Week 14 Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Crane)

Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

The Fisherman and His Wife

• A fisherman went fishing one morning and caught a flounder
• The flounder claimed to be an enchanted prince and asked to be released
• The fisherman released him and went home
• When he told his wife she asked why he didn't wish for anything
• She sent him back to the flounder to ask for a cottage because she was tired of the old hovel they were living in
• The fish granted it and sent the fisherman home
• He returned to his wife and she sent him back because she wanted a castle
• The flounder granted the wish again and sent him home
• His wife sent him back again because she wanted to be king
• The flounder granted it and sent him home
• She sent him back again because she wanted to be emperor
• The flounder granted it and sent him home
• She sent him back once more because she wanted to be pope
• The flounder granted it and sent him home
• She sent him back again because she wanted to have power over the sun/moon
• The flounder told him to go home and find his wife in the old hovel
• There they sit to this day

Aschenputtel

• There was a young girl and her mother died
• Her father remarried and the woman had two daughters of her own
• They treated Aschenputtel horribly
• The father asked them all one day what they wanted from town and all Aschenputtel asked for was the first twig to strike his hat
• He brought her back a hazel twig and she planted in on her mothers grave and wept
• A tree grew and every time she would return and weep a dove would appear from the tree and grant any wish she had
• One day the king ordered all of the beautiful women of the kingdom should attend a ball in which his son could choose a wife
• She asked her step-mother to go and her step-mother told her if she could pick up a dish full of lentils from the ashes in two hours she could go
• She called for the birds to help her and they finished the task in an hour
• Her step-mother said no and then told her if she could pick two full dishes of lentils from the ashes then she could go
• She called the birds to help her again and they finished in half an hour
• Her step-mother told her she couldn't go, she didn't have nice clothes and couldn't dance
• She went to the hazel tree on her mothers grave and wept and called out to the tree to let silver and gold fall over her
• The dove brought a beautiful silver and gold dress and shoes
• She went to the ball and her family didn't recognize her because she was so beautiful
• The prince wouldn't let her leave without going with her so she hopped in a pigeon-house
• They cut the house open but no one was inside
• She had snuck out and returned the dress and was in the kitchen
• The next day she returned to the tree with the same plea
• The dove brought down an even more beautiful dress
• She returned to the festival and the prince again wouldn't let her leave without going with her
• She ran and hopped into a pear tree in the garden
• They chopped the pear tree down but no one was in it
• She had snuck down the other side, returned the dress, and was in the kitchen where she belonged
• She did it for a third time but this time the prince had the steps covered in pitch so her left shoe would stick when she ran off
• He began searching for his bride that the shoe fit
• The eldest step sister tried it but couldn't get her big toe to fit
• Her mother told her to chop it off, she wouldn't need it when she was queen
• She did and crammed her foot into the shoe
• The prince took her and then realized the shoe was bloody, so he returned her
• He made the younger sister try on the shoe, but her heel was too large
• Her mother told her to cut off a piece of her heel, she wouldn't walk when she was queen
• The prince took her but too realized the shoe was bloody, so he returned her
• He asked if there was another daughter and they said no, only poor Aschenputtel from his first wife
• He ordered for her and she cleaned herself up, tried on the shoe, and it fit
• He took her off and they were married
• During the bridal procession the birds pecked the two step-sisters eyes out and they were blind because of their wickedness and falsehood

The Robber Bridegroom

• The was a man who had a daughter that said he would give her to any man who seemed worthy
• He met a nice man and decided he was worthy
• The daughter never felt right about the man and didn't know why
• One day the man asked why they had never met, they were to be married
• He convinced her to come visit him at his house deep in the woods
• She went and when she arrived no one was there and a bird inside gave her a warning
• She went into the cellar and there was an old woman
• The old woman told her that her soon to be husband was a robber and would kill her and eat her
• She hid her and told her to wait until the night and she would sneak her out
• The robbers returned with a young girl and begin to cut her up
• They cut one of her fingers with a gold ring off and it fell in the daughter's lap
• One of the robbers began to look for it but the old woman called them to eat and told them to resume tomorrow
• She put sleeping aids in their wine and they soon fell asleep
• The daughter and the old woman escaped
• When the robber came to their wedding the girl told them of her "dream" and then showed the finger with the ring
• The family and friends caught the robbers and executed them

(Grimm)

Week 13 Reading Diary: Brothers Grimm (Hunt)

Margaret Hunt's Household Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm (1884).

