Mythology & Folklore

(Mad Tea Party: Wikipedia )   A Mad Tea-Party There was a table set out under a tree where the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea. The table was very crowded but they encouraged Alice to join for these was plenty of room. They offered her wine even though there wasn't any and then the Hatter made personal comments about Alice's appearance like her hair. Alice found this to be rude but the Hatter completely ignored her feelings and began to talk in riddles.  There was bantering back and forth until silence fell upon them. Then the Hatter checked his pocket watch  to check what year it was. This puzzled Alice greatly. A Mad Tea-Party (cont.) The dormouse was asleep at the table and the Hatter poured tea on its nose. Then the Hatter asked Alice if she had guessed the riddle which she hadn't and had given up. She told them their riddles were a waste of time and they were confused. She said she beats time when she learns music and the Hatter said he kept time by being o...

  (The White Rabbit: Wikipedia ) Down the Rabbit-Hole Alice was very tired siting with her sister on the bank with having nothing to do. She was reading a book without any pictures or conversations. She was pondering the book in her own mind when suddenly a white rabbit ran by. There was something remarkable about the rabbit for she heard him say he was very late as he took out a pocket watch from his coat pocket. She saw him pop down a large rabbit-hole under a hedge and Alice went down after it, falling deep into a dark hole. The sides of the tunnel were filled with pictures, maps, cupboards, and book shelves. She began to think she was falling through the earth and her mind began to race with an endless amount of thoughts! Down the Rabbit-Hole (cont.) Alice continued to fall down, down, down and her mind was racing with thoughts about the earth above like her cat, when suddenly she came down upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves with a thump. She got to her feet and saw the rabbi...

  (Portrait of Indian Chief Sitting Bull: Wikipedia ) The Rabbit and the Grouse Girls The rabbit went out in the winter to the side of the hill away from the company of all girls. They were the grouse girls. The rabbit called out to them and told them he could get them a fine skin with bangles on it that tinkles. He ran away to his tepee and brought a skin bag with red stripes and bangles on it. The grouse girls were afraid to get inside it, but the rabbit coaxed them all in. The rabbit then slung the bag over his back and went home. He got to the tepee and told his grandmother he had a bag full of game and the grouse girls began to cry. The grandmother said she would let the grandchildren out. As the old woman opened the bag, the grouse flew up and grabbed her leg. The rabbit got back and was very angry she let the grouse out. The Rabbit and the Bear The grandmother and the rabbit were out of arrows and the fall hunt was coming soon. The grandmother told him to make flint arrowhea...

(Corn grown by Native Americans: Wikipedia )  Iagoo, the Story Teller There was nobody ever as wise as old Iagoo for he knew the secrets of the woods and the fields since he lived outside for most of his life. He knew the fairy tales and wonder stories told by his grandfather from when he was a young boy. Iagoo was a favorite amongst the children for he knew where to find colorful shell necklaces for the girls and how to weave baskets from grass and how to make bows and arrows for the boys. The children loved his stories and winter was the perfect time to do storytelling. The wind would blow and sparks would jump up from the fire. One little girl came close to his and asked if he could hurt us and he told her to have no fear and to be brave.  Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind A long time ago when only a few people lived on the earth, there was a tribe of fisherman in the North. The King of this Land of Ice was a fierce man called Ka-bib-on-okka by the Indians meaning the North...

  (Brer Rabbit's Dream: Wikipedia ) Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs This story begins with terrapin talking and Brer Fox saying nothing. Then Brer Bull-Frog began to holler out until he began hoarse. When Brer Fox looked out onto the water, he saw another fox staring back at him. He reached out to shake his hand and he started to fall in, but he didn't drown. He managed to scramble out and survive.  Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit were always pranking one another, but the rabbit began to finally find peace in his life. One day when Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Coon and Brer Bear were clearing away ground to roast an ear patch until they became too hot and too tired. They went looking for a cool place to rest. Suddenly, the rabbit found a well with a bucket hanging from it and he was about to grab it when he jumped into the bucket and it began going down. He was very scared and when he hit the water he began to shiver. Brer Fox had his eye o...

