Story telling: Kin the sheep herder

High in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia, there was a young boy named Kin. He was raised by his single father, a sheep herder and had lived his entire life in the mountains among the sheep. His father taught his everything he knew about sheep herding and shared with his son all the secrets of mountains; where to go, what paths were safe and ever where some secret tunnels were located. Kin appreciated his father sharing this knowledge with him as it helped him be the best herder he could be. Even though he was good at his work and highly skilled, Kin had aspirations for much more. He knew his life had a greater purpose, but he was unsure how he would ever discover it since leaving the mountains would be near to impossible.

Kin occupied his time run all around the mountain ranges with the sheep and goats. He would scale walls, climbing as high as he possibly could until his ears would pop under the pressure. The goats and him would race to see who could run along the mountain sides the fastest without falling off the edge. It did not take long for Kin to become the most knowledgable and skilled sheep herder in the region. He was grieved by this because he knew that no one would ever know of his skills and he would never get to use them for a great cause besides sheep herding.

Altai Mountain Range

One afternoon while Kin was basking in the sunlight as it lay its warmth across the side of the mountain, he heard some strange commotion. He popped his head up from where he lay and craned his neck towards the noise. Kin was accustomed to hearing the sounds of the sheep playing or even the cry of a lamb who had gotten separated from his mother. This noise was something he had not heard in a long time though. It sounded like the heavy breathing of a man and as it grew louder Kin realized someone was approaching. Around the edge of the mountain side a head became visible and then a whole man. He was adorned in warrior regalia and Kin became curious as to why the man came to be there.

After catching his breath, the warrior introduced himself and told Kin that he was on a mission from the emperor to scout the mountain out for the best passage ways and trails for their army to use. They had a mission to get past the mountain for on the other side, there was a great village of Huns who lay waiting to attack the kingdom on the other side. Kin began to tell the warrior all about his knowledge of the mountain and its secrets explaining that he had grown up on the mountain and knew it very well. The warrior heard this and realized what a great asset Kin would be the the mission of the emperor. He invited Kin to return to the kingdom with him and go visit the emperor to explain his knowledge so that the emperor would want him to accompany the army through the mountain range as well.

Kin immediate took the warrior to his father to explain this great opportunity and, with a heavy heart, the father agreed it was a chance Kin could not pass up. He congratulated his son and reminded him how proud he was of all that he had done as a herder and would do as a great warrior. Then, with a tight hug and big smile, Kin was off with the warrior. Over the edge of the mountain they went, down to the kingdom and forward to Kin's bright future.


Author's Note: I chose to re-write the story of Kintaro because I was inspired that he came from such a humble place both environmentally and spiritually and ended up being rewarded for his skills and kindness. I kept the main character as a young boy with not much money because I liked the vulnerability. Changing up the setting to the Altai Mountains was a fun change and I even looked them up to make sure they were in Asia because I wanted to keep that cultural factor the same in my retelling of the story. Just like in the original story, Kin's dad was proud of his son but sad to see him go because he knew that meant he would be alone on the mountain with just the sheep and goats to keep him company. Like any real parent will tell you, seeing your child go off on a great adventure is a moment of pride, fear and sadness. You are happy they are successful, scared they will encounter danger and heartbroken to see them go. But Kin's skills were meant for this and that is why his father let him leave with the warrior. 

Bibliography: 
Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales Part B

I will continue on with reading Japanese Fairy Tales.

The story of the Ogre of Rashoman is the classic playground example of "I double dog dare you". It is one warrior calling another warrior a liar and then is goaded into proving his point by doing whatever dangerous thing the other warrior warned him about. These types of stories usually end the same way with the warning of the first person being true and being foolishly denied by the other person. This reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas movies growing up called "A Christmas Story" where Flick gets his tongue stuck to a flag pole because he doesn't believe that it will stick. Of course in this instance he is sadly mistaken and he has to wait for the fire department to come and unstick his tongue from the flag pole. One parallel between this story and the story previous about the priest and the goblin cannibal is that both incorporated a deceitful old woman. Both were able to trick the men in the stories into believing they were old and innocent and meant them no harm. Just like in all the old Disney movies where the old woman or witch is the villain, you can't underestimate someone just based on their appearance. This could make for a fun story to write but maybe instead of the villain being an old woman whom everyone believes is fragile and innocent maybe the villain could be another type of unsuspecting person.

