Week 6 Storytelling: The Beast of the Man

Once upon time, there was a large family in a small quaint town. There lived a father, mother, and seven daughters. The father was a selfish man whereas his wife was as selfless as can be. One evening, the father stumbled upon seven wild duck eggs, but he hid them from his family because his greed knew no bounds.

During the next morning, his wife happened to find his hidden eggs and cooked them for their seven daughters as their hungry was vast and their wallet thin. After being fed, the girls napped and the wife set about her daily chores.

Alas, their father woke and upon finding his eggs eaten, he called for his wife.

“Where did my eggs go?” He demanded.

“Why, I fed them to the girls, darling. They were so very hungry,” responded his loving wife.

Furious that he was unable to enjoy the fruit of his findings, he woke the sleeping girls with a roar of anger, demanding they get dressed and hurry outside to meet him. After standing on the porch for some time, only the smallest and youngest two girls arrived at the front.

“Where are your sisters?” The Father asked angrily.

“They told us they would not come,” replied the youngest.

“Well then we will go to grandmother’s house together.”

Thus, he took the two youngest girls and drove them to the mountains, but it was not grandmother’s house they arrived at. Instead, he dropped the girls off by the roadside and went on his way. Abandoned, the girls set out to look for shelter.

Further in the mountains was a cave with light inside. The light shined off the treasures they found there, jewels and stones of every kind known to man. The two girls stared in awe at the glimmering wonders before them and exhausted from their journey, they sought a comfortable place and fell asleep.

The next morning, however, the owners of the cave returned. The cave belonged to two various devious friends, the Wolf and the Fox. They stopped at the mouth of the cave and sniffed the air, growling upon finding the scent of intruders. Their growls woke the girls, who shouted in terror before the wolf and the fox pounced upon them and devoured them.

The father, utterly distraught that he left his girls alone in the wilderness, went to search for them that day but never found them. He returned home a broken man, defeated by his own anger and selfishness.

The wolf.

(Image Information: Walking Wolf by Ellie Attebery (2011). Web Source: Flickr.)

Author’s Note: In the original of The Cave of the Beasts, the father is angry that his wife gave the eggs to their daughters and he does abandon the two youngest girls in the mountains. They find the cave of treasures but are able to defeat the wolf and fox, and then when the father finds them, he rejoices because they return home wealthy. I decided to make the ending a little darker and realistic, whereas the father suffers because of his horrible choices and no riches are found. He has to accept the consequences of his actions.

Bibliography: “The Cave of the Beasts.” The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. By R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Web Source: The Cave of the Beasts.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

These are my notes from the Chinese Fairy Tales unit.

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck: The Princess throws her ball to a beggar. The ball is to be caught by the man who will be her husband. Of course, her father is angry. The beggar becomes her husband, sets out to seek his fortune, and disappears for 18 years. He becomes Emperor and because she remained faithful, he took her as Empress. Of course, she was a child of ill luck and died 18 days later.

The Cave of the Beasts: This is about a family with seven daughters. The father finds seven wild duck eggs but wants to eat them himself, except his wife gives them to the children. Being angry, the father decides to lead them away and abandon them for death. Only the youngest daughters went. After a while, the father goes to find them again and realizes his daughters stumbled upon wealth in the cave.

The Panther: A panther stops a woman with her son and asks her to rest. He ends up eating her and her son. He dresses up as the mother and returns home where the two daughters had stayed, pretending to be the mom. This is basically little red riding hood as a panther but the daughters are able to drive him away.

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies:  The dog and cat belong to a family. The family owns a golden ring that they sold for money to eat. In order to get it back, the dog and cat scheme together. The dog ends up doing the hard physical work and the cat brings the ring back to the owners because she is faster. The cat gets the reward while the dog gets scolded.

Yang Oerlang: Yang married the second daughter of the Ruler of Heaven and she ends up with a son, Oerlang. He was gifted and able to turn invisible and shape-shift and move elements. He rescued his mother under the hills but her magic ran out and she was destroyed by the sunlight. Oerlang wanted to destroy the last sun but he becomes a true god.

