Storytelling for Week 14: King Thrushbeard and the Beggar

There once was an old king who had a daughter who refused to be married. She was the most beautiful woman in all the land; however, she was full of pride and conceit. In her eyes, there was no man good enough for her, and every eligible bachelor who came to ask her for her hand in marriage was sent away with the sound of laughter and mocking.

The king even put on a grand ball, in hopes that one suitor would sweep his daughter off her feet. However, the princess would not dance with a single one of them; she found something wrong with each man who asked her to dance: one was too fat, another was too skinny; one was too short, another was too tall; etc. There was one handsome, noble king whom she made a big mockery of. She claimed his chin was pointed like the beak of a thrush bird. The name, King Thrushbeard, stuck with him from that day on.

Thrush Bird. Web Source: Wikipedia

 

The old king was furious with his daughter. He apologized to his guests and politely dismissed them. Then, in his anger, he swore that he would marry his daughter off to the first beggar that came to the castle door.

It was not long before a man dressed in rags came to the castle asking to play a song for the king and his daughter. The king agreed, and the beggar played beautifully on his small harp and sang a lovely song. Then he asked for a small sum for reward. The king did not offer the beggar money, but instead offered his daughter’s hand in marriage. The princess was in complete shock. However, her father could not break his word. A wedding was held immediately and the princess became a beggar’s wife.

The beggar then led his wife out of her old home. She asked him where his carriage was, but was saddened to find out that they would be travelling on foot.

The two passed through a large forest. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the forest. He explained that it belonged to King Thrushbeard, and it could have been hers if she had taken him for a husband. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he knew of her mockery of her suitors.

The two passed through a beautiful, green meadow. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the meadow. He explained that it too belonged to King Thrushbeard, and it could have been hers if she had taken him for a husband.

The two then passed through a large city with many fine building. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the city. He explained that it was King Thrushbeard’s kingdom, and it could have been hers if she had taken him for a husband.

Finally, the two came to a very small cottage. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the wretched hole, fearing the answer he would give her. He explained that it was his home, and it is now hers that she has taken him for a husband.

 

Author’s note:

This story is based on part one of King Thrushbeard from the Grimm Brothers Unit. The story continues and has a surprising ending. I do not wish to spoil it here, because I plan to include both parts in my storybook, Pride Cometh Before Destruction. I really enjoyed the original, so I only wished to condense the story and not edit any further.

 

Bibliography:

King Thrushbeard from Household Stories by the Brothers Grim, translated by Lucy Crane (1886)

Storytelling for Week 13: The Fox and the Cat

 Reynard the Fox Web Source: Wikipedia

One day, the cat ran into a childhood friend of his, Mr. Fox. The fox had been away for several years, during which he devoted his time to his education. The cat approached the fox, who was carrying a large sack on his back, and greeted his old friend. However, the fox looked upon the cat with contempt. The fox considered himself to be greater than the cat, for he had spent his time learning hundreds of tricks for escaping predators. He the cat that he would consider the cat lucky if he knew but one of these tricks.

Indeed, the cat did know one trick. If ever he found himself fleeing from a predator, he would simply run up a tree and hide in the branches. He told this to the fox. The fox laughed and showed the cat the sack he had been carrying on his back. He explained that inside that sack were nearly a thousand tricks he could use, all of which would outperform the cat’s simple trick.

The cat became angry. He did not consider himself overly prideful, but he did not like the way his old friend had spoken to him. He decided to challenge the fox. The next day, they would open up the farmer’s fence that kept his many dogs from escaping. The dogs would immediately chase after the cat and the fox, and whoever demonstrated their trick the greatest would be the victor. The fox agreed and said that he would bring his sack and chose one at random to show that any of his tricks would be greater than the cat’s. The fox then went on his way.

