Myths and Folklore with Karissa

The Unnatural Mother Background: Swazi tale Tradition among the Kafir - stay with bridegroom's mother for a year after marriage b/f they got their own home Each would work the land (separate patches) - hoe, harvest Calabashes, maize, sugar-cane and pumpkins Wife made beautiful food for husband to eat after coming home from work Mother jealous of these meals Use of inanimate object to represent her Put on son's clothes - deceiving others while she ate Plan to catch thief Confession from mother Son: mother has "sinned against nature" (woman's nature?) Mother not to return until she has found water in which no animals live found pools: frogs, silver fishes a new land - describe like it is a cityscape (foreshadowing) water - "glittered like the moon" Animals: Warn mother about King who rules over the land and water in the absence of the Lion, others were asked to help the mother: Elephant Giraffe Tiger/Leopard R...

Patience-Stone and Patience-Knife I like the repetition in this story The noise the bird makes and the thing it says Stayed inside bc of the warnings eventually ventured out wall between maiden and others awoke with doors filled with precious things 40th door - Bey  Fan for forty days = find her kismet Fallen from maiden to cook gifts: patience-stone and knife Bey's journey to find them Used them to tell her life's story Bey saw and knew the truth - she was his rightful wife The Soothsayer: An ultimatum  A prank take chief-soothsayer wife's ring, hide it and find it happy ending - from artisan to chief soothsayer  How'd his wife feel about this? Image information: Illustration by Willy Pogany in book: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales Bibliography: Patience-Stone and Patience-Knife ; Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913). The Soothsayer ; Story sou...

Fear: Quest to understand what fear is Little journeys along the way to figure out what fear is I could explore a different emotion Fish-Peri Father ashamed of his profession Son did not know what to do  - saw father's fishing net resolved to be a fisherman caught magical fish that did housework threw maiden's skin in fire Padishah wants to marry maiden - gives youth impossible tasks the Arab - grants the wishes of the youth and maiden Bibliography: The Fish-Peri ; story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos (1913) The Fish-Peri (cont.) ; story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos (1913) Fear ; story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos (1913) Image information: Illustration by Willy Pogany in book, Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales

In the year 3,523, there are two best friends. The fir st, An^pu, is three years older than the second and already has an established life, running a chain of greenhouse forests with her partner, Wil1ou. The second, B@ta, is a robotic android, whose life is in disarray. Recently fired from his previous job as an investigative journalist, he is now managing one of An^pu's gree nhouses. One afternoon, B@ta was working with Wil1ou among giant mimosa trees to cut away an infection that was devouring their fern-like leaves. Drunk off the sickly sweet perfume of the blooming pink flowers, Wil1ou confessed her developing attraction and feelings for B@ta and leaned toward him to measure h is expressions. But she leaned too quickly, throwing off her balance and she fell from her perch on a branch. She crashed into the wide trunk of the tree before the mechanized harness recognized and stopped her descent. B@ta moved down the massive trunk like a panther, using his unnatural strengt...

The Two Brothers Anpu - older house with wife believes his younger brother abused his wife decides to ambush his brother hears truth - grieves and kills his wife comes to brother's rescue after king has the forest cut down (make my story into something about deforestation?) raised Bata from the dead Bata - younger; loyal to his brother laborer understood oxen wife of brother admired his strength "angry as a panther" - used to describe both brothers at diff times calls on Ra creates wide stream with crocodiles day dawns - tells brother truth quest to regain brothers trust goes to new land - gods fashion him a wife (prophecy that she will die a speedy death) raised from the dead becomes a sacred bull Sea spirit Saw Bata's wife - enthralled, chased after her was gifted a lock of her hair made it to Egypt - perfumed King sent messengers across world to find this woman Bata's wife comes back with the woman - answer why?...

