Hildebrand Hermannson

One unforgettable moment was the sudden galloping up a steep hill on the first horse I’d ever ridden. The thrilling ascent forced my autopilot mind into a flight of mental activity. Atop the hill, my only thoughts were on this experience I’d been missing and experiencing the ride again.
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Such was the experience of riding the learning horse across the Indo-European steppe, discovering one amazing culture after another - the Germanic, Indic, Roman, Greek, Celtic, and other related peoples - and wanting to learn more about them individually and even more about how they were interconnected. I was fascinated by the parallel myths, poetic expressions, and enduring traditions. I wanted to connect with those culturally and linguistically related people who left their profound hoof marks on our world.
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My study of the Indo-Europeans sparked an interest in writing fantasy novels based on the religion and culture of these heroic horse and chariot riders and their descendants, who gave us the legendary heroes Sigurd, Cú Chulainn, Aeneas, and Arjuna and produced the historical heroes Arminius, Vercingetorix, Cato, and Cicero, who honored their fate and the fate goddesses and prayed to the gods Thor, Taranis, Hercules and Jupiter for self-defense against the monsters, historical and mythical, that threatened their world.
 
My interest in the gods, heroes, and ancestors was complimented by the philosophers of the spiritual and ethical world, the likes of Zarathushtra, Patanjali, Socrates, and Diogenes, who felt connected with their fellow man through nature and handled adversity with a heroic spirit. The heroes and philosophers create the most powerful and transformative experiences of real people with traditional and intelligent beliefs. The Stoics, Cynics, and Yogis wore an internal armor that deflected everything the Fates and foemen hurled their way. They were like heroes who no one could harm unless they chose to be harmed.

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