Extra Reading: week 14

Homer By Andrew Ford- chapter 1

My Prayer to the Muses

• the traditional oral epic singer is not an artist, he is a seer
• singing is not what we think it is-- 3 ways to think about it
• the beginning is sacred for the greeks
• greeks classify poetry and all art by content and ethos
• muses are uniquely greek 
• poets had to learn from them <3
• the way it is uses in early greek indicates it was a technical term for the individual themes 
• epic is a continuous sacred history
• Homer the moral educator of the greeks

Reading Part B: Week 14

Italian Stories

An incident in Rome

A man was dropped into a hole and found a man there. He gave the Pope the letter the guy gave him. When he read it aloud, the man turned to stone. 

Rome

Buchettino 

Buchettino was an obedient child, and he swept the stairs and found a penny. He bought figs with it. An ogre caught him. They were going to cook him. He then escaped. 

The Cock that wanted to be Pope

A chicken wanted to be pope so he went to Rome. The hen went with him. The went in and declared their position. The sexton invited them in and then cooked them.

Reading A: Week 14

Italian Tales

Zelinda and the Monster

A man had three daughters. The youngest was the prettiest and her sisters were jealous. Their dad went on a trip and tried to get them gifts. he could not find a rose for his youngest. When he finally found it, it belonged to a monster. He had to bring Zelinda or die. Her sisters talked her into going. He became infatuated with her and tried to marry her. Once she consented he turned into a prince.

How the Devil married three sisters

The devil decided to get married. His wife was well treated but could not open one door. One day she opened it and it was an abyss. SO he decided to show her and pushed her into hell. Then he married her sister. But the same thing happened. SO he married the third sister. This sister was not caught by her flowers, so she went and got her sisters out of hell. She then talked the devil into bringing her sisters to her parent's house in a box. They caught him as the devil and he no longer wanted to get married. 

A devil cartoon

The Integrates 

A man saved a snake but it decided to still kill him. Then he started asking everything in the forest if it was ok to kill him because he saved him. The fox saved the man and had dogs eat the snake. 

Reading B: Week 13

Aesop's Tales

Wolves

A wolf and lamb were drinking. The wolf accused the lamb of something he didn't do. The crane told him that is was the ram. The wolf killed the crane. 

The wolf and dog were talking and the dog agrees to serve the wolf. It is what he enjoys. 

Cats and Weasels

The roman caught a weasel to catch mice in his house. He caught mice. He couldn't get them by might anymore because he was old, so he tricked him.

The Sneaky Little Weasel

Insects

The ant and the fly were fighting. 

Then the grasshopper joins in. They are fighting over women. Then the owl who wants quiet kills the grasshopper who is the loudest. 

More Frogs

The ox and the frog were having a conversation. The ox wanted to see how big the frog could get. SO the frog puffs until it could be bigger than the ox but it puffed itself until it burst into two.

Reading A: Week 13

Aesop’s Fables 

The Gods

Jupiter and Apollo have a shooting contest. Jupiter is so much bigger than Apollo he is able to hit things as far as Apollo can shoot an arrow. 

A cat falls in love with a man and has Aphrodite turns her into a person. They got married but because she was first a cat. 

More Fables about People

A stingy man would not touch any apples until they started to rot. Then his son ate the good ones because he was saving the bad ones for him.

Asses

An ass thought his life sucked so he dressed up as a lion. He thought he would be more powerful as a lion. However, he was caught by it was obvious he was an ass. 

 The ass talks with the monkey and complains about his place in his life. However, he is humbled and  decides it could be worse. 

A Cute Donkey (Ass)

Reading Week B: Week 12

Robin Hood

Little John a Begging

Little John went begging. He was the chief of the beggars he met. He got the good stuff. He told robin hood about it. 

Little John

The Bishop

Robin stole the gold from all of the Bishop. He cried for sympathy until an old maid gave them attention. The bishop came to the maid's house. RObin then took the bishop's horse and met little john. They stole the mantle and sold it. 

