Extra Reading: Italian Tales of a Man Who Can Speak to the Animals

Here is a summary of the story of the young man who can speak to the animals:

• A father sent his son to school for ten years
• After that time, the son came home to a big feast with many noble men
• They asked him to share one thing he had learned and he shared that he learned the language of animals
• The men laughed and mocked, and his father ordered for him to be killed
• The slaves would not follow through as they knew it was wrong. 
• The young man traveled far and came to a treasurer.
• Upon arriving, one hundred dogs arrived to the castle of the treasurer as well. 
• The treasurer was confused, but the boy informed him that one hundred assassins were going to attack the castle that night.
• His warning saved the treasurer, and he was forever grateful.
• The young man traveled again and came to a King. 
• The King's daughter was sick because the frogs croaked all night and refused her sleep. 
• The man resolved the issues with the frogs and the King was forever grateful. 
• He traveled again and met a couple companions.
• One day some birds were flying overhead and his companion asked why they were singing so joyfully. 
• The man informed them that they were celebrating being in the presence of one who was about to become the Pope. 
• A bird landed on the young man's head and soon thereafter he was made the Pope.
• He asked for his father, the treasurer, and the King. They all arrived and were fearful.
• He showed his father that others had valued his skills, and his father begged for forgiveness. 
• He was granted forgiveness and they lived happily together. 

A kind quote - azquotes

Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Fredrick Crane

Week 15 Lab Story: TvTropes - (Clock Towers)

I decided to try a new type of story in honor of the last week of my undergrad. This week I decided to look through the Tvtropes for my last story assignment. The trope is stumbled upon was Clockwork situations. I didn’t like any of the other options nearly as much. This one is particularly funny. So the trope says that characters in tv and movies have a nasty tendency to find themselves in the tops of clock towers. Just think of the countless movies that end up in a clock tower. There are usually tons of huge gears, somebody about to fall off the clock tower, or somebody shooting at people below from the top of the tower. I can personally think of several movies and shows with these scenarios.

Here are a couple of the most common scenarios:

• -          A character sits on the edge of the clock tower. Oftentimes the character will end up falling.
• -          The character falls and grabs the hands of the clock. Time works against the character as the clock ticks along to the point where they can almost not hold on any longer. At this point, someone or something will save the hero just in the nick of time.
• -          Another scenario happens inside the clock tower: the characters fall or have a battle within the inner workings of the tower. The gears inside are seriously oversized to the point that the characters hop along them. Sometimes the gears will be just about to crush one of the characters when some device catches in the gears and prevents the clock from ticking any further.

I really loved reading about the trope, which was a unique twist for me as far as the story posts go. My creativity lacks when it comes to writing stories, but this was a cool alternative.

A person hanging from a clock - silentlocations blog

Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno (Part 2)

A cool picture of the different levels of hell - fineartamerica.com

A summary of part 2 of Dante's Inferno:

• Dante and Virgil encounter a Minotaur above the seventh circle of hell. 
• The first ring of the seventh circle was home to the centaurs. 
• Virgil asked Chiron to send one of the centaurs with them to help Dante make a pass that he could not make because he is not a spirit and cannot fly. 
• Nessus helped Dante cross the river of blood, which boils everyone who shed blood in their lives. 
• The second ring of the seventh circle was home to the harpies. 
• The third ring of the seventh circle was for those who were violent against God. They lie moaning on the ground while others walk around in sadness. 
• Dante and Virgil descent toward the eighth circle of hell on a giant flying beast called Geryon.
• In the first ring of the eighth circle are the pimps and seducers like Jason who deceived a woman, got her pregnant, and left. 
• Dante and Virgil continue to a place where demons reside. As soon as they entered, the demons rushed at them. Virgil spoke to the leader and arranged for safe passage to the other side of their domain. 
• The next ring of the eighth circle contained a group of people confined by heavy lead cloaks. 
• The last two rings were home to people like Ulysses and "sowers of discord" like Muhammad. 
• As they approached the last circle of hell, they saw giants like Nimrod, Ephialtes, and Antaeus. Antaeus placed Dante and Virgil in the abyss so they can continue their journey. 
• They encountered Count Ugolito, who told them the sad story of how his children died. 
• They approach satan, who has three faces. In each mouth, he is chewing on a soul. The souls were of Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. 
• Dante and Virgil then have to climb up satan's body to exit hell. 

Dante's Divine Comedy translated by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno (part 1)

A summary of the reading for part A of Dante's Inferno:

• Dante wakes up and he exits a wooded forest that terrified him. 
• He encounters a leopard, lion, and wolf.
• Virgil appears at the edge of the wood when Dante thought he was going to die.
• Virgil escorts him to the circles of hell, starting with Limbo. 
• Limbo is for good people who didn't have any sort of faith. Many noble kings, princesses, wise men, and others existed here. 
• The second circle is for the Carnal Sinners. The people here are full of lust. Love drove many people to this circle. For example, Achilles and Helen. 
• The third circle is for the gluttonous. Cerberus lives in this circle. The rain was viciously loud here and sounded like the howling of wolves.
• The fourth circle is for the greedy. That is why Plutus, the god of wealth lived here along with many popes and cardinals who had stolen from their church members. 
• Dante and Virgil cross the river Styx in view of the fifth circle. 
• The fifth circle is called Dis. It is for the wrathful and is home to many fallen angels. They opposed Virgil's entrance along with Dante. 
• Medusa speaks to the duo, but a messenger from Heaven comes down to clear things up allowing Dante and Virgil to pass. 

The Circles of Hell - Bloodydisgusting. 

Dante: The Divine Comedy translated by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Hans Christian Andersen (Part B)

So for this reading notes assignment I have decided to try a new style that I noticed from a classmate's reading notes. 

