MythFolklore Improvements

Expand the Story Planning Option:

I think this idea would be great for those who have a harder time thinking of stories and/or for students who want to write a longer story. After thinking about the semester, I realize I should have utilized some of the weeks as story planning weeks rather than just putting out a story I did not like or was proud of writing.

Create thematic reading units:

This seems like an awesome idea! I was looking through the blog to find extra reading options and I stumbled upon a book about werewolves and I am reading it for the extra credit option for this week. I think if you did thematic units a lot of students would appreciate it. I would! Units on how each culture views werewolves, witches, ghosts, even tragic love stories like you mentioned in your post would be a great idea.

I honestly can't think of anything to improve. This class was a lot of writing, but I enjoyed it. The only thing I did not enjoy was having to read some students' work who did not want to write the stories and it was a bit hard to read some that could not tell a story, but I give them credit for trying.

Wikipedia Trails: Wizards to Stonehenge

Magic (paranormal):
This article was initially Wizards, but it turned into Magic since that is the key to every paranormal article in Wikipedia. I picked wizard/magic because despite the lack of magic in some of the readings from Week 14, there was a lot of mentions in Week 13 which is the week I read Russian fairytales. I read through the article and I am surprised, yet not, that there is still a debate on the definition of what magic actually is: there is an intellectualist approach and a functionalist approach. I really was interested in the development of magic in the ancient and medieval world which is where the next link is headed.

Sympathetic magic:
I curious what entailed sympathetic magic and I am honestly surprised on what I found. "Effigies, fetishes or poppets to affect the environment of people, or the people." These can be found in examples like voodoo dolls, who have strands of hair of a person and the belief that whatever happens to the dolls will likely happen to the individual whose hair is on the doll. There are theories from the cave paintings that this could be tied to prehistory. 

Archaeology: 
The study of human prehistory and history, mainly prehistoric societies. The first excavations include Stonehenge and mainly in Southern England, Pompeii and Herculaneum. I have always been fascinated by archaeology, and learning about history. The film The Mummy is actually responsible for my interest in it and I love to watch documentaries on archaeology. 

Stonehenge: 
The purpose of Stonehenge is a mystery and origin is still disputed today. Theories and conspiracies are abundant around Stonehenge.  However, burial is a permanent topic concerning Stonehenge. Theories suggest Stonehenge was a pivotal place for the community who built Stonehenge because they lived there over a period of several millennia. Stonehenge has inspired culture and puzzled the scientific world; and I find that amazing. 

(Stonehenge Closeup from WikiMedia Commons.)

Famous Last Words: Dead Week

(Yoda Graduate Meme, personal source.)

• Your reading for this week: I did not do both portions, but I had every intention of reading both. This past week just picked me up and threw me across the room and did not even take me to the hospital. I remember that the reading was more in a gossip-storytelling tone than any of the other stories I have read this semester. I also remember the characters who committed adultery in the stories were always women; and I was shocked and a little bit angry. The narrators depicted these women as pretty, but cheated on their husbands, usually much older husbands. The husbands were depicted as average looking men, but strived for honor and/or were very devote, good men. Which we know for a fact that adultery goes both ways. 

• Your best writing for this week: I did my best writing in another class, I created a Media Plan which basically states the social media channels we are targeting, why we are targeting them and who we hope to reach with our selected targeting and what raised awareness will do for the company we are working with for this Capstone project. It was necessarily my best writing, but I think I improved on the type of writing I needed to finish for this semester project. 

• Other people's writing: I really like Taylor Thurston’s writing. I think they are well planned and nicely written. They are also entertaining and some of the other writings that I have read just are not fun to read. You can usually tell who likes to write and who just wrote something to get it down and turned in. So, other blogs are harder to read than others. 

• Your other classes: I completed all my content for my Capstone book, but the Book itself (I was not in charge of the book) is unorganized and inconsistent – I am honestly worried about the grade I will receive. We have dress rehearsal on Monday and we are watching my classmates’ presentations as well throughout the week. Our final presentation is on May 8, so I am ready for that course to be finished. I have a final project due on Tuesday which I am not worried about and then I have a one-page paper due on Wednesday for my fitness class. After May 8, I will be officially finished with college! I am so ready. 