Ogre of Rashomon

In the story of Hase-Hime, it very much mirrors that of Snow White and a majority of other princess movie produced by Disney. The wicked stepmother is jealous of or does not like the step daughter for her beauty, success and the adoration of the people so she sets forth a plan to destroy her. What I like about this story that makes it different though is that the stepmother is struck down by karma with either her plans failing or her son dying. It is a more justified story that those other Disney ones where the step mother gets away with her evil plan right off the bat. This would be a fun concept to play with.

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairytales Part A

For my week 7 reading I chose to read Japanese Fairy Tales

I found it strange in the first story that the mighty dragon god could be so scared about a centipede. Normally, those types of creatures would have reversed roles whether it is in the real world or a story. I liked the change up though and it made the story a little more originally. The unlikely creature being the most powerful was a good change of pace from what would normally be expected from classic story telling. I wonder if this has anything to do with how the Japanese viewed the creatures culturally; maybe the viewed insects as powerful creatures and dragons more common?

The story of Kintaro, AKA "The Golden Boy" starts off so sad. It makes me think of Jungle Book and how Mobley ends up making friends with the animals in place of humans. The choice of animals with whom he surrounds himself with makes sense. The bear, deer, monkey and hare are all animals that are used often in old wise tales. I like how throughout the story the author used Japanese words but put the english translation into parentheses. It made the dialogue between the characters more realistic sounding and helped set the scene as truly taking place in Japan. The story of Kintaro becoming a great warrior makes me think of Hercules. Some differences is in the story of Hercules, he sought out his mentor Philoctetes while Kinatro was sought out by the general of the emperor.

In the story of the Man Who Never Wanted to Die, I liked that they talked about the blow fish and how the people on the island ate it to try and poison themselves to die. In Japan, the blow fish is a delicacy but it also posts a health risk if not cooked correctly. This is interesting that such a tradition is in a story as old as this one. The overall story is a classic case of "you don't know what you've got till it's gone."

One over all thing I really liked about this section of reading was that each story was about two or three parts and then a different story started. This reading set was like a book of short stories. Majority of the stories I've read for this class have been long, ongoing stories about one individual and all the trials and tribulations they go through. This was a nice change of pace and I found it much easier to keep up with what was going on in these shorter stories compared to the longer ones.

Bibliography: 
Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).

Story telling: The brothers, the fish, and the lost fish-hook

I've dwelt in these waters for as long as I can remember. My father, my father's father and even his father's father all lived around the same coral reef. Fishermen would frequent the lake quite frequently, always trying to catch one of us, but we were too smart and avoided their boats. There was one fisherman that was always at the lake and there was something about the hook he used that just entranced you if you got too close. My mom and dad always warned me to stay away from the golden hook if I saw it glistening in the water.

One day, the fisherman's brother followed him to the lake. I had heard some of the birds who gathered near the lake saying that the fisherman's brother was a fearsome hunter.  That day was just like every other one, until I saw the brothers talking intently on the shore of the lake. I was curious what they were talking about that was so serious so I swam closer to the shore so that I was hidden but could see what they were doing. Suddenly, the hunter gave the fisherman his bow and arrows and he instead took the pole and the magical hook and jumped into the boat. I was confused that they decided to switch places and swam back to the reef to tell all my friends what I had just witnessed.

I told all my friends what I saw happen but they told me I was too consumed in the everyday lives of these humans. I agreed they were probably right, that it was nothing too strange, and we started to play hide-and-seek in the reef. While I was hiding behind the reef, I saw something bright come floating towards me quickly! As it got closer, I soon realized that it was the golden, magical fish hook. None of my friends were around to see it and I was sure they would not believe my story. It flew past me and continued to float down towards the palace of Watatsumi. As I watched the magical hook disappear from my view, I realized that it was likely gone forever. The hunter would likely assumed that the hook was too deep in the water to recover. I wondered if the hunter knew the fish hook was magical and how his brother would take the news of it being gone.

