Week 13 Reading Diary A

This week I chose to read the Librivox Grimm Fairy Tales unit. Below are my favorite stories from the first half of the reading.

The Frog Prince

• A princess is walking around by a pond when she drops her ball. She vows that if she could get her ball back she'd give all of her fine clothes and jewelry away. A frog hears her crying and asks what's wrong. She calls him nasty and tells him what happened to her ball. He says he doesn't want her clothes or jewels. He wants her to love him and let him live with her, and in return he will get her ball back. She agrees and he fetches her ball, but as soon as it's in her hand she runs as fast as she can back home. The next day she hears a strange noise and a knock on her door. It's the frog, begging her to let him in. She slams the door in his face and runs to her father. She tells the king what happened and he told her that she made a promise, and she must keep it. She begrudgingly did what the frog wanted, and at the end of the night they went to bed with him sleeping on her pillow. When she awoke the next morning, the frog was gone and a handsome prince was left in his place. He tells her that an evil fairy cursed him and she had broken the curse. The next day they set out together to be married and live their days out in the prince's kingdom. 

The Origami Frog Prince

by Orestigami, found on DeviantArt

Rapunzel

• A man and woman are having trouble getting pregnant, but finally it happens! They live next door to a witch who has a most beautiful garden. Everyday the woman gazed into the garden and she so desperately wanted some of the greens that she became ill. She told her husband that she would not feel better until she'd had some of the greens (called rampion, or Rapunzel). So, the husband climbed into the witch's garden and grabbed some rampion. However, he got caught! He explained why he stole her greens and the witch told him that he could take as much rampion as he wanted, but when the baby was born she would take it and raise it as her own. And so it came to be, the baby was born and the witch named her Rapunzel and stole her away. She locked the child in a tower deep in the forest, and she grew into the most beautiful young girl. The witch would have Rapunzel let down her long, golden hair anytime she wanted to visit and she'd climb up and through the tower window. 
• Often, Rapunzel would sing from her window and one day the king's son was riding through the words and heard her song. He'd never heard anything more beautiful. He rode home, but couldn't get that voice out of his head so he returned. When he came back, he saw the witch call to Rapunzel to let down her hair and was in awe when he saw it fall in long tresses to the ground. The next day, he bade her to let down her hair, and she did. He climbed up, but when he entered Rapunzel was frightened! She'd never seen a man before, but he talked kindly to her, like a friend and her fears soon drifted away. She decided she wanted to leave with him, but she did not know how to get down from her tower. She told him to continue visiting her and each time, to bring a piece of silk with him. She would take the pieces and weave a ladder. He agreed to visit her every evening until she could make the ladder.
• Everything was going great until she slipped up and asked the witch why she was so much heavier than the prince. The witch was incredibly angry and grabbed her by her hair. She cut off all her hair and dragged her away to the desert. She left her there and returned to the tower where she tied Rapunzel's hair and waited for the prince to return. When he did, she lowered it down and he climbed up. She surprised him and told him he'd never see her again. He was heartbroken, and spent many years wandering around in sadness. Then, one day, he heard her singing again. He teared up and followed the sound of her voice. They cried and embraced, and the prince rescued her from her desert prison. They rode back to his castle and were married. They lived happily ever after. 

Rapunzel

by Tom Monster, found on DeviantArt

Briar Rose 

• King and Queen are having trouble conceiving. One day, the queen was walking by a pond and saw a fish that had thrown itself out of the water. She picked it up and placed it back, and the fish told her that her wish for a baby would be granted and she'd have a baby girl. The queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and held a great celebration wherein the whole kingdom, even the fairies, was invited. However, there were 13 fairies in the kingdom, but the king and queen only had 12 plates so they left one out without consulting her. The 12 fairies came and bestowed gifts upon the child, but as the 12th fairy went to give her gift, the 13th fairy burst in the door. She was pissed that she hadn't been invited and cursed the child that on her 15th birthday she would be injured by a spindle and fall down dead. After she left, the 12th fairy came to give her gift. She could not undo the curse, but soften it. Instead of dying, the princess would fall asleep for 100 years.
• The king hoped to save his daughter from her faith and ordered all of the spindles in the kingdom to be brought to the castle and burned. The princess grew up in grace and glory. She was beautiful and loved by all who met her. It happened, though, that on her 15th birthday she was home alone, roaming the castle and ran into an old lady who sat at a spinning wheel. She asked what the woman was doing and became very curious. She tried to spin, but was instantly wounded and fell to the ground. Everyone in the kingdom also fell asleep. A wall of thorns grew around the castle and continued to get thicker each year. 
• One day, a king's son who'd heard the story of the sleeping kingdom came to see the beautiful Briar Rose. It just so happened that it was the 100th day and the curse was lifting. Still, when he came to the castle everyone, even the flies on the walls, were asleep. He came to the princess's room and she was so beautiful that he had to kiss her. As he did this, she opened her eyes and smiled upon him. They went together to the king and queen who also woke up and the two were married and lived happily ever after. 

Sleeping Beauty

by Orelly, found on DeviantArt

Week 12 Reading Diary B

This week I chose to read the Celtic Fairy Tales unit. The stories are taken from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892). Here are a few of my favorite stories from the second half of the reading.

Beth Gellert

• The prince had a favorite greyhound named Gellert who was gentle, but VERY fast. One day, when he blew the horn for his dogs, Gellert never came. The prince hunted without the dog, but was incredibly angry. When he came home, the dog came bounding up with blood all over his face. The prince had a baby son, and he worried that the dog had hurt his son. As he made his way to the child's room, he saw more and more blood and disarray. When he came to the room, the cradle was overturned and there was blood everywhere. The prince was sure that the greyhound had killed his son and drew his sword. He pierced the pup in his side, straight through to his heart. The dog cried out and died. Just then, a little noise came from under the cradle. The prince went to check it out and lo and behold, there was his bouncing baby boy. Next to him, lay the body of a great wolf. It dawned on the prince that Gellert had stayed behind that morning to protect the baby and had done so greatly. The prince was immediately filled with pain and grief. He cried and cried, but nothing could bring Gellert back, so he buried him outside the castle and named his home Beth Gellert in the dog's honor. 

Gelert by Charles Burton Barber

Found on Wikipedia

Brewery of Eggshells

• Once upon a time, there was a man, his wife, and their twin sons. One day, she had to run to the neighbor's place and as she was returning, she saw two elves crossing her path. She panicked and ran into her sons' room, but everything seemed fine. However, after a while she noticed that her twins were not growing. Something was wrong! The man suggested that they were not their children. The wife asked whose they were and so began a long drawn-out argument. 
• The wife decides to go to the town wise-man who told her to clear out the shell of a hen's egg and boil some potage (a thick soup) in it. Then, he said, put it in front of the door as if it is dinner for the reapers of the harvest and wait to see if the twins say anything. If she hears them talking about things way beyond the usual understanding for their age, take them and throw them into Lake Ebyr. If they don't say anything remarkable, leave them alone.
• The wife did as she was told and the children began talking in a way most unlike babies of their age. The woman grabbed them and ran to the lake. She threw them in and they splashed, helplessly until the other goblins/elves came to save them. They gave the woman her children back, and everything went back to normal. 

Week 12 Reading Diary A

This week I chose to read the Celtic Fairy Tales unit. The stories are taken from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892). Here are a few of my favorite stories from the first half of the reading.

