Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire...
Robert Frost, 1920 (Online source)
In 1920, American poet Robert Frost could not decide between a cataclysm of fire or ice. No matter how it happens, the end of a world or civilization is a tale worth being told.
Around the world, there are mythological stories of destruction based on fire. Many of these stories may exist because humans like living near volcanoes. After all, the soil is fantastic for growing crops. Not only that, but the same explosive forces that can destroy towns can also lace the area with valuable mineral deposits. Communities grow up around volcanoes, and then the volcano erupts.
But human memory is long. Survivors and elders may pass down cautionary tales. Generations to come will hear about the angry gods - the ground shaking, water steaming, and animals dying. In some places, people may remember the signs, and they may get out in time. In other areas, people may forget the warnings or ignore the old tales. Those are the places that are only remembered in stories.
But even for the places where there is nothing left but a story, all is not lost. The story still lives on, and the people are remembered.
This Storybook will contain the tales of communities that have been destroyed by volcanoes. Many of those places only live on in stories. Some of the locations are based on real locations but might be considered mythological. Some of the areas are mentioned in old tales but are still very real. In fact, all of the places in these stories should be regarded as all too real, considering that so many people today live near active volcanoes.
As we tell the volcano stories, keep in mind that we still cannot predict when a volcano will erupt even with the technology we have today. Even with tiltmeters and seismometers, we are still just looking for signs that the gods are angry.