A Homecoming: A Guest Post by Emily Rath

Romantasy meets mythology in this immersive trek through the frozen forest to the realm of death. Author Emily Rath has penned an exclusive essay for B&N Reads on what inspired her to write North is the Night and what writing this book meant to her, down below.

North is the Night is an adult action/adventure inspired by Finnish mythology. Set in a fantastical version of medieval Finland, it follows the journeys of two best friends, Siiri and Aina. I’m not giving too much away when I reveal the inciting incident: a death goddess appears in their village, hunts them down, and snatches Aina, dragging her to Tuonela, the Finnish underworld. That single action launches an epic story of love, survival, and magic, as Siiri and Aina fight to find their way back to each other. 

In many ways, researching and writing North is the Night felt like a homecoming. I have Finnish ancestry going up both sides of my family tree. My paternal grandmother grew up speaking Finnish in the home. She always encouraged me to learn more about our heritage. She made Finnish recipes when I visited. She even gave me my first copy of the Kalevala and my first Finnish-to-English dictionary.  Thanks to my grandmother, North is so much more than a mythology retelling. It’s my love letter to Finland, a celebration of the food and culture, the nature and people. And it’s a love letter to my grandmother, who first made Finland feel magical for me.

As I researched for North, what struck me is how familiar it all felt. World mythologies are more alike than they are different. Even as elements of each story may change, the message stays the same. Finnish mythology is as vast and layered as the Greek, Norse, or Egyptian pantheons, with gods for life and death, war and love. There are forest spirits, enchanted animals, meddling witches, and a range of interesting magic systems. It will feel different at first. But if you look behind the long names full of umlauts, you’ll see that the story beating at the heart of North has a familiar cadence.

In writing North, I was most inspired by the runes in the Kalevala associated with Tuonela, the Finnish underworld. I’ve always been drawn to that aspect of mythologies. What happens after we die? Where do we go? Can you ever return? I was also greatly inspired by the character of Väinämöinen (See? Umlauts. Just sound it out, you’re doing great). As the “hero” of the Kalevala, I wanted to step inside his mind, imagining what might have happened to make him the way that he is.

I certainly take liberties in North, gender-bending characters, and making up a few new magic rules. I think you have to. The demands of a modern audience mean that some things just won’t translate now. But I was careful to preserve as much as possible to make the world of North feel as ancient and inhabited as the runes that inspired it.

If North is the Night sounds like a story that might interest you, then put on some woolly socks, curl up with a cup of something warm, and come get lost with me in the wintry forests of Finland.