Hansel and Grethel

• A father and his wife discussed what to do because they were out of food
• The wife, step-mother, said to take the kids, Hansel and Grethel, into the woods and leave them
• The father said he couldn't, but he did
• Luckily, Hansel and Grethel were awake and heard the conversation
• Hansel collected white pebbles that shone in the moonlight for the next day
• The next day, the parents took the kids into the forest and left them
• Hansel had secretly dropped Pebbles the whole time they were walking
• Hansel grabbed Grethel by the hand when the moon came up and followed the trail back home
• When they arrived the step-mother scolded them, but their father cheered and his heart was heavy for leaving them
• The food supply again was scarce, so the mother decided to take them farther into the forest this time
• Hansel tried to sneak out and collect pebbles again, but their mother had locked the door and he couldn't get out
• So the next day he crumbled the small piece of bread he was given in his pocket, and spears the crumbs the whole walk
• The parents again built them a fire and left them
• When the moon came out Hansel took Grethel by the hand and told her he had dropped bread crumbs the whole path home and they could follow them in the moonlight
• They couldn't find the crumbs, the birds along the way had eaten them all
• They walked all night and all the next day until they grew too fatigued to continue
• They finally sat down under a tree and went to sleep
• Three days later and they only got farther into the forest
• They came upon a bird that sang beautifully and followed it to a house that was made out of bread, cakes and windows of sugar
• They began to feast when they heard someone ask who was eating the house
• Finally a very old woman on crutches came out of the house
• She told them to come in and they would be safe, she fed them and made them up beds
• She deceived them though and was actually a witch that lures children in and eats them
• Early in the morning she awoke before the children and drug Hansel to the barn and locked him up
• She made Grethel collect water and feed her brother to fatten him up so she could eat him
• Grethel got nothing to eat
• After weeks, the day finally came, and the witch had decided to cook Hansel and eat him
• The witch was heating up the oven and asked Grethel to get inside and see if it was warm yet, she planned to lock her in to cook and eat her too
• Grethel realized this and told the witch she didn't know how
• The witch put her head in the oven as a demonstration and Grethel gave her a shove, shut the iron door and locked it
• She witch miserably burnt to death
• Grethel ran to Hansel and released him, they rejoiced
• They went back into the house and collected as many jewels and pearls as they could, the house was covered in them
• They then decided to get out of the witches forest
• After two hours they came across a river with no bridge
• They called upon a duck nearby and asked it to carry them one at a time across the river
• After they crossed the forest became more familiar and they soon saw their fathers house in the distance
• They ran in and jumped into their father's arms and began emptying their pockets of all the jewels they collected
• Their father was sad every day they were gone
• Their step-mother was dead
• They lived together in perfect happiness

Thumbling

• There was peasant who discussed with his wife of how nice it would be to have children
• The wife agreed, and said even if they only had one and it were small, even as small as a thumb they would be satisfied
• The wife soon became ill and gave birth seven months later to a perfect son, the only thing was he was no longer than a thumb
• They loved him and acknowledged their wish had come true, they named him Thumbling
• One day the peasant was getting ready to go cut wood in the forest when he told himself that he wished he had someone to bring the cart to him
• Thumbling offered, but his father told him it was not possible for him to lead the horse by his reins
• Thumbling told his father that if his mother would put the harness on the horse, he would ride in the horses ear and guide him
• His father agreed to try it just this once
• On his way with the cart, two men saw the horse and heard someone leading him but saw no one
• They were intrigued, so they followed the horse and cart
• The cart arrived where it was supposed to and Thumbling's father got him out and set him down
• The two men decided to buy Thumbling when they saw him, they thought they could make money showing him off in town
• The father told them no, but Thumbling whispered in his ear to let them buy him and he would be back soon
• Thumbling rode on one of the man's hat to see the countryside
• When it started to get dark Thumbling asked to get down
• He slipped in a mouse-hole and told the gentlemen good evening, and to continue on without him
• They stuck their sticks in the mouse-hole to force Thumbling out, but he was useless
• It finally got too dark, and the men had to leave without him
• When Thumbling saw they had left, he decided to head home
• He decided it was not safe to travel at night and found a snail shell to sleep in
• Just before he went to sleep he heard two men asking each other how they would rob the rich pastor
• He told them he could help so they picked him up and took him along
• When they got there Thumbling snuck in and began yelling as loud as he could asking them if they wanted everything
• This eventually woke the maid and the thieves fled
• Thumbling found a pile of hay and decided to sleep there until morning
• In the morning he was sleeping so soundly that he didn't realize the maid was feeding the exact hay he was sleeping in to the cows
• When he awoke he was in the cows mouth, and out of fear of being dismembered by the cows teeth he slid down into the cows stomach
• The space grew smaller as more and more hay came pouring in
• Finally Thumbling began to cry out, bring me no more fodder
• The maid was milking the cow and the shouting frightened her, so she fell off her stool and spilt the milk
• She ran into her master and told him about the cow speaking
• When the pastor heard the noise coming from the cow he ordered the cow to be killed, thinking she was possessed
• She was dismembered and just as Thumbling was about to make his way out of the stomach, a wolf swallowed the stomach whole
• Thumbling told the wolf he knew of a house where the wolf could sneak in and eat a feast
• Thumbling tricked the wolf into sneaking into his parents house and he did so
• The wolf ate so much that he couldn't fit through the hole in which he snuck in
• Thumbling began making loud noises until his parents awoke and saw the wolf in the house
• Just as his father was coming with his axe, Thumbling yelled for him and told him he was in the wolf's stomach
• The father killed the wolf and they cut Thumbling out
• They embraced each other and told Thumbling they would never sell him again

