Reading Notes, Inferno: Part B

 This story is part of the Dante's Inferno unit. Story source: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002)

I read the part in Daniel recently about the statue of different materials. I didn't know it spawned a saying about having feet of clay. Meaning weakness. I think Achilles may have been mentioned. Nothing about his heal, however.

So the parts about Muhammed have been taking out. I saw somewhere that a lot of Inferno is social commentary. That's quite bold to write about people you don't like being in hell. There's a videogame based on this story, and there's an animated movie based on the game. They both are disgusting. The story is changed a lot. Dante goes to hell to rescue Beatrice, but it's his wife. She was killed during the crusades that Dante was a part of. I think that's interesting since in the original story Muhammed, the founder of Islam, was in hell. Beatrice in the video game story dies because Dante isn't there to protect. I'm trying to say there's a connection there. I don't know too much about them, but I do know that the crusades don't seem in any way noble. 

I think my idea is to write about a person seeing their own self in hell. Each circle has themselves suffering for their own sin. Or maybe each circle contains a memory of them committing that sin. It could even be inspired by the Harrowing of Hell story where Jesus comes to save them at the end. The person in the story won't actually be dead. It will just be a recognition of their own corrupt nature and how Jesus ultimately saves them from it. 

I think a lot is from the poetry. I'm glad I've read some version of it now. I've been on the precipice of taking a class over the book several times now, but it never works out with my schedule. It still would be interesting to hear from an expert on the subject.

Nine Circles (Source)

Reading Notes: Inferno, Part A

 This story is part of the Dante's Inferno unit. Story source: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

Who's the Greyhound? Even though the first page is very long, I'm reading it as if I'm actually interested. 

I remember reading this book and feeling fearful. I have no fear during this read. Maybe the pictures scared me so? Or maybe I was just more fearful back then. The idea of hell and demons was scarier.

The division of sin. The suffering, at least in this language, doesn't seem as bad as I would think it would be. I'm unsure why certain people are reserved from true suffering. The philosophers and the heroes seem mostly unscathed. The Harrowing of Hell legend is pretty. Laura already told me about, but I didn't read too much of it. I hope Jesus' sacrifice goes back in time, too, but I trust God with everything. Most of all this. I'm thankful I was born after. 

I thought about describing hell. I'm sure it has been done before. Many, many times. I think I've seen some documentaries about Dante before. Was he not in prison? Was he not in anguish at losing Beatrice? She becomes his guide later on, but did she just die, or did she leave him?

No. Beatrice was someone Dante loved from afar. The reason I thought he focused so much on the adulterous lovers was because he was cheated on in some way. I was wrong. However, it seems the lust they had for each other was a focus of Dante's. Was it because he the same love for Beatrice? The Googling I did would tell me differently. The love for Beatrice was beyond sexuality. Like God's love.

Is the Divine Comedy that humans go through so much suffering only to end up in paradise if they live a righteous life? Writing my own version of The Divine Comedy, and what it means to me, is a possible idea. I can't think of anything, though. Why is it always so lofty? 

The Inscription is On the Forehead (Source)

Reading Notes: Robin Hood, Part A

 The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898)

I thought Robins were red (Source)

Is this finally my opportunity to write in a different way? Poetry in the style of ballads. I also had a idea to incorporate this into my portfolio stories. I have an idea for the next story. Junior as Jesus, will inspire and gain the workers of the simulation company as followers while angering the owners or executives of the company. A lot of strife. Whatever the company's owners motives are, they are the rich in the story. Jesus came for the poor, not the rich. Kinda like the idealized version of Robin Hood. But maybe I can do something with this gangsta Robin, too. 

I didn't know Robin Hood and Little John met each other as enemies. The ballad reminds me of scenes in movies where people approach each other with animosity and then end up respecting the other because they admire their talents. One of the things I remember from my research on Robin Hood was that it didn't make sense for these men to hang out in the forest year round. The temperature during an England winter went negative Fahrenheit. That's dumb that I have to capitalize that word! I was imagining the men sitting in a shack during a snow.

Robin Hood and his Blokes

Kept Inside Because the Snow

Stopped them Cold of Robbing Rich Folks

Made them Rob Each other Instead

Dang, that is terrible. I went ahead and capitalized almost everything because of Fahrenheit. I'm getting a "Hateful Eight" vibe. 

An arrow flew across the room. The arrow narrowly missed a man's face. 

"Sorry, mate. I was removing the frostbite from your nose."

