There is something magical about Jane Urquhart’s stories. On the surface, her stories are about immigrants, contemporary Canada, artistic undertakings and family memory. Yet, there is an undefined moment when we realize that she has ventured into another realm – one that is mythical and enchanted. A myth is defined as “hereditary stories of ancient origin which were once believed to be true...and which served to explain ([through] the intentions and actions of deities and other supernatural beings) why the world is as it is...and to give a rationale for social customs” and ideals of a society (Abrams, 178). Although they are not all defined the same, for the purpose of this paper, in referring to myth, I refer to fantasy, including: ancient mythology, folklore, fairy tales, biblical parables and legends, as they are all rooted in magic or the supernatural, explaining the world and the art of story-telling. Their key differences lie in whether the focus is on magic, a superstition, a god or a mortal with supernatural powers. Essentially, all venture away from reality, into fantasy. Jane Urquhart creates myth out of ordinary stories to elevate and give value to the individuals whose stories should also be remembered and passed down, just like characters in myths are. Essentially, she creates a “new” myth for a contemporary Canada society. By mythologizing them, Urquhart gives value to the personal stories of Canadians. Urquhart is able to create these myths in various ways. Throughout her stories, it is clear that Urquhart has been influenced by myth and folklore, including Celtic legends, First Nations stories, popular fairy tales and Greek mythology, among others. Her allusions to these myths intersect with the lives of her characters to create myth out of their otherwise “ordinary” lives. The use of self-reflexivity in the stories also draws attention to the fact that they are stories being told that are not necessarily true – that are myth. Additionally, Urquhart uses certain unifying themes – “general concept[s] or doctrine” (Abrams, 178), to create myth out of the ordinary by connecting them to common themes in myth, such as the idea of the hero who leaves what is known and safe to go away on a quest, the notion of transformation and metamorphosis in folklore and fairy tales, and the idea of memorial to preserve the memories of people. Lastly, Urquhart’s stylistic choices, “the manner of linguistic expression” or “how” she writes (Abrams, 312), such as her exaggerated imagery, metaphors and vague, dream-like passages create a sense of magic realism, elevating her stories into myth. In essence, Jane Urquhart’s art of spinning ordinary stories into myth is reflected through her seamless allusions to folklore, her stories’ self-reflexivity, her themes of “away-ness”, “transformation” and “memorial” and her metaphorical, dream-like and exaggerated style. Creating Myth through Allusions Urquhart’s stories are highly inter-textual and her folkloric and mythic influences are evident throughout her works. For example, she alludes to Celtic legends, First Nations stories, popular fairy tales and Greek and Roman mythology. In alluding to these actual myths, she constructs seamless connections between them and the personal lives of her characters, making it unclear where the ordinary ends and the magic begins. In this way, she creates myth out of ordinary stories. In the short story, “John’s Cottage”, there are many allusions to folklore and fairy-tales and the character’s life becomes more and more connected and submerged by the fantasy. Near the beginning, the protagonist alludes to Peter Pan, saying that “each time [she] thought of the first John the flat human shape of Peter Pan’s shadow leapt over the window sill of [her] imagination” (Course Kit, 189). Already, she is beginning to associate Peter Pan with her lover, John, an actual person. She refers to how she likes how Peter Pan “demand[ed] that [Wendy] sew his shadow back on” (Course Kit, 189) because she desires to feel connected to John, as if his shadow is sewed to her. In alluding to the story of Peter Pan and connecting her own story and desires to it, she spins her story into myth. The narrator also refers to the fairy tale, Snow White (Course Kit, 193). She compares Snow White’s comfort in the cottage with the Seven Dwarfs to her own growing comfort in the new John’s cottage, creating a fairy tale out of he own, otherwise “ordinary” life. In the novel "Away," Celtic legends of the underworld people intersect with Mary’s life, giving it new meaning and making it more mythical. For example, Granville and Osbert discuss the folktale of “Black Dan O’Reilly’s quest for the golden hand” (Away, 66) and become invested in the tales in their artistic work, drawing and writing about them instead of staying grounded in the reality of Ireland’s famine. They b