Allerleirauh

• There was a king who had the most beautiful wife with golden hair, so beautiful that no one else in the world could compare
• She fell ill one day and knew she would die, she made her husband promise to never marry someone as beautiful as her or someone that had golden hair such as hers
• He promised and she died
• Later on, his council decided that he needed a wife to rule the kingdom again
• They began to search but could not find anyone as beautiful as his late wife
• One day the king looked upon his grown up daughter, who had golden hair such as his wife's and was very beautiful, and fell madly in love with her
• He told his council his intentions and they were shocked, this could not happen, it was wrong
• When he told his daughter, she was even more shocked, she decided to make stipulations she thought were impossible
• She asked for a dress as golden as the sun, a dress as silvery as the moon, and a dress as bright as the stars
• She also asked for a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur and hair, each animal in the kingdom had to give a piece of its skin for the mantle
• Her father did these things and placed them in front of her and told her the wedding was tomorrow
• She decided to sneak out in the middle of the night and take three things with her; a golden ring, a golden spinning-wheel and a golden reel; the three dresses in a nut shell; and wrapped herself in the mantle of a thousand different furs and put soot on her hands and face
• She walked the whole night until she reached a great forest, found a hollow tree, and went to sleep inside
• She continued to sleep through the following day and the king that resided over the forest was hunting
• The dogs surrounded the hollowed tree and began barking
• The king ordered his men to fetch what was in the tree
• When the men did, the girl awoke and began screaming and telling them she was an abandoned child
• They name her Allerleirauh and told her she could come with them and work in the kitchen
• They gave her a closet under the stairs and she did all of the dirty work in the kitchen
• One day there was a feast in the palace and she asked to go upstairs for awhile
• The cook gave her permission and told her to be back in half an hour
• She went upstairs and washed her face and hands and put on her golden sun dress
• She went to the party and danced with the king and no one knew who she was but they all were so intrigued by her
• After the dance she vanished and the king had his guards search for her with no success
• She took her dress off and covered her face and hands again with soot
• She returned to the kitchen and the cook asked her to make the King's soup and not to get any hairs into it
• She did and she put her golden ring in the bottom of the King's soup bowl
• The King thought it was the best soup he had ever tasted and then found the gold ring in the bottom
• He called for the cook and the cook feared she had gotten hair in his soup
• The King asked who made the soup and the cook replied that he had
• The King knew it was a lie because the soup tasted better than before and was made differently
• The cook finally admitted it was made by the rough animal and the King sent the cook after the animal
• This happened again except she wore the silvery dress this time and put the golden spinning-wheel in the King's soup bowl
• It happened a third time and she wore the bright dress, and put the golden reel in the King's bowl
• This time though she was late and put on her fur mantle over her bright dress and didn't cover her face and hands as well as before
• The King had also slipped the ring on one of her fingers without her knowing and this finger remained white
• When he summoned her this time he noticed her finger and grabbed her, her fur mantle opened a little and her dress shone through
• Her golden hair was revealed and her beauty the she washed her face and hands
• She was the most beautiful woman anyone had ever seen on earth
• He declared they would be wed and they lived happily until death

(Hansel and Grethel)

Week 12 Reading Diary, continued: Alice in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

A Mad Tea-Party

• The hatter, the march hare and a couple others were sitting at a dinner table under a tree in front of the house
• They were all crowded on one end with no room
• Alice sat on the other end in a large armed chair
• The hare said it was rude for her to sit without an invite
• She said she didn't know it was his table
• The hatter said her hair needed to be cut
• They talked
• The hatter stared at his watch uneasily
• He asked Alice a riddle
• She didn't know the answer
• The hatter and the hare said they didn't either
• Alice said they shouldn't waste time telling riddles they had no answer to
• The hatter said it's not wasted if you know him, Time that is
• They talked about how you could manipulate time if you were on good terms with him
• Now time was stuck at six o'clock
• The hatter was to sing and after he got a verse out the queen said he was murdering time, off with his head
• Since then time wouldn't do anything the hatter asked of him
• They woke up the dormouse to tell a story
• They offered Alice more tea, but she said she hadn't had any yet
• The story went on until Alice became so confused that she said she didn't understand
• She said, "I don't think....." and the hatter said, "Then you shouldn't talk."
• She left the tea party angry
• She found a door and opened it
• It led back to the hallway with the table
• She went to the door behind the curtain again and ate some of the mushroom she saved in her pocket
• She shrunk and went into the garden

