Week 14 Storytelling: The End

Finally! Master was taking me hunting with him again! I always love hunting with Master! I get to chase birds and track so many different animals.  And the smells, oh god the smells! So many new things to smell and follow, and I was so very good at that.  I was Master’s favorite dog and by far his best dog.  When we went hunting together, we always brought furry creatures home with us to eat. 

We set off and walked and walked but I couldn’t pick up any good scents.  Everything was days old and there was this odor overlaying everything anyway.  It made my eyes water and my nose twitch.  It smelled like death and decay, but Master kept pressing on.  We walked all day, but still didn’t find anything. 

As the sun fell and night overtook us, we passed a graveyard.  Nasty things, graveyards.  They’re full of dead people buried in the ground.  The whole forest around them reeks of the decay.  I will never understand why my Master’s people insisted on burying the dead in boxes in the ground.  It makes the smell hang around for decades! 

Anyway, as we passed the graveyard, we noticed a corpse that wasn’t in the ground.  It was standing in the middle of the graveyard in a white shroud.  Master quickened his steps and I stuck with him.  I didn’t want to be left behind with that creepy thing!  Unfortunately, the corpse had seen us and came after us. 

As it leapt at Master, I knew what I had to do.  I lunged at the corpse, taking its rotten and disgusting leg into my mouth to help Master.  I fought as hard as I could, waiting for master to help me and put this corpse back in its grave.  But Master abandoned me! As I was grappling with that repulsive thing, he ran off to protect himself!  Thankfully, I managed to get away, but I was very unhappy with Master.  He needed to pay for leaving me to face death without him. 

I raced after Master, catching him as he broke into the clearing around our home.  I lunged at Master as I had lunged at that corpse, showing him how angry I was.  He tried to fight me off, but I was determined.  Master needed to learn that he should not leave anyone to fight off death alone.  Especially when I attacked death to save Master. 

People from the village heard our furious fight and came running, beating me off Master with sticks and whips.  And still Master did not try to help me.  Even after I had saved him from death and was trying to teach him a lesson, he left me to be beaten by savages.  Well, he was my Master no more and that meant I need not hold back the next chance I got. 

Those savages chained me to a tree without food and without shelter.  Any time my former Master entered the yard, I tried to break that chain.  Slowly but surely, I began to wear away at the links, breaking them open until I could escape.  The next time my former Master entered the yard, I charged at him, taking his throat in my mouth and closing off his air, just as I had done to the animals that I had hunted for him.  I could tell it was working, but suddenly my world went black.  I could not see, I could not feel, I could not smell anything! 

Was this my punishment for betraying my Master even though he had betrayed me first?

Author’s Note:

I took this story from the tale of The Dog and The Corpse in the Russian Folktales unit.  I followed the same story line, although the original story focuses on the moujik, the owner of the dog.  I thought it would be really interesting to see this story from the dog’s point of view.  Dogs seem so eager to please and aid their owners, but when they’re betrayed that eagerness dies quickly.  In this case, the owner left his dog to probably die in his defense while he ran away.  What good dog wouldn’t be disgusted at his master at this point?!

"The Dog and The Corpse" from Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston (1887). Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook. 

Image Information: Black Lab. Source: Wikipedia; Yellow Lab. Source: Flickr

Reading Diary A: Russian Folktales

For this week’s readings, I chose the Russian Folktales unit.  To be honest, I started several other units but kept getting bored or side tracked.  I figured the Russians are famous for being not-quite-right in the head so they must have some pretty interesting folktales that would hopefully keep my attention! And boy was I right! These folktales rival the Grimm’s for interesting twists and gory endings, but they were definitely a lot of fun to read.  I wish I had had the chance to read these before I wrote my storybook because I could have taken some notes from these stories!

There were dark story topics throughout the unit that were very cool.  The Dead Mother had a mother die in childbirth and then come back and nurse the baby in secret.  The Coffin Lid is the story of a woman who died and the child who was supposed to pray over her was forced to face down horrible visions to ensure the witch stayed dead! 

I really did enjoy this unit and would have loved to include it in my storybook, but oh well!  

The Coffin Lid. Source: Wikipedia

Week 13 Storytelling: An Incident in Norman

Some claim that this story takes place in Norman:

A student was walking across campus in the rain when his shoe got stuck in the mud.  He tried to pull his foot out of the mud, but his shoe was stuck fast.  He couldn’t even get his foot out of the shoe! Finally, some of his friends came along and helped pull him out, but there remained a large hole where his foot had been.  This hole opened into a dark room underground.

“Who wants to go on an adventure?”

“I will!” said the student whose foot had been stuck in the mud. They found a rope which they tied around the student and he was soon lowered into the hole.  Let’s call the student Kevin. 

