Famous Last Words: Week 15

After it has all been said and done, I really enjoyed this class. I got to read so many stories, both original folk tales and second hand stories, that I would have never come across had I had never taken this course. I also found that I really enjoy creative writing. Having the opportunity to let my imagination run wild and create stories how I thought they should be is something I have not really gotten a chance to do in other classes, or in any setting. And the coolest part about creating your own stories is seeing that other people actually read them and enjoy them. I liked getting feedback and learning from other students' writing styles and techniques in order to better my own. My only regret is that I didn't buckle down like I should have early in the semester. I have caused myself unnecessary stress by putting off work until the end of the semester. But despite my procrastination, I genuinely feel that I learned so much in this class about reading, writing, myths, mindset, technology, and more. Thank you Professor Gibbs for teaching me this semester.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Extra Reading Notes: Three Supernatural Stories

-Witches at the Cross
-Joe heard of old women who climb up and down crosses so he rode his horse to go see
-he made a circle with blessed chalk
-when he stepped outside the circle the witches chased him to his house
-they couldnt go any further but one threw a burning broom at him

Burning Broom. Source: Bo Bartlett

-The With and the Horseshoes
-there was a farmers wife who was a witch
-she grew restless after a holiday so she flew up a chimney
-the farmer seeing this from afar, did the same thing after her
-to hide she became a horse
-he mounted the horse and took it to the smith to put horseshoes on it
-the next day, the women had on 4 horseshoes

-The Haunted Mill
a rope dancer and some monkeys went to a haunted mill
-a man came into the mill with fish which the monkeys tried to steal
-the man slapped the monkey away
-the rope dancer had a bear which ran over to get the fish
-the man slapped it away
-the bear didnt like that and gave the man a beating and drove him out


"Three Supernatural Stories" from The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

Wikipedia Trail: from Rübezahl to Cypress

Rübezahl - Rubezahl is a mythological mountain spirit from Silesia and the main character in my storybook. This article explains the origin of his name and provides a list of works about him. Rubezahl is a mountain spirit which I learned can also be called a "woodwose."

Woodwose - Woodwose comes from Middle English and means "wild man." All sorts of mythological traditions from around the world have some type of woodwose, but they are remarkably popular in early European myths. One woodwose I had not heard of and found interesting was Silvanus.

Silvanus - Silvanus, meaning "of the woods" in Latin, is a Roman protector spirit of the woods and fields. I found it interesting the Silvanus is most likely not a Hellenic deity but was most likely an original Roman deity given that the Etruscans had a very similar deity with roughly the same name. In art, Silvanus is recognizable because he is always seen carrying a branch from a cypress tree

Bronze statue of Silvanus.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Mediterranean Cypress - Cupressus sempervirens, more commonly known as cypress, is a tree found throughout the eastern half of the Mediterranean. The species name, sempervirens, is Latin for "always green."

Learning Challenge: Sleep

In the video found HERE, I learned just how essential sleep is for physical and mental health. Sleep is the bodies natural mechanism to restore its energy and clear waste material from the brain. Most adults require 7-8 hours of sleep per night and most adolescents need 10. Being deprived of sleep can lead to hormonal imbalance, sickness, and even death. Someone who is severely sleep deprived may lose coordination, memory functions, and might even hallucinate; symptoms of chemical waste building up in the brain. I hate to admit it, but I deprive myself from a lot of sleep and I'm am more than aware of these symptoms. I have been so tired before that I fell asleep standing up. This video is just another reminder that I need to take better care of myself. It's simple really to just go to sleep on a regular basis, and the health benefits are well worth it.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Growth Mindset: Random Cats

Link to Source

I liked this image because it relates to the TEDEd video I just watched about creative constraints and how observe and understand those constraints so that you are able the innovate within them. I also picked it because I like to think I am a very observant person.

Link to Source

I liked this one because I agree with its message whole-heartedly. Every expert was a beginner at one time. But with persistence and the ability to learn on the fly, anyone can become proficient with just about anything. The quote also goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite quotes: "Fake it 'til you make it."

Week 15 Lab: TEDEd Videos: Style

The power of creative constraints - Brandon Rodriguez - In this video, Brandon Rodriguez discusses how constraints fuel creativity. Constraints provide a problem that must be creatively solved in order to get the desired result. He argues that these constraints provide a problem solver with the opportunity to innovate. The way I thought of it was this: in order to push the envelope, there must be an envelope to push.

Beware of nominalizations (AKA zombie nouns) - Helen Sword - In this video, Helen Sword explains how nominalizations, or the act of making a verb, adjective, or another noun into abstract and pompous nouns. At their best, nominalizations help describe complex ideas, but at their worst, they suck the life and action out of otherwise lively sentences. She calls these nominalizations "zombie nouns," because they tend to make a sentence dull and lifeless.

A zombie. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tech Tip: Cheezburger

Made with Cheezburger

Reading Notes: Vainamoinen and the Mistress of Pohjola

-Vainamoinen swims in the open ocean for 9 days and his toenails were falling off

-V exclaims how unlucky he his to live this type of life and how he can't build a house in the water

-an eagle from Lapland spots V and asks V what brought him here

-V says that he was looking for the maid of Pohja and that he fell in the water when someone shot his horse out from underneath him

-the eagle said he remembered when V saved the tree from being cut down for the birds so he would let V climb on his back and fly him wherever

-V mounted himself on the eagle's back

-it flew V to Pohja and then left

"Flight of Vainamoinen" by Kolobova Margarita, 2013. Source: Art Now

"Vainamoinen and the Mistress of Pohjola" from Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot, translated by W. F. Kirby (1907).

