The Realm of Monsters

The first chapter of my novel Talion is titled ominously, “The Monster Comes.” Monster is one of those slippery words. Everyone knows what it means, but its particular meaning is a bit different for everyone. Here is what monster means to me.

When I want to understand a word better, I look at where it began. Monster comes from a Latin noun meaning omen, monstrum, formed from the verb monere, to warn. It interests me that the word mind developed from the same verb. What do minds and monsters have in common, apart from a shared ancestry? Does the monster exist without a mind to perceive and identify it?

Dictionaries define a monster as being abnormal in form or behaviour, physically or morally deformed. A monster is strange and terrifying, unnatural or supernatural.

A fish born without eyes is a monster, perhaps a warning the lake has been poisoned. Cerberus, the watchdog of Hades, has three heads, a dragon’s tail, and a mane of writhing snakes. He warns travellers not to pass into the dark land beyond. Cerberus and other mythical monsters are impossible freaks of natures. Only the gods could create such things. They consist of various animal and human parts, and they are dangerous even when – especially when – they’re enticing. Sirens, or mermaids, are half woman and half fish, and their singing lures sailors to destruction. Even the beautiful unicorn kills. The story goes that a unicorn can be captured by tying a naked virgin to a tree. Drawn to her purity, the unicorn will fall asleep in her lap. But if she pretends to be a virgin, it will tear her apart.

Lu Jakes, the hero of Talion, faces two monsters. She becomes a target of Rad Sanders, a serial killer who takes pleasure in hunting and torturing woman. Like the fish in the poisoned lake, he was born lacking essential parts – conscience, empathy. His eyes are “as blue and transparent as the swimming pool” where he first meets Lu, “only there’s nothing at the bottom.” Lu’s stepmother, Norlene, is another kind of monster. Abused in childhood, she unleashes her rage on her stepdaughter in brutal and unprovoked beatings. Ironically, Rad is the only one who understands Norlene. “Remember when you were pure,” he taunts her. “Before anyone touched you.”

Lu has the potential to become monstrous because of what has been done to her. She stands at the brink. One more step could bring her into the realm of monsters. An ethereal being called Talion appears to her and offers guidance, but his nature and intentions are unclear. Like Cerberus, he could be warning her to stop, or like the Sirens, he could be luring her into terrible danger. For any who are interested, I recommend the site www.monstrous.com, the source of my information on classical monsters.

**Mary Maddox grew up in Utah and California. A graduate of Knox College and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she now teaches at Eastern Illinois University. She lives in Charleston, Illinois with her husband, film scholar Joe Heumann. Her interests include dressage and tournament Scrabble. Mary’s short stories have appeared in a number of magazines including Farmer's Market, Yellow Silk, and The Scream Online. Her writing has been honored with awards from the Illinois Arts Council. Talion, her debut novel, is available at Barnes and Noble online and at Amazon.com as a trade paperback and as a Kindle book. You can visit her at her Web site http://www.marymaddox.com/, read her blog at http://blog.marymaddox.com/ and follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Dreambeast7.




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