Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Librivox), Part B

I enjoyed Part B of this unit a lot. The stories were ones most people had probably never heard of and were not typical fairytales. Even the one that involves princesses was very different from other princess fairytales.

The Twelve Huntsmen

I thought this story was so beautiful and the ending was amazing! I did have a lot of questions throughout the story, though, like why did she need 11 body doubles and then dressed them up like men? There was never a good reason given for why that was the route the princess chose to check up on the prince. Also what happened to the prince's new bride? Was she just super cool with the prince divorcing her for his huntsman/former lover (who is a woman)? Also how did the lion just know they were women? Was it a smell thing? I would love to maybe give some clarification to these things or maybe write the story from the point of view of the new bride. That would be interesting.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

This story also had a really interesting premise! I mean princesses that secretly dance at night is super cool! Also this story has a Barbie movie, so it earns bonus points from me. The only problem I had was the ending because it seemed very rushed and I really didn't expect the soldier to choose a daughter or at least a little more after he chose one. The entire story had so much description and reasoning behind everything else that to have the soldier solve the mystery, decide to marry the oldest sister, and then the end seemed really short. I would definitely work on making the story a little more concise and changing what happens to the girls in the end. Also is the place they go to dance outside the realm of reality or is there a king somewhere wondering why his twelve sons always have holes in their shoes? Maybe I'd tell the story from their perspective.

(Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses. Photo from The Movie DB)

Bibliography. Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm, an audiobook recording available at LibriVox based on a Project Gutenberg publication. Links to readings

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Librivox), Part A

All the way back in Week 2's Reading Options assignment I was interested in the Brothers Grimm (Crane) because I liked that while they were still fairytales, they were different from you typical fairytales. I was a little torn on whether to go with Crane or Librivox, but I enjoyed the other Librivox stories that I read, so I decided to try listening to the stories again. 

Rapunzel

I loved the Barbie movie of this tale and I've read a bunch of different versions of it! All the versions have put their own little spin on it though so they don't get boring. I've had trouble coming up with retellings for stories that have many versions so maybe I'll do a diary entry and tell it from a different perspective. Or maybe I could figure out why the witch locked Rapunzel away in the first place. The story never said she was jealous of her beauty and she didn't have magic hair like in Tangled. It would be interesting to see why she wasn't more of a mother to her.

(Photo from Giphy)

The Traveling Musicians

I really enjoyed this story and thought all the animals working together and finding the house was really cute. It was like something out of a movie with a rag-tag gang of unlikely friends coming together for a common goal. It honestly kind of reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender. If I were retelling this story I would make them all humans or I would listen to the last line of the story and check if they still were in the house after all this time.

Bibliography. Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm, an audiobook recording available at LibriVox based on a Project Gutenberg publication. Links to readings

Reading Notes: Canterbury Tales, Part A

I was first introduced to the Canterbury Tales my senior year of high school. We read a few stories, but I was gone for a golf tournament so I never actually read them. I also read a Storybook from last year that turned the Canterbury Tales into a murder-mystery and it was so interesting! The Canterbury Tales was fun to read because it felt like reading a Storybook for class.

The Franklin's Tale: The Promise of Dorigen

This was my favorite tale out of the three stories from Part A. I originally thought it would be hard to retell or make my own but then the ending asked us "now of these three generous men, which one was the most generous?" and that really made me start to think. That question opens up so many possibilities! There is also the idea to tell the story from different perspectives, like from the perspective of one of the three generous men, or from Dorigen's perspective, or maybe even from the rock's that disappear view. I think this retelling will be really original.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908). Link to readings

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part B

I've noticed that these stories love to repeat themselves over and over again. I swear during one of the stories I could hear the lady reading for Librivox losing her will to live. That's how outrageous it was sometimes!

The Ass, The Table, and the Stick

I thought the general concept of this story was interesting and I liked all the items that Jack got in exchange for his work, but man he was stupid to keep bragging to the innkeeper. Also the ending was super weird and why did he beat up those girls for his one true love? She cried diamonds!!! She was richer than all of them!! I would change so many things about this story. Like all the components were there to make a good story but they weren't put together well.