Once Kevin touched down, he looked around and saw a door.  He tried to open the door, but it was locked.  He turned around, trying to see if there was anything else in the darkness, but there was not.  When he turned back, there was a key in the lock.  He turned the lock and opened the door to reveal a young man seated at a table.  The small room greatly resembled a dorm room, albeit a very small and dingy one.

“Who are you?” asked Kevin, but the man was silent.

Three times Kevin asked and on the third, the man said “Turn around, take out your notebook and I will write who I am inside.  When you leave this hole, go to President Boren and make him read who I am, but Boren alone must read this.”

Kevin turned around, took out his notebook, and handed it to the man. The man wrote on the notebook, handed it back, and resumed his seat.

While Kevin was an adventurous and courageous student, he was not made of stone.  He was terrified and wanted to know who this man was and why he would not just tell him.  He looked like a student, but Kevin couldn’t be sure. “How long have you been here?” Kevin asked in a quavering voice.

The man did not respond and Kevin soon grew tired of the dingy place.  He returned to the whole and was pulled up. 

“What was down there? Was there anything good?” they all shouted as he reached the surface.

“There wasn’t anything down there.  I need to go see President Boren to tell him about the hole.  He needs to know,” Kevin replied.

As soon as he arrived, Boren’s secretary escorted Kevin into the office.  When they were alone, Kevin told President Boren what had happened.  Kevin told him of the hole, the door, the man, everything.  Then he took out his notebook and said to him, “Read, Mr. President!”

Mr. Boren read “I AM PLAGION!”

As he declared these words, the poor student became a statue.  

“Damn it, not another one,” Mr. Boren muttered.  “Louise, I have another statue for the campus! We need to find a free space!”

And it is said that that man was Plagion, who was condemned to stay in a dorm room, always reading the essay that he had plagiarized in English, never taking his eyes from the paper.

This is the story of Plagion, who is neither graduated nor student.

Author’s Note:

I chose to rewrite the story An Incident in Rome.  I kept close to the original story, although the original had a little more significance.  The original is the story of Pilate, who believed that Jesus Christ was innocent but acquiesced to the public's will. 

I made the student’s name Kevin because one of the members on my group project was being incredibly annoying as I tried to work on this before class.  He’s a great guy, he was just hyper, so I thought that it would be hilarious if this happened to him… at least the shoe part.

Plagion is the root word for plagiarism.  It was a Greek word, which translates to the Latin word for a kidnapping.  I thought that it was appropriate and was the only thing that I could come up with that would link it to what the student had done wrong.

I also wanted to inject a little humor in the story, which is why I added the little quip from President Boren.  It explains all the statues on campus too!

“An Incident in Rome” from Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane (1885). Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook. 

Image Source: University of Oklahoma. Source: Wikipedia.  Dorm Room. Source: Wikipedia. President Boren. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: Italian Popular Tales

The second half of the Italian Popular Tales unit definitely took a turn.  The first few stories were definitely of a religious nature, compared to the other stories that I had been reading.   

An Incident in Rome was a very interesting story.  The story itself was rather simple and basic, but I loved the way in which it was written.  I wish that I had read this earlier in the semester as it would have been a lot of fun to incorporate into my storybook.

Feast Day was another simple story, but I loved the way it ended.  It listed all the things that came unfast and fell into the mouth of the next person, which ended with the reader, whom the narrator called blockheads!

Most of these stories reminded me of Grimm fairytales in one way or another.  The themes were similar and the writing styles were almost identical!

The Vatican. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary A: Italian Popular Tales

Italy. Source: Wikimedia Commons

For this week (really two weeks, but who’s counting) readings, I chose the Italian Popular Tales unit.  Since I am travelling to Italy in the spring, I thought that it would be fun to read their fairy tales.  Maybe it will give a bit of insight into their culture, maybe not. 

The unit was very interesting, although slightly repetitive.  Zelindaand the Monster was a lot like Beauty and the Beast.  The woman met a dragon whom she was forced to live with and when she finally agreed to marry him, he became a handsome young man.  The Fair Angiola was very similar to Rapunzel… but with a dog’s face.  The hair and tower were the same, but the witch cursed her with a dog’s face when she ran.  Howthe Devil Married Three Sisters started out like the story of Cupid and Psyche.  He told the women to not do something, which of course he did. 

I really enjoyed reading this unit.  It reminded me a lot of the Grimm fairy tales that I have been reading all semester, so of course I loved them!

Week 12 Storytelling: I am Excalibur

There I was, perfectly happy on the hip of one of the most valiant knights in all the land.    I was a beautiful sword.  In my hilt was a perfect blood red ruby surrounded by intricate, well-polished scroll work.  My scabbard was also red and heavily encrusted with gold and jewels.  My knight and I had been in countless wars, slaying the evils that plagued our lands.  My knight was aging, but he was still a strong man who thought that he could take on the world with me at his side, and rightly so. 

