Blog for 3043 Mythology and Folklore

Alice the Mouse: An Adaptation of Belling the Cat Photo by Flickr Alice nervously ran her paws down her tawny fur.   Her tail flicked agitatedly as she implored Frank for the third time, “Are we absolutely sure nobody else can do this?” Frank huffed as he shut his book and adjusted his glasses to better meet her obsidian eyes.   From his seat in the recliner in their small living room he could see her eyes crinkling with worry and her nose twitching intermittently.   “Did we not decide this was the best course of action?” he replied calmly.   He didn’t want to send Alice into harm’s way, but she was the most dispensable mouse in the nest.   She was too young to begin her work as a master, but too old to remain an apprentice.   It wasn’t his fault that she hadn’t chosen a specialty on time.   “Yes, I understand, but how do we even know this is feasible,” Alice rambled, “I mean, how am I actually supposed to even get that close...

Reading Notes Part B ( Photo by PIxabay ) Hassebu Wow, it was pretty rude of the other guys to leave him! I also didn't expect that Hassebu would be willing to go work at all.  I totally thought this was going to be one of those stories where a spoiled mama's boy wasn't going to ever work. Hassebu Continued I really found myself wishing that Hassebu would have just listened to his friend, the King of the Snakes.  I was so disappointed when he had to carry his friend back to be killed.  I'm happy for Hassebu, but he's literally only successful because someone died to get him there.  That's a really steep price to pay.   The Heart of a Monkey This story reminds me a little but of Scheherazade so far because it is a story going into a story! I'm glad the monkey made it back to land after the Shark tricked him, and I'm happy he's getting to have a little bit of fun with the shark now. The Heart of a Monkey: The Washerman's Don...

Reading Notes Week 7 Asia and Africa Photo by Flickr Motikatika I think this was a little dull... I'm hoping that it continues as gets better.  Motikatika Continued Okay, I wasn't disappointed.  This turned out to be better than I thought it would.  I love that the kid got so sassy at the end!  Jackal and Spring I liked this story enough, but I didn't like the lack of empathy and personal responsibility on the part of the animals who weren't guarding the well.  I think they should've brought forth more well thought out offers. Adventures of Jackal Oh man, the Jackal really has gotten himself into a predicament here. I'm wondering if he knowingly deceived the panther or if that's just how shoes work. Adventures of Jackal Continued It's pretty clear right from the get-go here that the Jackal did this intentionally.  Maybe I just missed that in the first part of the story?  I also feel like the old man was kind of le...

Reading Notes: Extra Credit Reading Week 7, Part A ( Photo by Wikipedia ) The Two Frogs This story was cute.  I actually really enjoyed it!  It was so happy when the frogs became friends, but also so sad because they just wanted to see, but they didn't think their plan through very well.  If only they could have looked around each other! Oh well, maybe if I retell this story I'll change it up a bit!  The Stonecutter I liked this story a lot, too!  It seems to be a variation of the story  The Man in the Moon ! I really enjoyed working with this story before, but I don't think I'd retell essentially the same story again.  The Maiden in the Wooden Helmet This story wasn't my vibe.  It was a little anti-climactic at the end.  I wanted her to have turned ugly, or for the man to have not loved her if her helmet broke.  I was bored when they lived happily ever after.  The Envious Neighbor I'm glad t...

Comment Wall for Before Stories: My Portfolio this semester will likely be made up of a series of prologues to stories we have read for class! Please let me know what you think, you can access my Portfolio with the link below!  Portfolio Please enjoy this super cute puppy. He or she is a Red Lab just in case y'all need one!  Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Note:  Portfolio Link This story is now available in edited version in my Portfolio with the above link!  An Adaptation of Scheherazade  ( Photo by Britannica ) Okay, okay, alright, okay.   You can do this.   You’ll be fine.   Nothing to worry about here.   Noooooothing at all. Scheherazade paced the ornate tile floor of the Sultan’s private sitting area.   The wedding had been small.   It was quicker than she had expected, too.   Then again, why would it be long? He was wed to someone new every night and he was probably tired after working all day.   She was surprised he had even remembered her name.   His posture had almost been remorseful as the ceremony concluded.   Maybe he’s feeling guilty because of his relationship with Father? Scheherazade had trouble believing that any man so vile as the Sultan would have a conscience whatsoever.   The Sultan had once been exalted.   His ...