The little mermaid was an interesting read, though quite different from the movie. In summary: 

• The little mermaid knew from the time she was young that she was meant to live on land. 
• When she was finally allowed to rise to the top of the ocean she saved the prince's life and took him to shore.
• The prince didn't know it was the little mermaid who saved him, but perceived it to be a young girl at the religious school where he woke up. 
• The little mermaid watched the prince for a long time before inquiring about how to live on land.
• She ends up visiting a witch in the sea who agrees to give her a potion to grow legs if she will trade her voice.
• The little mermaid makes the deal and swims to the house of the prince where he finds her in human form. 
• They live together for some time where they both grow fond of each other, but the prince doesn't see her as a wife. He longs for the young girl who he though saved his life. 
• The prince's parents arrange for him to marry a young woman from an island a bit away. It is the girl who he thought saved his life.
• The little mermaid fears for her life because one of the contingencies of her deal with the witch is that if the prince ever marries another she will turn into sea foam. 
• They wind up getting married and her sisters make a deal with the witch to keep the mermaid alive if she will kill the prince with a knife. She starts to do it but remembers her love for him and instead throws herself into the sea. 
• To her surprise, she turns into sea foam but starts to float into the air. Because she tried so hard to do right, she had earned herself an immortal soul so she could enjoy the world of mankind forever. 

The Little Mermaid - DeviantAr

Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen

Reading Notes: Hans Christian Andersen (Part A)

My favorite of all of the part A readings for Hans Christian Andersen was the story about the Brave Tin Soldier. At first, the little soldier is taken out of his box along with his twenty-four identical brothers. All of them have two legs except for the brave little soldier who is the main character in the story. When he is taken out of his box he lays eyes on a beautiful castle. All of the soldiers marveled at the castle which had a spectacular lake with swans swimming around on it. The brave little soldier saw something even more beautiful – the dancer standing in the door of the castle holding a cute little dance pose. His breath was taken away, and he couldn’t help but stare. When night came, the little boy who played with all the toys left, and the toys had their own fun. Sometime in the night, a goblin told the brave little soldier not to wish for what wasn’t his. The soldier dismissed the goblin because he wanted the girl! The next morning, the boy put the brave soldier in the window sill. Somehow the window opened and the soldier fell out. After a few days, the boys found the soldier and made him a paper boat. They sent him down a stream in their yard with his little boat. He was terrified because the waves were huge. Somehow he ended up in the sewer, and a mean rat was chasing him. Fortunately, he escaped, but it was all in vain. He came to a dead end and the water started flooding in. His boat was sinking, and so was he. Eventually it became too much and he started to drown when a fish came and gobbled him up! It was dark inside the fish, and it sure did move a lot, but one day it stopped. Another day later, the fish was cut open and the soldier could see the sun again! The lady who fileted the fish said, “Hey it’s the little tin soldier!” Next thing he knew, he was back on the table that where he first saw the dancer, and she was still there holding her cute little pose. In a sudden change of events, the soldier was snatched from the table and thrown onto the stove. The poor soldier was starting to melt, but he didn’t care because he could see the little dancer. Then the door to the home flew open and a gust of air came inside. The little paper dancer fluttered up with the wind and landed on the stove next to the soldier and they melted happily ever after. 

The Brave Tin Soldier - Wikimedia

Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen

Alice in Wonderland: Part B

Alice found herself in a court room, but this wasn’t an unfamiliar space. She knew who most of the figures were from the jury, the judge, and others. She noticed that before the trial had even started, the jury were already scribbling things on their note sheets. “Stupid things” was written on each of the jury members’ notes for some weird reason. Eventually the white rabbit blew in his horn three times and the trail started. The Rabbit read a little poem about the Queen of Hearts making some tarts, and then they proceeded further. In came the first – the mad hatter. The King really didn’t like the hatter, He questioned the hatter on if his hat was stolen, but the hatter explained that he sold hats for a living.

Alice was looking on as the hatter was interrogated, and as she did when she first fell down the rabbit hole, she began to grow enormously tall. The dormouse sitting next to her complained that she was taking up too much space.

The hatter went on, explaining that he was a poor man. He argued with the rabbit about what was said, and the king kept threatening to have him executed. The hatter told him everything he knew, and the judge ordered him to leave the court afterward. On his way out, the Queen ordered the guards, “Off with his head,” but the hatter had already dashed away. He knew that the Queen was likely to make this order, so he made a quick break for the exit. Fortunately, he was fast enough to make it away. The trail continued with the Duchess’s cook. The King ordered her to give evidence but she refused. She eventually provided a little bit of information.

Again the court moved on to the next witness, which came as a big surprise when the next witnessed was called…. “Alice”.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol (1865)

Alice in Wonderland - Ejumpcat

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland part A

Alice in Wonderland - Wikipedia

One day Alice was sitting on the river bank, bored as could be, when a curious rabbit hopped by her. In a panicked fashion, the rabbit reached into his waistcoat and pulled out a watch and said he was going to be late. Alice had never seen anything of the sort, so she got to her feet and ran after the rabbit because she was curious as to what it would do. As she was running after the talking, and well dressed, rabbit, she was just in time to see him hop down a large rabbit hole. Instantly, Alice knew she had to run after it, so she hopped into the rabbit hole as well. After entering the hole, Alice found herself falling, but she was falling so slowly. She remembered having so long to look around as she fell. The walls of what appeared to actually be a well, seemed to have bookshelves and cupboards lining the walls. It was the most curious well she had ever seen. After a while Alice questioned whether she would ever find the bottom of the because she felt like she had been falling for ages. Eventually she became very sleepy and when she woke up she had finally found the bottom. She wasn't hurt, but she didn't know where she was. She saw the rabbit and chased after him again, but he disappeared into one of the rooms in the building she was in. To her surprise, every room in there was locked. Alice found a golden key lying around, and it unlocked a tiny door with a little hole on the other side that wasn't even big enough to fit her head through. Still, she could see the most fabulous garden on the other side, and she longed to be there. She went back to the main room and found a bottle with a liquid that she presumed to be poison. After inspection, she decided to give it a shot, but then she began to shrink so small she couldn't have been a foot tall. Another problem arose, though, because she couldn't reach the key which she had sat on the little table. She was terribly sad because she thought she would never get out, but then her eye caught a little box under the table that said "eat me". She ate the cake inside and grew to the ceiling of the room she was in. She was now nine feet tall, and again sad because she didn't know how to get out...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol (1865)

Reading Notes: King Arthur Part A

After Uther Pendragon passed away, Britain was without a King. In looking for a King, all of the knights of Britain tried to make a claim for the throne. Word was spread from Merlin and the Archbishop that all the knights in the kingdom ought to meet in London on Christmas Day.

