All posts tagged: mythology

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Ink of Ages Fiction Prize Announces Winning Stories 2026

Published by Joanne Taylor

Discover new history and myth-inspired short fiction favourites. The winning stories are here! At Ink of Ages Fiction Prize, our annual writing competition celebrating historical and mythology-inspired short fiction from around the world, we’ve announced the winners of the youth and adult categories. These stories rose to the top of a fiercely competitive shortlist. Each shortlisted entry was read by multiple specialist judges, scoring for literary merit, originality and creativity, historical interest, and impact and enjoyment. There’s brilliant writing, fresh ideas, a sense of being transported, and stories that stay with you long after reading. The shortlist was exceptionally strong this year, and the final decisions were close (so close that some personal favourites of the judges missed the top five by a whisker!). Adult Winners #1: “In the Land of Heroes” by Aleah Romer #2: “The Weaver of Faces” by Theo James Taylor #3: “Warmth in the Woods” by Sydney Miller Highly Commended: “The Crown That Would Not Bow” by Writinah “Perfection” by Sparsh Sharma Youth Winners #1: “The Ink-Keeper’s Daughter” by Anaya Jain …

Reimagining The Epic of Kings: The Shahnameh of Ancient Iran

Published by James Wiener

For hundreds of years, the Shahnameh has been revered in the Near and Middle East as the epic of the Persian-speaking peoples. Written over a thousand years ago by the famed poet Ferdowsi of Tous, the Shahnameh shares tales of adventure, romance, conflict, and betrayal. Although its stories and characters have inspired generations of artists and poets, it is still relatively unknown in the West. In this exclusive interview, James Blake Wiener of the Ancient History Encyclopedia speaks with Mr. Hamid Rahmanian about Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings, and the process of creating a new edition of this timeless classic (see also AHE’s Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings review).

Scota: Mother of the Scottish People

Published by James Wiener

It gives us great pleasure to welcome Ms. Susan Abernethy, manager of The Freelance History Writer, to Ancient History Encyclopedia as our first guest blogger. AHE’s “AHEtc. blog” will function as a place where ideas and experiences can be shared casually by those interested in all things “ancient.” We hope you enjoy it! Scota: Mother of the Scottish People An ardent, lifelong passion for history compelled me recently to start researching and writing on various historical topics. Curiosity, along with the presence of certain books in my library, led me to look into the history of Scotland. Scottish history is chock full of fascinating stories and quaint legends. Surprisingly, I discovered that the founding, mythical ancestor of the Scottish people was a woman named Scota, daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh and wife of a Greek prince, whose story may be based on actual events as borne out by DNA evidence.