Maid Marian

She was a fine maid. She loved Robin Hood. They were forced apart, so she dressed as a page and so did robin. They fought for an hour. Then robin made a comment and they realized each other. They got drunk and got married bu little john.

Robin Hood's Death

Robin Hood and Little John were shooting for money. Robin got sick. The nurse tried to bleed RObin but he would not bleed. 

Reading A: Week 12

British and Celtic Tales: Robin Hood

The Butcher 

The butcher goes to town to sell his meat. Robin Hood offered him 4 pence. The butcher would sell his meat for cheaper than everyone else. 

Robin Hood as I will always see him

The Bold Pedlar

He was trying to sell his wares and came to little john and robin hood. He offered the boys to buy something but they didn't want to buy anything. Instead, they fought for it. Then they gave each other their names, became friends, and went to the tavern and got drunk.

Allen A Dale

There was a young man, RObin hood and little john tried to get money from him. He didn't have any. He told them about his terrible love life. They took him to the wedding of the girl of his dreams. They tried to marry him there but the bishop refused. SO they took his coat and did it themselves. 

Reading B Week 9

Chinese Fairy Tales

The Little Hunting Dog

In Shansi, a scholar moved to a Buddhist temple but there were too many bugs. One night his room was invaded by tiny knights. He pretended to be asleep and watched them. They came and went but forgot a hunting dog. The little dog ate all of the ghats in his room. 

Fox Fire

A farmer walked past a wealthy man's gardens and saw a glowing light. It was a fox preparing the elixir fo life. He hid until it came back down and swallowed it. He used its powers for 30 years, and then the fox got it away from him. 

The Talking Silver Foxes

Way out in the middle of nowhere, there are temples. Talking foxes used to live there. A woman became possed but she wasn't scared of anyone, only Wang. The foxes tried to help but an archer killed one after even he talked to him. 

Retribution

Ma was homeschooled. He watched old Wang and the water carried spill all the water watering chrysanthemums and the water carried fall down the mountain.  Ma told the judge but was the only witness. When he was older and teaching he saw he carrier again. The water carrier had been reborn in a wealthy family. One day he was throwing stones and one hit Old wang and he fell. 

The Night on the Battlefield

A merchant was trying to get to Shantung with his wares but because of the weather stopped at an inn. They didn't have any wine left because of a bunch of soldiers but his room was free. The merchant stayed awake all night hungry while the soldiers got ready for the battle the next day. He then watched Asti kill the general. Turns out it was just ghosts. 

The Maiden Who was Stolen Away

A maiden was stolen from her home by a cyclone to a pagoda. Next to her when she landed was a student. He said that she had to marry him and kept her locked at the top. Ine day he didn't lock the door and she saw he was an ogre. To get someone's attention she threw down her clothes and it was her neighbor. He told her family and her brother got rid of the ogre and saved her. 

Shrek an Ogre

The Flying Ogre

A monk found a girl in a red coat. She asked for help and she hid in a tree. Following her was an armored steed, and he was looking for her. He told her that the girl was actually an ogre and he needed to get her. He said deceiving him was a sin so he told.

The Sorcerer of the White Lotus Lodge 

There was a sorcerer who was great at deception. He wanted to go out and told his students to watch over a bowl. Inside was a boat that they made sink when they played with it. He did it again with a candle they had to watch. One of the pupils insulted the sorcerer so he turned him into a pig and sent him to a butcher. His dad looked for him and told the leader/ They grabbed his family and placed them in front of a giant who ate his family.  But he wanted to be eaten by the giant. 

Yang Gui Fe

The favorite wife of Ming Huang was Yang Gui Fe. She got him to do whatever (Marie Anttonetee style).  His solider's mutinied and the emperor tried to protect her. Then she disappeared and he couldn't find her. A magician helped. When he went to that location he found out she was a spirit. She said they would be reunited in 20 years and gave him a ring.

