Reading Diary B: Tejas Legends

Here are some notes from Tejas Legends Pt. B

Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew

“Like many people, the hummingbird and the heron had the bad habit of gambling.” Another interesting anthropomorphised story to start off the second half of this unit. I like the quote. It’s almost like this is a sort of twisted children’s bedtime story used to teach kids not only about the reason that hummingbirds drink only dew but also that gambling is a bad habit and should not be done.

(Image Information: A ruby-throated hummingbird;
Web Source: Wikimedia)

The Maiden Who Loved A Star

This is a story of a young girl who, while out one night, sees a star and thinks that the star winked at her. She desires so badly to be with the star that she asks a witch what the best way for her to die is so she may be among the stars. The witch says she cannot die so young, but she does take her out and turn her into a bush. When the star sees this, he bursts and covers the bush in white dust and blossoms. Its an Indian love story.

How Sickness Entered the World

In this story, a dying medicine man sends two young man to receive a message for him from The Great Spirit. While the two men are waiting, a snake comes towards them. They kill the snake and wait a while longer, but no one appears. When they return to the medicine man, they tell him of the snake and the medicine man is astonished. They killed the messenger. The two boys, in an attempt to avoid bad fortune, take the snake to another wigwam of a rival tribe. This tribe does the same to another, and this repeats for some time. Finally, the snakes wife finds every tribe that the snake has been to and lays an egg. Each egg contains a different sickness.

Reading Diary A: Tejas Legends

Here are some stories from Tejas Legends Pt. A

How the North Wind Lost His Hair

This story, much like the previous one, and I’m sure like all of those that follow, is interesting because of the style of Native American storytelling. I am always fascinated with their ability to anthropomorphise anything. In this story, the old, cold North Wind attacked the young, warm South Wind. The South Wind was fed up with this and so he spun the North Wind around by his hair until he ripped some of the hair out (creating Spanish Moss).

The Plant That Grows in Trees

This is the story of how mistletoe came to grow in trees instead of on the ground. Again, a thunder bird speaks with a talking mistletoe plant, is moved by its words, and helps it to grow in the trees.  

Why the Woodpecker Pecks

“There was a time when woodpeckers used to be Indians.” That pretty much sums it up right there. Indians disobey their medicine men, and a God hides the Indians children in a tree. Then, they are turned into birds who use their beak to try and get into the tree.

(Image Information: Woody Woodpecker; Web Source: Hero Wiki)

A Tribe that Left Its Shoes

This story holds off on the anthropomorphism. Instead, the medicine man gives the tribe’s moccasins a little magic. After losing their island to a volcanic eruption, the tribe reaches the mainland and leaves their painted moccasins behind so that one day they can return. After time passes, they see that where each moccasin was left, an orchid grew in its place.

The Swift Blue One

This is a story about the king of horses. A fast, majestic, Spanish, blue horse that could not be controlled by Indians because they did not speak the horse language. One day, a Spaniard, afraid for his life, promised to teach a young Indian the language of the horse, and he did. This Indian was the only one who could ride a horse. When he died in battle, the rest of the tribe decided to set the horse free.

Reading Diary B: Eskimo Folk Tales

Here are some notes on Eskimo Folk Tales.

(Image Information: An Eskimo Web
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

Papik, Who Killed His Wife’s Brother

This story begins with Papik killing his wife’s brother, Aliaq. Aliaq was the far superior hunter, and after many nights of returning empty-handed, Papik grew jealous and killed him. Aliaq’s mother knew of this and promised to make Papik pay. So the women killed herself, and came back as a monstrous beast who tore Papik to pieces. This is a propaganda story about what will happen if a man kills another man.

Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle

Again, another story with the message “punishment falls upon the man who kills.” The man, P, kills his uncle because he loves the uncle’s beautiful wife. Eventually, the uncle returns as a fox and tears P limb from limb.

The Woman Who Lied

Much like men killing men, it has already been shown that one must not lie. In this story, a woman pits two tribes against one another because of her lie. She pays for her transgression by bleeding to death after two men cut her arms off.

Kánagssuaq

Unlike many of the other stories in this unit, this last story was one of honor and friendship. When times were tough, and food was scarce, Kánagssuaq helped his people by being the only one willing to go retrieve seal. Kilitêraq, another heroic man, also went out for his village. One time, Kánagssuaq saved Kilitêraq from the harsh conditions (and because he saved Kilitêraq, he saved Kilitêraq’s people too). One day, after the storm passed, Kilitêraq came and gave thanks to Kánagssuaq for helping him when he could not help himself.

