I like witty quotations. When I find one at the beginning of a book, it’s like looking at someone’s front door, it leads me into what I’m reading. A door with peeling paint and a broken screen door tells me about the house I’m entering. While a freshly painted door with a floral wreath prepares me for a different setting. An epigraph, or quotation set at the beginning of a literary work, is like a door that introduces you to the story you are about to read. It can also be a quotation at the beginning of each chapter like in THE VENGEKEEP PROPHECIES Book 1 by Brian Farrey. Chapter one starts with this quotation, “The best truth is one you make yourself.” —The Lymmaris Creed. Interesting door, right?
My first fantasy novel SARGON THE NOT SO GREAT is filled with medieval insults, mostly by the hero Sargon. In fact, the poor loatron can’t stop shouting insults even as he is running away from whoever threatened him. This fake bravado made me laugh and I added more insults and curses. Too many for the novel. So, I put them at the beginning of each chapter as an epigraph. For example, “You muttonhead dew-beater.”
Creating “clean” insults and curses took some research. I spent a lot of time studying Shakespeare’s insults (the best!) and insults from Chaucer’s CANTERBURY TALES (careful here, not in the clean category, you dotard). I mixed what early medieval terms I could find with my mythical creatures and created enough insults to make even Sargon’s sister, Adorabelle, happy.
While my epigraphs for Sargon may not delve deep into the theme or tone of the story, they are entertaining. They give readers a peek into my worldbuilding and the delicate balance of humans and mythicals on Enda. Also, children can use them on their siblings and probably not get into too much trouble for it.
Since I had so much fun with epigraphs in Book One, I’m including them at the beginning of each chapter of Book Two, ADORABELLE THE NOT SO ADORABLE. But, I’ve run out of medieval insults so readers will have to settle for medieval advice for warriors. Such as, “Have mercy on your enemies, but only after you have beaten them.” —Thanulf the Just. Does that tell you the color of Adorabelle’s front door?