Reading A Week 9

Chinese Fairy Tales

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck

the princes' daughter had no luck finding a husband. She decided to choose her husband by throwing a ball of red silk to have them decide. A beggar but a lucky one caught it. His father hated it so much. They married and the beggar left to find his fortune for 18 years. He became an emperor and they lived happily until she died 18 days later.
The Cave of the Beasts

A father had 7 daughters and found 7 ducks eggs. He wanted to eat them with his wife not his kids. His wife gave one to the oldest, then so on to all the children. He planned to drive the children off to the woods and abandon them to the wolves. The two girls got left behind under the guise they were going to their grandmother's house and found a cave of a fox and a wolf full of jewels when their dad didn't come back. The animals didn't notice the girls and the girls woke up and put them in the kettles. Their dad found them and they brought the treasures home. 
The Panther

A widow had three kids. The widow went to see her mom. A panther tried to get her to stop along the way. He got her to stop and ate her. He then ate her son. The daughters at home he went to get next. They tried not to let it in but it tricked them. Once it came in they knew it wasn't their mother. The panther gave them their little brother's finger so they escaped. They the panther to reveal itself then a needle seller, a scorpion catcher, an egg seller, and a turtle dealer to give them things to fight the panther. They ended him.
Why Dog and Cat are Enemies

A family sold a lucky ring and started to grow poorer. They had dog and a cat who tried to figure out to get their owners back to fortune. They worked together to get the ring back. The cat took the credit and the dog got in trouble for not helping. Since then they have been enemies. 

The dog and cat at the beginning of the story

Yang Oerlang

The second daughter of the ruler of heaven became the wife of Yang. She had a baby with him and her dad upset banished her. Her son tried to save his mother but she died. He started crushing suns in response. But he left one. 
The Lady of the Moon

Prince Hou I shot down nine suns for the people. He got the herb of immortality and his wife ate some and became the lady of the moon. She brought him up there when it was a full moon. 
The Girl with the Horse’s Head or the Silkworm Goddess

AN old man went on a journey and left his family at home. The daughter missed her dad so she told the horse that if he brought her dad back she would marry it. It brought her dad back and he found out so he killed the horse. She got mad at the horse then the hide wrapped itself around her in a cocoon. In heaven, she was given the task of watching over silkworms. 
The God of War

His name was really Quan YU. At the rebellion of the yellow turbans, he made a pact of friendship. He was virtuous. He went to help the emperor but was taken captive by Tsau Tsau. He would not join their side so he was killed. His horse and human followers refused to eat after he died and died.  He became a god ad each dynasty saw him differently. 
The Miserly Farmer

The farmer wanted to sell his pears and tried to cart them to the market. The bonze would not move till he got a pear. It upset the farmer until he gave in. He planted the seed afterward and it immediately began to sprout. Everyone watch the tree sprout and returned back to see his cart gone. 
The King of the Ants

A scholar rented a supposedly haunted house. One night a bunch of knights came into his room after a hunt. The serving-men came in with kitchenware.  All the invaders were very small. Their king tried to get him to join them. So the scholar smoked them out.

Reading Notes

West African Folktales

How We Got the Name "Spider Tales"

The spider was very conceited and wanted every story to be about him. So he requested that from Nyankupon and he agreed if he brought him some stuff. He tricked the bees into getting in a jar. He then tricked the boa by tying him to a stick. Then he sewed the tiger's eyes shut and sent him to Nyankupon. Because of he completed the three things all the old tales are called Anansi tales.

How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race

Father Anansi had all the wisdom in the world. His son was named Kweku Tsin and he suspected his dad of something. He was trying to hide all the wisdom of the world in a tree. His son asked why he didn't put it on his back and he got frustrated that he was wiser and threw the pot. All the wisdom escaped. 