The Lady of the Moon: Prince Hou I shot down nine of the ten suns of the sky. He is given an herb of immortality but his wife Tschang O eats it and floats away to the moon. The emperor ends up on the moon as well and returns home with gifts and songs.

 The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess: The father leaves his daughter behind with just a horse. Promising to marry the horse if he finds her father, he takes off and brings her father back. The horse is killed to protect the girl, but it eventually kidnaps her even in death. She turns into a silkworm in the horse hide cocoon and her silk is expensive. 

The God of War: Guan Di, or Guan Yu, and his friends made a pact to protect their country. He was a great general and unbeatable. He falls into an ambush with his son, and they both die. His ghost was seated upon the ghost of his horse along with the other ghosts. He wants his head back and is a god in the afterlife. 

The Miserly Farmer: A priest asks a pear farmer for a pear, but he refuses to give it. An artisan buys one for him. Turns out the priest has his own pears but needs seeds so he wanted one. He plants the seed and it magically turns into a pear tree. The priest had stolen all the farmer's pears and the farmer's axle was broken. The priest pulled some fast magic over on him.

The King of the Ants: There is a haunted house in Emmet village. There was a sight where hundreds of ants came into the room with hunting banners and game. It was as if the ants were a civilized colony, baring dishes for dinner and more. The scholar gets used to it, but eventually the King of the ants decides to poke fun at the scholar. He asks him if he will serve him then he will allow him to partake in their meals, but the scholar gets angry and smokes all the ants out.

YouTube Tech Tip

Here is the Happy by Pharrell Williams song at Youtube. I love this song! It makes my day so much better and I listen to it all the time. I hope you can enjoy it as well! It is very upbeat.

Week 5: Famous Last Words

I decided that I should really discuss the importance of this class in relation to my other courses and my future goals. I am thoroughly enjoying this class because it is allowing me to expand my creative outlets, especially writing and I feel as if I am able to let my imagination roam again. This is so important because currently I volunteer with children and also work with children in my photography, so being able to explore creativity and imaginative arts helps me connect with those kids as well.

Everyone remembers being kids. We were SO thoughtful, creative, fun, and imaginative. The daunting experience of college can sometimes keep us logical and analytic and I feel as if I really lost touch of my creative side for a very long time. After getting involved in photography, writing, reading, and art again, it is really helping me enjoy this outlet.

I am hoping to get more involved in arts in school. I have been looking around for opportunities around campus that will open my creative thinking more, but I am not sure where to look further. I have started reading more in my free time, especially fantasy based genres, but I think I would like to be able to socialize in a creative scene. I considered enrolling in some form of art class next semester with some of my free time or even pursuing musical talents.

This blogging and writing has really made me interested in furthering my writing capabilities. I am exited to create new and entertaining stories, so maybe I should consider a class next semester about creative writing. I get a little bogged down when I hit a slump and get into "writer's block," so I think it would be beneficial to continue searching for these opportunities I've been pondering. It is just a few options!

The artist's tools.

(Image Information: Artist Toolbox by See-ming Lee (2009). Web Source: Flickr.)

Week 5 Essay: My Reading Memories

Reading has always been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. As of right now, I have shelves and shelves of books of all genres and that does not even include my electronic media! As early as I can remember, my mom and my grandpa would read books to me, but one small book in particular was my favorite as a kid. It was The Three Little Kittens by Mother Goose. I would read it over and over and eventually I could recite it by memory. As a small child, I remember reading books from my school library. I would read anything I could get my hands on!

Little kittens.

(Image Information: Torti Kittens by Nancy Wong (2013). Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

From there I started to get into reading the fantasy genre, such as Harry Potter. They were my favorite series for the longest time because I really felt like I could immerse myself into the world of magic and mythical creatures. When I would get the next book, I would spend hours reading it and the only time I would put it down was to sleep! Of course, the magic of Harry Potter stirred my interest in more than just wizards.

As a young adult, I started to read a lot of Vampire and Werewolf genre books! They were my favorite and still are today because I love the idea of double lives! I am huge into The Vampire Diaries and a book series by Christine Feehan, which is more in the adult romance genre but her books have very good in-depth plot!