The next morning, the fox and the cat met at the farmer’s fence. Already, the dogs were barking wildly at the two. They stood ten yards away while the rabbit, a mutual friend, waited for the cat’s signal to unlock the fence. The fox tried to open his sack to choose a trick, but could not untie the knot. What he did not know, was that, during the previous night, the cat snuck over and tied a knot around the bag so that it could not be opened. As the fox struggled with the sack, the cat told him to simply think of a trick from memory. However, the fox had not committed any of his tricks to memory; he only wrote them down and put them in his sack.

The cat then gave the rabbit the signal to unlock the fence. Immediately, the dogs began their chase. The cat found a nearby tree, ran up its trunk, and hid amongst its branches. As he looked down, he saw the fox still fumbling with his sack. He called out to the fox to hurry up and choose a trick, but it was too late. The fox could not think of a trick and was eaten by the dogs.

Author’s Note:

This story is based on The Fox and the Cat from the Brothers Grimm unit. The original story is basically the same as mine. However, I did add the part about the cat tying a knot around the sack. I like this story because it gives value to experience over education. Education is very important, but it is useless if not applied. The fox “knew” hundreds of tricks, but never did use any enough to commit to memory. The cat knew only one trick, but he practiced it often.

Bibliography

“The Fox and the Cat” from The Grimm Brothers’ Children’s and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Storytelling for Week 12: Little John

Little John

Author’s Note: This week’s storytelling assignment is based on the ballad of Little John from the Robin Hood unit. I decided to take this same story and place it into another setting. I’ve been watching a lot of The Walking Dead recently, so I thought it would be fun to set Robin Hood and his merry men (referred to as weary men in my story) in a zombie apocalypse (zombies are called Hungerers in my story). This is a different type of story than what I usually write, but I thought it would be fun try it out. Enjoy.      

Robin Hood and his weary men had been traveling for nearly two weeks without a decent meal to fill their bellies. When they reached the edge of a forest, Robin Hood instructed his weary men to rest while he entered the forest to hunt for food. The weary men protested and warned Robin that the forest could be overrun by Hungerers and would be too dangerous to travel through alone. Robin Hood quickly assured his men that would not be alone, for he would have his trusted bow and quiver at his side. He also added that if he were to find himself in a spot of trouble from which he could not escape, he would blow on his horn; at the sound of his horn, his weary men would run to rescue Robin Hood.



The weary men were still unconvinced, yet they could not stop Robin from entering the forest. Robin Hood entered the forest alone to hunt, but the game was sparse. He had managed to catch a few squirrels before he reached a brook in the middle of the forest. Not too far was a narrow bridge, where Robin Hood spotted a stranger fending off several Hungerers. Thrice Robin saw a Hungerer nearly bite the stranger, but the stranger was a large man and a savage fighter with his staff. Robin Hood ran to the bridge and nocked an arrow and drew his bow, but before he released the arrow, he heard the stranger call out to him.

“Oh, come on! Don’t spoil the fun with your bow and arrows! Pick up that pole over there and let’s see how you fair against me in fighting these monsters!”

Robin Hood spotted the old street sign that the stranger was referring to. He set his bow down and picked up the sign and began to bash it against the heads of the Hungerers. Robin and the stranger were fighting hard, yet more and more Hungerers were coming to the bridge. Soon, Robin Hood found himself overwhelmed by a crowd of Hungerers and was forced off of the bridge and into the brook. He then reached for his horn and gave it a hard blow, for he knew that they would not last long like this.

The noise attracted a several Hungerers to him, but the stranger jumped down from the bridge and helped fight them off. Robin Hood and the stranger then fought back to back while the weary men ran towards them. When the weary men reached their leader, they let loose several arrows that each met their target and the battle was finally over.

As the fighting stopped, the stranger thanked Robin Hood and his weary men for their support. He introduced himself as Little John. Robin Hood applauded Little John’s capability against the Hungerers and asked if he would like to join him and his weary men. Little John agreed and traveled onward with Robin Hood and his weary men.



