Mythology and Folklore

As I was interested in reading some of the stories from the European unit, I decided to get ahead and see what stories were available. I was intrigued by the Italian section as it was meant to have a twist to some fairy tales. The story I read was Water and Salt, a story originally from Sicily. I was not sure what the original fairy tale was as I had never heard any story that resembled the plot from this story. The ending was unexpected as I was expecting the solution to be more clever than just have the king miss not having salt in his food. I thought there might be some lesson about how salt and water do not mix, but I guess the ending was meant to be simplistic as it is a fairy tale. I also wish that there was more elaboration on the magician in the story. Why did the daughter have to invite three kings? How did the magician know about the salt and water situation? Who is the prince the princess is marrying? Why did the king so easily agree to not serve salt and water to the king ...

Similar to Part A of the Welsh Fairy Tales, Part B is a collection of short stories. A story that caught my attention from Part B of the unit was Melangell's Lambs. Reading the story made me somewhat surprised as there really were no lambs in the story. This is because the animals in the story are hares, or rabbits, and not lambs. However, because they were saved by Melangell, they were later referred to as her lambs. Perhaps there is just a cultural reference that I do not get, but this certainly surprised me when I was reading the story. Researching the Kingdom of Powys revealed to me that it was originally located in what is known today as the English West Midlands. Moreover the name Powys is of Latin origin and means dwellers of the country side. There really is not much significant of the kingdom other many battle and feuds that are part of their existence. Researching Melangell revealed to me that she is fact a saint who was venerated in 590. She even has a church dedicated t...

Like many of the other units that I have read in the weeks prior, the Welsh Fairy Tales is a collection of short stories. I was attracted to the unit as I have always been interested by King Arthur, and thus the first story in Part A of the Welsh Fairy Tales caught my attention. Arthur in the Cave was an intriguing read as it explored his story years after he lived. I like how the story was set up to where the reader was kind of traveling back in time to revisit King Arthur and his knights who have been sleeping for a 1000 years. I do wish the story elaborated more on the sorcerer as there is much more that could be detailed there. Perhaps the sorcerer is Merlin or a descendent of him? I feel like this could tie in other facets of the King Arthur world into the story. Moreover, I think there could be more details on the Welshman. He does not even have a name in the story, and there is not much known about him other that he sold cattle for a great profit and was meandering through Lond...

Similar to Part A of the Celtic Fairy Tale unit, Part B is a collection of short stories. While the story I read in Part A was more focused on the supernatural, the story I read in Part B, Beth Gellert, was grounded to realistic events. Overall, the story was quite sad due to the tragic ending of the story. Once the Prince saw that the dog had blood in his mouth, I can have had an inclination that he would blame the dog for supposedly murdering his child. Being a big dog person, this made the ending of the story even more sad to read. Perhaps in a potential retelling of the story I can portray the dog as a hero who is able to be rewarded for his actions of saving the child from the wolf. Researching Gellert on Google has revealed that the story has more significance than realized. There are portraits depicting the dog saving the child, and there is even a grave in the village of Beddgelert, Wales. However, this grave has no historical significance as it was meant more as a tourist att...

The Celtic Fairy Tales unit is a collection of short stories from the books of Joseph Jacobs. While the stories were written in 1892, they are overall quite easy to read as they are written in modern prose. Specifically, I focused on The Horned Women of the stories offered in Part A of the unit. Reading this story was somewhat confusing to keep up with due to the many rituals and of the witches, but I seemed to get the basic understanding of the story. I was left wondering why exactly the witches decided to come to the home of the mistress and begin weaving. It is all very peculiar and perhaps my inability to understand the witches ceremony may be due to my lack of knowledge of Irish culture. Also is there any significance with Slievenamon, the home of the witches? I also wonder if there is anymore to do with the Spirit of the Well. For example, does the Spirit of the Well have a history with witches. Are there more stories detailing the relationship between the spirit and the witches...

Part B of the Great Plains unit is similar to Part A in that is a collection of short stories. Also similar to Part A is the emphasis on animals. A particular animal story that caught my attention was Why the Possum Plays Dead. The title of the story was what made me to choose and write about the story as I have always wondered why the possum chooses to play dead. Normally short stories such as this one tend to give an explanation of the a real world phenomenon, so I was interested in seeing how this Native American story from the Great Plains explained the possum's actions. The focus of the animals is seen through the personification of both the rabbit and possum. The animals are given the ability to speak and be understood by the reader, and as such, they are the main characters of the story. I was somewhat confused by the setting of the story when they mentioned how they wanted to get married. Were the animals visiting villages of humans or people and who exactly were the anim...

Similar to the California and Southwest unit of the Native American stories I read last week, the Great Plain stories were a collection of stories from Native American tribes commonly found in the Great Plains. The story I singled out was The Eagle's Revenge. This was notable to me as it referenced the Cherokee tribe which is quite well known from East Texas where I am from. There is even a lake called Lake Cherokee near by! Reading The Eagle's Revenge was quick but it was interesting, and there is plenty to unpack. I wonder first what the significance of the animals used in the story are, as they are crucial to the development of the plot. My research into the significance of the bald eagle in Cherokee Culture led me to find that it is held in the highest regard by the Cherokee people. It was believed that the Creator made the eagle the master of the sky, and its symbolism is os significant that Cherokee boys were given eagle feathers to symbolize their transition to manhood....

