Storytelling for Week 14: The Wicked Witch of the West

The Wicked Witch of the West

There once was a prince who desperately needed a wife in order to take the throne. His requirements were that she was a princess, beautiful, and loving, Months went by with no luck of finding a woman who met those qualities, and the prince began to lose hope. Then one day, there was a knock at the gate. It caught everyone off guard because it was storming violently. The even bigger surprise was that the person who knocked on the gate was a woman. This woman had long blonde hair and was the most beautiful woman the prince had ever seen.

Mesmerized by her incredibly good looks and charm, the prince let her into the house for some tea. The two talked for hours and then the prince asked one last question. This woman had it all, but the prince feared that she may not be a princess. To his joy, the woman was a princess. The prince was determined to make her his wife and proposed on the spot. There was something off about the princess, but the prince was too focused on her good looks. The two married the very next day and the prince seemed to be the happiest man in the world. 

The princess was no ordinary woman. She was the Wicked Witch of the West and had tricked her way into marriage with a prince twice before. Shortly after her weddings, she would poison the prince and become the new leader. She was a power thirsty and would not stop at anything to achieve it. Her secret to getting the men to fall in love with her was her love spell, which could make anyone fall in love with someone.  

(Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman)

Luckily for the prince, his loyal servant did his research into who the woman truly was. He discovered that she was really the Wicked Witch of the West and had been known to marry and kill the prince to achieve power. So before the witch could do anything, they sentenced her to death and killed her. 

Author's Note

The original version of the story had a prince looking for a "real" princess to marry, but he could not find any. This was until a princess knocked at their gate during a storm. The way they tested to see if the princess was "real" or not was by forcing them to sleep on a bunch of mattresses with a pea at the bottom. If the woman could feel the pea and not sleep well, then they were deemed a "real" princess, This woman felt the pea and slept poorly, therefore she was "real" and the prince married her. I wanted to make this story a little darker and so I made the woman a witch who kills her husband and rules over kingdoms. 

Bibliography

Original: The Princess and the Pea

Author: Hans Christian Andersen translated by H.P. Paull

Year of Translation: 1872

Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

Week 13 Storytelling: Puss in Boots

The Origin Story of Puss in Boots

Once upon a time in a far away land existed a cat. The cat was not an ordinary one. His name was Puss and he was able to speak just like the people and wore black boots.

Puss' parents were brutally murdered by a wolves when he was just a young boy. and would change him forever. Just before the wolves arrived at their home, his parents hid him. Watching his parents die right before his eyes changed him forever.

A few days later when Puss ran out of food and water, he walked into the nearby town. He was spotted by a man by the name of Marquis. Marquis felt bad for the poor cat and brought him food and water without any questions. The man told him that he would leave food and water outside of his door in case he needed anything. This went on for a few weeks until, Marquis finally asked where his family was and what was wrong. Feeling indebted to the man, Puss felt obligated to tell him.

After hearing how the cat had lost his parents, Marquis felt horrible and offered to let Puss stay at his home with him. Puss immediately accepted and was extremely thankful for Marquis graciousness. So thankful that Puss promised to repay him through his friendship, loyalty, and animal hunting ability.

Now that Puss lived in the town, he was walking on hard ground a lot more. This caused his feet to hurt, get sore, and his nails to dull. Luckily for Puss, Marquis knew just what to do. Marquis bought him custom sized black leather boots to protect his hind feet. After a while, Puss was able to walk on his hind legs just like a human. Puss and Marquis were the best of friends and did everything together. This is the origin story of Puss in Boots and the rest is history.

(Puss in Boots)

Author's Note

The original story was pretty much nothing like this one and Puss' parents were not murdered by wolves. I wanted to write a more personal story about the relationship between Marquis and Puss because I felt like the original did not tell much about it. In the original, the author tells a lot about how Puss essentially gets Marquis married to the princess, but not really much about why Puss feels the need to do so much for him.

