Week 11 Reading Notes: Myths of the Cherokee, Part A

The Deluge-

This one is short and sweet. I immediately read it because I love flood stories, and how virtually all civilizations seem to have some form of flood in their mythologies. I could really enjoy writing from the perspective of the man who survived the flood and expand on the valley of bones, which really spooked me out.

Great Flood by Bonaventura Peeters; Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tobacco and Strawberries-

I'd really like to write a story over the strawberry origin story, simply because it made my heart smile. I could write it as an inner monologue within the Sun as he tries to get the woman to stop and return home. I could imagine his frustration at the situation.

Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).

Week 10 Storytelling: A Tale of the First Men and the First Death

I was the first man. Well, I was one among the first men during the beginning of the world. In that time, there was no sun and the only light we had was in our houses. You see, in the before time water could burn like oil, so we always had a light going to shelter us from the abyss beyond. I don't remember much of my childhood. I remember willow bushes and being cold. Then I recall my mother's face. She was the first warmth I had ever felt. Then I saw my father. Together they brought up my brothers and sisters. Clothing and feeding us food from the earth. Soon, more people came and grew up with us. Men became husbands and women became wives. More children were born. Soon my family grew very large.

As good as it was to have soon many relatives, I wanted a friend. Someone different from me, that had strengths and weaknesses that complimented my own. So I went out with a rope and began to hit it on the ground saying, "Hok! Hok! Hok!".

As I did, dogs formed from the snowy hills and came to me, so then my friends arrived. I played with my dogs for many days and they, too, multiplied. Soon I met my wife and had many children with her. My family grew ever larger. As the years went on, I grew older and older. I have now gone blind, and have become lame. I simply wish to die.

Two of my sisters who share my fate speak thus: "It is better to live in darkness, if we can be without death!"

"No!" I said, "For I would have my children to have light and my self be able to lie down."

As I spoke, my words became reality.

The sun began to rise above the horizon, and light streamed over the hills, melting away the snow. Everyone walked out of their homes and was stunned by the beauty.

Presently, I am standing in the light. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, my body and soul are warmed by its presence. I feel it calling me up to it. Am I to be the first to die?

My body remains laying on the warm ground as I lift myself toward the sun, the source of light and my own death. For with the sun comes time. But the darkness will soon fall on my children again, so I shall give myself as I light to them. Every night I will rise to smile on my children and keep the darkness that I knew in my life from them forever.

The souls of those who have died watching over the night sky; Source: Pixabay

Author's Note: The original story was about how the first men came to earth and grew in populations. Most of my story has similar details to the original, only mine is told as though being recounted by the first man to die. In the original, those who died went into the sky to become a star, which I hinted at near the end.

Source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part B

Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother-

I really want to retell this one from the perspective of one of the hunters who saw the beast fall onto Papik. I really love monsters and curses in myths and folklore, so this is definitely down my alley. I might expand more on a single hunter and make up some kind of backstory about how he knew papik and the curse his mother in law placed on him. 

The monster is described as a bear. Source: Pixabay

Source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part A

The Coming of Men:

This has got to be one of my favorite creation stories thematically. The breaking of the stereotypical sun bringing life is very interesting. In this story, the sun brought death unto people, but in return they could leave their homes and hunt. I would really enjoy writing a story from the perspective of one of these 'first men'. Maybe I could even write the life story of the first man to die, who just couldn't figure out how to die. I could also have him recounting the events of his life, like when the first woman found him and made him clothes, or when he found the dogs. Lots of possibilities with this one.

The Giant Dog:

This is a strange story with an unusual twist at the end, but I like that. I could write the story from the perspective of the man who owns the giant dog, or even a frightened villager recounting the tales of this monstrous beast.

Source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Image:Drawing of a giant dog lifting a sleeping man out of bed. Main illustration for the story "The Fangs of Tsan-Lo". Internal illustration from the Canadian reprint edition of the pulp magazine Weird Tales (January 1946, vol. 38, no. 3, page 77). Source: Wikimedia

Week 9 Storytelling: The Unfortunate Fate of Asinus

Have I ever told you the story of Asinus, the fool? No? Well it is a story of great compassion but also great betrayal...

Long ago, there lived a man named Asinus. In the time before I met him, he was wandering around in the land of Macedonia. He was a right fool, and a selfish one at that. Many times he was set to visit me, but always would find some distraction, by chance. Then one day, he fell into a pit. By whom this pit was dug, I'm unsure, but I had the utmost gratitude when I heard he was finally in a position in which I could find him. When I happened upon this pit, I found he was not alone; He had the company of a viper, a mouse, and a lion. Although these beasts did not frighten me, I delayed to go in the pit to him, as I figured he wasn't going anywhere. So I left on other business for a brief time. When I returned to the pit, I was annoyed to find that Asinus and all the others were gone. "How could this be!" I cried in alarm.

That is when the viper slithered by. I stopped it to ask how they all escaped. "The generous hunter happened upon us, sir. We begged him to free us, and free us he did! In return, we all gave him a gift. The lion pledged to bring the man a portion of his hunt to eat. The mouse would bring him valuables that it found on its travels. I surrendered a highly sought after anodyne for my venom." The viper explained.