Reading Notes: Vainamoinen Goes Fishing

-the news spread of the maiden who perished
-Vainamoinen deeply mourned her loss
-he went to a lake and asked Untamo the sleeper where swell the fair maidens
-Untamo answered near the cloud-encompassed headband, near the ever misty island...
-V checked his fishing gear and made his way there in his boat
-then he began fishing in the cape with clouds encompassed and near the ever misty island
-he caught a salmon-trout early in the morning
-he remarked how it was unlike any fish he had ever seen
-he drew his knife with the intention of cutting it up and eating it for breakfast
-the fish sprang to life and jumped from the boat
-it said, "surely I haven't come here in the form of a salmon in order to become your breakfast."

Vainamoinen. Source: Alchetron

"Vainamoinen Goes Fishing" from Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot, translated by W. F. Kirby (1907).

Review: Week 14

Graphic: My favorite graphic from this week was the Latin proverb about dragons. It introduced me to a Latin prose that I had not seen before and I like the meaning behind the proverb: one does not improve his own standing without harming someone else

Source: Go Proverbs!

Video: My favorite video from this week was the musical version of the Epic of Gilgamesh performed in Sumerian. I read and studied the Epic of Gilgamesh in an Ancient Near East Civilizations class I took a few semesters ago. And on top of already enjoying the Epic of Gilgamesh, I also really love to listen to folk music from around the world.

Famous Last Words: Week 14

Most of this semester has been quite hectic. On top of trying to keep up with school work, I have been traveling across the country with the softball team. But this week was especially hectic. Typically, we leave for our weekend series on Thursday afternoons. This week though, we left early Wednesday morning to play a mid week game in Wichita and left straight from there to Ames, Iowa. In any spare time I happened to have, I tried to chip away at the vast collection of homework I had, including all the extra credit assignments in this class (because I still haven't given up on getting a B in the course). I have tried extremely hard to keep my procrastination to a minimum and I have missed out on a LOT of sleep but I think I managed to get everything accomplished. I am proud of the story I wrote to wrap up my storybook and hopefully I spent enough time on it so that I might not have too many revisions to make. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to catch my breath. This coming week looks to be just as hectic and I have just as much, if not more, homework than this past week. To be completely honest, I'm kicking myself every time I think of how much easier it would have been if I had just gotten hooked up earlier in the semester. I would be considerably less stressed and would still be a normal sleep schedule. But I understand that those are the consequences of prioritizing things other than school. But I am determined to see it through to the end of the semester. Somehow, I will try to find a way to get everything done. I can smell the finish line and rest is just around the corner.

Image Source: Christianbook

Wikipedia Trail: Hellebore to Herbicidal Warfare

Hellebore - I changed my iPhone background to one of the default flower wallpapers. I was interested in what type of flower it was. It turns out that the picture I chose is of a hellebore which is a poisonous flower native to Europe and Asia

Siege of Kirrha - Apparently, in 585 BC, during the Siege of Kirrha in the the First Sacred War in Greece, hellebores were used to poison the water supply of the city. This is one of the earliest instances of chemical warfare

Chemical Warfare - Chemical warfare has been around almost as long as war itself has been waged. The pinnacle of chemical warfare is most likely the devastating mustard gas attacks during the First World War

Herbicidal Warfare - This is a specific type of chemical warfare in which neither people are not the direct targets of the attack. Rather, the attacker attempts to destroy the enemies crops using herbicides in an attempt to cripple war efforts. This was a common tactic used by the United States during the Vietnam War.

Hellebores. Source: Home Depot

Learning Challenge: Reading Out Loud

I have always thought that I read slower, mostly because the way I read in my head is the same way I would read out loud. But, I found that when I read out loud, it was as if I was telling the story to myself. It took longer to read the story but I felt like I got more out of the reading. I used inflection and pauses when reading the dialogue and I held a certain tone while reading narrative parts. Reading out loud helped me to understand the story on a deeper level than just the plot because I had to build a character's persona when I read for them. I also found that I noticed, and remembered, more details about the story after reading out loud compared to reading other stories silently.

Image Source: Joel Goldman

Growth Mindset: Acronym

Take
Advantage
of
Comprehensive
Talents

To be tactful means being adroit in dealing with difficult issues. In order to be tactful, you have to be thoughtful and able to find solutions to unique problems. One must use their talents they already possess to their full potential in order to solve a problem. This acronym just reminds me to 1. be tactful and 2. use my strengths in problem solving.

Quote from Isaac Newton. Source: Quotes Cover

Tech Tip: YouTube Playlist

Besides Google itself, I visit YouTube more than any other website. I created this playlist as a collection of my girlfriend's high school softball highlights mostly to embarrass her. Most of the time, I use playlists to organize videos that I might come back and watch again. I also utilize YouTube's default playlist of liked videos to find old videos that I think are funny or really interesting. Having all of those videos in one place is really handy when I remember seeing a video I liked and would like to watch it again or share it with someone else.

