Collectible Souls Index + Invitation

What if old gods never die?

Autumn is slowly creeping across the land here in the Northern Hemisphere. In the darkness before dawn, the wind soughs with echoes of the old ways from long ago. It carries invocations and pleas, the scent of sage and burnt offerings. It whispers the question: What if old gods never die? What if they linger on, searching for souls to sustain them in a world that is dominated by atheism, the call of the muezzin and the tolling of bells? What if we collected snippets of their stories, and called the collection Collectible Souls?

Below is the index of these fragments of stories, the sinister and sublime. Some gods are benevolent, others are purely selfish, but in the end, they all take what they need to survive.

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THE COLLECTED

Terpsichore / Τερψιχόρη - Katharine Kapodistria (Notes from the Edge)

Upon the Ninth - Kelly Hummel (The Author Wars)

Lamia / Λάμια - Katharine Kapodistria (Notes from the Edge)

The Ones Who Carry My Name - Morgan A. Drake (Fluke Point)

Erebus / Έρεβος - Katharine Kapodistria (Notes from the Edge)

The Counter - Morgan A. Drake (Fluke Point)

Nyx / Νύξ - Katharine Kapodistria (Notes from the Edge)

Chaos / Χαός - Katharine Kapodistria (Notes from the Edge)

Hephaestus - Leanne Shawler (The Môrdreigiau Chronicles)

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AN INVITATION

My vision for Collectible Souls is that it will be an ever-evolving collection of micro/flash fiction and short stories concerning ancient half-forgotten deities who still walk among us today, still collecting souls, and I would love other writers to be a part of it too.

I guess I’m introverted by nature, and I’m certainly tentative about trying to forge connections online. I always end up feeling like I’m shouting into the void. But at the risk of making myself feel like a loser, I’ve plucked up enough courage to ask:

Does anyone want to join me?

The premise is simple. Choose an ancient deity and weave a story around them set in the present day. Keeping in mind, of course, the title of the project: COLLECTIBLE SOULS. The format is flexible: free verse, short stories, interview transcripts, adverts - whatever your creative mind comes up with.

So far I’ve been focusing on lesser-known figures from ancient Greek mythology, but you can go wide. Draw inspiration from any mythical or folkloric deity you choose, then:

1. Write your amazing piece of fiction. Anything up to 2,000-ish words, but that’s not a limit that will be enforced. You can write more, or split your story into parts.

2. Publish in your own time.

3. Link to the Index (this post).

4. Post the link to your work in the Notes from the Edge Substack chat, and I’ll add it to the Index here.

THIS IS NOT A COMPETITION. This is a challenge to inspire us to explore the rich mythologies of our world, and give them our own unique twist.

I would absolutely love to read your writing on this topic, and I encourage you to read, comment on and share what others write. Join in (there’s no time limit) and feel free to share this post so that others can join too!