Reading Diary A: Eskimo Tales

Here are some notes on Eskimo Folk Tales.

The Woman Who Had A Bear As A Foster Son

This is a story of love between a human and an animal. An old woman is blessed with a young bear cub and helps it grow and mature, much like a human. The bear played with other children, never causing harm. Then, it played with the adults, again never causing harm. Finally, the men of the town decided they should use the bear for hunting, and the bear was the greatest hunter they had ever seen. But of course, all good things must come to an end, and others from other villages decided they would try to kill the bear. One night, the bear came home with a corpse of a man. The old woman knew her bear had to leave her then, and so one day, the she sent the bear back to the wild.

(Image Information: A poster for "The Woman
Who Raised A Bear as Her Son"; Web Source:
Rotten Tomatoes)

Qalagánguasê, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts

This young boy, Q, was not only lame, he was on orphan too. His family died when he was young. At night, the rest of the village would leave, and he would be alone. One night, a ghost came and drank water, leaving before other people returned. The boy was frightened at first, but began to enjoy the company of the ghosts. Even his sister came back to see him. Then one day, the boy’s mother and father came, and they took the boy with them.

The Giant Dog

This is a story that is more of an explanation. It tells of a man and his giant dog. The giant dog was a beast that could not be defeated, not even by three big dogs. The giant dog would sometimes make trips and kill inland dwellers, and “ it is from this giant dog that the inland-dwellers got their great fear of all dogs.”

Reading Diary B: Brer Rabbit I

Here are some notes on Brer Rabbit I

Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs

Some frogs trick Brer Fox into looking at the pond that Brer Terrapin is in. Then, Brer Fox, being stupid Brer Fox, tried to shake hands with his reflection. He fell into the water and got out just before the terrapin could drown him for good.

Old Mr. Rabbit, He’s a Good Fisherman

While all the animals are working one day, Brer Rabbit gets tired and makes an excuse to sneak off, looking for somewhere to rest. Finally, he finds a bucket hanging above a well, and decides to lay in there. Once he gets in, the bucket falls to the bottom of the well, and another bucket rises to the top. Brer Fox sees this happen, and goes to the well, asking Brer Rabbit what he’s doing. “Fishing for suckers,” he says. Which is funny because he ends up tricking Brer Fox into getting into the bucket, and because the fox is heavier, he falls to the bottom and Brer Rabbit returns to the top of the well. Again, the rabbit outsmarts the fox.

A Story about the Little Rabbits

While both Brer Rabbit and their mother were out, the little rabbits were all alone. Brer Fox came in at this time and planned to eat some of the children. Remembering Brer Wolf, he knew he had to come up with an excuse to eat the children. So he sent them to break off a piece of sugar cane, knowing they weren’t strong enough. Eventually a bird told them to naw off a piece, and they did. Then, Brer Fox sent them to get fresh water with a sieve. After much time had passed, the same bird told them to fill the sieve with clay so there were no leaks. Now, Brer Fox was getting angry, so he told them to move a massive log onto the fire. The bird told the children to roll the log. At this time Brer Rabbit returned home, and Brer Fox left.

(Image Information: Brer Rabbit and his young; Web Source: Wren's Nest)

Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear

This time Brer Fox successfully catches Brer Rabbit, but Brer Rabbit tricks Brer Bear into taking his place in the trap, saying that he was making a dollar a minute as a scarecrow. Then, Brer Fox saw Brer Bear in the trap, and whopped him. After he got down from the trap, Brer Rabbit had already gone to hide from Brer Bear.

Reading Diary A: Brer Rabbit I

Here are some notes on Brer Rabbit I

The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story

In this tale (rabbit pun) Brer Rabbit is fooled by Brer Fox. Brer Fox sets out a doll made of tar. Then, brer rabbit comes across said tar-baby and thinks it is real. He tries to initiate a conversation several times with the tar-baby, and every time he gets no response. He grows angrier and angrier, until he hits the tar-baby. Then he gets stuck to it. Once his entire body is stuck to the tar-baby, Brer Fox pops out and laughs at him and says he expects him for dinner soon. The story ends with Brer Fox outsmarting Brer Rabbit.