Connla and the Fairy Maiden 

Fairy Queen

Found on One Vibration

• Connla meets a woman from "the plains of the ever-living" who is very mysterious and talks about living without sin or sadness. The woman falls in love with him and begs him to come with him to the Land of Pleasure. Connla's father cannot see her, but can hear her and was worried so he summons his wizard. The wizard shot spells toward the place where her voice came from. She disappeared and no longer spoke, but left an apple for Connla. For a month, he would eat nothing but that apple, which never ran out. Then, at the end of the month, she spoke to Connla again and bade him to come with her. The king once again summoned the wizard, but the wizard could not stop Connla's want to be with the maiden. She once again asked him to join her on her crystal canoe and travel to the land where only wives and maidens dwell, a land of joy. Connla simply could not resist anymore and he hopped into her canoe. The two glided away into the ocean together and were never seen again. 

The Horned Women

• A rich family was chilling when all of a sudden there was a knock at the door. They asked who was there and was answered with, "I am the witch of the one horn." She opened the door and entered a small woman with a horn on her head and a handful of wool in her hand. She began carding the wool furiously. Then, another knock came and when the lady of the house opened the door, another witch, this one with 2 horns, entered the house. She came in with a spinning wheel and went to work spinning the wool. Knocks kept coming and women with horns kept entering. They spun and sang together, but did not talk to the lady of the house. The lady tried to get up and cry for help, but couldn't move or make a sound. The witches had put a spell on her.
• They told her to make them a cake. She tried, but could not find anything to make the cake with. They gave her a sieve and told her to use it to fetch water, but the water fell through. She knelt by the well and cried until a mysterious voice told her to use the dirt to plug up the sieve and carry water. She did so and was told by the voice that when she gets to the North side of the house, she must shout, "The mountain of the Fenian women and the sky over it is all on fire" three times. She did this and the witches screeched and fled the house back to their home. 
• The spirit of the well then taught the lady how to protect her house from the witches should they return. First, she took the water that she'd used to clean her children's feet and sprinkled it outside of the door. Then, she took the cake that the witches had made with the blood of the sleeping children while she was gone and broke up the cake. She put pieces of it in each person's mouth and they were restored. Then, she took the cloth they had woven and placed it half in and half out of the chest with the padlock. Last, she took a giant crossbeam and placed it over the door, effectively blocking it. 
• The witches returned and bade her to let them in. She refused, so they told the feet water to let them in, but it said it could not because it was scattered about. Angrily, they turned to the cake and told it to let them in. It replied that it could not because it was broken up in the mouths of the sleeping children. The witches left with great frustration and their cries filled the air as they left, cursing the spirit of the well. The woman and the house were left in peace and she kept a memento of that night above her mantle as generations lived happily in that house for 500 years. 

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree

Divorce Changes Your Stepchildren’s Soul and Yours, Too!

Ann Taintor Image, found on The Evil Stepmother Speaks

• There was a king whose wife was named Silver-Tree and a daughter named Gold-Tree. One day they went to a glen where they happened upon a trout. Silver-Tree asked the trout if she was the most beautiful queen in the world. It told her no, her daughter was. Silver-Tree was incredibly angry and vowed to never feel better again until she had eaten the heart and liver of her daughter. When she told her husband that she would be healed of her "illness" if she could eat these things, he instead married his daughter off to a wealthy prince and procured the heart and liver of a goat. She ate them happily and a year later she returned to the glen. She gain asked the trout if she was the most beautiful queen of all, and he again told her no, her daughter Gold-Tree was the most beautiful of all. She laughed and told him that it had been a year since she had been alive and he told her that Gold-Tree was alive and well, and living with a wealthy prince.
• Silver-Tree stormed off and ordered that the royal ship be prepared for her so she could go see her daughter whom she had not seen in so long. It was done and she set off. When Gold-Tree found out, she told her servants to help her for her mother would surely kill her. They locked her in a room that no one could get in or out of without the key. When Silver-Tree arrived, she called out for Gold-Tree who said, "sorry, i'm locked in this room. I guess we can't hang out." Silver-Tree then asked her if she would slip her pinky finger through the key-hole so that she may kiss it. Gold-Tree did so and was immediately struck with a poisoned needle. She fell down dead and Silver-Tree returned home. When the prince found his dead wife, he cried and cried. He loved her so much and she was just too beautiful to bury so he locked her away in a special room that only he had the key to. He moved on and remarried. 
• One day, while he was out, his new wife happened upon the key (which he had forgotten that morning) and opened the door to the mysterious room. She was stunned to find the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen lying there. She shook her, and tried desperately to wake her before noticing the needle in her little finger. She pulled it out, and Gold-Tree was restored back to life and beauty. The wife then showed her husband that Gold-Tree was alive and well and offered to leave. The husband was giddy, but told her that he did not want to lose her either so they both became his wives. 
• Silver-Tree again found herself in the glen and asked the trout, "Troutie, bonny little fellow, am not I the most beautiful queen in the world?" To which it replied, "No, Gold-Tree is." She told him she had poisoned her and that she'd been long dead, but he assured Silver-Tree that her daughter was very much alive. Once again, Silver-Tree set off to "see" her daughter. Gold-Tree was terrified, but her new sister-wife assured her that she would be safe. They went down to the dock to meet Silver-Tree together. The evil queen stepped off of the ship, goblet in hand, and said that she had a special drink for Gold-Tree, a present. The second wife stepped in and told Silver-Tree that it was customary in their country for the presenter of a drink to take the first sip. Silver-Tree raised the cup to her lips and the second wife went up and struck it, forcing some of the liquid to go down her throat. Silver-Tree immediately fell down dead and her corpse was sent back home where it was buried. The prince and the two wives lived happily ever after. 

Week 11 Reading Diary A

This week I chose to read Britomart: Faerie Queene, below is a summary of the first part of the unit.

Britomart happens upon Sir Guyon and his squire who she beats at jousting, but unfairly so since their lance was enchanted. She was searching for Artegall, the champion knight of justice. Guyon and her fight as a test of strength then he joins her and Prince Arthur on their quest.

The trio comes upon a big forest where a white horse ridden by Florimell rushed upon them. She is attacked and the two male companions rush to save her. She leads them toward a castle where 6 Knights were ganging up on 1 poor dude. Britomart ran in to rescue the guy and found out the reason they were beating him up was that they wanted him to leave his wife for another lady and he wouldn't do it. Britomart made quick work of them and they threw their swords at her feet. 

The knight joined Britomart and they all entered the castle (Castle Joyous). They came upon the lady of the castle who took a liking to Britomart (thinking her to be a young male knight). The lady snuck into Britomart's room at knight to try to get a glimpse of what hid under that armor, but she awoke and freaked. The lady's Knights ran in and one of them shot Britomart in the side with an arrow. Brit's companions came in and a great fight ensued. After they won, they left the castle 

We find out in "The Magic Mirror" that Britomart is in love with Artegall. As it turns out, she had seen an image of him in a magic mirror and fell deeply in love, though she refused to show it. Merlin made the mirror to show anything as long as it had to do with the person looking into the mirror. 

After seeing Sir Artegall in the mirror Britomart grew ill. She was lovesick. Britomart's nurse, Glauce, took her to see Merlin in the hopes that he could cure her. Merlin told her the knight's name and that he lived in the land of the faerie queen. He told her that she'd help him win the crown and reign with him. He'd have a son and a long succession of kings from his lineage would rule. She felt much better. 

Britomart vowed to journey to the land of the faerie queen and find her love. 

One night, Britomart found herself in a fierce storm. She hoped to take refuge in a castle that belonged to a churl named Malbecco, but he wa mean and refuses. She decided that when she could, she's punish him. She tried to enter the pig pen but was blocked by a group of Knights. She told them to let her in or shed fight them, which pissed one of them off. They fought and she won. She told them of how Malbecco had treated her and they all decided to burn down the building. Malbecco decided he'd rather let them in then lose the building so he did and served them dinner. The next morning Britomart was off again. 