Listening to the videos of the ballads makes it clear that the poetry needs to sound good sung. So if I go that direction, I can try to imagine what it would sound like sung. Because whenever I read what I above, I can only do it to the melody of the Disney song. 

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part B

 The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921)

The Evening Star makes me think of Lucifer, but I think he's probably the Morning Star if anything. Or maybe he has no relation to either of those titles.

He does like to call himself venerable all the time, doesn't he? He does very well at whatever he does. He excelled as the stablemaster even though it seems like a lowly job. He never complained. The expanding rod is in Dragon Ball as well.

Dang. The very next episode he complains about his title and its lowly nature. Don't speak too soon, Drew.

These devil-kings can't be good news. I suppose this is the start of the war with heaven.

I wonder if he'll find out about his empty title. The Morning Star does seem pretty clever.

3600. There was something about 360 in part A. I wonder if people thought there was only 360 days in a year at this time. Or maybe the number has some other significance.

I learned about Laozi. It's interesting how this story is an amalgamation of so many different traditions. I guess you could say that about Christianity and everything else as well.

Ha. I'm starting to feel creepy. What an odd thing to say.

He's really a joyful creature. Even when he's fearful, he finds a way to have fun the next moment.

I wonder if he'll ever break the promise he made to his first teacher.

Buddha coming and finally putting Sun in his place is like an Avengers movie. It doesn't really seem like the Buddha would belong in this story, and yet here he is. It's very interesting. 

There's a pig in Dragon Ball named Oolong who has the same characteristics as the pig in "Journey to the West."

That is a nice ending for Sun. I need to take a nap to think of what I'll write about myself.

Monkey King Shrine (Source)

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part A

 The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

Thousand Mile-Eye and Fine-Ear are certainly interesting names.

That was a little rude of the Handsome Monkey King to beat up and rob the first human he ever saw. At least he learned how to conduct himself over the span of nine years. 

This painting just feels right (Source)

Ha. After discerning a great truth, Sun Wu Kung begins jerking around. That's a funny word to use.

Is it Baptists who don't like dancing? This reminds me of that. King David danced and worshiped like a wild man once. I can't remember the reason now. 

That's pretty cool that the master is telling Sun all about the different way to reach holiness. I learned about many of these ways in a religion class. They're the different schools of faith within Buddhism. 

Goku could only fly on a nimbus cloud originally. Then he learned to fly all by himself. Maybe Sun Wu Kong will also overcome his current limitation. Yep. The very next story has him learning a better way.

Dang what a sad ending with the master. Goku has a monkey mind, too.

Thievery and deception aren't too nice. Sun Wu Kang seems to play by rules of his own making. 77,000 monkeys. Is the number seven holy in all cultures?

He didn't treat the Dragon-King very well. I suppose a person who goes to war with heaven has to be a little evil.

Sun Wu Kung is a little crazy, but he is likeable. I don't know where I would go with a story about him right now. Maybe I could just take the chance to write some Dragon Ball fanfiction. That's a little embarrassing, though.

Maybe it would be cool to have the Monkey King fight Goku. Perhaps they would be friends because they have similar personalities and a desire to whip the strongest opponents. I'm not for sure on Sun liking that. I'll need more context from the next part tomorrow. 

Reading Notes: Tibetan Folk Tales, Part B

 Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L. Shelton with illustrations by Mildred Bryant (1925)

"You little split-nosed rascal," I'll need to remember that.

Poor king of beasts, drowning himself on account of his own reflection.

Some of these tricksters are unsure if their antics will go the way they want them to. This is an example of that.

Let's kill the two "big wives" and share the third in partnership. The object of jealously wasn't even that much. It shows the ridiculousness of human beings. 

I have an idea... what happened in-between when animals had speech and when they didn't? That could be an interesting setting.

Wow. "How the Raven Saved the Hunter" is a really great story. That makes me sad. I would like to remember some of these stories, so I can tell them to my kids. 

The Golden Squah was interesting. A surprise ending even though it was expected the bad man would get his due. 

The Violinist was a longer story. I liked how the violinist's misfortune with his father didn't mean he was a bad character through and through. I liked how he and his wife worked together and stayed true to each other. 

The frog was very clever. I'm glad there was no trouble sharing the reward between the duck and the frog. Why couldn't the frog and the rabbit have done that from the beginning? 

I have a lot of hair on my head, and I had even more when I was younger (longer, I'm not balding...). My sixth grade English teacher called me the hare, and she called this guy Quinn tortoise. I'm not really sure how he got his name. Slow?

