Skip to main content

Reading Notes: Lang 1, Part B

This is the second part of I the Lang European Fairytales I Unit by Andrew Lang.

I Know What I Have Learned
In this tale, a father has three daughters, each married to a troll. He visits them and at the first's, the troll hits his head in order to get meat for broth and is unharmed, at the second's, the troll lights his fingers for candles and is unharmed, at the third's, the troll jumps in the water and scops out fish with a ladle. Each troll gives the father a sack of money but he leaves it outside in order to inquire about his cow who is about to give birth and it gets stolen. Finally, the father tries to imitate what the troll does and dies.

Lovely Ilonka
A prince goes on a quest and gets a bulrush which turns into a beautiful woman. However, when he goes to fetch her, a swineherd throws her in the well and pretends his daughter is Ilonka. The prince knows something is wrong but accepts the swineherd's daughter. Later, a coachman draws water and finds a duck, which turns into a dirty woman. She becomes a maid at the castle and is known for her distaff, spindle, and flax which were magical. The swineherd's daughter wanted them so Ilonka traded them each for a night with the king. The first two nights, the swineherd's daughter gives him a sleeping potion with his food but on the third night, the servants warn him so he doesn't eat anything and instead stays awake when Ilonka comes and explains everything. He kills the swineherd and the daughter.

The Death of the Sun-Hero
A prince, who is called the Sun-Hero, goes on a quest to become the Sun-Hero by his deeds and not just by name. He guards a tree for nine days and nights from two wolves but falls asleep on the last day. Because of this, the sun charges everyone with killing him. A fairy makes it so that nothing can kill him but neglects one crab which kills him.

The Giants and the Herd-Boy
A shepherd helps a giant so he is rewarded by going to a giant's party. He wears a belt of invisibility so the other giants don't see him and takes a loaf of bread back with him. When he later bites the bread, it doesn't diminish and instead becomes gold. Using his belt, he takes a sack of gold to the lord's daughter each night but forgets the belt one night and is caught. The lord accuses him of trying to steal the gold and kicks him out but the shepherd goes into town and buys a new wardrobe, a coach, and horses. He returns to the lord and marries his daughter.

I wonder what the lord thought when he found out his former shepherd was secretly very rich.
Photo Credit: geograph

    Comments

    Popular posts from this blog

    Comment Wall

    Photo Credit:  goodfreephotos Here is the link to my story project:  Tales on a Train It is a modern retelling of the Canterbury Tales with new characters and a new setting. 

    Introduction to a future Accountant (sounds fun right?)

    My name is Elyse, and I am working toward a double major, Accounting and Finance. Last summer, I went with the business college to Italy to study abroad. While I was there, I took Cost Accounting, which has been my favorite class so far. It may sound boring at first, however, we partnered with a winery to create an extensive financial report, detailing the specifics of how their business has been doing and offering suggestions on how to improve. In a real-world context, Cost Accounting becomes highly enjoyable to someone who likes working with numbers and has an analytical mind. Especially when you are sitting on a mountain, drinking wine, and touring a beautiful vineyard! Next summer, I am going to be interning at Koch Industries up in Wichita. It is only over the summer, however, I hope that it will give me experience I can use in the future, as well as help me to discover exactly what kind of a job I want when I graduate. One thing people like to know about me is my travel exp...

    Week 9 Story: The Man Who Wished to be Rich

    There once was a poor man called Sentaro who hated that he had very little money and had very few possessions in a very small house. He hated his meager life, however, he was never able to get a good job and didn't want to put into the effort to begin his own business. He heard of CEOs and company owner's who made millions of dollars and lived lives of luxury. Sentaro saw those people and wished he were them. He dreamed he was them. He even prayed for it. One night, he was so unhappy he couldn't sleep and instead, he fantasized his life as a billionaire elite. He was so focused on the imagination he almost didn't hear someone knocking on his door. However, it was an insistent type of rapping that quickly forced his attention.  Hurriedly, he opened the door and found what could have been an executive's assistant. A young man wearing a crisp, tailored suit and sunglasses despite the fact that it was nighttime. The man thrust out his hands as soon as the door opene...