• Next week: My hopes for next week are to go smoothly with every project, hopefully A’s and B’s. Next week is Finals Week – it’ll be my last Finals Week and I am ready! 

Tech Tip Cheezburger

Builder: Cheezburger

Portfolio of Witches

My first story I wrote was about a witch and the following stories contain strong females characters whether they are good, bad or in between. Through this portfolio, I will provide what I think are my best (favorite) stories over the course of the semester.

Sunflower
She created this forest: created the elk, deer, bears, wolves and rabbits who roamed the trees; the birds who sang for her; the streams that cut through the earth; the foliage of every shade of green; the flavors of fruits and herbs. This forest was her garden and there was no one to share it with.

Mother Earth
A mistress to the earth and night rather than to men.

Gaho:
He danced and sang every moon month.

The Cook:
He praised her for her cooking and in the same statement offered employment at his castle as his personal cook. He also said she would be paid handsomely. Well, she could not say no to the King.

False:
Venus scowled at the girl from under thick brows; watched with no remorse when the girl hiccuped through her sobs as she fretted over her ruined silks, the shreds of her hair and hesitantly touched her shorn head.

Reading Notes: Heptameron, Part A

Heptameron

The Boatwoman and the Monks:

- It's a story within a story.

- "A boatwoman who did nothing day and night but convey people from point to point." So she takes people from port to port for wage

- SO they decided to rape her.. Okay and a woman is telling this story, so I hope she punishes them well.

- Oh and they're friars and monks.... great.

- Oh, the boatwoman has something up her sleeve!

- When they begged not to be isolated on the island that made my blood boil.

- I am so glad this woman does not take the men with her - I was honestly excepting her to take them because a majority if these stories have the people take the individuals who wronged them and they end up in a worse situation

- A husband!

- The biblical illusion was so ironic, I love it.

- I like how they bring up hypocrisy, especially with the bad people with good situations and examples while its usually good people with bad situations and examples who show better virtue than the first.

The Lady from Milan and Her Lover: Part I and II

- I can already tell I am not going to like this story.

- How the story begins with telling the reader how great this mysterious man is is probably to make us like him.

- She was admired by not taking another husband? Usually, widows are cast out but this woman is admired maybe because she is wealthy and has lots of brothers?

- I like how she is aware of his actions and how she tries to thwart them, but I am calling it now that she will find his advances charming and fall in love with him.

- He's stalking her!!!! NO, this is not healthy.

- I hate how his stalking is perceived as devotion.

- She is stubborn and prideful, I love it despite how she will most likely give in to his advances.

- And he is determined as well... three years, wow.

- I called it!

- I am not surprised he did not listen to her and tell her to sit in the bed quietly while he confronted her brothers - what a man thing to do.

- Oh, it was a test of his adoration of her.

- How gross.

A Villager, His Wife, and the Priest:

- I was confused on what was going on - but I realized rather quickly she was sleeping with the priest.

- I laughed so hard, but they played it off rather nicely. I am kinda glad they can talk about adultery with a priest and a woman and make a laugh out of it. Or I took it that way.

- Nevermind.

- "In a word, they lack what we have, and have abundance of what we have not." I like this phrase.

(Winnowing basket from WikiMedia Commons.)

The Virgin with Child:

- I have a feeling that they are not going to believe the woman who is pregnant.

- Very scandalous.

- I know many church goers who are well mannered and save face while in public, but its a different story when they are away from the church and anyone they know from church. 

- Man, this girl is confident.

- "She told you that never man touched her any more than her brother." I honestly thought it was her brother as well.

- Because torture always brings out the truth... not.

- The truth is revealed!

- Both burned, well alrighty then.

The Monks and the Butcher:

- You should never listen in to someone else's conversation, never a good thing.