"A cure for a snake bite? How quaint. I hope you don't give that out to every man who pulls you from a hole!" I said

"Nary a thought of it!" replied the serpent, "Besides, it only works if mixed with the blood of a traitor."

"And the man that shared the pit with you? What gift did he give the hunter?"

"He had nothing to give, so he pledged his servitude in exchange for his life."

"His life should not be his to give!" I said as the anger swelled inside.

I then searched out for this hunter who had saved the fool. I found a small hut not too far away, but it had been abandoned. He must have moved recently. Finally, after many weeks of searching, I found the hunter. He had grown rich with the gifts from the animals, and lived in a mansion. Before I could approach to question him regarding Asinus, he was arrested by some guards! I simply could not sit by and let my only lead be carried off to lord knows where. I followed them to a palace, where he was told the reason for his arrest. He was accused of stealing the local patrician's valuables to bolster his own wealth. And who had accused him? None other than that fool Asinus. 

It seemed this good man was about to die for a lie. I quickly found the viper and asked a favor of it to save his life. It agreed, and I bought it to the patrician's son. It bit him and infected him with its deadly venom. The patrician begged for someone to help him. The hunter caught wind of these events and offered his cure. However, he told them he needed the blood of a traitor to make it work. After hearing out the hunter's story, the patrician believed him and ceased Asinus.

That day, the hunter helped save the patrician's son, and Asinus... Well, I finally had a chance to catch up with him.

Author's Note: The original tale was of a hunter in Africa saving a snake, mouse, tiger, and man from a trap and each rewarding him with wealth, a snake bite cure, and servitude. The man he saves betrays him by claiming he acquired his wealth by dishonest means. In the end, the day is saved by the snake bite venom, much like my story ends. The main difference between these two stories is that my takes place in Macedonia during the days of Rome. I chose this setting because I'm a bit more familiar with it and I wanted to diverge more from the original. The other major change was the choice to have death narrate the story. I didn't want it to be entirely obvious that it was death searching out Asinus (which is later for fool), but give it a more subtle almost missable quality. 

Bibliography: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Image: The fate of Asinus. Crux Simplex by Justus Lipsius (1547-1606); Source: Wikimedia

Reading Notes: West Africa, Part B

I really enjoyed the story of the Ram and the Leopard. The story is pretty funny, honestly, with the two creatures building the same home without the other knowing. And the premise of the ram slipping and scaring off the leopard is pretty entertaining as well. Though if I were to retell this, I'm not sure how to go about doing it. I could change the animals, like make it a wolf and a donkey or something.

I also could retell the story of the Ungrateful Man, but changing the setting and characters into a corporate setting. I'd change each animal into a person of various positions in a company or something like that. The ungrateful man could be like an intern or something. That could be funny.

Bibliography: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).
Images: (left) Amur Leopard Pittsburgh Zoo; Source: Wikimedia Commons
(Right) Photo of a Ram uploaded to Pixabay; Source: Pixabay

Reading Notes: West African Folktales, Part A

I really enjoyed the story about Anansi and Nothing. The whole time I was waiting for the punchline about his name being nothing and was surprised when it finally came up. I'd like to do this, but with a modern America twist. Make nothing a part guy with a crappy job and Anansi some big shot business man or something. I'd probably also change the detail about nothing's wife being given to him, as that is kind of weird to me.

Poor nothing and Rich Anansi

Picture posted by user geralt; Source: Pixabay

Week 8 Progress

After reviewing my grades and the points I need to aquire an A, I see that I'm currently just a few points shy of getting a B at this point. And while that wouldn't be the end of the world, I see no reason to not get an A. So it seems I'll have to step up my extra credit game in order to achieve that.

I'm pretty happy with my work so far. I'm comfortable with it, but I should push myself so I can get that A. For the rest of the semester, I will have to get that weekend homework done ASAP on Friday, so it doesn't keep biting my butt on Sunday evenings. And like I've already said, I need to do more extra credit.

Image posted to Wikimedia Commons by user Dungdm93; Source: Wikimedia Commons

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Overall, I receive very positive feedback for my stories and project. Most of the time it's only praise though, but sometimes I get a bit of criticism and questions clarifying points in my stories. As far as my own commenting goes, I'm pretty satisfied with it, usually pointing out at least one thing they could do better, but I think I should spend more time on other improvements the person could make on their stories. I actually really enjoy the bloggosphere we've created for this class and it's nice reading my classmates stories just for fun sometimes. Although, I still prefer face to face interaction, this is still a nice way to socialize without going to class. I suppose making feedback more useful to me would require me to read them more often as I'm working on a new story, so I can learn from my past mistakes and use that feed back as a building block for new projects.

(cheezburger)

I chose this image because it doesn't help to just find a mistake, but look for the reason it was made and correct accordingly.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

After looking through my previous stories and writings from the semester, I've realized several things.

