Mythology and Folklore Blog

Here is my storybook site! (Ring on Book by Ylanite Koppens ) Will You Marry Me?

Story Lab Assignment (Fountain Pen from Wikipedia Commons ) For this story lab assignment, I read Telling a Story from EmpoWorrd . I decided to do this lab assignment because I really don't know that much about the mechanics and writing and would love to branch out and learn more. I have a really hard time writing dialogue and deciding and sticking to a perspective in my writing. This is mostly because I only write as a hobby and very irregularly. As a result, my default writing style is like a scientific report, which is not conducive to good creative writing. In this article, they talk a lot about the different stylistic elements of writing. The information about the sequencing of a story was really interesting. I've never thought about telling my story not chronologically. I guess in my mind it's hard to figure out a way to tell a story that's not sequential. Hopefully, with some of the information from this article, I will be able to develop my writing in new

The Farmer and the Stork (Stork from Free Stock Photos ) I really enjoyed the Aesop fable in the Week 2 reading anthology so I thought for an extra credit reading I would try one of the Aesop sections. Plot: A stork is invited to a party with cranes at a newly planted field. The stork goes and all the birds get caught in the farmer's net. The stork begs the farmer to spare him as he is not a crane and did not know they were going to steal. The farmer refuses, saying even if you are a good bird, you are with the thieving cranes and will be given the same punishment. Characters: The characters in this story are the good stork who hangs out with the wrong crowd, the thieving cranes, and the farmer who doles out the lesson. Lesson: You're judged by the company you keep. Ideas: I just really like this lesson because it is so true. Everyone has had a time where they were judged by the company they keep and it's important to remember that. This story could be kept

Reading Notes The Jar of Beauty/The Sleep of the Dead (Psyche Asleep by Anthony Van Dyck at Wikipedi a) Plot: In this part of the second half of Cupid and Psyche's tale, Psyche has completed her last task from Venus. She has journeyed into the underworld and come out with divine beauty in a jar. She is unable to contain her curiosity though and decides to open the jar since she did all that work to get it. Inside the jar is not actually divine beauty, but the Sleep of the Dead. Cupid healed from his wounds wants to see Psyche and finds her in the sleep of the dead. He saves her from her sleep and puts it back in the jar. Characters: For the particular part of the story I focus on only Psyche is in it. Cupid joins in at the end to save Psyche. Lesson: I feel that there is not really a lesson in this story which I do not like. I was disappointed that Psyche did not learn her lesson and again let her curiosity keep her from her happiness. Ideas: I would definitely like

Reading Notes focused on Psyche's Despair (Cupid and Psyche by John Hoppner on Wikipedia Commons ) This week's reading is a little than the other ones that I have read so far as it is one long story instead of several shorter stories put together. Because of that, I am focusing my notes on one of the chapters in the first half of the story. Plot: This is the last chapter of the first half of Psyche and Cupid's story. At the beginning of this chapter Psyche, tempted by the evil scheming of her sisters, has gazed upon her mysterious husband and discovered it's Cupid. Since this went directly against what Cupid asked of her, he banishes her from his bed and their palace with only the things that are hers. Psyche is in despair as she loved her husband and her life and knows she has thrown it all away. While wandering, she encounters Pan and he tells her she should pray to Cupid. Wandering farther, she encounters one of her sister's kingdoms. She devises a t

For this weeks information on feedback strategies I read Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise  and How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jer k. What I most like about these readings was the focus on the fact that negative feedback is not bad. In the managers giving praise article, it was interesting that so many of the workers did not relate whether or not the manager was giving honest feedback on the negative. They were mostly influenced by whether there was also positive praise. Positive feedback, even when it's smaller, is important because it allows the workers to see that their efforts are noticed and appreciated. The key to that is, as discussed in the second article, being sincere. The compliment sandwich is seen as false and people can tell they're being buttered up. Conversely, workers are willing to accept both positive and negative feedback when it is given in an honest way. I also thought it was interesting and a good idea in the second article how the