Fairy Ointment

This story was really interesting! Why did the fairies need the ointment though? Can fairies not see other fairies without it? That would be so weird! Also how could Dame Goody know that she was only seeing the pixie with her right eye? These stories repeat everything and take about a million years so why couldn't we get a little scene of her closing one eye and then the other as she went back and forth from seeing the pixie to not seeing him!

(Photo from Pinterest)

Bibliography. English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890). Links to readings

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part A

I read Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs way back in Week 3, so I decided to give another collection of his stories a chance. I've heard different versions of a lot of these stories before, so that may cause me some issues with trying to make an original retelling because there have already been so many. This unit had audio recordings so I decided to try listening to the stories and it was very helpful! I really couldn't get distracted from the stories and flew right through them.

Cap O' Rushes

This was a cool "Cinderella" type story that was very different for most of the versions I've read or seen. In most stories, the dad loves her unconditionally which causes the stepmother to be jealous and that's why she punishes Cinderella when her father dies. I thought it was great that in this story, Cap O' Rushes definitely earned her rags to riches story. She was in control most of the time by knowing that she was the person who danced with the prince, then making sure the prince's love was real with the ring, and finally getting back at her dad with the unsalted food. 

The Story of the Three Little Pigs

I have a soft spot for the three little pigs because at my high school we did a fundraiser called Senior Serve where groups of seniors would choose a theme then decorate tables and dress up to the theme. You then invite family and friends and you serve them dinner. My two best friends and I chose the three little pigs for our theme! There are of course so many versions of this story but it might be fun to try one myself. I thought it was clever that the wolf tried to get the pig out of the house instead of trying to get into the house, that is until the end of course.

(The Three Little Pigs and our Big Bad Wolf.

Personal Photo from February, 2015)

Bibliography. English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890). Links to readings

Reading Notes: Southwestern and California Legends, Part B

I have already chosen a story from Part A to do so the Part B reading was just for fun! These stories were a little longer and were again more creation stories. I enjoyed them all the same though!

The Children of Cloud

This story did not go at all like I expected it to in both good and bad ways. I kept expecting the mother's warning about not stopping on the journey to their father to come up but it never did. The ending was very random because they didn't talk to anyone on their journey so why were they turned into mescal? This myth just kind of seemed like they wanted a myth so baldy about how mescal came to be and why storms travel from place to place that they made this disjointed thing. 

The Boy who Became a God

Now this story was just weird. It seemed like something from a fever dream or an LSD trip or something. It was really disjointed and didn't make much sense. There were crow people and sheep people. I have so many questions. Why were the crow people in the story? Were they the gods or were the 12 deer the gods? Why didn't the older brothers believe the younger one? Also what happened to the brother in law who believed the younger brother? So many questions! I did  think it was cool that the gods taught the young boy so much and then let him tell his people about it because gods don't often do that.

(Resting Navajo-Churro Lamb. Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912). Link to readings

Reading Notes: Southwestern and California Legends, Part A

I didn't really know what I wanted to read this week so I asked the Crystal Ball and that's what I read. These stories were very short and really cute. A lot of the stories were creation stories and it was really interesting how many different versions there were for the creation of one thing. 

Creation and Longevity

This was my favorite of the three coyote creation stories! I liked how all the animals worked together to create the earth and I loved that Coyote carried the fire from the west back to the Indians in his ears. I could just picture it and it was so cute! If I were to rewrite this story, I would probably tell it as a bedtime story. That way the kids can learn to work together and think Coyote bringing fire back in his ears is cute too.

(Photo from Deviant Art)

The Creation of the World

I enjoyed how this story described how a lot of the basic things came to be like the earth, the sun, and the stars. I liked how they all had a different component to them and I would like to use that if I rewrite this story. I would probably have a planet making factory and as you follow the assembly down, you would learn about how the basic planet was made and then you add water and mountains, and then the sun, and so on. There would also be a room for trying to build new planets, like how the Earth Doctor tried a few different ways to get the earth to stay steady.