Robin Hood and Little John by L. Rhead



Bibliography

"Robin Hood and Little John" from

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

Storytelling Week 10: The Jealous Son and the Unlucky Mother

                There once was a king of a great kingdom. The king had two children, one a boy and the other a daughter. The king loved both children very much, but he showed more love to the daughter than to the son. This made the son angry and he was always envious of his sister, so he was known as Jealous Son.

                Years past and the children grew up, became married, and had children of their own. The Jealous Son’s wife had many girls, but never a son. This made the Jealous Son nervous, for his sister had already had a son. He did not want her son to inherit the kingdom, so he killed him and made it look like an accident. His sister had several more sons, but each one was killed by the Jealous Son and their death was made to look like an accident. The Jealous Son’s sister accused her brother to the king, but the king said that each death was an accident and she was just unlucky. She was then known as Unlucky Mother.

                The Unlucky Mother had yet another son. She and her husband feared the Jealous Son’s wrath, and thus decided to dress the child as a girl in hopes of fooling the uncle. This was not successful after a few years. The Jealous Son could tell that the child was a boy and decided to kill him. He told his sister that he would take his nephew hunting at the end of the next week.

                When the parents found out that their plan had failed, they cried for days. When the boy asked why they were so sad, they explained what had happened to his brothers and what would likely happen to him. The boy reassured them, however, and told them that his uncle would not be able to kill him during their hunting trip. Any trap the Jealous Son would set for him, he would surely be able to get out of. He only asked if his brothers had any possessions that he would have. The parents told their boy that they only had a sour cranberry, and they gave that to their son.

                The day came for the hunting trip and the Jealous Son took his nephew with him. They were going to hunt rabbits to bring home for a feast. The boy saw many rabbits on their way, but the Jealous Son said that there were fatter rabbits further on. The boy saw even fatter rabbits as they continued, but the Jealous Son again said that there were fatter rabbits further on. Finally, the two spotted a very fat rabbit, just barely smaller than the boy, hidden inside of a hollow log. The Jealous Son instructed the boy to go into the log and retrieve the rabbit. However, when the boy entered the log he got stuck, for he was too big. The rabbit left the log and the Jealous Son returned home, leaving the boy behind.

                The boy wiggled and wiggled, trying to force himself out of the log, but he was truly stuck. Then he remembered the sour cranberry that his parents had given him. He took it out of his pocket, and rubbed it all over the inside of the log. The log detested the sour taste of the cranberry, and opened its mouth wide enough to release the boy. The boy then returned home to reassure his parents.

                The boy’s mother then took her son to the king to share what happened on the hunting trip. She pleaded with the king and begged him to see that this is what happened to her other sons. The king agreed and ordered that the Jealous Son be put in the deepest dungeon. The boy and his mother never saw the Jealous Son again.

Yupik Mother and Child. Web Source: Wikipedia

 

 

Author’s Note:

This story is based on The Jealous Uncle, which can be found in the Native American Heroes unit. I changed the name of the uncle to The Jealous Son in order to emphasize his boyish desire to be king. This was a motive that I added to the story to explain the uncle’s desire to kill his nephews. The original story continues and the uncle tries to kill the boy several times. For time sake, I simply ended the story after the first attempt.

 

Bibliography:

“The Jealous Uncle” from Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929). Web Source: Un-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 9: The Rabbit and the Bear

Hard times had fallen on the rabbit and his grandmother. The season for hunting was approaching fast, yet the rabbit found himself ill-prepared. He had used the last of his arrowheads the previous season and had failed to prepare more. It would be worthless to fire off any of the plethora of arrow sticks he had without a sharp head.

            His grandmother instructed him that he must go and make new arrow heads with flint, but the rabbit did not know where to find the flint. His grandmother then told him that he would only find flint in the body of the old bear chiefs.

            The rabbit then began his journey to the village of the Bears where he would find the old bear chief. The rabbit used his great speed to travel to the far away village. He wanted to make great haste, so he did not make a single stop and even traveled through the night, despite the danger he risked running into. However, the rabbit made it safely to the village of the Bears by the next morning.