Then poof!  My knight and scabbard were gone and I was encased in freaking rock!  The rough stone grated against my smooth blade, scratching up the steel.  How the hell did I go from being at my knight’s side to being in a freaking rock?!  I couldn’t see where I was, I couldn’t hear any voices, nothing! 

I waited there forever sitting in a rock, chaffing against the sides, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. I’m pretty sure I went insane.  Then, all of a sudden, I felt a hand on my hilt trying to tug me out of the stone!  Finally, I was going to be free of this stupid rock!  But as much as that hand, and many others, pulled, I never came free.  So yet again, I was trapped. 

What I think was a few days later, the hands returned, although I was sure that I was stuck there forever.  These hands seemed smaller and smoother than the others, so they must belong to a young boy.  Surprisingly, I was pulled free!  The light was blinding, the sounds deafening!  I was free of that blasted stone!  The boy took off with me and in the distance I could see a tournament being prepared. 

The boy delivered me to a knight and what was said next was lost on me.  The knight took me to another and said “Sir, this is the sword of the stone, therefore I am the rightful King." The other knight appeared doubtful and took us to another man. 

Now this is where I began to drift off.  I was so excited and happy to be free of the stone that I did not care what these men were prattling on about.  Maybe I could find my knight now! I could go back to fighting wars and slaying evils.  I was free after all! 

However, the men began to walk back to where the boy had pulled me from the stone.  I could not go back into that darkness! I would lose my sanity!  Try as I might, however, I was returned to the stone and four more times, with long periods in between, I was pulled from the stone. 

On the fourth time that I was drawn from the stone, I saw a great crowd of common people around the boy, the stone and me.  The second that I was free from the stone, the crowd began to scream and cheer, chanting the young man’s name.  Everyone around us fell to their knees with tears on their faces: young and old, rich and poor. 

The young man was declared king, and with me at his side!  While I may not find my knight again, I was now at the hip of a man who was chosen by the people, a man with the natural ability to lead and rule. 

The young man’s name was Arthur and he was now king of Camelot.  I protected him for many years, slaying those that threatened his life and the life of the kingdom.  Although my former knight had never named me, this boy called me Excalibur and we ruled Camelot with a firm hand and a loving heart. 

That is, until we were separated and I never saw the young man again.  I heard that he was given another sword by a lady of the lake, one that, while not as good as myself, still helped him rule his kingdom. 

Author’s Note:

For this week’s story, I chose to rewrite the King Arthur story, The Drawing of the Sword.  I kept the same story line, but rewrote it from the viewpoint of Excalibur.  I thought it would be an interesting viewpoint since the sword is so central to the tale of King Arthur.  I wanted to show how it would feel to be encased in stone, waiting for the One True King to come along and draw you from the stone.  And once you’re finally free of the stone, you are placed back into it again and again because the knights would not accept your bearer as the one true king. 

Bibliography: "The Drawing of the Sword" from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang (1902).  Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

Image Source: Excalibur in the Stone. Source: Flickr

Reading Diary B: King Arthur

As I continued to read the King Arthur unit, I realized something that was very entertaining.  The Knights of the Round Table whine about everything!  When things do not go their way, they bemoan their situation and whine to whoever they meet next about their misfortunes.  You would think that such brave, strong knights would have better character than that! They kind of remind me of the way that I have been writing the Grimm Brothers.  They appear to be strong and brave men, but once you break the surface, they’re rather pretentious

Not to mention, they almost all find their way with the help of a woman.  A woman appears who shows them the way that they must follow after they fall into misfortune. 

The more I read of the unit, the more connections I made to other television shows and books that I have read.  The show Merlin, which is what I titled my blog after, is somewhat similar to the tales.  A series of books by Angela Knight has all the right names, but the Knights and their ladies are vampires and witches.  Regardless, all of the renditions of these stories are amazing and I love that I finally know what is, more or less, the original story.  

Merlin Television Show. Source: Ultra Publications

Reading Diary A: King Arthur

I chose to read the King Arthur unit this week.  To be honest, I mainly chose it because King Arthur and Camelot are the focus of this season of Once Upon a Time.  I wanted to see how much of the original stories the show is drawing upon and how they are reinterpreting the old tales.  They seem to follow the same tale, more or less, but with a much darker twist. 

Excalibur was broken and so Arthur has become a broken and twisted ruler.  We recently learned the role that Nimue plays in the show as well, which somewhat reflects the old tales. In The Passing of Merlin, we learned that Nimue was playing Merlin the entire time and was using him to learn magic.  This is vaguely reflected in the show, but not entirely.  She started out loving him but was corrupted by power, like most people seem to be. 

I really enjoyed reading this half of the unit and comparing it to the show and cannot wait to finish it. 