- Oh well, I guess this could be a different scenario. 

- Nevermind!

- Physics is never kind to heavier people.

- He went into the pigsty!

- "The first idea that came into their heads was that St. Francis was angry with them because they had called pigs Cordeliers (friars)." I laughed so hard, oh my goodness. 

-

The President of Grenoble's Revenge:

- "I will spare neither man nor woman." I am curious.

- If they lived happily, why would the woman cheat with a clerk?

- The husband did not believe the old servant.

- Oh, no he's planning his revenge.

- This is probably going to take a lot of patience...

- He poisoned his wife.

- I don't know if I am awed by his patience or just put out by it.

- Murder should not be the answer for finding your spouse cheating.

- Also, so far, the woman are the only spouse that has committed adultery AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT MEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO CHEAT THAN WOMEN.  I might have a story idea!

The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, translated by Walter K. Kelly (1855).

 

Reading Notes: Russian Folktales, Part B

Russian Folktales

(The Witch2 from Salon.)

The Witch Girl:

- "Come in, if you don't fear death!" Well this is an interesting way to keep people out of the house, but apparently not this man. 
- He probably plans to find the person who is missing the arm and then condemn them. 
- The folktales refer to the midnight hour as the most unholiest time of day and is conveniently when the ghouls and evil souls come out to play with the normal people.
- Why was she lying on a stove? Don't they have beds?

The Headless Princess:

- I am a little shocked that peasants were allowed so close to the palace without being spotted by guards or anyone.
- "The boy was lost in wonder." So he gossips to everyone, I wonder if this is gong to come back and get him!
- You know this would make doing hair so much easier! I would never miss a strand of hair if I straightened or curl it!
- She died?
- But she asked for the little boy!
- So I guess its common knowledge that witches come back from the dead for three nights? What happens after the third night?
- "trace a circle around you; then read away from your psalter and don't look behind you." So circles are naturally formed in nature and are holy protective shields - very cool!
- A hammer and four nails... What do they represent? Christ being nailed to the cross, does the irony kill her?
- A stake driven into their breast, like a vampire!

The number three has been repeated multiple times within the tales as well as the midnight hour and stakes through the heart.

I think I'll make a story about a woman vampire!


Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston (1887)

Reading Notes: Russian Folktales, Part A

Russian Folktales

(Leshy from Wikimedia Commons.)

The Dead Mother:

- The babe slept through the night? I don't think so, I think the mother comes back from the dead to feed her child.

- I was right!

- "suckled at her dead breast." Wouldn't that kill/poison the baby?

- She gazed sadly at her baby... Oh, maybe when the townspeople revealed her by light she could not come back or the baby dead because of the townspeople revealing the dead mother?

- However, this has taught me to leave well enough alone and count your blessings.

The Treaure:

- I hope this Pope get's bitched slapped by karma or God since these folktales are super religious.

- Ducats are a form of monetary; gold I suppose since that is how the characters refer to it as gold pieces. 

- I would if the beggar stopping his digging will come back to the story, maybe there are more riches buried deeper?

- I don't understand why the beggar man would go back to the Pope after the treatment of him. Is this because he is the only one to properly bury the body on holy land or something to that nature?

- Putting on the goat's skin... Oh, I hope this is going in the direction I think it is.

- IT DID!

- Yes, God did punish the "godly man."

- Its so ironic.

The Bad Wife:

- So she did the opposite of what the husband said...

- Honestly, this is a little annoying, but the husband seemed to know exactly how to get his wife to do the things he wanted anyway. Did he just get rid of her so he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore?

- "Don't send e back again, O peasant! Let me go out into the world! A bad wife has come, and absolutely devoured us all, pinching us, and biting us - we're utterly worn with it!" I love that demons are afraid of this woman.

- Their con is actually very clever, I wonder if the Bad Wife will come back as a demon to torment them.

- I don't think the husband took the threat seriously or as he should, and I also think the husband is not longer frightened of him since he has been working with him for a while.

