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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.