            The rabbit was welcomed into the chief’s home, and was even offered a pipe to smoke while he and the chief spoke. When the small talk had run its course, the chief asked the rabbit what he wanted. The rabbit then told the chief of his predicament, and made the request to take some flint so that he could make new arrow heads. The chief then pulled off his robe and, to the rabbit’s great surprise, revealed that his body was composed half of flesh and half of solid flint.

            The chief then instructed his subjects to bring a hammer and a chisel to the rabbit. He told the rabbit that he was allowed to take his fair share of the flint. He also warned him that if the rabbit took too big of a piece, his guards would surely chase him down and eat him. The rabbit ignored the warning, however, thinking that he was fast enough to outrun any bear in the village. Thus, he struck off a piece much larger than what he needed.

            The chief then cried out in agony, for no creature had ever stuck off a piece as large as the rabbit’s. The chief’s guards responded immediately and took chase after the rabbit. The rabbit began to take flight; however, he found himself weary from the previous night’s travel and weighed down by the mass of the flint he carried. The guards were able to catch him easily. Two of them took the flint back to the chief in hopes to mend him, and the other two killed the rabbit and began to prepare him for a stew that they would offer to the chief.

(original drawing in book)

Author's Note: The original story, The Rabbit and the Bear with the Flint Body, was much like the story that I told. Only, when the rabbit runs away, the bears get stuck in a snow storm and the rabbit kills them one by one. This is then given as an explanation for why there are now so few bears. I didn't like the ending of the original or the theme behind it, so I decided to rewrite it. I wrote it with the proverb "Pride cometh before destruction" in mind, just incase I would like to add this to my storybook.

Bibliography:

"The Rabbit and the Bear with the Flint Body" by Marie McLaughlin from Myths and Legends of the Sioux (1916). Websource: Un-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 6: How the Little Boy Fell Victim to His Own Deceit

Once upon a time, in a village that lied in the valley of two mountains, in a modest cottage lived a widow and her son. The father had died shortly after the boy’s birth, and this made the mother sad, for she did not have a chance to provide him with any brothers or sisters to play with.

One day, while the mother was out shopping in the village, she spotted a little boy who had no family. She brought this boy home with her to be her son’s playmate. This was good for the little boy, for he did not have to beg for food anymore. He simply played all day and accepted what he was provided with.

Years later, again while she was out shopping, the widow spotted another older boy, whom she also took home to be a playmate for her son. This upset the little boy who had first been brought to be a playmate, for he believed that they loved the older boy more than they loved him. This, of course, was not true; the little boy received the very same things offered to the older boy. Even still, the little boy became prideful and began to store vengeance in his heart.

Many years past and the widow grew ill. As a final wish, she asked her three boys to always stay close. With this request, she died. The little boy, who was nearly full grown, saw this as an opportunity to take his vengeance on the older boy. He told the widow’s son that the older boy planned to kill him. This made the widow’s son very watchful of the older boy. The little boy then went to the older boy and told him that the widow’s son never cared for him. He said that the widow’s son was always watching the older boy, waiting for an opportunity to kill him.

The widow’s son and the older boy both became very vigilant and were always thinking of ways to defend themselves and to gain the upper hand. One day, the older boy went to the widow’s son to ask why he had disdain for him. The widow’s son replied that it was because of the older boy’s plot to kill him. The two quickly realized that they had been tricked by the little boy. They sought him out and cast him back into the streets where he belonged. The little boy was again forced to beg for a living, but he could not do so well enough, and soon died of starvation.

Author's Note: This story is based on How the Fox Fell a Victim to His Own Deceit. I kept the plot very similar; just replace the widow and her son with a tiger and its cub, the little boy with a fox, and the older boy with a calf. 

Bibliography

“How the Fox Fell a Victim to His Own Deceit”, from Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L Shelton (1925).

