The Once and Future Blog

Today's reading comes from Turkish folktales. Turkey is an area of culture I've experienced very little of in my life, so I was excited to get to experience the way another culture views itself and its values. The first tale I found particularly interesting is Fear, a charming tale of (moderate antisemitism and) a young boy's journey to find the object of fear. To me, it almost reads like a continuing joke, as though someone is trying to keep you on the hook before a disappointing punchline. The boy goes through much tribulation, including making sweets in a graveyard, trespassing a robber camp, and fighting an ocean god, but what gets him is an unexpected sparrow in the soup. To me the moral of the story is that fear comes not from the setting, but from your expectations - surprise is scarier than suspense. The second tale I enjoyed was that of the Fish-Peri. It's a charming tale about how conveniently loving a magical fish woman will bring your monarch great gifts a...

The story of the Ramayana is one that fits my recent theme of Hero stories to the nose. Rama is the legendary demon slayer and hero prince of the story, defeating a villain of celestial magnitude to free the world of its domination and save his beloved. But before we can arrive at demon slaying, we must meet the hero and his life. For my story later this week, this reading section gives me two primary ideas. Before I select one fully, I'll need to finish the Ramayana, but this details some of the better options from the first half. The first of these ideas comes from the story of Rama's birth - the idea of a divine ceremony held to ensure the birth of a successor is one of deep interest to me, and would fit well with one of the main themes of my project (birthright). I could "translate" the tale into a different culture, shift it to a different time period, and/or change the setting and conditions surrounding the need for a successor. This would let me explore some ...

There are few emotions more powerful and despairing to a human than loss. To lose a loved one can move someone to absolute melancholy, and to lose the one closest to you in the world can be the end of what you know. This idea is one of the central pieces of the Iliad - Achilles' loss of his beloved Patroclus makes for a turning point in the war, leading directly to the deaths of several champions on either side, a great war for the retrieval of the body, and leads directly to the death of the Trojan's mightiest warrior, Hector. Thanks to Agamemnon's scorning of Achilles, the beloved men of people on either side of the war fall too soon, and the possible materialization of the prophecy that Achilles shall fall within the hour of Hector bears down upon the Greek morale. The legendary slaying of Patroclus and the utter disregard for honor or mercy Achilles shows creates a perfect example for a tale of personal vengeance, displaying one of the lowest parts of the human conditio...

I've already said it once or twice, so I'll say it one last time: Most of these old Western myths are really sexist. While obvious exceptions exist, ones that show much of society (like epics) often end up back in displaying women as property, and nothing quite underlines that as the beginning of the Iliad, which is just that: a war over a woman, acted like a war over property. Beyond that, what stood out the most to me was the argument of Agamemnon and Achilles, and Achilles' retreat from combat, followed by Agamemnon's rebuke. I'm aware of where this particular argument ends (Achilles' rage), but this stands as obvious jumping point as the construction for a revenge story, leading into the death of his "dear friend" Patroclus. The way Patroclus is swayed to fight for the Greeks, bearing Achilles' armor, leading into his hubris and eventual death to Hector. This creates the perfect means to have Achilles return to the fight, to rise and strike a...

There are a nearly uncountable number of mythological stories and fables in the world, many more famous than others. Some archetypes of story are common around the world, including great tales of heroism, creation, transformation, trickery, and moral justice. Several of these archetypes were displayed amongst the anthology, but the two that particularly caught my attention was the story of Pygmalion and that of the jackal trickster. The story of Pygmalion is framed in an almost pathetic nature, of one so dedicated to their craft that they fall physically in love with their creation - perhaps due to a combination of "disillusionment" with the "eligible scene" of possible lovers as well as his own craft's true beauty. Despite this, he has his wits about it, showing embarrassment at the festival of Venus, yet his wish is still granted due to the profound depth of his love. The Brahman, the jackal, and the tiger. Originally from  this book  but taken from the ...

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Homer's Iliad Week 4: Ovid's Metamorphoses III Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Ramayana Week 6: Turkish Fairy Tales Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: Japanese Mythology Week 9: Chinese Fairy Tales Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: The Song of Hiawatha Week 11: Alaskan Legends Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: King Arthur Week 13: Faerie Queen - Britomart Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Lang's European Fairy Tales II Week 15: Dante's Inferno Heroic tales are a favorite of mine. This statue of  Arash Kamangir  exemplifies the idea of a mythical hero to me: grand action, and grand sacrifice. While I'm not choosing the Persian tales, Arash will forever be a favorite of mine. Personally, its hard to pi...