Myth-Folklore Topic Brainstorming

Topic: Gods over Egypt
Comment: I have always loved watching movies about ancient Egyptian lore. Movies like The Mummy have always piqued my interest to find out more about some of the lore of the culture. I honestly do not think that I have read that many stories about their gods compared to other cultures. I also want to see how the pyramids can play into the tales.
Possible Stories: There are a plethora of stories to choose from in the Un-Textbook about Egyptian gods. Any of the ones with Ra in them will be the ones that I will try to focus on. I have heard his name a lot before, but I do not know much about him besides the fact that he is one of the most pivotal gods in their stories.
Sample Story Comments: The first story I found in the Un-Textbook was the perfect story to start with, "Creation." It is really interesting to read that Ra was not the creator, but he was more powerful than Nu, the being from which he was made. It is a very interesting concept.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Creation
Book Title: Egyptian Myth and Legend
Book Author: Donald Mackenzie
Year: 1907

(Ra)

Topic: The Great Monkey King
Comment: The Monkey King is a character that I have heard of in the past, but I know almost nothing about this character. I really want to learn more about him since he is such a popular character in Chinese folklore. I've heard the name in several movies I've watched, but I do not feel like they shed enough light on him.
Possible Stories: The Un-Textbook has a trove of stories all about the Monkey King! There are so many great stories to choose from there.
Sample Story Comments:  I never knew that the Monkey King's name was Sun Wu Kung. I really appreciated how there is a story explaining the origins of his name. I really liked how he had to go on a quest of sorts to get his name. It was not just given to him at birth.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name
Book Title: The Chinese Fairy Book
Book Author: Frederick H. Martens
Book Year: 1921

Topic: Tales from the Inuits
Comment: The Eskimos are a Native American group that I know relatively little about. I have had the pleasure of reading many stories from different tribes, but none of them have been that far north. I am really interested to see what their stories are about since it is a totally different climate for them.
Possible Stories: I found many different fairytales to choose from in the Un-Textbook. There are many stories with very rich names that I can not even begin to try to pronounce. I do like how their are a couple of stories that center around dogs. It is interesting to see that dogs are as important to their culture as movies portray.
Sample Story Comment: It was interesting to read about a Native American story that featured a whale as main character. I have always been used to reading about animals that you can find in the woods. I also liked how the Eagle incorporated animals like a Walrus or Narwhal in its hunt. It is an entirely different perspective using these animals that I have not seen used before in tales.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: The Eagle and the Whale 
Book Title: Eskimo Folk-Tales
Book Author: Knud Rasmussen
Book Year: 1921

Topic: Stealing from the rich to give to the poor
Comment: Robin Hood has been one of my favorite characters ever since I can remember. The animated movie was a staple in my household growing up. I am curious to see how many of Robin Hood's heroic deeds from the movie are in the Un-Textbook. I also love how his deeds bring up an ethical conundrum since he is technically a thief. It is also great to see that the stories are done in ballads as well.
Possible Stories: The Un-Textbook has a number of great stories to choose from about the prince of thieves. I like that Little John is featured in a number of them since I have always thought of thew pair as one of the best dynamic duos from any story.
Sample Story Comment: Reading about Robin Hood and Little John first meeting was great. It is great to see how the pair initially came together. The fact that they came to blows and were evenly matched makes it that much better. I also loved how they were able to form a friendship after realizing they were both skilled in fighting one another.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Robin Hood and Little John
Book Title: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads
Book Author: Francis James Child
Book Year: 1882-1898

Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)-Extra Reading Diary

I chose to read Aesop’s Fables (Jacobs) for my extra reading diary this week.

One of my favorite stories from this unit was “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.” I loved how it showed how starkly different two cousins could live. A country mouse fits that mold of living a relaxed, humble life. He is content with his way of life. Then comes his cousin from the city who can not understand how the country mouse lives such a modest life. I loved how the city mouse made his life sound so appealing since he had fine food available to him at all times, but he was risking his life every time he went out for a meal. I also really enjoyed how the fable illustrated how a humble life can still be a happy life even if it appears boring to most.

Another story that I enjoyed was “The Fox and the Cat.” I really liked how the animals were polar opposites in their strategy for escaping a would-be predator. The cat sounded so plain and simple with only having one way of getting away. It sounds like she is destined to perish since she only has one method of getting to safety. It makes sense that she does not use any other method though since she her method has always saved her before. Why would she need to try anything else? It was also just a great message of sticking to what you know.

