Myths and Folklore Blog

The first article I read was Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head  by Sabina Nawaz. I thought it was really interesting when it said to focus on positive feedback, as I had never heard that advice before. It makes sense, after all you should know what you're doing right as well as what you are doing wrong, but you never hear that. Almost all feedback in class assignments is negative feedback, and I think we internalize that as the only way we can improve, hence why focusing on positive feedback is harder. This article made me realize that positive feedback can be more helpful sometimes than negative feedback because it helps you have more self-confidence moving forward. The second article was Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work  by John Spencer. This was a fun read because many of the tips listed were ones I have found useful in my hobby writing. For instance, he said it was useful for him to have a group he could trust and be vulnerable in front of to share hi...

  First Topic Idea This is the idea I came up with as soon as I realized the final project would be a retelling of a folk story. I have always sympathized with the opossum in the Cherokee legend of Why the Opossum's Tail is Bare , so for the story idea I would like to retell that from the perspective of Opossum. I also would like to incorporate other myths while exploring what happens after the story. Since the legends are meant as lessons, they never really explore Opossum having to adjust to life without fur on his tail (besides telling us that opossum is so ashamed of it that he faints at the notion of anyone seeing his tail). I'd like to include a character from another legend as someone for Opossum to talk to. I was thinking of having him talk to one of the Ani'tsutsa from The Pleiades and the Pine , since they were not involved in the trick pulled on Opossum and would therefore be a relatively neutral party. Of course I would also like to include a nod to Opossum'...

Once upon a time there was a mother and daughter. The mother was going to the market in the next town and asked her daughter what she would like her to bring back. “You don’t have to bring anything for me, Mama,” the daughter told her. “But trips to the market are so rare, I insist on bringing you something,” the mother said. “If you must bring me something,” the daughter said, “I would like three roses. No more, no less.” And with that request in mind, the mother went to the market. Unfortunately, she could not find any roses. Disheartened, the mother bought the rest of what she had gone there to buy and began her journey home. However, night had fallen quickly, and there was no moon to light her path, so she soon became lost. She wandered through the forest, hoping to find something familiar, only to instead stumble upon a castle. She did not recognize it at all, so she started to leave, but stopped when she noticed the bushes of roses growing in the castle’s garden. The roses were a...

 The Story: "The Three Roses" from The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis Notes The versions of this story that include two other daughters always feel unnecessary. I get that the purpose is to demonstrate that the daughter is humble and kind or something, but I think that could be accomplished by maybe cutting those two out and actually writing more with one of the story's key players. It is sort of hilarious that the basilisk is relying on the mother to not be the type to sacrifice herself for her daughter. For all she knows, this monster wants to enslave her daughter and she's just like "well if I don't he will kill me so I guess I can just make another daughter." Speaking of the daughter, for a main character we know nothing about her. I get that it is a fairytale and the characters usually just have traits to either get them into or out of trouble, but she doesn't. She just passively goes along with whatever her mother or the basilisk tell her to do....

Here is my plan for the readings in the coming weeks: Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: _ Homer's Odyssey __  Week 4: __ Ovid's Metamorphoses ____ Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: __ Arabian Nights ___ Week 6: ___ Santal __ Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: ___ The Monkey King ____  Week 9: ___ West Africa ___ Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: ____ Alaska ____  Week 11: ___ Cherokee _____ Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: __ King Arthur ____  Week 13: _____ Robin Hood ___ Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: ___ Crane :___  Week 15: __ Librivox ____ Most of the units I chose are ones I am somewhat familiar with, even if only by name. I am excited to read The Monkey King unit. I have read a few stories about Sun Wu Kung before and they we...