I think that because my family started reading to me when I was just a baby and kept me interested in stories, I was really able to find my love in reading as an adult. I read stories all the time, whether they are short stories online or novels. It really is a good way to keep my imagination going and to find myself in worlds that are not reality!

Week 5 Storytelling: The Baker's Apprentice

This is a story of karma and revenge.

So stay a while and listen, friend.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,

Because in this world there are kindness in few.

The young lad kicked a rock down the road, shuffling his poorly dressed feet. He had just finished his handy work at the mill, sifting flour for the town baker. It did not pay well or keep his family fed, but it was the only work he could find at the time. Every penny counts, his mother was always saying.

Every day he took this path, walking past the more expensive homes made of brick, chimneys peeping from the tops of the roofs and horses in the stables. If only his father could afford a horse, the perhaps his feet would not hurt so much from this walk to and from town. Perhaps the baker would find new work for him soon, work that would allow him to sit down and relax until the blisters healed.

As the boy arrived home, he dumped his coins into the funds bucket and piled his dirty clothes on the porch. Mother would take care of them in the evening. Exhausted, he threw himself on the hard couch and fell asleep after a long day.

The next morning, the young lad returned to his routine, but today was a special day because a traveling merchant had ridden into town. The baker nearly shook the boy to death with excitement.

“Lad, you look after my shop! I’m off to find riches!” The baker exclaimed.

The Baker's Bread.

(Image Information: Breads by Scott Bauer, U.S. Department of Agriculture (2013). Web Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Knowing this was his chance, the lad put his best effort forward in keeping the shop tidy and welcoming customers as they stopped by. Luckily his mother taught him a few tricks of the trade, such as reading, writing, and counting money. The day went by smoothly, but the baker did not return.

“I wonder where he is,” thought the lad.

He closed the shop and set out to find the man. Surprised to find him nearly drowned near the river, he pulled the baker to safety and took him home, helped him to bed and sat nearby after lighting the fire.

“Sir, what happened?” The lad asked curiously.

“That old Merchant took me for a fool, lad… He left me to die in a valley and only by the mercy of the little fish I feed with our leftovers did I manage to survive the river.”

The lad was stunned that someone so cruel could come to their town. The baker was a hardworking man and the lad was ashamed that anyone would take advantage of him. He left the baker to rest with warm soup and a blazing fire. While hatching a plan, he took off towards home. Revenge could wait until morning.

The next day, the young boy found the hotel the rich Merchant slept in for his stay. He knocked at the man’s door three times and waited patiently.

“Who are you?” The Merchant asked suspiciously after he cracked the door.

“Sir, I know you are brave and cunning. The townsfolk are all talking about your adventures! I heard about a place where treasures can be found, but I don’t have the means to travel there.”

The Merchant quickly welcomed the lad in and began packing for their immediate departure. The boy knew that he would not be able to resist the temptation of gold and treasure.

After traveling for an hour, the two rounded up the path the baker had described with the valley where he had been left for dead. The Merchant was at the edge of his seat on the trolley, nearly bursting with the excitement of another scheme. When the valley came into view, he seemed puzzled.

“Where are the treasures, boy?” He snapped.

“There is no treasure,” the lad responded. “This is where you took all of it yesterday and left my baker friend to die.”

The lad smiled and suddenly pushed the Merchant off the side of their transportation. He watched the man tumble down the slope and into the river, where the fish could always use a meal.

After turning to the hotel where the man kept his belongings, the lad scooped up all the treasure and took it to the baker. There, without any questions asked, the baker and the lad rejoiced and the Merchant was never heard from again. The townsfolk assumed he had moved on to his next adventure.

Least to say, the Merchant got what he deserved.

Author’s Note: In The Story of the Baker and the GratefulFish, the Baker is the main character and he is deceived by a traveling Merchant into helping gather treasure. The Merchant leaves him for dead and the Baker decides death by drowning would be easier. Fortunately, the Baker always fed the fish in the river with his burnt foods and so the fish considered him a friend and saved him. The Baker tricks the Merchant and takes him back to the place where the treasure is, tells him the only way back is the river, and the Merchant drowns. In my version, I put an outside character into the story and changed it up. I felt like it would be fun to have another perspective to read it from.