Extra Reading Notes: The Two Corpses

-a soldier was heading home on leave when he had to pass a graveyard in the middle of the night
-he heard a voice running up behind him saying, "Stop! You can't escape!"
-the soldier saw it was a corpse chasing him so he B-lined it towards a little chapel
-in the chapel was another corpse and no one else
-the soldier hid in the corner
-the first corpse ran in
-the corpse on the table rose and asked the other, "What hast thou come here for?"
-He said that he had chased a soldier into the chapel and that he was going to eat him
-The second corpse argued that the soldier had run into his house so it would eat him itself
-"No! I shall!"
-"No! I shall"
-The corpses began to fight
-they fought for so long that with the coming of morning, they fell lifeless
-the soldier went on his way home

"Skeletons Fighting" by Theodore Major. Source: Pinterest

"The Two Corpses" from Russian Folktales unit. Story source: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

Week 14 Lab: Creative Life TED Talks

Video 1: Copyright is Brain Damage

In this video, Nina Paley mainly discuses the need for copyright reform. She argues that claiming rights on intellectual property does not ultimately benefit the creator of the ideas and instead prohibits the continuation and evolution of art. I really enjoyed the analogy Paley made regarding information. She compared people to neurons, each one part of a vast network, receiving and transmitting information to one another to make up a "great mind." the ideas that this great mind form is culture. However, copyright is a brain disease because it allows ideas to flow into a neuron, but not to be sent out. Therefore, copyright laws must be reformed, or even abolished, in order for the great mind to work freely.

Image Source: Photo District News

Video 2: A New Theory of Human Intelligence

In this video, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman discusses the need to rethink human intelligence. He says that in the current education model, too many kids fall through the cracks because it is unable to  properly accommodate the unique needs of what he calls twice-exceptional children: those children simultaneously having exemplary strengths and extraordinary weaknesses. The current binary system categorizes children based on ability and disability when it should be holistic and all-encompassing. The theory Dr. Kaufman presents focuses on the four C's: Capacity: the potential intelligence and aptitude; Competence: the actual intellectual achievement; Commitment: the motivation and determination to learn; Creativity: problem solving and the ability to hurdle intellectual obstacles.

Reading Notes: The Fox and the Horse

-A farmer had a horse that had grown old and weak so he turned it out of the stable

-while the horse was seeking a shelter in the woods, he met a fox who asked him why he was so sad

-the horse tells the fox that his master will not take him back unless he becomes stronger than a lion

-the fox told the horse to pretend to be dead

-the fox went to the lion and told it of a dead horse

-the fox says the lion can eat the horse more comfortably in his cave so he ties the horse to the lion

-the fox managed to tie his legs together

-the fox then told the horse to go

-the horse dragged the lion back to his masters house

-his master relented and took care of him till the end of his life

An elderly horse. Source: The Horse

"The Fox and the Horse" from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm, an audiobook recording available at LibriVox based on a Project Gutenberg publication.

Reading Notes: The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean

-there was a poor woman who decided to build a fire on her hearth to cook some beans
-a piece of straw fell from the bundle, a bean from the pan, and a piece of coal from the fire
-each tells the other how they were almost destroyed by the old woman
-to escape her, they decide to run away to a foreign country
-on their journey, they come to a brook which they must cross
-the straw lays itself out to form a bridge
-the coal starts to cross but becomes scared half way and stops
-the straw burns because of this and the two fall in the brook and are swept away
-the bean seeing this, laughed so hard it burst
-a tailor happened to be passing and because he had compassion for the bean, he sewed the bean back together
-he only had black thread though
-this is why every bean has a black seam

Black-eyed Peas. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean" from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm, an audiobook recording available at LibriVox based on a Project Gutenberg publication.

Wikipedia Trail from Umlaut to Gregorian Calender

1. Umlaut - the umlaut is the two dots above vowels in German to tell the reading that that vowel sound should come from the front of the mouth

2. Tilde - the squiggly line above some N's in Spanish was originally scribal shorthand used to denote the title of something, which is where it gets its name: from the Latin word titulus meaning "title"

3. Anno Domini - usually abbreviated to AD and means "in the year of the Lord" in Medieval Latin.
However, it is becoming more common to use CE, meaning "common era," in place of AD

4. Gregorian Calendar - the calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 that we still use today.

One of the first printed editions of the Gregorian Calendar. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Growth Mindset Motto

To me, fake it till you make it simply means act like you know what you're doing until you actually know what you're doing. Be confident  and own it. Work with meaning and purpose. Give your best effort with a good attitude and the ability will come.

Learning Challenge: Deskercise

I think exercising from time to time at your desk is great way to boost your productivity and attitude. If you enjoy and look forward to your deskercise time, you might set a goal for yourself to accomplish before you can start the exercise. Or, if you dread exercising, have a buddy keep you accountable and deskercise with you at regular intervals. The latter scenario might make you enjoy doing your work rather than exercising. But with either method, deskercising can help you stay motivated while improving your health. Having a beneficial routine to break up long work days helps with getting you mind out of a rut and getting your blood flowing makes you feel more energized and driven. My favorite three deskercises were the desk push ups, the office chair dips, and just simply walking around.

Deskercising. Source: DIY Genius

Article from the Washington Post

Extra Reading Notes: Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina

-the Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina rivers used to be people: a boy and his sisters respectively
-they were orphans who never had anything to eat
-life was a burden for them as they had to toil in the nude just to get the day's subsistence
-one day they sorrowed over their little morsel of bread and thought of ways to provide more
-they decided to turn into great rivers
-they decided their paths and went to sleep to start flowing the next morning
-the sisters however chose the best paths while their brother Dnieper was asleep
-in pursuit of his sisters, Dnieper flowed fiercely through steep banks
-that is why the Dnieper is swifter and has more rapids than the Volga and the Dvina

Dnieper Rapids. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Metamorphosis of the Dnieper, the Volga, and the Dvina" form Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

Tech Tip: Automotivator

"History, it never gets old," is a phrase that I thought of to humorously tell people how much I love history (and irony). The image is from Smithsonian Magazine.

