Tag Archives: The Story of Jasmine

Jasmine Story – Snippet 7

Notes for The Story of Jasmine continued:

‘Staff of Erlkyng” Special Card in “Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm” Collector Card Game.

After the coming of the Third Age, the forces of Evil consolidated their strength.

The Guardians of Wisdom (and Chroniclers of History) had long seen the change coming. But they waited patiently for the fates to send a savior to the Mid-Realm. At the appointed hour, their knowledge could not prepare them for the shock that the revealed chosen one was a frail-looking maiden who, until then, had never ventured far from her father’s castle. The fate of the Mid-Realm looked bleak indeed.

Still, they prepared her for her journey. From the sacred jasmine plant, the harbinger of her coming, they fashioned her clothing. So she would never fatigue, they made sandals from the stems of the plant. That she would never suffer from the extremes of heat or cold, they created a cloak from the leaves of the plant. and that she would always find the courage to grow and discover her own nature, they fashioned a gown from the delicate white jasmine petals.

Only when the ancient staff of Erlkyng would be presented to her by the spirit of its predecessor did the maiden finally begin to understand. Taking the staff, her strength surged through the length of it. After two ages, the Mid-Realm witnessed the light of hope. In that moment JASMINE was born.

And so it came to be that the meek inherited a mighty undertaking.

Jasmine Story – Snippet 6

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The Story of Jasmine notes continue:

Heta was a key player in the battle against evil. It was with her help that Erlkyng initially won the first Battle for the Mid-Realm. She was Erlkyng’s base of support — they both knew it. Giving birth to Arial’s physical form took Erlkyng’s life. But it also took Heta’s youth. Thus, in one sweeping moment, Heta is at once virgin, mother, and crone. In her crone state, she accompanies Arial as her guardian, Ermengarde.*

Although much more delicate, Arial took on Heta’s features and appearance during her physical transformation. Therefore, the child of Arial and the King of UR also resembled Heta. During Arial’s pregnancy, when Arial needed strength to sustain her physical form, Heta asked the members of her Order for their life force energy. Understanding well the future of the Mid-Realm was at stake, they agreed to the sacrifice.

When the child is born, she holds the collective life force of the whole Order of the White Flower. Upon the birth of the child, Arial’s form dissipates. Heta, now as Ermengarde, becomes the child’s devoted nursemaid and guardian. Through songs, music and poetry, Ermengarde always encourages the development of the young princess’ wild, rebellious wind spirit.

At the point in the story when Ermengarde and Princess Arlet** flee together on horseback to escape from Bardulf’s ambush, they race towards the grove where the magic was initially performed sixteen years previous. A stray arrow pierces Ermengarde who pushes the princess into a mass of braided vines covering the mouth of the Crystal Caverns. The wall of jasmine vines give way and protect the young princess from the fall, as seemingly she’s swallowed by the earth. The jasmine flower*** wall springs back and blooms to congeal the entrance to the crystal cave.

Dying, Heta calls out to Arial to give Glynn a boon to protect “Jasmine” on the quest she must undertake. Then Heta turns into stone, becoming a guardian of the crystal cave’s entrance. Upon taking her stone statue form, she resumes her youthful beauty. (Also, Glynn will know Jasmine by her resemblance to Heta.)

When the pursuers find Heta’s stone form, they mistake her for the princess and become fearful of the magic of that place, lest they be turned to stone as well. But Bardulf is no stranger to magic and is not afraid. When Bardulf locates the place and inspects the statue, he notes there is no ring upon its finger. With his sword, he cuts away the wall of vines and discovers the entrance to the crystal caverns.

__________

*Ermengarde or Ermengard or Irmingard or Irmgard is a feminine given name of German origin derived from the German words “ermen/irmin,” meaning “whole, universal” and “gard” meaning “enclosure, protection.” Thus her name means to protect the whole.

**Princess Arlet is, apparently, one of the names I assigned to the Princess of UR before she becomes Jasmine. The Princess Flavia de UR seems to be another name I used for her.

*** The jasmine flower is associated with love. Jasmine also symbolizes beauty and sensuality. In some cultures, Jasmine represents appreciation and good luck. When used in religious ceremonies jasmine represents purity. The meaning of Jasmine varies depending on the culture and setting.

Jasmine Story – Snippet 4

Jasmine Story – Snippet 3

Jasmine Story – Snippet 1

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As Promised,

I share the first of many notes scribbled over 30 years ago for the Story of Jasmine.

The Guardian of Wisdom first appeared in 1980. I just made this fellow into a Greeting Card!

What kind of tale would a curmudgeon who sits upon a mushroom¹ tell? My story will only be deeply significant to those educated, 20th-century minds sophisticated enough to interpret symbols. But for those who cannot, I have employed the scholarly device of using footnotes.²

¹ As a story-teller, I can take any form. Most will see me as an Ancient Chronicler who somehow knows everything. Perhaps I’d have a string of impressive scholarly abbreviations trailing behind my name — if I had a name…

² Wonderful invention

——————–

NOTE: I made The Guardian of Wisdom into a Greeting Card. He plans to grant three wishes to the receiver of the card. Hey, it’s only $4! The card is now available at my Zazzle Store.

The Story Of JASMINE

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A Study in Creative Mythological Dreamscapes

Original Story of Jasmine title from 1981

I was within a creative whirlwind in the early years of TSR, Inc. (the company of Gary Gygax, one of the creators of the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons). At the time, I was a young freelance artist living in Lake Geneva, occasionally working on assignments for TSR’s divisions. I was considered a “lesser” artist. But what I possessed the others didn’t was my unique feminine viewpoint.

I well remember the year 1980, because that was the year “The Story of Jasmine” Illustrated Fantasy Adventure was first published in The Dragon magazine. The “Story of Jasmine” would only run for a year. Even though my contract had not been renewed, Jasmine had been born and she refused to leave my mind.

The creative focus on the “Story of Jasmine” as it unfolded took years to unwind itself, resulting in scraps of dialog on hundreds of sheets of paper, numerous paintings and drawings, and a fantasy-role-playing card game. Jasmine was a constant companion who told her story to me for over a four-year period. When I moved out of Lake Geneva and refocused my attention as a MFA candidate in Graphics Design at Indiana University, that connection had gone deep underground.

* * * * *

I wrote the above in a notebook I just found, dated 1995. At that time, I must have started the process of collecting the isolated bits of Jasmine writing I could never bear to throw out. Now, 23 years later, again I think about the story Jasmine told me — the story that manifested in my mind every night for around 1500 days, somewhere in the vicinity of 38 years ago. For whatever reason there may be, Jasmine came to me. For whatever purpose it may have, I now choose to share her story and that of her companions.

All those years ago, the story unfolded in my mind like a dream. The story was not linear. The narrative began somewhere in the middle. Characters I had no clue about would speak dialog. I did not know who they were or how they connected with each other. After about a year, I began to write things down and put them in order. This resulted in “The Story of Jasmine” mentioned above, published between 1980 and 1981. The copyright is still mine.

Likewise, the writings offered here are not in any particular order. Yet I start with the snippets collected in that 1995 notebook, which was somewhat organized. It is my intent to offer different snippets daily so you can experience the story like I did. Enjoy!

Note: All illustrations and images accompanying this narrative belong to me. Most were created many years ago and have been repurposed for this share.

Darlene the Artist

Art as Transformative Alchemy