Into the Maelstrom and Over the Cataract

Words for an Epic Quest, Part IV

Maelstrom

Also know as a vortex. A whirlpool. Charybdis. A suckhole (unpleasant word—but descriptive). Eddying, whirling, purling water.

The childhood joy of watching water spiral down the bathtub drain equals the terror when you realize you are in the tiny boat that will soon spiral under.

So paddle faster, harder, stronger. Maybe you’ll escape the current.

Ataraxia

In the Ancient Greek world, ataraxia was an ideal condition for entering battle, as well as a worthy mental state in many philosophical disciplines.

Imperturbability, tranquility, and equanimity: not easy when you’re falling facefirst into danger.

Maybe it’s just bluffing. Maybe it’s just foolishness. But if one person in the adventure party manages to keep their wits, the rest may follow. A hero keeps cool while the rest of the world burns around them.

Cataract

Some wonderful words for waterfall: cataract, cascade, torrent, linn.

Will the cataract dash you on sharp rocks? Send you into another maelstrom? Pummel you with sheets of falling water so you can’t surface? Or will it spit you out into a serene pool, safe from danger? You’ll soon find out…

Flotilla

When in distress, turn your humble craft into a deus ex machina. Use your runaway thoughts to inflate thought balloons, then rise above watery disaster. Soon you’ll be flying high and free, leading a flotilla of dirigibles in formation.

Sail away to a new destination. A distant citadel, a gleaming megalopolis, a cozy hamlet—where will you land?