The Origin of Light

I thought it was so funny that the animals used to just bump into each other before there was light. In a retelling of this story I would write about Hawk and Coyote planning on how to create the sun and then having to regroup when they realize they also have to make the moon.

Bibliography. Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912). Link to readings

Reading Notes: Tejas Legends, Part B

I really enjoyed these legends. They were all pretty much origin stories but those are some of my favorite stories because by the end they answer all the questions they asked in the beginning. These stories are great for children and are a pretty easy reads.

Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew

The image of a hummingbird and a heron owning a lake was just too cute! I kept thinking about them wearing flannel shirts and having a cabin by the lake and renting canoes to the other birds! I don't know how I would turn this into a story but I'd figure something out. Maybe I'll write about how they came to own the lake.

When The Rainbow Was Torn

I felt so bad for the cactus in this story. Why didn't the rainbow want to give some color to the cactus? I mean I could understand not wanting to get caught on the thorns but then when the rainbow was stuck it made it seem like the flowers opening to get color was a bad thing! The flowers just wanted to be pretty too! In a retelling of this story I would probably just expand on the story already told and give the cactus and rainbow some personality. 

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936). Links to readings

Reading Notes: Tejas Legends, Part A

I originally read about the Tejas Legends during the Reading Options assignment back in Week 2. When I saw that we were doing Native American stories this week, I knew instantly that I was going to be reading these. Almost all of these stories were origin stories, so the first ideas that come to mind for a retelling is to do some kind of continuation. This would be the third week in a row of continuation stories for me, so hopefully I can come up with something more creative.

A Tribe That Left Its Shoes

This story was interesting because it had a kind of open ending. The story told how the moccasin flower came to be and why the part of the moccasin for the toes is pointing south. It gave the chief great relief because the toe was pointing to where his tribes old island used to be and now his grandchildren would be able to find it when the old tribe was no longer there to help them. I could do some kind of continuation story where the grandchildren follow the flowers to find their old island, but as mentioned before I'm kind of trying to avoid the continuation story this week. Maybe I could have a story about a cheeky flower that likes to point north or something cute like that.

The Cloud That Was Lost

This story was just too cute! I was loving it the entire time and felt so bad for the cloud that got lost. This story was about how the wild phlox got their pretty colors, but the cloud was pretty much the main character and he was my favorite. In a retelling of this story I would change the ending and have the cloud still be there in the end and maybe come back every night so that the other flowers could take some of his color. What ever I decide to do, the cloud will still be there in the morning!

The Swift Blue One

I thought this story was cool because of intro mentioning Mesteño, a blue horse sculpture that is here at OU. I've seen the sculpture before and there isn't a description to go along with it so it's kind of scary. I enjoyed learning about the horse that the piece was based on and I think It would make an interesting retelling. Maybe the sculpture could come alive and only certain students can tame it or something like that.

(Mesteño (Mustang) by Luis Jiménez. Photo from FJJMA Blog)

Bibliography. When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936). Links to readings

Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Part B

I really enjoyed the Laos Folklore unit. There were some great stories and they were all really different and interesting.

The Wizard and the Beggar

This story did frustrate me a little bit because the beggar asked for help from the wizard, a dog, a water buffalo, and then the wizard again. After that only the wizard is mentioned, so what was the point of the dog or the water buffalo? Was it just to reinforce that man will not appreciate you and forget all that has been done to help you? If I were to retell this story I would do something so that the beggar repaid his debt and helped the dog and buffalo instead of trying to kill the wizard. Or maybe tell the story from the wizards perspective because I have a feeling that he is the dog and the water buffalo, too.

One Woman

This story was just awesome! The Chum Paw played all of the men the entire story and come out on top every single time! I would retell this story in a more modern setting or maybe from whatever god is protecting her (because someone has to). This story was so good I almost don't want to try and change it because I don't think that I could do it justice!

(Chum Paw at the end of the story, basically. Photo from Imgur)

To Aid a Beast

I enjoyed the message of this story and it reminded me of one that we read in the Anthology our second week of class. I would like to make this story more clear because I had to go back and read multiple parts twice to get all the characters straight and remember what everyone did for the other person. I would make sure that every character got remembered or punished because the tiger got off scot free while the hunter was almost put to death. 

