Fic Footnotes: Gods & Monsters
Here are the footnotes for Gods & Monsters if any of you are interested in the research behind the fic.
I have no doubt that my particular mix of violence, blasphemy, and homosexual activities in this fic has earned me a place in any number of hells and underworlds. :)
Part 1: Mexico City (Fic Here)
Dias de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that’s dedicated to celebrating dead ancestors. It is actually celebrated for 2 days on November 1st and 2nd each year. Traditionally, families build small altars including marigolds and sugar skulls in their homes or they visit their ancestors gravesites and leave offerings, including food and drink. Dias de los Muertos has become much more commercialized in places such as Mexico City, where the traditional family celebrations have become larger parties with parades and vendors selling things outside the gates of cemeteries.
For more information and links about Dias de los Muertos, visit Wikipedia and What Do Mexicans Celebrate on Day of the Dead?.
Part 2: Oaxaca (Fic Here)
The Zapotec are indigenous Mesoamerican people primarily found in southern Oaxaca, Mexico. They have a polytheist religious structure that is headed by Cosijo, the rain-god. It was not uncommon for priests to make human sacrifices to Cosijo. I’ve lifted part of the Zapotec creation myth, namely, that the Zapotec people were originally born straight from jaguars, to inform the sorcerer possession for this section.
I want to note here that I intend no disrespect to the Zapotec culture or religion. I’ve borrowed heavily from different cultural myths and beliefs to write this fic but this is entirely a work of fiction and is not meant to be a complete portrayal of any culture or religion.
For more information about the Zapotec, visit Native Americans: Zapotec.
Part 3: Cartagena (Fic Here)
Convento de la Popa is a famous 400 year-old monastery in Cartagena Columbía. Cartagena is a port city and was colonized by the Spanish. It was an important stop on the shipping route for gold and silver objects and was the victim of several pirate attacks. It was also heavily involved in slave-trade activities. Today, Cartagena is a moderately safe place to travel but the guerilla activity in the country at large means that there’s a high kidnapping risk.
Víbora is the Spanish translation for viper. The Víbora demons were inspired by the Eyelash Viper, a poisonous snake native to Columbia that can hang by its tails from trees to capture prey.
Part 4: Belize (Fic Here)
Belize has a strong Mayan cultural background and is home to Caracol, a Mayan city that is the site of a large archeological dig. It is also a big tourist draw and was the imagined source of the brainwashed tourists in this fic.
The Mayan god used in this story is Kisin, god of earthquakes. He is also know as “The Stinking One” and is sometimes thought to be another form of Cizin/Au Puch, the god of death and the underworld. Legends of Kisin purport that he is trapped in purgatory in the underworld, and he is often associated with reports of human sacrifice.
The Mountain Pine Ridge region of Belize is a 300 square foot pine forest with an abundance of waterfalls and caves like the ones described in this fic. The most famous waterfall is Hidden Valley Falls, also known as the Thousand-Foot falls because it, well, falls for over 1000 feet. One of the most famous caves is The Cave of the Crystal Maiden, which contains the remains of a Mayan woman.
For more information about Caracol, Mountain Pine Ridge, and Mayan Mythology, visit:
Caracol, Mayan Gods & Goddesses, Wikipedia: Maya Mythology, and Wikipedia: Belize.
Part 5: Havana (Fic Here)
Havana is the capital of Cuba and when I started writing this fic, this was where I knew I wanted Faith to end up. Havana is a lively city with a very old-world feel with the 1950s cars and the fading and chipped paint in once-bright colors. Hitchhiking is a common way to get around and according to the Lonely Planet, there is a law that says government vehicles have to stop for hitchhikers if they have the room.
Regla is across the harbor from Old Havana and is reached by ferry. It is the home of the Black Madonna and several well-known Santería high priests, called babaloa. Santería is an Afro-Caribbean religion that originated with the Yoruba from Nigeria. It traveled to Cuba with the slave trade and is often mistaken as an offshoot of Catholicism because of the association with Saints, or Orisha. It is also sometimes associated with the Voudun religion.
Members of Santería worship the One God, Olodumare. The Orisha are lesser guardians that watch over and aid the followers of Santería and are believed to be aspects or manifestations of Olodumare that can directly interact with people. Some lucky followers can be “ridden by Orisha”, which refers to a temporary possession marked by amnesia.
Ashé refers to a variety of concepts centered around the life force, balance, and order.
Animal sacrifice (usually chickens) is used to bless religious rituals in Santería.
Divination is an important skill of babaloas and the Table of Ifá is the most powerful divination tool as it allows the priest to see which Orisha has adopted the person being seen.