Part B of the California and the Southwestern Legends is similar to Part A in that is a collection short stories from the region. Specifically, I read The Boy Who Became A God. It is from the Navajo people of Arizona and New Mexico. The story mentions the brothers are part of the Tolchini, which are a clan of the Navajo. My research failed to bring up any new information of this clan, so perhaps it is a small sect of the Navajo community. I also did look up Wind Mountain and happened to find that it is located in Washington and Oregon. This is interesting as the Navajo are mainly associated with the Southwest and go mainly as north as Utah and Colorado. Regarding the story, it is interesting to see the influence of animals among the Navajo tribe. Sheep, crows, and deer all play a prominent role in the story, particularly the sheep. The sheep, as mentioned in the note before the story, highlights the importance of the sheep among the community. While researching sheep among the Navajo,...

The California and Old Southwest unit of the Native American readings are collection of many myths and folktales. This includes stories from California, New Mexico, and Arizona. In particular, I read The Creation of the World. I was attracted to this story as I had read the story of Adam and Eve from the Biblical unit and wanted to compare the two cultures in how they detail the origin of the world. The Creation of the World centers around not an ambiguous god or lord, but rather a creator named the Earth Doctor. While researching the Earth Doctor, I found no information elaborating on the specifics of this creator. However, the note above the story details how the Earth Doctor is from the Pima people of central and southern Arizona, so perhaps this Earth Doctor is isolated to their community. Regarding the story itself, it is interesting to see how the Earth Doctor chose which parts of the world to exist first. The Adam and Eve story centers around the creation of the first humans. P...

Like Part A of the South African Tales, Part B is very animal focused. This is not surprising due to the prominence of animals in African stories typically, and it is story type that I have always found interesting to read. While this is a short story, there is a lot to unpack as well as I could add in a potential story retelling. The three animals, Jackal, Dove, and Heron, all play an integral role in the plot of the story. What I found interesting is the common pattern of using three animals or humans in a story and the title. This was seen when I read the Indian tales about the Brahman, Jackal, and Tiger, as well as my previous South African story of the Lion, Jackal and the Man. Perhaps there is some significance to using three titular characters for the stories across cultures. Reading this story, the main lesson taken away is how the heron's neck becomes bent. Most short stores tend to be significant in that have a meaning or explanation of some real world phenomenon. What I...

The South African Folk tales are a collection of short stories that have a heavy focus on animals from Africa, Many of the stories are about elephants, lions, jackals, or even ostriches. In particular I read the story, The Lion, The Jackal, and The Man . The story title reminded me of the story The Brahman, The Tiger, and The Jackal, from the Indian short stories which is why I immediately chose to read this short story. Like the Indian story, this story has a dominant animal, the Indian one being the tiger and the South African story being a lion. Additionally, both stories eventually lead to the fall or defeat of the lion and tiger. Also notable is how the jackal is common to both stories. My research of jackals led me to find that they are commonly located in India and Africa, so it really is not a surprise that they are in both stories. Moreover, I found out that the jackal is a close relative of the coyote and are often depicted as a clever, witty animal in numerous myths and folk...

Like Part A of the Filipino tales, Part B is a collection of short stories from the Philippines. One story read was Why Mosquitoes Hum. I was drawn to this story because I was curious to see how the stories explained the humming of mosquitoes. As I am sure many people can agree, this buzzing can often be a nuisance. Without the help of the note above the story, I probably would have not understood the characters in the story. I tried to research the character names online to see the language of origin but failed to find an answer. I would think the names are of Tagalog origin due to the presence of the language on the islands, but it is difficult to confirm my inclination. It is interesting to see how the author uses personification to bring the animals to life in the story. I was confused by the author mean when the Lamoc, or mosquitoes, were carrying fire. If perhaps the the Lamoc referred to lightning bugs, then it would make more sense, but this confusion may be due to lack of und...

Similar to the folktales and short stories seen in the other units, the Filipino folktales consist of a collection of short stories. An interesting and notable story of the collection was The Clever Husband and Wife . The story recounts a Servant who manipulates his master to obtain a wife and money. It is interesting to note the name of the servant, Pedro. Pedro seems to be more of a Latino name, rather than a traditional Filipino name, so this is perhaps commenting on the Spanish influence on the Philippines since the the Philippines used to be a colony of Spain. Additionally, the name of the wife, Marta, also indicates Spanish influence. The doctor's residence, a hacienda, is also a Spanish word meaning a large estate or plantation. Overall, it is clear that the Spanish have had a large influence on the Philippines.  I also found interesting the title of the story and the outcome of the story. While the servant and his wife were certainly clever in stealing money from the ...