When they left, Malbecco sicked a giant on them like a total tool. However the giant was a coward and flees from the knights. They went into the forest in search of the giant, but instead found a sleeping knight. His name was Scudamour and he told them that his lady had been taken by an evil enchanter who wanted her for himself. Britomart vowed to save her. They came to the enchanter's lair and stopped at the entrance where a wall of flames blocked their entry. Britomart, undeterred, put her shield in front of her and marched through the fire. Scudamour tried to do the same but got scorched. She explored many rooms but didn't find the maiden. 

Wall of Fire 

Found on dreamstime 

Week 10 Reading Diary B

This week I chose to read the Eskimo Folk-Tales reading unit from the un-textbook. Here are my two favorite stories from the second half of the unit.

The Eagle and The Whale 

Whale and Eagle

by Joe Wilson, found on Antiques2Jewelry

• There are two daughters who don't want to marry, so they are given an eagle and a whale to marry. The eagle swooped down and scooped its prize up. Each day it would bring her a narwhal or a walrus and each day she would work on a rope to lower herself down from the perch. 
• Soon, the brothers of these girls began to miss them and set about making crossbows. A young homeless boy accompanied them when they set off to retrieve their sister. She lowered herself down and when the Eagle tried to come get her, they shot at it with arrows. None could hit it until the little boy released his arrow and killed it. 
• The other sister lived with the whale who was very fond of her, but she grew homesick. She longed to see her brothers and they missed her too so they made a boat and set out. However, they realized their boat was weak and had to break it down and start over. The wife of the whale meanwhile asked to go outside, but he would not let her and had tied a string around her to keep her in his grasp. The wife somehow made it just outside the cave and tied her string to a rock. The whale wanted her back in so he pulled the string, bringing not his wife, but a big rock. He was furious and came after her. Her brothers picked her up in their bigger, better boat and as they ran off she left a trail of clothing to which the whale pounced on and caused much commotion. However, the last piece he jumped on was in shallow water and the whale ended up beaching himself. 

Ángángŭjuk

• I'm going to call the main character Ang. 
• One day Ang went missing and his father blamed his mother. She asked him to wait and not kill her until they talked to someone who could consult with spirits. He had many wizards try to find his son, but none did. Then, a spirit came and told him that Ang was between 2 great cliffs and being taken care of by 2 inland people. Ang's father and his wizard buds went to find his son. They found him and a wizard put the people to sleep and rescued Ang. The end. 

Week 10 Reading Diary A

This week I chose to read the Eskimo Folk-Tales reading unit from the un-textbook. Here are my two favorite stories from the first half of the unit.

Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak

• I'm going to refer to the main character, "Nukunguasik" as Nuk from now on.
• Okay, so Nuk goes to an island he hasn't explored before and happens upon one of his brothers. He goes to see what's going on and hears the brother telling something to bite Nuk to death! Nuk now knows his brother is creating a demon-type creature called a Tupilak to kill him and slaps him, asking, "Yeah, but where's Nuk?" This scares the bejeezus out of his brother and he falls over dead. After this, Nuk sees the Tupilak sniffing his brother's dead body, but instead of taking care of it, he runs off scared. He returns home to his other brothers and as time goes on the brothers wonder where their other bro is. They search for days, and finally find him being nibbled on by the Tupilak. They bury their brother and go home. Nuk lives on as the oldest brother for many years and that is where the story ends. 

The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man

Insect Army

by John Scalzi, found on Planet Books

• There once was a scrub who didn't have a wife, harassed the local women, and overslept during hunting season. One day he was kayaking and came upon one of the noseless ones.. people who lived beneath the earth. The great man offered him much, but he felt inapt to accept it. They told him how to quit being a scrub and turn his life around. The next day he got up early and went hunting. This became a daily habit and soon the women of the town began talking to him. 
• One day, a blowfly romantically said, "Take me!" and the wifeless man said he would not because the blowfly gets food from the muck heaps. The fly left and more whispering was heard before another fly came out. The fly offered itself to him, but he said no because it had big weird eyes and laid eggs all willy-nilly. Next, a cranefly offered to be his wife, but he denied her because her legs were too long. Next came a centipede and she too was denied by the man, this time because she has too many legs, her body clings to the ground, and her eyes are ugly. A gnat came next and was met with, "no thanks, you bite." 
• He then sees his wife and she brushes his hair until he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he realizes he's been in a cave the whole time and is now rotten with age. 

Week 7 Reading Diary B

This week I decided to read the Stories from the Congo unit from the un-textbook which includes stories taken from Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898). The following for my favorites from this week's overall readings so my reading diary B for this week will be focusing on these.

How The Wives Restored Their Husband To Life

• So, there's this guy named Nenpetro and he has 3 wives: Ndoza'ntu (the Dreamer), Songa'nzila (the Guide), and Fulla Fulla (the Raiser of the Dead)
• Nenpetro kills an antelope and gives it to his wives who gobble it up. Soon, however, they are complaining of hunger again. Nenpetro then goes out and kills a monkey for them, they eat it, but are still hungry. He can't believe their hunger so he goes out to hunt an ox for his wives for surely an ox will satisfy their hunger. He finds a group of 3 oxen eating and picks one out of the bunch. He shoots the ox and is reloading when one of the other oxen charges Nenpetro and kills him.
• Back in town, the wives grew hungry and began calling out for their husband but he never came back. Ndoza'ntu had a dream that Nenpetro had died after killing an ox. Soon enough they set out and found his body. Fulla Fulla gathered herbs and plants to raise Nenpetro from the dead then the 3 wives began quarreling. They wanted to know whose hut he would go to first after rising from the cold grip of death. They decided to settle the quarrel by each cooking a pot of food and letting him choose which pot of food to eat first. Whoever's food he chose, would be the wife whose hut he visited first. 2 of them used chicken, but Fulla Fulla used pig. Nenpetro chose Fulla Fulla's food and explained to the them that Ndoza'ntu dreamt of his death and Songa'nzila showed them the way to his body, but without Fulla Fulla's gift he would not be able to eat anyone's food so her gift was the greatest. Many agreed with him, but the wives said he should have taken food from each pot and combined it all into one bowl instead of choosing. 

How Gazelle Got Married

My Hat is a Very Good Hat

from Animal Capshunz, found on Vayagato

• Now Nenpetro has 2 wives and they both give birth to girls. Because they were wealthy they decided to give their daughters to the two men who could figure out their names (Lunga and Lenga). 
• This dude Nsassi and his dog come up and he asks for their hands in marriage. He is rejected because he does not know their names. The dog feels hella bad for him so he stayed behind when Nsassi left and heard Nenpetro call his daughters by their names. He runs back to his master and says he will tell him if he pays him. Nsassi kills a pig and gives it to the dog who tells him the daughters' names. 
• They celebrated fully then set out to claim the prizes. However, they got too drunk and forgot the names so the dog had to go back but then it's all good and Nsassi gets his brides.

Week 6 Reading Diary B

This week I chose to read the Japanese Mythology reading unit from the un-textbook.