Arabian Nights Readings Part A: Extra Credit  ( Photo by Wikimedia Commons ) So for my notes, I typically do a "liked" and "disliked" section.  For this week, however, I think I'm going to do a short recap of the stories until the Fisherman and the Genie because I really enjoyed all of the stories up to this point.  When the stories switched over to the King of Greece, I became less interested and found it harder to follow because I didn't like them as much.  I loved that everything was so intertwined and I think it made the stories that much more engaging because you had to think a little bit about how many layers you were into the stories.   Scheherazade The intermingling stories begin by a backstory to help us understand why our primary storyteller ends up in the precarious position as wife of the Sultan.  A woman has betrayed the Sultan and he is determined to get revenge on the other women of the land by marrying a new one each ...

Before the Coronation Portfolio Link to Before the Coronation (Photo by:  Wikimedia Commons ) From his creation, Ra had worked endlessly.  He has asserted himself as King of the Gods.  He had ushered in an age of prosperity. “Not that humankind is intelligent enough to appreciate my hard work!” harrumphed Ra under his breath, “And these young’uns think they want my job!” After toiling for years upon years with little thanks, Ra was simply exhausted.  His last wish was to become one with the heavens and look down upon the world he had built.  The more Ra exhausted himself, however, the shorter each day became, and the taller the steps up to his throne seemed.  He knew it was time to name an heir to his throne, but who could ever fill his shoes?  Was he not the almighty King of Gods for a reason? “These greedy children know nothing of ruling and guiding” grumbled Ra, rounding the corner to the great hall.  His guards open...

Reading Notes: Week 5 India and the Middle East  (Photo by:  Public Domain Pictures ) All in all, I think Egyptian folklore is fascinating, but I feel like I'm getting too attached to the characters! Halfway through I started catching myself thinking things like, "Oooooh here comes Set, he's no good," or, "Isis, get it together, girl!"  Loved: Osiris Reasoning: This story was easy to follow.  I liked the concept that Osiris wanted to give wisdom to all and teach them so they might not be evil anymore.  I also liked that Isis was wise.  I'm a sucker for a story with a smart girl!  The Death of Osiris Reasoning: I liked this story because I got a little attached to Osiris and Isis in  Osiris  and I had to know how it ended.  It was frustrating that Set tricked him to his death, because Osiris had spread wisdom to so many after taking the throne and I wish that he would've seen it for the trap that it was....

The Cat with One Escape: An Adaptation of the Fox and the Cat (Photo by:  Public Domain Pictures ) Fred the Fox and Katy the Cat could commonly be found on a warm spring day sprawling in the sunny meadow adjacent to the McDonald Family Farm.  Prone to engaging in philosophical debates and quick banter, it had been well established that while Fred was smarter, Katy was kinder.  Where Fred would internally debate the potential ramifications of sharing his daily catch with Katy, Katy would without reserve offer Fred an equal share of every meal.  He had saved her as a kitten from the McDonalds’ hounds, and Katy regularly deferred to his infinite wisdom.  It so happened one sunny spring afternoon that Farmer McDonald had taken a trip to town.   His sons’ favorite unsupervised pastime was to let the hounds loose to see which could fetch the largest prize.   Fred and Katy were enjoying the day in their favorite spot in the sunny meadow. ...

Reading Notes: Week 4 Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)  Part A (Photo by:  PxFuel ) I enojyed doing a majority of the readings for Week 4 Part A.  I love fables and getting to the end of a short story and understanding what they wanted to convey and searching for ways to apply it to everyday life. I loved two stories and really disliked one. Loved: Reasonings:   I loved these two stories because I felt that they really accurately and easily conveyed the intended message. The Fox and the Cat  made it super easy to recognize that sometimes it’s better to know exactly one way to do things than to have hundreds of different ways to do things but be unable to decide which to use.   I also really liked  Belling the Cat because it is something that happens pretty frequently today.   You see many people proposing a solution to something but few are volunteering to implement those solutions.   Hated: Reasonings: I hated the The...