Inspiration for Writing about Caves
When I was planning to write
about dwarves living in caves for FRIGG'S JOURNEY TO ANASGAR, I needed to visit
an actual cave to learn about them firsthand. I'd toured local lava tube caves
known as the Ape Caves near Mt. St. Helens, but their long tunnel structure
hadn't exactly given me the inspiration I needed to imagine the daily lives of
a large multi-generational colony of dwarves and refugee magical folk. So, my
husband and I headed south to spend some time at the Oregon Caves National
Monument and Preserve, https://www.nps.gov/orca/index.htm
High up in the Siskiyou
Mountains, the Oregon Caves have several enormous chambers that gave me so many
ideas for the distinctive caverns and grottos inside the mountain of Nadavir in
my book, where I could visualize settings for my story. The mining operation of
the lower Nadavir caverns, the beauty and silence of the Cathedral Cave where
dwarves are honored, and the twists and turns of the puzzling Maze Cave were
all imagined during this visit. Although the Oregon Caves did not have the
Breathing Cave that I conceived for my book, I was struck by the overwhelming
sensation that many of the caves I visited possessed an almost living quality.
I became a bit claustrophobic
while inside the caves, but I have to say that the scariest part of the trip
was the drive to the Chateau (which is currently closed for repairs) where we
stayed near the cave entrance. The road is winding and narrow with many
drop-offs and flimsy or no guardrails!
If you are interested in what
it’s like inside the caves, here are some videos that you might like:
I really enjoyed this video of
the tour by OffRouteExplorers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msot05AE2iI
There are some great videos at the OregonCavesNPS YouTube channel, including this one about the cave tour precautions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sVgAaW2N0I
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Deb Cushman's Chronicles of Nadavir
Having visited those same caverns, I can see how they inspired Nadavir.
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