For more information on Havana and the Santería religion, please visit:
Lonely Planet, La Regla Ocha, Orisha Net, and Santeria
I have no doubt that my particular mix of violence, blasphemy, and homosexual activities in this fic has earned me a place in any number of hells and underworlds. :)
Part 1: Mexico City (Fic Here)
Dias de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that’s dedicated to celebrating dead ancestors. It is actually celebrated for 2 days on November 1st and 2nd each year. Traditionally, families build small altars including marigolds and sugar skulls in their homes or they visit their ancestors gravesites and leave offerings, including food and drink. Dias de los Muertos has become much more commercialized in places such as Mexico City, where the traditional family celebrations have become larger parties with parades and vendors selling things outside the gates of cemeteries.
For more information and links about Dias de los Muertos, visit Wikipedia and What Do Mexicans Celebrate on Day of the Dead?.
Part 2: Oaxaca (Fic Here)
The Zapotec are indigenous Mesoamerican people primarily found in southern Oaxaca, Mexico. They have a polytheist religious structure that is headed by Cosijo, the rain-god. It was not uncommon for priests to make human sacrifices to Cosijo. I’ve lifted part of the Zapotec creation myth, namely, that the Zapotec people were originally born straight from jaguars, to inform the sorcerer possession for this section.
I want to note here that I intend no disrespect to the Zapotec culture or religion. I’ve borrowed heavily from different cultural myths and beliefs to write this fic but this is entirely a work of fiction and is not meant to be a complete portrayal of any culture or religion.
For more information about the Zapotec, visit Native Americans: Zapotec.
Part 3: Cartagena (Fic Here)
Convento de la Popa is a famous 400 year-old monastery in Cartagena Columbía. Cartagena is a port city and was colonized by the Spanish. It was an important stop on the shipping route for gold and silver objects and was the victim of several pirate attacks. It was also heavily involved in slave-trade activities. Today, Cartagena is a moderately safe place to travel but the guerilla activity in the country at large means that there’s a high kidnapping risk.
Víbora is the Spanish translation for viper. The Víbora demons were inspired by the Eyelash Viper, a poisonous snake native to Columbia that can hang by its tails from trees to capture prey.
Part 4: Belize (Fic Here)
Belize has a strong Mayan cultural background and is home to Caracol, a Mayan city that is the site of a large archeological dig. It is also a big tourist draw and was the imagined source of the brainwashed tourists in this fic.
The Mayan god used in this story is Kisin, god of earthquakes. He is also know as “The Stinking One” and is sometimes thought to be another form of Cizin/Au Puch, the god of death and the underworld. Legends of Kisin purport that he is trapped in purgatory in the underworld, and he is often associated with reports of human sacrifice.
The Mountain Pine Ridge region of Belize is a 300 square foot pine forest with an abundance of waterfalls and caves like the ones described in this fic. The most famous waterfall is Hidden Valley Falls, also known as the Thousand-Foot falls because it, well, falls for over 1000 feet. One of the most famous caves is The Cave of the Crystal Maiden, which contains the remains of a Mayan woman.
For more information about Caracol, Mountain Pine Ridge, and Mayan Mythology, visit:
Caracol, Mayan Gods & Goddesses, Wikipedia: Maya Mythology, and Wikipedia: Belize.
Part 5: Havana (Fic Here)
Havana is the capital of Cuba and when I started writing this fic, this was where I knew I wanted Faith to end up. Havana is a lively city with a very old-world feel with the 1950s cars and the fading and chipped paint in once-bright colors. Hitchhiking is a common way to get around and according to the Lonely Planet, there is a law that says government vehicles have to stop for hitchhikers if they have the room.
Regla is across the harbor from Old Havana and is reached by ferry. It is the home of the Black Madonna and several well-known Santería high priests, called babaloa. Santería is an Afro-Caribbean religion that originated with the Yoruba from Nigeria. It traveled to Cuba with the slave trade and is often mistaken as an offshoot of Catholicism because of the association with Saints, or Orisha. It is also sometimes associated with the Voudun religion.
Members of Santería worship the One God, Olodumare. The Orisha are lesser guardians that watch over and aid the followers of Santería and are believed to be aspects or manifestations of Olodumare that can directly interact with people. Some lucky followers can be “ridden by Orisha”, which refers to a temporary possession marked by amnesia.
Ashé refers to a variety of concepts centered around the life force, balance, and order.
Animal sacrifice (usually chickens) is used to bless religious rituals in Santería.
Divination is an important skill of babaloas and the Table of Ifá is the most powerful divination tool as it allows the priest to see which Orisha has adopted the person being seen.
For more information on Havana and the Santería religion, please visit:
Lonely Planet, La Regla Ocha, Orisha Net, and Santeria
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