Reading Notes: Persian, Part A

"Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God... And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home."

The Wolf and the Goat:
- Four children: Alil, Balil, Ginger Stick and Black Eyes
- The animals possess human qualities and are described as doing human actions: throwing, carrying and climbed.
- The topic of the wolf's teeth being pulled never came back in the story and the sparrow was never mentioned in the beginning of the story, so I am confused on why those scenes were important to the story.

The City of Nothing in the World:
- This little girl is a pathological liar...
- I am so confused on what is going on in this story. Maybe if I had previous knowledge of the mythology and cultural meanings I would understand, but I have no idea what this means. The sparrow was mentioned again, so I am beginning to think it is a metaphor.

Susku and Mushu:
- Mushu is the mouse and Susku is the beetle.
- They have human characteristics.
- They are getting married. You'll sleep in your arms and I'll beat you with my tail.
- The human and the mouse converse easily.
- ladders of gold
- Instead of being burned to death making her ash soup, she drowned.
- Ashes symbolism
- Everyone is sad, and each are showing sadness in their own way.
- Oh my, that was intense. Why did the farmer feel compelled to spear himself?
-  Why is this happening?

The Boy Who Became a Bulbul:
- "'You two ought to lay a wager to-day and agree that whichever of you collects the more firewood should cut off the other one's head.' The father and son agreed to do this." - WHAT, WHAT, WHAT!!! WHY?
- The boy collected more, and his father stole some of his boy's stash...
- THE FATHER AND STEP-MOTHER ARE CANNIBALS
- The little girl is the only sensible one.
- The little boy turned into a bird and took revenge on the evil step-mother and father then gave his sister sweets.
- I like this story. It is the only story that makes sense so far!

The Wolf-Aunt: (oh my goodness, werewolves)
- And of course she the antagonist of the tale.
- such and such is a way of telling if people are telling half truths or just straight lying.
- "Go and carry this to your aunt." When the child reached her aunt's door she peeped in before entering and saw her father's sister had turned into a wolf and was eating a man." - Very Little Red Riding Hood.
- Faith in your spouse is key to survival.

Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy:
- Magical apples representing the bodies of the babies, since one of the mothers ate only half of the apple she resulted in half a boy.
- The boy was still allowed to live at the palace, but never entered is father's presence.
- THE DAUGHTER WAS HUNTING WITH HER BROTHERS
- but she became a damsel...
- I understand that the two other brothers were not going o save their sister, but Nim Tanak was and I understand the differences in eating and drinking habits played a role in determining the Div's victory and defeat, but I do not understand how.

Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer:
- I wish I was as lucky as Muhammad.
- I just do not understand why they did not ask him to perform or provide evidence of his feats.

The Praying Baker:
- Lets see if this baker is sincere in his prayers, if he's not I will kill him. The employed: try to get the ring back. If he succeed, he will be reward. If he loses, he's be decapitated. WHAT
- The baker was sincere and it's a happy ending!

The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail: 
- This mouse is having a hard time. I think if it was not a cumulative story, the mouse would have her tail sewn on faster. I think when the mouse tells the others what she is doing for the other characters in the story, they think they can get something for themselves.

Bibliography: Persian Tales translated by David Lorimer and Emily Lorimer.

Image: Red Whiskered Bulbuls from Web Source