Week 13 Story: The Excaliboard

To this very day, King Ollie's legendary skateboard, known as the Excaliboard, is still lodged within the ancient anvil at the Ye Olde Englandland skate park. Most visitors know the story of how the board was lodged into the anvil when King Ollie, with his group of friends, the Knights of the Octagonal Table, attempted to land the impossible lip trick, but most do not know how he originally procured the legendary skateboard.

Long ago, King Ollie was amidst a game of SKATE with the tallest skater when he snapped his board in two. While searching for a new board to complete the game, he came across a pond. Out of the pond, he noticed an arm holding a skateboard and approaching him was the Lady of the Pond. King Ollie asked the Lady if he could have the skateboard. She responded by saying that he may go and take the board, but only if he promised to give her a gift. Being a popular skater, and perhaps slightly cocky, King Ollie pulled a marker from his pocket and started to autograph his helmet to give it to the Lady. But she stopped him and said that she did not want a signed helmet. Instead, she would ask for the gift in her own time. He agreed to give her the gift she would ask for, no matter what it might be. He then waded out into the water to take the skateboard.

When King Ollie took the board out of the ghostly hand, it disappeared. Now holding the Excaliboard, he realized that it was like no other skateboard. It was crafted using material of the highest quality and with the utmost craftsmanship. With precious gems inlaid in the board's deck, it was obvious that this was board possessed unnatural abilities and would give its rider a remarkable advantage.

Proud of his new skateboard, King Ollie forgot about his heated game of SKATE. Instead of returning to face his opponent again, he rode the Excaliboard to the town of Carlion to show the rest of the Knights of the Octagonal Table.

Cover for Backyard Skateboarding. Source: Wikia

Author's Note

If it wasn't obvious, my inspiration for this story is the tale of how King Arthur acquired the Sword Excalibur. However, to change it up, I took a reference from the 2004 video game Backyard Skateboarding and ran with it. Also, the original story, Merlin is with King Arthur when he finds Excalibur, but I excluded a Merlin-like character to simplify my story.

Bibliography

"The Sword Excalibur" from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

Reading Notes: Sir Lancelot Meets Sir Galahad

-Lancelot heard a voice in his sleep that told him to rise, take his armor, and board the first ship he saw
-He rose, put on his armor, and soon found a ship without sail or oar
-He felt a sweetness like no other and fell asleep
-when he woke, there was a bed near him and in it lay the dead sister of Sir Percivale and in her hand was the story of her adventure which he took and read
-he remained afloat for a month until the ship came to rest near the shore
-there, a knight was riding and having seen the ship, stopped to board it
-the knight asked for Sir Lancelot du Lake's name
-wouldn't you know it, the knight turns out to be Sir Galahad, the son of Sir Lancelot
-the two share their adventures from the time they left King Arthur's Court
-they stayed in the ship for 6 months until it comes to rest on the edge of a forest
-there, a knight with white armor and two horses
-the knight said that Galahad had spent enough time with his father and that it was time for G to go on the quest for the Holy Grail
-A voice told them that they would not see each other again so they said their goodbyes and Galahad went on
-Lancelot returned to Camelot where he found that over half of the Knights of the Round Table had been slain

Sir Galahad by George Frederic Watts. 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Sir Lancelot Meets Sir Galahad" from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

Reading Notes: The Sword Excalibur

-Arthur was being beaten in a fight with the tallest knight
-Merlin put a charm on the knight and took Arthur to a hermit to get healed
-As Arthur and Merlin left, Arthur realized he had no sword
-Merlin said he would get him one
-As they rode past a lake, an arm rose from the water holding a sword
-The Lady of the Lake came to the shore to speak with Arthur
-Arthur asked for the sword
-She said she would give it to him if he would give her a gift when she asked
-She directed Arthur to take a boat to the sword and she would ask for her gift in her own time
-Arthur and Merlin rowed out and retrieved the sword
-Merlin asked which Arthur liked more, the sword or the scabbard
-Arthur said he liked the sword
-Merlin said that was unwise as the scabbard was worth ten of the sword
-the scabbard, as long as it was bucked on Arthur, allowed him to lose no blood whatever the wound
-they then rode of to the town of Carlion

King Arthur Asks the Lady of the Lake for the

 Sword Excalibur, illustration by Walter Crane.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Sword Excalibur" from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

Wikipedia Trail: from Saint John's Day to Dr. Whitney Smith

I started with the article about the origin of Saint John the Baptist's Day which I used while researching information for my project. I learned that it is held on June 24, also called Midsummer, because it is the day that marks the Summer Solstice.

I then clicked the link that led me to an article about dragons because apparently one of the traditions of Saint John's Day is to build a large bonfire that was supposed to ward off dragons. There, I learned that dragons appeared relatively often on various European coat of arms.

Following the link to the article about coat of arms, I learned that the practice originated from the Romans painting their unit's insignia on their shields. The study of coats of arms is closely related to vexillology, which I am already interested in, so I followed the link.

There, I found that the International Federation of Vexillological Associations has their own flag. I also discovered that Dr. Whitney Smith formalized the field of vexillology.

Flag of the FIAV. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Following the link to the article about Dr. Whitney Smith, I learned that he designed the national flag of Guyana that they still use today.