Bibliography

Author: Andrew Lang

Year: 1889

Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 12: The Drawing of the Sword

The Drawing of the Sword

Long ago, after King Uther Pendragon died, an age of darkness filled England. People were starving, criminals were left unpunished, and there was no end in sight for there was no ruler. Then, one day a giant stone with a sword inside appeared outside of the Great Church in London. Etched on the sword was "The one who pulls out this sword shall be the new king of England." People went crazy over this, resulting in a tournament to see who could remove the sword.

Arthur, a young boy was the foster son of Sir Ector and foster brother of Kay. It was the day of Kay's knighting and Arthur had forgotten his sword. Feeling horrible, he rode home to fetch his sword. On his way, he ran into an odd looking tree that was very large and had a door on it. His curiosity led him to knock on the door to see who lived there. An old man opens the door and says hello, followed by asking what the boy wanted. Arthur explains that he was fascinated by the tree and had to meet the interesting person who lived inside. "Well thank you, my name is Merlin," the old man said. Arthur was shocked, as he has only heard stories of him. Merlin liked Arthur's enthusiasm so much that he vowed to be his mentor. Merlin sensed that this boy was special.

After meeting Merlin, he rushed off to get Kay's sword. A half of an hour later, Arthur returned with his sword and told Kay that he met Merlin and that he would be his mentor. Kay refused to believe him and told him he was stupid. The tournament to remove the sword was the next day so they went to bed early to get some rest. 

The tournament was packed. People from all over England came to try to pull out this sword. Arthur never thought he had a chance to pull the sword out, but decided to try anyways. The day went on and no one could pull out the sword, not even the biggest and strongest of knights. After Sir Ector and Kay failed to remove the sword, Arthur got his shot. He walked up to the sword and pulled as hard as he could thinking that it would require a lot of force. The sword came out of the stone as if the stone was a sheath to the sword, sending Arthur falling to the ground. All of London was in attendance and was in shock. Arthur was crowned King of England that very day. He would go on to have many adventures with Merlin and become the best king of all time.

(The Sword in the Stone)

Author's Note

My version of the story is very similar to the original version. The biggest difference in my story was that he met Merlin on his way to fetch Kay's sword. In the original, the sword said that whoever pulled out the sword was the King by birthright, meaning that they were a child of King Uther Pendragon. Arthur was given to Sir Ector by Merlin when he was a child, and Merlin told him that you would know who his father is when the time comes. The time came when Arthur removed the sword, and he realized that he was the son of King Uther Pendragon. I decided to have Arthur remove the sword in front of a huge crowd for the first time, rather than having him pull it out without anyone looking at first and having to prove to everyone that he really did it. I tried to make it similar to the movie. I chose the picture from the Sword in the Stone movie because that was how I pictured Arthur. Just ignore the fact that the sword was in an anvil instead of a stone.

Bibliography

Title: The Drawing of the Sword

Author: Andrew Lang

Year: 1902

Storytelling for Week 11: The Master And His Pupil

The Master And His Pupil

Once upon a time, there was a great sorcerer. He was able to live for hundreds of years because of his magic, allowing him to become the most powerful sorcerer the world had ever seen. As the years went one, he became bored and wanted to allow himself to die of old age. So he decided to take a pupil under his wing to pass on his knowledge. 

The sorcerer searched for years. He wanted to be one-hundred percent sure of the person he selected to teach because his magic in the wrong hands would be catastrophic. Finally, in a town of the North, he found his pupil. It was a young man by the name of Aladdin. Despite being a peasant and living on the streets, Aladdin shared all he had with the others, often receiving nothing in return. There was a purity in his soul that the sorcerer had never seen before. 

He approached Aladdin the following day and told him his story. Aladdin was amazed and wanted to hear more. Not once did he interrupt the sorcerer or try to one-up his stories. Once the sorcerer was finished telling him his life story, he told him that he would teach him if he would like. Without hesitation, Aladdin told him it would be his honor to carry on his legacy. 

Due to the immense knowledge the sorcerer had attained over his long life, it would take many years to teach him everything he knew. Aladdin was fully aware of the commitment required, but he would do anything to get off of the streets. 

The young man was the hardest worker the sorcerer had ever seen, as they trained relentlessly. His talent and power had soon surpassed even his own. Aladdin wanted to become the best and most legendary sorcerer to have ever lived, and he did. The sorcerer could now rest easy knowing that his legacy had been passed down. 

