Brynlee's Thoughts on Mythology and Folklore

Dante's Divine Comedy  translated by Tony Kline We had entered Cante 9. I heard my master saying something from behind me but I could not place it. I was distracted by a tall tower that reached far above me. I squinted trying to see better. Then, three furies flew down. They were stained with blood and holding a woman. But, she was not normal. She had green snakes coming from her scalp. They were tearing at her breast. She screamed mercilessly and attempted to swat them away. Suddenly their attention shifted towards me. They attempted to use Medusa in their attack towards me. My master told me to hide my eyes and turn my back. No matter what persuaded me otherwise. As she came towards us, there was a loud crash that shook both the banks. My master told me to focus on the mist. Only the mist. More than a thousand spirits scattered from the water. Amongst them was a Stygain ferry with dry feet. He waved the mist away with annoyance. I knew he was a messenger from Heaven. He walked to...

Dante's Divine Comedy  translated by Tony Kline There were banners for the king of Hell. I looked to the front of the stage to see if I could see him. My master kept walking towards the front till I could see him. Lucifer. It was then my master told me I must gather the courage to face him. I lost all sense, there was nothing but fear inside of me. I walked closer. He had three people in displayed in his head. There was Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. He was chewing a sinner in his mouth, savoring the taste. I looked at the poor sinners in his head. They looked defeated. I knew what I had to do. In order to leave Hell, I had to climb Satan. This is a depiction of Satan. Source:  Wikipedia

Dante's Divine Comedy  translated by Tony Kline We had now reached the six, seventh, eighth, and ninth levels of Hell. The city burned red as if on fire. For I found out the eternal flames of Hell burned here. As we entered the city, hundreds of angels fell towards us. They were angry with us. They could not understand why  I was here because I was still alive. My master asked to speak with them in private, leaving me alone in Hell. I begged him not to leave me. I was sure that would be the end of me. He turned to go in and the angels shut the gate in his face. He walked back angered but knew he would win in the end.  This is a depiction of the City of Dis which hold the final levels of Hell. Source:  Fandom

Dante's Divine Comedy  translated by Tony Kline On cante four, my master and I heard a calling. We were far from it but it was gradually getting closer. I heard them call out and was confused by their wording.  "Who are these people I asked?"  "They are those honored in your lifetime. They have been granted a good graces because of their works. There is Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan. They are the greats and you are among them" my master said to me. I couldn't believe it. They looked at me as though I was one of them. I thought it couldn't be true. We stayed with them for the night. The looks of admiration never stopped. I didn't believe I should be among them.  We continued on our journey until we came across a castle surrounded 7 times. It was here I recognized many leaders. There was Caesar and Tarquin. I could not believe my eyes. I let my eyes wander. I gazed slightly higher and saw the great philosophers. There was Aristotle sitting high above ...

   Beth Gellert  by Joseph Jacobs The Prince had a beloved dog. He was a ferocious hunter but a kind cuddly soul. Whenever they went out he would be the fastest and most deadly, but when they returned he would treat those of the family with such care and kindness. One day, the Prince was going on a hunt. He called for all of the animals but never saw his beloved. He stormed in the castle after about five minutes of waiting. As he was going he ran into his beloved dog. The dog had blood dripping from his mouth. The Prince went immediately to the worst conclusion. He had a baby and this dog had killed it. He sprinted to the nursery and found it in disarray. There was blood everywhere and no sound anywhere. The baby did not respond to his calls. Out of anger he turned and killed the beloved dog. He could not believe that he would do something to his child. However, as the dog lay dead, the baby began to coo. He ran to gather his baby. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw ...

Shepard of Myddvai  by Joseph Jacobs There once was a man. He led his flock to the lake up in the top of the mountains. One day, he saw three beautiful maidens. He attempted to woo her. He gave her bread and she sang him a song. She sang of his overcooked bread, giggled, and ran into the lake. The next day he was determined to try again. He brought her another loaf of bread and she and her sisters sang him a different song. She sang of his undercooked bread, giggled, and ran into the lake. He was determined to have her. On the third day, he found bread floating in the lake. He gave it to her and she rejoiced. She agreed to be his wife as long as he did not strike her three times. He did not see this being an issue so he agreed. Time went on and they had three children. He had never come against her demand. One day, they were running behind and he told her to go grab the horses and he will go and grab her gloves. When he returned she was not with the horses and he patted her with he...