(Image Information: Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby; Web Source: Wikimedia)

How Mr. Rabbit was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox

In the continuation of the tar-baby story, Brer Fox now told Brer Rabbit that he was going to kill and eat him. Brer Rabbit uses his smarts, begging for Brer Fox to do whatever he pleased, but not the throw him into the brierpatch. After several times of saying that, Brer Fox decided to throw him into the brierpatch, and it took no time at all for Brer Rabbit to escape. “Bred and bawn in the brier-patch, Brer Fox,” he taunted. This story shows that Brer Rabbit is far wiser than Brer Fox, and so he should have nothing to worry about.

Mr. Fox is “Outdone” by Mr. Buzzard

Brer Fox uses Brer Buzzard to watch for Brer Rabbit. When Brer Fox returns, Brer Buzzard decides to play a little joke on the fox, so he tells him that Brer Rabbit is in the tree napping. After Brer Fox cuts down almost the entire tree, Brer Fox sees the buzzard laughing and realize he had been tricked. Then, he grabs Brer Buzzard and is planning to kill him, but Brer Buzzard breaks free and gets away, laughing. Even the buzzard is smarter than Brer Fox.

The Awful Fate of Mr. Wolf

Brer Wolf spends far too much time with Brer Fox, and at the halfway point of this first set of stories, he pays for it. Brer Wolf, being attacked by dogs, asks for help from Brer Rabbit. Brer Rabbit hides him in a big chest. Then proceeds to boil Mr. Wolf alive. He cooks Brer Wolf, and then holds a big feast for all his neighbors.

Reading Diary B: Japanese Mythology

Here are some notes on Japanese Mythology.

(Image Information: A statue of Yamato Takeru; Web Source: Britannica)

The Golden Apple (Yamato)

Yamato has been infatuated with a siren since before he married his princess. After finding the siren again in the grotto, Yamato says he will do anything for her love; the siren tells him to bring her a golden apple. In this story, the siren tells a story of old Jofuku. This man went to the island of eternal life and successfully returned with a golden apple.

The Demon Boar (Yamato)

Not much to say about this story other than Yamato is officially the Japanese Hercules (that rhymes). He just uses his sheer awesomeness to defeat terribly things and preform inconceivable tasks.

The Grass-Cleaving Sword (Yamato)

Here, the great Yamato is actually successfully deceived, but when all seems lost and the fire that encloses him and his comrades inches closer to burning them. Princess Tacibana runs through the fire with a sword that Yamato uses to save them. Tacibana risks her life to save the man she is so devoted to.

The Sacred Sword (Yamato)

Returning to the siren proved a great mistake for Yamato. She deceived him and took his sacred sword. Then lost, the great goddess Kwannon came to his aid. She told him that the sacred sword would be found in the antlers of a stag. With the goddess’s help, Yamato slayed the stag and got the sword back.

The Dragon (Yamato)

Yamato, happy to have the sacred sword in his possession, returned to the siren one last time to charge her with her deception. But the siren was waiting for him, and claimed that he would never leave her until the love of another was greater. Fortunately, that love was Tacibana, and Yamato was saved. When he awoke in his home, Tacibana was nowhere to be found; he waited, but still there was nothing. Finally he found Tacibana trying to protect the city from the evil dragon, Susa-no-wo. It didn’t take long for Yamato to slay the dragon and profess his love for the princess.

One last time, Yamato set out to sea. Tacibana was unsure of how the sea god would react, but Yamato had no fear. He had already defeated Susa-no-wo once, so why not again. Unfortunately, the god was angered by these words and raged a monstrous storm that would kill Yamato unless someone took his place. Of course, ever-faithful Tacibana did, and Yamato was heartbroken.

Reading Diary A: Japanese Mythology

Here are some notes on Japanese Mythology.

The Eight Forked Serpent of Koshi

I felt that this story was a lot like the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Susa-no-wo came across a beautiful maiden in peril, and he offered to save the girl if he could have her hand in marriage. Much like the Greek myth, it was up to the parents of the girl to decide whom she should marry. Obviously, willing to do anything, the father agreed and Susa-no-wo used his wits to kill the serpent and gain a wife.

The Fortunate Fish-Hook

Two brothers, Ho-weri (hunter) and Ho-deri (fisherman) were both very skilled in their arts. But one day, Ho-deri grew impatient and decided that he should swap duties with his younger brother for a while. After a day of less than no success, he met with Ho-weri and asked to return to his role as fisherman. Ho-weri had the same problem and desired to be a hunter again; however, Ho-weri had lost his brother’s fish-hook. Ho-deri was inconsolable. Ho-weri, grieving, went to search for the hook and ended up marrying the daughter of the sea god.