Bibliography: “The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish.” Persian Tales translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919). Web Source: Persian Tales.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Persian Tales

These are my notes on the Persian Tales unit.

Fayiz and the Peri Wife: The man and woman get married but she has a secret, she is Peri. He did not tell his first family about her. His family at home wanders where the wealth came from and if he doesn't tell, he will lose his wife and children. He ends up losing the Peri woman because he tells his family eventually about her and ends up sad and alone.

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream: He smoked hemp, got a hair cut, and then thought he was the handsomest man ever. Of course, he could have any woman he wanted! So he goes for the Princess of China. The King challenges him to eat all the ash and other tasks. The man's comrades all fight over the Princess. It was just a dream, though.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride: A man's son is fated to die by a wolf, so he imprisons him in a dungeon. The kid is taught by a tutor. Even the kid's wife ends up in the dungeon once he's old enough to wed. Turns out the wife turns into a werewolf and tears him to pieces. I like werewolves.

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck: There are two brothers, one with luck and one without. People of the country, a gardener, a King that is a woman, a wolf, and a thorn-gather all ask him to ask Luck why their life is no good when he finds it. Luck tells the poor brother straight up the facts why everyone's life is no good and the poor brother takes back all the messages. The poor guy gets eaten by the wolf because of Luck.

Tortoise Bowl-On-The Back and the Fox: The Fox and the Tortoise race it out for the rights to the grains, but the tortoise has his brother stand at the finish line to trick him. Guess the Fox wasn't the only one that tried to pull a fast one on the Tortoise.

The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure: This is about two shepherds. One fell asleep and the other thinks the fly is the sleeping man's soul. The fly gives the other shepherd his tale of a dream where he was searching for treasure but was awaken. Turns out the dream was real and the shepherd that hadn't fallen asleep stole it.

The Merchant and the Saffron:  Malik Ahmad, a wealthy merchant, ends up with some bad luck and loses everything. Someone remembers him from when he unloaded saffron in the mud. It's the man he bought the saffron from. The guy helps him out for years until his luck returns. Pretty happy ending. Nice people.

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother: Shah Abbas helps the poor mother out since she can't feed her children. The baker doesn't believe that Shah gave her the ring and seizes her, pretending the ring was his. She gets her ears cut off. Shah returns and is able to reprimand the baker... But the baker and the Darogha get crucified in punishment for hurting the wrong person. The wealth all went to the mother and children.

The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr:  The poor man makes a deal with the King to produce the Prophet Khizr in order to pay his debt. When he comes back without him, some of the Wazirs want to murder him in various ways but the last one proclaims the poor man to be Prophet Khizr.

The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish: So a baker throws all his burnt bread into the river and the fish eat it. A Merchant tricks the Baker into a deadly position so he can get rich and leaves him to die. He throws himself in the river but the fish recognize him and carry him home. He in turn tricks the Merchant into the same position and leaves him to die, except the fish did't save the Merchant.

Comment Wall

Leave comments here.

Week 4 Essay: Facing Our Fears

In the Turkish Fairy Tales unit, several stories from Ignacz Kunos's Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales depict many obstacles that are what is considered pretty common fears in the modern day. While none of the stories reminded me of the horror genre, the fears the characters face make the plots very interesting to read because they are so easily able to relate to.

For instance, the first two stories Fear and Fear (cont.) address a character that is unsure if he knows what fear is. He goes through several situations that remind me of ghostly stories people tell to try to frighten one another. The situations include confronting ghosts, aggressive people, and monsters. While many of the fears are irrational, people still share these fears in modern day. People are weary of ghosts, harmful people, imaginary monsters under the bed and in our nightmares. These are just a few examples that from the fairy tales of this unit.

The monster in the sea.

(Image Information: "Perilous Position of HMS 'Terror,' Captain Back, in the Arctic Regions in the Summer of 1837," by William Smyth R.N. 1800-1877. Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Another example of modern fears comes from The Wizard-Dervish (cont.). The couple is running from the woman's mother because she is a witch and does not approve of their marriage. Often enough in modern life we run from the people that do not approve of us or our decisions. This story is a good example of a very rational fear. In The Fish-Peri (cont.) story, the man is afraid of losing his wife to another man with more power, more money, and more fame.