Many knights came to London as requested. After meeting at the Great Church, many of the knights saw a sword stuck in a stone in the courtyard. Inscribed in the stone were the words "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right the King of England."

For days the men tugged on the sword, but nobody had any luck. Each holiday different men from across England tried to pull the sword out of the stone. Each time they failed. The Archbishop watched as each man pulled at the sword, and eventually he had enough of the foolishness and called it off. He declared that two knights should stand guard at the foot of the sword. 

There was to be a tourney to decide who would be the king. Each man should bring his sword and combat would determine the leader. In the group that assembled, there was a man named Sir Ector, his son, Sir Kay, and Kay's foster brother, Arthur. In preparation for the tourney, Sir Kay realized he had forgotten his sword at home and asked Arthur to go retrieve it. Arthur did so and hurried home to grab the sword, but nobody was home to let him inside. Arthur then thought about the sword at the Church and immediately set out to take it. He arrived at the Church and removed the sword from the stone. Arthur then hurried back to his brother Sir Kay and presented the sword to him. 

Sir Kay immediately realized it was not his sword and showed his father. Sir Ector inquired about how Sir Kay acquired the sword. Sir Kay informed him that Arthur gave it to him. Sir Ector was curious and asked Arthur the same questions. Arthur told him the story of going to retrieve a sword for Sir Kay, and Sir Ector was amazed. He proclaimed that Arthur must be the King of England. 

King Arthur showed the Archbishop that he had retrieved the sword from the stone, and he was then crowned King of England.

King Arthur and Excalibur - SterlingsOp blog

King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang (1902)

Week 11 Story: A Stoms' A'coming

It was late August; just about the time school starts each Fall. Deep in the Gulf of Mexico, there was a storm forming. This was not just a normal storm, it was Category 5 Hurricane. The only reason it was a Category 5 is because there is no such thing as a Category 6, and beyond. Meteorologists were just starting to track its path as it entered the Gulf of Mexico, and they immediately knew this was a storm to be feared. They ordered their news contacts to immediately push an evacuation effort for New Orleans and Houston. 

The news anchors began broadcasting that night, an estimated 5 days before the storm hit. Many families started prepping for an evacuation. Plans were made to stay with family and friends further North. They loaded their most valuable things in the car with them and headed out of the flood zone. 

Others decided they wanted to wait it out. They had been told all too many times that a wretched storm was coming just to have a few rain showers and nothing more. This time they weren't falling prey to the meteorologists' unnecessary worries. They brought their generators out of storage, stocked up on food and gasoline, and loaded up on sand bags to keep rain out of their garage and doors. 

It was only about one day away, and many people chickened out because they heard reports of how large the storm was. Still, tons of people were set to wait out the storm. The first clouds were rolling in, and the winds were already gusting. The floods came, and they were worse than anyone could have imagined. Those who stayed moved to their rooftops, boats, and other floating devices. Some did not have anything to stand on so they were just floating around in the water, trying to find something to stand on. Fish, sharks, and other sea creatures had made it inland, and they were hungry because their normal food was not there… So many of the sharks and large fish started to bite the feet of those who were floating in the water which caused a scene of terror. It was like Jaws except in real life…

And that is why so many people in Houston and New Orleans have no feet. 

Hurricane Katrina - Wikipedia

Author's Note: I took my story from the Tejas stories, specifically from the story about how the woodpecker came to have a rough tail. In writing the story I thought I was onto a great one, but I didn't hone in on a particular character like the original story. The story of the storm, the people who left early, and those who stayed were derived from the original story, and the plot is almost the exact same. I just changed the characters a bit and made it into a modern example.

When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends by Florrence Stratton (1936)

Week 11 Reading Notes: Tejas - Bonus reading

From the second segment of the Tejas tales, I particularly enjoyed the story of how sickness came into the world. It is an interesting tale, and to me it is really cool learning about how the natives of East Texas believed different things to have occurred.

So in the story, there was an old medicine man and a Great Spirit. The old medicine man was dying, and the Great Spirit wanted him to share his wisdom with his tribesman. In order to do so, the medicine man was supposed to meet a messenger under a certain tree in the woods. Unfortunately, the medicine man could not make the appointment as he was getting much more sick. He decided to send two of his tribe folk to meet the messenger. So the two young men went out into the woods to meet whoever this messenger was. The young men ventured out into the forest to the designated tree. They waited a short time when a snake arrived slowly to the tree. In fear, the men took to sticks in order to beat the snake to death. What they didn’t know was that snake was the messenger sent by the Great Spirit. The men waited a long time for a person to arrive, but nobody came to see them. They then traveled back to the medicine man to update him on their travels. When they told them medicine man that nobody came to see them, but they killed a snake, the medicine man was deeply saddened. He said that the snake was the messenger and the tribe was in trouble because the Great Spirit would be angry.

That night, another snake came to the tribe and laid eggs all over the village. Each egg hatched a new illness or disease, and that is how sickness came to mankind.

Texas map - Wikipedia

When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends by Florrence Stratton (1936)

Week 11 Reading Notes: Tejas

The reading for this week had some really cool individual stories. For example, my favorite was the story about how the woodpecker came to have a short, jagged tail. It is said that a flood was coming in the night, but only the frog could tell it was coming. He somehow learned the native language and ran to tell the Indians that the flood was coming. He croaked in their language and warned "a flood is coming, run away!" The Indians laughed, and so too did the woodpecker. All of the other birds in the land flew away to taller trees, but the woodpecker didn't. 

As predicted, the flood came with furious storms. The water rose quickly and the natives ran for their lives as the water flooded their homes. The woodpecker couldn't see to fly away because it was night, so he was forced to stay put. The water rose so high that his tail was in the water, and a fish decided it looked tasty. With a flash, the woodpecker had lost part of his tail, and that is why it looks so rough and ugly now. 