Storytelling for Week 5: The Foolish Beneficiary

Shortly after my parents passing, I was told that I would be the sole beneficiary to a large inheritance. I was shocked when I was told this bitter-sweet news for, while I had never wanted for much of anything, I had never thought my parents to be of wealthy means. Our home was not extravagant, we did not own much land, and we walked to places we need to go. Our lives were no different than those of our peers. What was the purpose of amassing such a large sum of currency if we never spent more than what we needed?

Immediately, I began to dream of all that I would buy with my inheritance! I would live in a home so large that I would be able to sleep in a new room every day of the week! I would buy acres and acres of land with a pond to fish in and horses to ride on. I would never walk when I went into town; instead, I would buy a carriage and have a drive take me wherever I needed to go. I would live above all others, for that was my heritage.

On the day I officially received my inheritance, I went to the bank to collect a portion to purchase my carriage. When I collected the money, I witnessed the most peculiar thing. When I grabbed the first bill in the pouch I received from the banker, it flew away. Thinking that the wind had simply carried off the weightless paper money, I decided to spend my silver and gold coins instead. However, when I touched the first gold coin, it jumped away from me. I was astonished as I watched the coin jump several times on the ground until it finally sprouted two wings and flew away! Surely, I thought, I must be dreaming! I reached in the pouch for a second coin, and again I watched as it grew wings and flew away.

I quickly closed the pouch in fear that this cursed money would all fly away before I could return to the bank. When I went inside the bank, I told the banker of the bizarre circumstances that led to my return. When he heard my story, he did not look the least bit surprised. He told me that this is not a rare experience among young beneficiaries to large inheritances. The money easily flies from their hands because they do not understand the importance of holding on to it. They did not earn the money, so they intend to quickly spend it on that which they do not need. Before they know it, the money has all flown away and they are left with nothing in their old age.

After hearing the banker share his wisdom, I decided to place the money back into the bank. There it would remain until I could find a way to properly invest it. I did not want to end up penniless in my old age.

(14th-century sequins)

Author’s Note: This story is very loosely based on the First Voyage of Sindbad. In the beginning of the story, young Sindbad inherits a large sum from his parents. He spends it recklessly and finds that, if he manages it poorly, it is as if the money grows wings and flies away. He then decides to put it to good use and becomes a merchant and goes on crazy voyages. I really just expanded one sentence of the story.

Bibliography: 

"First Voyage", from The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Storytelling for Week 4: The Widow

There once was a man who spotted a black widow scurrying on the floor of his dining room. At once he picked up a newspaper to remove the vile creature from his dwelling, but was stopped when he heard a tiny voice say, "No! Please! I promise I will bring no harm to your home or those within it. Spare my life this day!"

The man was amazed! "How can a spider such as you be able to speak?" the man asked.

"I was not always a widow as you see me now. I was once a woman with a husband, but no offspring. Let me tell you my tale. If you find it entertaining, you must promise not to kill me."

"Agreed," said the man.

The black widow went on to tell her story:

There once was a wealthy tailor who lived with his wife. Their business was very successful. She would weave fantastic fabrics and he would form them into wonderful garments that were coveted throughout the town. Despite all of their financial success, however, they still had a hole in their heart, for they were unable to bear children. This made the tailor sad, for he would have no child to inherit all that he had acquired when he died.

      News spread by whispers of the couple’s misfortunes, and found itself in the ears of the town’s harlot and her bastard child. The harlot went to the tailor and offered to let her son fill the void in the tailor’s heart, if he would only let her live with them in his home. The tailor joyfully agreed, despite the warnings from his wife. The wife was most distrustful of the harlot and her son.

      The tailor raised the boy as his own son, and loved him very much. Then a day came when he had to travel for a month or two to sell his clothing. He asked his wife to take good care of the boy and his harlot mother while he was away. The wife reluctantly agreed.