(The Karate Kid)

Author's Note

I chose this story because of how easily adaptable it was. Having seen Disney's Fantasia and Sorcerer's Apprentice, I knew I could do something fun. In the version of the story that I read, the pupil was an idiot and wasn't taught anything. He was more of a servant to the sorcerer than his pupil. The sorcerer's spells are all in a leather book that the pupil hadn't been able to read. One day he forgot to lock the book before he went out and the pupil's curiosity about the book led him to open it and read a spell. In doing so, he summoned a demon and nearly died had the master not realized he forgot to lock it and returned. I decided to make it more of a master and pupil relationship with my story because it is in the title after all. I thought Aladdin's character would be a good fit for his pupil, since he came from nothing.

Bibliography

Title: The Master And His Pupil
Author: Joseph Jacobs
Year Published: 1890
Web Site Source: Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 10: Why the Dog's Ears Flop

Why the Dog's Ears Flop

The dog has always been different than his wild cousin the wolf, but his urge to please and fit in prevented him from being himself. Thanks to their very similar appearance, he hid it very well. His ears stood up straight and his tail held high just like the wolf. 

Struggling to find food, the dog wandered into the camp of a tribe of Indians. He was attracted to the camp by the sweet and savory smell of deer and bear meat. Salivating uncontrollably, the dog was astonished at how much food there was. The men, women, and children of the tribe pleasantly greeted him. The dog was in heaven as they rubbed his back, head, and belly. He had never experienced such a feeling while living with the wolf. The petting felt so good that he nearly forgot about his hunger. It was then he realized that he was where he was supposed to be. 

Making his way through all of the rubs, he reached a man that was skinning some of the meat. The dog politely said to the Indian that he would fight off all other animals for some food. Protecting their food was difficult for the tribe, so the Indian gladly agreed and gave some meat to the dog. Their agreement went on for many days, as the dog fought off bears and wildcats. He even began to assist the Indian in hunting for rabbits. The relationship between the dog and Indian quickly blossomed into a great friendship.

One night some of his wild cousins, the wolves approached the camp. He was growling and refused to let them pass. Asking what they wanted, the wolves responded by telling him that they just wanted to see how he liked his new friends, the Indians. Thinking they were telling the truth, the dog put his guard down and the wolves sprinted after some of the hanging meat. 

He began barking as loud as he could to wake up the tribe and ran after the deceitful wolves. He attacked the wolves, scratching, clawing, and biting with all of his might. The wolves were forced to forget about the meat and defend themselves, or surely face death. 

The wolves were now angry and began to surround the dog. Although a few were badly injured, there were still a good number left. Once he was surrounded, the wolves pounced on him and bit him repeatedly until the Indian ran out with a spear. The wolves fled, having got none of the meat. If the Indian came out any later, the dog may not have survived. As he stood up he realized that his ears no longer stood straight up on their own. One of the bites severed part of the muscles that held his ears upright. He was consoled by the Indian and explained what had happened. The Indian was so impressed by his bravery and loyalty that he told the whole tribe what had happened. Everyone was joyful and made him a permanent home at the camp. This is the story of why the dog’s ears flop.

(Golden Retriever)

Author's Note

I chose this story because I really like dogs and thought I could retell it in a way that makes the dog look better. In the original, the dog first lives with his cousin, the wolf, until he became very hungry after not finding food for a few days. He then walks into the camp of an Indian tribe after seeing strips of deer and bear meet hanging from a pole. There was an Indian turning the poles so the meat would dry. The dog approached him and made an agreement to protect his food in exchange for some food. Everything was going well until some of his wolf cousins came one night and misled him. The wolves told him that they just wanted to see how he was liking his knew friends, the Indians, but they ended up raiding the food. He became so ashamed that his ears flopped down and his tail then went between his legs every time men shouted at him.

Bibliography

Title: Why the Dog's Ears Flop
Author: Florence Stratton
Year Published: 1936
Web Site Source: Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 6: The Tiger and the Frog Part 2

The Kingdom of the Frogs

The frog stood proudly after managing to scare away a tiger not once, but twice. Feeling very fortunate to have survived the day, the frog jumped back in the river and went about his day. Little did he know that there was an observer of what had happened that day. 