Image Source: Once Upon a Time Logo. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

Week 11 Storytelling: The Cows of Mooville

Once upon a time, in the town of Mooville, there was a crowd of wild young Cows.  They rampaged the fields, ravaged the food supply, and drained the winery on a nightly basis.  The farmer was just about fed up when he came up with a plan to make the Cows calm down.  If the Cows realized where their selfishness could lead, maybe they wouldn’t destroy Mooville.

One night, as the Cows were celebrating as usual, they heard the clanging of a cowbell.  Since they had all removed theirs before the celebrations commenced, they were curious where it was coming from.  Three Cows in particular began to tipsily follow the sound of the bell.  They stumbled and bumbled until they encountered the farmer on his tractor, dragging a Cow along behind him. 

“What are you doing?” one cow slurred.

“Oh, this Cow went a celebratin’ a couple towns over in Moomania,” the farmer calmly replied.  “Unfortunately, he met that sly old thief Death came along and killed him.  He kills lots a people thereabouts.  Takes a rather keen Cow to trick old Death.  Unfortunately, this Cow could not.”

The three Cows rallied their spirits and decided that they were more than smart enough to defeat Death.  They set off towards Moomania and along the way, they encountered a poor, withered old Cow.  This Cow wove them a tale about his own encounters with Death.  By the end of the tale, the three reveling Cows were enthralled and demanded to know where they could meet Death. The old Cow simply pointed down the road, where it split in two. 

The three Cows raced, as well as tipsy Cows can race, towards the fork in the road that was the home of Death.  When they reached it, they found a pile of golden cowbells! They turned to see the old Cow, but he had disappeared.  In their drunkenness, the tipsy Cows did not even question his disappearance. 

Of course, the golden cowbells needed to be split between the three of them but they also needed a way to carry it back to Mooville. Clearly they could not travel during the day, since someone might see them and want to take their cowbells. 

They came up with a plan.  The fastest of the three, who also happened to be the least drunk, was to go to Moomania and fetch some satchels as well as some food and drink for the three of them.  Then they would spend the day with the golden cowbells before traveling back to Mooville. 

The one Cow set off for Moomania and the remaining two sat down to rest.  As they were sitting, they began to think.  Why should they split the gold between three, when they could easily split it between two? The two sitting Cows came up with a plan.  When the runner returned, they would overpower him and take the gold for themselves. 

Of course, what the running Cow had the same idea.  Why should he share the gold when he could take it all for himself? He decided that he would poison two of the wine bottles and take the golden cowbells back to Mooville himself. 

Now, you know what they say about the best laid plans.  And remember that this is a story about Cows that went in search of Death. 

So, when the running Cow returned, the two sitting Cows immediately jumped him.  One pinned him down while the other knocked him over the head with a rock and he never moved again.  The two remaining Cows sat down to celebrate their success, cracking open the food and wine that the runner had brought back.  As soon as the wine touched their lips, they fell down dead alongside their comrade. 

These Cows had gone in search of Death and Death had found them first!

Author’s Note:

For this week’s storytelling, I rewrote The Pardoner’s Tale:The Revelers.  I followed the original story for the most part, although I did cut out quite a few details.  The general story line is the same though.  I have no idea where my idea of replacing the revelers with Cows came from.  There were no cows in sight, I wasn’t drinking milk, I really don’t know!  But it sounded like a great idea at the time.  Now that I’m done with it, I’m not so sure, but who really cares!

Bibliography: “The Pardoner’s Tale: The Revelers” from The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappen (1908). 

Image Source: Cows. Source: Flickr. Three Cows. Source: Flickr. Sleeping Cow. Source: Wikipedia.  

Reading Diary B: Canterbury Tales

Well, the second half of the Canterbury Tales unit definitely started off with a bang.  The Prioress’s Tale: Little Hugh seemed a little extra dramatic, especially in their treatment of the Jews!  Definitely seemed a little overboard for what I assume is a children’s story.  Definitely gives an insight into the general feelings towards the Jewish people of the time!

The second story, The Cock The Hen and The Fox, was odd.  Several times I thought that I had moved on to a new story, only to realize that I was still in the same one! It was an interesting read, but rather confusing at times!  I was especially confused by the two tales of the men, the one murdered and the other drowned.  I’m not entirely sure why they were included in the story!

Overall, it was an interesting unit, but definitely not one of my favorites.  They just didn’t seem to quite work for me!

 

The Canterbury Tales. Source: Simple English Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Canterbury Tales

For my reading this week, I chose the Canterbury Tales unit.  I was not sure what the unit was about, but the brief description intrigued me.  I thought that maybe it would be reminiscent of the Grimm fairy tales, which it vaguely is.  I did not expect that Greek mythology would be incorporated into the stories, however.  Ovid and Apollo were mentioned in the first few stories, which I thought was very interesting for a British unit!

