MythFolklore Topics Brainstorm

Topic: Dragon stories/lore
Comments: I've been really interested about dragons ever since I started watching Game of Thrones. I'm sure there is a multitude of stories out there about dragons, and different types of dragons, as well as myths.
Possible Stories: I was thinking about possibly doing a storybook on a dragon rider, who has all different kinds of stories from trying to find the perfect dragon. Another idea I had was to do a dragon lore of some sort. It would pretty much be a sort of dictionary on dragons.
Sample Story Comments: In looking at the page of ideas for storybooks, I found a link to dragons. In this description it gave a sacred text called Dragons and Dragon lore. It had a very interesting story about the birth of the dragon that might be cool to incorporate in a storybook.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Birth of the Dragon
Book Title: Dragon and Dragon Lore
Book Author: Ernest Ingersoll
Year: 1928

(English: artwork for the Durian-Project of the Blender Foundation. David Revoy)

Topic: Online date profiles for Mermaids
Comments: Since I was young, I've always had sort of an obsession with mermaids and the water. I mean what girl wouldn't. Seeing as I do love the water, and swimming, I thought it might me fun to do a storybook about mermaids.
Possible Stories: I thought about maybe doing an online dating site for mermaids. It would pretty much look like profiles you see on any dating site, but instead of humans, there would be mermaids looking for a human mate.
Sample Story Comments: Sam and the Mermaid mentioned that there were no mermen under the sea, but only mermaids. I thought it could be a cool idea to bring this idea into my storybook.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Sam and the Mermaid
Book Title: Folktales Told around the World
Book Author: R. M. Dorson
Year: 1975


Topic: Pirate Adventures
Comments: A few years ago, I had a little bit of an obsession with pirates, and would do a lot of online gaming involving pirates. I thought it could be a pretty cool idea to incorporate into a storybook.
Possible Stories: I think it would be most beneficial to do a storybook on one particular pirate that encompasses different stories about his life/adventures.
Sample Story Comments: I thought about maybe doing a storybook over Christina Anna Skytte. She is Swedish pirate and baroness. It was mentioned on wikipedia that her and her fiance were pirates together. It sounds like this background has a lot of potential. 
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: Christiana Anna Skytte
Source: Wikipedia


Topic: Aesop's Fables
Comments: Although the fables are usually short, I thought it would be fun to retell the stories in my own way and add more to the stories.
Possible Stories: I thought about maybe creating a storybook revolving around Aesop's Fables that have animals involved with the stories.
Sample Story Comments: I was very interested in the story about a man bitten by a dog. It had a very interesting lesson, and would be a fun story to elaborate on.
Bibliography Information:
Sample Story: The Man Bitten by the Dog
Book Title: Aesop's Fables
Book Author: translation by Laura Gibbs
Year: 2008

Aesop Winter - Extra Reading

The Aesop (Winter) unit was definitely a different change of pace from reading Cupid & Psyche earlier in the week. I really enjoyed how there were so many different stories to read. The first story or fable that really captured my attention was The Travelers and the Purse. It was very short, but also very interesting. The story really pointed out that both the traveler’s should have rights to have found the purse, but the one who initially found the purse was not happy about that. It was crazy that as soon as he might be in trouble for finding the purse, he started saying “we.” It really goes to show that you can’t have it both ways. You pick “I” or “we,” and stick with it, not change your mind as soon as something goes wrong.

The second story I really enjoyed was The Wolf and His Shadow. This particular story seemed quite morbid, but it definitely had a good lesson attached to it. It was very short and to the point. The wolf thought so much of his huge shadow, and that shielded him from thinking rationally. He believed that since his shadow was so huge, that nothing, not even a lion, could take him down. Oh, how that wolf was wrong. In the end of this story, the lion’s shadow takes over the wolf and his shadow. I bet you could probably guess what happens to the wolf next… People really shouldn’t let their ego let them forget what is really happening in the world.

(The Wolf and His Shadow)

Storytelling Week 2: In Awe of Psyche's Beauty

As the young girl stepped out of her house, the world around her had changed. She was no ordinary girl anymore. She was something else, something from a fairy tale. Her skin was a pale porcelain, much like the moonlight that shown down on the city every single night. Her cheeks a fair pink, brought just the right amount of color to her face. Her hair was a golden brown, mixed with hints of red here and there. Just by looking at her, the people could feel the softness of her soul. She was not only beautiful on the outside, but also from within. No one had witnessed anything quite like her before.