A pot

Anansi and Nothing

There was a rich man named nothing. He and Anansi switched clothes for a little bit and they went and got wives. Nothing was having a hard time doing so because he was dressed as a beggar. But then when they got home, Nothing's wife had a palace and Anansi's wives didn't have enough food. Anansi's wives went to nothing and didn't return. So Anansi killed him. She asked kids to cry for her husband-- crying for nothing.

Thunder and Anansi

There was a famine. He found a boat and tried to get it an island. He tried to get the nuts on this island but kept missing the boat. He threw himself in the water upset and found thunder's house. Thunder gave him a pot. He hid it from his family. His son caught him hiding it and the family tried to give food to everyone. Anansi returned to Thunder's house and got a violent stick that beat him. 

Why the Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down

A king promised his daughters to anyone that could figure out their names. Anansi tricked them into saying it in front of them. He told his friend the names and Lizard got the girls. He killed a chicken and placed the evidence at Lizard's house.

Tit For Tat

The famine rid the land of meat. KT found a bunch of animals and did not tell his dad bc see above. Anansi figured something was going on so he tracked KT. His dad drove him out of the place and killed a ton of animals. SO KT tricked him out of this meat with an image. 

Why White Ants Always Harm Man's Property

A spider found a dead antelope and wanted to keep it for himself. Everyone knew he wasn't to be trusted so they scared him and he dropped the mat. He sent a lizard to talk to them with sharpened teeth. He then took the antelope and threw a festival. In a search for revenge, the white ant tried to help but was screwed over so he decided to harm people's stuff. 

The Squirrel and the Spider

The squirrel was a hard worker with his farm. The spider then started stealing corn. The court gave it to the spider bc the squirrel did not have a road. Then the crow did the same thing to him.

Why We See Ants Carrying Bundles As Big As Themselves

Anansi and KT were great farmers. But there was no rain, KT found out how to get rain and his crops started doing well. Anansi tried the same thing but killed the dwarf. the dwarf was the king's jester and Anansi was tricked into bringing him to him. Anansi was stuck with a box on his head for punishment and then tricked an ant into taking it. 

Why Spiders Are Always Found in Corners of Ceilings

Anansi was a great farmer, but selfish and greedy. He tricked his family into leaving and feasted on the crops for two weeks. They put a rubber man in the fields and Anansi got stuck to it. When everyone found him he was embarrassed and hid.

The Grinding-Stone That Ground Flour By Itself

A famine. One family was doing well though. Kofi had found a stone that ground flour by itself and he would only take enough for his family. Anansi wanted in and He followed his cousin to the stone. A took the stone with him and the stone wanted down so the stone ground him up.

Extra Credit Reading- week 5

Eygpt

The Two Brothers: Part One

There were two brothers- Anpu and Bata. Anpu was married and his brother lived with them. Bata worked the field during the day and Anpu made garments. Anpu's wife started flirting with Bata so he left. When he returned for the day she was sick because he turned her down. 
The Two Brothers: Part Two

Anpu was going to murder Bata. Bata saw Anpu with the danger and escaped. They next saw each other on opposite sides of the river. Ra came down to make peace and Anpu learned what actually happened. Anpu killed his wife and fed her to the dogs. Bata went to acacia. Bata married.

Acacia

The Two Brothers: Part Three

Bata's wife went to walk by the acacia and a sea spirit took some of her hair. The chief washer found the hair and the King desired to find her. When he found her they cut don the acacia where Bata's soul was so he died. For three years Anpu looked for his soul. 
The Two Brothers: Part Four

Bata as a bull and Anpu went to find his wife. His wife was with the king and she had him get the bull's liver. Bata survived. So she had all the Persea trees cut down. She had a baby and Bata became him. After the king died, he took over the throne and had his mom tried.
The Book of Thoth: Part One

Merab studied all the time. A priest made fun of him for doing something so worthless. So he showed him readings worth reading and the priest told him about the book of Thoth. He went to Greece to find it. 
The Book of Thoth: Part Two

With a priest of Isis, they made a boat. The boat took him to the book in Koptos. An immortal snake fought them. He wrote down all the spells in a magical way. 
The Book of Thoth: Part Three