Reading Notes: The Three Roses

-once there were 3 sisters
-their mother asked them if there was anything they wanted
-the first two asked for a great many things
-but the third, Mary, only asked for 3 roses
-the mother went out and bought a great many things for the first two sisters
-but night fell on her way home
-she wandered off the path back to their home and came upon a great castle with beautiful roses
-remembering the third sisters wish, the mother took 3 roses
-out came a basilisk which demanded the roses be paid for with the daughters life
-the mother obliged and brought back the third sister
-the basilisk demanded that the girl nurse him for 3 hours every day
-she obliged and on the third day of nursing, the basilisk came back with a sword
-it demanded the girl cut off its head
-she obliged and out came a snake
-it too demanded she cut off its head
-she obliged and from the snakes head came a handsome young man holding golden keys
-he said that the castle was his and that the woman must marry him
-she happily obliged

A Basilisk. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Three Roses" from Czech Folktales unit. Story source: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).

Reading Notes: Beth Gellert

-a prince had a greyhound he very fond of saying it was a lamb at home, but a lion on the chase
-on one day, the prince blew his horn to call his dogs to hunt
-all came except Gellert
-he went without the dog and when he came back, Gellert came to meet the prince
-the dogs face and and teeth were covered in blood
-fearing the absolute worst, the prince rushed towards is infant sons nursery
-the closer he got, the more blood and disorder
-reaching the nursery, he saw signs of conflict but couldn't find his son
-thinking the dog was a monster, the prince took his sword and thrust it in Gellert
-With Gellert dying yell came a baby's cry
-his son was asleep under the cradle next to a slain great wolf, realizing that Gellert had actually saved his son
-but it was to late to save Gellert
-to honor the greyhound, the prince buried it in front of the castle so passers-by might see the memorial
-the monument was called Beth Gellert, or the Grave of Gellert.

A Greyhound dog. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Beth Gellert" from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).

Reading Notes: The Shepherd of Myddvai

-a shepherd led his flock near a lake
-from the water, came 3 maidens most beautiful
-he offered one his bread
   -she said it was hard-baked
-the next day, he offered her another piece
   -she said it was unbaked
-the next day, he offered her a piece he found in the lake
   -she was pleased and said that she would marry him if he could tell her apart from her sisters the next day
-the next day, he recognized her by her sandals and they were married on the condition that he does not strike her 3 times without reason
-she gave 3 cows, 2 oxen, and one bull as her dowry
-they had 3 children
-one day, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder which she said was strike 1
-when she was crying another time, he tapped her on the shoulder to ask what was wrong which was strike 2
-at a funeral she began to laugh, so he nudged her on the shoulder which was strike 3
-she left taking her animals back into the lake
-she came back only one time when her sons were men to give them healing abilities

Shepherd with Sheep by Thomas Sidney Cooper (1868). 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Shepherd of Myddvai" from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).

Week 11 Story: Bill and Willy

There once lived two rednecks, Bill and Willy. For some odd and unexplainable reason, they were also powerful wizards. However, unlike their fellow wizards in England who went to school to refine their powers and fight forces of evil, they mostly used their abilities to play pranks on one another. One day, Willy was fishing out on the lake in is flat-bottom, aluminum boat. Willy went fishing almost everyday and was especially proud of his tackle box. He had put charms and spells on his lures to make them nearly irresistible to the fish he was trying to catch. On this particular day, Bill happened to be passing by the lake on his way into town. As he looked across the water, and saw Willy’s boat. Having already polished off his first six pack, Willy had dozed off with hook in the water. Bill, being the prankster he was, waded into the water a little ways and transfigured himself into a 25 pound largemouth bass. As a fish, he swam over to Willy’s hook in the water, hooked himself, and began swimming hard in the opposite direction. Willy was jarred awake and scrambled to control the line. As Willy struggled to reel in his catch, the fish jumped out of the water. Willy couldn’t believe the size of the fish on the end of his line and was now more determined than ever to win the battle. Just as Willy had hope that he might win, Bill snapped the line, taking the magic lure with him. Willy was left with nothing but a story.

Later that night, both Willy and Bill met some friends at the local cantina. Willy told his fishing tale saying that it was the biggest bass he had ever seen and how close he was to catching it. Then he told everyone how the fish snapped his line and took his prized lure. As soon as Willy finished his story, Bill broke out in uncontrollable laughter. Willy, getting mad at Bill for laughing at his story, asked what was so funny. Bill, who had laughed so hard he made himself cry, wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled the lure out from his front pocket. Immediately realizing he had fallen for another one of his friend’s pranks, snatched the lure from Bill and stormed out.

A 22-pound Largemouth Bass. Source: Outdoor Life

Author's Note:

My story is based off of a story of two Eskimo wizards. In that story, one wizard gets revenge on the other by transforming into a walrus and fooling the other much the same way Bill fools Willy. The only major changes I made were to the setting and, unlike the original folk tale, I did not give a reason for Bill to fool Willy other than he thought it would be funny.

Bibliography:

"Tunguujuluk and Saunikoq" from Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Tungujuluk and Saunikoq

-T and S were both wizards
-T could turn into a walrus and S could turn into a bear
-T had a son but S did not
-T taught his son how to kayak which made S jealous
-S went hunting seal as usual but when he came to T's house he turned into a bear and scared T's son
-T went to stab the bear but then it laughed and he realized is was S
-T waited a long time to get S back
-When S went hunting for seals, T turned into a walrus
-he let S think he had him but then took all his line and his air bladder
-later that night when the hunters were all eating at T's house, they told each other about their days
-when S said he had his line and bladder taken by a walrus, T brought them out and said this line and bladder
-S was so embarrassed he went away and was never seen again

A Walrus. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Tunguujuluk and Saunikoq" from  Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: The Giant Dog