Yak butter tea sounds disgusting right now, but I think it's because I feel sick in my stomach. Just too much food, I think. I'm sure the tea is all right. I started drinking green tea recently, and it did me well until I ran out. 

What the heck... What are you eating? My eyeball? That's pretty funny. I guess this rabbit has some complex against apex predators now. This rabbit is a psychopath! The mother bear was never mentioned again either... 

Maybe the man who fell in the lake didn't feel very well because the monkey trying to rescue him spent *days* getting stronger. I like all the weird little story beats in these stories. It's the exact thing I, and other children, find funny. 

My idea is to have a big meeting with all the characters from these stories devising a new story. Maybe they're in a troupe of actors putting on plays. There can be some kind of argument about the direction of the story, but one character, the trickster, will get what he wants by making everyone think they're getting what they want. 

Once upon a time, when animals were beginning to lose their speech, a group of animals who still had their speech thought of an idea. This group of animals was devoted to maintaining their legends in the minds of man, so they came up with the idea of putting on a play for the humans nearby. 

Something like that...

The Duck Got All the Gold (Source)

Reading Notes: Tibetan Folk Tales, Part A

 Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L. Shelton with illustrations by Mildred Bryant (1925)

I tried a new strategy this time. I read through the entire story unit before taking any notes. Let's see how it does. 

Breaking down these stories into elements to draw from, I would take talking animals, lamas (Tibetan monks, ha I thought Laura misspelled llamas at first), devils, ghosts, morals, proverbs, and... mentioning that the world at this time was super young.

In these stories the heroes can be deceitful. The "fortune teller" who killed the two devils was lying about being a fortune teller the entire time. The man told the ghost he was a ghost--I think the moral of that story was that ghosts can see through lies, but the ghost liked the man, so he blessed him. The carpenter tricked the painter and was rewarded. In that case it seems more justified since the painter was out to kill him without cause. The carpenter was very wise, I would say. 

In the story about the man who saved the other man and three animals, the moral might be to not judge a book by its cover. All of these stories have false friends. Jealousy as well. 

These stories have many tricksters. The tricksters are more heroic since they're only trying to save their lives. Well, the fox who grew up with the tiger and cow wasn't very heroic, but the frog king certainly was. The heroes of these stories are crafty, so I need to come up with someone who uses their mind to win at a situation. Even the king who judged between the donkey and the rock was smarter than everyone else in the room. He reminds me of King Solomon. 

Nothing is jumping out at me for a story idea right now, but I still have tomorrow's stories to think over. I like the idea of kings, lamas, and ghosts.

Lama not Llama (Source)

Reading Notes: Arabian Notes, Part B

 The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898)

Now the Asian setting for Arabian nights makes more sense. Did China have sultans as well, or was this a combination of cultures in the telling of this story?

Did Aladdin actually have any character growth? I suppose he made a life for himself and his mother, but he did it through magical wishes. He did save the princess multiple times. His life's work was centered around her it would seem. Perhaps it could be said Aladdin's idleness was broken by the beauty of the princess. 

I like seeing all the inspirations for the Disney film. He wasn't as sympathetic a character in this version, but the tricks he used to win over the princess were clearly taken from this story. Jafar's character was an amalgamation of the uncle and the vizir in this story. It's really cool to see how the writers for the Disney movie simplified the story and made the characters more likable. I always thought the animated sequels to the movie were also taken from Arabian Nights, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. I also wish there was a conclusion to Scheherazade's story. Maybe that's in another section of the book.

There's a guy at the beginning of the Disney version who begins telling the story of Aladdin (it was secretly Genie), so I think what my story needs to be is someone telling a story. I'm not sure if there will be a story within that story yet. In Part A of this reading, I nearly got confused. Maybe I could intentionally make the story confusing by having two parties arguing, and their argument is made up of contradicting stories. That would be cool. I'm thinking about a husband and a wife telling a bedtime story to their child, and they keep disagreeing about what happened next. It could be funny. It could also be sad if the parents are actually caught up in a heated argument about a bedtime story. 

Palaces come and go (Source)

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part A

 The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

I've never heard of Scheherazade. I thought she was the sultan's wife who deceived him and then told him stories in order to stay alive. I'm pleased to know Scheherazade is a woman of virtue and is using her gift for the benefit of others as well as her father who has to carry out such horrible deeds. 