      While the tailor was away, the wife happened to overhear a conversation the harlot had with her boy. The harlot described an elaborate plan to the boy. Upon the tailor’s arrival, the harlot would fake a terrible sickness. The boy was to plead for his inheritance from his adoptive father, so that he could travel with his mother to a doctor many towns away. However, the boy and his harlot mother would flee with the money and never return. The wife of the tailor knew that her husband would never believe such a tall tale if she told him, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

      One night, while the tailor was still away, the wife journeyed to the woods just outside of the town. There, she spoke with a witch who lived in the woods. She told the witch of her predicament, and asked what could be done. The witch told the wife what should be done. The wife should use a magical silk made from a spider that lives deep inside the woods. This silk should then be spun into a blanket. When the harlot mother and her son go to sleep with this blanket, they will wake up to find themselves transformed into spiders.

      The wife did as the witch said, and wove a beautiful blanket that she then offered to the boy and his harlot mother. The two slept beneath that blanket the night before the tailor was to return. When the tailor returned the next morning, he entered his boy’s room. Instead of the boy and his harlot mother, he found only a pair of spiders in the boy’s bed. The tailor grabbed a newspaper to destroy them, for he hated spiders, but his wife stopped him. She told him what she had overheard and what she had done.

The man left the room, stricken with grief. The wife became overcome with sorrow for the damage she had caused her husband’s heart. She sat on the bed and began to weep uncontrollably. She finally forced her eyes closed and fell asleep. When she awoke, she found herself beneath the blanket she made for the boy and his harlot mother. She had been transformed into a spider by the same magic she created for her enemies.

"I then left the only home I knew, and have travelled about as a spider ever since," explained the black widow.

"Truly, I have been entertained," said the man. "I will grant you welcome in my home this day. Each day hereafter, though, the price for staying within my home will be an entertaining story such as this."

Author's Note: This story is based on The Hind, which can be found in the Arabian Nights unit. The story is about a man who adopts one of his slaves sons. The wife doesn't like it, so she turns the son and his mother into a cow and a calf. The wife said that the slave had died and the son disappeared. Later, during a celebration, the man tried to kill the cow and the calf, but was stopped both times and was told that they were really the slave and her son. The man then has someone turn the slave and the son back and turn the wife into a deer. In the original story, the wife was kind of whacked out and crazy. I wanted to tell a story that was from her perspective. It gave the reader a reason for the wife's hatred of the other woman and her son.

The Story of the First Old Man and the Hind. Web Source: Un-textbook

Bibliography

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

Storytelling for Week 3: Philemon and Baucis

There was mountain far away from the great cities and towns of our time's great cities and towns. On the other side of this mountain was a small village. The population in this village lived a very meager lifestyle. They did not have much, but what they did have, they would often sacrifice it in honor of the gods. This village pleased the gods, all except for two inhabitants: Philemon and Baucis. The man's grandfather had led many people to this habitation many ages ago. By the mountain, they found a great spring which gave life to the people who lived there. Philemon's grandfather declared himself the guardian of the spring, but shared its fruit with all of his followers.

Philemon's father, too, became the guardian after his father died, and so did Philemon become the guardian at his father's death. Unlike his fathers before him, however, Philemon was greedy and thought himself to be king of the spring and the village. Instead of sharing the wealth, he would demand the villagers most valued and sacred possessions in exchange for the sustenance provided by the spring. Philemon and Baucis built the finest home with their greed, filled with food, wines, and golden objects. Their home was like a temple compared to the others in the village. However, the gods saw their home as a blight on the village.

One day, Jupiter and Mercury decided to descend from the heavens, disguised as mortals, and visit this village. When they arrived, they appeared as tired travelers in need of shelter and food for the night. Hundreds of villagers offered their humble abodes as refuge for the travelers, but when Jupiter and Mercury spotted the home of Philemon and Baucis, they insisted that they stay there. The villagers cautioned the travelers that Philemon and Baucis would surely not welcome strangers in their home. The travelers insisted on asking anyways.