My next favorite story was the story of when the storm god rides. He has a mighty bird which he rides around the Gulf Coast in Texas. The bird is called Hurakan. The people can tell when the storm god is coming because Hurakan makes the sky dark with clouds, and winds come to and fro with reckless abandon.

The storm god did not always wreak havoc on the natives’ homeland. There was a time when the natives were peaceful and did not harm the birds of the skies. One day, ruthless, killing tribes from the North drove out the peaceful natives. The killing tribes shot the birds and robbed their nests, and in response the birds cried out for the storm god to help them. He did, and he brought a wave of fury with him. The oceans flooded the land, and the wind knocked the Indians to the ground. The storm god laughed in their demise, and the birds were thankful for relief.

When the oceans receded, little islands appeared along the coast. The storm god had created these as a peaceful home for the birds who had been afflicted by the ruthless natives.

A hurricane - pixaby

When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and other Indian Legends by Florence Stratton (1936)

Reading Notes: Week 10 (part 1)

This unit I am trying things a little differently. Because the Eskimo stories were very short and similar, I've decided to look at the reading on a macro scale. In the past, I have always written about every story in the unit.

Each of the sub-stories within the Eskimo Folk Tales unit had the same sort of plot. One of the stories even said the same thing. The main trend is a single man and his efforts to find love, his failed love, and his hunting abilities. Often times these were strongly correlated. For example, many of the characters in the stories were unable to find love because they were poor hunters. The women in the stories sought a man who could provide and held prestige in the community. Most of the men in these stories were not noble people. They were generally poor hunters without the help of others, and they struggled to provide.

In a couple of the stories, animals played significant roles. One elderly woman had a pet bear who was more like a child. In another, a community relied on a large dog to bring back food.

When looking back on this unit, I will remember the themes of pity and misery associated with the characters. It seems odd to me that the Inuit people have a tradition of miserable men in their folklore. After considering their situation for some time, I thought it may be because women are not as prevalent in the society. So it is possible that there were more eligible men than women, which led to a trend of sad, lonely men. It is entirely possible that I am way off base, but I think there may be some truth to it.

I am hopeful that the second half of this unit will be a bit unique compared to the first half.

A happy eskimo dog - flickr

Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen (1921)

Week 8 Progress

I am not sure that I would say that I am happy with how I have done in the class thus far. It is my own fault really. At this point, I am still on track for an A, but I was hoping to finish a bit early. Finishing early is still an option, but things are starting to get busier and it will be more difficult than it could have been. I am most proud of my story book. Though it is still in its development, I am very proud of how its turning out. On the other hand, I am enjoying the readings the most. In general, they are super entertaining. Sinbad was especially fun. I haven't been using extra credit. Mostly because I have been lazy. 

For the second half of the semester I am looking to be more proactive. I want to look into doing extra credit because that will help me finish faster. Ultimately, I am just looking to make an A in the class, but if I could finish earlier it would be awesome. I also want to avoid submitting assignments in the grace period (as I ironically finish this during the grace period).

Motivation - ThinkingHumanity

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

I have been a big fan of the commenting portion of this class. In general, the comments are really encouraging, and I think they help motivate many students to write interesting and unique stories. Personally, the comments have been very helpful because they have given guidance on where I can improve. 

On the other hand, I feel like many of the comments I give are not as "critiquing" as others. I have a hard time criticizing classmates' posts. Many of them are awesome stories that I can't find much to critique, and other times I just don't want to be discouraging to the writer. In general, I have been focusing on the positive, but occasionally I have thrown in some small critiques. It seems a bit foolish to speak about how the critiques are helpful, but then I don't like critiquing because I don't want to discourage classmates with a critique. 

For the blogs in particular, I do think it is helpful to comment on classmates' posts to create a sense of connection among classmates, but the connection is not super deep. To be fair, it is pretty impressive considering this is an online class. I'm not sure much more could be done to create connections, but I don't think its necessary either. The blog comments are very good as they are. 

I don't really want to make any changes to my posts for commenting purposes because the comments I have received are very helpful. However, I would like to change my commenting style toward classmates. My comments lack the critiquing aspect that I have found useful in comments on my posts. I'm hoping to add that element into my comments more often to be helpful to my classmates more than I have been. 

Feedback Cats - Cheezburger

Week 8 Reading and Writing

The Mythology and Folklore blogging experience has been pretty interesting. I have largely enjoyed the assignments, viewing only a few as tedious and boring. In general, I am a bit dissatisfied with my blog. It seems that each week I fail to either do one-half of the reading, or write a story. Each time I have done two of the three reading and story assignments. I wish I had been able to convince myself to put the time in to finish all three. These assignments make up the heart of the blog, and I feel like mine isn't quite complete.

Sinbad - Wikipedia

This is my favorite image from my blog so far. It is just a simple cartoon image of Sinbad. The stories of Sinbad were very entertaining, and I feel that this photo really captures the adventure of Sinbad. I have no clue whether this is even remotely accurate in appearance, but it is definitely accurate in capturing his spirit!

For the future, I really want to find the time to write all three of the early-week blog posts. They are the most fun, and I really want to develop my blog and finish strong. I think by pushing myself to work ahead I will not find time constraints to be such an inhibiting factor.

Reading Notes: The Monkey King

Two complaints were filed to the Lord of the Heavens against Sun Wu Kong. The Lord of the Heavens sent for Sun Wu Kong to punish him, but he was convinced to have lenience toward Wu Kong. He was given a job as a stablemaster in heaven. One day Sun Wu Kong was informed that stablemaster is a lowly role, and it isn't even officially recognized. He became furious and went back to his mountain. The Lord of the Heavens was angry at this and sent to punish him. He ordered Li Dsing and his third son to hunt down Sun Wu Kong and bring him to be punished. Li Dsing and his son were no match for Sun Wu Kong and he had mercy on them in battle. 

After the battle, the Lord of the Heavens was convinced to give Sun Wu Kong the title of Saint. Wu Kong was pleased, and he received a castle in the heavens from the Lord of the Heavens. He was charged with tending to the garden of life-giving peaches. He did so very well for a short while, but he eventually started to consume the fruits for himself. One day some fairies came to collect the peaches for the feast, but so few were left because Wu Kong had eaten them. Later he drank a ton of the wine for the banquet, and then he broke into Loatze's inner chamber and consumed his life giving pills. Wu Kong realized he had done wrong, so he returned to his mountain home. 