- "Why I didn't come here to turn you out. I came, out of pity to you, to say that the Bade Wife has come here." Conning the con man, classic.

- I wonder what the demon thought when he realized he was tricked. 

- "But the Bad Wife sits to this day in the pit - in Tartarus." This could be a cool story idea of the wife stewing in the pit to become a demon herself and wreck havoc on the world when she gets the chance to resurface.

The Three Copecks:

- So I am guessing copecks are a form of money?

- "All three copecks floating on the surface." Good karma?

- I would have beaten those boys, if I saw them tormenting an animal.

- This cat is probably not a normal cat.

- The cat wasn't with him when he tried to return and decided to keep the money for himself.

- I am honestly surprised, the merchant give all the money away to the orphan - he actually kept his promise.

- So is the old man suppose to be the cat or God?

- Wouldn't it be obvious the eldest brother is not the three-year old boy? Good lord.

The Miser:

-  The rich man asked the poorer of the two to spare him a copeck to give to the beggar... how stingy.

- He doesn't have small change, how egotistical is this man?

- "Cover me up with a cloth, and sit down and cry, just as you would over a corpse." I am honestly impressed on the lengths he will go not to pay the man.

- At least the man has enough common sense to realize the man is trying to con him.

- I can't imagine how the robbers reacted when they thought this dead man jumped up. I laughed so hard.

- So Marko never paid the man back and he was not punished.

The Water Snake:

- Usually, when the characters have common sense, it backfires on them. Of course, you can't marry a snake what would it hurt?

- When the mother asked how to call her husband, I knew it was not going to end well. I just didn't think the mother would behead the husband...

- I don't understand the ending of this folktale, is it supposed to tell us why the nightingale, wren and a cuckoo were created?

Friday:

- Don't work when you are not supposed to!

Wednesday:

- Always remember to sign the cross before or during your prayers.

The Léshy:

- Went strolling in the forest without her parents permission and then disappeared for three years... can anyone say scare tactics?

- This reminds me of SnowWhite when the Hunter goes into the woods and finds the daughter.

- Amnesia, how convenient. That's probably how the Léshy kept her complacent for three years along with his magic.

The Metamorphosis of the Dnieper, the Volga, and the Dvina:

-This gave me Game of the Thrones vibes, especially for the Targaryen siblings who took over Westeros.  

Emilian the Fool:

- How do these stupid people stumble upon good fortune when other people deserve it more?

- Why were they trying to pull him off the cart? Was he going to fast in the cart and disturbing the peace?

- Why would the King throw his daughter into a tub after marrying her to the Fool? That is ridiculous.

- The thing is why would the Fool and the Daughter trust the King after he tried to murder them? Doesn't sound very smart.

Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston (1887). 

Storytelling Week 12: The Cook

The Cook

She had been the Inn’s cook since she was twelve, but she only was in the position because the Innkeeper burned his hands and could not find a replacement.

She was praised for being a good cook for the past five years now. Many rich people offered to buy her, but the innkeeper knew what he had and did not sell her.

Until one day a rich young man demanded to see her after his first bite of her stew.

She saw he was very rich indeed, when she walked out into the parlor to bow low and saw the rich, light wool covering his shoulders and the fine leather boots on his feet. However, the crown on his red, curly hair was evidence enough he was the King.

Her thoughts went rampant with worry – perhaps he did not like the stew. Her thoughts went from floggings to execution in a matter of moments. 

However, when the young King realized the cook was the girl in front of him, he beamed at her - his teeth big and white.

She was startled at the show of expression, and in her fit of nerves bowed even lower which caused the young King to raise his hand to halt her lowering.

The young King admitted he was surprised such a young girl was able to produce such savory flavors in a stew.

She told him she picked herbs from the forest and mixed them together to create the flavor.

He praised her for her cooking and in the same statement offered employment at his castle as his personal cook.

He also said she would be paid handsomely.

Well, she could not say no to the King.

*

Her King had become her friend rather quickly, although in private since the hierarchy of the court was not to be disturbed - not even by her King. 