When first Jupiter and Mercury knocked on the great door at the home of Philemon and Baucis, they received no response. Upon the second knocking, they received warning to leave unless they had a payment great enough in exchange for the shelter of Philemon and Baucis’s home. While the travelers did have any item worth offering, they did offer their warm company, promising Philemon and Baucis a night filled with joy and laughter. Philemon and Baucis scoffed, stating they had no need for such things.

Jupiter and Mercury then left the home of Philemon and Baucis and walked to the village square. There, they revealed their true form as the gods, Jupiter and Mercury. Jupiter then spoke with a voice loud enough for all in the village to hear from inside their home. He declared Philemon unfit to guard the spring. Philemon and Baucis’s hearts were filled with greed and pride, but they were now to be humbled. He then destroyed their great home and all of their possessions. They both pleaded with Jupiter, begging him to stop. When at last there was nothing left, Baucis then pleaded that Jupiter allow her to be free of Philemon. She had no love for the man, just his power, but now that he had none, he was worthless to her. Jupiter, in rejection of her wish, formed a golden chain and linked Philemon and Baucis together at the feet.

Author’s Note:
The original story is practically the opposite of the one I wrote. Jupiter and Mercury travel to a corrupt land and are only welcomed into the humble dwelling of Philemon and Baucis. While the couple has hardly anything, they all have a great evening filled with laughter and joy. Jupiter then destroys the town, but spares the home of Philemon and Baucis, transforming it into a temple for the gods, which the couple then asks to watch over.

(Philemon and Baucis, Rubens)

I thought it would be fun to flip this story upside-down. Instead of a humble spirit being glorified, I wrote of a haughty spirit being humbled.

Bibliography
"Philemon and Baucis" translated by Tony Kline, from Ovid's Metamorphoses (2000).

 

Storytelling for Week 2: Selfia

The Birth and Death of Selfia

A man and a woman spent many years together madly in love. As great as their love was for each other, however, they found themselves unable to conceive a child. After several years of trying, they began to fear that, while their love was great, it was also barren. They decided to seek counsel from the doctors, and they were told that before the passing of six moons, they would find that which they did seek.
Five month passed and they discovered that what the doctors had told them was true! They had been blessed and the woman was with child. They rejoiced for many days, throwing grand parties and inviting countless friends. One friend, who was known for his futuristic insight, took it upon himself to offer the happy couple with sound advice for the new child. The child was to avoid the new coming technology and social media. If the child were to be exposed to these trends, the child would surely only find destruction.
The child was born a girl, and she was named Selfia. Many years passed, and Selfia grew up to be a very lovely girl. The parents had a love for her even greater than the love they had for each other. Many boys in her class found her to be lovelier than any girl they had seen, but she rejected the prepubescent declarations of love they offered her.
Selfia's thirteenth birthday was fast approaching, and she had but one wish: to receive an iPhone and join her friends in the exploration of the lands of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Such magical places these places seemed in her head, so she pleaded day and night to receive the key that would unlock the door to these lands. Her parents’ great love for their only daughter was so great, that they agreed to this request, despite what the wise friend had said. On Selfia's thirteenth birthday, she received the iPhone 5S.
Immediately, Selfia began to explore Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but of these, she loved the land of Instagram most. She took pictures of everything around her, every time of day. Once, she accidentally held her iPhone backwards, but when she realized her error, she witnessed the most beautiful human she had ever seen! Who was this girl who she saw on her phone? She tried turning the phone backwards again, and when she looked at the picture, the girl had the same curios look on her face. Selfia knew this girl was just as interested and excited as she was.
Many days passed, and Selfia spent most of her time trying to discover who this girl was. The people of Instagram all agreed that this girl was beautiful and fascinating, and this flattered Selfia to know she had discovered such an amazing girl. However, it frustrated her to not know who she was or how they could be together. She knew she was meant to be with her. When Selfia was happy, the girl was filled with glee; when Selfia was sad, the girl showed sorrow on her face. Even when Selfia would purse her lips and hold out two fingers, the girl would mimic this expression.
Selfia was devoted her life to finding this girl. She traveled all over the world, and everywhere Selfia went, the girl seemed to follow. As Selfia traveled, though, she spent more time searching Instagram than she did monitoring her heath. Her body began to deteriorate, and she transformed from the loveliest girl to one that was most wretched to look at. The girl of Instagram stayed with her for all of Selfia’s years, and when Selfia was on her deathbed, so was the girl. Though she never did find the girl, Selfia knew that her love for her outmatched even her parents’ love for each other.
 