The Labors of Yamato: The Grotto of Love
* read this story HERE

Japanese geisha mermaid with umbrella under the great wave and cherry blossoms branches

By Martin Nieto, found on his PhotoBlog

• Yamato's bored of his princess and begins yearning for his lost mermaid. He was lured by her siren song into a cave where he runs into a dragon! He makes it past, and moves on to a big chamber where he finds a beautiful mermaid playing a lute upon a bed of coral.
• Here we meet Benten, a sea kami (goddess) who is also one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan. She introduces herself as Benten, the Goddess of Deathless Love, and she offers the pleasures of her kingdom to Yamato. She provides him a grand feast, with sweet ambrosia sake and heaps of shellfish and fruit. He becomes entranced and says, "Grant me thy love, sweet siren — else I shall surely die.”
• She sings to him and caresses him sweetly before shoving him back and saying that if he wants her love, he must risk his life by sailing to Horaizon and acquiring the Golden Apple of Immortal Youth. If he succeeds, she will grant him her undying love. 

The next story is just Benten telling Yamato about Horaizon and the story of the Golden Apple

The Labors of Yamato - The Demon Boar
*Check out this big, bad boar Here

• It turns out that before Yamato can get the apple, he must first defeat a demon boar in a forest near Fujiyama. So, he grabs a group of guys and heads out to nab a demon boar. They find it and rain arrows down onto it, but their arrows cannot penetrate its hide. Yamato becomes impatient and charges the boar with his spear even though he'd been warned earlier not to do that crap. His steed is impaled on the boar's tusks and Yamato is thrown from his back and landing hard on the ground. The boar then charges him and traps him with his back to a huge cliff. Yamato is unafraid and draws the sacred sword. He hops over the boar and cuts off its tale, causing it to freak and run off the cliff. 

In the next story, Yamato travels to Suruga where he is treated like a welcomed guest.. until he wakes up and the whole building he's in is ON FIRE! Not only this, but the fire had spooked the hundreds of deer and horses which began running about goring and trampling everyone in their blind terror. Some crazy specter girl comes in and burns up before saying some cryptic stuff- it's princess Tacibana,who sacrifices herself to save them. Then, Yamato cuts a pathway in the grass with his sword and they escape. 

Yamato's princess/wife has proven to be incredibly devoted and loyal, but he still can't resist Benten.

Yamato slays the dragon in the grotto. 

Week 6 Reading Diary A

This week to read the Japanese mythology unit from the untextbook.

Izanagi and Izanami
*Read about their stories here: part 1 and part 2

Izanagi and Izanami

by Lady-Voldything on DeviantArt

• Izanagi = all-powerful god of air, god of the heavens, the creator
• Izanami = goddess of love and the clouds, who have birth to the world and it's deities
• Taka-ma-no-hara = the highest plain in heaven 
• Before the world was created, there was an empty void. From this void floated various flowers that grew into the sun and the moon. Then, more flowers fell and their petals became Izanagi and Izanami. From these two came all of Earth and it's creatures. 
• Then, one day, the two were standing on the bridge of heaven and decided to create their own kingdom. Izanagi plunged his spear into the swirling ocean and out sprung the island of Onogora. He stirred his sword in the water and out came the "earth-makers." Izanami and Izanagi lived on Onogora and through this the 8 islands of  Japan were born. 
• The gods of nature are then born. 
• Izanami and Izanagi have two children: Amaterasu, who goes on to become the sun goddess/ruler of heaven, and Susa-no-wo, who became the moon god and ruler of the seas/tides. 
• The moon grew to be hateful and jealous because Izanami loved her Earth children most of all. She asked Kami to minister to them, the river god to water their rice fields, the mountain god to bestow gold upon them, the god of trees to give then timber, and the goddess of abundance to  grow them an abundance of fruit. 
• The gods got super jealous and held a meeting to bring it to attention. Izanami dies and Izanagi goes to the underworld to rescue her. He finds her soul, writhing in pain and sorrow, but he cannot save her and in his grief, he leaves to carry out his days on Earth (the island of Ahaji) in constant sadness.

The Heaven-Descended
*Read it for yourself here: part 1 and part 2

• Amaterasu = sun goddess
• The council, consisting of 800 gods, is meeting- Amaterasu addresses the council and advocates for a god being sent to the Rice Plains to restore order and peace to the area rife with uprisings. So, Amewaka descends to govern however he is enchanted by Princess Shita-teru-hime when he gets to the Isle of the Dragonfly. He marries her and lives with her happily for 8 years without changing anything. Amaterasu gets impatient and worried so she sends her pheasant, Na-naki to go see what's up. Na-naki perches on a branch nearby and is spotted by Ama-no-sagu (the Heaven-Spying Woman) who promptly goes and tells Amewaka that an evil bird is perched outside- surely it can be NO GOOD.
• Amewaka, trying to be proactive, grabs his bow and shoots an arrow straight through Na-naki's heart. The arrow continued up to the heavens where it landed at Amaterasu's feet. She throws the arrow to Earth and says that if he shot it at a bad earth spirit, that the arrow should kill that spirit, but if he shot it at someone with evil in his heart, may the arrow strike him dead. 
• The arrow strikes Amewaka in the heart. The princess finds him dead and Amewaka's mom arranges for a funeral and a huge temple to be erected, where everyone mourned for 8 days.
• The sun goddess calls for her grandchild Ninigi (Prince Rice Plenty) to go take Amewaka's place. She gave him 3 divine gifts: "he Necklace of Jewels, which her father Izanagi had bestowed upon her at her birth; the Sacred Sword, which Susa-no-wo discovered within the tail of the eight-forked serpent; and the Miraculous Mirror whose lustre had lured her from the magic cave." She tells him to guard them well, especially the mirror. 
• As he is about to descend he gets word of a Giant God with rays of light shining from his eyes and mouth. Ninigi calls upon Uzume, the goddess of mirth, to handle the giant. 
• The giant =  Saruta-niko (Deity-of-the-Field-Paths) who says he wants to pay homage to the grandchild of Amaterasu- to attend him as a guide. Ninigi eagerly descends. The giant helps Ninigi so much that he gives the giant Uzume as his wife to say thank you. The two are wed and head off to live out their days together in the mountains. 

Konohanasakuya-hime

by Csyeung, found on DeviantArt

• Ninigi gets lonely and meets Ko-no-hana (Princess Tree-Blossom). He inquires about her hand in marriage to her dad and is awarded not only her, but her sister, Iha-naga-hime (Princess Long-as-the-Rocks), too! However, Ninigi had no interest in Iha-naga-hime and rejected her. She got mad and yelled that if he had chosen her, his children would have been immortal, but since he didn't, they will wither and die. This is why the lifespan of man is as short as it is. 
• Ninigi didn't care and him and his bride lived happily for many years. For whatever reason, Summer Wind took a liking to Princess Tree-Blossom, and even though she remained faithful and he wasn't actively pursuing her, Ninigi gets hella jealous (it drives him mad) and.. disowns his sons? The faithful wife demands a TRIAL BY FIRE! She summons the sun goddess, saying (essentially) "if my children are innocent, and truly Ninigi's paternal children, please do not let the fire harm them." With that, the boys ran into the fire. They emerged on the other side of the fire and jumped into Ninigi's arms. Ninigi drops to his knees and begs for forgiveness from his wife, saying, 

Like Mina’s stream that foaming falls

From white Tsukuba’s height,

My whelming love shall flow to thee

Strong as a torrent, pure and free,

Calm as a pool of night

**Side note: OMG I LOVE this love story. I think I will LIKELY use it for my storytelling this week

Week 5 Reading Diary B: Arabian Nights

This week I chose to read the Arabian Nights reading unit from the un-textbook. The second half of this reading unit is 6 chapters that all tell the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Aladdin Fan Art

by Shelziru, found on Deviant Art

Part 1

• First off, Aladdin is an "idle" (I think this might mean disabled in some way) street rat who is playing with his degenerate friend and causes so much grief for his father that the man dies! He freakin' dies! AND Aladdin doesn't try to change his ways afterward. 
• Aladdin meets an African magician who claims to be his uncle. The man takes Aladdin, buys him fancy clothes and shows him many sights before coming to a narrow valley between two mountains. He made a fire, threw some powder in it, and spoke some incantations  before giving the boy a ring. Under the stone, said the man, there is a treasure of unspeakable power and it is all for Aladdin as long as he does what the man says. His instructions were as follows:

"Go down," said the magician; "at the foot of those steps you will find an open door leading into three large halls. Tuck up your gown and go through them without touching anything, or you will die instantly. These halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to a niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains and bring it to me."

