Hybrids:
So, why the focus on hybrids? Well lots of stories feature hybrids of
mythological creatures. (I am a personal
fan of the vampire/werewolf blend.) What
is the fascination with hybrids? Let’s
find out:
First the definition of hybrid (I love the dictionary, can’t
you tell!)
Good ole Merriam-Webster defines a hybrid as “an offspring
of two animals or plants of different races, breeds, varieties, species or
genera; something heterogeneous in origin or composition.”
Let’s look at some ‘real’ hybrids:
·
First, the liger is a mix between a male lion
and female tiger. This combination equal
really big kitty cat. I always thought
these hybrids were sterile, but I found in my research that this isn’t the case. Despite health problems, the child of a liger
and a lion lived to adult hood.
·
Another hybrid I did not realize was a hybrid
was the killer bee. Apparently, someone
released some Tanzanian bees into some hives somewhere in South America. After that, it was viola – Killer Bees.
·
A Grapefruit is the hybrid product between a
sweet orange and a pummelo!
·
They now have an apple that tastes like a grape
creatively coined as a Grapple.
There isn’t that much
to say about hybrids; however, I will touch on some of the ways hybrids are perceived
within stories or movies:
·
A hybrid can be seen as stronger and more
dangerous than the original species it originates; on a different spectrum, it
can be a defective mix that creates something sick and twisted.
·
The hybrid can show a mixture of attributes of
the two species or one species can be dominate.
Those traits can also be evenly distributed.
·
Lots of the times a hybrid is a human mixed with
a mythological creature. Most of the
times these mixtures make something that is just as strong the mythological
creature but does not have the weaknesses noted in the mythological creature.
In Chronicles of JJ, hybrids are taboo, but at first it isn’t
because they view each species as inferior or dirty. It changes to reflect such a belief, but at
first it is due to fear from a prophecy.
All it takes is for one nine-year-old child to speak a prophecy and the
world turns upside down. A glimpse of
the effects are revealed in State of
Unrest. Coming out tomorrow
(8/31/12)!
Until then, here are some links!
Kresley Cole
Dana Marie Bell
Evangeline Anderson (It's not a witch, darkling, vampire or changeling, but in Pursued (The Brides of the Kindred) the hero is a hybrid of two aliens. It's too good not to read!)
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