mound discovered in 2019 containing four women laid to rest with weapons and arrowheads. One body was arranged in the bow-legged pose of a horseback rider with a bronze mirror under her left shoulder. Researchers believe that bronze mirrors are an indication of a spiritual leader or shaman—a fact that I wove into AKMARAL.
Greenland’s Trees
Evidence of climate change that I have witnessed
I was in Greenland in 1995 to research my first novel, THE THRALL’S TALE—long before people started rushing there to see the glaciers and polar bears before both go extinct. Honestly, this article about Greenland tourism really angered me with its breezy mention of species destruction caused by climate change.
While reading the final chapter of Ben Rawlence’s THE TREELINE last week, I discovered that Greenland now has an arboretum. Yes, an arboretum in a land without trees. The Vikings cut down the fragile birch scrub and willow over 1000 years ago. But thanks to the warming climate, and the industry of businessman/ecologist Kenneth Høegh and others, South Greenland has become a haven for tree species at risk in other rapidly changing habitats like northern Canada and Siberia. What cannot grow in the far north of these countries is finding human-aided safe harbor in Greenland.
I was there barely thirty years ago, and there were no trees at all. Seeing the arboretum is shocking, and somewhat disheartening. A friend who lives there mentioned sometime back that they could no longer take their dogsleds out in winter—a loss of both transportation and Inuit tradition. The fjords in South Greenland no longer freeze, making travel in winter—already difficult in a land with few roads and no highways—even more challenging.
(As a side note to this climate revelation, THE THRALL’S TALE will be reissued some time next year, including an ebook which didn’t exist when it was published in 2006. I’m excited to have the chance to share my first work of ancient historical fiction—the effort of a decade of my life—in a new paperback edition. I’ll share a sneak peek at the cover as soon as things are finalized.)
Creative Writing Prompt: Halloween Haunts in 3D
Yes, it’s Halloween and “spooky” is the word. Or eerie, haunted, abandoned…. Just reading those words and one hears a creaking sound, or feels breathing at the back of one’s neck. So here’s a spooky prompt to try from the comfort and safety of your un-haunted house!
Pick one of these 3D YouTube videos: an empty house, a haunted mansion (with rather cute, creepy ghosts, if you want to try this with kids), or an abandoned hospital. They are short but rich with details and possibilities.
Pause at a single spot in one of the videos and take a good look around. (You can navigate using your mouse.) As you explore, consider when, why, and how this place become haunted? Are these shadowy spirits “real” or figments of the dark and an overactive imagination? Then, in the POV of a character or even yourself, write about the last time someone entered here. What happened to them? And what might happen to “you?”
Have fun with it! After all, it’s Halloween! And if you live in my neighborhood, I’ll be on my front porch tonight with my husband and our beloved black cat, Willow, ready to spook some of the neighborhood kids.
Thank you, everyone, for your support. And to my paid subscribers, you are ANGELS!
AKMARAL by Judith Lindbergh: a nomad woman warrior on the ancient Asian steppes must make peace with making war - May 7, 2024 from Regal House Publishing
“Akmaral may be one of the most fascinating warriors in literature…. Written with a wild poetry, the author brings to life a strong woman and her unforgettable story amid stark cliffs and green pastures. Akmaral is pure literary magic.”
—Stephanie Cowell, American Book Award recipient and author of Claude & Camille: a novel of Monet and The Boy in the Rain
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