Paranormals: the world's oldest literary tradition

[mollyringle]

Saw this C.S. Lewis quotation today, and it was fitting, for last night I was ruminating again upon how "paranormals" are indeed not some recent shallow fad in fiction, as some people believe, usually those who claim they find deeper meaning in "real" life fiction.

I can write, have written, and will write contemporary ("real life") fiction, and I do read it, and it can indeed be great. But it isn't the only place to find meaning in the world of stories. For what are the oldest known stories passed down among humans? Myths. From all over the world, they follow the same pattern: totally fantastical stories about monsters, gods/deities, faery folk, magical powers, and imaginary lands. Is it just a fluke that those endured, rather than true-to-life family sagas or down-to-earth relationship stories? I think not. I think imagination, and casting our everyday problems into larger-than-life settings and symbols, is exactly what makes us human and gets our brains revving.

If you like myths and fairy tales and other paranormals, you already know this, but maybe you can tell it to the next person who sneers at this silly little fleeting several-thousand-year-old "fad" of humans making up fantasy stories.