Week 7 Reading B: Japanese Mythology

The story of Urashima seemed very familiar to me, even though I had never read it before. I have read stories following the exact same pattern, only with fairies instead of a sea goddess. The fairy stories I had read previously were from the UK, but they followed the same pattern of a person going into another realm and falling in love with someone there, living for generations but not noticing the passage of time, asking to visit home, and then realizing how much time had passed and dying. I find it interesting that this story structure would appear in two cultures so far removed from one another.

                                     
                                                                          (Urashima)

Week 7 Reading A: Japanese Mythology

The story of The Miraculous Mirror is kind of confusing to me. I don't understand why Amaterasu would run away from her brother Susa-no-wo. Even if he's evil and was there to harm her in some way, it seems like she would be able to take care of the situation. She's literally the queen of heaven, so shouldn't she be more powerful than her brother, not to mention have body guards or an army to protect her. I also don't understand how she could be tricked into thinking her reflection was a rival and coming out of her cave to fight it. Again, she's the queen of heaven, not a dog who doesn't understand how mirrors work.

                                 
                                                                          (Amaterasu)

Week 6 Story: Custody

Clarissa the witch was not a cruel woman, but she also wasn't given to doing things purely out of the goodness of her heart. After all, if she helped someone out there was no reason they should't do something for her in return. She didn't think this was a bad thing. It didn't change the fact that she had helped someone, it just meant she had something to show for her troubles.

So when the king came to her, begging that she find a way to give him an heir, she agreed only on one condition. She had longed for a child of her own, and the king only needed one heir. Modifying the spell to guarantee the queen would give birth to twins wasn't too terribly difficult. The king tried to trick her into taking the child of some servant who hadn't agreed to her terms, but she saw through that easily enough. She took the elder twin, a little girl, to raise as her own, naming the baby Fern. She left the king and queen with the younger boy, a perfect heir to the throne. Everyone had what they wanted, and everyone was happy.

At least, everyone had been happy until a demon decided to break into Clarissa's house in the middle of the night.

Clarissa had gone to check on her daughter after an unnatural chill spread through the apartment. She recognized the figure stooping over Fern's crib as a demon instantly, from the creeping sensation it's presence gave her as much as the horns and tail.

Without hesitation Clarissa threw a ball of energy into the creature's chest, slamming it backwards into the wall. "Stay away from my daughter," she said, hurrying forward to stand between the demon and the crib.

Forced himself away from the wall and snarled at Clarissa. "That is my child, foolish mortal."

That...was not the answer Clarissa was expecting. "What?"

The demon rolled their eyes before repeating themself. "I said, the child is mine. The mother promised me her first born years ago, in return for saving her father's life. I have the right to raise the child due to blood oath, so hand them over."

Clarissa crossed her arms impatiently. "Oh for the love of...I made a magic contract with the father, promising the baby to me. That's every bit as binding as your blood oath, so I won't be handing anything over."

The demon's glowing yellow eyes widened at that, and they stuttered wordlessly for a moment before settling on a retort. "I was promised the child first."

"That would only matter if we'd both dealt with the same parent and you know it."

The demon let out a howl of rage and sparks shot from their hands, though Clarissa noticed they seemed to be trying not to actually light anything on fire. They also cut off their howling when Fern started crying.

"Great job, you woke her up." Clarissa took Fern out of her crib and rocked her.

"Look," the demon said. "Why don't we just split custody? You can keep the child here with you for a month, then I'll take her with me to-"

"Absolutely not," Clarissa cut them off. "For one thing, children need stability. Hopping between parents in different planes of existence every other month is not conducive to healthy development. And besides, how do I know whatever dimension you came from is even safe for a human baby?"

The demon growled. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Well," Clarissa started, already halfway regretting what she was about to say. "You could stay here with us. That way we could both raise her, and she wouldn't have to go back and forth all the time. Everyone would be happy." Clarissa actually wasn't that happy about inviting a demon to live with her, but if it kept her daughter safe and meant she wouldn't have to fight said demon, she could learn to live with it.

Seeing that the demon looked ready to continue arguing, Clarissa added, "I really think this is what's best for the baby."

