Myth-Folklore Fall 2017

        The first story is a sort of story within a story. I like this style usually, but this one did not impress me. It was about a boy and girl who were the only humans in an entirely animal world. The boy was angry at the sun so he caught it in a noose. The dormouse, a huge creature at the time, was given the task of freeing the sun and almost all of him was burned away in the process of chewing through the noose. I liked the idea of two siblings being alone and sort of lost in the wilderness. I might try to combine this with the trickery of the coyote. Instead of the boy being angry with the sun, he could be mad at the coyote for tricking him.         The second story is about how a fisher brought summer, fall, and spring to an originally bitter world of winter. He opened a hole into the world above ours where it is always warm. He was killed for the act and remains in the stars. I like the idea of an origin story for the seasons. I migh...

        In the second story, a man is determined to fight the powerful north wind. He wins and the moral of the story is that "Cheerfulness and courage can overcome even the North Wind." I felt that the man was foolish to think he could overcome something so powerful. Everyone and everything fled from this force and he believed that he was better than all of them. I know that attitude and confidence go a long way, but they have their limits. I would rewrite this with the man losing and learning his lesson of being overconfident.         The third story is about two children who get stuck on top of a big rock. Many animals try to reach them, but are unable. The worm is able to reach them and bring them to safety despite the other animals' doubts. I like the idea of the small and the bullied saving the day. I would like to turn this story into one about a group of boy scouts. They get lost in the woods and none of the big popular boys are able ...

Edit: This story has been transferred to my Portfolio . Click here to view the most up to date version.         Once, there was a beautiful baby girl born to a kind couple. They adored her and she grew up knowing she was loved. She was named Goldenrod for the color of her hair. Around the age of ten, the girl's mother died of a mysterious and unknown disease. Her father traveled much and quickly remarried so the girl would not be alone. He specifically chose a woman with children so his daughter would have someone to play with. This stepmother and her children were very cruel to Goldenrod. She grew into a young woman in this way. One day, the stepmother complained that she was very hungry and ordered her stepdaughter to kill a deer for their supper. The girl did not know how to hunt, but took a small dagger and went into the woods anyways. She knew there was no reasoning with her stepmother.         While in the woods, Goldenrod encountere...

        I did not like, in the first story, how the village left the girl to die even though her pregnancy was not her fault. The story says the dog laid with her without her knowledge every night. I would change this so that they did not abandon her, but no one wanted to marry her as she was seen dirty for lying with a dog. She would live alone on the outskirts of the village and the others would only notice her and her family when the whales built up on the shore.         Of the second story, I liked the idea of revival and being able to sustain others with your own body without dying. It would be an interesting piece to use in my story, but I'm not sure what else to do with this tale. I really didn't like the way the man left his family for another one when he just happened across them in the woods. I think it would have been better if it had been a trap, and after luring him away from his family, the deer turned the tables and killed the hunt...

        In the first story, I did not like the man. It clearly says that he took advantage of the buffalo-cow. If she had been a human, this would be called rape. Later, he tries to hit her with a stick from a fire. I would love to change the ending of this story. After the wife and child fled, and he pursued them, I would write that the child did not help his father. I would not have him be revived. Let him be trampled to death! Let the woman/buffalo-cow and her child live in peace.         In the next story, there was lots of senseless murder. I'm not sure why the characters had such hatred for one another. It would be fun to write this as a kind of diary entry of one of Doe's children.         The next story is about a beautiful girl who is wanted by a couple different men. They are not good to her, so she has to run from them. I would write this in a similar, but more modern way.  A girl lives with her father and...

        In one of the small plains of Oklahoma, an old woman dwelt in a dilapidated shack. Every person who lived in the area knew her to be a cannibal. They spread rumors of how those who enter her shack never depart. Youths were told stories of her stealing away bad children in the middle of the night. Her reality was far from their tales. She was once a beautiful woman with a kind husband and wonderful children.          One night, long ago, they were all murdered. Bandits broke into their home, gathered them together in the back room, and slaughtered them. No one was near enough to hear their screams. The woman's soul was unable to pass into the next world due to the hate and terrible violence of the crime. Her family passed on, but she was trapped there. Part of her curse to remain among the living was her inability to reenter the room where she died. She could not even set her family to rest in the ground. The bodies of her loved ones...

        In the first story, a priest stumbles upon the home of a goblin/old woman, although he does not know this. He asks for shelter and is instructed by the goblin to not peer into the back room. Curiosity gets the best of him and he find the bodies of the goblin's victims in the room. He escapes in the nick of time. I was confused as to why the goblin/woman tried to convince him not to stay with her. Surely, if she had wanted to eat him, she would have done everything in her power to keep him there. Also, why did she sit and speak with him civilly and mysteriously instruct him to stay away from the room when she knew this would pique his curiosity. It would be interesting to write this from the goblin's/old woman's perspective to uncover her motivations.         The second story tells of a knight who fights an ogre and severs its arm. He worries it will come for its arm, so he hides it away in a strong box, vowing to never show anyone. T...