A bird had been perched on a tree branch minding his own business when he heard the exchange between the tiger and the frog. Intrigued about what was to come, the bird decided to stay and watch how the situation would unfold. 

The bird was impressed by the frog's ability to convince the tiger that he jumped across the river and that he killed and ate a tiger. He was so impressed that he vowed to tell all of the animals in the jungle the story of how the King of the Frogs was able to defeat the tiger, and even a fox. 

News of the brave frog scaring away a mighty tiger quickly made its way throughout the jungle. Soon all of the frogs in the jungle wanted to meet and live with the so called "King of the Frogs." Meanwhile, the frog was just relaxing in his river, completely unaware of what was to come. 

Before the frog realized, there were thousands of frogs serving him. The frog embraced his self-anointed role as King of the Frogs, and this is how the Kingdom of the Frogs came to be. Their kingdom was incredible; with burrows running all along the river, lily pads everywhere, and food aplenty. Everything was going perfectly for the kingdom, but the King knew the tiger would return for revenge. 

(King of the Frogs)

The tiger found himself on the other side of the jungle after running away from the frog. Embarrassed and exhausted, the tiger finally came to his senses. He felt stupid for believing that a frog could kill and eat a tiger, and knew that there must have been some trickery involved. Anger filled the tiger and he craved revenge. Determined to redeem himself, the tiger made his way back to the river.

After days of trekking through the jungle, the tiger finally arrived. Clouded with blood-thirst and unaware of the newly formed kingdom, he rushed into attack the frog who once embarrassed him. The frogs reacted quickly to protect their king and swarmed the tiger. The tiger was caught off guard and overwhelmed by the number of frogs attacking. Proving too much for him to handle, the frogs successfully drowned the tiger.


In celebration, the frogs cooked the tiger and had a magnificent feast. The Kingdom of the Frogs learned a lesson that would change them forever. They learned that united they stand and divided they fall, for they had strength in numbers.

Author's Note

This is my version of a sequel to The Tiger and the Frog. When writing this, I wanted to have all of the lies of the frog in the original to come true. Although he lied about being the "King of the Frogs", I decided it would be fun to have that lie come true. I also wanted the tiger to come back only to find his doom, so I thought creating a kingdom of frogs would be a cool way to accomplish that. One frog obviously couldn't kill a tiger, but maybe thousands of them working together could. 

Bibliography

Title: The Tiger and the Frog

Author: A.L. Shelton

Year Published: 1925

Web Site Source: Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook

Week 5 Storytelling: How the Dog Came to Live with Man

How the Dog Came to Live with Man

Many years ago, the forest was a peaceful place for all of the animals. The animals held many celebrations during this time of peace, however the biggest and most important of all was the "Ka lew Luri Lura" (The Fair of Luri Lura). Occurring every few years, every animal was forced to attend and to bring something to sell. In order to ensure every animal attended with something to sell, the tiger, U Khla was put in charge. 

Although not very successful at the time, Man hunted the animals, therefore they were banned from these celebrations. The animals of the forest never dared to leave their home and touch the land of Man, for fear of certain death. This all changed when the dog decided to leave and serve Man. 

U Ksew, the dog, was having no luck finding something to sell at the fair. He searched the entire forest, but could find nothing. The dog wanted nothing more than to find something worthy to sell at the fair, so he did the unthinkable and went to the village of Man. 

The dog was different from the other animals, in that he was fluffy, loyal, loving, and pleasant-looking. Due to these qualities, the dog was approached and rubbed by multiple children upon entering the village. This was a delightful surprise for him, and found that he enjoyed the affection and attention. He was so happy that he had completely forgot why he was there, until he smelled the most intriguing odor.

Curious to know what was producing the peculiar smell, U Ksew followed the scent, bringing him to the home of Man and his family. Man quickly invited the dog inside to join them for dinner. Abiding, he entered the home.