Bibliography. Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, with photographs by W.A. Briggs (1899). Links to readings

Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Part A

I wanted to read the folklore of Laos because it's a country in Southeast Asia relatively close to Indonesia. I would have picked the stories from the Philippines but Laos seemed more interesting to me for some reason. I enjoyed so many of the stories from this reading and I think it was the first time I came away happy instead of frustrated. So many of the stories explained themselves all the way through with how something came to be or to explain a message. It was wonderful!

The Enchanted Mountain

The spot at the top of the mountain described in the story sound absolutely gorgeous. It's interesting that men can find the place but not prove that they have ever been there. I wonder how it came to be or what would happen if anyone found it and was allowed to stay? The fruit can't be eaten, the fowl can't be killed, and the water cannot be drank so how would that work? I mean maybe the person just uses it as a meditation garden, not wanting to take anything from it, just looking for a place to come for some peace. 

(Kuang Si Falls in Laos. Photo from Pixabay)

The Spirit-Guarded Cave

I love how the spirits in these stories are so helpful to the people! It's really refreshing because it feels like all I've read the past few weeks are stories about how the deities like to screw people over. This story caught my attention because of the more open-ending it had by saying that the treasure so far has been left untouched. I think it would be interesting to continue the story so that maybe one of the ancestors of the wise man goes to claim the treasure after growing up hearing stories about it.

Bibliography. Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, with photographs by W.A. Briggs (1899). Links to readings

Reading Notes: Chinese Fairy Tales, Part B

These fairytales are very different from what I was expecting. The stories were really good, if not a little strange, and a lot of them were about how things came to be. I wasn't super inspired by anything in Part A, so I'm hoping the stories in Part B will interest me more.

Retribution

This was probably my favorite story I read this week! I really liked how the it was told over many years and it took a while for the consequences of the person's actions to catch up with them. I wonder if the little boy knew about his past life and purposely threw the rock at the old man or if he did it unconsciously or if it was just fate/ some divine intervention. Also did Ma look out the window only like three or four times in his life and it's amazing that he happened to see all this happen every time he looked out? Or did he look out the window often? Because if you look out the window all the time you are bound to see something eventually. There is just so much that could be done with it! I'm thinking of either telling it from a different character's perspective or continuing on the story and have it become a tale of revenge.

(Gif from Tenor)

The Night on the Battlefield

I'm not usually a ghost story person but this one wasn't scary so I found it rather enjoyable. I liked the sense of eeriness it had because as soon as the narrator said something felt off to the merchant, you felt it too. I'm also a big fan of the ending when the innkeeper just says that it's a battlefield and all kinds of weird stuff happens there. It doesn't over explain to the reader and just kind of lets them figure it out on their own. If I was better at writing those kinds of endings I might consider writing a story based on this one. Maybe I'll try it so that I can get some practice in.

Bibliography. The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens, links to reading 

Reading Notes: Chinese Fairy Tales, Part A

I was drawn to the Chinese Fairy Tales because when I visited China we heard lots of stories about their history and even fun little fables, but I don't remember hearing any fairytales. I love fairytales and I think it's so interesting how different they are from region to region.

The Panther

What a whirlwind this story was! So much happened in so little time and it was all very strange. I didn't realize that the panther took on a sort of human form when pretending to be the mother until it mentioned him having to change back into a panther so I thought the girls were just really dumb. Also what was up with all those merchants? Who sells scorpions or turtles? Is that a normal thing to sell in China or was it just for the story? I just don't understand why people trust animals in fairy tales because it never works out for them.

Yang Oerlang

I thought this story was really sweet because of how much Yang cared for his mother. I also really like stories that explain how things came to be in the world. This one explains why there is only one sun in the sky and why the portulacca plant can survive in direct sunlight. I don't know how I could retell this story any better! It had a nice happy ending and it was a relatively normal story that was easy to follow. The story even took the time to describe what he looked like after he became a god!