Each character overcomes the fears and the obstacles eventually in their own way. That is very inspirational.

There are many more examples of fear that can be compared to our own in real life from these stories of this unit. I think by reading this unit, it is easy to relate and I really enjoyed reading them because I could compare them to situations happening. I believe people enjoy reading stories that make sense or they can relate to and that may be why this unit is very fun. Frightening stories can really make the experience thrilling. For some people frightening stories can heighten their sense of fear, but for others it can calm them, which is why I think the topic of fear as a plot is easily expanded on.

Bibliography:
Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913). Web Source: Fourty-four Turkish Fairy Tales.

Storytelling for Week 4: He Who Seeks Fear

The three magical maidens watched him from afar, wondering what it was about this particular young man that he seemed to know no fear. Not once in their lifetime had they witnessed such a mortal being. In fact, the three maidens often spent their time amusing themselves through scaring wandering men and women. They had heard of the youth from a bird. The bird overheard him speaking to his mother one night about what it was to be afraid, to which the bird quickly returned to its informants.

The maidens were very excited as the youth traveled in search of fear. The first maiden, disguised as a pigeon, followed him closely as he approached the gang of robbers, folk she often tormented through her ghastly disguise.

“I am seeking fear,” the boy commented.

Fear he would surely find, thought the maiden as she took her ghostly form in the nearby cemetery. As the youth began to make the sweets per the robbers’ instructions, she reached out with her transparent hand. To her surprise, he struck her with the spoon! Howling in pain, the maiden took off.

The Ghostly Hand

(Image Information: Ghost Mouth painting by Tokwa Peñaflorida. 2014. Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

The second maiden heard of the first maiden’s failure, surprised to see the woman muttering about in the gardens. It was time for a true terror professional to attempt this challenge! Thus, the second maiden took off in joy, ready to show the other two women that it took a real trickster to win this one.

On the raised platform, the second maiden sat in the swing for a moment, pretending to weep in sorrow. As the young man approached, she took off running towards the room to greet him.

“You saw the child crying? Raise me upon your shoulders so that I may comfort her,” she requested.

Upon his shoulders, she twisted her legs around his throat until he fell backwards gasping for breath. She tumbled away from him, surprised that even at the brink of death, he was not afraid. It was a challenge she knew she could not defeat. 

Returning to the gardens, she sighed. Only then did the second maiden realize she lost her bracelet, won off some old fool that she easily spooked.

The third maiden was astonished. Truly the youth could not be mortal if he was afraid of neither ghost nor suffocation! Her hand must play a part in defeating the young lad, she thought.

The little bird told the third maiden where to find the man, and after moments of consideration, she dove into the sea and took the form of a large sea creature. Shaking the vessels in the water, she taunted the youth, but he quickly dove in after her and fended her off by flogging her. She grimaced and returned to the garden.

All three maidens walked to the fountain and sat down, discussing their adventures with the lad.

“The youth feared naught even as a hand reached out!” chimed the first.

“The youth feared naught even as I strangled him!” chimed the second.

“Alas, the youth feared naught as he chased me from the sea!” chimed the third.

To his health they drank, amused by the one mortal man without fear.

Author's Note:  The original story from the Turkish Fairy Tales unit, Fear, is told from the youth's point of view. He seeks out what it is to be afraid and each of these circumstances occur from his point of view yet none of them frighten him. At the end, the maidens transform to their beautiful selves before him while they praise his ability to know no fear. I decided to write my story from the maidens' point of views in order to portray them more as tricksters than testing him, to which they are surprised. I made it seem more like a game to them.

Bibliography:
"Fear." Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913). Web source: Fear.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Turkish Fairy Tales

These are notes over the Turkish Fairy Tales unit.

Fear: A woman tells her son about fear and he sets off in search of understanding what fear is. He meets the robbers who are fearful of ghosts. He does not fear them. He also does not fear the second ghost. He meets Deniz Kyzy, Daughter of the Sea shaking a boat. The boy gets her to leave. Again, he does not fear her. He comes to the alter of goddesses who praise him for never once fearing any of them.