(Illustration by Walter Crane)

My favorite story was “The Dog and the Wolf.” What really stood out to me was how the Wolf was dying for sustenance, but he was not going to give up his freedom just to have regular meals and shelter. Nothing was worth more than him to his freedom. He would rather die of starvation than become a slave to anyone.

Storytelling for Week 2: A Dynamic Duo

Author's Note: I chose to write my story based off of "the Dog, the Cock, and the fox" in Aesop (Winter.) I wanted to go with a writing style that was able to make two seemingly dark characters more appealing to a reader. I wanted to give a backstory that the reader could understand, and possibly sympathize a little more for, but not wholeheartedly. I like having a flawed protagonist.

Far off on a distant farm lived a dog, Drake, and a cock, Chandler. The two became a tandem at a young age when they lived on the farm. Drake was strong and intimidating, but he wasn’t the brightest or fastest animal in the neighborhood. Chandler was cunning and could think of the perfect schemes to get what he wanted, but he lacked the muscle to make any of his plans come to fruition. They soon grew tired of the rules and regulations of the farm, so they decided to run away to the forest to live a life like bandits. They had personalities and traits that were able to mesh together to make the perfect dynamic duo for their dastardly deeds along the main path through the forest, Central Road.

For years they lurked along the Central Road swindling all the travelers that came along the treacherous road by themselves. They were the perfect one-two combination to take-out any weary travelers that stumbled into their neck of the woods. They were able to be so effective because Chandler was able to lure any hungry travelers in with ease since he could let out a very boisterous crowing noise at ease, he actually one first place at the county crowing contest in ‘95, and most of the travelers thought he would be an easy meal. His call could be heard from miles away. Once a would-be predator came close enough, Drake was ready to pounce and take them out. They had the perfect system working for them.

Like everything in life, their dream scenario could not last forever. Word began to spread all across the forest that there was a pair of thugs creeping along the shadows of the road waiting for vulnerable travelers to eat. After the word spread about all of the missing people that traveled that part of the road, a new trail was formed to circumnavigate Drake and Chandler’s stomping grounds. Soon their cushy life of luxury became a lot more difficult. They would often go days without eating, and they even had to resort to foraging and eating insects on occasion.

They were growing tired of eating plants and bugs since it was not even close to the feasts that they had grown accustom to over the years. They decided they would have one last meal as bandits, and then they would return to the farm to live an honest life. Luckily, Chandler was in his usual pattern of crowing every morning when he awoke from his slumber. It finally paid off again one morning when a hungry fox, Frank, happened to be trotting along around their area of the Central Road. Frank was not from the forest, so he had no idea about the trap that lay ahead for him. He quickly followed the echoing sound of Chandler’s call. He finally got close enough to turn Chandler into his breakfast, but Drake sprang from the shadows and made quick work of Frank. Drake and Chandler were finally full again. They decided to return to the farm after their food digested. 

 

(the dog, the cock, and the fox illustration

Source: Aesop (Winter) 1919)

"The dog, the cock, and the fox" - from Aesop for Children, with illustration by Milo Winter (1919)  Source: Un-Textbook

Aesop (Winter)- Reading Diary A

I chose the Aesop (Winter) unit for this reading diary. This was my first time reading Aesop fables, and I loved it!

The first story in the Aesop (Winter) unit, “The Wolf and the Kid” really set the tone for the rest of the stories that followed. I loved how the moral of the story came from the perspective of the antagonist of the story. It seemed like it was a happy ending since the Kid was able to escape from his death by the Wolf. The story instead told you to not let anything deter you from your purpose. The Wolf would have killed the Kid if he didn’t get distracted. I was really surprised to find a story from the perspective. It is definitely refreshing to see it that way.

“Two Goats” was another story that I immensely enjoyed. Goats are the perfect animal to personify stubbornness. I also liked how they were both equally stubborn and equally strong causing their stalemate on the middle of the log, which lead to their demise. This was the perfect way, in my opinion, to have a message about how being stubborn is not a good trait to have.

(The two goats clashing, from Aesop (Winter))

“The Tortoise and the Ducks” might have been my favorite of all the stories. What I liked most about it was how literal the ducks were being when they told the tortoise to keep his mouth shut. It was perfect since it had two meaning to the warning. When he opened his mouth he would lose his grip and fall, but he opened his mouth to brag about being the king tortoise. It made the moral of the story seem that much more pertinent.