Finally, the demon let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I'll stay here if I must," they conceded.

Clarissa nodded. "All right then," she said. "We'll be one big, happy, really weird family."

                                                 
                                                              (Witch and Baby Devil)

Author's note: This story is loosely based on the Indian fairy tale The Prince and the Fakir. In the original story, a Fakir agrees to help the king have an heir in return for one of his children. He then tries to cook the child he took, but is instead killed himself. The story then follows the prince who was taken by the Fakir. I decided to use the idea of a magical being wanting a human child, but switch it so they wanted to raise the child. I also wanted to explore the idea of what would happen if the same child was promised to two different supernatural beings, in this case a witch and a demon.

Week 6 Reading B: Indian Fairy Tales

The plot of The Prince and the Fakir doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It might be some sort of translation error, but the timeline just doesn't work. At the beginning of the story, the Fakir tells the king that he will be back for one of his sons, who haven't been conceived yet, in a year. But when he takes the prince, he is able to gather fuel for the fire, talk, and fight. He also says that he used to fight when he was young, and then gets married, implying that he's an adult. I also don't understand why he didn't just tell his father-in-law that he was a prince, rather than staging an elaborate hunting trip where he used his pet tigers to kill a bunch of animals for him.

                                
                                                                   (The Prince and the Fakir)

Week 6 Reading A: Indian Fairy Tales

I was really surprised in the story of Harisarman that he was able to pull off his deception. I feel like a lot of times, in that type of story, a person who lies about having some sort of fantastic power would get found out, and the story would serve as a lesson about not lying. But Harisarman manages to fake his way out of situations that should have required magical powers through mostly good luck and coincidence.

                                  
                                                                       Harisarman

Week 5 Story: The Calf

Inaya had taught herself magic at a very young age, much younger than most people would consider advisable. Her father had fretted constantly, and tried to persuade her to wait until she was older. Her mother had hovered and reminded her to be careful at least five times a day. Alishba, Inaya's childhood friend, had been gratifyingly excited whenever Inaya successfully pulled off a new spell, but had mostly sat by and complained about being bored she was while Inaya tried to practice.

It occurred to Inaya, as she stared at Alishba in horrified shock, that the other girl would probably be glad soon that she had practiced so much when they were younger.

Inaya was looking at a calf. It was pretty, as far as calves go, but there was nothing very special about its physical appearance. Most people wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary about it.

                                      

But Inaya's skill with magic allowed her to catch glimpses of people's spirits, and she clearly saw that the cow was unmistakably Alishba. The two had been inseparable for nearly their entire lives, and recently had started dating. Inaya would recognize Alishba in any form.

"Alishba, dear, why are you a cow?" Inaya asked.

Alishba mooed in response. Inaya wasn't sure why she had expected anything else.

"You can explain when you're human again. Give me just a moment."

Inaya laid her hand on Alishba's furry forehead and, closing her eyes, chanted a spell to reverse transformations. When she opened her eyes, however, nothing had changed.

Alishba gave the saddest moo Inaya had ever heard.

"Don't worry," she said. "I know what went wrong. The spell was cast specifically to fool one person, probably your father, so it can't be lifted until he realizes you've been transformed. I'll just tell him, then turn you back."

Inaya sent her father to tell Alishba's father what had happened. When the two men arrived, Inaya recited another spell, this time over a pitcher of water that she threw on Alishba, washing away the curse that had been put on her. In an instant, Alishba was fully human again.

Alishba's father immediately pulled her into a long hug. The moment he let go Alishba ran and threw herself into Inaya's arms, giving her a kiss before pulling her into a tight embrace. Inaya held Alishba, filled with relief that she had been able to change her back. In a little while, Inaya might turn her thoughts toward getting revenge against whoever had transformed Alishba, but for the moment she just enjoyed their reunion.

Author's Note: In the original story, The Hind, from the Arabian Nights, an old man tells the story of how his wife turned their adopted son into a calf and tried to trick him into sacrificing the calf. He refuses to do so, and then the daughter of one of his employees tells him that the calf is his son and reverses the spell in exchange for the son's hand in marriage and permission to place a curse on the old man's wife.