Later that day, I saw the fisherman return to the lake to see his brother and return the bow and arrow. I saw no dead animals with him so I assumed his time hunting in the forest had not been successful. It looked like their conversation was escalating and suddenly the fisherman was screaming at the hunter, waving his hands and pointing in his brother's face. He stormed off leaving the sad hunter alone on the shore of the lake. I assumed the fisherman was extremely disappointed in his brother for losing the magical fishhook. I have no siblings, but I could imagine what it would feel like to lose a friend and I can imagine disappointing a brother would be worse by tenfold.

While the hunter sat on the shore weeping, I saw the old man walking across the shore towards him. I had never seen this man before and I was immediately curious what he was doing. I swam a little bit closer to get a better vantage point of their conversation. The old man put his hand on the hunter's shoulder and spoke kindly to him. Eventually, he gestured for the hunter to look out towards the far end of the lake and I suddenly realized what he was telling the hunter to do. I didn't think the hunter would be brave enough for a task like this even if it did mean his brother's forgiveness and acceptance. But without even a thought, the hunter dove into the water and began swimming deeper and deeper. He was headed for Watatsumi's palace.

Wata-tsumi

Author's Note:

I was inspired by the story The Fortune Fish-Hook to re write this story from a different perspective. The one brother is a hunter and the other one is a fisher. Both brothers are extremely talented in their fields. One day, they decide to switch roles and see how they fair at the others specialty. The hunter comes back empty-handed and so does the fisherman except the fisherman lost his brothers magical hook. The fisherman rejects the hunter brother and the hunter goes on a quest to get the hook back. I chose to use a fish living in the lake as the storyteller here. It proved to be a fun take as an outsider watching the brothers switch roles for the day only for both of them to fail at the other's task. I have done this in the past where I retell the story from an animals perspective, sorta like a fly on the wall and it always proves interesting to have an outside perspective on what the characters are doing.

Bibliography
Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

Reading Notes: Japanese Mythology Part B

In this reading notes, I am finishing the second half of readings for the Japanese Mythology section.

It bothers me a lot that Yamato grew tired of his wife because she was too devoted to him. He put in all that time and effort chasing her and then when the chase ended, he decided he wanted to pursue the mermaid instead. It would be fun to hear a story told from the Princess's angle. What it must have been like to be left alone in a palace all the time while her husband ran around hunting and doing God knows what else. Definitely a story idea.

I like how at the beginning of the stories, there is a short poem that either recaps what is going on currently or foretells what will happen in the story. I'm not very good at poems, but this would be a fun challenge to try for my Portfolio. Write a poem and then tell it in greater detail with dialogue as a story.

Yamato going to battle

The details of the battle that Yamato led were very interesting. It would be interesting to tell the story from a different perspective, say maybe the steed that Yamato rode into battle on? Or better yet, tell the story of what his wife is thinking or doing while he is off in this battle to get the golden apple for the mermaid.

Once again, Yamato is visited by karma after speaking cruelly to his beautiful wife. He deserved to be duped by the beautiful siren and lose possession of the Sacred Sword because he was not responsible with it. For some reason, it seems like Yamato will never learn that when you do ill unto others, ill is dealt unto you as well. Maybe one day he will make a mistake severe enough that he will learn to do the right thing and treat others how he wants to be treated.


Bibliography: 
Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legendby E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

Reading Notes: Japanese Mythology Part A

This week I will be reading Japanese Mythology.

Compared to Roman and Greek gods and goddess, I am having an extremely hard time trying to keep all of the gods in this story straight. I do like that their names have a literal meaning when translated to English. One story that I really liked in the beginning was "The Heaven Descended". It was one of those stories where karma comes to bite you in the butt.

I like how throughout the stories, there are poems or short ballads about what is going on. The break in reading kind of helps me get an idea of what all I just read and the poems do a good job of summarizing what just happened.

