My Blog for Myth and Folklore

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...

This week I read the Lang European Fairytales I Unit by Andrew Lang. I knew the Puss in Boots story but I was unfamiliar with the others so it was fun to read some new tales. The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots In this story, a man dies and leaves his goods to his three sons. The first gets a mill, the second gets a donkey, and the third gets the cat. The boy with the cat thinks he will have to eat the cat and then die. However, the cat tells him to get him boots and a bag and he will help him. With these things he goes and catches game and takes it to the king, pretending it is from his master, a rich marquis. One day, he tells his owner to get in the river and as the king goes by, he cries out saying his master is drowning after thieves stole his clothes. The king dresses the "Marquis" and as they ride through the fields, Puss goes ahead and tells all the workers to tell the king that these are the marquis' lands. He reaches a castle owned by an ogre and challenges hi...

This is my second reading note for the  King Authur  by Andrew Lang unit: Sir Galahad and the White Knight Sir Galahad meets a few other knights that are seeking a shield that is said to one be able to be wielded by the best of the knights. They find it and one takes it but asks Galahad to wait and see what happens to him. He is struck down by a White Knight who sends the shield back to Galahad, saying he is the only one who can wield it. Sir Lancelot's Vision Sir Lancelot finds a chapel but is unable to enter it because he is not worthy. He falls asleep and another knight arrives and sees the Graal. However, Sir Lancelot is not able to wake up. The knight takes Lancelot's sword and Lancelot vows to be better. The Adventure of Sir Percivale  Sir Percivale has no horse, so a woman gives him one but when he does the sign of the cross it runs off and he realizes it is a demon. He goes on foot until he comes across a serpent killing a young lion. Percivale defeats th...

This week I read King Authur by Andrew Lang. For the first part if the unit, we went through several stories: The Drawing of the Story Arthur draws the sword for his foster brother Sir Kay so that he will have a sword for the tournament. It is quickly realized that it is the sword in the stone and secretly, he is the son of the former king, Uther Pendragon. I was surprised that Arthur and Sir Kay got along, unlike the Disney version. The Questing Beast Arthur sees a strange beast that brays like hounds, chased by Sir Pellinore. Arthur wants to go after the beast himself but Pellinore says it will be either him or one of his line who kills it. Later, Merlin comes and speaks of his own death and of Arthur's. The Sword Excalibur In this story, Merlin helps Arthur get Excalibur from the lady in the lake who gives it to him in return for a gift of her choosing. She doesn't specify what that will be. The Round Table When Arthur decides he wants to marry Guenevere, the...

The Story of Beowulf  by Strafford Riggs  In the second half of the unit, Grendel attacks the hall and puts everyone into a magical sleep. Except, Beowulf wasn't asleep so he is able to fight against the spell. Grendel breaks in and kills one man but while he is devouring him, Beowulf wakes up and the two fight together. The are fairly well matched, until Beowulf is able to get a hold on one of Grendel's arms and rips it off. With that, Grendel runs away and the others wake up. The next day, they celebrate but that night, one of Hrothgar's men is killed and they realize that they forgot about Grendel's monster mother who has taken revenge for her son and will continue to kill them. Beowulf vows to fight her too, so he, his men and king Hrothgar and his men track Grendel's mother with hounds until they reach a murky pond. Beowulf jumps in alone and descends to the bottom. For a while, it is pitch black and he has to strike out blindly against things that pass h...

For this week, I read Beowulf. I had read the story previously in high school but it has been a while and I am glad I get to revisit it and refresh my memory. The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs  We are first introduced to the Geats of Geatland, a mountainous country with a large expanse of coastline. The Geats are ruled by their king, Hygelac. There are many formidable warriors there who fend off the monsters lurking in the forest and the sea. His nephew is Beowulf, who is known for his strength, however, people see him as a sluggard because he hasn't proven himself and seems to only have favor with his king because of their kinship. Most of them are either disdainful of him or jealous and, therefore, he has grown up to be a solemn loner type. Finally, a Wanderer comes and tells them of the plight of their neighbors, the Danes in Daneland, where King Hrothgar and his people are being attacked by the monster, Grendel. For twelve years he has killed their warrior unt...

Hero Tales by Stith Thompson The Jealous Uncle An uncle kept trying to kill his nephew in various ways however the boy always cleverly survived. The last time, the uncle trapped him in a box and dropped it into the ocean. He floated to the land of Eagles where he married the chief's daughter. Wearing an eagle coat he flew back to his village where he punished his uncle before carrying his parents back to his new home. Bluejay and his Companions Bluejay and a few others went out and caught seals, however, they were mean to Grouse. Grouse got his revenge by creating a wooden seal which carried Bluejay's canoe way off course. On the way home, they stopped at a few enemy villages where they had to beat the villagers in various challenges in order to survive. Finally, they got back to their own village and were nicer to Grouse after that. The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle There used to be a giant elk and giant eagles, however, they kept killing people until ...