(Yang Orelang, photo from Wikimedia Commons) 

Bibliography. The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens, links to reading 

Reading Notes: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories, Part B

I'm really excited to read the rest of the Ancient Egyptian Myths! Part A was a little confusing and disjointed because of all the different stories. Part B should be more clear because it contains only three stories 

The Two Brothers

This story was my favorite by far! All four parts were really interesting and each one could have stood on it's own. Part 2 was my favorite because it was so different from what I was expecting. Every time that I was like "Oh no! This is going to happen!" it didn't and that was really refreshing to read. Of course, when the younger brother told his wife not to leave the house, you knew that at some point she was going to leave the house. The whole progression of this story flowed really well and was easy to read, so I enjoyed it a lot. The ending was also wonderful with both brothers coming out on top in the end. I don't know how I could change it to be better since it was so good so maybe telling it from a different perspective would be an interesting retelling.

The Book of Thoth

I liked this one less than The Two Brothers but it was still very good. This story was broken into three parts and I could have seen it ending after Part 2 because he had found the Book of Thoth and discovered it's magical powers, but nooooo! This one definitely was more tragic because literally everyone died and I don't know why that had to happen. The story never implied that Nefer-ka-ptah was going to do anything bad with the book, it seemed like he was just interested in the knowledge. The gods just seem to like to punish people to no end in these myths and it's kind of annoying. Thoth wasn't doing anything with the book so why not let someone else read it?!

(Gif from Rebloggy)

Bibliography. Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie, links to the reading

Reading Notes: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories, Part A

Due to my love of Greek gods and goddesses, I figured I should give some other cultures deities a try! The author of the Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan, did write another series about the Egyptian gods and goddesses, so this is a good way to see what it's all about! I had to pretty much review every story because some crazy stuff happened in every single one!

(Photo from Sporcle)

Ra and Hathor

I think I followed this story correctly: because some guys called him old, Ra created a flood. He was like "Who's old now?" as he's killing everyone, but then he got tired while killing everyone (because he's old) and had to be carried away on the back of Nut, the Celestial Cow. This flood also created an annual festival for Hathor because she saved them from the flood (that she also started but it's fine). I get all this but I have a few questions? Hathor is the goddess of what? Is Ra immortal or mortal because gods don't age. Was he just living among the mortals and now that he is old is going to be with the gods? Maybe I'll do some research and figure this out.

The Sun's Journey

So all of my questions about Ra were answered in this chapter. Yes, he was a mortal god as the first Pharaoh and then he later became a cosmic deity. But now I have more questions! Why did he just now start assigning people realms and areas to be god or goddess of? I feel like that should have been handled a while ago. Is this myth saying that for the 12 hours of night we have, Ra is asleep and everyone is trying to kill him? What good is that?! I still have so many questions!

Osiris

This myth felt like it was really just there to give us some background info before the real conflict begins. I thought it was cool that Isis, a woman, held so much power in Egypt and actually ruled in place of her husband while he was away. Also, what was Ra doing if he didn't make people civilized during his time as pharaoh? Like Osiris built temples for worship and permanent cities. Were the people of Ra's time just running around fighting each other? So far Ra is sounding pretty useless to me.

The Death of Osiris

What a fun party game Set brought to his brother, Osiris' feast: "Who Fits in the Box the Best?" I like how the story had to point out that no one thought this was a trick because everyone was having such a great time and were eager to play. Why did Osiris have a child with someone else? Isis sounds like the perfect woman! I mean she searched for his body and asked every person she met if they saw it. She also had seven scorpions follow her around and protect so she's pretty badass and probably someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

The Journey of Isis

Well this all took a crazy turn! It's literally like a bad soap opera and nothing makes sense! The body in the tree part was cool and Isis and Osiris having a son, Horus, is a nice touch because he's destined to take back the throne and overthrow his uncle. Everything else is just straight up bonkers! Horus is killed by a scorpion even though scorpions were protecting his mom so I'm not sure how that happened. Then the gods said we aren't done with you and brought him back to life. Isis set a baby on fire and was upset at his mom for rescuing him because now he can't have immortality. She actually did kill the king's other son on (maybe) accident when he walked in on her kissing her dead husband's corpse. Oh and the cherry on top was Osiris' body was cut up and a fish swallowed his penis. 

