Finding
novel inspiration through the tarot…
By Rachel
Burge
A few
years ago, I was writing a novel that wasn’t working. I had a main character
that I loved, but the story wasn’t high concept enough to get the attention of
an agent or a publisher. I needed a big idea – and luckily inspiration came to
me through the tarot.
It
was on a tarot course, run by Maddy
Elruna in East Sussex, that I discovered the myths and magic of Norse legend.
 |
| The Hanged man — Tarot of Northern Shadows.
Odin in the tarot
I’ve always had an interest in tarot, and love the layers of symbolism depicted in the cards. Much the same way that mythic stories explore archetypal roles and themes central to the human experience, tarot speaks of the ‘big things’ - birth, death, love, betrayal, and yet it can also be incredibly nuanced thanks to the way the cards fall in a spread. |
One
card that really captured my imagination was The Hanged Man. I admit I’d never
really liked the card much before. I always thought it signalled a time of
waiting around (and who likes that?!) but this card has a much deeper meaning.
The Hanged Man is associated with Odin, the Allfather, who hung himself from
the world tree Yggdrasil. Odin is the god of many things, including poetry, wisdom
and magic. In his wanderer’s guise, he traverses the nine worlds, seeking out
knowledge – and even plucked out an eye to drink from Mimir’s well of wisdom.
In the tarot, the Norns are represented by The
Wheel of Fortune.
The card shown above is from the Mythic Tarot deck.
Of course, Greek mythology has its own trio of women who weave fate.
The card shown above is from the Mythic Tarot deck.
Of course, Greek mythology has its own trio of women who weave fate.
In
his never-ending quest for knowledge, Odin knocked upon the door of the Norns, wanting
to learn the secrets of fate. Older and more powerful than the gods, these are
the three women who weave destiny in the great tree Yggdrasil.
When
the Norns would not give Odin the answers he sought, he hung himself from the
tree for nine days and nights. Neither food nor water would he take, and he
stabbed himself with his own spear. Nearing the point of death, he at last saw the
runes rise up from the well - and cut himself down with a cry.
The meaning of The Hanged
Man
When the Hanged Man appears in a tarot spread, it can signal that sacrifice is required. It asks what you are willing to give up in order to achieve your goals. It may be a physical thing, or letting go of a particular belief or outlook that no longer serves you.
Odin
didn’t embark on an outer quest to learn the secrets of fate – he was still and
went within to find enlightenment. The Hanged Man challenges us to stop ‘doing’
and instead listen to our intuition – in the card, the figure depicted
literally puts his heart above his head.
In
this way, The Hanged Man can be a call to surrender. If we relinquish control and
are willing to look at things differently, then the answers we seek may come to
us – and we’ll get our ‘A-ha!’ moment (standing on your head is optional!)
New inspiration for my
story
Learning about The Hanged Man inspired me to stop trying to ‘fix’ the novel I was working on, and look at the story from a new perspective. What if I drew directly from Norse myth, but kept the character I loved and the contemporary setting?
What
if there was more to the story of Odin hanging from the tree... what if his
actions all those years ago had repercussions today. How might a 17-year-old
girl deal with the themes of fate, sacrifice and death?
It
was this change in perspective that led to a breakthrough and a re-working of
my novel, which became The Twisted Tree – a ghost story set in Norway, based on
Norse mythology.
The
Twisted Tree
Martha can tell things about a person just by touching their clothes, as if their emotions and memories have been absorbed into the material. It started the day she fell from the tree at her grandma's cabin and became blind in one eye.
Determined to understand her strange ability, Martha sets off to visit her grandmother, Mormor - only to discover Mormor is dead, a peculiar boy is in her cabin and a terrifying creature is on the loose. Then the spinning wheel starts creaking, books move around and terror creeps in . . .
Set in the remote snows of contemporary Norway, The
Twisted Tree is a ghost story that twists and turns - and never takes you quite
where you'd expect...
Published by Hot Key Books, The Twisted Tree ebook is out now, and in paperback on 10th January, 2019.
Published by Hot Key Books, The Twisted Tree ebook is out now, and in paperback on 10th January, 2019.
Rachel Burge
This is such an interesting post. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI never knew any of that. Fascinating, and what a way to gather inspiration! I'll take the 'not hanging upside down' method any day! Good luck with the book. It sounds incredible!
ReplyDelete