Deadline: April 7th, 2024
Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints
Theme: Modern fiction, folklore and mythology, and ancient tales about the sun
Note: Reprints Welcome
We’re delighted to let you know this new call for submissions is open! Please read through the submission details carefully as we’ve changed some of our guidelines and it could result in your submission not being acknowledged if you do not follow them.
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Folklore and Myth
This will be a feast of modern fiction, folklore and mythology, and ancient tales of the looming, life-giving, eye-burning solar entity that dominates our sky. The sun has inspired many stories – tales of its origins, in the myths and traditions of the ancient world, to modern storytellers who employ technology and deep space exploration to discover the many suns of the universe. For ancient Egyptians, the sun deity Ra was the first Pharaoh; in the ancient Vedic culture the sun, Surya, was guarded against the darkness by Usha and Pratyusha; for the Norse, the beautiful siblings Sol and Mani drove the sun ahead of the snarling wolf Sköll; for the ancient Chinese, it was a demon or dragon who threatened the sun and an eclipse was a sign of near success; for the Cherokee, the Sun was jealous of the moon because the people could only squint during the day, but looked adoringly at the pale moon light of the night. The Maori of New Zealand tell of the sun being ambushed by Maui, and for the Romans, Aurora, the Goddess of the Dawn, brought renewal and relief across the lands. Such stories reveal the foundations of humanity, with modern writers who explore the other worlds and many stars that dispense both life and fear to civilizations on our own and so many other planets. Submissions can thus explore new interpretations and visions of sun-based mythology or interstellar, future and fantastical settings.
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