Image: Calf photo

Week 5 Reading B: Arabian Nights

Aladdin was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, so I was excited to read the original story this week. I was surprised by how different this version was, and especially how differently Aladdin was characterized between the two. In the first part of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Aladdin is described as careless and idle, and there is never any indication that he has gotten over these qualities. Although he is given various positions of power that would have required a lot of responsibility later in the story, there is nothing in his characterization that would suggest he could handle these responsibilities. He was also chosen to retrieve the lamp because the magician thought he was foolish, not because he possessed any special qualities that allowed him to get the lamp.

                                             

                                                               (Aladdin and the Genie)

Week 5 Reading A: Arabian Nights

Scheherazade is a seriously amazing character. The amount of courage it must take to volunteer for a position that could very well lead to your death in order to protect other people is enormous. I'm also impressed that she's able to remember or come up with all of these stories in the middle of a literal life and death situation. There isn't a lot of room for the story to really focus on her, since she's the one telling most of it, but she's definitely my favorite character.

                                     
                                                              (Scheherazade)

Comment Wall

                                   
                                                                  (Temple of Artemis)

Goddess Stories

Week 4 Story: Persephone

Persephone sits on the throne of the Underworld six months of the year. This is an immutable fact, and the evidence can be seen in the most basic patterns of nature, the seasons themselves. Persephone goes to fulfill her role as queen of the Underworld, and the cold sets in, plants withering away in the fields. Persephone returns, and she brings with her the warmth, flowers blooming in her wake. This is a simple truth that mortals have long known and understood, although many have forgotten.

The thing the mortals have always gotten wrong is how this arrangement came about.

Marriage by capture was common for the humans at the time, and so they reasoned that this must be how Persephone first arrived to the realm of death. They could not conceive of a girl setting out for such a place of her own free will.

But one day, while picking flowers in the fields near her home, Persephone came across a deep crack in the earth from which asphodels grew, and she heard voices floating up from deep underground. Overcome with curiosity, Persephone climbed down to see what was at the bottom.

The world at the bottom would later fill Orpheus and Odysseus with dread, but Persephone was a goddess, and it took more than the the spirits of the dead to frighten her. She wandered among the dead, and the cypress trees and asphodel along the River Styx burst into knew life at her presence.

Hades didn't know what to make of this young goddess who had appeared in his kingdom. He considered sending her back to the world above, but then he came to enjoy her company. She made those of his subjects who had been virtuous in life happy, and she proved better than him at coming up with punishments for those who had been wicked. So he offered her a place ruling beside him.

When Persephone learned how devastated her mother was with her absence, and how the world had been left in cold and darknesses, she was filled with grief. She knew she had to go back, but she didn't want to leave the underworld. So she and Hades came up with a solution. A handful of pomegranate seeds ensured that her mother would have to let her spend part of each year in her new kingdom, and she was careful not to eat so many that she would be unable to return to her mother each spring.

Since that day, Persephone has split each year evenly between bringing spring and flowers to the people of earth, and ruling as Queen of the Dead.

                                                           


Author's Note: In Ovid's Metomorphses, Persephone is kidnapped and tricked into eating the pomegranate seeds that trap her in the underworld for part of each year. I wanted to rewrite the story to give Persephone an active role and agency in her life

Image: Persephone, Queen of the Underworld 

Week 4 Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses II Part A

The first four parts of Ovid's Metamorphoses II are focused on the story of Persephone, but they don't really treat her as the main character. In fact, she's barely a character at all. How she feels and what she thinks is never really explored, and the whole story is just about other people reacting to her kidnapping for plot reasons. I think it would be interesting to tell the story with more of Persephone's point of view, and maybe also take the plot in a less kidnappy direction.

                                                 
                                                           (Persephone, by Rossetti)

Topic Research

Artemis- I've always been a fan of Artemis. I'd say she's probably my favorite Greek Goddess, with the possible exception of Persephone. I'd be interested in doing something along the lines of the story of Artemis and Iphigeneia. The version of the story I'd read before didn't include the part where Artemis intervened and made Iphingeneia  one of her immortal companions, which she apparently did pretty often and I think is a cool aspect of her character.

