I've always had a strange fascination with antique maps, the older
the better. And if you go back far enough into history you will find
maps of a world that look so unlike the one we know today that, for a
moment, you think it is a work of fiction. But man has always drawn
the world the way they see it. From the planet we live on to the
lands of our dreams where maps of fictional lands often invoke more
mystery and wonder-lust in us than the reality based ones do.
My love for such maps led me to crafting a few of my own. After a bit
of kitchen witchery I made up a brew that would stain and stiffen
normal paper and make it look like the antique pictures I always
enjoyed glaring at. The stain is easy to infuse with different herbs
and oils to give it texture, durability, and even scent.
These simple pieces of art are decorative and enchanting and if the
brew is right you don't even have to draw the images yourself. A good
printer and good printing paper will set the moder day cyber-witch on
a path that will rip anything out of the realm of fiction and make it
real, with a pagan look and feel that is one of a kind.
But one map I have never come across or created myself was a map of
the Pagan Afterlife.
The vision is of a single land, broken on the east cost in a series
of coves and small islands where towering white statues of many
different gods loom like sentinels looking out to the realm beyond
the sea, into the mist of eternity and to the mortal world. These
statues are so massive that anything mankind has ever created pales
in comparison to their sheer size and mass. At the base of each
colossus is a temple, a home away from home for the patron Deity
symbolized above.
Just off the coast line to the east begins the Elysian Fields. A vast
open plain glittered with wildflowers and hidden pathways through the
briers. The Elysian Fields run in a narrow column from north to south
and are cracked in a jagged line just off of the center by the
rippling river Acheron. The Elysian Fields are peppered with small
villages with dome-like houses that are dark brown in contrast to the
colors of summer and the tans of autumn. Each village is often a
necessary stop to all travelers who are wondering through the Fields
because of the long distance from one end to the other. But the more
experienced traveler has discovered that in this world there are
faster ways to travel than walking. It's just not as scenic.
On the far north of the Elysian Fields is a small shadowy land known
as Tartarus. Tartarus, unlike the plains of the Elysian Fields is
hilly and littered with large grey stones. A few tangled trees
struggle to survive in the rocky soil that is covered year round by
tannish grasses. It is a land locked in a season of fall. Only three
villages are in this land and none of the locals are very friendly to
strangers. They live in rough stone houses and entertain themselves
with difficult games made up to challenge ones soul. The rudeness to
wanderers is sparked by the entertainment value in getting someone
who has no idea what they are doing to play the games. One of which
is recovering certain items from the volcanic island that lies to the
north.
Separated from the rest of the land by the River Styx, running east
and west just below the norther border is the black smokey island of
Hades.
Hades might look bleak but it is packed full of otherworldly
treasures that are extremely valuable in this land. There are weapons
and armor here that can kill the soul and some that can even kill a
God or protect the wearer from such harm. Death in the Afterlife
means rebirth in the mortal realm, or worse, vanishing into
nothingness. The problem is attaining one of the artifacts and
actually keeping it on your way back out. Anyone who has ever ran
this gauntlet might tell you it's not worth the price, even if you
are already dead.
Bordering both Hades and the Elysian Fields and running the breadth
of this realm from north to south is the grey and sharp Valhalla
Mountain Rage. The mountain paths are tangled and twisted and most
who wonder into them never come out again. Not because of some hidden
danger but because it is an extremely easy place to get lost in.
There is no guides to aid you along the way. Here you best chance of
getting any help at all is to find the only building in the entire
land, The Great Hall. The problem is that no one knows for sure where
it will be from one day to the next. The only clue that was ever
given was "Look Up". The Hall rests on the mountain top for one day
and one day only before it vanishes only to reappear on the top of
another. Of course, the residents of the Great Hall are all warriors.
To them it seems fit to set a challenge for those who wish to enter
both in life and beyond.
However there is said to be a path leading through the heart of the
mountains and if you stay true to it it will lead you to the "silver
city". It is the only place still within the mountain rage that is
not part Valhalla itself. The city is called Tir na nOg and it is
rumored to be centered by a tower the reaches far above the highest
mountain peak of Valhalla. Which doesn't aid in finding it because at
that height the top of the tower is always in the clouds.