Excited to see a dog in his house, Man asked, "What brings you to our village? I have never seen your kind out of the forest." The dog responded:

"Fearing that I wouldn't have anything to sell for the upcoming festival, I had no other choice but to try my luck here. Just when I thought I would leave empty handed, I smelled something unique and followed it to your home. May I ask what it is?"

The scent was coming from fermented Khasi beans, otherwise known as ktung rymbai. Despite the smell, the man promised that it tasted wonderfully. U Ksew immediately fell in love with the taste and requested a jar to sell at the festival.

After receiving the jar of ktung rymbai, he headed back to the forest with a smile on his face. The dog made sure to get to the fair early and get a good spot because he was certain that his item would be the talk of the fair.

So the fair came and U Ksew could hardly contain his excitement. He told everyone how great his item was, consequently leading to all of the animals at the fair to gather around his table. They all wanted to know what was in the jar and demanded he show them. Breaking the seal, the dog opened the jar and out poured the concentrated stench of the fermented Khasi beans.

The animals were caught off guard by the different smell and shouted "Gross, close the jar before we all get sick and die!" U Khla, the tiger then proclaimed,  "This is the worst item ever brought to the Ka lew Luri Lura and I ban you from ever attending this fair again!" U Ksew promised that the contents of the jar were the best tasting food he has ever tasted, but nobody would listen.

Now depressed, U Ksew thought of how he was treated by the people of the village. They kindly gave him food and displayed kindness, so he decided to go back to Man's home, forever. U Ksew had no allegiance to the animals of the forest after what had happened at the Luri Lura. He knew he could use his knowledge of the forest, speed, strength, and nose to help with the hunting troubles of Man. By offering his assistance, U Ksew could be fed and loved for the rest of his life.

Confident in his plan, the dog told Man his offer. Man was ecstatic and quickly accepted. Their mutually beneficial friendship was everything they could have hoped for. Man's hunting problems disappeared and the dog was happy for the rest of his life. That is the story of how the dog came to live with Man.

(Evolution of Man and Dog)

Author's Note

In the original version of the story, the dog is lazy and decides to look for something to sell in the village. There is no worry in the dog when he enters the village and openly talks to the people. After receiving the jar of ktung rymbai, the dog boasted and bragged about his item to all the animals at the fair. The dog cursed the animals and promised to make them pay after being humiliated. Once the dog arrived at the man's house, he was put to work with a pig. The dog was lazy and just ran back and forth all day, leaving all the work for the pig. Angry, the pig told the man. The man didn't believe the pig so he checked the pin in which they were put to work, and noticed all of the footprints of the dog. Convinced the pig was lying to him, the man brought the dog inside and sentenced the pig to live outside in filth. The main goal of my story was to make the dog seem better because I am a huge dog person. To do this, I eliminated the cursing of the animals and the story of the pig.

Bibliography

Book: Folk-Tales of the Khasis
Author: Mrs. Rafty
Year Published: 1920
Web Source: Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook

Week 4 Storytelling: Arabian Nights - Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Once upon a time, there was a poor tailor named Mustapha, who had a careless son who spent his days playing in the streets with his friends. His son's name was Aladdin and his lifestyle bothered him greatly, so much that it killed him. Despite his father's death, Aladdin refused to grow up. 

Years later, Aladdin was approached by a man while playing outside. The man inquired about his age, and if his father was Mustapha the tailor.

Aladdin responded, "who's asking?"

The stranger, who was a famous African magician, grasped the boy's shoulder and said, "I am your uncle, now follow me. I have something to show you."

So he followed him into the desert, unsure if he was truly his uncle. By the time they arrived at their destination, which was between two mountains, it was very late and Aladdin was tired. Having traveled too far to turn back, they started a fire.

After the fire was started, the magician threw some of his magical powder on the ground. The earth began to shake violently, and seconds later there was an entrance to a cave.

"Listen carefully," the magician said. "Retrieve for me a special lamp and you may have all the treasure in that cave."

Intrigued by the promise of treasure, Aladdin entered the cave. Surrounded by enough treasure to raise him from poverty, he resisted and continued to search for the lamp. Minutes later, he found the lamp and headed back to the entrance, grabbing everything he could hold.

