For this week, I read the readings from China, parts of the Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm, translated by Frederick H. Martens. This unit is a bunch of individual stories. I have separated them out and written notes on my favorites below:
The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck
The daughter of an emperor who was born with bad luck marries a beggar because she believes he has good luck, which will change her own. Her father banishes her for this and she lives in poverty for eighteen years, while her husband leaves to find his fortunes. When he returns, he has become an emperor himself. He takes her to his palace and rewards her for waiting faithfully, however, because of her bad luck, she dies after eighteen days. Her luck never changes.
The Cave of Beasts
A father with seven daughters finds seven duck eggs which he wants to share with his wife, however, his wife gives them to the girls. The father is angered and takes two of the girls to leave in the mountains. The girls find a cave of riches and go to sleep. The owners of the cave, a wolf and a fox come home and sleep in kettles at the warm hearth. When the girls wake up, they trap the animals and build up a fire to kill them. The father finds them and takes them and the riches back home where they live a prosperous life. I was surprised the girls seemed to have no ill will against their father for leaving them in the first place.
The Panther
A mother takes her son to visit his grandmother, leaving two daughters at home. On the way, they meet a panther who convinces them to stop and rest. The Panther kills the mother and son and eats them. Then, disguised as the mother, he returns to the home to eat the daughters. At first, they are cautious and remark on his big eyes, his spots, and his face. But the Panther persuades them to come inside. Eventually, with the help of others, the girls are able to kill the panther. This story reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood.
Why Dog and Cat are Enemies
A couple sells a lucky ring and falls into poverty. Their dog and cat decide to get the ring back for them. The dog makes a plan for the cat to catch a mouse and have it eat into the chest where the ring is kept. The dog also carries the cat across a river to reach the house. On the way back, the cat goes over the roof to get home first and the couple praise it but when the dog returns, they beat it for not helping. The cat just sits back and purs. The dog, angered, chases it.
The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess
A girl is left at home with a horse while her father is away. She is lonely and jokingly tells the horse if he gets her father back, she will marry him. The horse runs off and fetches her father. But the girl doesn't marry him and he tries to strike her. When the father hears what happened, he kills the horse and tans its hide before leaving again. The girl kicks the hide and says the horse is silly for trying to marry her. The hide wraps around her and runs off. Later, they find her and the hide in a tree, she has become a silkworm and spins silk. They see her on the back of a horse. She has become the goddess of silkworms.
The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck
The daughter of an emperor who was born with bad luck marries a beggar because she believes he has good luck, which will change her own. Her father banishes her for this and she lives in poverty for eighteen years, while her husband leaves to find his fortunes. When he returns, he has become an emperor himself. He takes her to his palace and rewards her for waiting faithfully, however, because of her bad luck, she dies after eighteen days. Her luck never changes.
The Cave of Beasts
A father with seven daughters finds seven duck eggs which he wants to share with his wife, however, his wife gives them to the girls. The father is angered and takes two of the girls to leave in the mountains. The girls find a cave of riches and go to sleep. The owners of the cave, a wolf and a fox come home and sleep in kettles at the warm hearth. When the girls wake up, they trap the animals and build up a fire to kill them. The father finds them and takes them and the riches back home where they live a prosperous life. I was surprised the girls seemed to have no ill will against their father for leaving them in the first place.
The Panther
A mother takes her son to visit his grandmother, leaving two daughters at home. On the way, they meet a panther who convinces them to stop and rest. The Panther kills the mother and son and eats them. Then, disguised as the mother, he returns to the home to eat the daughters. At first, they are cautious and remark on his big eyes, his spots, and his face. But the Panther persuades them to come inside. Eventually, with the help of others, the girls are able to kill the panther. This story reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood.
Why Dog and Cat are Enemies
A couple sells a lucky ring and falls into poverty. Their dog and cat decide to get the ring back for them. The dog makes a plan for the cat to catch a mouse and have it eat into the chest where the ring is kept. The dog also carries the cat across a river to reach the house. On the way back, the cat goes over the roof to get home first and the couple praise it but when the dog returns, they beat it for not helping. The cat just sits back and purs. The dog, angered, chases it.
The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess
A girl is left at home with a horse while her father is away. She is lonely and jokingly tells the horse if he gets her father back, she will marry him. The horse runs off and fetches her father. But the girl doesn't marry him and he tries to strike her. When the father hears what happened, he kills the horse and tans its hide before leaving again. The girl kicks the hide and says the horse is silly for trying to marry her. The hide wraps around her and runs off. Later, they find her and the hide in a tree, she has become a silkworm and spins silk. They see her on the back of a horse. She has become the goddess of silkworms.
This picture I took in Arezzo, Italy reminded me of the story since it is a horse head:
The Miserly Farmer
In this story, a priest asks a farmer who has a cart full of pears to give him one. The farmer refuses. The people tell him he should give the poor priest one but he still refuses. Finally, a merchant buys a pear and gives it to the priest who plants the seeds and waters them. A tree grows quickly and bears pears, which the priest gives away to the gathered crowd. Then he chops down the tree and carries it off. When he is gone, the farmer realizes his pears are gone and the axle of his cart has been chopped off. It was his cart the priest cut down, not a tree, and it was his pears that were given away.
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