Guan Yin, the goddess of compassion, suggested the Lord of the Heavens send Yang Oerlang after Sun Wu Kong. Yang Oerlang had trained in the transformations and was well equipped to fight Wu Kong. They battled for ages. Wu Kong would transform to one being and Oerlang would make a transformation to counter Wu Kong's. This went on and on until Wu Kong vanished and turned himself into Oerlang. He marched into Yang Oerlang's castle and lived as if he wasn't even Sun Wu Kong. Yang Oerlang used a mirror to find Wu Kong and attacked. The fought again and ended up near Wu Kong's island. Loatze and Guan Yin were checking on the fight and Loatze tossed a diamon necklace in Wu Kong's direction. It had the power to contain any living creature. Wu Kong was captured and taken to the heavens where they tried to kill him, but he was immune to their attacks because of all the life giving fruit he had eaten. 

The Lord of the Heavens called for Buddha to handle the situation. He arrived and started speaking with Sun Wu Kong. They made a deal that if Sun Wu Kong could escape Buddha's hand, then Buddha would ask the Lord of the Heavens to leave his throne for Sun Wu Kong. Wu Kong was not able to escape Buddha's hand, so he agreed to behave as Buddha wished. 

The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm

Sun Wu Kong - Smite

Reading Notes: The Monkey King

In the middle of the Great Sea there is an island by the name of "the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits." On it, there was a giant rock which had absorbed energy from the sun and moon. One day, a handsome monkey hatched from the rock like a baby bird from an egg. The monkey learned to be a monkey and played about the island. One day, all of the monkeys came to a waterfall on the island and declared that whichever monkey could make it through the waterfall alive would be their king. The handsome monkey made the leap and he was declared king of the monkeys. 

One day the Monkey King became sad because he realized that one day he would die and be gone forever. He sought eternal life and was directed to find a Buddha. He made a raft sand sailed across the Great Sea to a place full of people. He learned manners and human traits from the people, and one day he stumbled upon a man who knew where to find a teacher. The Monkey King followed the path and became a disciple of the teacher. Upon his arrival, the master named him Sun Wu Kong. From there, Wu Kong began his training. Sun Wu Kong learned many things like how to levitate on the clouds and to travel around the Earth in an instant. The master taught him many things, but one day Sun Wu Kong used his power to make a joke for his friends. Once the master saw this, he banished him and told Sun Wu Kong to return to where he came from. 

Wu Kong was happy to return home because he had missed his home island and monkeys. When he arrived, all of the monkeys came to listen to his stories. They told him of a demon lord that had come and taken many of their young. Sun Wu Kong was outraged and immediately went to the home of the demon lord and slayed him. He then gathered the young and traveled home. Sun Wu Kong loved the mighty sword he had taken from the demon lord, but he desired something nicer. He then traveled to the Sea King, Ao Kuang. On his arrival, Ao Kuang treated him well. Sun Wu Kong tried many of the weapons Ao Kuang offered him, but none of them were satisfactory. He ended up taking a stick with gold clamps on the side that could grow or shrink to his preferred size. Ao Kuang did not want to give it to him, but Wu Kong sort of forced it. 

Sun Wu Kong then returned home and showed off his new weapon to all of his monkeys. 

Sun Wu Kong - Deviantart

The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm

Reading Notes: Voyages of Sinbad

For Sinbad's fifth voyage, he decided to make his own ship so he could take his own time and go where he wanted to go. His crew set sail and arrived on an uninhabited island. The men went exploring and found another Roc egg. The men decided to kill the baby bird inside and cook it for something to eat against Sinbad's advice. Soon after, the parents of the Roc egg arrived and were obviously upset about their baby. The men scrambled to the ship and set sail, but the Rocs traveled after them with huge rocks in their talons. They crushed the ship with their rocks and Sinbad grabbed onto another piece of driftwood. He made his way to the rocky shoreline of a nearby island. On the island he found an old man who needed help getting around. Sinbad helped him travel the island by way of piggy back rides. After a few days of doing this, Sinbad made some wine and they both shared a good bit. Sinbad took this opportunity to get the old man off of his back and left for the coastline where he met some mariners. The crew sailed to a rich city and suggested Sinbad go with an interesting group of merchants. It turned out they were going to fetch some coconuts, but the trees were huge and slick. The men began to throw rocks at monkeys in the tree because the monkeys would grab the coconuts and hurl them back at the merchants. Sinbad went on to trade his coconuts for other valuables on his way back to Bagdad. 

On Sinbad's 6th trip, he traveled to India before setting out on the seas. His ship was caught in a storm that directed them to the deadliest sea current in all the ocean. It led them to the base of a mountain where their ship was torn to shreds. The men made it away with their most valuable possessions, but they appeared stranded for the time coming. Sinbad found a flowing river that went underground, and just as he was about to run out of food he determined he would build a raft and float the river because there was a chance it would lead him to safety. He fell asleep and woke up to a group of friendly black men. They had pulled his raft from the river. The men were amazed by Sinbad's story and brought him to their king. The king was also amazed and treated Sinbad very, very well. Eventually Sinbad asked to leave, and the king sent him on his way with many gifts. He also commissioned him to deliver a letter to "the commander of the faithful". Sinbad set out to do as the king asked. The package contained a vase carved from a single ruby with pearls and other goods inside it. There were a number of other goods including a beautiful slave girl. The Caliph who received the goods asked Sinbad of the king's wealth. Sinbad confirmed the king's wealth and significance, to which the Caliph was pleased. After this delivery, Sinbad returned home. 

