Mythology and Folklore Blog

Catskin (Royal Ball from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: There once was a rich man who wanted a son and instead had a daughter. Distraught he asked to never see her again. When she was old enough to be wed her dad said to marry her off to the first one to take her. This ended up being a gross old man so to postpone the marriage she asked for a cloak of silver, beaten gold, a feather of every bird in the sky, and catskin. When all of those had been provided she wrapped herself in the catskin and ran away. She got a job in the castle as a scullery maid where everyone called her Catskin. One day the prince had a ball to find a wife. Catskin wanted to go to the ball so she dressed in her silver cloak. The prince fell in love with her instantly. At the end of the night she had to go back to work as a maid. The prince, desperate to find her hosts two more balls and she attends them in her remaining cloaks. The final night the prince follows her and discovers that the woman he loves is the ma...

The Old Witch (Wicked Witch of the East from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: In this story, a girl goes to find work as a servant. On her way to find a job, she hears a loaf of bread asking to be taken out of the oven. Kindly, she does this. Then she hears a cow asking to be milked. Kindly, she milks the cow. Then she hears an apple tree asking to be picked. Kindly, she picks the apples. Eventually, the girl reaches the home of a witch who agrees to take her on as a servant but warns her to never look up the chimney. One day the girl forgets the instructions and looks up on accident and finds bags of money. She runs away with this money and the witch chases after her. She comes upon the tree and asks it to hide her from the witch. Then she does the same with the cow and the oven. When she gets home she becomes rich and marries her sweetheart and lives happily ever after. Her sister then decides to try and accomplish the same thing but refuses to help the cow, oven, and apple tree. When...

Beth Gellert (Blue Greyhound from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: There once was a prince who had a greyhound he loved very much named Gellert. This greyhound was his best hunting dog and as gentle as a lamb. One day the prince was going for a hunt and called for Gellert but he did not come. He went without Gellert and did not get much game. When he came home he found Gellert and noticed there was blood on his lips and fangs. The prince had a one-year-old son Gellert sometimes played with and in a panic, the prince ran to his nursery. In the nursery there was blood everywhere. Distraught, the prince stabbed Gellert with a sword, killing him to avenge his son's death. Then the prince hears a baby's cry. The young son was laying outside his crib and next to it was the carcass of a giant wolf. Realizing his error, the prince wept but there was no way to bring his beloved Gellert back to life. Lesson: Don't doubt your most faithful companions. Ideas: This story is re...

The Field of Boliauns (Leprechaun with Pot of Gold from Pixabay ) Plot: A young man named Tom was on a walk when he heard a sound in the bushes. Behind the bushes was a little leprechaun with a pitcher. Tom knew you cannot take your eyes of a leprechaun or you may lose their treasure. Tom then engages the leprechaun in a discussion about beer. The leprechaun claims that he can make beer out of heath which Tom claims is impossible. The leprechaun then tries to trick Tom into looking behind him at some cows. Tom almost takes his eyes off the leprechaun but at the last moment, he grabs the leprechaun and demands he show him his money or he will kill him. So he takes Tom to a field of boliauns and points out a specific bunch saying that's where his treasure is. Tom had to go back to get a spade so he tied a red garter around the specific bunch. Before Tom let the leprechaun go, he made him swear not to move the red garter. When Tom got back to the field he saw that every si...

The Red Eyed Duck (Horned Grebe from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: The Old Man was walking on his travels when a group of ducks persuaded him to stop. They wanted him to sing so they could all dance. The Old Man acquiesced and told the ducks that the next song was a medicine song and they must keep their eyes closed or they will turn red. As the ducks kept their eyes closed and danced around he would beat ducks that came near him with a bat and kill them to eat later. One little duck could feel that there were less ducks around and opened his eyes. He warned the remaining ducks and they flew away. That little duck's eyes were forever red and it became a horned grebe. The Old Man took the remaining ducks and roasted them on a fire. He then fell asleep. A coyote came along and saw the ducks and ate all the ones roasting above the fire. He then found the remaining ones roasting under the fire, ate their insides, and filled the skin with ashes. Then he left. The Old Man woke up and s...