The Queen's Croquet-Ground

• There was a white rose tree in the entrance
• There were three cards painting the roses red and arguing
• They eventually saw Alice
• Alice asked them why they were painting the roses red
• They explained they planted a white rose tree instead of a red rose tree and the Queen would behead them if she knew
• Then one shouted the Queen was coming
• A procession of guards, children, kings, queen, and the King and Queen of Hearts came upon them
• The Queen asked Alice who she was and who the three cards were laying face down
• Alice said she didn't know, it wasn't her business
• The Queen screamed Off With Her Head!
• Alice said Nonsense!
• The Queen saw the rose tree and told the guards to behead the three cards
• Alice hid them in a nearby flower pot
• The Queen asked Alice if she could play croquet
• Alice said she could and joined the procession
• They got to the croquet ground and Alice learned it was not your typical croquet
• The balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the guards doubled themselves up to make the arches
• Everyone played at the same time in a frenzy
• The Queen kept shouting for the beheading of players so Alice began to worry
• She was looking for a way to escape and noticed the cheshire cat's smile floating in the air
• Alice talked to the cat for a bit
• She was about to say why she didn't like the Queen but the Queen was close behind so Alice played it off
• Then the King came to see who Alice was talking to
• He didn't like the cat and told the Queen to have it removed
• She yelled Off With His Head and the King went to get the executioner
• Alice went looking for her flamingo and hedgehog
• When she returned the King, Queen and executioner were in a quarrel and the crowd was silent
• They eventually went to get the duchess, since it was her cat, and the cat started to disappear
• The King and executioner looked for the cat while everyone went back to the game

Who Stole the Tarts?

• There was a trial for the knave
• He was accused of stealing tarts the queen made
• The jury was made up of animals and birds
• The white rabbit called in the first witness, the hatter who was accompanied with the march hare and the dormouse
• The king demanded his evidence and if he was nervous he would have him executed at once
• Alice began to grow bigger
• The queen was still staring at the hatter
• She then demanded a list of the singers from the last concert
• The king eventually dismissed the hatter and he was out of sight before the queen said to behead him as he left
• The next witness called was the duchess' cook
• During his questioning the dormouse spoke and the queen called for his beheading
• During all the commotion the cook disappeared
• The next witness was called, Alice...

Alice's Evidence

• Alice had gotten so big that when she got up she knocked over the jury box with her dress
• She then picked up all of the jurors and put them back in their place
• After a couple of questions the king told her she was over a mile high and had to leave
• The white rabbit then said he had more evidence
• He had just received a letter, but it wasn't signed and it wasn't in the knave's handwriting
• The king and white rabbit went back and forth of how the knave could or couldn't have written it
• The knave swore he didn't write it
• The white rabbit read the letter
• The king then explained how it was the knave that authored it
• Alice disagreed and the queen finally demanded her head
• The cards began to attack
• The next thing Alice knew she was waking up to her sister wiping the leaves from her face that had fallen from the tree
• She immediately told her sister the curious dream she had
• Her sister agreed and sent her in for her tea
• Alice hurried home and thought of how wonderful her dream was

(illustration by Sir John Tenniel)

Week 12 Reading Diary: Alice in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Down the Rabbit-Hole

• Alice was bored and tired of sitting next to her sister
• A rabbit ran by her, exclaimed it was late, checked its watch in its pocket
• Alice thought it was strange so she followed the rabbit
• She saw it go in a rabbit hole so she followed it
• Before she knew it she was falling
• She fell what seemed like forever
• The fall finally ended and Alice plopped down unharmed
• She hopped up and saw the rabbit again running down a passage so she followed him
• He turned a corner and when she reached the corner he was gone and there was a long passage of doors
• Every door was locked
• She came upon a table that had a key
• She finally found a small door behind a curtain that the key fit
• She couldn't fit so she went back to the table
• There was a bottle labeled DRINK ME, so she did
• She shrunk to a size that could fit through the door
• She then realized she forgot the key on the table and couldn't reach it
• She found a box with cake that said, EAT ME, so she did
• She grew larger and grabbed the key and went to the door
• She now couldn't fit though the door
• She cried