The Wax Crocodile: Affair between handsome youth and scribe's wife Add more to story by adding more characteristics/descriptors of the character and setting Chief butler told scribe (magician) magic wax crocodile Caught lover in lake - threw wax crocodile into lake and it was given life captured the youth Pharaoh was told and declared a punishment Osiris - Pharaoh after Ra ascended to heaven Agriculture, peace and prosperity Death: chest becoming a coffin (morphing) Set the usurper Tyranny - add examples Isis: searching for body of Osiris Image Information: Horus, Osiris, Isis  (22nd dynasty; Louvre, Paris) Bibliography: The Wax Crocodile ; story source Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907). The Death of Osiris ; story source Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907). Osiris ; story source Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Storybook:  Tales of the African Mother Leave comments here:  Comment wall Outline/Bibliography: Story 1: Beginning the Unnatural Mother story (from Fairy Tales from South Africa by Bourhill, Drake and Holloway) Story 2: The elephant - still embarrassed about the trap the elephant and hippopotamus fell into; no self confidence to help the Unnatural Mother A Tug-of-War by Robert Hamill Nassau, 1914. Elephant, Hippopotamus, and Tortoise story within Missionary Story-Sketches and Folklore from Africa by Alexander Camphor. Story 3: The leopard - Tasks Done for a Wife (Robert Hamill Nassau, 1914) - connects to Tug-of-War; leopard remembers the story of his cousin Story 4: The rabbit - Rabbit and the Animal Wizard  (from Animal Fables from the Dark Continent by Stafford) - helps the Unnatural Mother to gain/use his sense Story 5: Ending the Unnatural Mother story Style: I am using the Unnatural Mother story as the overarching story, so I won't need...

Please leave your comments here! I look forward to seeing your thoughts and feedback. Here is the link to the project: Web of Stories: Tales of the African Mother Image information:  Silhouettes of Giraffes and Rhinoceros by Pixabay

The danger of a single story I thought this TED Talk was very powerful. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an incredible speaker, and I want to read her novel now. My favorite part of the speech was when she talked about the relationship between power and storytelling. We should all consider who has the power to tell the generalized, accepted story of others? When we read, we should wonder who is writing it and whether or not they are perpetuating a single story about a people or a stereotype. These stories are incomplete and robs people of their dignity. On the other hand, we should aim to tell diverse stories that reflect the diversity of people, helping to create a more complete storybook. Imaginary friends and real-world consequences: parasocial relationships Jennifer Barnes explores the relationships people have with fictional characters. People form parasocial relationships with characters. These type of relationships are one-sided, because one person knows almost everything abou...

Cyclops description: lawless, aggressive, lazy Live on a fertile island - paradise Gore: Cyclopes took two of his men and smashed them on the ground - brains ran out - and tore them limb from limb Plot: Ships came to the land of the Cyclopes Men came to the cave of the cyclopes - asked for hospitality Cyclopes took two of his men and smashed them on the ground - brains ran out - and tore them limb from limb Made spears from cyclopes club Wait for sleep to bury them into cyclopes eyes Made the wine a gift to the cyclopes gift to Nobody - kill him last Heated spear/stake in fire and then buried it into eye - twisting description Cyclopes - Polyphemus cries out to his neighbors Ask who as hurt him and he responds Nobody. To escape Polyphemus: tied 3 rams together and placed a man underneath the middle one. Last act of men - herded Cyclopes' sheep onto ship and brag Polyphemus through a large rock - tidal wave that forced ship back to shore Me...

My UnTextbook Plan: Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: _ Ovid's Metamophoses_ _ Week 4: _ Women Saints__ _ Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: _ Ancient Egypt_ _ Week 6: _ Turkish __ Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: _ _Congo_ _ Week 9: _ _Japanese Mythology__ __ Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: _ Pacific Northwest_ __ Week 11: _ Cherokee__ Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: _ Beowulf_ _ Week 13: _ Welsh Fairy Book (Thomas)___ Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14:    Russian __ Week 15: _ Heptameron __ I am excited for some of the topics that I am not familiar with. I'm most excited about the units that are completely unfamiliar to me. I have read a lot about Greek and Roman mythology. I love it, but I want to read so...

Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback: I really like the idea of feedforward. In the past, I have taken feedback personally, because it some sense it is personal. The person is providing feedback about something I did, a reflection of me. I am trying to figure out how feedforward can be implemented into this course. Maybe it can be used to make more general comments about a piece of work. For example, if I read someone's blog and notice that something general is missing, then I would provide feedforward about how to implement those aspects into a future story. How to Give Bad Feedback Without Being a Jerk: People often consider me as blunt. Sometimes I can come across as harsh when I don't mean it to be. I will use these 4 tips to lighten the blow, without using the insincere compliment sandwich. The first tip is to provide an explanation about why you are giving the feedback, which gives context and allows you to restate your confidence in their abilities. I especially l...