Part B of the Khasi Folktales continues from Part A with a collection of short stories. One story of interest was The Leap of Ka Likai. It follows the story of a widow who becomes distraught due to the unfortunate loss of her daughter. The waterfall she jumps into due to her distress is named after her. When researching Kai Likai, it appears the actual waterfall is in north-eastern India, specifically in the East Khasi Hills of the Meghalaya. The wikipedia page also mentions the story when explaining how the waterfall got its name. Regarding the story, it is weird how the husband seems to suffer no punishment for his actions. He killed the daughter of his step-wife and prepared her remains in a curry dish. Perhaps if I choose to rewrite the story, I would create a punishment for the husband and his deeds. The only explanation I could see for the lack of punishments is the lack of women empowerment in the region. Nonetheless, this is an aspect of the story I could explore in a uni...

Part B of the Jewish Fairy Tales is similar to Part A in that is a collection of short stories and fairytales. They seem to be mainly directed to children as they are easy to read and tend to impart some a lesson or wisdom onto the reader. Of the short stories, King for Three Days was notable as one of the characters is an actual historical character. The historical connection is seen at the end of this story as statues of Godfrey de Bouillon are mentioned to exist currently in places such has Belgium.  Godfrey de Bouillon in the short story is depicted as a greedy king with a dislike of the Jews and thus wants to take over Jerusalem. In regards to history, Godfrey de Bouillon did in fact take over Jerusalem and like he does in the story, he refuses to call label himself as king of the city. While Godfrey de Bouillon reason for conquering Jerusalem was due to his hatred of the Jews, his actual reason for doing so in real life was due Pope Urban II calling for crusade to liber...

The six stories from Part A of the Jewish Fairy Tales were reminiscent of many folk tales: short and with a simple lesson or explanation of some part of life. Notably, the story of the Cat and Dog and how they became categorized as enemies was an interesting read. While it focused on the development of the rivalry between cat and god, it also included some biblical characters such as Adam. The story characterizes the cat to be more unlikeable and evil while the dog is considered the unlucky animal that is trying to make it day by day. There is obvious personification as the reader is able to listen to the animal's dialogue, but the animals are also able to communicate with Adam himself. Other animal characters are included such as the wolf. The wolf is depicted as a kind character, but his decision to make the dog go drive the intruders away almost cost the dog his life. As such the wolf's characterization is controversial as it might be in its depiction throughout other folkt...

The second part of the Adam and Eve unit brought closure to the two titular characters. Much of the story was a contrast to the beginning of Adam and Eve as the God punished the two for their transgression. Adam and Eve are exposed to much of the opposite of what is seen in The Garden such as darkness, a desire for water, and heat from the sun. This stark contrast from the paradise of what they had experienced before makes it clear to the reader the severity of their sin. Additionally, Part B brings back the serpent and his role as an adversary. Yet, this time God is able to foil his plans and takes away his ability to speak. The serpent's characterization as a villain has not changed from the previous stories. However, Adam and Eve do see a transformation in Part B. Having been favored among God, they soon fall out his favor and are forced to dwell in a cave for five and half days. The culmination of the story does lead to Adam and Eve falling back into good grace as they offer th...

Comparing the story of Adam and Eve in the King James Version and the Ginzberg version shows a difference in presentation of the genesis story. While the King James version was more difficult to read, it did align more with the true content of the story as the Ginzberg version was written through a Jewish perspective. Although the plot is well known and it can be difficult to comment on religious stories, I think it it is interesting to analyze the characters of Adam among the two versions. The King James version is not as "hyperbolic' in the description of Adam as compared to Ginzberg. This may due to Ginzber's story being quite longer than the King James version. Nevertheless, Ginzberg presents Adam as supernatural before his downfall, having a height that reached the heavens. He is also described as having celestial clothing that prevents him from being seen as naked. Additionally, Ginzberg makes use of much personification in his stories, The moon, sun, and Earth are ...

The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal  Reading this Indian fairytale reminded me of the many other short stories that I have read where the cunning animal defeats the powerful adversary ( Hare and tortoise for example).  My immediate imagery from reading this short story was similar to that of The Jungle Book. The collection of animals such as the tiger, monkey, buffalo, and jackal created an image of a hot, Indian jungle. Additionally, the author uses specific examples such as "pipal-tree" to help conjure this image. In regard to the characters, the Brahman was an easy figure to support in the story. My research of a Brahman revealed that they are normally priests or teachers of the Indian caste system which helps explain why the tiger labels the Brahman as being "pious". It is clear that the Brahman's greatest strengths are his virtue and integrity, but in the story, they prove to be his weakness initially. However, despite being held captive by the tiger,...

My plan for the semester! Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Gospel of Mark Week 4: Jewish Fairy Tales Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Ramayana Week 6: Indian Fairy Tales Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: West African Folktales Week 9: Filipino Popular Tales Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: British North America Week 11: Tejas Indians Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Beowulf Week 13: King Arther Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Dante's Inferno Examining the Un-Textbook made me excited for what is to come in the semester. I am interested in reading a variety of notable stories that I kind of understand or heard of, such as Beowulf and King Arthur, but do not truly know. These are stories I always wanted to read due ...