(Brer Rabbit and Tar-Baby: Wikipedia )   The Calamus Root Brer Fox had done all he could to try and catch Beer Rabbit, but one day he decided he would play a game. The fox asked the rabbit if he wanted to have some confab and the two agreed. They had been told they didn't get along well and weren't acting neighborly to one another. Brer Rabbit then invited Brer Fox to dinner and he agreed. The next day, the rabbit and his wife got up early and gathering some cabbages, roasting ears, and sparrows grass to make dinner. His children sat in the yard all day waiting for the fox to come. After a long time, Brer Rabbit goes and peeps around the front door to see the tip of the fox's tail and quickly slams the door shut. Brer Fox made up an excuse that he was too sick and that's why he couldn't make it to dinner, so the fox invited him to dinner. When he rabbit got to the fox's house, he was wrapped up looking weak. The rabbit looked around and saw no dinner on the tabl...

(The Monkey King by Yoshitoshi: Wikipedia )   The Lord of the Heavens The Lord of the Heaven sat in his castle and a saint presented the complaint of the Dragon-King and the Princes of the Dead. They told him about the wild nature of Sun Wu Kung and the Lord ordered a god to go down and take him as a prisoner. The Evening Star shared how this ape was of pure power and had gained the knowledge of eternal life. The Evening Star went to find Sun Wu Kung and told him to come with him to heaven. This made the ape feel joyful and the two mounted a cloud and went up to heaven. The ape didn't even bow before the Lord and this angered his servants. The Lord forgave him and he made the ape a stablemaster of the heavenly steeds Sun Wu Kung did his duties with great zeal. The Great Saint At the table, Sun Wu Kung began to question the level of his title and found he was serving a low position. This angered him and claimed he would do this job no longer. He drew the golden bar from his ear and ...

 This reading is from the Chinese folklore unit and I chose to read this story from the attention-grabbing title. I thought it could be a fun and lighthearted read about a crazy monkey. The story is about a monkey who wants to gain eternal life and rebel against heaven. Overall, it was a great start to this unit.  (19th-century illustration of Sun Wu Kung: Wikipedia ) The Handsome King of the Apes Away in the East there was an island with a high rock. This was a special rock for it had absorbed all the seed power of heaven and earth, and sun and moon. One day the rock burst and an egg came out and from the egg came an ape. The ape learned how to live and  grew older. One day, the ape went to a waterfall to cool off and plunged off a high cliff. The stone ape jumped off the cliff to challenge the bet of being king and he landed on a hidden iron bridge below. He came back and told the other apes the news and they all journeyed back down with him. The apes named the stone ap...

  (As-nas Cards in the Brooklyn Museum: Wikipedia) Fayiz and the Peri Wife There once was a married man named Fayiz who was handsome and had a good heart. One day he went to the mountains to play his flute when a maiden woman can to accompany him. They fell in love and she asked to go to her house in the mountains. Fayiz didn't know anything about her, but they went off together and got to her house which was beautiful. She sent for the mulla to wed them.  She said to the mulla that if the man is faithful he will always be happy, but if he isn't faithful, he will constantly be in trouble. They got married and a few years later they had two sons. The wife was always threatening the husband to not share their secret or else he could never see their sons again. The man had a yearning to go home though, and he asked for permission. She cried out and recited something, transporting them to a place where flocks resided. The peri gave him permission to go home as long as he kept the ...

 Persian Tales These Persian Tales were all short stories that accumulated into one big story. There are many Jewish references in regard to Persian Jews. The stories came from Iranian territory which I found to be quite interesting and there were many cultural elements. I enjoyed these stories very much. (Arash the Archer at Saadabad, Tehran) The Wold and the Goat Once upon a time there was nobody on earth but God. There was a goat who had four children and one day he told them to sit back while he goes to retrieve grass for them. He warned them if the wolf comes and knocks on the door, don't open the door. Ask him to slip his hand through the crack and if it's black you know it's the wolf and if it's red you know it's me. Little did they know the wolf had been listening the entire time and he had dyed his hand red with henna.  The wolf came to the door and shoved his red hand through it and the children opened the door. He took off with three children, but Black E...