Just a list of stories that are examples of some type of suitor test. (Bride and Groom from pxhere ) The Six Servants T he Princess and the Pea The White Snake King Thrushbeard The Princess on the Glass Hill The Green Serpent Donkey Skin The Travelling Companion The Golden Goose The Peasant's Clever Daughter The Blue Rose The Invisible Ones There are several main types of these suitor test fairytales and it might be interesting to focus on one of each for my project. The main and most straight forward type is where a king sets a challenge that must be met by the heroes to marry the bride (or vice versa). When the heroines have to complete the challenge it's often not to prove bravery or such its instead focused on virtues or domestic abilities. There is another type of story where the challenge is, in essence, impossible and therefore acts as a way to prevent the marriage because the father does not approve. There is the virtue challenge where the face of the

The Poor CEO (Andrew Carlson the CEO from Wikipedia Commons ) "Where are the rest of the files? You know this meeting is important. Are all of you incompetent?" raged Mr. Carlson.  Andrew Carlson was the CEO of one of the largest real estate agencies in San Francisco and was famed for his temper. This morning was particularly bad as Andrew's company had an important meeting with the owner of one of the largest privately owned parcels of land. He had been on a rampage, insulting all of his employees and firing one poor girl who came in ten minutes late.  As Andrew walked into the boardroom to meet the owner he saw a frail-looking old man. Perfect, he thought, it will be easy to get the land if this old man is the only owner. He didn't even bring a lawyer. As he sat down and greeted the old man he noticed an odd expression on the man's face. Before the meeting could even start the old man stood up and closed all the blinds and locked the doors. 

Notes on The Fairy Frog (Frog Illustration from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: An old man tells his son on his death bed that he wants him to go to the market and buy the first thing someone offers him as it will bring him good fortune. The old man dies so the son does as he wishes. He purchases a silver box for a large sum. When he gets home he opens the box on the Passover feast to discover a frog. The son and his wife then feed the frog but it eats so much that they have none left for themselves. The frog gets so large it needs its own shed and the son and his wife are facing increasing hardships but they still follow the old man's dying wish. Finally, the frog says for your kindness I will grant you your wishes. The wife asks for food and a food basket appears immediately. The son asks for knowledge and the frog has him eat papers and after that, he knows all, even the language of animals. He becomes one of the most learned sages. Then the frog speaks again on another day

Reading Notes on The Beggar King (The Beggar King from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: In this story, a rich and proud king tears some pages out of the Holy Book because it states that riches are not forever. The king then goes deer hunting with some of his court. He thinks he has cornered the deer only to discover a boy wearing deerskin in the forest. The boy says he is a genie who has lured the king there to teach him a lesson for tearing the pages out of the book. He then steals the king's clothes and meets up with the courtiers saying he is the true king. The actual king wanders around and tries to tell a wood cutter what has happened. The wood cutter laughs at him and gives him some rags. He then goes to the castle, but the guards only laugh at him when he says he is the king. He tries to work in the field but is not cut out for it. Eventually, he ends up with a group of blind beggars as their guide. One day the genie, acting as king, calls for a feast for all the beggars i

This extra credit reading assignment note is from the week 14-15 reading of fairytale anthologies by Hans Christian Andersen Part A . As I am thinking about doing a suitor test focused storybook, I decided to write these notes on The Princess and the Pea . Plot: A prince wants to marry a real princess He has been going around meeting princesses, but something about them is always not quite right A girl comes in during a stormy night drenched in rain and a mess but says she is a real princess The old queen puts down a pea under twenty mattresses and tells the girl to sleep there as a test The next day the queen asks her how she slept and she says terribly because she was bruised by something The queen knows she is a real princess because she felt the pea through all those mattresses The prince and princess are married The pea is put in a museum Characters: The prince looking for a princess The old queen who devises the test The princess who comes in with the storm

To learn about accepting negative feedback I read Why It's So Hard to Hear Negative Feedback  and Make Good Art: Neil Gaiman's Advice on the Creative Life, Adapted by Design Legend Chip Kidd . When I think back on times I was given negative feedback I almost always was upset by negative feedback. I have always been a type A perfectionist and because of that, I have a really hard time accepting criticism, especially when I was younger. I remember getting really upset when anyone corrected me in school and I used to actively avoid things like art and creative writing because what's good is so subjective that I could never be sure I wasn't going to get negative feedback. As I got older I started to see the value in critiques and began to take those kinds of criticisms less personally. As I got older and had to start giving critiques myself, I realized that the person giving them doesn't mean it personally they just want to help you. Through those experiences, I have be