In the second part, the sea god helps to find the lost fish-hook, and after several years, Ho-weri decides he must return the fish-hook to his brother. Ho-deri is incredibly grateful for his brother and thanks him one-thousand times over. Then, the daughter of the sea god meets Ho-weri and births a son. The son spends all of his time with his father, until Ho-weri passes. Then, he spends his days at sea.

The Rescue of the Princess (Yamato)

Yamato, much like a Japanese Hercules in that he is a very strong, very skilled warrior with high intelligence too, saves his princess from a large group of bandits using his skill and deception.

(Image Information: Yamato dressed as a woman; Web Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Diary B: Tales of Bidpai

Here are some notes on the Tales of Bidpai.

The Hare, the Fox, and the Wolf

It is becoming apparent that, in almost all of these stories, the most wise creature is the one who survives. What is interesting is determining who is the wisest. In this story, it seems as though the hare is going to get exactly what he wants by manipulating the lion. Unfortunately, it is the fox who is the smartest, and the hare dies (spoiler alert).

The Camel Driver and the Adder

Again, it is a twist at the end when we learn that the camel driver used the fox to outwit the adder. Although the camel driver seems doomed because he saved the evil adder, he uses the cunning of the fox to defeat the adder. Yet another story where the fox outsmarts the others.

The Crane and the Crab

I remember hearing this story when I was little. The crane outwits the fish, and so he makes quick and easy work of them; however, the crane gets greedy and tries to kill his enemy, the crab, too. The crab realizes what the crane has done once he sees the fish bones and kills the crane at once.

The Three Fish

This story explicitly says what I have been discussing throughout this half of the reading diary. The fish who always used his wits got away, the fish who sometimes used his wits survived, and the fish who never used his wits was killed.

(Image Information: A snapshot of three characters
from Fish Hooks; Web Source: Fish Hooks Wiki)

Reading Diary A: Tales of Bidpai

Here are some notes on the Tales of Bidpai.

The King, the Falcon, and the Drinking Cup

This story was crazy interesting. It turned out that the falcon was actually trying to protect the king from drinking the poison. The king was left to live with his harsh punishment. The moral to this story is to not make any rash decisions, but to give everyone a chance to prove their innocence.

The Merchant and His Iron

I guess there wasn’t much thought about it then, but that was a very odd way for the merchant to get back at the friend. I don’t really see how it would make sense to abduct a child ever, but it did make for a very interesting, serious twist to the story.

(Image Information: An iron ingot; Web Source: Minecraft Wiki)

The King, the Hermit, and the Two Princes

Another story that seems so weird. The wise king has a plan to make his two sons more humble and careful with money, but the hermit he leaves the money with dies. Then, by some insane luck, one prince finds the gold and ends up as the king after the other prince is killed in a battle because his army had no money. It was just very weird.

The Ass, the Lion, and the Fox

This story reminds me a lot of the donut experiment in psychology (in which a child is shown an old donut and says he/she may have that donut now, or if they wait, a fresh one in several minutes). The fox could have food for many days if he let the lion eat the ass unfortunately, he couldn’t resist the old donut.

Reading Diary B: Ancient Egypt

Here are some notes on the Ancient Egypt Unit pt. B

The Two Brothers

This is a story about two brothers, one older and one younger. The older, Anpu, and his wife take care of the younger, Bata, and in return, Bata does many chores for them. One day, while Anpu is out in the fields with Bata, Bata returns to the house to get some seed, and comes across Anpu’s wife. She tries to seduce him, but he quickly refuses. That night, when Anpu gets home, his wife pretends that Bata was the evildoer and wanted to harm her. Now Anpu is furious.

Anpu planned to slay Bata, but the oxen gave Bata enough of a warning for him to escape. Praying to Ra, Bata asked to be saved, and between the two brothers Ra created a crocodile infested river. Then, Bata told Anpu what had happened and said he could no longer return to live with Anpu. Anpu, in rage, returned home and slayed his wife. Then he grieved for his brother.

Bata, during his travels, came across several gods who felt pity for the boy and made him a beautiful wife. He protected her as long as he could, but one day the wife gave Bata up. Once it became apparent to Anpu that his brother had died, he returned and searched for his soul for four years. Once he found it he restored his brother and they embraced. Now, Bata, disguised as a bull, is going to get his wife back with the help of Anpu.

Upon entering the kingdom, Bata told his wife who he was, and she had the Bull put to death, but where the blood spilled, two trees were grown. Then, she had the trees cut down, but a piece of wood was stuck in her throat, and not too long after that, she gave birth to Bata, who ruled over Egypt for 30 years, and when he died, Anpu took his place.