Alaskan Legends Unit  by Katherine Berry Judson To continue, this set of stories was not always about Ravens, like the last set. The first story was about a woman who accidentally married a Bear (since they can look like people when they want to). She was unhappy but couldn't leave until a sea spirit helped her escape. She then married him but left to raise her son with her people. She made a Chilkat blanket for him which Raven later taught the pattern to different tribes. Another story spoke of the first woman which two men pulled apart. They then fixed her with wood. So some of the women are bad at dancing since their legs are wood and some women are bad at sewing since their hands are wood. In another story, a couple created a doll which went around to the sky wall and cut open the skin coverings so that wind could come through. This is the wind orgin story. In another story, the wolves tricked deer into laughing and saw they had no teeth. Therefore, they attacked them...

Alaskan Legends Unit by Katherine Berry Judson This was an interesting set of stories, mainly to do with Raven which is seen as almost a god in the tales. In the first few, Raven creates a bean plant and out of the pod comes Man. Raven then creates animals and birds for him, as well as a wife. More men arrive out of the pod and he creates wives for them too. When children are born he helps them to grow fast. Later, he takes Man to the Skyland where there are dwarves and then into the sea. He creates bears to kill people because they are taking over and killing too many animals. Finally, angry, he takes away the sun but his brother dies and is reborn and Raven likes him so he is able to get the sun back. There is also a flood story and an explanation on how tides work. All of them have a raven in them, manipulating things. Raven marries a goose but is unable to keep up when they migrate. Raven eats a bunch of seals as well and later tricks Pitch into melting. Raven also ...

Japenese Fairytales,  Ozaki  by Yei Theodora Ozaki My notes from the second half of the unit: The Goblin of Adachigahara The people were scared to go to a certain place after dark and avoided it when they could even during the day because there were stories of a cannibal goblin who lived there and ate men. A priest was walking all day and it had grown cold so he began searching for a place to sleep. He saw a tumbledown cottage and went to it. He met an old woman there who allowed him to stay the night. However, when she went to get firewood, he peeked into the back room and found if filled with human blood and bones. He ran away and though the goblin chased, it did not catch him. The Ogre of Rashomon In this story, again a village had tales of an ogre who ate men after dark. A band of knights spoke together about whether or not it was true. One of the knights went to find out. He found the ogre and fought it but it ran away. He had cut off his arm, however, and kept it ...

Japenese Fairytales,  Ozaki  by Yei Theodora Ozaki In this unit, there have been three stories so far: My Lord Bag of Rice In this story the name of Tawara Toda, which means "My Lord Bag of Rice" is explained. He was a brave warrior who came across a large dragon on a bridge. Instead of running away, he just climbed over the dragon and continued going, however, someone called out to him and when he looked back he discovered a person where the dragon had been. It was the Dragon King whose family was being killed by a giant centipede every night and he begged for the warrior's help. The warrior agreed and went to wait for the centipede. As it came down a mountain, he shot it with an arrow tipped in saliva which killed the centipede. The Dragon King was so grateful, he gave the warrior, among other things, a sack of rice which never ran out. The Adventures of Kintaro A warrior married a woman, however, he died and his wife ran away to the wilderness in fear of his e...

Here is a photo of a fox, which appeared in several of the stories, photo credit:  pixnio Here are my second notes from my favorite parts of the  Chinese Fairy Book  by R. Wilhelm, translated by Frederick H. Martens. The Little Hunting Dog A man lived by himself but was plagued with fleas and gnats. One day a swarm of tiny hunters, no more than two inches tall, arrived with hunting dogs and falcons. They killed all the fleas and gnats and then went away again. However, they left behind one hunting dog. The man made it a home in a box and every day the dog searched his bed and killed all the fleas. One night, the dog climbed into his bed to sleep with him but the man rolled over and squished it. Fox-Fire A poor man saw a fox breathing out an elixir of life. He crept up and stole it and ate it. For years, he could interact with the spirit world. He helped people with illnesses and became rich from the gifts of the grateful. One night he felt someone patting his b...

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 mountai...

The Voyages of Sinbad  from The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang Sinbad leaves on his fifth journey, using his own ship this time, however, he invites other merchants to come along. During the trip, they stop and find another roc egg. This one is hatching. The other merchants, despite Sinbads protests, kill the hatchling and eat it. The rocs parents return and chase the fleeing ship with large stones. One hits the ship and it sinks. Sinbad clings to a piece of driftwood until he reaches an island. Once there he finds groves of fruit trees and an old man wishing to cross a river. Sinbad takes him on his back and helps him across, however, the man clings to his neck with his feet and for several days, forces Sinbad to help him collect fruit from the trees. Sinbad uses a hollow gourd to make wine and the man drinks it, at which point Sinbad knocks him off. He returns to the seashore and meets some merchants who take him to a village where he can collect coconut...