There seems to be some murkiness about the origins of this story. I could be reading something already disproven. I've always associated Aladdin-- I got it. Someone was saying the story of Aladdin was more Asian than Middle Eastern at one time, but later retellings of the story played up the Middle Eastern part. That still doesn't make any sense considering these stories definitely originated in the Middle East. I read something about the original author possibly being a traveling merchant. So if Aladdin was Asian (maybe Indian) or something it could be because the merchant traveled to foreign lands and received inspiration. 

Ha. The title "The Story of the First Old Man" had me thinking it was going to be a story about the first old man. I was waiting up until the end. 

My wife was a fairy. That came out of left field. Maybe what I need to take away from this story is the story within a story plot device.

Everyone wants revenge. 

What a switch for the genie with the fisherman. He called him king and then told the fisherman he would kill him. I see. The genie was talking to the last person he saw before he was imprisoned. I don't know if I've read this story before, or if it's just so similar to the fable with the lion and jackal that I think it's the same thing. 

Dang. That poor parrot. It is a little confusing about whether the parrot owner's wife did anything wrong originally, though.

Genies, even in their gifts, are deceptive. The four fish are different races. Apparently the blocks in Mario are Toads who were turned into blocks by Bowser. Very similar, huh?

That's a pretty good ending. I'm glad the fisherman was rewarded since it was his discovery of the genie that lead to the King of the Black Isles delivery from his untrue form. Maybe genies work in mysterious ways. 

Let me tell you a story... (Source)

Reading Notes: Life of the Buddha, Part B

 The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922)

Buddha (Source)

I know most sects of Buddhism have supreme respect for animals to the point they don't eat them. There is one sect, I can't recall its name, that has its devotees become nomadic beggars. Because they are begging, they took whatever food they can get. Siddhartha talking to his horse, Kanthaka, like a human being reminds me of this respect. I also forgot how Siddhartha abandons a wife and a child. This version of the story doesn't make that super obvious. I wonder if he ever sees them again? 

Siddhartha's mission is to defeat death and old age. Dang the horse dies just like that. The king was so sad, and yet he couldn't help but appreciate his son's virtue. That's pretty cool. That's the same kind of feeling I've had when I broke up with someone. I was sad, but I knew it needed to happen, so I was grateful. 

Siddhartha refusing to teach Arata Kalama's doctrine is really cool. Reincarnating is the evil that must be stopped in the Buddha's mind. Those who suffer for a better life in the next are doing so for the reward of a better life. That life is also ended with death. Those who gratify their flesh also die and brought down to a lower caste for their misdeeds. 

Mara, the evil one. I know there's evil gods in Hinduism, but I didn't know there was a bad guy in this story other than death and old age. 

I have an idea I could write about. Two actually. The first I had centered around the gods interventions when Siddhartha visited the city. I wanted to make those visions instead Siddhartha had instead of the gods creating actual events. My second idea is to start out a traditional story, but then have it revealed that the story being told is about a guy writing a story about the Buddha. The connection for me is the Tree of Knowledge. This writer would be saying the Buddha deceived himself by his awakening under the tree. That he tricked the world or something. Gosh, it would be so ridiculous. I don't want to think about actually writing it now, but I could make something out of it.

Mother Earth was a character I wasn't expecting in this story. Mara's attempt at trying to destroy Buddha because he'll be robbing him of his subjects in his kingdom is cool. I don't remember how that works in Hinduism/Buddhism. Is there a hell or a Hades? Isn't an existence in a lower caste hell?

I have trouble tracking his causes and effects. 

"Who drinks salt water increases his thirst; who flees from desire finds his thirst appeased."

Meeting one desire makes a person want to meet the next. It's an endless cycle. Drinking salt water has a similar effect. 

ab·ste·mi·ous: not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking.

obdurate 

You find some great words when reading these. 

Reading Notes: Life of the Buddha, Part A

 The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922)

    The story of the Buddha is more similar to Christ than I realized. His mother had a dream instead of being visited by an angel, but his father was spoken to by the gods. His mother was also venerated for being the mother of a savior type. I haven't read this in the story yet, only in the introduction, but it's interesting how he awakens under the Tree of Knowledge. I wonder if original meaning of that word can be compared to the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) in the Bible. That would be an interesting story direction, but I have no interest in saying Buddhism is a deception or something. I learned in a religious studies class that some Hindus upon hearing about the Buddha and Christ say that these two people sound like incarnations of Vishnu. Or maybe it was Krishna... Oh, haha. The next story introduction says it's Vishnu. My memory does work!

    I know there's multiple sects of Buddhism just like in most religions, but I've always associated Buddhism with a lack of belief in divinity in the traditional sense. That gods are so wrapped up in

 the Buddha's origins are interesting. 