Fear (cont.): The maidens give him the second bracelet to return to the Cadi. He brings back the first bracelet and then returns to finding fear. He was hailed as the new Shah of the country and was not informed that the Shah usually dies. The Sultana (or queen) was able to spook him by scaring him suddenly with a trick, a bird under the soup cover. His mother was brought to him in the palace and the ending was happy.

The Wizard-Dervish: The Great King has no son and was told by the wandering monk that it was the source of his sorrow. The dervish, or monk, gives him a secret to get him a son by using his supernatural powers.The Great King did indeed have a son! At 12 years of age, the dervish kidnaps the little prince and he meets his daughter, who can transform into a dove. The dervish beat the prince until he was happy, understanding that the prince knew nothing. He ends up marrying the girl. Turns out her mother is a witch.

The Wizard-Dervish (cont).: The witch mother is not happy with their marriage and in order to escape her, the maiden turns the boy into a garden and herself into a gardener. As soon as they fooled the mother, they returned on their way until she found them again. This time she turned them into a baker and oven. Again, she turns them into a pond and duck. Finally they hide in an inn and the boy goes to look for carriage, but the dervish finds him and takes him back to the palace. The palace was still in the time of the wedding, so he thinks it's all a dream. The dove finds him and is sad. In the end, he still marries the dove maiden.

The Fish-Peri:  Mahomet, a fisherman, dies and made his wife never tell their son about the fishing. The boy ended up alone and poor, but one day he found his father's net and realized he had been a fisherman. During his fishing trips, his home would magically be cleaned. Turns out it was the fish that turned into a beautiful maiden. She finally becomes his wife, but the Great King becomes jealous and challenges the boy for his wife. The wife, however, sends him on his way telling him not to worry because she desired a cushion.

The Fish-Peri (cont.): The boy had thrown the cushion where the palace was to be built and magic happened. The Padishah, or Greak King, next desires a crystal bridge and the maiden tells the boy to find the Arab and cast the bolster into the sea. The bridge is made. The third test was to throw a feast so magnificent. He gets the coffee-mill but drops it on the way. The next task is to produce a mule from an egg. He accidentally dropped one of the three, and thus he produces only two mules. The Padishah asks for a baby only days old that can speak and walk. The Arab finds him one. The baby beat up the Padishah and the boy was given permission to wed.

The Crow-Peri: Similar to the fisherman, there was a man who caught birds to sell. His son was left without knowing his fathers occupation but finds out anyway. He sells a beautiful bird to the Padishah and the bird is put into a golden cage. The boy was given tons of gold. A lala was jealous and told the Great King to make the boy gather ivory for a new cage. The magic crow helped the boy find it, but the bird of the Great King did not sing. The boy was instructed to find the owner.

The Crow-Peri (cont.): The crow helps the boy again. A ship was built according to the crow's instructions and sailed right. The Queen of mountain is the owner. He takes only the fairy on board and sails away. The fairy was taken to the palace and the bird began to sing. The Padishah married the Queen, but one day the Queen falls ill. With a feather from the crow, he is able to pass the lion guards and save her with the fairy medicine. In the end, the crow was a punished fairy servant but she was forgiven for helping the Queen. The bird-catcher marries her.

Patience-Stone and Patience-Knife: This one is about a poor woman's daughter. Mysterious animals keep telling her that her fate is with a dad man. It drove her crazy.

Week 3 Essay: Reviewing Jewish Fairy Tales

The Jewish Fairy Tales unit consisted of many different kinds of stories, ranging from Biblical plots to animal legends such as the cat and the dog. I had several favorite stories from this unit, such as The Giant of the Flood and The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog. 

The cat and the dog.

Image Information: To Agree Like Cat and Dog (1490). Acquired by Henry Walters in 1906. Web source: Wikimedia Commons.

I liked these stories especially because they included a lot of mythical beings, which really appeals to me with the fairy tale genre and keeps me interested. The unicorn and the phoenix are two of my favorite mythological creatures.  There were a few stories that I did not understand, such as The Sleep of One Hundred Years. I think it was just a little too odd for me.