1. I've gotten much better at condensing the stories into the 800-1000 word limit. My first few were awfully long, and now my last couple have started to get shorter. I think that's a good thing. I'm learning how to convey information in smaller quicker chunks.

2. I need to write better reading notes. Right now, my notes are basically a reminder of what story I want to retell that week with a few ideas. I bet if I added more to them, the writing process for the stories would be a lot less stressful and rushed.

3. My favorite section, by far, was the biblical stories one. I really enjoyed retelling those stories in a different way. It was just fun take take these stories from my childhood and make my own from them.

4. My project is going to be really tough when it comes to finding sources that are reputable. I'm actually falling behind because I can't get a hold of someone I was going to ask for a story from!

5. I'd say my biggest accomplishment was just staying on task and doing all the assignments, even when I really didn't feel like it. Usually by the time I finished, I realized that I really enjoy it. So I guess I've found my love for storytelling.

The picture above was the one I featured in my last story, "The Warrior, the Princess, and the Dragon". I like it so much because I'm a total medieval history nerd, I love the archetype of the hero slaying the beast to save the damsel, and the idea of the hero killing the dragon hearkens to the story of Christ and his victory over evil.

Image: Saint George Killing the Dragon by Bernat Matorell (1434); Source: Wikimedia Commons

Week 7 Storytelling: The Warrior, the Princess, and the Dragon

The warrior found himself wandering in the lands of the northern realms when he happened upon a trio on the road. He saw a crone and a codger and a beautiful young maiden. Her sight brought him to question why she and they should be upon this road. As he came near he saw that they cried with each other as though they were parting for a final time. "Hail, good people. Do you have want of aid?" he asked.

The old man turned to him, with tears welling in his eyes. He stood and stumbled to the warrior and said, "Aye, young swordsman. I was once the king of all this land, but a beast from hell has come upon us and we have lost all that we had. It devoured our warriors, our horses, and our surfs. It broke our castles, our strongholds, and our towns. The demon burned my sons but spared my wife and daughters. Since then, every fifth day, he would come back and devour another of my daughters. Three he has claimed, and now my final child now awaits the same fate. I have begged him to take my life instead, but he revels in my pain."

The warrior gave his word that on that very day the beast would die, but only if the princess would be his reward. She consented to wed him should her life be saved. So the warrior went from them, and began his work. He hunted one hundred stags and two hundred boars. He seasoned them with salts and spices he acquired on his travels to far away lands. The spices were known to be too much for even the mightiest man to eat.  He called upon the Lord and saints to bless the water of a nearby stream. As he finished his prayers a breeze swept through the land, and the sweet smell caught the attention of the great dragon that was on his way to eat the maiden. He turned and flew toward the feast the hero prepared.

The  warrior hid in the bushes as the hell-spawn ravaged the carrion. he ate until all the morsels were devoured, then let out a great roar. The pain from the spices made the serpent writhe and plead. It ran to the river and began to suck the water up. Only after the river was empty and the water no longer flowed was the beast at last satiated. It rolled onto its back and fell into a slumber, for it had eaten a great deal of flesh.

As the monster slept, the warrior fell upon it, striking at its heart. The dragon awoke quickly and lowered its jaw to bring fire upon the man. But his hell-fire was quenched by the blessed water of the stream. The dragon realized this only as the warrior's blade pierced into his heart. It let out one final roar as its life blood shot from the wound. 

On that day, the warrior wed the princess and built a new kingdom that was even great than his father-in-law's had ever been.

Saint George Killing the Dragon by Bernat Matorell (1434); Source: Wikimedia Commons

Author's Notes: The story this is based on was a Japanese legend about a warrior god fighting an eight headed serpent to rescue a goddess to marry. In that story, the warrior entices it with super strong alcohol and gets it drunk. I wanted to go in the same vein as that, but couldn't figure out where my warrior would get the alcohol. So I went with having him hunt a ton of animals and then trick the dragon into drinking holy water. 

Bibliography: Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

Reading Notes: Japanese Mythology, Part A

The Miraculous Mirror-

The poetic form this story takes is wonderful. If I retell this story, I deeply hope to recreate that ABAB Rhyme scheme. It could prove tricky, but I think I could do it.

At first reading, this story was hard to understand, at least for me. The flowery language really threw me off a bit. I suppose that can be expected when converting a language like Japanese into English.
If I retell this story I'd like to change the main character to be the one who makes the mirror to fool Amaterasu into coming out. I feel like the original story kind of ignores who actually made it, so that could be a fun direction to take. I might also change the ending to where they have to fight the dragon because he was also forgotten at the end of the story.

The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi-

Ah, the classic hero saving the beautiful damsel from a fierce beast. I have wanted to write a story about a hero saving a princess of sorts all semester, and I might have just found a great one to retell. My story would be set in medieval Europe, though because that's material I have somewhat of a grasp on. I might throw out the whole daughter of the gods thing, but who knows, maybe I can make it work. Also, The previous story about the mirror inspires me to write this one in a poetic form as well. I just might try it.

Miniature of St George and the Dragon, ms. of Legenda Aurea, dated 1348

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).