"This child will have his thoughts; they are gems of a purer water."

I should probably write these words down if I'm going to tell a story:

Kingdom: Kapilavastu

King Suddhodana 

It would seem Siddhartha has an innate knowledge inside of him. The greatest teacher cannot teach him anything. John is similar to him in saying he's only worthy to sit at his feet. The Buddha is prideful about what he already knows.

His father wanted to protect him from any stimulus that would disturb his mind, and yet that disturbance is the very thing that leads him to fulfilling what the gods said he would do. So are the gods really jealous when they send the old man during the parade, or are they intervening to set in motion what is meant to happen?

I was confused about Siddhartha being taken to see all these women, and then he returns to a wife he already had. I guess his father and the priest were trying to bring him some temporary pleasures to distract him his discontent. 

This is the first time I've finished a story chunk and not had an idea for a story... I don't think I'll do a traditional retelling here. I would go in a different direction. 

Buddha (Source)

Reading Notes: Infancy Gospels

 

Mary and Jesus (Source)

Matthew 1-2 King James version

"and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son"

It's interesting the King James version uses this phrase here. I'm of the impression that this means sexual relations, but Catholics believe Mary remained a virgin throughout her life. Yes, in Luke, Mary says to the angel that she knows not a man. Interesting. I'm sure there's another interpretation of that phrase just as some think Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of inhospitality rather than homosexuality and other sins. 

I've thought of a story idea while reading about the wisemen departing from Herod. I thought when I selected this topic that I would be writing a story about Jesus as the main character, but perhaps I could write about someone visiting Jesus on the night of his birth. I could start with an angel or some other divine message being brought to this character. It could be interesting. I'm not sure what there background would be. What would their offering be? Perhaps he could offer services rather than a tangible gift. Maybe he could die for Jesus as a precursor to the great sacrifice? I'm kinda thinking Jesus' bodyguard. Dang. There could be an assassination plot on Jesus in Egypt. The bodyguard could be willing to kill for Jesus and then somehow learn that's not the way. I'm not sure if I would write it in old English or not... That would make the project more interesting. We'll see. 

Tarry. I like that word. It means to stay or delay departure. 

The Lost Books of the Bible, edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr. (1926): The Protevangelion of James

That's interesting that this author has Joseph being a widower and older. It could explain why some are called brothers and sisters of Jesus. Maybe they were stepbrothers and stepsisters, not just followers and friends. I've heard of Mary being this young before, though. 

Wow. Joseph's comparison of his situation to when Eve was deceived is very enlightening. What Satan ruined when Eve was alone God redeemed when Mary was alone. I really like that. 

protoevangelium : Protoevangelium is a compound word of two Greek words, protos meaning "first" and evangelion meaning "good news" or "gospel". Thus the protevanglium in Genesis 3:15 is commonly referred to as the first mention of the good news of salvation in the Bible.

Well, this midwife is very similar to my bodyguard in that she pledges her life to Jesus. I've wondered before if Jesus knew who He was from his birth. This story would have you believe that. 

Ugh... That's really weird this story claims Jesus' foreskin or umbilical cord was preserved in a jar. Even weirder is that that jar was the one Mary Magdalene poured on his feet. 

It would be really interesting to do research on the connection between Zoroastrianism and the wisemen. 

I could incorporate this Egyptian idol story into my story. Its destruction could be a reason for assassination. Or I could stick with Herod. Maybe both.

Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part B

 God and Creation (Source)

Leaving the Garden et cetera

The Forgotten Books of Eden, edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr. (1926): The First Book of Adam and Eve 1-2

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/adam-and-eve-leaving-garden.html

God tells Adam of "the Word" often. In Christianity, the word is Jesus himself. Adam and Eve keep falling down over and over again. The only thing sustaining them was God and His pity on them. It would seem blame was brought into the world once Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Their first desire, after God, was water. Later on God would be found in the water. How many times will they die? They continue to die from their affliction rather than dying to themselves. Yet the Word continues to raise them up.

God has ceased his commune with Adam multiple times. This must have been written by a Christian author, or at least translated by someone with a Christian bent. One of the other stories say Adam gave seventy of his years to David, but in what context did he know of David I wonder? Why did the Serpent get blown away to India specifically? So Adam and Eve made the first sacrifice in this story. The praise and worship in the garden couldn't be replicated, so they took it upon themselves to offer something else. God eventually grows tired of these offerings because the hearts behind them weren't as pure as Adam and Eve's during the first sacrifice. 