Sinbad's 7th, and final, trip was commissioned by the Caliph. He requested Sinbad travel back to the king who had sent the gifts because the Caliph wanted to return the favor. Sinbad asked to be removed from the mission, but the Caliph wouldn't allow it. When he arrived at the king's palace, the king was pleased to see him. Sinbad presented the gifts from the Caliph to the. After a short while, the king allowed Sinbad to leave. Sinbad was ready to return home and enjoy peaceful life, so he left quickly. On his return trip home, he was captured by pirates who sold him in a foreign land as a slave. He was sold to a rich merchant. His owner commissioned him to hunt for elephants in the forest. He killed an elephant and it was buried so that after it deteriorated it would provide beautiful tusks. For months he killed elephants each day. One day the elephants caught wind of him and surrounded his tree. Then the biggest of them all put his trunk around the tree and pulled it from the ground. He flew to the ground and the giant beast picked him up, again with his trunk, and placed Sinbad on his back. The elephants went stampeding into the forest with Sinbad. The elephants brought Sinbad to their burial ground where there were piles of elephant bones in an effort to convince him to stop shooting the elephants with his bow. Sinbad told his owner the story and brought him to the bone pile. There they collected tusks and the master set Sinbad free because he had enriched him so well. His master sent him on his way home with plenty of ivory and other gifts because he had been such a good slave. 

When Sinbad returned home, the Caliph was surprises, but happy, to see him. Sinbad told him all of his stories and the Caliph was amazed. This was the end of Sinbad's voyages.

Sinbad the Sailor - Wikipedia

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang

Reading Notes: Voyages of Sinbad

As it turns out, I really like Hero stories. Today I read The Voyages of Sinbad, and it was so entertaining. To start with, he was given great sums of money from his parents. He lived a lavish lifestyle by spending much of his inheritance until one day he decided he wanted to be responsible with it. He decided to become a merchant and set out for the seas to begin trading. The ship landed on an "island" which turned out to be the back of a whale. When they lit their fire, the whale plunged into the ocean and many of the men drowned as they had left the boat. Sinbad clung only to a piece of floating wood from the fire to keep from drowning. He floated and floated until the morning came and he realized he had arrived at an island. The island he landed on had a king who treated Sinbad well. One day while at the port, he ran into the crew from his old ship. One of them spoke of a man named Sinbad, whose possessions he had because Sinbad "drowned". The sailor did not recognize Sinbad, but eventually was convinced it was him. He then sailed home with his crew.

His second voyage was similarly adventurous. He got bored sitting in his luxurious home with piles of riches, so he set back out for sea. His group of merchants arrived at an island and they got out to explore. He decided to take a nap, but he slept too long and his crew group forgot about him! As he explored his new island, he discovered an enormous egg. It belonged to an even bigger bird called a roc. Sinbad tied himself to the foot of the bird and it flew him to another island. This island had massive snakes on it that came out only at night. He decided to sleep in a cave and put a big rock over the entrance to keep the snakes out. He found a valley of diamonds on this island. They were so big he had never even fathomed diamonds so large. Then huge chunks of meat started to fall off of a cliff into the valley. He remembered that this was done to attract large eagles, so he grabbed onto a piece of meat and an eagle came down and swooped it up. He was flown to ANOTHER island. The eagle flew him to some merchants that had been using the eagle to retrieve diamonds. He accompanied the merchants on their trip home, and he returned home as well.

On his third trip, his ship encountered a mighty storm that set them off their path. They arrived on an island of savages. They crowded the ship in hundreds within seconds and took command of the ship. The minions took the ship to another island and kicked the original passengers off. Then men were so sad because their only means of travel was gone and they deemed themselves stuck forever. They saw a large castle on the island and determined to check it out. Inside, they encountered a cyclops. The cyclops terrified them and he proceeded to eat the fattest of them all. Eventually, they devised a plan to get out. They took a scorching hot stick from the fire and jabbed it into the cyclops' eye while he was sleeping. Afterward, they prepared rafts for groups of three. As they were escaping, the cyclops and his friends started to hurl rocks after the rafts and sunk all of them except Sinbad's. They drifted to another island and decided to rest there. In the night, a massive snake ate his companions, but Sinbad got away. He was terrified, though. The next morning he caught the eye of a passing ship and joined them aboard. He eventually returned home with the ship after making a ton of money... again.

On his last voyage, his ship hit another hurricane and was decimated. He, again, clung to pieces of the wreckage in order to stay afloat. As he washed ashore, he met a friendly people with a kind king. The people liked him, and the king eventually asked him to stay and take a wife. He did, and enjoyed it. One day his neighbor's wife got ill and died. He went to visit him afterward and the man was sad. He informed Sinbad of the tradition where if one of the spouses passed away, the other was to be buried alive with them. Sinbad was horrified and became worried his wife would die. As he feared, she too passed away soon thereafter. He was buried in the cave with her and mourned his death. He began killing the living that were buried in order to take their food, and one day a critter got inside the tomb and he scared it away. He chased after the critter and it eventually led him out of the cave. He was at the bottom of a cliff on the ocean and caught the eye of a passing ship. They let him come aboard and eventually took him home.

Sinbad the Sailor by Edmund Dulac

The Roc - E. Dulac

Week 5 Story: Envy in Egypt

In ancient Egypt there was a fair bit of jealousy. The odd thing is a lot of it was in the family? Isis was jealous of Ra. Set was jealous of Osiris. These gods would not be content to be gods alone; they thirsted for more power.

Isis was a tricky one; very sharp in the mind. In Ra's old age, she sought to steal some of his power. As the ancient Ra spoke in his old age, some spittle fell from his mouth to the ground. Quickly, Isis gathered some of the spittle and formed it into a powerful serpent. She knew of Ra's plans to travel through a certain path, and placed the serpent along the path. In Ra's old age and poor sight, he traveled happily. The last thing he thought of was his own descendant, Isis, trying to leach some of his power through a snake derived from his own spit. Eventually he stumbled upon the serpent and it struck him with a powerful bite. He sat there writhing in pain and called out to the gods and goddesses. Many came to his aid, including Isis. She offered her assistance, but required that Ra reveal his secret name of power to her. He tried to get out of it, but he eventually relented because the pain was too strong. After she learned his secret name she became much more powerful as she had planned.

