The Enduring Magic of Folklore and Mythology in Storytelling

Celebrating 25 Years of Young Heroes ...

The Enduring Magic of Folklore and Mythology in Storytelling

When I first met Merlin on the page, I felt the stir of something ancient taking root. I couldn’t name it then, but I can now: it was the seed of myth. Folklore and mythology aren’t just old stories. They’re patterns of meaning that have guided people for millennia. In a noisy world, they help us hear the quiet questions: Who are we? What do we stand for? Where do we find courage?

That first encounter with Merlin was deeply personal — yet it connected me to roots that reach across centuries, the living seed of myth shared by storytellers everywhere.

Writers return to these tales because they still work. They move hearts. They make sense of chaos. And they remind us that imagination is a real force in our lives. This is the simple power of mythology in storytelling.

Stories That Reflect Who We Are

Every culture has its myths. From the trickster tales of Native American traditions to the epics of Greece and India, these stories reveal what people value most: courage, kindness, cleverness, and resilience

At their heart, myths are mirrors. And these mirrors reflect back the questions we all ask: Who am I? Why am I here? What truly matters? These are timeless questions, as alive today as they were thousands of years ago. When I write fantasy stories, I draw on that same well of human wonder. Mythology doesn’t hand us neat answers, but it suggests that we are not the first to seek them.

And that search for meaning, for truth, and for hope, also flows through folklore.

Folklore’s Wisdom in Everyday Life

If myths are the deep roots, folklore is the green shoot reaching into everyday life. These are the fairy tales, legends, and tall tales passed down around campfires and kitchen tables.

Folklore shows us that the extraordinary can grow out of the ordinary. A simple woodsman may stumble upon hidden treasure, while a clever young girl may outwit a giant. These tales endure because they entertain, but also because they carry the hard-earned wisdom of lived experience: lessons of survival, kindness, and resourcefulness.

And let’s be honest: folklore is also just plain fun. Who doesn’t love a story where a trickster fox outsmarts a greedy noble, or a mysterious traveler turns out to be more than he seems?

But folklore doesn’t live in isolation. It, too, is connected to the larger web of mythology — threads that weave into our modern stories.

And let’s be honest: folklore is also just plain fun. Who doesn’t love a story where a trickster fox gets the best of a greedy noble, or where a mysterious traveler turns out to be more than he seems?

Ancient Patterns in Modern Stories

Whether whispered over a fire or woven into a multi-tome epic, these old tales keep shaping new ones. When I sit down to write a story, whether about Merlin or a brand-new character, I feel the presence of those ancient storytellers. Mythology in storytelling isn’t just about borrowing old names or settings. It’s about honoring the rhythm, the symbols, and the deeper truths that make myths endure.

Think of how often modern stories echo mythic patterns: A call to adventure, a wise guide, a descent into darkness, and a hard-won return. These elements form the hero’s journey, a pattern so deeply rooted in myth that it feels instantly familiar, even when everything else is new.

That familiarity gives stories their power. When readers meet echoes of ancient myth in fantasy novels or films, they feel connected to something larger than themselves — a thread woven through time.

The Deeper Meaning Myths Still Offer

Some people dismiss mythology as relics of a more superstitious age. But myths were never just attempts to explain thunder or the changing of the seasons. They have always been about the inner weather — the storms and bright skies of the human spirit.

That’s why myths still matter. They give us the language for experiences that are otherwise hard to name: the grief that feels endless, the courage that appears from nowhere, and the hope that refuses to die. In a culture flooded with information but short on meaning, myths offer depth. They show us that we’re part of a long human story… and that our choices and struggles belong to something larger than ourselves.

And as powerful as myths are in what they preserve, they are just as powerful in how they evolve.

Myths That Keep Evolving

One of the greatest misconceptions about mythology is that it’s frozen in the past. But myths evolve. They grow and transform with each generation.

Writers, filmmakers, musicians, and artists keep carrying myths forward. Read a retelling of Persephone’s descent into the underworld, watch a superhero echo Hercules’s strength, and you’re witnessing mythology in action — alive and thriving in modern culture.

I like to think of myths as seeds. Planted long ago, they keep growing, sprouting new branches in every retelling. Each storyteller adds something fresh, while the roots remain strong.

And for me, that renewal of myth has always felt deeply personal.

Adding My Own Voice to the Chorus

That ongoing renewal of myth is something I’ve felt personally as a writer.

When I first began writing MERLIN: The Lost Years, I felt like I was adding my own voice to that great chorus of storytellers. Merlin’s legend had been told many times, in many ways. But I wondered: what was he like as a young boy, before the staff and the beard, before the greatness everyone expected of him?

That question opened a door — not just to one character, but to the deeper idea at the heart of myth: even the greatest heroes begin as ordinary people, unsure of their path. And maybe that is why these stories endure. They reveal that our own journeys, however small they seem, carry meaning and magic too.

Folklore and mythology continue to shape the stories we tell and the lives we lead. They’re not dusty relics on a shelf but seeds of imagination, planted long ago and still growing in every generation.

When we engage with mythology in storytelling, we’re not just enjoying old tales. We’re stepping into something timeless — listening to the wisdom of our ancestors and adding our own voices to the ever-growing song of human creativity.

And maybe the stories we tell today will grow into the myths of tomorrow.