I really liked that these stories were longer, as it was great to have some continuity to them.  However, I was not particularly impressed with any of the tales in the first half of the unit.  None of them stood out to me or caught my eye.  I liked the general storyline, but they seemed all too familiar to me.  I hope that the other half of the unit contains better stories!

Canterbury Tales Illustration. Source: Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Hunt) Unit

This half of the Brothers Grimm Hunt unit was very interesting.  I had not read or heard of any of these stories before and they certainly intrigued me! They had very interesting creatures in them!  I thought it was a lot of fun to read these stories, although they do not particularly fit with my storybook. 

Bearskin

What an interesting story! I had never heard this fairy tale before, although it certainly bears a resemblance to Beauty and the Beast.  I think that it is so interesting that the Devil shows up again at the end of the story, claiming that even after appearing to lose, he has won! I thought that it was a great twist! I might use something like that in my storybook…

Bearskin Illustration. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Hans the Hedgehog

This was definitely a unique story.  A half hedgehog half man definitely calls an interesting picture to mind.  It was an odd image, but I suppose it worked for the story.  I am confused how something that was small enough to ride on a cock simply shed its skin and became a man, but it is a fairy tale! The whole story was a little odd, so I suppose I can’t get too caught up with this particular mental problem.

Snow-White and Rose-Red         

Another tale reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast! It was certainly an interesting tale, but not nearly as unique as the other two from the unit.  I liked that the dwarf had magic that turned the man into a bear, though.  It was an aspect of the story that I had not thought of before.  I might be able to incorporate it into one of my stories, although I’m not sure how.

Definitely a wonderful unit, but not exactly beneficial to my storybook!

Week 10 Storytelling: A Tale of Two Sisters

In the land of Candy Corn, there was a king with two beautiful daughters.  They were rumored to be the most beautiful in all the land and they were finally old enough to marry.  The two young women had many suitors, including kings, princes, knights, and everyone in between.  However, to their father’s dismay, they refused every proposal. 

Little did the people of the kingdom know, but the god of the land had sent every one of his friends to ask for the daughters’ hands in marriage.  He finally decided to come to Candy Corn to evaluate the young women.  He arrived during the night, appearing as poor, dirty beggars. 

Meanwhile, the young women were priding themselves on their success.  They believed that their father would acquiesce and not force them to marry.  They were happy with their freedom and didn’t want to be under the thumb of a man.  Why did they need husbands?

When they awoke, the noticed that a tent had appeared outside of the castle where the merchants usually set up.  It looked bedraggled and dirty, definitely not one of the usual crowd.  They mentioned it to their father, but he took no action against the new people.  He always had a soft spot for the poor and hungry, and was loathe to throw them out.

Unfortunately, the king had resolved that night to find husbands for his daughters, since they refused to choose their own.  He devised a contests, the champion of which would marry his daughters.  The contest was announced and the young men of the land traveled to the city in droves.  They couldn’t wait to win the contest and marry the most beautiful women in the land!

On the day of the contest, every man lined up to take his shot.  They were to shoot an apple off the highest turret while standing in the courtyard.  Amazingly, every single man missed!  The king was in disbelief, until suddenly an arrow pierced the apple!  When he looked around, he saw the young beggar man standing with a bow in his hand. 

“Young man, is that your arrow in the apple up there?” the king asked.

“Yes, my liege.  It is,” the dirty young man replied. 

“Well, unfortunately I cannot declare you the winner of this contest.  No one saw you make the shot, so we must hold another.  Tomorrow, we will have a hunting contest!” declared the king. The man with the greatest kill would be declared the winner.

The beggar looked piqued but did not dissent.  Meanwhile, the two daughters were very grateful that their father had declared another contest.  They did not want to leave their life of luxury for that of poverty and hard work. 

-------------------------

The next day, the men assembled for the hunt.  Men without horses were given the stable nags, the slowest of which was given to the beggar. The rest of the hunting party was not concerned about the beggar beating them this time, because they knew he could not keep up.

When the horn blew, the entire party took off at a gallop with the beggar lagging far behind.  The group disappeared into the woods and there was only the occasional horn sound to let the castle know of the progress. 

Several hours later, the castle trumpet sounded to call the hunting party back to the keep.  They came in slowly, all toting their kills on their saddles or in their saddle bags.  However, the beggar was nowhere to be seen.  Finally, as the final kills were being compared, someone spotted the man returning from the woods.  As he drew closer, the people could see what appeared to be a small sleigh being pulled behind the beggar’s nag. 

When he rode into the keep, the entire company gasped.  He had shot a 12 point buck, the greatest catch of all the hunters.  Of course, there were cries of cheating and deceit, but the king honored his promise.  Unfortunately, his elder daughter had already promised herself to a foreign king, without her father’s knowledge.  The younger daughter was able to fulfill the promise, however.