Ra eventually died of his old age and Osiris claimed the throne. Under Osiris rule the people were very happy. He made fair laws, and he treated the people well. You could say things in Egypt were running very smoothly until Set decided he wanted to come screw everything up. Osiris usually had Isis by his side as she was his wife - I'm just going to avoid the fact that they were also brother and sister. Isis was very skilled at thwarting the threats from Set. One day she was not around, and there was a big feast in which Set brought a large chest that caught the eye of everyone at the party. Many people were interested in the chest, and Set proclaimed whoever fit into it best could have it. One by one the people tried getting in it, and eventually it was Osiris' turn to try it. He fit perfectly, and as soon as he got in, Set and his minions trapped him inside and quickly carried him to the Nile river. They sat the chest in the river and assumed they would never see Osiris again.

When Isis returned she was distraught. She couldn't believe what had happened. She eventually tracked down the casket and returned it to Egypt. Set caught wind of this and "set" out in search of the casket and Osiris' body. He found it, and he proceeded to chop Osiris into bits and throw him back into the river.

In the end it turns out that Osiris and Isis had a child - again please just forget that they were brother and sister. Their child, Horus, was trained to defeat Set. He eventually grew up and defeated Set in battle to avenge his father.

**Author's Note**: At first I sought to really change the story up quite a bit, but after writing a few lines I thought I would just write an easier to read summary for those who didn't read this passage this week. The story line is very, very similar to the original. I added a few funny lines and a bit of brevity to some of the topics that went on a bit longer than I had hoped while reading it. I look forward to the comments on this story, and if you have any questions please let me know!

Horus and Set in battle - historiabruno blog

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie

Reading Notes: Ancient Egypt

In the beginning, Nu bore Ra. Despite being his father, Nu was not as powerful as Ra. As such, Ra became the preeminent ruler of Egypt, and it is said that he created all that their is in the Earth, and all the gods and goddesses that followed him. Ra was a good ruler, and liked by most. However, Isis envied his power and desired to be equal with him, so she devised a plan to get him to conceal his secret name of power in order that she might have equal power. 

Her plan was to gather some of his spit from the ground and form it into a serpent. She then placed it along the path he was soon traveling along, and the serpent struck him. Writhing in pain, he eventually conceded to disclose his name in order for Isis to heal him. 

Over time, Ra become old and eventually ascended to heaven. At this point Osiris took control of power. He was a great ruler who made many just decrees. He was celebrated by the people and respected by everyone. There was one exception, though, and that was his brother Set. He was jealous of Osiris' power and desired to kill him. Osiris wife, Isis, usually thwarted these plans, but one time when she was away Set made his move. 

Set formed a casket to the perfect dimensions of Osiris. It was beautiful and coveted by many. One time at a feast, he proclaimed that whoever fit in it best would receive it. As planned, Osiris fit it perfectly. As soon as he entered the casket, Set and his minions closed the casket and sent it down the Nile with Osiris inside. 

At this point, Set became the ruler of Egypt and there was much less organization. 

Still, Isis and Osiris had a son named Horus. As it was destined, he grew up and eventually battled Set for the throne and won.

Ra - Deviantart

Egyptian Myth and Legend by David MacKenzie

Comment Wall

Cu Chulainn - Smite

Week 4 Lab: Crash Course Mythology

For the Story Lab in week 4, I decided to watch the Crash Course Mythology videos. The videos attempted to define myth, mythology, and explain their development.

The guys at Crash Course Mythology made clear that Myth is a story of great significance, or deep meaning, that has stood the test of time over centuries or even millennia. They also made a point to not get into whether mythology x is truth, and mythology y is fallacy. Instead, they simply explained that for myth it is just a story that could be true or false.

The videos mentioned that many people would not include fairy tales as myth because they are not about the origin, or destruction of the world. Crash Course Mythology understands the point, but they believe the scope of myth is a bit wider and should include hero stories as well as stories of gods and goddesses.

Mythology is simply the study of myth. It didn't grow much until the 18th and 19th century. In the 20th century, mythology and anthropology collided. Anthropologists studied myth, and its various versions. Some who study mythology claim that mythology symbolizes the belief many people. These mythical characters are a result of our unconscious. It makes harsh realities bearable with explanations through myth. Some claim that this is why we see similar stories in different parts of the world, because many people go through similar things and develop similar myths to explain them.

Joseph Campbell suggested the idea of a monomyth. Campbell believes that we long for wisdom and understanding of our place in the world. He claims that hero stories and myths are a result of environmental factors that form in the human subconscious. We each go through many of the same things. There are 17 parts to his human monomyth. First, the hero receives a call to destiny from a supernatural figure. Then they meet the threshold guardian. They usually almost die. Next, the hero starts to transform into the hero they must become. The hero usually encounters a woman who allows them to prove their maturity. They usually encounter a monster next. After encountering the monster they become enlightened. The hero has evolved into their greatest form. At this point they must return to normal life/society. It is often hard for the hero to get back into their normal life. Who wants to go from a hero back to normal? In the end, they end up where they started, usually in peace, in the "mythological equivalent to happily ever after" - Crash Course Mythology

Scylla - Fallen Sword

Crash Course Mythology, Videos 1, 12, and 25, Mike Rugnetta

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey (Part A)

Homer's Odyssey part A was really entertaining. I was not sure what to expect from it. Many years ago I read it; in middle school I believe. At the time it was a tough read, but the snippets we read in part A were fascinating. 

It begins with Odysseus and his crew arriving at the shores of a cyclops filled island. Odysseus and his men entered the cave of a cyclops by the name of Polyphemus. The crew wished to simply steal some of the many goats and rams that Polyphemus had rounded up in pens. Unfortunately Odysseus did not listen to the crew and decided to meet they cyclops in hopes that he would be hospitable to the crew. Polyphemus arrived and had no desire to be kind to the men. He ate two of them and closed the exit so the rest of the men could not get out. The next morning he ate two more men, and then he left for his daily activities. In the meantime, Odysseus and the men devised a plan to escape. 

When Polyphemus arrived at the cave from his daily activities Odysseus gave him several wine skins full of fresh wine. The giant cyclops became sleepy and fell into a heavy rest. The men grabbed Polyphemus' giant club and shoved it in his giant eye. Since his vision was impaired, the men strapped themselves to the bellies of the sheep. The next morning Polyphemus let the sheep out to graze and the men snuck out with them. 