The description and detail in the Fortunate Fish Hook really made the scene come to life. Especially in the feasting scene, the description of the luxurious place settings and food were so detailed I could picture it. I also like how in this story, the Princess mutually consented to become Prince Fine-Fades wife. Usually, the male requests the princess's hand and the father consents to give her away, but I like that the Prince and Princess decided to get married and then got the fathers blessing. It was a lot more modern than how earlier in the story the marriage between Izanagi and Izanmi where they had to redo their marriage because the woman spoke to the man first.

Izanagi and Izanmi 

The story of the "Rescue of the Princess" sounded like a reverse little mermaid! Instead of the mermaid seeking out the human it was the other way around. He waited for her on the rocks of the shore hoping she would come back just like Ariel waited for Eric too see her. It was also very clever of the Priestess to disguise Yamato as a maiden so that he could sneak behind enemy lines and destroy them. It makes me think of a reverse Mulan with the male pretending to be a women instead of a female dressing like a man to be warrior.

Bibliography: Japanese Mythology unit
Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legendby E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

Story: Isis the Scorpion Tamer

She felt faint. Her legs felt weak. Her feet screamed in pain. Her back ached, but yet she carried on. Isis felt as if her and Horus had been walking for year. It had been a long search for Osiris's remains and yet their journey yielded no results. Set was still after them and was relentless in his efforts to find them and imprison them so that they may not carry on with their search. Ra the sun god knew that Horus and Isis's lives were in trouble and thus he sent down seven scorpions to protect the queen and her son. Ra knew the scorpions would be fiercely protective of the mother and son, however he had failed to train them in how to serve as security. Therefore, Ra had sent down seven large arachnids that were powerful and unruly.

At first Isis was eternally grateful that Ra had taken the time to consider their safety and send the beasts to protect her and Horus. However, that feeling of gratefulness quickly turned into disdain. Isis and Horus came upon a small house and upon knocking on the door, they met the woman of the house, with whom they tried to convince to let them stay if only of one night. The woman refuted their request over and over and was joined at the door by her son who was around the same age as Horus. The scorpions saw the young boy and attacked him with their stingers. The mother wailed at the sight of her sons murder and Isis felt those cries deep in her heart, for she two knew the grief of losing a loved one. Isis sang a magical prayer over the boy and, at once, his breath was restored.

One of the guard scorpions

Isis apologized to the mother for the trouble they had caused, but in repayment for her sons life being reinstated, she allowed Isis and Horus to stay with them. The next day, Isis watched as Horus played outside the house with the boy. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the army of scorpions waiting and watching on the side of the cottage. She watched as they inched closer and closer to the two boys until finally, once lunged and stung Horus dead. Isis wailed and screamed as she ran outside to her fallen child. She tried to sing her magical prayer but alas it was of no use. She prayed to Ra to save her son since it was his doing that the scorpions were so wild and untrainable Ra, hearing her prayers, restored Horus and Isis embraced him tightly.

Isis had decided she had enough of the scorpions and their disorderly behavior. The next day she went outside and went to where the scorpions lay sleeping. She conjured a magical whip and then awoke the scorpions with a loud crack. They awoke at once with their stingers ready but Isis anticipated this and cracked the whip on one of the scorpions tails. It shrieked and at the sound of its cries, the other scorpions put their stingers down and held close to the ground, lest they upset Isis and suffer the same consequence. Within a few weeks, Isis had the scorpions trained to obey her every command. They served as great protectors against all the evils that Set tried to send her and Horus's way. Isis felt safe to continue her journey with her son in search of her dear husband Osiris's remains.

Isis and her son Horus

Bibliography:
Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Author's Note:
I chose to re-write two stories and combine them together with my own twist at the end. I combined The Death of Osiris with The Journey of Isis since the two stories flowed together so well. I liked that Isis was strong and could defend herself and her son so I wanted to channel that strength all the way to the end of the story. It made more sense in my mind that she was able to train the scorpions to help her instead of them being rouge and un controllable. I tried to keep the tone of my story similar to that of the original story. I also changed the timeline so that Horus was already born and somewhat older when Isis and him stumble upon the house of the woman and her son. I felt like it made it more relatable to Isis when the scorpion stung the woman's boy because she would have had a son around that age.