                                                   

                                                                   (Artemis)

Inanna- I'm not as familiar with Inanna/Ishtar as I am with Artemis, but I like the idea of doing something with such an ancient goddess. I really like the story of her descent into the underworld, because I'm a sucker for underworld myths. To be perfectly honest, I'm almost more intrigued by Asu-shu-namir than Inanna herself, and might focus the story on them rather than her. I mean, how cool is an ancient non-binary deity?

                                                         

                                                                           (Inanna)

Kali- I'm almost reluctant to include Kali since, unlike the other two goddesses I mentioned, she is still widely worshiped by people today. But I just think she's so cool, especially the story of her defeating Raktabija. 

                                                      

                                                                               (Kali)

Feedback Strategies

How To Give Students Specific Feedback That Actually Helps Them Learn by Justin Chando- This article really spoke to some frustrations I've had with feedback in the past. I've always hated when teachers just marked a problem wrong without saying what was wrong with it or, worse, handed back a paper with just a letter grade and not included any commentary. I had a teacher in high school who would underline parts of my essays, but not write anything by the underlined sections. I never knew if he was pointing out problems or things I did well, so I had no idea what to do when he wanted us to revise.

How to Craft Constructive Feedback- This was interesting, because I had never really thought about how different types of feedback might be needed depending on the purpose of a work or reason for showing it to someone until recently. I work in the writing center, and when I was telling one of my coworkers about the plot I'm thinking of for my novel writing class this semester, she kicked into writing assistant mode. The thing is, we work mostly on analytical paper in the writing center, and so her suggestions and questions weren't really helpful, and were just kind of annoying.

                                                             
                                                    (How to Craft Constructive Feedback)

Week 3 Story: The Golem

She had no name. This didn't really matter, she got along perfectly fine without one. It was easy enough to tell when the Rabbi was talking to her by the way he spoke. The other people had no trouble talking about her with out a name to use. After all, she was the only golem they had ever met.

She really didn't need a name, but sometimes she thought it might be nice to have one.

The Rabbi might give her one if she asked. He had never been unkind to her, for all that he knew she wasn't a real person. He had created her, all those weeks ago, so she didn't see why he should have a problem with giving her a name. But she couldn't ask for one. She had been created to follow instructions, not have conversations, and she hadn't worked out how to speak at all.

She really didn't mind doing chores for the Rabbi, but she preferred the times when he was gone and the neighborhood children would come by. They didn't seem to mind that she wasn't a real person. They would smile and wave and make faces at her, and, she found, they were always delighted when she waved and made faces back.

One day the children asked her to come outside and play with them. She had never done this before, but they sounded so eager for her to join them that she decided to climb out the window and walk with them through the streets.

When the children said they were cold and asked for a fire, the golem didn't hesitate to build one. She tended the Rabbi's fire every Sabbath, so it was no trouble for her to do the same for her new friends. The children pulled her with them into dancing around the fire, all laughing and singing together.

Seeing how happy the fire had made them, the golem decided to add more fuel and build it up even bigger. But then it did something the Rabbi's fire never had. It spread, burning the houses around it.

The children screamed and ran away. The golem was going to follow them, but she heard a noise from inside of one of the houses that was burning. It sounded like a child screaming.

The golem easily broke down the door to the house. Inside, a small boy was hiding under a table, too terrified of the flames to run away. The golem went and pulled him out from under the table. She had nearly led him out the door when one of her legs gave out and she collapsed.

                                        

Looking down, the golem saw that her leg had caught fire and burned away. It didn't hurt, as she had not been built to feel pain, but the fire was spreading quickly to the rest of her body. Using the last of her strength, she pushed the child out the door, and watched him run away from the blaze her body burned away, leaving nothing but a piece of paper with the name of God written on it.

Author's Note: This story is based on The Rabbi's Bogey-Man. the original story is focused more on the Rabbi, and tells of how he decided to make this golem, and then another one that turned against him and had to be destroyed.

Image Information: Staring Eyes Brown Clay Golem Fx Makeup