In no particular order here are four topics I am interested in possibly using for my Storybook Project. Korean Tales My mom was adopted from Korea so I have always been interested in learning more about Korean culture since I am half Korean myself. I even took a Korean language course in high school and took an online course through Stanford on Korean history. I personally prefer stories that are more fairy tale than what most of these stories seem to be but I would love to research more into it. I would love to focus more on tales with women and/or nature and less on the animal ones due to my own personal preferences. I could also possibly retell some of these stories with human characters instead of animals. Fairy Tale Villains One of my favorite new tropes in storytelling is retelling traditional fairy tales from the perspective of villains. In stories like Maleficent , the traditional villain is given a backstory and the fairy tale is told from their perspective to give mo

There once was a village on the edge of a large kingdom. In this village lived the beautiful and clever daughter of a poor farmer and his wife. In this kingdom, there also lived a king renowned for his riches and power. One day the king came to the village to collect taxes where he caught sight of the girl. Struck by her beauty, he went to her parents and demanded her hand in marriage. While her parents did not want to force their daughter into a marriage, they did not wish to enrage such a powerful king. They went to their daughter and informed her of the king’s demands. The girl asked to speak to the king herself. The next day the king met the girl at her home. Once again struck by her beauty, the king demanded, “Be my bride.” The girl responded, “My lord, I am but the daughter of a lowly farmer, I am not worthy of being your bride. My parents do not have any money to their name.” The king was so in love with her beauty he granted her all the jewels in the castle treasury. The next d

Reading Notes on The Lion in Love (African Lion From Wikipedia Commons ) When I was reading all the stories this week, this one really stuck out to me even though it was so short. Plot: A lion falls in love with a girl and wants to marry her. Her parents ask the lion to get rid of his teeth and claws so as not to injure her. The lion does but then when he goes back to ask her parents for her hand in marriage they laugh at him. They were only going to marry their daughter to him because they feared the king of the Beasts. Type of Story: This story was one of Aesop's fables and its central message was that "Love can tame the wildest" But I also feel like there were some underlying themes about forcing someone to love you. Characters: Only the Lion and her Parents Ideas: Even though this story was so short it really stuck out because of the surprising conclusion to the story. I think I could definitely take this idea and make it into a longer full-length story w

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: ____Jewish Fairy Tales_____ Week 4: ____Cupid and Psyche_____ Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: ___Indian Fairy Tales______ Week 6: ___Twenty-Two Goblins______ Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. Week 7: ___Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang)______ Week 9: ______Chinese Fairy Tales ___ Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: _____Tejas Legends____ Week 11: ____Blackfoot Stories_____ Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: ___Celtic Fairy Tales______ Week 13: _____More English Fairy Tales____ Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: ___Brother's Grimm (Crane)______ Week 15: ____Czech Folktales_____ Going through these reading assignments made me so incredibly excited for this class! I love reading and always have since I was a kid but I feel like since college I've really let th

After reading through some of the time management articles the two that really spoke to me were The Psychology of Checklists and Eat the Frogs First Thing in the Morning . Before college, I never really worried about time management because life is so structured in high school. You know exactly where you're going and what you're doing basically every day. On top of that, I didn't have to study very much in high school so I didn't have to plan in learning time. Since coming to school I've learned the error of my ways. I am the kind of person who thrives on structure. Even the thought of going on a vacation without planning makes me want to break out in hives. This type A nature is why checklists really appeal to me. As The Psychology of Checklists explores there is something so satisfying to me about breaking down something hard into manageable tasks and crossing off each task as I complete it. If I go off checklist that's totally fine, but as long as it's t