(Image Information: Anpu bringing Bata
(the bull) to the king; Web Source:
Perankhgroup)

The Book of Thoth

In this story, Nefer-ka-ptah seeks the legendary Book of Thoth. This book is supposed to hold many secrets of magic and anyone who reads it will gain amazing abilities. Nefer-ka-ptah, ignoring the advice of his wife, goes in search of it. He successfully reads the Book of Thoth and gains all the powers. Then, he brings it to his wife and she does the same. The two feast and rejoice and head for the Northern Land.
Eventually, Thoth discovered that his book was stolen and got revenge on Nefer-ka-ptah. First by killing his son, then his wife, then him. It was a very cyclic story (Part III) and was almost word for words for both the son and the wife. In the end, Nefer-ka-ptah was buried with the Book.

Reading Diary A: Ancient Egypt

Here are some notes on the Ancient Egypt Unit pt. A

The Secret Name of Ra

This story is actually quite interesting compared to the other Greek Mythology stories I read the last two weeks. Isis, the female god, tricks the almighty Ra into giving her his secret name (which basically holds all of his power). Isis leaves a venomous snake to bite Ra, and then says she can heal him only when he gives her his secret name. She is very cunning and smart.

Osiris

This little piece talks about when Ra ascended to heaven and Osiris took over. Osiris the Good, as he was fondly called, took Egypt from nothing to a very stable life. People grew crops and planted trees. People built temples and praised the gods. Osiris was just the leader the people of Egypt were looking for. Peace was in the city, but there is always someone looking to stir up trouble. Osiris’s brother, Set, was far more evil and desired the power his brother had.

The Death of Osiris

Set successfully trapped Osiris in a coffin, had his minions seal it shut, and tossed it into the Nile. Set was ruler of Egypt now and he did as he pleased. Egypt became a place of danger. Even queen Isis was not safe. She spent her days inconsolably searching for Osiris. Ra felt pity for her and offered up Anubis to help her.

Journey of Isis

On her journey, Isis gave birth to a boy, Horus. This boy was destined by the gods to return to Egypt and kill Set. Although Set knew of this boy, he was well concealed and Set could not find him. Even when the boy was bitten and killed by a scorpion, the gods brought him back to life. His destiny had already been written. Also, a determined Isis found Osiris’s coffin only for it to again be stolen by Set. In anger, Set had Osiris cut into pieces and thrown into the Nile. Then, Isis went and gathered every piece, burying it where she found it. Isis’s determination for Osiris’s body to find peace is driven by her deep love for him.

(Image Information: The Eye of Horus; Web Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Diary B: Ovid (pt. 2)

Here are some notes on Ovid (pt. 2)

Tereus Marries Procne and Tereus Rapes Philomela

These two stories include the sister’s Procne and Philomela. Procne is wed to an evil man named Tereus who uses his smarts in a very deceitful manner. Procne, feeling homesick, asks Tereus to allow her sister, Philomela to visit, and he yields to her request; however, upon seeing Philomela, falls madly in lust with her, and once he gets her he locks her in a tower and defiles the virgin. Philomela, up high in the tower, cries out for help from anyone who can hear her. She cries to the gods and denounces Tereus’s actions. Tereus is upset by this and cuts out her tongue so she cannot make words anymore. Both the women in this story are very naive and submissive to the will of the man, Tereus. It is as if they are second class citizens.

Procne's Revenge

After learning what had happened to her sister, Procne went mad and killed her son, Itys. Then, she made a feast for Tereus and, unbeknownst to Tereus, fed Itys to him. This revenge, although a sign of defiance, is also a sign of madness.

Medea and Jason and The Golden Fleece

Another set of stories about a women (Medea, son of King Aeetes), but this time she is a women with great power who plays a key role in the lives of many important men. Medea falls deeply in love with Jason and is so in love that she flees her kingdom and helps Jason defeat the insurmountable obstacles he faces on his way to getting the golden fleece. In return for her help, Jason promises to marry Medea. Medea also successfully rejuvenates Aeson (Jason’s father).

Medea and Pelias

Medea also shows her more calculating side when she goes to King Pelias (Aeson’s brother) and tricks his daughters into killing him so that Aeson could return to the throne. Unfortunately, the story of great Medea ends tragically when Jason goes off and marries another girl. Medea goes mad with revenge and murders her two sons that she shares with Jason.

(Image Information: Jason and Medea, by Charles Andre van Loo;
 Web Source: Wikimedia)