        In the first story, a king asks for help from a hero to defeat his enemy. The hero agrees and does his job. The king rewards him with several incredible gifts. I like the idea of bestowing gifts that keep on giving. I could write a story of a homeless girl who begs for money. A woman offers her money in return for her labor. She requires the girl to farm, cook, and sew. When she learns these tasks, she has skills which she will be able to use to earn money for the rest of her life.         The second story tells of an incredibly strong boy who lives in the woods with his mother. A man with connections to the military offers him an honorary position to put his strength to good use. I would like to rewrite this as the story of a very intelligent little boy in a rough area. His family has little money as his mother is single and can't find good work. He knows he can't afford college and plans to work to help his mother. A man notices his in...

        I'd say I've kept up with the work in this class pretty well. It's hard for me to stick to a strict schedule because the load for each course changes each week. For example, if I have an exam on Friday, I might try to get my story done earlier in the week so I have more time to study Thursday night. The assignment we had due for Wednesday this week was actually the first post I've forgotten to do. I had two exams that day, so I think I was just a bit distracted. I haven't taken advantage of the extra credit yet, but I think I will this week to make up for my mistake. I wish that I had gotten a week ahead when the semester first started. I'm a bit stressed doing the bare minimum now, so I'm not sure if I could work ahead at this point. (Image Information: Midterms Source: Flickr )         I might try to do more extra credit in future weeks. I'd also like to try to work a little bit ahead when I have free time, but I'm not sure when...

        For the most part, the feedback comments I've received have been helpful. Most people try to say something nice, but also point out things that could make my stories better. Sometimes I'll get one that suggests I do something I've already done or asks me to explain something I've already explained. These are less helpful because I know the reader wasn't really paying attention. I do try to go back and see if I can make the object of the comment clearer.         I try to do for other students what I like them to do for my posts. Point out nice things, but also gently suggest edits that could make a post better. I do get ideas from other stories sometimes, especially for ways to write a story. I often just rewrite a story, but other students get more creative and continue the story, or make it something completely new.         I like the laid-back feel of this class. It makes it easier to socialize with others without p...

        So far, I've really enjoyed this class. Most of the readings have been really interesting. Sometimes, I get in a hurry to do my reading notes, and I don't enjoy reflecting on the stories as much. When writing my reading notes, I try to think about aspects of a story that I enjoy and write them down. Then, I can think of an outline for a story I might want to write, which I make note of for future reference.         I really like the way my project is going. I thought it would be a lot more stressful, but it's very laid back and I get plenty of feedback and time for editing. I think the first story turned out pretty well. I'm excited to see what else I can come up with for my next one. I like the way that I don't have to focus on a certain topic with the portfolio. I would rather spend my time editing a story to make it the best it can be than try to find a way to fit all of my stories together seamlessly.         On...

Edit: This story has been transferred to my  Portfolio . Click  here  to view the most up to date version.         The scholar awoke in the middle of the night to a stinging pain all over his body. When he tried to sit up, he found that his effort was met with resistance. The stinging got worse each time he wriggled or tried to sit. He lifted his head and looked down at his body to find it wrapped in tiny wires. The little men were back. They had restrained him while he was sleeping and now held the wires in place from each side of the bed. There were hundreds of them. The wire cut into his skin leaving little red marks.         The king of the ant men screamed out, “we’ve got him now!” and raised his little toothpick of a sword into the air. He proceeded to order his men to light a fire under the scholar’s bed. He struggled against the wire again, thinking how ridiculous it was that he might die here by the hands of these minus...

The first story of this section was very similar to the last story of the previous section. At first, I enjoyed this one more. The little men were civil and not hateful. The little hunting dog was a nice pet for the scholar. They were exactly what the other needed. I hate that the little dog got squashed. The man was a scholar. You can't tell me that he genuinely didn't think sleeping in the same bed could be dangerous. When I was a little kid, I played with Barbies and I dreamt a lot about having a living Barbie friend I could fit in my pocket and take with me everywhere. I'd like to combine these ideas into a story of my own. The next story was nice. A man is able to make a great living because he stole from a magic fox. I don't understand why the fox couldn't take him on. He was magical but the man was just a man. He must've been more generous than let on. I thought it was interesting that the foxes were tricksters in this story. This is apparently a them...

I didn't like the idea behind the first story. Someone shouldn't be born doomed. I also noticed a plot hole. If the beggar/emperor had endless good luck, how could his wife die? This would surely be bad luck for him. She was good and faithful, but then died. I would rewrite this with the wife living on with her husband due to his good luck. If I were the little girls from the next story, I would not have returned home with my father. What kind of parent leaves their children alone in the mountains because they ate something intended for themselves? The mother is the one who gave the eggs away anyways. The children didn't steal them. I would rewrite this with the father accidentally losing the children and searching for them tirelessly once he realized they were gone. I really loved the way that each piece from this story fit together. At first, it felt like it had gone off on a tangent with the children crying. Then, it became clear that the plot had a purpose. I could ...