-there was a man who had a dog so big it could haul narwhals
-the man put throngs through its jaws so that he could mount and ride it
-the man wished to have a son but never did so he put the amulet meant for his son around the dogs neck
-the dog once ate a man so the man who owned him had to move elsewhere
-once a stranger came so the man had to take the dog far away and give it a giant bone to gnaw on
-but the dog smelt the stranger so he was sent away because the dog was so fierce
-the man had many enemies because of the dog
-one of them rode to the mans house with 3 dogs that were big as bears to kill the giant dog
-the giant dog pretended to act scared but then surprised the 3 dogs and crushed their skulls
-the man noticed that the dog would sometimes wander off
-it would then return with the leg of an inland-dweller
-it was because of this dog that all inland-dwellers had a fear of dogs
-but it was okay, because inland-dwellers were known to carry off anyone stranded in the fog

Clifford the Big Red Dog. Source: Flickr

"The Giant Dog" from Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Storybook Research

After reading some of the comments regarding my first installation to my storybook, it occurred to me that most people are unfamiliar with Silesia. I also took the consideration of others who said that my story started a bit too abruptly. Because of this, I thought it necessary to write an introduction to my original introduction in which I can speak to the reader as the author and perhaps clearly set the scene. I started by first providing a brief overview of Silesia. I found the information by referencing Wikipedia and Britannica. I then addressed the reader as myself to introduce my narrator and to set the scene for the reader, which is only fair because I am asking the reader to be a character in my story. I thought that the best place to put the result of my research and my true introduction was the home page of my site. You can check it out here. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion my readers might have had.

Coat of Arms of Silesia. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: The Culture Heroes and Owl

-two boys go to their grandmother and ask for something to play with
-she tells them to go to their father
-their mother tells their father that they are coming
-he tells them to sit by the fire while he makes them a hoop and poles
-he tells the boys not to role it towards the north
-they end up rolling the hoop toward the north  and into the house of the owl
-the owl tells his wife to boil the boys so he may eat them
-she throws them in the pot where they tell each other stories
-she pokes at them and they jump out
-she then tries to roast them in the fire but they continue to tell each other stories
-when she pokes at them they jump out
-the owl claims they are practicing magic and gives them back their hoop and poles and sends them away
-when they get back home their father scolds them for rolling the hoop to the north

Hoop and Pole game. Source: Flickr

"The Culture Heroes and Owl" from Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911).

Reading Notes: The King and the 'Nsiat Bird

-King of Idu was very rich and Adit, the daughter of a 'nsiat bird (weaver bird), was very beautiful

-the king wanted to marry Adit so he talked to her father

-the father said that he would be honored but he knew that his daughter would give birth to twins

-the problem with this was that it was their custom to kill twins and exiled the mother

-despite this, the king still wished to marry Adit so he paid a handsome dowry and held a feast

-at he feast he showed how rich and powerful he was

-in due time, Adit gave birth to twins as her father said

-the king was fond of his kids but could not resist the custom

-the father reminded the king that he had warned him of this and told the king that he and his family would leave and take to the skies with Adit and the twins

-the king, not wanting to kill the twins, agreed to this

-but because the family had lived in the town, they made their homes within the trees in town

this is why you always see weaver birds making their nests around human being's towns

An African weaver bird making its nest. 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The King and the 'Nsiat Bird" from Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).

Reading Notes: Why the Hawk Kills Chickens

-hawks have great eyes and can see anything that moves
-the hawk sees a pretty hen so he descends and perches on a fence
-he asks the hen to marry him
-she agrees and he pays her parents a dowry of a large amount of corn
-she leaves with him
-the next day, a rooster who was in love with the hen sees that she is gone
-the rooster seeks out the hen and crowed his best crow for her
-the hen couldn't resist and the two go back to the parents home
-But, the hawk was soaring high and out of sight from the chickens and saw all of this
-he went to the king who said the chickens should pay back the dowry
-but, be the chickens were poor, they could not
-so the hawk was allowed to kill and eat any of the roosters children as repayment of his dowry
-that is why the hawk eats the chicken, to pay of a dowry

Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk. Source: Pinterest

"Why the Hawk Kills Chickens" from Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).

Week 8 Progress

My progress thus far is behind where I would like to be. I have been inconsistent in the work I have been putting into this class. However, I know I am fully capable to put in the extra work needed to finish this semester strongly. I have not fully utilized the extra credit offered either, but I intend to do as much as possible for the remainder of the semester.

Image Source: Flickr

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Thus far, I have enjoyed giving and receiving feedback. By receiving feedback, I can see my own work through someone else's viewpoint. Most of the time, they see something in my story that I may not have seen or thought about. I can then take those constructive comments and build better stories later on. It is also especially delightful to hear when someone else enjoyed reading my story. By giving feedback, I am allowed to read other's stories and the their own styles of storytelling. For me, giving feedback serves close to the same purpose as receiving it. Someone else may have used a different style that I really like or taken a direction that I would not have taken. And by reading their work and giving feedback, I am able to add to my own bag of storytelling techniques.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

After reviewing my blog and my website, I am happy with the work I have done. I feel my notes, giving a general summary of the original story and with little notes to myself on ideas I think are worth noting, are more than adequate to help me in the story-writing process. I also think that the stories I have produced have been well written and interesting reads. I don't mind the simple formatting and plain design of my pages. Instead, I kind of like their plainness. The obvious problem with my sites is the lacking content. I definitely should have more posts and this is entirely my fault. I have neglected a number of assignments meaning that I must work twice as hard to earn the points I want. I am more than willing to do this and fully intend to buckle down and finish strong.