Advice from a Caterpillar

• Alice peeks on top of a large mushroom and sees a caterpillar smoking hookah
• The caterpillar asked who she was
• Alice was confused, she didn't know who she was anymore
• The caterpillar made her angry
• He made her repeat a story
• She told him she wished to be larger
• He got up and left and said as he was leaving that one side of the mushroom would make her grow and the other side would make her shrink
• She broke off a piece from both sides and ate one, she started to shrink
• She then ate some of the other piece and her neck grew longer and longer
• She could no longer see her feet or hands
• She began to use her long neck to try and reach her hands
• A pigeon ran into her and began slapping her with his wings calling her a serpent
• She finally got to her hands and ate a little of each piece until she was back to her normal size
• She then came upon a house that was too small so she ate a little of one piece until she was small enough

Pig and Pepper

• There came a fish that knocked on the door and a frog answered
• They exchanged words and Alice laughed
• She hid in the woods so that they wouldn't see her
• The fish left and she went to knock on the door
• The frog told her it was no use cause he was outside and no one inside could hear her
• She kept asking how to get in and he kept repeating himself
• She finally went in and found a lady with a baby and a cook stirring a cauldron
• The kitchen was filled with smoke

(illustration by Sir John Tenniel)

Week 11 Reading Diary: Celtic Fairy Tales

Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (1892).

Connla and the Fairy Maiden

• The Fairy Maiden pressured Connla to come live in a land of paradise
• Only Connla could see the Fairy Maiden
• A land that saw no sorrow and the people lived happily forever
• Connla's father, the king, called upon Coran the Druid to send the Fairy Maiden away
• He did so, and she was gone
• She gave Connla an apple before she vanished and he only ate from that apple from that day forward, it would grow back after each meal
• Finally the day came and the Fairy Maiden returned and once again called for Connla to return with her
• Connla and the Fairy Maiden rode off in the sunset and no one knew where they went

The Field of Boliauns

• Tom came across a pitcher in his field while harvesting
• In it was a leprechaun and beer
• When Tom snatched the leprechaun up he spilt all of the beer
• Tom was angry and demanded the leprechaun to show him his money
• The leprechaun led him to a field of Boliauns and told him which one he had to dig under to recover the gold
• He forgot his spade so he tied a red garter around the Boliaun, made the leprechaun promise not to remove it and went home to fetch his spade
• When he returned his garter was gone and he couldn't dig up every Boliaun, there was 40 acres
• He returned home and cursed the leprechaun every time he thought of what happened

The Horned Women

• Twelve witches, the first with one horn and the twelfth with twelve horns, entered the mistresses home
• They sat around in a circle and wound and wove
• They told the mistress to make them a cake
• She went to get water from the well and a voice told her when she got back to the house to yell a chant three times, she did so
• The witches left and while they were gone she locked them out
• When they retuned they were outraged
• They returned home and cursed the Spirit of the Well

The Shepherd of Myddvai

• The shepherd took his flock to a lake and lay there while they grazed
• Three sisters came up from the water and he offered one his bread
• She said it was too overcooked and fled back to the waters
• He came back a second time with a loaf that was softer and she said it was uncooked and fled back to the waters
• The third time he gave her a piece that he found on the shore of the lake and it pleased her
• She said if he came back the next day and could pick her out of her sisters she would marry him
• He did and they wed, they returned to his home and she brought some animals with her
• She told them that if he struck her three times without cause she would leave him
• They had children and over the years he tapped her roughly three times
• She fled back to the lake and took the animals with her
• She only returned once when her sons were grown and she gave them the gifts of healing

(Celtic Fairy Tales)

Week 10 Reading Diary: American Indian Fairy Tales

American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned (1921).

Iagoo, the Story-Teller

• Iagoo was the wisest old man
• He told the children stories, which they loved
• There wasn't a story he didn't know

Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind

• A group of fishermen were fishing in the north for the summer
• Just as it started to get colder the fishermen decided to head back south for winter
• Shin-ge-bis laughed at them
• He said when the north wind came he could cut a hole in the ice to fish instead of using a net
• He dared the north wind to come in his wigwam next to his fire
• The fishermen left, but Shin-ge-bis stayed behind laughing at them
• They never expected to see him again

(continued)...