She would slip him sweet treats, try new recipes and take notice of wines she would stumble upon at the market for him to later request at her private recommendation.

When it was announced her King was to be engaged to a younger woman within a fortnight, the Cook had a sinking feeling in her belly. A feeling of worthlessness and hollowness, but she brushed it away for her King’s well-being. 

They gossiped together before he married his wife, celebrated when his firstborn was a son, but the merry day turned into one of sorrow when his wife departed this world. 

She grieved for him. She grieved for his son. She comforted him with sweets and her companionship when he allowed himself to be comforted.

His demeanor had changed in the short time. He was not the young, carefree King he once was, but a solemn and quiet man.

Months later, they were in his chambers enjoying the warmth of the fire. They relinquished their titles of King and Cook while he read aloud and she cuddled his son, and, suddenly, he told her of his upcoming second marriage.

The same feeling from before his first marriage returned; a hollowness in her stomach and sharp prickling behind her eyes - though much stronger than the first time.

She held onto his son tighter and looked at the reddish wisps of hair on his soft head, and his sleepy blue eyes blinked lazily at her. She did not want to look at her King and let him see how sad and worried she was at his announcement.

She nodded and softly murmured, “A mother figure would be good for the Prince.”

The queen arrived in the castle and a darkness surrounded her. The cook was wary of this woman with black hair and pale eyes that watched all the on goings of the castle.

She mentioned the dark aura to her King; he waved her off telling her she was a jealous, suspicious spinster.

His words hurt and she saw the moment he realized how hurtful his words were to her. However, when he apologized for his harsh words, she simply bowed low, accepted the apology and walked away.

She no longer confessed her opinions to him after their discussion or anything for that matter.

When the Queen birthed a son, the Cook feared for the firstborn Prince.

The day came when the Queen found her alone with the ovens warming in the kitchen. The Queen grabbed her from behind and shoved her against the ovens while a vial was pushed under her nose.

The smell of carrots entered her nostrils – hemlock.  

The Queen’s pale eyes were wide and malicious as she demanded this be put in the firstborn Prince’s meal. The Queen’s raspy voice made the hairs stand on her flesh because she knew what hemlock would do to the young Prince’s body.

The Queen warned the Cook that if she were to tell anyone of the plan to murder the Prince, it would cost the Cook her life. She waited pressed up against the stove; the wood burning inside made the heat of the brick oven unbearable and made her skin burn. She waited until the dark woman disappeared with her fine wool dress.

She ran to the King.

She told him what the queen had planned. He did not believe her at first until she revealed to him the vial of hemlock given to her by the Queen.

The King’s face was in an array of emotion: shock, bewilderment, guilt, anger and then pure rage. He screamed at his guards to throw the Queen in the dungeons and to bring his firstborn to him. He did not shed tears, but his eyes were watery when he clutched his son to his body in a protective gesture.

He grasped her hand, his thumb caressing her knuckles, and thanked her for saving his son. Their companionship was restored to what it once was and she sat next to him at the dinner table – the social hierarchy be damned. 

(Poison Hemlock from Wikimedia Commons.)

Author's Note: This story was based on the beginning paragraphs of The Ridere of Riddles from the Celtic fairy tales. The main story is basically the same as the beginning I wrote in my story. The King marries a Queen, who then dies in childbirth, and then marries a second Queen, who gives birth to another son. This second Queen realizes her son will not rule the kingdom since he is the second son, so she devises a plan to poison the firstborn prince through the food the cook prepared him. The second born Prince overhears his mother's plan to poison his half-brother and tells his brother not to eat the food. What I did not understand from the story was why the Cook did not tell the King the queen was trying to murder his first son. Since my portfolio is based on strong women, I decided to play with the gender of the Cook. I also created a friendship between them and hinting at an unrequited love (or is it?), so the King would trust the Cook when she told him of the Queen's treachery. I also decided not to really include the second son and keep it between the King, the Queen and the Cook as well as keep the Princes as babies instead of fully grown adults.

More Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (1895).