•  Just like in the movie, when Aladdin grabs the lamp, the cave starts falling in on itself and the magician tells him to hand over the lamp. Aladdin wouldn't do it until he got out of the cave and the magician disappeared. He hadn't been Aladdin's uncle, he just wanted to get the lamp and all the magical power it possessed before killing Aladdin. 
• Aladdin rubs the lamp and out pops a genie.. I am slave to the ring and you're wish is my command, said the genie.

Part 2

• Aladdin wishes for the genie to get him out of the cave. His wish is granted and he heads home to tell his mom everything that happened. 
• His next wish is for some food and is presented with a glorious feast on 12 silver plates for him and his mother. They sit down and eat while Aladdin tells his mom about the lamp and the genie. She tells him to sell it- that thing's got devil in it for sure. Aladdin obviously refuses and goes on to sell the twelve plates.
• One day, the sultan told everyone to stay inside and draw their blinds so that his daughter may go to and from her bath. Aladdin wanted to see her face so bad that he followed her and when he saw her face, he immediately fell in love. Aladdin went home a changed man and professed his love for the princess to his mom as well as his intention to ask her to marry him- to which his mother replied by bursting into laughter. Finally she agrees to take some magical fruit to the sultan as an offer for the princess's hand in marriage.
• It took 6 days before the sultan called on her, but when she presented her offer he was astounded. The grand-vizir wanted his son to marry the princess so he begged the sultan to give him 3 months so that his son may come up with a better gift in exchange for the princess. The sultan finally agreed to hold off the wedding for 3 months, then the two shall be married. 
• Aladdin waits patiently until he hears that the grand-vizir's son is to marry the princess just as the three months were about up. He asks the genie to bring him the bride and groom; the genie obeys. He told the genie to throw the man out in the cold and laid down next to the terrified princess where he slept soundly for the rest of the night. 
• As per Aladdin's command, at daybreak the genie fetched the groom and put him back in bed before transporting him and the princess back to the palace. 

Part 3

• The two tell their families of what happened but no one believes them, so every night the same thing happens until finally the groom wishes to leave the princess or suffer another night of torture. The two are divorced and when the three months were up, Aladdin's mom returned to the sultan to remind him of his promise. He remembered, but was surprised to learn of how poor Aladdin and his mom were. He didn't want to give his daughter to such poverty so he set so high of a bride price that surely no one would be able to afford it. He told the mother, 

"a Sultan must remember his promises, and I will remember mine, but your son must first send me forty basins of gold brimful of jewels, carried by forty black slaves, led by as many white ones, splendidly dressed. "

• She goes home, head hung because she knows they cannot afford this. Aladdin wasn't shocked and simply wished for all of the things the sultan wanted. They appeared, and were sent off to follow the mother back to the palace. The sultan was pleased and sent for Aladdin.
• Aladdin bathed and asked for all of the things to make him look like a prince. He then mounted his new horse and trotted into the town, having his slaves throw gold along the path he made. The king was impressed and urged him to marry the princess that day. Aladdin refused, saying he first wanted to build a palace fit for the princess. He did so and the two were happily married. This is when the grand-vizir smells something fishy about Aladdin. 

Part 4

• Far off in Africa, the magician from earlier in the story, remembers Aladdin and realizes after hearing his rags-to-riches story that he has been using the power of the genie. One day, while Aladdin is gone, the magician comes to the palace carrying 20 bronze lamps and trying to trade them for the old ones housed there. He gets the magic lamp and heads back to Africa.
• The next day, everything was gone, and finally thinking everything might have been magic, the Sultan sends for Aladdin to be brought to him in chains. He is dragged through the town with a mob of villagers behind him, armed and planning to attack should any harm come to Aladdin. He was brought before the sultan who ordered he be decapitated, but the order was not carried out because Aladdin begged to know what he'd done. The sultan showed the empty place where Aladdin's palace once stood, complete with princess inside. The sultan demanded to know where his daughter was. Aladdin asked for 40 days to find her and was granted it. 
• He was so distraught that he threw himself into the river and in doing so rubbed his magic ring. The ring genie came out and he asked him to save his life. The ring genie replied that he could not and instead took him to his palace which was now in Africa. 

Part 5

• Much like Jafar and Jasmine, the magician made the princess his slave. Aladdin asks her where his lamp went and she told him that the magician carried it with him at all times. Aladdin tells her of his plan. She must seduce the magician and convince him to join her for some wine. Aladdin gave her some powder and instructed her to put it in the magician's cup which she did. The powder was poison and when the magician drank it, he fell back.. dead. 

Part 6

• Aladdin and the princess are reunited, the palace is moved back to China where it's supposed to be, and the Sultan is ecstatic to see the return of his daughter. There was a huge feast held in Aladdin's honor and all seemed well, but it turned out that the evil magician had an even more evil  younger brother. 
• The brother kills a woman named Fatima, takes her clothes, and makes himself up to look like her. Then, he enters the palace under his disguise as a holy woman. He says a prayer of health and prosperity over the princess who asks him to stay forever by her side. He consents, but is careful to keep the veil over his face so as to keep up his charade. She shows him a great hall and he says the only thing missing is a Roc's egg. Aladdin's like, "no problem!" and he retires to his room where he asks the genie to procure a Roc's egg.
• The genie freaks out! "You want me to hang my master up in your hall like a decoration?!" he yells. Then, the genie realizes Aladdin had nothing to do with this request and tells Aladdin of the truth of Fatima.
• Aladdin cleverly tells his people to fetch him Fatima for he has a terrible headache and needs assistance. The magician comes, but as he approaches Aladdin, he is killed by a dagger to the heart. The princess screams and asks hysterically how Aladdin could kill the holy woman, but he reveals the true nature of the magician in disguise and the two lived happily ever after.  

Week 5 Reading Diary A: Arabian Nights

This week I chose to read the Arabian Nights reading unit . I really enjoyed it and chose to comment extensively on my favorite stories from each section of the unit. This week's stories include:

1. Scheherazade
2. The Story of the Parrot; The Story of the Ogress
3. The Story of the Physician's Revenge 

Scheherazade

• Sheherazade is a storyteller who is telling these stories to her husband, the sultan Schahriar, and her sister, Dinarzade.
• The Sultan once had a wife who cheated on him and betrayed him and his faith so she was put to death. He was so shaken that he began to believe that women were evil at their core, all of them. So, he decided there should be less women on the Earth and began a cycle of marrying a new wife each night and having her strangled in front of the Grand-Vizir (who was tasked with finding the new wives), and chaos ensuing among the Sultan's people as his horrific obsession began leaving families without their daughters.
• the Grand-Vizir has 2 daughters: Scheherazade (the most gifted and beautiful) and Dinarzade (the plain one)
• Scheherazade comes to her father and says she wants to stop the Sultan's evil behavior. She suggests he give her to the Sultan as his next bride (to which he flips out, obviously), but refusing to explain her reasoning*. After much emotional toil for the father, he finally consents and tells the Sultan.