• Shin-ge-bis fished his holes during the day, and stayed warm in his wigwam at night
• The north wind came across and wondered who dared to be this far north in the winter after the other animals had fled
• He decided to put out Sin-ge-bis' fire that night
• That night the north wind tried to weaken his fire, but he couldn't and he even began to melt himself
• Shin-ge-bis laughed at him and mocked him
• The north wind dared Shin-ge-bis to come outside if he dared
• Shin-ge-bis decided he was warm enough to leave his wigwam and overpower the north wind
• They wrestled until daybreak
• Shin-ge-bis' blood remained warm due to the effort he put forth
• The north wind eventually weakened and fled north
• *Cheerfulness and courage can overcome even the north wind

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds

• Iagoo tells the children the story of the magical Big Rock
• There was a valley where a boy and girl lived in harmony with all of the animals
• Everyone was friendly with each other
• The valley was the most beautiful place
• The boy and girl's favorite animals were the jack rabbit and the antelope
• The river that ran through it especially made it such a pleasant place to live
• The beaver taught them to swim in a little pool and this became their favorite activity on a warm afternoon

(continued)...

• One day they swam too long and grew tired
• They decided to climb on a rock to get warm and dry, but they fell asleep
• The rock began to grow while they slept
• It grew so high that the top of the rock became lost in the clouds
• Their parents began searching for them, but had no such luck
• They asked all of the animals, and no one had seen the children
• The coyote decided to help because he could sniff out anything
• He led them to the rock and said that the children were at the top, lost in the clouds
• They wondered how this was, and each animal began to take its turn trying to jump to the top of the rock
• Finally a small voice claimed he could try, it was the measuring worm
• It took him a whole month to get to the top
• When he reached the summit, he awoke the children and led them down a path no one else knew of
• The Indians named the rock after him because of the big, brave thing he did

(Iagoo)

Week 9 Reading Diary: Tejas Legends

When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton (1936).

When the Storm God Rides

• Storm God rides his bird along the coast to collect feathers from the birds
• He creates thunder, lightning, clouds, wind and rain
• When the Indians would hunt the birds, the birds would cry to the storm god for help
• The storm god hopped on his bird and went to help
• He caused a raging storm and the waters rose over the plains
• When the water receded it dropped pieces of mud and sand and built up islands for the birds off the coast
• Today these small islands remain and the birds are safe there

How the North Wind Lost His Hair

• The north and south wind did not get along
• The north wind was an old man with gray hair that always killed the flowers and made the Indians shiver
• The south wind was young and always brought life to the flowers
• There was a time when the north wind would not leave and the south wind grew angry
• They fought and the south eventually won and pulled the old north's long grey hair out
• He threw it over the trees in excitement, this is still around today known as Spanish Moss

The Plant That Grows In Trees

• The thunder bird was hungry and could only find the berries from mistletoe to eat
• He thanked the bush for its delicious berries and the bush explained that he would not live long
• The bird then carried the mistletoe up into a tree so that animals from the earth could no longer eat and kill the plant
• He promised that other birds would do the same as him and the mistletoe would live forever and grow in the tress

Why the Woodpecker Pecks

• One young indian sneaks out at night to try the mescal plant that the medicine men eat and see miraculous things
• He convinces the other children to eat, then their fathers and then their mothers
• They all quit everything like hunting, gathering and only eat the berries from the mescal plant
• One day the children began to hunt for food and one mother opens her eyes and realizes all of the children are gone
• She wakes everyone up and they begin to search
• The manitou tells them he hid the children in hallow trees away from the hot sun and he will turn them into birds so they can find their children
• When they find their children he will turn them back into humans
• This is why the wood peckers peck

The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail

• The old frog tried to warn the indians that a big flood was coming
• The birds listened and retreated to high trees, but the indians and the woodpecker laughed at the frog
• The flood came and washed the indians away
• The woodpecker couldn't see from the rain so he flew from tree to tree
• He landed on a tree branch that was above the flood, but his long tail was still in the water
• A fish saw this and bit the wood peckers tail off
• Leaving a jagged, stumpy tail behind

(Storm God)

Week 7 Reading Diary: Stories from Congo

Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).

How The Wives Restored Their Husband To Life

• A man had three wives
• He was killed by an ox while hunting
• One wife dreamt he died
• Another led them to his body
• The third wife brought him back to life
• They decided to let him decide who's hut he would enter first
• They each cooked him a pot of food
• He chose the third wife because she brought him back to life
• Most thought he was right, others thought he should've mixed all the food into one pot and eaten it mixed together

How Gazelle Got Married

• A man had two daughters and decided that whoever could guess their names could marry them
• The antelope asked for their hand in marriage and the father said no unless he could guess their names
• The gazelle came with his dog and asked to marry the daughters and was told the same as the antelope
• The gazelle went home but his dog stayed behind
• After many failed attempts the dog finally made it home to tell his owner their names
• They went so the gazelle could claim the daughters
• The antelope declared war but the gazelle killed and ate him