The loss of his book made Thoth angry. SO Ra killed Nefer Ka ptah's kid and had his dead body tell him what he had done wrong. Then Ra killed his wife. Angry, he decided that Thoth would not get the book back. He tied the book around himself so when thoth killed him he would still have the book.  
The Tale of King Rhampsinitus

The king was really rich. He hid all his wealth and then his builder died but told his sons the secret of how to get nto the palace. The sons went and stole everything. So RHampsinitus set a trap. One brother was going to die because of the trap and saved his brother. The palace put his body on display to find out who was the person who died. His mom wanted revenge so he got the guards drunk. Then the robber stole the princess. 

Reading Notes- Arabian Nights B

Arabian Nights

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Aladdin was an idle boy who just liked to play. His uncle found him in the streets and they welcomed him home. He was a magician. The uncle took him on a walk and kidnapped him. He made him go into a cave. Aladdin took too long and the magician left him inside of the cave. He stayed in there for 2 days until he rubbed the ring while praying, releasing the genie inside of it. 

2

The genie brought him outside of the place. He still had the lamp and rubbed it to clean it so he could sell it for food. A genie came out of it and they got food. He would sell the silver plates to eat. One day the princess was outgoing to the bath and Aladdin got a peep. He fell in love. His mom brought the bejeweled fruit and begged him to consider her son. But the SUltan thought they were being cheap so he said to wait three months. The sultan promised the princess to the son of the grand-vizir but the princess hated that idea so much when Aladdin showed up she went with her. 

3

Aladdin had also tormented the grand-vizir's son. He wanted to be separated from her. After 3 months, Aladdin sent back his mom and he said Aladdin must send 40 basins of gold jewels, carried by slaves, led by more all dressed nice. He sent his request and the sultan welcomed him. While they were meeting, the genie was building them a palace. Aladdin also became a general and won many battles for the sultan. 

Palace in the Far East

4

The magician who left Aladdin decided to check on him realized that he was thriving. The princess, while Aladdin was gone, exchanged the old lamp to the magician. She didn't know the value. The palace and the princess disappeared so the sultan wanted him killed. Without one of the genies, Aladdin had to find all his stuff. 

5

Aladdin went to Africa and found his Wife and Palace. The magician carried the lamp with him always. They decided to deceive the magician. She put stuff in his drink and he fell back lifeless.

6

Aladdin got back the lamp and they returned. But since they killed the magician, his brother wanted to avenge it. He pretended to be a holy woman, Fatima. The princess decided to keep her close, and the fake holy woman tried to get her to remodel part of their palace. Aladin listened to bc happy wife happy life but the genie said he was stupid and enlightened him. Aladdin killed the brother and they lived happily for years and he replaced the sultan when he died. 

Reading- Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights

Scheherazade

The Sultan Schahrair had a wife who he loved so much. He spoiled her. He found out eventually that she deceived her and he had to put her to death. It was really hard on him so he decided every woman was terrible. He married a woman every night and killed them that night. The grand-vizir's daughter wanted to stop it so she decided to marry the sultan. She brought her sister the last night she was supposed to be alive. 

The Story of the Merchant and the Genius 

Scheherazade tells a story to the sultan so she can stay alive and it is granted to him. The story is of a Merchant expecting to be killed at the hands of a merchant like her own situation. 

The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind

She introduced the Hind and the Deer. They tell their own story to the genie.  The merchant's life depends on whether the genie likes the story or not. 

The hind is the man's wife. She didn't like the man's kid or mom. When he left she changed his kid into a cow. The wife wanted to sacrifice the cow/kid. A young woman saved his son and turned his wife into the deer. 

The Story of the Second Old Man and of the Two Black Dogs

The genie was amazed with the story and granted a 1/3 pardon. Then she tells a story of a man with two dogs hoping to save her own life. This man's brothers kept selling their shops and traveling a ndgoing broke. He eventually went with them. He found a wife and did well. They got jealous and threw them into the sea but they survived. His fairy wife decided to kill his brothers. HE begged her not to so he turned them into dogs. 

