I'm writing a set of stories that involves four characters travelling through these four countries, each one is based on a different season and a different country, each one also houses elves who can control certain elements. For instance (Sorry if I get these translations wrong. I'm using google translate): Earraigh means spring, it's home to the earth elves and it's based around Ireland, the fauna are based around Celtic folklore. Kalokaíri is Greek for summer, it's home to the water elves and it's based around ancient Greece. The fauna are based around Greek mythology. Aki is Japanese for fall, it's home to the wind elves and is based around Japan. The fauna are based around Japanese myths and legends. And finally, Inverno is Portuguese for winter. It's home to the fire elves, who are not affected by extreme heat or cold. (I mostly chose this because Inverno sounds like Inferno) I'm pretty well versed in Celtic folklore, I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to Greek mythology, and I know of a few mythical creatures from Japan. But, when it comes to folklore from places like Portugal, I'm basically clueless. Does anyone know of any mythical animals from Portugal that I could use? Of course, I know that Portuguese isn't only spoken in Portugal so if you have any ideas from other countries I'd like to hear about them. Thanks in advance.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I should be able to help you out. Bear in mind that (where the elements are involved) Japanese mythology is not based on the four elements of earth, air, water and fire, but on the Chinese five elements - wood, water, earth, metal and fire.
Cool! I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back I'll try private messaging PiP, just to see. Thanks
Well ... the wikipedia entry on Lusitanian mythology is a pretty good starting point. (I just googled "Portugal mythology" and found it). And Myths and Legends of Portugal, part 1 also looks interesting. (Having said that, it's hosted on a website for advertising Spanish/Portuguese Hotels, so it may be there simply so they can sell you a holiday. But I hope it helps anyway). This may also help: Portuguese Islands Folk Tales (more comprehensive) Algarve History Association From Amazon: Mythological Beings of Portugal I hope you find something here to help you.
Thanks for the help everyone, I feel like I've got some pretty good ideas for what I want to do. Although, it is pretty clear by now that I'm going to have to expand on the scope of my research to include a few more countries, just so that I have a little more variety. Except for the one inspired by Greece, I think I'll be fine sticking with the creatures of Greek mythology.