The Vanishing Wife

• There were two brothers, one was married and had servants, the other was alone and despised
• The despised brother decided to flee into the jungle
• Once there he had a dream about a woman
• He awoke and remembered the dream and did as he was told to do in the dream
• The woman, servants, a house, everything he had ever dreamed of appeared
• The only request the woman had was for him to cut the heads off of the fish before he brought them to her to cook
• One day he didn't and the woman, servants and everything disappeared
• His brother just so happened to visit him after this and despised him even more and left him alone

Another Vanishing Wife

• A miserable looking child ran away from his family, who treated him horribly, and wandered to a river
• He got in a canoe there and paddled until he came across a tree that covered the river
• He pulled the leaves off and they turned into people
• One became his wife
• He was made handsome and given nice clothes and a nice home
• His family invited him home, his wife warned him not to tell of his happiness
• He told his family how he received his happiness and everything he had vanished
• The people said it served him right for not being loyal to his loving wife, but giving into his family which never treated him well

The Jealous Wife

• There was a man with two wives, each wife had a child
• The father left to go into the bush and the wives had to take care of the children
• The younger wife went fishing and left the children with the elder wife
• The younger wife's child was much more bright than the elder wife's child and that made her jealous
• She decided to kill the younger wife's child, but when she did she realized that it was her child she had killed
• She took the body and fled into the woods
• The father returned and wouldn't believe what he was told
• They searched for the elder wife until they found her singing to the dead child
• They killed her and burned her body

Ngomba's Balloon

• A girl was sick
• She went fishing and met a murderer
• She promised him that if he cured her she would feed him her fish
• He cured her and then married her
• She planned to escape
• He planned to kill her, but never did
• She finally escaped and went to her mother
• He followed and went to claim her
• Her family tricked him into a hole and killed him

The Wicked Husband

• The wife asked for more palm nuts
• The husband forced her to come with him if she wanted them
• She refused
• He drug her into the woods and cut off her arms and legs
• A hunter heard her crying and told his wife what he had seen
• Word got around to the prince and he ordered his people to get the woman
• She died just as she arrived back in town
• They burned her husband

How Kengi Lost Her Child

• Two wives grew their own crops
• They came to an agreement that whatever was born on each of the wife's land was exclusively theirs
• One wife bore a child on the other's land
• The other wife claimed the child and would not give it up
• They went to "court" and it was ruled that this was right

The Twin Brothers

• A brother travelled to a town to marry a girl
• There were mirrors that were covered and she showed him all but one
• He insisted and it was of a town that no man returns
• He left to visit the town and was killed
• His brother went looking for his twin and was mistaken for his brother
• He also went to the town but killed the woman that killed his brother and brought his brother and many people back to life
• They argued about who the followers belonged to
• The brother brought back to life killed his brother but not his horse
• His horse brought him back to life and then he went and killed his brother

The Younger Brother Who Knew More Than The Elder

• The younger brother left his town because he didn't get along wit his brother
• He and his wife came across a man and his wife living in the woods and asked to live with them
• The two had their wives dig a trap for animals and decided the younger brother would take the males and the man would take the females
• They caught many males but no females
• The wife of the younger brother went looking for wood but never returned
• The man and the younger brother went to look for her and found her in the trap
• By their agreement she belonged to the man
• The older brother went hunting and ran across them
• The man asked the older brother and he agreed
• The man jumped into the pit to kill the younger brothers' wife
• The older brother claimed the man now belonged to the younger brother so he could bargain for his wife
• The man gave up the woman and the brothers and the wife returned to their town

(The Congo River)

Week 6 Reading Diary, continued: South African Folktales

South African Folktales by James Honey (1910)

The Dance for Water

• There was a drought
• All of the animals came together and decided to dance in the riverbed to stomp the water out
• Rabbit refused to dance
• They danced until there was water and told rabbit he could have none
• Rabbit snuck down at night and drank from the riverbed
• He bragged the next day so the others decided to trap him
• Turtle acted as a stone by the river and rabbit stuck to him
• He took rabbit back to others and they decided he should be killed
• The lion swung him by his tail and the fur fell out and rabbit was free

Jackal and Monkey

• Jackal would steal lambs from the farmer's corral
• One day the farmer set a trap and caught the jackal
• Monkey saw the jackal and went down to mock him
• Jackal convinced the monkey he was not in a trap and that he was just hanging for his enjoyment
• He convinced monkey to trade him places
• Monkey was caught and the farmer came
• The farmer killed monkey