The Story of the Fisherman

The fisherman demands a story from a genie. He started talking and he shut the lid back down on it, saving himself. 

Genie- Disney

The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban

The fisherman is dad fashion tells a story to teach the genie about trust. It was about a greek king who was a leper. A doctor claimed to be able to fix him. His fix of polo worked. But his grand-vizir didn't like him getting close with someone new so he tried to cause tension by saying the physician wanted to kill the king.
The Story of the Physician's Revenge 

The king sent for the physician and the physician said if he was spared then the king would live. He allowed the physician to get his stuff in order before he died.  The head kept talking after it was cut off and the king flipped through an empty book, getting poisoned for killing an innocent man.
The Story of the Story of the Sultan and the Fish 

The genie showed him where to throw his net. He then was told to sell it to the Sultan. He would only cast his net once a day,  He met a man made of black marble. 
The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles

His wife no longer loved him. She turned the people into fish. Once a day she comes back and whips the king. The sultan killed the slave who was barely alive and took his spot. The sultan tricked her into turning everyone back. When the sultan got back, he reward the fisherman and his family. 

Reading Notes: Odyssey B

Odyssey 

Ghosts of Erebus 

The dragged the vessel on shore and loaded up the sheep. Circe sent wind. When they got to the right island they made the sacrifice/altar of milk and honey, wine, water, barley, and prayer. Then killed a sheep on the altar. The ghosts swarme out of Erebus. He kept the ghosts away until Teiresias came. 

The Ghosts of Elpenor and Teiresias 

He had not yet been buried, he was so freshly dead. He told him next he would go to Hades House. As he left, he saw his mom, learning that she was dead. ThebanTeiresias gave him a prophecy that he would have a hard and bitter journey home. He would shipwreck and men would court his wife. No matter what he could not miss another traveler telling him to carry a winnowing-fan on his shoulder. 

The Spirit of Anticleia 

His mom approached and drank the blood. She was concerned with why he was there. He explained the situation and that he was trying to get home. He also kept asking about his wife. She assured him about her loyalty. He was sad he couldn't hug his mom

The Ghosts of Famous Women 

He questioned every person sent. Tyro fell in love with the god of the RIver Enipeus. She had two sons by him. Antiope said she slept with Zeus herself. Her sons founded the 7-gated Thebes. Alcmene conceived Heracles. Megara married the son of Amphitryon. Oedipus's mom came. Chloris. Leda bore twins alive and dead switching.  Iphimedeia claimed she slept with Poseidon. 

The Ghost of Agamemnon 

He came after the female spirits. He said Aegisthus, his wife, engineered his fate. He and all his companions died, tricked. They complain about Helen and Clytemnestra. He warned him about his wife because they were newlyweds when he left. 

The Spirit of Achilles

Achilles wanted to know about his son. He was sad that he died and wished he had chosen the other option of his prophecy. He told him about Neoptolemus and his greatness. 

The Ghost of Ajax 

Ajax was still upset that he won the contest of ships. He told him to control his ego. They saw all these people tortured by the gods, so they left and continued. 

Ajax-- Present

The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis

He caught everyone up on the gossip. Then the wind stopped. They knew that this meant trouble and plugged their ears to protect themselves from the sirens. They kept going through it and untied him once they were free from the song. Then they saw the spray. They hugged the cliff, hoping for the best. He armed himself, even though, Circe told him not to. Scylla grabbed 6 men off of the deck and ate them. 

Extra credit reading: Homer's Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey

The land of the cyclopes

The cyclops just kill people and the gods give them their food. They had money. Dawn appeared exploring with the nymphs. They feasted and saw smoke towards the land at the land of the cyclops. Over a cliff, there is a giant sleeping. 