*Blogger feels it necessary that this was a little bit... trifling of Sheherazade to do (not tell her father her plan, poor guy was grief-stricken and fearful)

• The Sultan is shocked and asks how he is able to sacrifice his own daughter. The Grand-Vizir tells him that it is her wish and even though they all know he fate that awaits her, she insists. The Sultan reminds the man that he will still have to carry out her death sentence himself or face the punishment. The Grand-Vizir pledges his allegiance to the Sultan and the two part ways. 
• Scheherazade thanks her father before leaving to go get ready for the marriage. She sends for her sister and tells her of her plan: that night she would ask, as her last wish, that the Sultan allow her sister to sleep in the room with them, if he allows it she is to wake Scheherazade up before the sun comes up and ask for her to tell her a story, then she would ask the Sultan to allow her to oblige her sister (which he does), and.. That's where the story ends! Cliff-hanger! 

**Over-Arching Story-line: the daughter takes so long to tell the story that she manages to extend her life each day simply by telling such great tales. Each different story is a tale within a tale and is being told by a new storytelling character in that tale. Also, the character in each tale is in a similar situation to that of Scheherazade; for instance, their lives may also depend on the story they tell. If they tell a good-enough story, then maybe the bad guy in the story will spare their life (much like Scheherazade and the Sultan). Complicated, right?!**

The Story of the Parrot; The Story of the Ogress

This story is in two parts: the story of the parrot, told by Scheherazade, and the story of the ogress, told by the Grand-Vizir of the precious story. 

1. The Story of the Parrot

• There is a good man who loves his wife very much. He bought her a parrot because he didn't want her to have to be alone while he went on a business trip. When he got back from his trip he asked the bird what happened while he was gone and the bird told him some salacious stories about his wife that made him angry. He scorned his wife and she angrily goes on the hunt for who told her husband these things. When she finds out it's the parrot, she plots her revenge. 
• The next time the husband had to leave for the night, the wife and her slaves tricked the bird into thinking there were awful storms all night. So, when the man came home and asked the bird how it went, the bird told him that the thunder and rank were so bad during the night that he couldn't even tell of his suffering. 
• The husband, however, knew that it had not rained or thundered the night before and as convinced the bird was lying to him. He took the bird by the neck and threw it angrily onto the ground, killing it. 
• The king later found out that the bird had in fact not lied and was terribly sorry. 

2. The Story of the Ogress

• There's a king and his son who loved to hunt. One day, while the sun is out hunting, he ends up lost from from the Grand-Vizir and his group and stumbles upon a maiden crying on the side of the road. 
• She tells the prince that she's and Indian princess who is lost and without horse. He offers to take her back to her home and she accepts. She leads him to a set of ruins where it is revealed that she's actually an ogress who plans to feed him to her young! 

• The prince said, "nope" and hopped on his horse. When the ogress saw her prey had escaped she knew it was too late for her to catch him so she asked if she could help him. He was surprised when she told him how to get back to the road, but didn't stick around. He rode home and told the king of what happened. The king, in response to the Grand-Vizir's incompetence and the danger it put his son in, ordered him to be strangled. 

The Physician's Revenge

~The Vizir accuses the physician of being an assassin to the king. The king believes him and sends for the physician with the intent to behead him. The physician arrives and is shocked; he pleads for his life in exchange for the king's, but is bound and positioned for the ax. He begs the king to let him get his affairs in order, including ensuring that his books are given to those who deserve them, including the king. 

~In this book, the physician contends, there are instructions for how to force the severed head of the physician to talk and reveal all to the king after he has been executed. Naturally, the king is intrigued and orders that the physician's execution be postponed and that guards escort the physician to tend to his end-of-life plans. 

~The physician returns to the palace with a book. He tells the king to put the book in the basin after he cuts off his head, the blood will then cease flowing and the head will begin to speak. He is solemn as he tells the king these words, and begs the king one last time to spare his life for he is innocent. The king refuses and the physician's head is cut off. 

~The king opens the book and begins flipping through the sticky pages, licking his fingers between pages, before growing confused. The pages were blank. He kept flipping frantically, licking his fingers to switch the pages, until the poison they'd been dipped in took effect. The head came back to life to shove it in the king's face before both of then died.

Image Information:

1. Trifling, image author unknown, found on The Super B-Beat Show's Blog.
2. Female Man-Eater, Bamela Anderson, posted on the Lead Adventure Forums by user LeadAsbestos

Reading Diary A- Ancient Egypt

This week I chose to read the Ancient Egypt unit from the un-textbook.

Creation
Read Egypt's creation myth HERE!

• At the beginning here was nothing but water and it was named Nu.Nu is the father of all.
• Ra is the sun god who grew to become the father of gods and all creation.
• Ra created: Shu the wind god and Tefnut the goddess of rain. When the two aren't on Earth, they live as constellations in the sky and are referred to as "The Twins." 
• Seb = the earth god, Nut = the goddess of the firmament/the sky; they are the parents of:
• Osiris = god of the dead, ruler of the underworld
• Isis = consort to Osiris, goddess of nature and magic, mother of life
• Set = god of desert, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners
• Nepthys = consort to Set, goddess of death, service, lamentation, nighttime, and rivers
• With only words, Ra commanded the Earth to rise out of the water so Shu (god of light and air) rose up and held up the sky. Ra then created all of the rest of the Earth and all of humanity sprung forth from his eye. Ra became the first king on Earth. 

The Secret Name of Ra 

• Ra has many names, but one name is the source of his divine power. Isis sought to learn this name so that she could have equal power to Ra and leave the human world that she'd grown tired of to live with the gods. She knew he kept the secret name in his bosom and never spoke it so for a long time she watched Ra as he grew old and began to drool. She would follow behind him and gather the saliva before baking it in the earth and turning into a sacred snake. She let it go where she knew Ra would be walking (FYI the snake is invisible to both gods and men).
• Ra goes walking and gets bitten by the invisi-snake. The snakes venom tore through his body causing him to cry out in pain. The gods in heaven heard his cry and asked what happened. Ra shook and his teeth chattered, taking his answer from his lips. He told them he didn't know what had struck him, he was not powerful enough to find out. 
• Ra's followers gathered around him and mourned for the fallen king. Isis showed up too, but she did not cry. She walked up to Ra and used her power of healing as she spoke incantations over him to subdue his pain. She told him that in order to save him she needed to know his secret name. Ra eventually gives in and wills his secret name, and therefore power, to Isis. Ra vanished, but once Isis had her power, she brought him back good as new. 

Ra and Hathor
Find out what happens when you forget where you came from in this story about Ra and Hathor.

• Ra's followers began to plot against him because he was old and frail. 
• Ra summons the gods to his temple at Heliopolis where he asked them what he should do about his ungrateful, rebellious little creations (humanity). He suggested that Nu generate a great flood and wipe out humanity so that Ra may start over. 
• Nu suggests he send his eye to Earth as Hathor to seek out and punish those who spoke against him. Ra agrees that this is a good idea and sends the goddess Hathor who quickly slays those who'd gone against Ra, bathing in their blood. 
• After the slaughter, Ra repented and tried to save what remained of mankind. He took a bunch of plants of virtue, the blood of mankind, some water, and some barley which he used to create a beer which would save mankind from Hathor. He poured the brew into 7,000 jars and sent them to where Hathor slept where they were emptied, flooding her room. 
• When Hathor woke up, she smiled at her reflection and began chugging the beer. Soon she became drunk and Ra spoke to her, telling her to come back to to him. From then on, when the Nile rose with red flood waters, the people of Egypt made sacrifices of beer to Hathor.
• Ra was still mad at humanity though, so he decided to leave and no longer live among men. 

The Sun's Journey

• Ra goes back into the heavens where he created Aalu, an eden of sorts for the gods. 
• Ra then tells Seb, the earth god, to tell all of the reptiles to watch their backs and fear him. He proclaimed that his son, Osiris would favor magicians who protect men from evil reptiles. Then, he created the messengers of Thoth.
• Ankh = symbol of life
• Anubis = gatekeeper to the underworld
• Ûrnes = river Styx in Egyptian mythology
• Ra is travelling through the underworld. At the end of the first layer, he comes to a giant wall where incantations are spoken to open the gate for him. Waiting for him is Apep, the night serpent, who waits to eat Ra. Ra keeps going and eventually makes it through the 5th section where Sokar, the god of the underworld, lives. Past that, in the 7th section, lives Osiris, the "divine judge of the dead." If Osiris favors you, you enter the nether world, if not, your soul is devoured by serpents and demons. 
• Apep attacks Ra, but Isis and other allies kill the creature. 

Osiris

• Osiris took over as king after Ra ascended to the heavens. He saw the sorry state of man and was disgusted. He began changing things, making just and binding laws and decrees as well as judging men for their crimes with great wisdom. His changes led to peace for Egypt. 
• Isis = the queen consort of Osiris. Isis saw that men needed to learn how to live off the earth so she brought wheat and barley to Osiris who taught men how to grow and harvest the plants. He also taught them how to grind corn into meal and flour so they would not run out of food. 
• Osiris went on to teach the ways of the gods to the people, erecting temples and teaching his people how to live holy lives. 
• There was peace and prosperity in Egypt under this king and he became known as Osiris the Good. Because of his success in Egypt, Osiris set off to travel the world spreading his teachings. One of my favorite quotes from this reading was during this part of the reading where it says, "Peace followed in his footsteps, and men learned wisdom from his lips." Osiris was seen as a father to the people of Egypt and of Earth in general. 
• Isis reigned over Egypt while Osiris traveled, but faced much adversity from Set, Osiris's brother, who wished to overthrow the king and queen so he could take over power for himself. 

The Death of Osiris
Read here about the fall of the king! 

• When Osiris came home there was a great celebration attended by many including Set and his followers. Set brought a beautiful chest that had been made to the king's measurements exactly and said that whoever best fit in the chest would get the gorgeous chest. Many people got in, but when Osiris got in Set's followers jumped on him and shut the chest up tight. They nailed it shut and sealed it with lead which led to Osiris dying. The chest was then thrown into the Nile. 
• The party broke up and fighting erupted. After all was said and done, Isis was told of what happened and she grieved so deeply that she spent the rest of her days searching the Nile for her beloved. While she searched, Set took over. Tyranny, disorder, thievery, chaos, and persecution became the new normal for Egypt and Isis was made a fugitive so she hid in swamps and the jungle with her 7 scorpion protectors. 
• Ra saw her plight and sent Anubis to help guide her. One day, Isis asked for shelter from a woman but was met with a door shutting in her face because the lady feared Isis's scorpions. As a result, a scorpion got into the woman's home and bit her child, causing it to die. The mother cried and wept, and her sadness touched Isis who uttered incantations that brought the child back to life. Needless to say, the lady let Isis in and was incredibly grateful. 

The Journey of Isis
Read about the mother of all, Isis, in her story from the un-textbook.

• Isis gave birth to Horus. When Set found out, he captured them and held them prisoner in his palace. He planned to kill the baby Horus, but Isis found out thanks to Thoth and fled. She hid in Buto, where she entrusted the care of the infant to Uazit, the virgin goddess of the city, because she was a serpent and could protect the child from his evil uncle while Isis went to go look for Osiris's body. 
• While Isis was gone, Horus was bitten by a scorpion and died. Thankfully, Ra and the other gods wished for him to live, become strong, and avenge Osiris's death so he spoke magical words over the child restoring his life. 
• Osiris's coffin ended up in Syria where it washed up on the shore and a great tree grew up around it to house his body in its great trunk. The ruler of Syria saw the tree and loved it so he had it cut down and brought to his home. Isis got a wild hair up her butt and made her way to Syria where she was taken in by the queen who chose Isis to become foster-mother to the royal baby. Isis wouldn't suckle him, instead she just popped her finger in his mouth when he cried. 
• That night, Isis set the baby on fire and turned into a swallow, crying out and circling the tree that housed her husband's body. The queen came in and found her baby in flames. She saved him, but it meant that he'd no longer be immortal. Isis calmed down, turned back into herself, and confessed who she was and why she was there. She asked to cut the tree open and retrieve her husband's body and her wish was granted. 
• She left on her ship with Osiris in tow and was joined by the king's oldest son, Maneros. Sadly, Maneros was too curious for his own good and went snooping around Osiris's chest to which Isis looked upon him with anger in her eyes, blinding the man and causing him to die and fall off the side of the ship.
• When Isis returned to Egypt she hid her husband's body and set off to see her son. Set, who was out hunting, came upon the chest and opened it. He had Osiris's body cut into 14 sections then thrown into the Nile to be eaten by crocodiles. The crocodiles, however, feared and respected Isis so they wouldn't touch the pieces of the dead king and instead they ended up scattered along the river banks -except for the king's penis which was swallowed by a fish. 
• When Isis found out she freaked and set out to recover the parts of her husband, which she did (except for his penis of course). She buried the fragments of his body where she found them and made a tomb for each. After a while, temples were erected over these tombs and became sites of worship for Osiris's followers for centuries. 

King of the Dead

• Set continued to rule and persecute those who worshiped Osiris and Isis, but Horus (who has the right to the throne) grew up to be a strong man. He gathered support and prepared for battle after being visited by the ghost of his father in a dream. The two fought for days, both sides losing men and Horus losing an eye, before Set was badly wounded and forced from the kingdom. 
• Thoth came down from heaven and healed Horus and Set before Horus came before the divine council and took over the throne. 
• Isis cried so much about her husband that Anubis came and put all of the pieces together before wrapping them up to create the mummy of Osiris. Isis then spread her wings and hovered over Osiris, forcing air into his lungs and bringing him to life to take on his new role as the judge and king of the dead. 

Statuette of Osiris Sitting

Artist unknown, found on Wikimedia Commons

The Wax Crocodile

• Prince Khafra is telling King Khufu about the tale of the Wax Crocodile. 
• Once, there was a handsome young Pharaoh accompanied his follower and that man's wife. The wife fell for the Pharaoh and the two began an affair. The butler saw this and had the scribe make a wax crocodile and place a curse upon it. Then, he let the croc go in the lake as the young follower was bathing and it came to life and ate him! Seven days later the scribe asks the Pharaoh to accompany him to the lake where he summons the crocodile and informs the king that it obeys his every command. The Pharaoh tells him to send it back to the lake. The scribe then said an incantation and the crocodile turned once more into wax. The Pharaoh couldn't believe his eyes and the scribe told him all he'd done. To his surprise, the Pharaoh was horrified by his wrongdoing and ordered the crocodile to seize the scribe, which it did. Then, he ordered that the scribe's wife be burned at the stake and her remains thrown in the Nile. 

The Green Jewel

• King Sneferu was bored, so his scribe told him to take his 20 favorite harem girls on a rowing trip to the lake. Surely the splashing of beautiful virgins would entertain the king! They went out and were rowing when an oar dislodged a green jewel from the hair of the first rower. She stopped and caused quite the commotion. The king said he'd give her another, but she wasn't having it so the king asked the scribe to get the jewel for her which he did using his magic. All was well after that. 

Week 3 Reading Diary B: Ovid's Metamorphoses

This week's Myth-Folklore reading unit is Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 5-7)

Tereus Marries Procne

• Tereus = King of Thrace
• Procne = daughter of King of Athens 
• The two were married with none of the gods, fates, etc there under the bad omen of a screech owl- they also made babies 
• Procne's sends her husband to go pick up her sister for a visit. When he gets there and sees her, he becomes completely filled with list for her. Now Tereus REALLY wants Procne's sister to come home and he pleads quite passionately with the king, even going so far as to cry during his speech. He is viewed as incredibly loyal and is given the a-ok. 

Tereus Rapes Philomela

• Tereus spends all night thinking of Philomela and the next day the king sees her off with love and the promise of return. They shove off and arrive in his domain where he takes Philomela off to a high-walled tower and locks her away. Then, he rapes her- taking her virginity as she cries out for help (what a douche).
• Philomela mourns and screams at Tereus. He gets scared and angry so he cuts out her tongue with his sword before raping her again. Then, he went back to his wife, leaving Philomela in his tower, and told her that her sister had died which sends Procne into deep mourning. 

Procne's Revenge
This crazy story can be found here!

• Holy crap this one was a trip! I think I might use it for my storytelling this week. 
• A year had gone by now.
• Procne has woven a tapestry illustrating the crime committed on her. She gives it to a servant to give to her sister who reads it and rushes off with vengeance on the brain. Procne adorns herself with a deerskin, vine wreath and javelin. She breaks down the tower door and rescues her sister before taking her secretly into the palace. Procne tells her sister that she's willing to go to war with her husband over his wickedness. Procne kills her son- stabbing him and slicing his throat open. She then chops her son up and cooks him before serving him to her husband. When she reveals that he has eaten his son, he asks where the boy is and Philomela throws the child's dismembered head at him. 
• Tereus then goes after the women with his sword, but they turn into birds and fly awau. Procne becomes a nightingale. Philomela becomes a swallow (and that is why the swallow has a red belly-because she was forever stained from the murder). Tereus also changes into a bird, a hoopoe, which looks like it's armed. 

Tereus Confronted with the Head of his Son Itylus

By Peter Paul Rubens, found on Wikipedia

Medea and Jason-The End 

• I've actually read the entire Medea tragedy before and love sit. I read it for my Revenge Tragedy class a few semesters back. 
• Medea loves Jason with all her heart. The two get married, she tries to use magic to extend his father's life-it works, the two work to kill Jason's evil brother who stole the throne from him, and pop out a few pups before Jason turns out to be a total douche and leaves Medea even after she had to betray her family (and therefore get country) to be with him. He leaves to go be with a younger princess. 

Week 3 Reading Diary A : Ovid's Metamorphoses

This week's myth-folklore reading unit is Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 5-7)

Cupid and Dis

• Quick note: Dis = Hades, Tartarus = the underworld 
• Ceres, goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships = Demeter
• Typhoeus = immortal storm giant 
• OKAY, on to the story:
• Typhoeus wants to be a god up in heaven and as such is creating a serious ruckus on Earth. The ground is splitting open and Dis worries his domain will soon be cracked open and exposed to the lights. As such, he makes his way to the sky and circles the island Typhoeus is on before retiring back to the underworld.
• Venus sees Dis and tells Cupid to go make him fall in love so that she may claim Tartarus as her own. Cupid complies and takes his sharpest arrow, draws it back, and fires it right into Dis's heart. 

Dis and Proserpina 

• Prosperine = Persephone 
• Proserpine is picking flowers when Dis sees her and falls in love. Dis snatches her up and takes her off in his chariot back toward his domain. As they are flying and she's crying out for help, a nymph  named Cyane stops the god and tells him he can't just take that girl! He is supposed to ask her hand in marriage, not abuse her. Cyane then stretched her arms out wide, blocking Dis from moving further, but he just opened up the Earth below him and created a doorway to Tartarus where he escapes to.
• Cyane weeps and is so consumed with grief over Prosperine's rape that she withers away and becomes one with the Earth. 
• Ceres was having something to drink when a foul-mouthed boy offended her and she turned him into a newt. She was searching for her daughter, but could not find her. Then, she happens upon Cyane who no longer can talk, but instead shows her daughter's bow in the mystical pool that sits in her area. Ceres freaks out and condemned all the lands for taking away her daughter. The lands grew infertile and barren as a result. 

Ceres and Jupiter 

• Ceres asks for Jupiter's help
• Arethusa pleads to Ceres- please don't take it out on the land, it did not want to open up and let Dis escape with your daughter in tow! 
• Ceres is shocked, then mad. She goes to the heavens to ask Jupiter for help. He agrees to bring back their daughter (even though he thinks her being with Dis isn't so bad) but only if she has stayed true to her fast and not eaten anything.

Persephone's Fate

• The problem was that she HAD eaten something- a pomegranate from the garden. Only Ascalaphus saw her eat it but he rattled anyway. In response, Ceres turned him into he bird of bad news. 
• Jupiter decides to split the year in half and have Persephone spend half with Dis and half with Ceres.

Arachne and Minerva

• Minerva = Athena 
• Minerva is mad because Arachne is well known as a spinster and she doesn't worship Minerva. 
• Arachne says she won't give credit to Minerva unless she proves she is better than her. So, Minerva takes the form of an old lady and tries to tell Arachne to respect the wisdom of her elders. Arachne essentially tells her to buzz off and have Minerva come challenge her herself. Minerva then takes her true shape, but Arachne is not shaken. They sit down to weave. 

Minerva Weaves a Web

• Minerva begins weaving stories into her cloth. She includes Jupiter and Neptune arguing over the name of the city, herself, Athens, an olive tree, and Victory herself. She also does scenes of mortals who used to be gods, the date of the queen of the pygmies, Antigone who was turned into a bird by Juno, and Cinyras holding his daughter's limbs and weeping. She finished by adding olive wreaths of peace around the edges and her emblem of a tree.
• Arachne weaves scenes of Europa being deceived by a bull, Asterie held by the eagle, Jupiter as a satyr, daughter of Nycteus with twin offspring, Prosperine as a spotted snake.
• The judges liked Arachne's tapestry and Minerva gets jealous so she turns her into a spider.

Niobe Rejects Latona

• Latona decrees that all the women of Thebes must celebrate and worship her with displays of dancing, doing their hair, and music in the streets. Niobe, however, rejects Latona and refuses to worship her. She gives reasons why she is better and breaks up the celebration, ordering people to go home and take that crap out of their hair. 

The Death of Niobe's Children

• Latona sends her sons to punish Niobe for her pride and unwillingness to let the worship of Latona occur in Thebes. They killed 4 of her 7 with arrows, then Apollo stabbed one. Next, an arrow flies through another son's throat. The last son begged for mercy but was shot down too.
• Niobe falls upon her sons' bodies and weeps, but then talks crap to Latona about still being better than her. In response Apollo kills 6 of Niobe's 7 daughters. She begs for Latona to spare her one child, her youngest daughter. Latona refuses and she is killed. I'm her grief Niobe turns into a marble statue, frozen in her sadness.

Latona and the Lycians

• Latona had just given birth to her two twins and went to get a drink of water when she met the Lycians who refused to let her drink from their pool. They jumped around and stirred up the bottom, their rudeness producing anger in Latona. She says, fine live in that swamp forever! She turns them into frogs. 

Marysas

• Marysas is a satyr who challenged Apollo to a flute playing contest and lost. His punishment for losing was being flayed alive. 

The Fate of Marysas the Satyr 

By Marfias, found on FanPop