Tir na nOg is a huge city that rivals any on earth. The residents are
aristocratic types who are welcome enough to those who venture here
but have the worst habit of wanting to "enlighten" both traveler and
each other with lectures that go on for eternity. Because of this
habit it has never been considered rude do get up in the middle of a
conversation and simply leave. In fact, it is seen as being wise
because even the dead don't want to spend eternity in school.
Some distance due south is the sister city of Tir na nOg. The easiest
way to get there is by following the River Acheron which winds its
way through the mountains into the foothills to the south and runs
right down the middles of the smaller city of Tir na mBeo. This river
is known for its silver sheen that by moonlight makes it look like
pure mercury. There is a fiery that makes a run from Tir na nOg to
Tir na mBeo three times a day.
Tir na Beo, unlike its sister city is much calmer and easier to get
around in. There are no huge buildings or twisting streets here and
the locals are warm and inviting. The southern end of the city is
lines by the snake river Lethe. No one knows why they call it a river
really. It's more of a creek that you could nearly jump across. But
it is a good setting for some nice arch bridges.
the Lethe runs west until it meets the much larger tributary of the
Phlegethon River. Where the two meet is the ruins of Sheol which lies
in the foothills. A once beautiful village Sheol was home to many but
was lost some time ago in a great storm that came in off the coast.
Rumor has it that it was punishment after a resident stole a gem from
one of the coastal temples. All that remains here now is a jagged
pile of rock and wall faces. After the village was destroyed the
residents moved into vast underground caverns known as Underworld.
But those caverns are home to more than just spirits. Nearly every
nightmare mortals have ever had came from this place. But it is said
that there is a great gothic city beneath the ruins of Sheol were the
torches burn brightly all the time and a peace can be found there
unlike any other.
Just beyond the foothills of the Valhalla Mountains in the evergreen
forest lies the two tiny villages of Jekinnah and Gehenna. Both
villages coexist and in the past have came to depend on each other.
Together they make up the afterlife's largest marketplace and they
have found a reason for a festival for everyday. This is the party
place where your every whim and delight can be found, cooked, or
crafted. Merchants from all over the mortal world come here to
entertain their earthly habits and passions.
If you happen to travel just beyond the forest to the east you will
come to a ridge overlooking the only place in the entire afterlife
that might be considered a capital. The great city of Asgard.
Asgard sets on the southern border and is so massive that it could be
interpreted as the entirety of the afterlife. From the ridge it spans
the entire horizon and glitters like red diamonds at sunset. Asgard
is the hub of the land. Everyone has been there and everyone has met
there to get news from everywhere else. It's gossip central with all
the food and wine to keep the gossip fueled forever, whether its true
or not.
Asgard is so massive that it engulfs the entire River of Cocytus.
From start to finish the river is within the city limits, running
north to south in an almost perfect straight line.
Beyond the city is the playful Summerland that sets on the southern
end of the Elysian Fields. The Summerland doesn't have any towns or
villages. It's residents seem to prefer nature and nature alone.
Spotted with small forests and wide open meadows the Summerland is
home to some of the most emotional but loving spirits in the realm.
If you have a sweet tooth after death this place can cure you of it.
The Summerland is the latest to be founded, if founding is what you
call it. It looks a lot like a water painting where all of the colors
are melting together in a frightful rainbow display that makes your
eyes water. But the frolicking locals love it. Mind your tongue when
visiting this place. Their a bit confused here and just about
everything you say is wrong or will grant you bad karma. Then some
spirit dressed as a fairy will inform you time and again that you
will be sent back to the mortal realm as a goat or something. No one
really takes them seriously of course. They hardly ever take each
other seriously. They just play and dance on whims and dreams.
Gifting hope and innocents to the mortal realm and a lot of color to
all the others.
And now we are back the the Elysian Fields. Not a bad journey through
the afterlife I suppose. Now all I have to do is actually draw the
map and stain it with the magical brew of imagination.