The Voyages of Sinbad  from The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang This tale was within the Arabian Nights story which I had already read. In it, Sinbad the sailor, who has met another Sinbad, is telling his story. He began as an idle rich man but decided to become a merchant. On his first trip, they had stopped at an island which turned out to be a whale. He was plunged into the ocean and the ship left without him. He managed to float to a real island where he found some grooms which took him to their king. He was accepted into the country and meets with the arriving merchants to find passage back to his homeland.  He by chance meets with the captain of the ship he was originally on and once he convinces the captain who he is, he gets his original merchandise back. He gives some of it to the king, who gives him gifts in return, and sells the rest. When he gets home, he is even richer than before and lives contentedly for a while but then sets sail again. ...

Arabian Nights   retold by Andrew Lang  The second part of the Arabian Nights was the entire story of Aladdin and the Lamp told by Scheherazade to the Sultan. It was very different from the Disney version. Aladdin retrieves the lamp, however, he has another genie in a ring given to him by a magician. He then competes with the Vizir's son for the Sultan's daughter. He wins and builds her a palace, however, the magician from the beginning comes back and steals her, the genie of the lamp, and the palace away. Aladdin has to find her and with her help, he tricks the magician and kills him. He and his wife return to her father's land but the magician's younger brother comes to avenge the first magician's death. Aladdin defeats him and lives happily ever after. I can see where Disney got their story from but it certainly is different. And of course, all of this is a story told by Scheherazade as well. It was difficult to remember that at first, however, there were c...

For this week's reading, I chose Arabian Nights. I have wanted to read it for a while and I am glad I am finally getting a chance to start it. Arabian Nights   retold by Andrew Lang  In this story, a Sultan, Schahriar, is betrayed by his wife. Because of this, he hates women and marries one each day and has her killed in the morning. His grand-vizir is in charge of providing the women, against his will. One of his daughters, Scheherazade, vows to put an end to this and has her father choose her as the Sultan's next bride. That night, she begins a story and ensures to leave it unfinished in the morning so that the Sultan will spare her in order to hear the rest of the story the next night. However, whenever she finishes one story, she starts another so that he continues to spare her in order to hear her stories. One thing I noticed was that often times, Scheherazade's stories have something to do with someone being treated unfairly or being threatened with death, as ...

For the extra reading this week, I read: The General Prolog, Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, retold by Tony Kline freebookapalooza This is the very beginning of the Canterbury Tales when everything is laid out. It is told that Chaucer, the narrator, meets up with twenty-nine pilgrims on their way to Canterbury and they accept him into the group. Then, the pilgrim are introduced extensively. The first to be mentioned is the knight, who is traveling with his son, a squire. There are also clergy members such as a monk, nuns, and priests. Some of these, Chaucer seems to esteem, others, he chastises, particularly members of the clergy who live lavishly. Once they are introduced, it is proposed they have a storytelling competition to pass the time on their journey. They will tell two stories on the way there and two on the way back. The winner will get a free meal when they return to their starting place. Lastly, the knight is chosen as the first storyteller. Here is a picture of the c...

Homer's Odyssey, retold by Tony Kline  mythfolklore One thing I noticed and neglected to mention was the use of wine and those under its influence, almost as a contrast to Odysseus. He is always praised as cunning and smart. Whereas, when he gives the wine to the Cyclops he is able to dull its senses and escape. It is even more evident later when Elpenor drinks wine on Circe's island, climbs onto the roof, misses the ladder, and falls to his death. I found the entire part with the ghosts to be rather dark and sad, especially when Odysseus meets his mother, who he didn't even know was dead. When he found her, he couldn't embrace her. Also when he meets Agamemnon, who was killed by his wife and his lover. After all that time at war, that was the homecoming he received. He didn't get to see his son or family again before he was killed. He also was very bitter toward women and advised Odysseus not to fully trust his wife, which was bad advice because Odysseus' ...

Homer's Odyssey, retold by Tony Kline  mythfolklore I have read parts of the Odyssey before but it was a while ago and I don't remember most of it. I liked how Odysseus is finally showing his cleverness. He was praised as the most clever and well spoken of the Greeks in the Iliad, however, there are not many opportunities for him to prove it. The first challenge Odysseus and his crew come across is the Cyclops. When they are trapped in the Cyclops cave, he devises a plan to escape by blinding the monster while he sleeps. Furthermore, he has the sense to tell the Cyclops his name is "Nobody" so that the other Cyclopes in the area won't come to his aid when he says Nobody is killing him. Finally, Odysseus ties his men under the sheep so that they can leave the cave without the Cyclops feeling them. However, once they escape, Odysseus' warrior side comes out and he can't help taunting the Cyclops from the perceived safety of his boat. Even blinded, tho...