The Origin Story of an Anti-Heroic Prince-Charming

‘Hailbringer’ was never intended to be an encyclopedia of Romanian mythology, nor a mere collection of retold old tales. At its core, while potentially tragic, ‘Hailbringer’ is a journey of transformation, both for the characters and the world they inhabit.

The ancient world of ‘Hailbringer’ is rich in superstitions, folktales, and legends that intricately weave together with historical facts. The world within this book isn’t new; it existed long before the characters themselves, an ancient realm steeped in mystery and legend.

Most of the characters’ backgrounds are purposefully based on several sources, entwined with multiple legends, creating multi-faceted personas rooted in both the historical and the mythical. Some are even based on completely different people, whom I believed had common ground. This blending of worlds aims to bring depth and complexity to the characters, offering readers a rich and immersive experience.

Romanian folktales have always centered around the fight between good and evil, with good always emerging victorious. I wanted a story where, while the triumph of good is desirable, reality sometimes dictates otherwise.

The main character in Romanian folktales is named ‘Făt-Frumos‘ (‘Prince Charming‘), a young man who embodies all possible virtues—he is always the strongest, the wisest, the most handsome. His morals are flawless.

While these old stories feature variations of this character, they never explicitly state that it is, in fact, the same character undergoing all these adventures. One of my main goals as an author was to craft a story that seamlessly matches most of these old tales into a cohesive narrative, centering around a character who lived through all of them.

This character, Codru, was also designed to reflect the reality of the human condition: having flaws. The way I see it, Codru is a flawed Prince Charming whose accounts of his adventures and life could easily be the folktales as Romanians have always known them. ‘Hailbringer’ is meant to be the origin story of an anti-hero whose life precedes the existence of the first Romanian tales.

As you delve into ‘Hailbringer,’ you’ll find a narrative that respects the essence of Romanian folklore while forging its own path. This book is a celebration of transformation, a tribute to the timeless dance between legend and history.