Overall, the unit was good and I enjoyed most of the stories. It was easy to relate to a lot of them because the Biblical stories reminded me of ones I already knew about. The language is easy to understand and each story is a good read. The information provided was good and I feel that it was enough, but tips on storytelling for this unit would be a good idea. I struggled a lot with choosing a story to retell and it proved to be a bit of a challenge. Any advice on storytelling with units that have a lot of detail would be excellent.

I am enjoying sticking to fairy tales, because it is really linking all the units together for me and that is something I want to continue doing for my units. Since this is a mythology class, I think the fairy tale genre makes the most sense in order to read about the magical creatures, gods, and goddess that really encompass the mythological realm.

I would recommend this unit, because the legends about the characters have different twists and it is fun to read about subjects we might already know. It really brings a new depth to the characters because it is so unique. I learned a lot of good information about Jewish legends and storytelling!

Storytelling for Week 3: The Best of Friends

Pussie and Doggie were best friends and always together. School was coming to an end for the semester and winter break was upon them. Neither of them enjoyed the bitter cold, so they often spent their time snuggled indoors under cozy blankets with cups of hot chocolate warming their hands. Their happiness came to an end though.

A cup of hot chocolate.
Image Information: Hot Chocolate by David Monniaux (2006). Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Doggie's parents had lost their jobs and without money to put food on the table, they chose to move away to stay with family until their lives could be stable again. It was heartbreaking for both Pussie and Doggie, whose friendship was strained by the distance. It became too much to handle and Pussie proposed a separation and the two friends stopped talking altogether. 

Sad and alone, far from home, Doggie found himself constantly in fights, being bullied and picked on. His family could not understand where this melancholy came from and failed to offer him support. He made the wrong friends and often wondered if he would ever be happy again. It was hard for him to be without Pussie, because he had gotten so used to spending his time with her.

On the other hand, Pussie was very happy with new friends and everything she could want. It did not take her long at all to stop thinking about Doggie, only ever at the back of her mind. She was becoming popular at school and the attention was all she needed.

A few months later, Doggie’s family decided to return to their hometown once his parents were re-employed. He was more than excited to return to Pussie, whom he had not heard from in a very long time. He wondered how she was doing and what they would do now that he could come back.

However, Pussie was not the same person he remembered leaving. She was rude and prissy now, her new friends and rising popularity having changed her. She was not at all the girl he had loved so dearly. She would not even look at him, the reminder of her former life. It was clear that they could never be friends again, because they simply were not who they used to be.

Many times Doggie tried to approach her, but she always turned him away. The teachers pitied him and told him to let go. Time and situations change people and Doggie had to come to terms with that, so he went to school every day and tried not to look her way again.

Author’s Note: I had a hard time retelling this week’s story! I decided to use The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog and retell the story from a human point of view. In the original, Doggie and Pussie are best friends but part ways. When Doggie stumbles upon Pussie’s home, she is infuriated and the owner realizes they can never be friends. I used the animals’ names from the story and put them in a high-school setting to show how time and certain situations can make even the best of friends the worst of enemies.

Bibliography: “The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog.” Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919). Web Source: The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog.

Week 3 Reading Diary: Jewish Fairy Tales

These are my notes from the Jewish Fairy Tales unit.

The Giant of the Flood: I like that the story is incorporating mythical creatures with the story of Noah's Ark. I love unicorns and adding the giant as a demon is interesting too. Why is the unicorn so big though? It was a bit weird to harness it by the horn so it could swim. I love the way Noah blesses the phoenix with immortality for being so kind. The poor giant, Og, is so sad for having to be Noah's servant! Oh, the part about Og making the wine turn men into sheep, lions, pigs, and monkeys is too good! Too bad Og broke his vow and Moses cut him down.