I decided to use my Africa Storybook idea. I was researching some books from the freebookapolooza collection on Africa and came across one that I started to read. It is called Fairy Tales from South Africa . I liked a story, called The Unnatural Mother, which is about a mother seeking to regain her son's acceptance through a quest for water. Along her journey she is helped by some animals, and in turn, she aids in breaking a spell that turned their town into a forest and the people into animals. Here is my idea: I want to use other fairy tales and stories about the animals that help the Unnatural Mother, which included an Elephant, Tiger, Giraffe, and Rabbit. I would write stories featuring these animals and then for my final story use the Unnatural Mother fairy tale, so it turns out that the animals throughout the storybook were actually people. Possible animal stories: Rabbit: Animal Fables from the Dark Continent Elephant: Why the Bush Cow and the Elephant are bad Friend...

Oddly, Perseus remembered the story of Medusa's origins as he traveled to the place of the Gorgons on winged feet. Medusa was considered extremely beautiful and was visited by many suitors. Her hair was praised by those who saw it. Then one day, Neptune violated Medusa in Minerva's temple and caused the destruction of her beauty. Minerva, seeing this violation as a slight to her values, punished Medusa by turning her shiny, thick locks into writhing snakes. Instead of inspiring admiration, she now terrified others, paralyzing her foes as stone when they looked into her eyes. Perseus did not wish this for his fate. He wanted to gain honor through his fight with Medusa, not a place in the afterlife. Don't look.... Don't look... Don't look... Perseus repeated this mantra as he walked into the place of the Gorgons, preparing himself for the upcoming fight. Perseus used his shield to look around corners and pillars to avoid accidentally catching the stone-cold g...

Pyramus and Thisbe: Plot points: Both describes as "on fire" Spoke throw a fissure in the wall Plan to meet at Ninus grave Lioness tears  Thisbe's veil Pyramus sees and plunges his sword into his side Thisbe sees this, mourns, and does the same. Descriptions: "As he lay back again on the ground, the blood spurted out, like a pipe fracturing at a weak spot in the lead, and sending long bursts of water hissing through the split, cutting through the air, beat by beat." - I like this description of how the blood spurts out of Pyramus's wound. I think describing something in this way adds gore indirectly, because it is much easier to visualize the movement of something that we are more familiar with - burst pipe vs spurting blood. Perseus and Medusa: Description of Medusa: snakes for hair, Attack on sea monster (Andromeda): described like a struggle for life and food between predator and prey animals. Plot points: Begins as a story ...

Dis and Proserpine "You might see her limbs becoming softened, her bones seeming pliant, her nails losing their hardness." - I like this description of Cyane becoming water. I is a very visual and tactile description. I think it is interesting that within the larger story there are often smaller ones mixed in. For example, Ceres turned a boy into a creature while looking for her daughter. Plot points: Venus asks Cupid to shoot Dis Dis takes Proserpine Cyane turns into a sacred pool Ceres searches for her daughter Boy into creature Makes the lands infertile Arethusa saw Proserpine in the Underworld as queen Ceres asks Jupiter if Proserpine can return to heaven Yes if no food has touched her lips (Fates) Proserpine ate some seeds Ceres turned messenger of this into a bird (bad omen) Jupiter: Proserpine will divide the year between the two - Dis and Ceres Setting the scene: I liked how for the Proserpine and Dis story that Calliope was always ...

" A Simple 5-Second Habit to Rewire Your Harshly Self-Critical Brain " by Joel Almeida Sometimes I self-criticize when I put too many things on my list and am unable to complete all of them. I have to remember that I did accomplish some things. I could sprinkle that self praise throughout the day or study session so it is easier for me to appreciate myself after I complete a task. I like how the reality-based self-congratulation is based on past, tangible things. Sometimes, I tend to avoid self-criticizing by telling myself that I will accomplish everything the next day, creating an idealized future self that is almost impossible to achieve. I want to use this technique on other aspects of my life, including personal goals. For example, I have been wanting to find a nonprofit to volunteer with, but keep getting sidetracked by other things. I just looked up some nonprofits in Norman and made a list of the ones I want to look into further. Now I can say to myself, "I...