The Horned Women  by Joseph Jacobs There was a woman who lived in a cottage. She lived with her family and her staff. One night, after they had all gone to bed she stayed up preparing wool. It was a quiet night until she heard a knock.  "Who is there?" she asked. "I am the Witch of One Horn" she answered. Assuming it was one of her neighbors in need of help, she answered the door. To her dismay, it was not a neighbor. A woman with a horn on her forehead entered the room.  "Where are the others?" she grumbled "They always take so long".  The homeowner was very confused. The witch had made herself at home. It was not long until she heard another knock on the door. Reluctantly she answered it. Standing outside was a woman with two horns on her forehead. The witch charged in to join her sister. Within the hour, ten more arrived. The last having twelve horns on her forehead. They had made a large circle in the room. They were spinning a thread on thei...

The Woman Stolen by Killer Wales  by Stith Thompson Living in the country is fun. It is quiet and serene. The most difficult part is finding food. One day, a fisherman was out on the water, attempting to find food for him and his wife. Recently this has been proving to be a challenge. He was alone on his boat. He had just dropped a line when he felt a tug. It was stronger than he had ever felt before. He tied the cast line to his canoe and rowed as fast as he could so he wouldn't lose it. He had never used more muscle to paddle than in that moment. He made it to the beach and called out for his wife. She ran out to help pull the line in. Between the two of them they managed to rope the fish onto land and kill it before it had the chance to escape. They cleaned and readied it to be cooked.  After that, she went to clean her hands off in the water. There was nothing grosser to her than fish guts. But, as soon as she put her hands in the water she was pulled in. She was frantical...

 The Piqued Buffalo Wife by Blackfoot Stories This story tells a tale of a family torn apart. It begins with the birth of a child. He was born from a buffalo and therefore every night he would turn back into a calf. But, since his father was a human, every day he was a child. During the days he would run and play with the tribe's children and learn their games. Every night he would depart and spend the night in the field with his mother. One day his curiosity got the best of him. He had to know who his father was. He went to the chief and asked him to help him find his dad. The chief called for the eldest men of the tribe and asked him to identify his dad. He could not find his father among the group. The chief then sent out for the age group underneath. He could not identify his father from this group either. Finally, he called for the unmarried men. The child quickly was able to identify his father! His father wanted to meet his mother. He took him to the field. There his mother...

  the Turtle and the Man  by Richard Edward Dennett (1898). One day a turtle and a man moved into an uninhabited town. They built it there from scratch. But, when they were done they realized they had no food. The turtle decided to build a large trap with the man. Then, they decided that it was too big. So, they split it in half. But, the turtle's half was better because the next day there was an antelope waiting in his, while the man's was empty. The turtle celebrated his win. In all the commotion, an ox came out of the woods. He asked what the commotion was. The turtle explained and asked if he could help him carrying it to his house. Once at his house, he told the ox to go get some water and he would cut up his share. While the ox was gone, the turtle hid all of it in his house and refused to leave regardless of the ox demanding his share. The ox, then, set out on a revenge course. He was going to destroy his trap. But, he was quickly ensnared and died. Then, the turtle did...

 Twin Brothers by  Richard Edward Dennett (1898). This is the story of two paths interconnected.  There once was a woman. She was pregnant. After an intensive labor, she gave birth to twins, full grown twins. They were ready to set off into the world. They had a special charm that followed them and got them out of trouble when necessary.  At the same time, a very beautiful woman was ready for marriage. She was of legal age and prepared to marry. But, her father wanted to make sure that the suitors had her blessing before he would agree to the marriage, because she was the one who would have to put up with them forever.  Upon her coming of age, many suitors arrived. A tiger approached her father and he sent him to her and she rejected him. A gazelle, same outcome. A pig, same outcome. She was distraught that all of these suitors are not what she wanted. Until one day, she was walking through town and she saw the most handsome man she had ever seen. She ran direc...