The Theft from the Sun (Arapaho Leggings from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: There was an Old Man who was on a journey and went to the Sun's lodge. There the Sun said they should go hunting for deer meat. The Old Man agreed. The Sun showed the Old Man his special leggings which set fire to brush so that the deer would flee and could be easily killed. The Old Man decided he wanted to steal the leggings after seeing their usefulness. The two went hunting and that night the Old Man stole the leggings and walked as far from the Sun's lodge as he could. When he woke up he found that he was back in the lodge. When the Sun asked why he had the leggings he said he used them as a pillow. The Old Man repeated this thievery the next night only this time he ran as far as he could. Again he woke up in the Sun's lodge because the whole world is the Sun's lodge. The Sun told him since he wanted the leggings so much he could have them. The Old Man took them and went to set fire to t...

How Sickness Entered the World (Ladder Snake from Wikipedia ) Plot: There used to be no sickness in the world. Instead, everyone lived long healthy lives until it was time to meet the Great Spirit. There was an old medicine man who heard much from the Great Spirit and was widely regarded. He was getting very old and was too tired to meet the Great Spirit and asked two young men to meet the Great Spirit's messenger for him. The two men agreed and while they were waiting for the messenger a large snake approached. Frightened of the snake the men beat it to death. They waited and no messenger came. They went back to the old man and told him what had happened. The old man was dismayed for he knew the snake had been the messenger. When he told the men they had killed the messenger they became afraid and moved the body to another tribe's camp. Over and over men moved the snake's body from camp to camp. The snake's mate was enraged and laid an egg at each camp which the ...

The Plant that Grows in Trees (Mistletoe from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: Mistletoe used to grow on the ground like other plants until a bird moved it to the trees. A thunderbird could not find any berries so it came down to the ground and ate the berries from the mistletoe. After eating, the bird thanked the plant. The mistletoe was very sad and told the bird he would die anyway since he is the only plant with berries all year long. The thunderbird took pity on the plant and carried it up to the mesquite tree and placed it there. The plant was grateful but was saddened that he would survive and his seeds would fall to the ground where they would grow and be eaten by animals. To this, the thunderbird said the seeds would stick to the tree and would grow in the trees. In this way, the thunderbird saved the mistletoe from other animals and now mistletoe grows on trees. Lesson: The Tejas legends which I read for Part A had a lot of origin stories like the one I de...

Retribution (Chinese Water Carrier from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot:  There once was a boy named Ma who lived with his father. From his window, he can see the terrace of his neighbor Old Wang. One day Ma saw from his window Old Wang watering his flowers. Then he sees a water boy offering to help Old Wang water his flowers. He waves him away but the water boy climbs up anyway. Old Wang and the water boy struggle and Old Wang pushes the water boy away where he falls and dies. Worried about being discovered, Old Wang carries the body to the water edge and leaves it there. Ma decides to say nothing. Everyone in the village assumes he slipped and fell to his death. Nine years later, Ma sees the water carrier going into the home of the wealthy Lis. He had come back to earth to be reborn into the Li family. Seven more years pass and the young Li has grown into a small child and is playing with his pigeons. The pigeons land in Old Wang's garden where he is watering his flowers. The boy ...

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies (Cat and Dog Fighting from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: There once was a man and wife who had a golden ring. This ring was lucky and ensured that whoever had it would always have enough. The couple did not know this and sold the ring. They began to become very poor. Distraught, their dog and cat hatched a plan to get the ring back. The dog suggested the cat catch a mouse and force it to gnaw a hole in the chest where the ring was and bring it back to the cat. The cat and the dog set out for the house where the chest is. They encounter a river and the cat rides on the dogs back across it. The cat catches the mouse and makes it do their bidding. The cat carries the ring in its mouth and the cat and dog cross the river together. On their way home the dog has to run around the houses in the village on the ground but the cat climbs on top of the houses and runs across them to get home. The cat gets home first and is praised by its owner for bringing home go...

How the Wicked Tanuki Was Punished (A Tanuki from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: A tanuki was married to a fox and had a son. He thought he was very clever so they decided to do a trick. The tanuki pretended to be dead and the fox transformed herself into a woman and sold the tanuki coat for profit. The tanuki then escaped when left for dead and his wife bought food for the family. The tanuki became greedy though and the next time they ran out of food made his wife pretend to be dead. Seeing an opportunity for extra food, he told the merchant the fox wasn't really dead. The merchant then killed the fox. The tanuki is very pleased with himself and begins neglecting his young son. The son grew up and realized what happened so he planned a trick on the tanuki. He told his father he was a better magician than him. This caused the tanuki to make a bet that his son could transform into any shape and he would recognize him. The son ran and hid under a bridge while the king's p...