As the townspeople flocked to her side, they glanced up at her beauty and became frozen. They stood in awe of this beautiful creature, not knowing reality from a dream. How could it be that this girl, beautiful as she was, really be in their midst? Was she a Goddess or a cruel trick played on the people of this fair city? It was as if she was a reincarnation of the great Goddess Venus. Dumbfounded by her beauty, some townspeople continued to stare at beautiful Psyche, while others presented her with bouquets of flowers and showered her with other gifts.

Throughout this day, there was another audience, one watching from above the city. It was the great Goddess Venus. She was not pleased to be seeing the events that unfolded before her eyes. How could a mere mortal be getting more praise and love than her? How could this young girl be mistaken for her? How was that Psyche was able to steal all the love and attention from her? She was an imposter, one that needed to be stopped right away. She was no Goddess, and would therefore not be able to bathe in the luxuries of one.

Venus became infuriated and green with jealousy. There would no other that would take the place of her. She called upon her younger son Cupid to help put this Psyche to a stop. Cupid was notorious for ruining marriages and causing mischief wherever he went, among other things. She asked her dear son to put a wretched spell on Psyche, a spell that would cause this beautiful young imposter to fall in love with the most worthless of men. This would be Psyche’s eternal downfall. She would fall miserably in love, and Venus would finally be rid of her.

(Psyché Abandonnée, 1795, Jacques-Louis David)

Author's Note: I chose to rewrite a chapter from the unit Cupid & Psyche. The chapter that really captured my attention was Psyche's Beauty and the Anger of Venus. I chose to mostly go with the original story already in place. I really just wanted to add more to portrayed beauty of Psyche. There wasn't really a vast description on what the people saw of Psyche's beauty, just that she was very beautiful. I decided to add more of a description of what the people might of seen, and to try and make the audience depict this as well. In all honesty, if you are beautiful enough to anger a Goddess, then there must be a lot to describe about you.

Bibliography

     Book: The Golden Ass
     Author: Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline
     Year Published: Unknown
     Web Source: Apuleius: The Golden Ass

Cupid & Psyche - Reading Diary B

(Venus Chides Cupid, by Giordano)

I was very excited to read on after finishing half of this unit. I really enjoyed the chapter Venus and the Goddesses. It was kind of perfect how the story had panned out thus far. Venus, jealous and green from the beauty of Psyche, sent her son Cupid to ruin Psyche. Earlier on, Venus told Cupid to make Psyche fall for the most wretched men. It was very ironic, come to find out that Cupid would fall for the beautiful Psyche. Of course, in this chapter, Venus is brought this news from another source. Once she hears that this is the doing of Psyche, she becomes furious. I really think karma played a great joy in this part of the story.

The other chapter that really intrigued me was Sleep of the Dead. In reading the story, you could really feel what love Cupid had for Psyche. Of course her curiosity caused her to fall into a deep sleep, but Cupid came and took it away. The way he talks to her during this part really gets through his deep feelings for her. Things played out so differently than expected for Cupid. as I mentioned above, it was his job to ruin Psyche and the beauty the people saw in her. Instead, he fell for the nemesis of his mother, and in turn defied his mother's wishes. In all of this, he did find probably the best thing of all, love. Although he now worried about his mother's wrath, I do believe that he made out pretty well.

Cupid & Psyche - Reading Diary A

For this week, I decided to read Cupid & Pysche as my first unit. I honestly wasn't expecting the story to start how it did. It was surprisingly a bit of a relief that it was very different than what I had imagined the story, or first half of the story to be. It was very interesting to find out that the majority of the story would be told from the point of view of the older woman, and even that she was telling it to comfort a young girl. I had no idea that this story would contain robbers/kidnappers, but it definitely kept things interesting.

One part I really enjoyed was in the second chapter, Her Dream. One item I really took away from this particular chapter was the old lady's description of dreams. She mentions to the young girl that dreams actually fortell the exact opposite of what they show. For instance, if you have a dream about good fortune and stuffing your face, then something is probably about to go horribly wrong. But, on the other hand, if you have a horrid nightmare about the love of your life getting killed, good fortune is sure to come your way. It was a very interesting way to look at things.

The other chapter that I really took something away from was Psyche's Beauty and the Anger of Venus. This chapter sure threw me for a loop. Of course, I believe it was completely normal for Venus to be so angry with everybody fawning after Psyche. It must have been very infurriating considering she was a Goddess, while Psyche was merely a mortal. The item that really caught me off guard was the description given of Cupid. In associating Cupid with Valentine's Day, it was very odd, but interesting, to hear of Cupid in such a horrible tone. He apparently ruins marriages and runs around causing all kinds of mischief. It was a very interesting point of view that I honestly had never heard of before.

(Psyche Honored by the People, Giordano)