As he got closer to the exit, the magician kept shouting impatiently, "Give me the lamp, give me the lamp, give me the lamp!" Aladdin refused until he was safe and out of the cave. The magician couldn't wait any longer and became very angry. In a rage, he threw more of his magic powder and before Aladdin could get out of the cave, he was trapped.

Days had passed and Aladdin had no hope. He thought he was going to die for sure, but then he noticed something covered in dust on the lamp. In an effort to read what it said, he began rubbing it. Before he could finish, a gigantic blue genie appeared and said, "Who is it that has summoned me?"

Frightened, Aladdin quietly says it was him and begs for the genie's mercy. The genie began to laugh and responded, "Silly boy, I mean you no harm. Thank you for releasing me from the lamp, I had been trapped for hundreds of years. Can you imagine how uncomfortable that was for someone my size fitting into something so small?"

The friendliness of the genie eased Aladdin's tension. "I am happy I could help, but you see we are trapped here in this cave with no way to get out."

"Don't you know my power?" said the genie. "I must grant your every wish, for I am now your servant."

Shocked, Aladdin told the genie nicely, "Release us from this cave," and poof, they were in the middle of the desert.

Little did he know, this genie would change his life forever.

(Aladdin and the Genie's First Encounter)

Author's Note: Loving the Disney movie as a kid, I knew I wanted to write a story about Aladdin, but I wasn't sure which one yet. The reason I chose this story was that I would rather develop Aladdin and the genie by telling the story of how they met each other, than start in the middle of the full Aladdin story. I decided to get rid of the mother's role because I felt being alone would strengthen Aladdin's character. There was a second genie in the original, the Slave of the Ring, but I didn't think it added anything useful to the story so I didn't include it. Instead, I chose to include just the genie from the lamp. The movie was one of my childhood favorites, so I wanted to keep it similar. In the original, the genies aren't very nice and are scary. I wasn't a big fan of that so I decided to make the genie happy and nice. The image was selected because it shows how big the genie truly is compared to Aladdin, and shows Aladdin releasing the genie for the first time. Here is the link to the original.

Bibliography:
Book: Arabian Nights - Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
Author: Andrew Lang
Year Published: 1898
Web Source: Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook

Week 3 Storytelling: Ovid's Metamorphoses: Achelous

Ovid's Metamorphoses: Achelous

'Why must you continue to pester me about stories of the past?' said Achelous. 'Yes, child, I have changed my form many times, but those days are long behind me. I could transform into a snake or even a bull with powerful horns, at least when I still had two. Now that form is weak, as I lack both horns,' he said with anger.

Neptune's son and well known hero, Theseus, questioned why he was so angry and what happened to his horn. Achelous. the Calydonian river-god, looked much differently than he once did. Now with long, dreaded hair, he responded, 'How dare you ask something so tragic in my life? How dare you bring such painful memories back to my mind?' screamed Achelous. Theseus now felt terrible, and pleaded for his forgiveness.

Reluctantly, Achelous said, 'Fine, I will tell you the origin of my anger and the story of how I lost my horn:

My lost battle was a fluke and the hero deserves no credit. Deianira was her name. She was beautiful, and her hand desired by many men. Being one of those men, I went to her father, Oeneus, and exclaimed for him to accept me as his son-in-law and wed Deianira.

I had a contender, scion of Alceus, Hercules.

He walked in, confident and proud, bragging about his many labors. I didn't believe they were very impressive, but that's beside the point.

You see Theseus, I was a god and Hercules was not. Hercules responded to this shouting, "You may be a god, but I bet I can beat you in a fight. Let's fight for her." Without a doubt in my mind, I accepted.

The fight began and I quickly realized his power. He was overtaking me and I knew I couldn't hold off much longer, so I changed into a snake. Hercules then laughed saying, "I defeated snakes as a baby!" He was right and quickly grabbed a hold of me.

I quickly slipped out of his hands and turned into my most powerful form, the bull. "You may have been stronger than my weaker forms, but you stand no chance now" I proclaimed.

So we wrestled, slipping and sliding everywhere. There was no clear leader in the fight now and I was beginning to get tired. Back and forth it went for hours until I made a mistake. I lost focus for a second and lost my position. Hercules took advantage, grabbing me by the horns. I was doomed from my own mistake. Trying to get away, he ripped my horn right off of my head. I had lost.