The Story of Hare

• Five animals were appointed to guard the animals food one at a time, each one failed and each one was killed
• The sixth time the hare was appointed to guard the food
• He killed the animal that was stealing the food
• He then ate its tail
• The others told the chief the hare ate the tail and the chief wanted him dead
• They chased the hare into a hole
• They set a trap but he escaped
• The hare found another animal cooking meat
• He stole his meat and killed him
• He went into the forest and monkeys threw leaves on him while he was building weapons
• He called the monkeys down and killed them

The White Man and Snake

• The white man came across snake who was stuck under a stone
• White man lifted the stone off of her and she wanted to bite him
• They went to wise men to see if she should bite him
• Jackal wanted to see how she was stuck with his own eyes
• They reset the scene
• Jackal told white man to leave her under the stone because she wanted to bite him

Jackal, Dove, and Heron

• Jackal tricked dove into thinking he could fly so she would give up her young ones
• Heron told dove that jackal could not fly
• Jackal came back for another child and dove told him what heron had said
• Jackal went and beat heron's neck and broke it in the middle
• Since that day heron's neck is bent

Elephant and Tortoise

• Elephant told rain he didn't need him so rain went away
• There was only one lagoon left and elephant told tortoise to guard it for him
• All the animals came and asked for water but tortoise told them it was elephants
• The lion beat tortoise and then all the animals drank the water
• The elephant returned and learned of the news and so he swallowed tortoise
• Tortoise tore off elephant's liver, heart, and kidneys
• Elephant died and tortoise lived

The Judgement of Baboon

• Baboon assembled the animals to figure out who did the crime
• He was foolish and couldn't figure out who did
• Today he walks on all fours

When Lion Could Fly

• Lion could fly
• Lion kept bones in a corral that he didn't want broken
• Frog went and broke the bones
• Lion could no longer fly and went to find frog
• Frog was too quick and lion couldn't catch him

Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother

• Lion's mother warned him to beware of the man
• Lion thought that was foolish since he knew the man
• Lion went where his mother told him not to and man and dogs attacked lion
• Lion returned home
• Lion's mother told him again

Lion Who Took a Woman's Shape

• Women went to gather food
• A woman and lion hunt each other
• The lion eats the woman but saves her skin
• He wears her skin and returns home
• Her family retrieves her heart
• Puts her heart in milk
• Her heart grows into the daughter

(lion)

Week 6 Reading Diary: South African Folktales

South African Folktales by James Honey (1910)

The Lost Message

• Each of the different species of ants come together
• They all want to find a way to better protect themselves from their enemies
• In the end they all disagree on how to solve their issues and end up no better off than before
• Each species tries to solve their problems their own way and none of them are successful
• The insect king sent them the secret of unity to solve their problems, but he sent the beetle as his messenger and they have yet to receive the message

The Monkey's Fiddle

• The monkey was given a bow and arrow, and a fiddle by his uncle
• The monkey met a wolf who was trying to catch a deer
• The monkey killed the deer with his bow and arrow
• The wolf became jealous of the monkey and threatened the monkey to give him his bow and arrow
• The jackal came by and the wolf claimed to the jackal that the monkey stole his now and arrow
• They decided to settle the matter in the court of the lion, tiger and other animals
• The monkey lost and was sentenced to hanging for his crime
• The monkey asked to play his fiddle one last time
• Everyone began dancing uncontrollably
• They begged the monkey to stop
• He requested to be set free and be given his bow and arrow back
• They did as asked and then they all fled to different parts of the world

The Tiger, The Ram, and The Jackal

• The tiger came across the ram, whom he had never met
• He ran home to the jackal in fear
• The jackal told him not to fear and that they would go back tomorrow to slay the ram
• The ram saw them coming and asked his wife what to do
• His wife said to take their child out, pinch him to make him cry so the tiger and jackal will think he's hungry
• The ram did so and then yelled to the jackal thanking him for bringing the tiger to feed his child
• The tiger took off in fear again and drug the jackal behind him all the way home

The Lion, The Jackal, and The Man

• The lion and the jackal were discussing business when the lion began boasting about how strong he was
• The jackal told him he wasn't the strongest
• The jackal took him to a man
• The lion tried to attack the man
• The man stabbed him a few times and shot at him
• The lion retreated and told the jackal he was not the strongest

The World's Reward

• A dog was getting old and his owner wanted to get rid of him
• So he decided to set off on his own
• He met a bull, ram, donkey, cat, cock, and goose
• They all came upon a house of robbers eating dinner
• They were all hungry so they decided to scare off the robbers
• When the robbers fled the animals ate and then decided to stay the night
• One robber came back to see if the coast was clear and the animals attacked
• The robber ran back terrified to the others and said the coast was not clear

(South African veldt, Mpumalanga)