She followed the beggar to his tent and cared for him.  She did her wifely duties with nary a complaint or wish for her old life.  They stayed within the castle walls and she visited her father every day.  Her sister, who was still in residence, was always decked from head to toe in jewels and fine fabrics.  She made a point to degrade the younger sister every chance she got.

However, on her return from visiting her one day, she could not find her husband’s tent.  In its place was a grand tent, made from beautiful silks and poles made of gold.  She began to worry if her husband had been pushed from his spot by this extravagant newcomer. 

Suddenly, an incredibly handsome man exited the tent.  He had long black hair, a chiseled jaw, broad shoulders, a barrel chest, and eyes to die for.  He was the man every woman dreamed of, but he was not her husband! She drew breath to berate him. However, he beat her to it.

“Before you ask where your husband is, look closer, my love.  I am your husband, but I have finally assumed my true form.  I am the man that this land worships.  I came to earth to see what all the excitement was about you and your sister, but you are by far the better woman.  You honored your deal, despite the misgivings that I know you had.  You never complained either, and I know it wasn’t easy.”

The woman couldn’t believe what was going on.  She was married to a god! The man gave her something to eat and explained that it would make her like him, so they could stay together for eternity. 

Of course, the older sister wanted to join them, but her husband took her to his home, which turned out to be a drafty castle filled with smelly old men.  You know what they say about Karma!

Author’s Note:

I chose to rewrite the story of Dirty-Boy this week.  It seemed like one that I could easily twist about and had enough superfluous details that I could shorten it to fit my need.  I kept pretty close to the original story, although in the original, there were two deities that came to the village. 

I’ll be honest about the name of the kingdom.  I’m sitting at my desk shoveling candy corn into my mouth as I am writing this, so it seemed like an appropriate name.  It makes the kingdom sound more than a little childish, but I’ve come up with worse names!

I didn’t make any major changes to the story other than changing the details.  I kept close to the original because I thought it was a good story that would teach a good lesson.  Too many changes would have changed the message!

"Dirty-Boy" from Tales of North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).  Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook. 

Image Source: Castle Keep. Source: Wikimedia Commons; Dirty Tent. Source: Wikimedia Commons; 

                       Turkish Tent. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: Hero Tales

I have finished reading the Hero Tales unit and found yet more intriguing stories!  I find it very interesting which tales are included in this unit, as I do not see all of them as hero tales.  Some of them seem to be the tales of wayward children who are not doing as they were told, such as in the case of Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away.  Yes, they do rid the land of several villains, but they are simply acting like most young boys do.  They did the exact opposite of what their father ordered them to do and just happened to survive the outcome.   

Some of the heroic acts are simply good deeds, such as honoring the promise that you made.  In Dirty-Boy, the two sisters were promised to a poor, disfigured man who shot an eagle from a tree, but only the younger sister honored the deal.  She was richly rewarded for her honesty, but I’m not sure if that classifies as heroism.

Regardless, some of the acts reminded me much of Charlotte Grimm, which I thought was great.  Not every deed needs to be grand.  Some are small things that simply add up.  

Bald Eagle. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Hero Tales

I chose to read the Hero Tales unit for this week.  I enjoyed reading the combination of stories in the Marriage tales unit and wanted to continue that.  I like that I get a glimpse into many different tribes and how they view heroes and heroic acts.

I liked the general theme of most of the stories, as they often reminded me of my own storybook. I like stories of heroes and good deeds, as most children seem to as we are growing up.  I like some of the darker twists, like in the story of The Jealous Uncle.  The uncle has murdered his previous nephews and tries several times to kill the latest one.  However, this nephew escapes and lives, eventually returning to see his parents and end his uncle’s reign over his people. 

These stories were very interesting to read and I look forward to finishing the unit.

Alaskan Inuit Family. Source: Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Hunt) Unit

For this week’s extra reading diary, I read the first half of the Brothers Grimm Hunt unit.  It was a very interesting set of readings, but there was only one tale that truly interested me.  I really enjoyed reading Hansel and Grethel.  It was interesting to read the true story and not just the later renditions. 

I had never heard the part of the story that told of them returning to their house first.  I also didn’t know that it was their step mother that came up with the idea to leave them in the forest in the first place.  I really liked the way that the witch was described, particularly her keen sense of smell.

I’ve always found the tale of Hansel and Grethel intriguing and I am definitely planning on using it in my storybook. I think that it will be fun to write Charlotte into this story and just by reading it, I have already come up with several ideas.  

Hansel and Grethel. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: Marriage Tales

I enjoyed the remainder of the Native American Marriage Tales unit.  It had longer tales that gave me a better insight into the culture.  I still didn’t find anything that I was really excited to draw from, but there was one story that caught my eye.