The Beggar King: King Hagag is indeed a very proud man and does what he wants. After telling the High Priest that the bible needs censored, he takes off for a hunt. The deer turns out to be a genie and is going to teach him a lesson! I wonder what lesson it could be? Oh, wow! The deer genie is pretending to be King Hagag now. The real King Hagag is not taken seriously and everyone thinks he's a beggar of sorts. He is taught that being proud and scoffing at the Holy Bible is punishable! Once the deer genie gives him back his royal title, he is a changed man.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog: No possible way could the cat and dog be best friends! Well, maybe in this story... They agree to part ways after winter becomes hard. Pussie will hunt at the house of Adam for mice and Doggie will wander further away. Adam and Pussie got along very well! Doggie met the wolf, but he was wounded in battle. The monkey also was mean to him. He wasn't a very good protector of the sheep either. Finally, he reached Father Adam, but he tried to warn him. Pussie learned they have met again and attacks Doggie out of jealousy and betrayal. They could never be friends again.

The Water-Babe: Princess Bathia finds the water-babe and takes the child home to call him her own. He is named Moses. Even the cruel King Pharaoh adored him. He is a very inquisitive child and the King's peers don't approve, convinced he is evil. The story takes a morbid twist when they put the babe to the test, whereas instant death is punishment if he chooses wrong. The princess is given a magic staff that commands her wishes and she uses it to save him. It is a staff that will belong to Moses. He saves the children of Israel!

From Shepherd-Boy to King: David is quite the character. Hearing voices might not be a good thing though! He considers the mountain to be magic since it was barren. Eventually the mountain changes and he finds that it must be a unicorn. After slipping from its back, he is face to face with the lion. A deer passes by to save him. He actually did become king.

The Magic Palace: This one is about Ibrahim, a pious man, starving with his wife and five sons. He sets out to seek work and meets a man that proclaims he is his slave, an Arab man. The Arab man is a builder and Ibrahim finds it beautiful, thus bringing the architect to a merchant of the city. They negotiate a price to build a palace. In such a small amount of time, it is complete and the Arab is free. Turns out, it was Elijah the Prophet!

The Sleep of One Hundred Years: In Jerusalem, Rabbi Onias traveled towards the city. The First Temple has been destroyed and he comes upon a man in sorrow. I agree that the city Zion reminds me of the dead! Suddenly a hundred years pass by and Onias wakes to find himself old and grey... How strange. The carob trees had grown! He meets his grandson and the Temple had been rebuilt. He fell back asleep and awakened in a new world. This story really confused me!

King for Three Days: This one is about Godfrey de Bouillon, a general and leader! He marched to the Holy Land in command of armies. I think I'm going to like this one. It appears that he was a very cruel man and wanted to kill the Jews... Remind you of anyone? Me too. Rashi, a rabbi, refuses to bless his massacre of the Jews. He tells Godfrey that he will claim Jerusalem but only rule for three days. Despite being terrified, Godfrey parts ways. The prophecy was true and his armies dwindled after three days and he was defeated in the city, a broken man…

The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace: This story is about Sarah and Abraham! She is a beautiful women and reminds me of the story of Cupid & Psyche. Out of fear for her safety, or maybe just jealousy, Abraham sealed his wife in a box and told the city officials he carried barley! To conceal her, he is willing to pay the highest of taxes to get her into the city. They keep raising the price, assuming he is hiding something valuable. Unfortunately, Sarah is found and brought to the king. Abraham prayed for her safety, shielded from his anger. A spirit protects her from the king's touch. The king begs Abraham to help him and he tells the king the truth, Sarah is his wife.

The Rabbi's Bogey-Man: Here we are in the city of Prague with Rabbi Lion. A lot of good details are used to make this scene really come alive. Apparently he is a terrifying person due to his knowledge and such, often called a magician. He made a mechanical woman, what?! She ends up running loose... Go figure. The majesty is outraged that he made a "living creature" and Rabbi Lion was scrutinized. The children began to see his creature as the "bogey-man." The creature ends up with a will of its own, wanting to fight for the king. He had to destroy his own creation. 

The Fairy Frog: Hanina is the song this story is about. The merchant tries to sell him a casket. He took the casket home and continued to build around it, despite it needing to grow in size. A frog taught his wife the word of man. A learned sage among his peers. He is the fairy son of Adam and brings to them the word of Adam. They end up famous for their treasures and live in happiness.