He held my horn in the air as I fell to the ground. I was sick to my stomach at the loss of the fight and my horn. The Naiades took my broken horn from Hercules' hand, filled it with fruit and flowers, and made it sacred. Telling you this story, Theseus, caused me great pain. I hope you are happy, goodbye.'

(Achelous)

Author's Note: 

This story is about the battle between Achelous and Hercules. It begins with Achelous expressing to Theseus his sadness about the loss of one of his horns. Curious to know the story behind the loss of his horn, Theseus asks Achelous. Achelous tells him that it was from a fight with Hercules for a beautiful girl named Deianira's hand in marriage. Hercules is much stronger than Achelous, however Achelous thinks his intelligence and ability to transform his shape will give him the edge. He is wrong. Even in his strongest form, a bull, Hercules overpowers him, taking him by the horns, and ripping off one of his horns, thus defeating him. I chose this story because Hercules is my favorite hero and the original story made him look poorly. His character was the complete opposite of humble and disrespectful to Achelous' abilities. This often happens when a story is told from another point of view, Achelous in this case. Achelous was accepting of his failure to defeat Hercules, but I thought it would be more realistic for him to have sour grapes about it. So I portrayed him as the grumpy old man and Theseus is the annoyingly curious child. I just used the image from the original version because I thought it was a good picture of Achelous. Here is a link to the original, Ovid's Metamorhoses: Achelous.

Bibliography:

Book: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 8-10)
Chapter: Achelous

Author: Tony Kline

Year: 2000

Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

Week 1 Storytelling: "The Fox and the Grapes"

There was once a curious young fox who loved to explore. He was fascinated with the world and enjoyed seeing new things.

After a long day of exploring a new part of the forest, the fox became hungry. Just when he was about to head home, he tripped and fell on his back. While lying on his back, he noticed something weird looking hanging from a tree in the distance. Curious, the fox walked toward the tree. He quickly realized what was hanging from the tree, but could not believe it. “Grapes!”, he shouted. A bunch of grapes were hanging from a vine along a tree branch. In awe, he exclaimed, “Those are the biggest grapes I have ever seen. They look so juicy and sweet, I must have them.” The grapes looked ripe as can be, just begging him to eat them.

Hanging high in the air, the fox would have to jump. Largely underestimating the height of the grapes, his first attempt was not even close. The fox remained confident and took a few steps back. “With my young age and incredible athletic ability, I am sure I can reach the grapes with a running start,” the fox said. Digging his feet in the ground, he sprinted and leaped, but to his dismay, was still short. The fox was distraught, but was determined to get the grapes and decided to give it another try. Salivating about the thought of eating the magnificent grapes, he jumped as high as he could, but again was too short.

Sick to his stomach, he sat down and angrily stared at the grapes with disbelief.

“I give up. Those grapes probably are not even good anyways. I bet they are old and sour, so there is no point in wasting any more of my time and energy trying to get them.”

And the fox headed home tired, hungry, and angry.

(The Fox and the Grapes)

Author's Notes:  This is based off of the fable The Fox and The Grapes.  The story is from the book Aesop's Fables written by Anonymous and illustrated by Milo Winter. The story begins with a fox discovering a bunch of ripe and juicy grapes hanging from a tree. After closer inspection, the fox becomes determined to get the grapes. Jump after jump, the fox failed to reach the grapes. He then convinced himself that they were probably sour anyways and that he should bother wasting his energy to get them. The fox walked away angry after making himself feel better about not getting the juicy, ripe grapes. I decided to adapt the story in the way I did in order to accurately capture the moral of the story. The story wasn't very long to begin with, so it gave me a lot of opportunity to add things. I also felt that it shouldn't be changed too much, just given more detail so that you can better understand the Fox's feelings. The reason I chose this particular story was because how often I witness people with sour grapes. Everyone has a tendency to make themselves feel better after failure, myself included, however the world would be a better place without it. The image I chose clearly illustrates the fox trying to reach grapes in a tree and looks nice too.