5 Details You Might Have Missed From the Warrior Series
Have you been reading my latest high fantasy Warrior Series? There are ten books set in this fantasy world, each one a self-contained story while adding to the mystery and suspense of the overarching plot. From the kingdoms of Ciro and Donoma to the forest of Kallie, there are a lot of really fun details that went into creating this world.
Whether you’ve read the Warrior Series or are just getting started, here are details you might have missed that add to the action!
The Sun and Moon Gods
Did you catch the sun god Asalie and the moon gods Alkina and Kohns? There’s an entire creation story that went into this plot, where the sun and moon gods worked together to create the world we see. They are also responsible for banishing violence from the forest of Kallie, which is why Ciro and Donoma are now their own kingdoms.
The gods have a huge impact on the belief systems of our characters. Baeddan is suspicious of their nature, like his father. Rhish is in the middle, where he believes they exist but also has no real connection to them. Kahyr, on the other hand, experiences the gods firsthand.
Aiolos - Sacred Kallie Ceremony
Aiolos is the Greek name for ‘change’. This is a huge ritual for the Kallie people, where young children (innocents) visit the temple of Aiolos. The gods speak to them and give them their names - the duty they will have to the forest. There is quite a bit of magic involved, as the children with white hair are suddenly given color and their soul in the form of a duty and name. It’s a very important detail for the entire Warrior Series.
Names are incredibly important to the Kallie people, and the ceremony is sacred to their traditions. That’s why it’s so important to Kahyr when she is named the first warrior of a peaceful forest. It becomes a huge part of who she is and how seriously she takes her new duty as guardian of the forest.
Names are Important
Just like Aiolos, names and words are incredibly important. Each book has a glossary at the back so you can reference any time you forget what a word means. While it’s more important to remember the Kallie names, you might have missed that some of the other names included in the book have a special meaning as well! Most of them come from Greek, Gaelic, or Celtic origins, but I changed some spelling to fit the story.
You can read the Warrior Series glossary here, but these are a few of my favorites that you might have missed.
Ciro - throne, sun
Donoma - sight of the sun
Dour - from the water
Tarisai - look, behold
Oubastet - winged cat
Coilleach - guardian of the forest
You might also remember that the Kallie join in Levia (marriage of duty and feeling) with others who share their duty or have similar names. They do not have a word for ‘love’, but Levia is a close replacement.
Fish Prince of Donoma
When I first started writing the Warrior series, my fingers had a hard time writing everyone’s names correctly. One of my happy mistakes was writing ‘Fish’ instead of ‘Rhish’, and it surprisingly came only when I was writing from Kahyr’s perspective.
Because she doesn’t speak their language, I have a different thought process going through my mind when I write from her perspective. That ‘accent’ in my head caused me to think ‘fish’ every time I meant to write Rhish… so I went with it! Kahyr’s fun nickname for Rhish became ‘Fish Prince of Donoma’, and it added to their relationship (as well as the hilarity of her language barrier).
Mythical Animals in the Warrior Series
Did you catch last week’s blog with my top five mythical creatures list? There are quite a few mythical beasts found in the Warrior Series, and you can see more of them in the glossary as well. Of course, I told you about my three favorites.
Scylla - the mythical sea monster
Oubastet - based on the Bastet, our favorite winged cat is Kahyr’s best friend
Kyrenia - who doesn’t love a good mermaid? Kinthe translates to ‘guide’ in Kallie, and while she’s a helpful guide to Kahyr, she has definitely ‘guided’ many men to their deaths…
I think my favorite translation, though not a mythical animal, had to be the Mika (intelligent raccoon). Only Rhish could see the absolute delight in naming the creature intelligent when everyone else sees them as nuisances. The next was the Fridolf, or peaceful wolf. I somewhat imagine they are like the Loth-wolves from Star Wars: Rebels. This is not the first time we have seen this creature, and it won’t be the last!
What else have you noticed in the Warrior Series that gave you an ‘aha!’ moment? Leave a comment below!
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