Later, Odysseus and his crew landed on Circe's island. He sent half of the men to explore a fire they saw from the shoreline. The men encountered the house of Circe, and her many lions and wolves. Surprisingly, the lions and wolves did not attack the men, but it was because they were under a spell. Circe invited the men in and gave them food and drink that had been laced with magic drugs. Circe turned the men into pigs! One of the men snuck away and reported the news to Odysseus. 

Upon hearing the news, Odysseus set out for Circe's house in order to free the men. On the way, Hermes met Odysseus and gave him a root that would make him immune to Circe's spells. It happened just as Hermes said, and Odysseus was immune. This amazed Circe, and she agreed to help him rather than hurt him. All of the men were changed back to humans and she fed them and housed them for almost a year. Odysseus prompted Circe to let them leave in peace and she gave him instructions to find the route home.

Circe and her gentle Lions - Wikipedia

Homer's Odyssey, Book 9-12, Homer

Feedback Strategies

The first article I read was called Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job. The article contained some information that was new to me. It suggested that saying "good job" and other forms of praise are generally not good for the children we say it to.

The main points of the article were about the negative effects of constant praise. For example, when a child receives praise all the time, they become dependent on the praise to maintain their self esteem and interest in the activity. If the the praise stops they tend to become disinterested in the activity, and often need emotional support. Also, praise tends to be a conditional support. When you say "I'm proud of you", that implies that a poor performance would make you not proud of the child. This tends to have negative effects.

The second article I read was Be a Mirror. As the title implies, it suggests that we should provide feedback in a way that truly reflects what we are providing feedback about.

One of the main points from this article is "taking yourself out of the feedback". I think this is really valuable because so often we are giving feedback that puts the spotlight on us. We should keep the spotlight on the person seeking feedback. Another point was to focus on what the content HAS, not what it doesn't have. Basically, just provide feedback on what the person wants feedback for.

Quality advice for those receiving feedback - dietjustice blog

Topic Research: Cu Chulainn

Cu Chulainn's Defense of Ulster

Cu Chulainn defends Ulster, his home. Medb's army marched on Ulster. The men of ulster were unable to fight so Cu Chulainn challenged them to fight individually and he succeeded against them all.


Cu Chulainn Slays Culann's Watchdog

Before Cu Chulainn had earned his name, he slayed Culann's vicious watchdog in self defense. I think this story could be really entertaining to elaborate about. There seems to be quite a bit of source material for this story, and I think it really encapsulates Cu Chulainn's character.


The Relentless Rage of Cu Chulainn

With this approach I could use all of the material about Cu Chulainn. I would like to use more than just one story because each story about Cu Chulainn is pretty short. This model also emphasizes his raging form, which is particularly interesting to me. In my opinion that is what makes him special, so I would like to emphasize that aspect.

Cu Chulainn and his raging form - Smite

I only used one source because it really told all of the stories I was looking for.

The Cuchulainn Cycle, The Religion of the Ancient Celts, J.A. MacCulloch

Reading Notes: Gospel of Mark (Unit B)

The second unit of the Gospel of Mark differed significantly from the first unit. In the first unit there were many miracles, healing, and things of that sort. In the second unit, there was a lot more teaching and parables, as well as the details of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It starts with a series of parables and teachings about faith. For example, He mentions the Rich Young Ruler. The young man was a good man. He followed all of the commandments, but he felt like something was missing so he asked Jesus what he must do to receive eternal life. Jesus said sell all of his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him. The young man couldn't do it and walked away sadly.

The next significant portion of the second unit of Mark comes when Jesus foretells the upcoming death and resurrection. At the Last Supper He told his disciples that one of the would soon betray Him and another would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. The disciples were highly confused and even slightly disturbed because they were very confident in their ability to withstand the temptation to betray or deny Jesus.

As He predicted, one of His disciples. Judas, betrayed Him for only a few dollars. Likewise, Peter denied any affiliation with Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Jesus was handed over to the authorities for questioning. After a series of interrogations the people judges found no fault in Him, but a mob of men asked for his death. The judge relented in a desire to please the people and Jesus was crucified, beaten, and humiliated. After His death, one of His disciples asked for His body and placed it in a tomb. After three days a couple women looked for His body in the tomb, but it was missing. Jesus met His disciples and many others to show them that He had risen from the grave. He encouraged them to spread the good news of the Gospel. After a short time He ascended into Heaven.

The Last Supper - acatholiclife.com

The Gospel of Mark, The Bible, Mark

Week 3 Story: The Life of Jesus

John the Baptist foretold the coming of The Messiah. Everyone thought he was crazy. Never before had this generation heard from a man so desperate to spread the word of the coming Messiah, and never before had a prophet appeared so disheveled. As he had proclaimed to all he came in contact with, The Messiah did come. His name was Jesus Christ; a carpenter from Nazareth.

Jesus was no ordinary man. He performed miracles that would truly blow your mind. For example, he healed the blind, mute, lepers, and the dead. Not only that; he also fed thousands of people with only a few loaves of bread and fish... twice. There were so many more things he did. Many of them were never recorded and we will never know about them. Still, the acts that WERE recorded do plenty to show the power He possessed. Do you know anyone that says go ahead and take the boat over to the other side of the sea... I'll just walk over later. 

Despite all of the generous and miraculous things done by Jesus, so many people had envy and hate toward Him. This came to a peak when there was a movement to arrest Him. As He had prophesied, Judas, one of His disciples, betrayed Him for just a few dollars. Jesus was arrested and questioned. People gave false testimonies about Him, and everyone knew they were fake. They couldn't find any faults in Him. The mob asked for His crucifixion based upon His claim of being "King of the Jews". As they wished, He was crucified. But... Three days later His body was not found in the tomb where he was buried. He had risen, and met with His disciples and other people to prove He had truly risen. After a short while He ascended to Heaven to sit on a throne next to God. 

Authors Note: 

I took my version of this story from the Gospel of Mark from the Bible. I did not make many tweaks to the writings of Mark due to respect for the holiness of the text. I merely summarized the writings as if I were going to tell it to a friend. 

The Last Supper - acatholiclife blog

The Gospel of Mark, The Bible, Mark