Prisoners of the cyclops

12 men went forward to the priest of apollo, Euanthes. He offered him gifts. They got ready for the giant. The giant was grazing with his sheep and chores. When they met the giant he wanted to know where their ship was and why they were stopped there. He grabbed some of the crew and killed them and trapped them in the cave.

Cyclops toy

The Cyclops Defeated 

They split an olive into a 6-foot length and gave it to everyone to put it into the cyclops eye. They offered him some wine. He got drunk and they told him his name, Nobody. He then started puking. They heated the stake by shoving it into hot coals and then twisted it into the giant's eyes. He yelled for help and prayed to his dad Poseidon. 

Escape from the Cyclops 

They escaped by hiding under the sheep- 1 man to every 3 sheep. The giant still in pain let the sheep leave. They jumped in the boat and escaped. He spoke of a prophecy that told him it would happen. 

The Curse of Polyphemus 

He also told him that he would never reach his home, and if he did it would be without his comrades and his house would be in trouble. They got to the rest of the ships. They sacrifice gifts to Zeus hoping the prophecy would not come true. Then they started island hopping. 

Circe's Magic 

Circe had a house of polished stone and lions who acted like dogs. She gave them wine that was drugged so they would forget their homes. Eurylochus stayed behind and did not get drugged. Hermes of the Golden Wand told him exactly what was going on and how to defeat her. 

The Moly Defeats Circe 

The slayer of Argus pulled the herb Moly from the ground and gave it the men to use. He went and visited Circe but did not feel the enchantment because of the moly. She made him go to bed with her. 

On Circe's Island 

She let him go after he proved he was special. To get his men back he had to seek the house of hades and consult the ghost of the blind Theban ser, Teiresias.  But they have a black ship so they were scared. 

The Death of Elpenor

They were given directions. He could not get his men away unscathed. The youngest man, not very wise died. They headed towards the underworld. 

Reading B: Jewish Fairy Tales

Jewish Fairy Tales

The Sleep of One Hundred Years

At the time of the destruction of the first temple, everyone was suffering. Rabbi Onias mounted on a camel and was making his way toward the city. He was starving but he was saving water and dates in case he found someone who needed more than him. When he finally got to the city, it was destroyed. He wept until he fell asleep, and he slept for 100 years. 

When he woke up he found himself surrounded by dates and his beard white and camel dead. The water and dates were still fresh though- so Jerusalem was still alive. He started looking for his family but he only found his grandson. He took his dates and water back to where had slept and slept again but never woke up. 

A Beauty Queen Camel

King for Three Days

Godfrey de Bouillon was a famous warrior who was a part of the first crusade. He hated the jews and wanted to exterminate them. He and his man massacred large numbers of jews. Rashi one of the wisest sages came to Godfrey and he demanded a blessing. However, Rashi refused. Rashi told him that he would rule as its king for three days and return with very few men. His prediction came true with a stone killing a man and horse right before they got home. 

The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace

Sarah the great mother of the Jewish people and wif of abraham was the most beautiful woman who ever lived. She gathered crowds in Eygpts where they had fled too. He contained his wife in a box to stop this and told the customs officials it contained barley. But they were curious and opened the box and sent her to the pharaoh. Sarah didn't want to upset him so she told him that Abraham was her brother.  The Pharaoh gave a ton of gold and jewels to Abraham for Sarah. She didnt like him but he wanted to get with her. Abraham was praying so she was not scared. When he went after her something struck her and beat him whenever he tried to touch her. The spirits kept tormenting him and gave him leprosy. Abraham cured him and took back his wife and warned him of endangering his descendants.

The Rabbi's Bogey-Man

The rabbi lion of prague was upset that he did not have a servant to tend his fire. People were not scared of him, he was smart but his experiments in chemistry were a little scary, so no one would work for him. So he made a mechanical woman to tend his fire during the sabbath. It was controlled by his thoughts and he had to remove the name from her mouth so she didn't cause issues at night.  