I particularly liked the tale of the Girl and The Turkeys.  It was very similar to the tale of Cinderella, but from a different culture’s viewpoint.  I really liked that the Turkeys were the ones that aided her in going to the ball, not a fairy god mother.  I thought it was interesting that there wasn’t really anyone that told her she couldn’t go to the ball, just her view of herself.  I liked that the Turkeys cleaned her clothes and then essentially spat out a variety of ornaments for her to wear.  The fact that she forgot about them after she left was cool too.  It definitely sets the tale apart from Cinderella.  

Turkey. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Marriage Tales

This week’s theme was Native American tales.  From the choices, I selected the Marriage Tales because it encompasses a range of tribes so I would get a feel for many different cultures.  I enjoyed the readings in the first half of the unit, but did not really find any that I could draw from.  

I like the tale of Splinter-Foot-Girl, but did not draw anything from it that I wanted to use in my stories.  I did like that the animals helped her escape from her marriages.  However, she was a rather meek girl that didn’t really do much for herself.  Her family helped her escape and she simply went along with the plan. 

I like when the girl takes charge of the situation and makes a name for herself.  I guess it just goes along with my outlook on life.  We need to be the writers of our own destinies. Why wouldn’t she try to take charge of the situation? Why would she wait for help and go along with what everyone wants her to do? It just doesn’t fit with my perspective I suppose.  

Badger. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Plan

Planning. Source: Pixabay

Since we’re halfway through the semester, I suppose I should layout my readings for the remainder of the semester.  Of course, these may change, but this is my current reading plan:

Week 9: Marriage Tales

Week 10: Cherokee

Week 11: King Arthur

Week 12: Beowulf

Week 13: Italian Tales

Week 14: Andersen Fairy Tales

Some of these are stories that I have wanted to read for a while but never had the time.  The rest of them were just units that sounded interesting.  One in particular, the Italian Tales unit, I chose just because I am going to Italy for the spring semester!

Reflections: Looking Forward

Road Sign.  Source: Geograph

I’m excited for the remainder of this semester.  I hope that I can continue to write stories that I can be proud of.  I hope that I can continue to finish my assignments on time and not fall down on the job since this is an online class.  

I want to try new things for the remainder of the semester.  I want to explore new storytelling styles, although I’ve been trying to do that already.  I want to read new things, especially for my extra readings (at least once I’ve finished the Grimm fairy tales).  Hopefully I can try to layout some time frames to get my assignments done, instead of just doing them when I have the time.  I want to try to treat this as an actual class so that I’m not trying to get things done at the last minute.  

Thankfully, I am already on track to get the grade I want.  In fact, I’m actually a little bit ahead.  I would love to finish early if I can, but I will need to start doing some of the extra credit assignments when I have the time.  

I hope the rest of the semester goes as smoothly as the first half did!

Reflections: Looking Back

Time Flies. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

Wow, half of the semester has already gone by and I feel like I just started the year!  I can’t believe how much I’ve already done this semester, especially in this class alone! I’ve started a blog, written six stories on my own, and started a storybook webpage.  I can’t believe it!  Well, I guess it’s time to look back at what I’ve done so far!  

I’ve liked all of the stories that I have written so far this semester, but I have a favorite of course.  My favorite story was The Human Child of a Mother-Wolf.  I thought it was fun to rewrite the story and give it a darker tone.  The stories from that week were all about animals and saints, but the animals were always being helpful.  I thought it was a much more interesting idea to have the wolf help the child, but only because she saw something that she could get out of it!

Of course, my favorite stories to read so far have been the Grimm Fairy Tales that I have done for my extra readings.  I didn’t realize that several of the stories I grew up reading were actually Grimm stories! One of my favorite books as a child was The Twelve Dancing Princesses.  In fact, I still have the book in my closet at home! I loved the story and the pictures in the book, but I never thought that it was written by the Grimm brothers!

Over the semester so far, I have been doing my assignments at my desk at home or in my boss’s office at work.  A few times, thanks to the faulty wifi at work, I’ve done my assignments at Panera Bread as well.  I like to have a designated space to do my work and don’t like to have big distractions.  I can’t do my work in my living room or at the public library because I get easily distracted! I’ve tried to stay a little ahead in the class when I can, but as the semester goes on that is getting more and more difficult! I just can’t seem to stay on top of everything! Time always seemed to fly when I was working on this class's assignments though, no matter how busy I was.

I’m proud of my work in this class so far and hope that it continues to go well!

Extra Reading Diary: Brother Grimm (Crane) unit

For this week’s Extra Reading, I finished the Brothers Grimm Crane unit.  There was only one story that I wasn’t real wild about, but it definitely gave me some great fodder for my own Storybook.  I found a story that will work as well as a general format/reference that will be a great help.