Bibliography. Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie, links to the reading

Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Part B

Okay so by this point I've discovered that nothing makes sense! All the stories directly contradict each other, the parrot is reverse psychology-ing to the point where any reasonable person would have figured out what he is doing, and Khojisteh should just go see the lover and accept the shame of it because she is too stupid to figure out she is being tricked by a BIRD!

A King Falls in Love and the End of Khojisteh

I read this entire convoluted, mess of a story for that ending?! It didn't even make sense! Either I missed something or there are just too many plot holes for anyone to follow this story! When did Khojisteh ever meet the suitor so that she could kill him? Did she really kill him or did the parrot make that up? Why did the parrot go through all that trouble of telling a story every night just to have her killed in the end? Why is the parrot such a little sociopath? I have so many questions that were left unanswered because the ending was so rushed! I thought everything was going to tie together nicely in the end but it didn't and I'm so confused! What was the point of the story then? The messages I learned were all about how to be a worse person and screw people over.......... omigosh I get it. The bird was doing that all along. He was setting her up the entire time to be killed. He was telling her all of these terrible stories about getting away with bad deeds and in the other stories goodness rarely prevailed. They would do terrible things, confess, and still get killed or shamed or something equally terrible. I figured it out! Omigosh!

(Gif from Giphy)

Bibliography. The Tooti Nameh or Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi, links to the reading here

Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Part A

As soon as I read the description for this book, I knew I had found my reading for the week! The parrot telling a story a night to prevent his mistress from visiting her lover immediately sparked the idea of setting this story in a sorority house and having girls tell different stories to prevent someone from going out. My friends and I used to do this all the time for one of our friends who always wanted to go out, meet the same guy, and go home with him, even though she would tell us every time to never let her do that again. We realized we couldn't tell her no because she would just do it anyways, so we used some great reverse psychology (like the parrot) and would basically make her think that it was her idea in the first place not to go out. Worked every time.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Miemun and Khojisteh/ Khojisteh and the Parrot

I combined the first two stories in my notes because to me they both acted as the prologue and set the scene for how everything was going to go down. I'm so glad this story had a sort of prologue to explain everything. I thought that Khojisteh was single and the parrot just really cared about her well-being or thought her lover was bad for her. It's nice to know that she has a husband and now wants to have an affair because he is gone and that the parrot is telling her stories to protect his own skin because she killed the bird that protested to her leaving the house. I don't know how I feel about Khojisteh yet. If she and her husband love each other so much that she sunk into a depression when he left, then why is she trying to run into the arms of the first man she's seen since her husband left? Does she love her husband or does she just not like being lonely? These are the real questions! 

The Old Lion and the Cat

The entire time I was reading these stories I was wondering if Khojisteh really wanted to go to her lover. She keeps asking the parrot for permission (which is weird in it's own right) and the bird keeps saying "yes but I hope you lover isn't like this guy" and then she wants to know the story which takes all night to tell! Are these just the longest stories ever or the shortest nights?! Anyways, I liked this story because the parrot brings up the fact that Khojiteh keeps listening to her stories and not going. Again this makes me wonder if she is just lonely because now that the parrot is telling her stories and keeping her company she doesn't seem to mind missing her suitor every night. Also ,is this guy just the most understanding guy ever or the worst guy ever?! Khojisteh is standing him up every night and he hasn't sent a note asking what's up! 

Bibliography. The Tooti Nameh or Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi, links to the reading here

Reading Notes: Olvid's Metamorphoses II, Part B

Part B of the reading was two long myths, each broken up into smaller parts. I decided the best way to take notes on these was to just discuss both myths in full instead of breaking it up into the little sections because way too much happened to try and split it all up.

