Barrayar Folklore

[ffutures]

Weird idea that crossed my mind today. Anyone else think that somewhere out there in Barrayar folklore there's probably a tale or seven about the evil wizard Vordemort?

Comments

[james]

I had a further idea - by this point in the future, stories and customs have got mixed up a bit, and so now Barrayar has the Festival of the Egg.

Children paint eggs and hide them around, to distract the Evil Voldemort from catching children and eating their souls. On the day of the festival it isn't safe to say his name, else you attract his attention. At midnight when it's deemed safe, there are fireworks (because it's Barrayar, of course there are fireworks.) In the morning, the children go out to find any eggs Voldemort missed and discover they've been turned into fake eggs that are hollow, with tiny gifts inside.

(The poor parent who has to stay up past the fireworks and replace all these eggs... Maybe children aren't allowed to go hunt eggs until noon.)

[ffutures]

I like this - very silly, and typical of the way stories mutate and accrete extra myth.

[neotoma]

Well, now I do. He's probably been syncretinized with Koschei the Deathless, and also a mutant.

[ffutures]

How could I forget the mutie bit - easily spotted because he has no nose!

[beatrice_otter]

Oooooh, yes!

[azurelunatic]

Of course!

[southerncontinentskies]

Yeah, I think definitely mixed with Koschei - the Horcrux thing is too big not to figure into it. You could very easily fairy-tale it to where the Hero has to go on a Quest to find the Seven Significant Objects in order to Kill the Evil Mutie Sorceror and Free the Lady. I mean, that's basically Book 7 anyway, minus the Damsel in Distress subplot.

A variant of the story has Vo(r/l)demort as someone's bastard son, and giving him extra Evil points for trying to claim his father's name without acknowledgement, and usurp the legitimate son in the process. Like Maleficent vibes, except with acknowledgement instead of a christening invitation.

[ffutures]

Oh, I like this - or the evil younger brother who can only inherit by killing / discrediting his older brother.

[beccaelizabeth]

:-)

[dira]

This reminds me of the bit in the dragon-apocalypse movie Reign of Fire, where two men who were in their teens when civilization collapsed are looking after a bunch of orphaned kids born after, and performing bits of Star Wars as a bedtime story, but with Vader as The Black Knight and so on. :D

[ffutures]

I vaguely remember that, one of the more engaging bits of the film.

[litalex]

That's what I was gonna mention as well, lol. Quite entertaining movie.