This picture of a climber represents the steep, uphill

 battle I have to face to finish this course

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Comment Wall

You can find my Storybook here

Reading Notes: The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi

-Susa-no-wo saw a chopstick floating down the river so he decided to see where it came from
-He came across an old man and woman weeping over a maiden
   -they descended from the Mountain-God
-Susa-no-wo finds out from the man that an 8 forked serpent has taken his 8 daughters and will now surely take his last
-the serpent has red eyes, blood-inflamed body, 8 heads, and 8 tails
   -its so big that trees grow on its back
-Susa-no-wo says he will slay the serpent for the mans daughter's hand in marriage
   -apparently he is the brother of the Sun Goddess
-the two elder deities agreed
-Susa-no-wo transformed the maiden into a comb which he put in his hair
-He made 8 large vats of very strong sake
-the serpent came and drank up the sake becoming very drowsy
-in the serpents drunken state, Susa-no-wo cut the serpent into 1000 pieces and found a divine sword within it
-he turned the comb back into the maiden
-Like high ramparts manifoldLo the clouds appear:
On all sides they firm enfold
Kushinada dear,
Prisoned mine for e’er to hold
In their ramparts manifold!

Susa-no-wo's Struggle. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi" from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

Topic Research: Silesian Folk Tales

I would like create my project from the folk tales of Silesia. I had never realized the Silesian region had its own, unique folk tales, and I doubt many other people outside of Silesia have known about them either, let alone heard them. It is this thought that gave me the idea for the style I would like to use for my project. Rather than telling these stories with a third-person perspective and using Rubezahl as a common character as my source does, I would like to write from the first-person viewpoint of someone traveling through Silesia, experiencing the stories found in Silesian Folk Tales firsthand. My introduction would be the background of the storyteller. Perhaps he could be a coal miner, as Silesia is known for its coal mining industry, from Silesia travelling to a bigger city such as Krakow or Prague. Or perhaps the storyteller could be a merchant from a distant realm just passing through Silesia. Either way, I think it would be best to set my project in the past, sometime in the 17th century: when Silesia, or at least the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth which were the powers governing Silesia, were the most influential. The three stories could be really be any of the selected folk tales found in my online source. However, I would really like to retell the stories of The Three Students, The Horse Dealer, and The Master of Horse. Each tale, which would be told by our traveler, would be a tale about someone he meets along his journey. Obviously, there is a possibility that I might write in a certain way that would make one of the other tales a better fit. Fortunately, I think if I do have to be flexible, I could very easily use any one of the folk tales in the book. On top of writing from the perspective of a character I, myself, formulated, I also believe this project will mirror my own time in Silesia where I met many different people and listened to their stories. For this reason, I already feel that this project is especially personal for me and I will enjoy researching and writing it.

Ksiaz Castle in Lower Silesia. Source: #Poland

Like the beautiful hidden villages and castles that can be found in Silesia that are not widely known among outsiders, my goal for this project is to share the beautiful and distinct, yet scarcely known, folk tales that come from the region. Perhaps my project will spark an appreciation for these stories that would have otherwise never come to fruition.

Week 6 Lab: TEDEd Videos: Language

How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui
-"They gave us a hearty welcome"
   -connotes a simple, rustic, and blue-collar scene because of the words' Saxon origins
-"They gave us a cordial reception"
   -connotes a elegant, sophisticated, and high-brow scene because of the words French origins
-When the Roman Empire crumbled, the Germanic tribes took over the Britain from the Celts
   -the spoke their Anglo-Saxon language we call Old English
-When the Viking Danes invaded, Old Norse words were integrated into the language
-The Normans then invaded making French the language of English royalty for nearly 300 years
-This caused for the aristocracy to speak French and the simple peasants to speak Old English
-The Normans also brought over Roman Catholic clergymen who introduced some Latin into the language
-This division based on language is still embedded in English today, i.e, the first example

Model showing the history of the English language. Source

Does grammar matter? - Andreea S. Calude
-Prescriptivism vs. Descriptivism
-Prescriptivism
   -a language should follow specific rules
   -as languages came to be written, it was standardized to make it easier to understand over a vast population
   -this standard form was then seen as the only proper form
   -language purists established rules that were applied to spoken language as well
   -how language SHOULD be used
   -formal
-Descriptivism
   -Variation and adaptation is a natural and necessary part of language
   -speech is a separate phenomenon from writing
   -speech is more flexible
   -how language IS ACTUALLY used
   -informal
-Grammar is a set of linguistic habits that are constantly being renegotiated; a combination of descriptivism and prescriptivism

Reading Notes: Third Voyage, Part 1

-Sinbad sets sail on his third voyage
-The winds drive his ship to the harbor of a strange island
-the island was populated by short, hairy, and barbarous savages
   -they stood 2 feet tall and were covered in reddish fur. they spoke a strange language unknown to Sinbad
-the savages commandeered the ship and dropped the sailors off on another island close by
   -the sailors cant stop the savages because they don't speak they're language and they know that if they harm any of the savages, they will swarm the sailors and kill them all
-after wandering a ways and eating fruits along the way, they reach a large, well-built castle
-they go inside to find a pile of human bones and spits for roasting
-being terribly scared, a giant cyclops makes his way to them
-he picks out the fattest of the sailors, roasts him, then eats him
-the cyclops then takes a nap, wakes, and leaves

An Ewok from Star Wars. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Third Voyage" from The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Reading Notes: The Tale of King Rhampsinitus