(Photo from some ecards)

Procne, Philomela, and Tereus

Where to even begin on this crazy tale? We could all tell that this wasn't gonna be a happy tale when the wedding of Procne and Tereus was attended by the same creatures that attend funerals, but I really didn't expect the ending I got! I mean I don't want to spoil it for anyone but this was some serious Criminal Minds stuff. My favorite character was the father because it was clear how much he loved his daughters and if he knew what Tereus was going to do to either daughter, he would never have sent them with him. It was a nice departure from the uncaring and callous fathers that are so often depicted. Honestly the whole myth was very modern in that the women aren't treated as dumb or unable to fight back. It was very, very tragic though but I really wouldn't change anything about it because while everyone did terrible things, everyone also lost something and was punished for their actions.

Medea

Another tale of betrayal and crazy twists and turns, except this one includes magic! When Medea is telling us about her love for Jason in the beginning, it felt very much like a fourteen year old girl telling her diary about her love for her current crush and how the world is so unfair for keeping them apart. It was very annoying especially because I knew beforehand that Jason betrays her and you're just kind of like "awwww sweetie of course he was going to tell you all these things to sleep with you and then never talk to you again." Of course, Jason actually does marry Medea after she helps him win the golden fleece. He then asks her to restore his father's youth, which she does, and then she kills Jason's evil uncle, and then Jason leaves her for another woman. She then sets everything on fire and flies away on a dragon. She was basically the original Deaneyrus and she just came off as super crazy but also a little justifiably crazy.

Bibliography. Olvid's Metamorphoses II by Tony Kilne, links to readings here 

Reading Notes: Olvid's Metamorphoses II, Part A

Some of these transformations were pretty brutal. I didn't expect the transformations to be so graphic and gory, and I was honestly a little taken off guard. These really should have come with a warning that the people of Lycia are just awful and you think they would have learned to treat the gods better.

Arachne and Minerva

I had heard a little bit about this myth before didn't know the full story and I found Arachne and Minerva and the follow up myth, Arachne Weaves a Web, pretty interesting. I was very impressed with Arachne's call out of the gods even though the entire time I was like just admit someone taught you to weave and you could've avoided all of this. I also thought she was an idiot to call out Minerva as the old woman but then it all made sense when she wove the tapestry of all the times the gods had tricked people to best them and cover up their own mistakes. I think it would be interesting to write a storybook about all the times the gods got called out on their mistakes because I think it would hilarious.

Niobe Rejects Latona

Now this story was filled with just so much stupidity on Niobe's part. I totally get Arachne's pride and her great call out of the gods because she knew that she was going to probably be killed no matter what so why not go out with a bang. Niobe on the other hand continually spits in the goddess's face. Her pride in the beginning was kind of justifiable because it could have been played off as a general question to the gods about why she wasn't worshipped as a goddess because she had all the qualifications. Then, in The Death of Niobe's Children, after all her sons have been killed, she begs Latona to stop and leave her daughters alive but then insults the goddess again! You idiot! I could just picture all the gods stopping a second to look at each other and be like "did she really just ask that?" Honestly I would just rewrite this from another god's perspective and have them commentate on the entire thing. 

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Olvid's Metamorphoses II by Tony Kilne; links to readings here 

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), Part B

I tried to read these fables with the mindset of retelling them in a high school setting just like I did with Part A. So again I tried to put the animals into human stereotypes, but I'm starting to realize that the stereotypes for each animal aren't consistent. That's really cool though because nobody is that one dimensional not even the animals in fables. Except for the snake, it's always evil.

(Photo from Imgflip)

The Man and the Serpent

I really connected with this story's message of "injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten." I think it's something everyone experiences at least once in their life whether it be with a friend, a lover, or even a family member. I would definitely love to tell this story but I don't think it really needs a retelling since it is already so relatable.

The Wind and the Sun

I like this tale because it can be retold in so many ways. If I stay with my theme of high school, I might write a story that features siblings trying to make friends at their new school on their first day. They decide to make it a competition and then they meet is the guy who always speaks in fables. With his cryptic message they don't understand they are set to relive the fable with one sibling having a very harsh approach to people and the other one being much nicer.


Bibliography. Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs; link to the reading online.