The World of the Isolde Saga
This is the world of Isolde! The great realm of the north! This is only a slice of a much bigger world I have created but is the stage for everything which happens within the saga. You can see Ravenscar dominates the north as it straddles across the mighty River Thurso. Eyndale is on the centre-right along the River Jule, and north of that is the huge Watcher’s Wood which Isolde must travel through in search of the Black Witch, Orlog.
What I loved about writing The Black Witch…
I had so much fun writing Isolde’s adventure. There is something magical about creating an entire world and all these people out of thin air and making them undergo such an extravagant drama.
I think a highlight for me was writing the scene in the standing stone (Gareth Nuir) because it allowed me to revisit my travels through England and Wales. I wanted to capture that fantastic experience of being among the ancient stone ruins of places like Stonehenge.
Names Are Important
I love etymology, there is something about the origins of words and how you can use them to give double meanings that really enchants me. With the Isolde Saga, I wanted to keep a Norse feel to the world, so I used a lot of Old Norse words where it was possible. For example, Ravenscar does actually mean “Rock of the Raven”. The River Thurso means “River of the Bull”, which I wanted to use for its strength.
There are a few other places where I play with words. ‘Sidhe’ from The Black Witch is Irish for faerie. Jotunn is the name of the giant race in Norse mythology. The River Jule is named after the old custom of Yule and the Yule log. Skaldi is not any word of its own but is derived from an Old Norse word which means poet. I wanted to use this because, in our Pagan past, poets and bards were the ones who were wanderers and the keepers of knowledge.
Anyway, I just wanted to share some inside info on my world building and creativity. I would love to know what you think, email me if you have cool ideas or want to say hi.
Have a great day,
Robert D. Jones
PS) The entire Isolde Saga is now available as a box set! Find it on Amazon by CLICKING HERE
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