For the story idea I have, maybe I need to write more about life outside the garden. I don't know. It might be beyond the scope. I think this was a very thoughtful and purposeful story. I'm not sure what it's based on. I've heard of supposed gospels of different characters in the Bible, but I didn't know there were so many other stories. They're definitely interesting to read. 

pseud·e·pig·ra·pha: spurious or pseudonymous writings, especially Jewish writings ascribed to various biblical patriarchs and prophets but composed within approximately 200 years of the birth of Jesus Christ.

A·poc·ry·pha: biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture.

Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part A

 Adam and Eve

King James Bible: Genesis

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/adam-and-eve-fall.html

How did Adam know what a mother or father was? After reading about them eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, I have come up with my story idea. The story will start out the same. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden created by God. There will be some differences once they're banished, however. The simulation will end. The couple will come back to reality. The couple thought they wouldn't fall for the same trap as Adam and Eve, but they come to find that sin was unavoidable for man. Or is it that the simulation doesn't allow an alternative? 

The Ideal Man et cetera

The Legends of the Jews by Lewis Ginzberg (1909)

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/adam-and-eve-ideal-man.html

I liked all the details provided about Adam. Particularly his wisdom and how involved he and God were in the creation of the world. My dad was recently telling me about a vision a Catholic saint had about Adam and Eve. Some of this story is similar. I watched a history channel special about Lilith once. I wonder if this story is where it comes from. Of course it seems these stories are based on Jewish legends. I have always understood the serpent to be Satan himself. Maybe this story implies the Serpent was only influenced by Satan. The description reminds me of a dragon.

"The first will be last, and the last will be first" fits in with what has dominion in this story. Humans were created last, and yet they are given charge of all that comes before it. The serpent deceived Eve and put discord between her and Adam. Her temptation came in waves and self-deception. Just a looksie. The Fall of Man and The Punishment were particularly interesting. 

It was her. Honest (Source)

 

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

 The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die

Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock (1920).

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/jataka-hare-that-was-not-afraid-to-die.html

Pygmalion

Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/ovids-metamorphoses-pygmalion.html

The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1912).

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/indian-fairy-tales-indian-fairy-tales.html

The Lion in Love

These fables all come from The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs (1894).

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/aesops-fables-lions-part-1.html

There is no mention of the daughter in this story besides the lion saying he wants to marry her. I would explore the daughter's role in this story. Perhaps due to the Buddha story about the rabbit I am thinking of reincarnation. In my version of this story I would write a backstory about the daughter having a former love who died. I think I would have the events surrounding his death be where he acted cowardly in some way. He would be reincarnated as the lion in a sort of irony just like The Wizard of Oz. The lion will remember his cowardly act from his past life, but he won't remember the reason why he has the chance for another life. That reason is his former love. He will see her at some point and be instantly attracted to her. The daughter won't understand why, but she will have some sort of fondness for him, too. Over time they will fall in love. The lion's act of bravery will be approaching the daughter's parents and asking to marry her as well as removing his weapons (maybe have this be paralleled to his cowardly act). They will ask him to declaw and defang himself just like the original story, but instead of them making fun of him for taking their advice he will turn back into his former self. Then the two lovers will live happily ever after.

(Lion In Love by Tenniel)

Week 2 Reading Overview

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 3:  Adam and Eve

Week 4: Infancy Gospels

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6.

Week 5: Life of the Buddha

Week 6: Arabian Nights

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.]

Week 7: Tibetan Folk Tales

Week 9: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11.

Week 10: Myths of the Cherokee

Week 11: Native America Marriage Tales

Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13.

Week 12: Robin Hood

Week 13: Canterbury Tales

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: Inferno

Week 15: Russian Folk Tales

    I am particularly excited about reading Dante since I've been meaning to read The Divine Comedy for sometime. I actually started once when I was twelve, but the combination of poetry and the subject matter made it too scary and intimidating for me to stick with. 

    Many of the stories I picked I have some familiarity with but want to know the stories in-depth. Others I have no touchstone for. I look forward to the flow of creativity from reading these tales and myths. Some of the stories I already have an idea for what I will write, but I'm not sure if they'll work in practice yet. We'll see.

(illustration by Otto Ubbelohde)

    I picked this image because it evokes fear in me in the same way I think many folktales were supposed to do for children. It also reminds me of this film called The Lighthouse. I didn't like the movie that much, but it stuck with me in a similar way to the creepy origins of all the Disney princess movies.