-Rhampsinitus built the western portion of the temple of Ptah and two statues to Summer and Winter
-he ordered for a stone warehouse to be built for his treasure
-one of the builders made it where a stone could be removed from the outside in order to get inside
-the man became ill so he told his two sons about the stone
-the sons went to take some treasure at night
-the king was astonished that his treasure continued to disappear while the seals remained intact so he set traps
-on their next raid, one of the brothers got caught in a trap
-he decided that to save his brother, he must have his head cut off so no one would recognize him
-his brother did so
-the king hung the body from the palace to see who would come to mourn
-the mother of the brothers told her surviving son to retrieve the body
-using donkeys carrying wine, he tricked the guards and got them drunk
   -he shaved their right cheek before leaving with his brother's body
-the king told his daughter to find the criminal
-she said she would be the brothers bride if he told her the most artful and most wicked things he has done
-he told her about cutting off his brothers head and tricking the guards
-the princess tried to seize him but she grabbed the severed arm of the dead brother and he escaped
-the king was genuinely impressed with with the man's cunning so he promised to pardon him if he were to come forward
-he lived happily ever after, marrying the kings daughter and working in the kings court

The Pyramids at Giza. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Tale of King Rhampsinitus" from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Reading Notes: The Green Jewel

-Khafra tells a story about King Sneferu
-Sneferu was bored, finding no entertainment in the palace
-his scribe suggested he go boating, with the rowers being beautiful girls
-Sneferu, the scribe, and 20 girls sailed around a lake on a elaborately decorated boat and the girls sang all the while
-An oar handle hit the girl who was steering, knocking a green jewel from her hair and into the water
-She and the rest of the girls stop singing and rowing
-Sneferu asks why they stopped and the girls explain
-He offers to give her another green jewel but she only wants her own green jewel
-After explaining this to the scribe, the scribe utters magic words, parting the water of the lake, and retrieving the girls jewel
-He utters another spell and the water goes back to the way it had been
-The trip continued
-Later, at the palace, Sneferu gave the scribe gifts and marveled at what he had done

The Hooker Emerald Brooch. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Green Jewel" from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Reading Notes: Venus and Psyche

-Familiarity drags Psyche into Venus' presence by her hair
-Venus laughs and mocks Psyche for finally calling upon her mother-in-law
-Venus then calls for her servants Anxiety and Sorrow
-They punished and flogged Psyche
-Venus then mocks Psyche by saying that her child, Venus' grandson, "will be illegitimate, if indeed I allow the birth at all."
-Then, Venus herself beats up Psyche
-Venus then calls for wheat, millet and barley, poppy-seeds, chickpeas, lentils and beans to be mixed together in one heap. She tells Psyche she is to sort the pile into separate kinds by the end of the day
-Venus leaves for a wedding party
-Psyche is dumbfounded knowing the task is impossible
-An ant happens to pass by and pities Psyche
-It gathers a squadron of ants and together they make short work of sorting the pile
-Venus comes back and says that it wasn't Psyche's work, but the work of Cupid

An Ant. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Venus and Psyche" from Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Reading Notes: Psyche's Beauty/The Oracle of Apollo

-In a city, there was a king and queen. Their first two daughters were pretty but their third daughter, Psyche, was indescribably beautiful
-people from all around would come just to see her
-they prayed to her as she was Venus herself
-the news reached Venus so she decided to pay a visit to see for herself
-the rumors of Psyche's beauty reached almost all of Greece
-people began to make pilgrimages to see Psyche rather than to worship in Venus's temples
-Venus became rather angry saying that she now has to share her title as the "fairest of them all" with a mere mortal
-Venus asks her son Cupid to do her a favor by striking Psyche with love for the most wretched man
-Venus then shows off a little and makes a grand exit into the sea

"Psyche Honored by the People" by Luca Giordano (late 17th century)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

-Despite her beauty, Psyche remained un-betrothed while her sisters went off and married nobles
-Her father, fearing divine hostility, sought help from an oracle.
- It said, "High on a mountain crag, decked in her finery,
Lead your daughter, King, to her fatal marriage.
And hope for no child of hers born of a mortal,
But a cruel and savage, serpent-like winged evil,
Flying through the heavens and threatening all,
Menacing ever soul on earth with fire and sword,
Till Jove himself trembles, the gods are terrified,
And rivers quake and the Stygian shades beside."
-Psyche, her parents, and the whole city grieved at the cruel fate
-Psyche still sought to fulfill the command and became a "dead woman walking"
-Psyche tells her parents not to grieve her but grieve the hubris she fell into.
-Psyche was left on the mountain
-she was carried by Zephyr off the cliff and into the valley

"Psyche's Beauty" from Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Reading Notes: Mars and Venus

-Sol spies down and sees that Venus is having an affair with Mars behind Vulcan's back
-Having been told about the affair by Sol, Vulcan is shocked
-He goes to his forge to craft a bronze net so thin that one cannot see it, yet strong enough to hold done a pair of gods
-He sets a trap for his wife and her lover
-In the middle of their adulterous act, Vulcan springs the trap, snaring Venus and Mars in the bed, and calls for the rest of the gods to come and see
-When the other gods enter, they find the situation humorous and laugh at Vulcan's expense
   -If my memory serves me right, it is Mercury who says to Apollo that he wished to have been the one shamed having been in bed with Venus.
   -Vulcan's goal was for the other gods to sympathize with him. He gave Venus, his wife, any materialistic want, only for her to be unfaithful. Now he hoped that the two adulterers would be punished, especially Mars. But that was not the case.

Vulcan Surprising Venus and Mars in Bed before an

 Assembly of the Gods by Johann Heiss (1679)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

"Mars and Venus" from Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000)