The Sword of Light - Chapter 0.2

The Hero’s Journey, as best examined in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, is a type of story with which we are all familiar. The tales of Beowulf, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Gilgamesh, Moana, or Bilbo, and Frodo Baggins fill our bookshelves. Despite their formulaic nature, we celebrate these stories. They draw us in with promises of adventure, self-discovery, and good triumphing over evil. We love to root for the underdog hero, and often see ourselves reflected in their nature and actions.

The Sword of Light is one such story.

The genre of epic fantasy is rarely explored by female authors. The fact that I am a woman that will help set this story apart from other Hero’s Journeys. I am a feminist, and as such, I have taken great pains to ensure a balanced and realistic representation of men and women in this tale. There are both male and female characters who are strong, capable, stern, and independent, and there are male and female characters who are submissive, shy, meek, and gentle. Neither gender is overshadowed or sexualized in the story. Even though the point-of-view follows the tale’s hero, each character has their own unique part to play in the narrative. For these reasons, I believe that this story will appeal to both male and female readers in a genre that has, historically, been dominated by male patrons.

Furthermore, I have spent the better part of five years researching the Celts of Ancient Ireland, and have utilized their anthropology, religion, histories, folklore, and mythologies to create an authentic and interesting world in which to set this story. Many authors use a world akin to Medieval Europe for the setting of their Hero’s Journey. The Sword of Light is unique in that it uses a setting inspired by the Iron Age, and makes use of the shortcomings of the era and location. For example, Ireland was not literate in 800BC, people from different tribes often spoke different dialects and were xenophobic. I utilize these cultural aspects to add a level of depth and conflict to a tale in which characters are forced to act diplomatically.

I also feel that my qualifications as a writer will help set this story apart from other in the genre. I have a BFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, but I have been writing since 2005. Since I began writing, I have completed several self-published novels, including Trials of the Guardians, The Star of Isa, Wolf Song, and The Watch. With each completed story, I have learned more about the writing process, read guides, and taken classes to improve my skills. I did not feel right penning The Sword of Light until I felt I could do it justice.

The Sword of Light follows Ferin, the youngest son of the Chieftain of Loch Coill. Ferin’s father resents him for the death of his mother, who died in childbirth. As such, Ferin can do nothing to please or impress his father. When the High King of Hy-Brasile dies, the druids of the land call a landsmeet to elect the next High King. Though Ferin’s father does not wish it, Ferin tags along.

Failed negotiations and diplomacy have reached a boiling point when an ancient evil launches a surprise attack. It slaughters chieftains and chieftainesses and kidnaps many of the orphaned royal children. After witnessing the death of his father and seeing his only brother kidnapped, Ferin suffers a mental breakdown. He goes temporarily insane and is forced to survive alone though the harsh winter. Soon, a nomadic tribe of warriors called The Free find Ferin and help nurse him back to mental health (or something like it).

It is then that Ferin resolves to avenge his father and rescue his brother, but he will need help to do it. Relations between the many tribes of Hy-Brasile have never been friendly, and now with a power vacuum causing disruption throughout the land, Ferin must unite the tribes in order to face the elder evil plaguing their land, or lose it forever. To this end, civil wars must be put to rest, land treaties negotiated, marriages arranged to secure ties to power, and the enemy surveyed. It is then that Ferin learns the ancient evil’s name, Balor, and its vile purposeto possess the body of one capable of wielding the Sword of Light, and use it to kill and usurp the Gods.

Now Ferin must race Balor to the Sword, and turn the blade against the elder evil in order to save his land, his people, and his family.