One night she was playing with the children and made them a fire but made it so big it caught a house. The king was confused after this incident and asked how it happened. The rabbi explained the sacred name to him. The kids called him the bogey man and he started to speak, wanting to work for the king as a soldier. One day he was trying to get into the synagogue so he wouldn't have any power over him and then he was destroyed. 

The Fairy Frog

Hanina was called to his dying parents and told only to grieve for 7 days, then go to Passover festival and buy the first thing offered. This would bring great fortune. After his parents died he did exactly that. He bought a silver casket with a curious design for a 1000 gold pieces. Inside was another casket and inside that was a frog who was hungry. The frog grew to be as large as a man and then granted wishes. He gave them food and taught Hanina the lore of men. When it was time for the frog to repay them they went to the forest and all the animals brought the jewels. 

Fairy Frog

Reading Part A: Jewish Fairy Tales

Jewish Fairy Tale 

The Beggar King

-King Hagag sat on his throne, a high priest on his side, and read from the Torah. The priest read "For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?" this made this king very upset this upset the king and he threw out the pages and declared all the pages that upset him should be thrown out. He left for a hunt and went after a deer. The deer lured him into a thicket and turned into a genie. The genie stole the king's clothes. The king was left without his men and his clothes. A woodcutter gave him rags to wear in return for work. He made his way to the castle but the guards did not believe him. Everyone would give him money and children would make fun of him. The genie acting as the king decided to give a feast. He came in very regretful of his past life and was forgiven. He was given back his royal robes and he was the wisest, sympathetic, and kind king ever. \

The Quarrel of the Cat and the Dog

Adam named all the animals and the cat and dog started out as bffs. However, winter came and food became scarce and they separated so they could find food. The cat went tot he house of adam and got fat. The dog had a hard time and went from anima to animal trying to find his place. He did this until he found Adam and saved him from thieves. This broke the oath of the cat and the dog but Adam made him stay. They will never be friends.

The water-babe

Princess Bathia the daughter of the pharaoh found a child floating in the Nile. She named him Moses. Everyone loved him but ministers and magicians. They were suspicious of him so they tried him. However, he grabbed the coals so he was innocent. He was only three and didn't know what he was doing. 

When he grew up he married the daughter of Reuel and found the magic staff. 

Another Story of Moses

Shepard Boy- to king

A shepherd boy was alone was startled by an angel's voice. He thought he was on a magical mountain so he stayed there.  Then he realized it was a unicorn. He got off and faced a lion. A deer saved him

The magic palace

Ibrahim was the most learned man but he did not talk about his suffering. His family was hungry,. He had 5 kids he was not feeding his kids, he was just reading the Torah. He got a new cloak and went out. A man approached him and claimed to be his slave. He was a great builder. A jeweler offered him a ton of money for a palace. The slave built it. Turns out it was Elijah the prophet. 

Reading Week 2 Anthology

Reading Notes- Metamorphoses by Tony Kline 

Pygmalion created a woman statue so beautiful that every bachelor would fall in love with her. He fell in love with her and adorn her until Venus's Festival. There he made his offering. Golden Venus turned her into a real woman and brought upon their marriage. The woman later gave birth to a son, Paphos, who the island is named after. 

Aphrodite

Reading Overview

Reading Overview

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 3: _________ Women Saints

Week 4: _________Jewish Fairy Tales

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6.

Week 5: _________ Arabian Nights

Week 6: _________Turkish

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.]

Week 7: _________ Tibet

Week 9: _________South African

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: _________ Cantarberry tales

Week 13: _________King Arthur

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: _________ Han Christian Anderson

Week 15: _________Italian

Italian Popular Tales By Jack Zipes

I am really excited about this class! Some of the stories I saw as I was looking through seem really interesting. I also want to see some of the stories of places from where my family is from and some of our history-so I am really excited about the Jewish fairy tales section. Also, some of my other interests get to combine with the stories in this class which is exciting. I am excited to read the Italian stories and see if I have heard of any in my Italian classes!