Author's Note: This story is an adaptation of the story Narcissus, which can be found in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4). It is a fantastic story and a fantastic way to find out where the term "narcissist" comes from! Basically, Narcissus is a super handsome dude, who sees his reflection in a pool of water and falls in love with it. He ends up turning into a flower in the end. It is interesting how he did not know he was looking at his own reflection; he was so convinced that there was a person in the water. He was completely in love with himself and totally detached from reality. I wrote a more modern adaptation, but I tried to keep the language sounding old. Also, I hope no one is offended by my condemnation of "selfies". It was just a fun little story, and the harm came from Selfia's obsession with taking selfies. If you've taken some in the past, I don't think you're a horrible person.  

Narcissus by Caravaggio. Web Source: Wikipedia

Work Cited
"Narcissus" translated by Tony Kline, from Ovid's Metamorphoses (2000). Web Source: Un-Textbook

 

Week 1 Storytelling: The Young Lone Wolf

The Young Lone Wolf

One night, the young lone wolf was stalking the old hare late into the night. The old hare caught the wolf’s scent, and he decided to speak with the wolf, for he knew he was too old and frail to flee from him.

            “Why waste your time hunting old hares, like me, when there is a herd of deer just past the bear’s den?” asked the old hare.

            “I dare not attack that herd, for the bear is feeding on the young fawn. I am a young lone wolf, and am too small to fight the large bear.”

            “I know of an ancient, secret magic,” lied the old hare, “that will allow you to become larger even than the bear. If you spare me this night, I can teach you this magic so that you will not only be fed this night, but for many nights to come.”

            The young lone wolf considered what the old hare had proposed. He knew the only disadvantage he had against the bear was his size, but if what the old hare had said was true, he would gladly trade his meal this hour for many meals in the nights to come. The young lone wolf agreed and the old hare instructed the young lone wolf what he must do for the magic to work. The old hare kept the young lone wolf busy with foolish errands until dawn.

(The Young Lone Wolf)

“It has worked even better than I thought!” lied the hare as he pretend to look amazed at the young lone wolf’s size.

            The young lone wolf did not feel like he had grown, but as the sun rose, it cast a long shadow behind the young lone wolf. He gawked in amazement, and immediately ran off to the herd of deer before the magical effects wore off.

            The young lone wolf was stopped at the bear’s den by the large bear. The bear was still much larger than the young lone wolf, and he cast a far longer shadow. With one strong strike of his paw, the bear sent the young lone wolf back from where he came.

            When the young lone wolf returned home, the old hare was gone; the young lone wolf then spent another day with an empty stomach.


Author's Note: This story is based on the fable The Wolf and His Shadow, which can be found in Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter . The original fable tells the story of a wolf who sees his own shadow as the sun sets, causing him to think himself much larger and much greater than he really is. He then decides he should be king instead of the lion. When he goes to challenge the lion, he immediately finds himself under the much larger shadow cast by the lion and is killed.
           When I first read the fable, I thought, 'Wolves aren't in Africa with lions, are they?' so I changed the lion character into a bear. Wolves and bears sometimes compete for food, so this made sense to me. Of course, now that I think about it, the lion could have been a mountain lion, which would have made sense, but oh well. I also added the hare, because I like a story with some deception in it. The deception wasn't life threatening, too, so the wolf gained the opportunity to learn from his mistake. The lessons I would like the wolf to learn are: pride comes before the fall, and NEVER trust a bunny.

Works Cited
"The Wolf and His Shadow" by Aesop, from Aesop for Children (2006). Web Source: www.gutenberg.org