Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons^™

The Pale Beyond, Kevan Kenneth Bowkett

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The Three Kindreds, Jonathan Rolfe

The Mythic Circle

High are the Elves, and high their works, And bright was Earth beneath their hand,

Editors' Introductions, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The Black Eyes Of Ulspruth-Dimot, Lee Clark Zumpe

The Mythic Circle

A misty morning met the awakening village of Madichi. Dawn made pale the cloudy skies, and upon the breeze cascading down from the mountains was a subtle chill.

Stories Grow Larger In The Night, Sarah Berti

The Mythic Circle

in the morning fold your wings but in the dark go out

C.S. Lewis's Meditation Over "The Book Of The Leoun", Joe R. Christopher

The Mythic Circle

One wonders what did Chaucer mean to make?! A version out of French, for versing’s sake?

Two In One, David A. Sparenberg

The Mythic Circle

As I looked to the high ground, which was indeed shaped in the semblance of a sublime albeit miniature mountain, imagine my amazement to hold in view the monumental figure of a curious two-headed deity.

Mythic Circle #43, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

Is it just us, or was 2020-2021 the worst year of the past hundred years? Infections, deaths, lockdowns, and quarantines too long for human endurance just kept on keeping on, intensified by squabbles between proponents of collective health measures (masks, vaccines, social distancing) on one side and of individual personal liberties, regardless of the social and health impact, on the other. But through it all, artists continued to think, dream, and produce new work.

How The Dryad And The Naiad Got Or Didn't Get Together, Kevan Kenneth Bowkett

The Mythic Circle

Once, in the river-land of Sopenya, near Lake Chellu, there lived a naiad and a dryad. They were a boy and a girl, respectively.

You Passed Me The Story, Sarah Berti

The Mythic Circle

in the dark! you passed me the story

Two Souls On A Shore, Geoffrey Reiter

The Mythic Circle

The elf and the Kuparean man were hungry as they walked along the shore of the island. They did not remain at the rock-choked shallows that had disemboweled their trireme.

The Tale Of The Troll Maiden And The Cobbler, David Gilman Frederick

The Mythic Circle

Once, in the lands across the sea, there was a cobbler. Unremarkable as such an occupation may be here, in those lands it is one of high esteem. They have rugged cliffs to scale, unknown steppes to cross, jagged boulders, spiny hedgehogs, mudflats, cacti, flints, vines, thorns— much of that land, I have heard, is picturesque, with sweeping vistas and forests that anticipate the colors of the sunset.

Welcome To The Busty Wench, E. Clarence Peterson

The Mythic Circle

Toby’s step down from the coach was greeted by the damp embrace of cobblestone puddles. Deceptively deep and cold, they were none too fresh, either.

Emhain Ablach, Joshua S. Fullman

The Mythic Circle

A slate horizon keeps captive none who’d gaze with eyes eternal,

Tricked By The Queen Of Fey, Ella Wallsworth-Bell

The Mythic Circle

Before going to the pub, I take a quick stroll to pluck up courage. Turn along the lane out of the village, my smart shoes softly tap-tapping on the tarmac. A few early stars shine bright in the clear autumn sky and my stomach does somersaults.

Our Contributors, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

This is a list of our contributors for The Mythic Circle #42

Editors' Introductions, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

The Mythic Circle is a creative writing journal devoted to fantasy-inspired creative works; it has been published by the Mythopoeic Society since 1987, and earlier versions of the Society’s creative writing efforts extend to Mythril (1971 to 1980) and Mythellany (1981 to 1987). These journals have now been archived in their entirety at https://dc.swosu.edu/mythsoc/ through the efforts of the Society’s archivist, Phillip Fitzsimmons, and digital assistant Benjamin Dressler. All but the current issue may be downloaded for free, and the current issue may be purchased as a digital download or ordered as a print-on-demand title from Amazon.

In its thirty-three …

Betrothal, Lawrence Buentello

The Mythic Circle

Grayson first saw her as she rode from the trees of the forest beyond his small house. The sun, with the last of the light it threw over the hills to the west, illuminated her astride her horse in burnished gold and yellow streaks.

Read by Phillip Fitzsimmons

In Memoriam: Ryder Miller, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

Ryder Miller, a long-time contributor to The Mythic Circle, passed away March 15, 2020.

The Ship Of Fools, Holly Day

The Mythic Circle

If you see a bird in a tree, don’t bother shooting at it.

Read by Nolan Meditz

Ritual, David Sparenberg

The Mythic Circle

Here is the place of the big tree Here is the place of coming together Known as the Ring of Gathering

Read by Nolan Meditz

Reviews, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

Reviews of our contributors' publications.

Mythic Circle #42, The Editors

The Mythic Circle

The Mythic Circle is a creative writing journal devoted to fantasy-inspired creative works; it has been published by the Mythopoeic Society since 1987, and earlier versions of the Society’s creative writing efforts extend to Mythril (1971 to 1980) and Mythellany (1981 to 1987). These journals have now been archived in their entirety at https://dc.swosu.edu/mythsoc/ through the efforts of the Society’s archivist, Phillip Fitzsimmons, and digital assistant Benjamin Dressler. All but the current issue may be downloaded for free, and the current issue may be purchased as a digital download or ordered as a print-on-demand title from Amazon.

In its thirty-three …

We Dreamed Ourselves Awake, David Sparenberg

The Mythic Circle

One day we all woke up. Every one of us really woke up. We dreamed ourselves awake.

Read by Victoria Gaydosik

The Tree That Stood Forever, Mary Alice Dixon

The Mythic Circle

One day not long ago, as time is measured by trees, a woman wandered fields of thyme and lavender near a small, hard-to-find town. She was a traveler who had become lost looking for home. Her memory was lost, too.

Read by Phillip Fitzsimmons

Epic, David Sparenberg

The Mythic Circle

A back-to-the-future Shamanic telling for public recitation Sing in me, Muse, the epic tale of that Earth daughter who shook the foundations of the Dark Towers and challenged in combat the dread lords of tyranny and their master the Patriarch of Death. Before the Book, back in The Dreaming— over eons of Shaman Lore—it is attested that light is restoration for those who are eaten by their own shadows and fire is the bane of phantoms. From somewhere here, Muse, begin.

Read by David Sparenberg

Equuleus Of Troy, Dc Mallery

The Mythic Circle

In the waning days of The Trojan war, as Agamemnon's Army was losing hope, the Towering Horses of the wilds of North Africa were but myth and fable to both Greeks and Trojans.

Read by Helen Taylor

The Dreaded Tome Of Urawn, Lee Clark Zumpe

The Mythic Circle

"Curse you, mortal," shouted the great gray dragon vexedly as the mortal on her back fidgeted nervously in his saddle. "By the gods, be still!"

Read by Kelley Logan

Troll, Kevan Kenneth Bowkett

The Mythic Circle

Once upon a time there lived a troll who guarded a tollbooth on a bridge.

Read by Kevan Kenneth Bowkett

Working Title, S. Dorman

The Mythic Circle

Mark Twain had gone into outer darkness on a comet, leaving his friend Jack Lewis at his desk musing on their great experience together—an awful vision of the crucifixion in which the crucified Christ was nothing but an insect.

Read by Scott Long and Steve Strickler