I like the tone of The Six Swans story.  It reminds me a lot of how I intend to write Charlotte Grimm.  A very strong young woman who does not shirk from her duty.  She is so devoted to her brothers that she risks her own life to save them.  I will definitely refer to this story as I write my own since it is such a great example of what I am trying to do!

King Thrushbeard was a very interesting story, with a twist at the end that I did not entirely see coming!  The story as a whole is like a twist on the tale of Cinderella, but in reverse.  The great King dresses like a beggar so the woman will learn some humility! I really liked this story, but can’t really see myself using it in my storybook. 

The beginning of the Grimm version of Snow White is reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I really liked this version of the story, without the “true love’s kiss” that awakens her from her slumber.  This might be an option for my Storybook, although I would definitely have to mix up the story a little bit to make it work.  I like how persistent the queen was in her attempts to kill Snow White, and I think it was much better than the Disney version of the story.  

Image Information: King Thrushbeard and his Wife. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Week 7 Storytelling: The Strangest Case of the Day

When something bad happens, people always find someone else to blame.  “It wasn’t my fault, it was his” seems to be a very common utterance, in case you hadn’t noticed.  In fact, I bet you’ve said it yourself more often than you can count! This is the story of just such an occasion, and the interesting way that the judge decided to solve the problem.

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There I was, having a perfect day.  It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too cold, and I hadn’t had any trying cases come into the court.  Most of it was just simple, day to day things that needed court approval before any action was taken.  Mostly it was just administering oaths and being the “impartial third party” for a few minor disputes.  It was going to be a wonderful day! That is, until two knuckleheads walked into my courtroom.

You see, these two young men, neighbors in fact, were arguing over who was at fault for a broken pot of oil.  One man had been driving his truck down the mountain path into the city, the back full filled with wood.  Meanwhile, the other young man was sitting on the ground with his pot of oil sitting on a rock beside him.  

Old Pickup Truck. Source: Pixabay

In case you didn’t know, neither of them were really following the laws of the city.  The man with the truck was speeding and trying to re-tune the radio at the same time.  He came around a bend at breakneck speed and some of his wood flew out of the back.  The man with the oil should not have been on that road in the first place, as it is strictly for motor vehicles.  There is a walking path that he should have been on instead of the road. 

Anyway, the two morons were quarreling over the broken pot, trying to decide who to blame.  I decided to teach the two a bit of a lesson, especially for fighting over something so trivial.  I knew that the man with the oil had a mother to care for and that selling the oil was his only livelihood.  I also knew that the man with the truck did not have the money to pay for the oil.  So, I devised a way to teach a lesson and get the man the money he was owed.

“Clearly it is neither of your faults.  It is the fault of the truck and the rock.  They are the ones that I will judge.  Bailiff, chain up the truck in the courtyard.  Make sure that it cannot move.  Then go retrieve the rock and chain it to the pole, and don’t forget to wrap it in chains.  I don’t want it going anywhere until the hearing.” 

I knew I sounded insane, but I was trying to prove a point after all.  Word swept through the town about my wild decree, so I knew my plan would work. 

On the day of the hearing, a great many people showed up to hear the trial.  Once the time of the trial arrived, the doors to the courtroom were locked, so no one could leave until the hearing was finished.  I took my seat, called the people to order, and proceeded to pronounce my judgement on the case.

"As you very well know, there is no law by which a truck and a rock can be judged. Why have you all come to see so absurd a thing? Now, because of your curiosity in the matter, every one of you shall pay five dollars before he gets out."

Everyone looked very much ashamed of themselves, but were more than happy to pay their way to leave the courtroom.  Thanks to the great number of people who had shown up, there was a decent sum of money by the time the room emptied.  This money was given to the man who had lost his oil, so the man was happy, their friendship was rectified, and the debt was paid.  Most importantly, I was finally able to close the court!

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Clearly this case could have been solved outside the court if the men hadn’t been set on blaming one another.  Some deal could have been worked out and the debt would have been paid.  However, because they did not want to take responsibility for their own actions, they could not settle their own differences! While the case worked out in this instance, that is not often the result of such actions.  

Author’s Note:

For this week’s storytelling, I chose The Story of the Donkey and the Rock from the Tibetan Folk Tales unit.  I kept pretty close to the original story, but I did change the point of view and that the one man was driving a truck instead of a donkey. 

I thought it would be fun to see what the judge thought of such an odd case.  I thought that a case like this would not come around very often, but would be a great chance to teach people a lesson.  I included almost a narration at the beginning and end, just to change it up a little bit.  It kind of gives the story more of a lesson type feel to it, which fits!

"The Story of the Donkey and the Rock" from Tibetan Folk Tales, by A.L. Shelton (1925). Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook.