Reading Notes: More Celtic Tales, Part A
The first story was very sad. A king's wife dies after giving him four children. He remarries her sister, but she is so jealous of his love for his children that she turns them into swans. They reverted back to their human forms right before they died. I did not think the second wife's jealousy was enough to make her want to harm the children. They were her niece and nephews. I could rewrite this as the children being wicked. I could also have the children play a prank on their stepmother, and in her anger the she changes them into swans. I would want the children to be able to return to their human form earlier in this scenario than the original story.
The next story told of a man with unending hunger due to a beast residing inside of him. A scholar was able to lure it out with temptations of endless amazing food. I thought about writing of an overweight man with an insatiable hunger. His wife finally becomes tired of his constant whining for more food and cuts him open. At this point a thin and starving version of her husband would spring out, saying the shell of himself was taking away all of the nourishment of her food.
Another one of the stories was about a man who could not dream and wished to try it. When he did, he did not enjoy it. I could rewrite this of a little girl. She heard her friends talking of their wonderful dreams of riding unicorns and swimming with mermaids and was jealous. She found a way to try it and dreamed only nightmares. When it comes to dreams, they can be incredible or terrifying. She would only experience the latter and quickly regret her wish for dreams.
The last story was about seven stupid brothers who were scammed out of everything they had, little by little. I hate that everyone took advantage of the men. They couldn't even be left with their home because their neighbors were so greedy. I'd love to rewrite this and give them a better ending. I might condense the brothers down into one man who is stupid but very kind and loving. Others would take advantage of him until a smart young woman saw his innocence and decided to help him.
Image Information: Swan, Source: Pixabay
Bibliography: More Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to the reading online.
The next story told of a man with unending hunger due to a beast residing inside of him. A scholar was able to lure it out with temptations of endless amazing food. I thought about writing of an overweight man with an insatiable hunger. His wife finally becomes tired of his constant whining for more food and cuts him open. At this point a thin and starving version of her husband would spring out, saying the shell of himself was taking away all of the nourishment of her food.
Another one of the stories was about a man who could not dream and wished to try it. When he did, he did not enjoy it. I could rewrite this of a little girl. She heard her friends talking of their wonderful dreams of riding unicorns and swimming with mermaids and was jealous. She found a way to try it and dreamed only nightmares. When it comes to dreams, they can be incredible or terrifying. She would only experience the latter and quickly regret her wish for dreams.
The last story was about seven stupid brothers who were scammed out of everything they had, little by little. I hate that everyone took advantage of the men. They couldn't even be left with their home because their neighbors were so greedy. I'd love to rewrite this and give them a better ending. I might condense the brothers down into one man who is stupid but very kind and loving. Others would take advantage of him until a smart young woman saw his innocence and decided to help him.
Image Information: Swan, Source: Pixabay
Bibliography: More Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to the reading online.
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