So far in my college career, I have pretty much exclusively used Canvas, Microsoft products, and some of the Google applications. I would say I am fairly proficient in all of those but have little to no experience with anything else. I am still getting the hang of Blogger and trying to fine tune how I want my blog to work so I am definitely going to have a bit of a learning curve to get used to these new tools. I would definitely like to get better at using graphics and such as that is something I would never learn to do in any of my other classes. I am interested to learn these new sites and skills and am sure they will help me one day down the road! (Modern Technology Graphic from Max Pixel )

After reading over what the assignments will be like for this semester I am excited. It's really cool that we get to mix and match assignments tailored to our personal interests. It will be nice to try new things and learn what kind of assignments I really enjoy and am interested in. I'm most excited for the reading assignments as I love reading and learning about new things unrelated to my more technical engineering coursework. I am also interested in reading other people's blog posts and getting to know my classmates! I am a little more nervous to do the storytelling and projects, mostly because it's been so long since I have done any creative writing. For the extra credit assignments, I am the most interested in the readings and the Wikipedia Trails. I used to do those all the time when I was in the computer lab in middle school and it was so fun! (Journal and Pencil from Public Domain Pictures )

I had never personally heard of Carol Dweck but I have heard about growth mindset, just not in those exact terms. As an engineering major the classes can be really difficult, so in some engineering meetings I have learned about growth mindset. I think Carol Dweck brings up a really interesting and important topic. It is really easy to just want to get the A now and not work for it or take a real challenge. I think all of us have been guilty of taking easy filler classes to try and meet credit requirements. I know I have. In some ways, I feel that I've been on both sides of the growth/fixed mindset debate. Like many people, I often have a hard time enjoying or going back to activities I'm bad at. This doesn't mean I'm unwilling to try new things but if I am truly terrible at something I don't want to do it again. I get discouraged if I do poorly on assignments. On the other hand, I honestly like a challenge. Some of my favorite classes here at OU have been ones whe

In case you couldn't tell from the incredibly boring title, I am not great at talking about myself. I always have a hard time deciding what actually makes me interesting or what people want to hear about me so I'll start with the basics.  I am a senior chemical engineering major here at OU. I have three cats at home but they're a pretty new addition so I don't have any pictures yet (sad I know). I've always wanted a dog but my mom doesn't like them so here we are. I never tell anyone I'm from somewhere since my family has moved almost every three years since I can remember. To date I have lived in: Hazen, ND, Salt Lake City, UT, San Antonio, TX, Ardmore, OK, San Antonio, TX (again), Nashville, TN, Prosper, TX, and of course Norman, OK. Moving around so much gave me a lot of appreciation for new places and new people. I enjoy traveling and am not afraid to go somewhere new. After graduation, I will be moving to Memphis, TN to start my new job! (Photo

(Open Book  Public Domain Photo ) I read through several storybooks from the last few years and there were three that really stood out to me. A Punishment of Tengu  I first read this story because I was interested in reading an Asian myth. A lot of the stories seemed to focus on Greek mythology, and while I find that topic very interesting, I was intrigued to learn about some folklore I have very little knowledge of. Once I started reading the storybook I really enjoyed that the format was a choose your own adventure style. I used to love reading those books as a kid and it was cool to learn about Japanese mythology by going on the adventure myself. The Book of All Letters  I looked at this story because I find folklore regarding language so interesting. I recently read a novel that focused on some mythology regarding the origins of words and the power of certain words. The book was very interesting and the story Runes from this storybook reminded me of the novel a lot. This

      It was way too hard to pick just one favorite place since I moved so much growing up, almost every three years. My favorite place tends to be wherever my family is living currently, but I decided to be more objective and pick only one from all the places we lived.   That would be San Antonio! Of course, everyone remembers the Alamo, (The Alamo in San Antonio, TX Wikipedia ) but my actual favorite place to go in San Antonio growing up was to the Pearl District near downtown. It's a cute area full of great food, shopping, and views of the riverwalk.  (The Pearl District at Night Flickr ) It's just one of the many places I loved in San Antonio when we lived there for seven years, a family record. My second favorite place is Cape Town, South Africa where I got to stay with my aunt for two weeks after my senior year of high school. It was so incredibly beautiful and we got to road trip around going to different landmarks and parks together.  (Cape

First test post