The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet (Wooden Bowls from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: A man and a wife lived in a village with their beautiful daughter. The family was once rich but lost its fortune over time. This makes the man very sad and he dies. The mother and her daughter made their way together. The mother noticed her daughter was getting more and more beautiful. This worried her as she knew the dangers beautiful girls have to worry about. She caught a cold and on her death bed asked her daughter to wear a wooden helmet which obscured her face. The girl agreed and the mother died. The girl gets a job working in the fields for a rich landowner. The other workers taunt her for wearing the helmet. One day the landowner's son comes home and sees the girl washing her face in a stream and falls desperately in love. He asks her to marry him every day. The girl refuses every day even though she likes him because she doesn't want to cause tensions. Her mother comes to her in a dr...

The Four Brothers who Brought a Dead Lion to Life. Which is to Blame when he Kills Them All? (Lion Skeleton from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: Four brothers are born to a family. When the father dies they are left in poverty. Sad to be poor the oldest tries to kill himself. When he fails to do so the four brothers decide to travel around the world to learn some magic. The first brother learns to put the proper flesh on any skeleton. The second brother can put any hair or skin on a skeleton with the proper flesh. The third brother can put the eyes and other sensory organs on a skeleton with proper flesh and hair or skin. The fourth brother can bring any animal with the proper skeleton, flesh, skin or hair, and sensory organs to life. To prove their skills the four brothers go in search of a skeleton to demonstrate their skills. They happen upon a lion skeleton and each performs their magic. Once the lion is brought to life he eats all of them. Which brother is to blame for their deat...

The Girl who Transposed the Heads of her Husband and Brother. Which Combination of Head and Body is her Husband? (A Goblin from Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: A laundry man finds a beautiful woman and falls desperately in love. Their fathers arrange for them to be married. The two are very happy and in love. One day the husband goes to the temple and is inspired by his reverence for the goddess and decides to make a sacrifice of himself and beheads himself. His brother-in-law comes into the temple and seeing this is devastated and does the same thing. The wife comes in and is horrified to find her husband and brother both beheaded. Distraught she goes to hang herself in a tree. The goddess stops her and says that if she puts the heads back on the bodies they will awaken. In a rush, the woman accidentally puts the wrong head on each body. The goblin asks the king which is her husband, the body or the head? Her husband is the body with the husband's head and the brother's body ...

From How the Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner (Sun and Moon from Nagy Imre Community Center )  Plot: The Sun, Moon, and Wind went out to dinner with their aunt and uncle, Thunder and Lightning. Their mother, a distant star, watched over everything for them. While they ate, the Moon put some of the food under her fingernail for her mother. The Sun and Wind did not think of their mother. When they went to see her after dinner, she asked what they brought her back. The Sun said she did not think of her mother as she was out enjoying dinner. The mother cursed the Sun and that is why her rays are so hot and miserable on hot days. The Wind also said she did not bring anything for her mother. Her mother cursed her and that is why on hot days the wind is so disagreeable in hot weather. The Moon shook out the wonderful meal she had saved for her mother. Please, the star blessed the Moon and that is why the Moon’s glow is gentle, beautiful, and cool. Characters: The selfi...

From The Charmed Ring (Cat and Dog by Charles Jervas on Wikipedia Commons ) Plot: A young man is given three hundred rupees by his father to make his fortune in the world. He immediately spends his money buying a cat, dog, and snake who were in danger of being hurt. His father is furious and throws him out of the house. The snake, it turns out, is the son of a man who possesses a magic ring, pot and spoon. The man and the snake travel to his home under a magical lake and the father give the young man his magic ring, pot, and spoon, as a thank you for saving his son. The son then returns to the surface where the magic ring creates a beautiful home with a beautiful princess inside who he marries. The pot and spoon provide them with all the food they could possibly want. One day the princess’s hair floats down the river to a nearby kingdom where a prince finds the hairs and falls impossibly in love with her. He is on his death bed pining for this unknown princess so his father, t...

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...

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 anothe...