Gazelle Marries  by  Richard Edward Dennett (1898). There once was a man who had two wives. Each was pregnant and gave birth at the same time. They were beautiful beyond anything the town had ever seen. But, since their father had an abundance of money, he decided that it would not be present that won their hand in marriage but the first man to learn their true names. One day, an antelope came and tried to bargain for their hands in marriage. The father told them his proposition and the antelope fled in search of their names. Shortly after, a prince showed up for the same purpose and received the same proposition. He returned to town and was frantic in search of their names. However, his dog stayed behind. He heard the father yell to his daughters and ran to find his master. But, on the long trail, he was hungry. After winning a battle with a cat, he completely forgot the names. So, he ran back. This time their father instructed them to feed the dog but without water he became...

I am happy with my progress so far! I think I am most proud of my project because I think the idea is really fun and if I can do it correctly it will be really great! I enjoy reading other people's writings. There are so many different ideas and writing styles that are inspiring but also just fun to read. They make me a better writer also! I am using the extra credit to keep a high grade so that if my project tanks I will still have an A! I think that my blog and my website are very different but they reflect their purpose well.  I would like to create a better routine. I think that I have slowly gotten into a groove and I like how it fits into my week but sometimes that time frame leaves me flustered and I do not want that! I think as far as pitfalls go, I just need throw everything into writing and then go back and edit opposed to overthinking details!  My motivation is getting through the semester and getting to be home with family again for the Christmas season! Source:...

I t hink the comments are very helpful. They were equally uplifting and constructing. I liked that a lot of people started with positives. I think sometimes with feedback it can be easy to only focus on the negative comments that you have because you overall want the person to make their work better, but sometimes that can be discouraging. I appreciated that people were honest and seemed genuinely excited to read my work. The comments I find most useful are the ones that I can clearly fix. If I can read it and fix it, I appreciate it. A couple were vague where I wasn't sure what to do to make them content with my work.  Similarly to those leaving comments, I have found it best to give a compliment and things that I really liked about their style or their work and then circle back with a suggestion about parts I had questions or ideas about. It is important to get the perspective of other people in these comments so I try to make them truly helpful. I am getting ideas because each o...

I am excited about my readings. I think that they are interesting and it makes me want to do my homework assignments. I like the variety from week to week and how it changes throughout the semester. It does not have the same origin which means that the stories will continue to change. I like my writing assignments  where I get to retell the stories. It allows me to change my least favorite parts or alter the story  to put it in my own world and story line. I like the opportunity of adding a Brynlee flair on centuries old stories. I like my blog. I am a huge fan of pink and I the script that I used as the titles. I think that it looks a lot like me as a person, which is reflected further in my thoughts. My project website is much better! I think with the theme and the stories I chose to retell align very nicely. My story posts are easier than my project because they are shorter and not related. I think that is part of the struggle I am having with the project because I want the...

  Quest of the Jewel by   E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917). There once was a fish maiden. She spent all of her time by the river fantasizing about the royals life in the palace. They were all so beautiful and pristine. Their lives were planned out for them and they never had to wonder what would happen next. One day, on her daily delivery to the palace, she saw a handsome man fleeing. He was grumbling to himself and stomping away as if something terrible had happened to him. Out of curiosity and lust, she followed him. She knew if he was leaving the palace there was no one worthy for him except a princess but she wanted to know him. She had to know him. He continued his pity parade well into the forest. He finally stopped at her favorite part of the river, where is puddled enough to make a deep well. She would never dare go in it for it was ridden with monsters. He continued his grumbling until she stepped out from behind the tree.  He yelled " I wanted to be alone ,...

 Labors of Yamato: The Dragon Yamato had just returned from retrieving the sacred sword. He was overwhelmed with feelings from the quest, but the strongest were those for his one true love. Her love and loyalty had gotten him through the worst of it. But, before he could go see her, he had to make a stop. There was a sorceress that had been against him the whole time. He had to go and punish her for treachery and treason against the throne. As he was crossing the river to get to her, a siren called to him. This siren was intriguing for just enough time to pull him in. She sank to the bottom of the river and he felt a cold embrace of a serpent. He was struggling and fighting. But, once again, his love came through. He heard his lady's voice call unto him. He pulled on it and she came into his vision and grasped him. There, she pulled him up. But, when he got onto solid ground, she was no where to be found. This was worrisome. As he went into town, he noticed everything was in disarr...

  Eight Forked Serpent of Koshi   by  E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917). One day, our hero was walking along the river. He noticed a chopstick floating downstream. He knew that where there were chopsticks, there had to be people so he headed up the stream. The river lead him into the forest. There he met an older man, he had a long gray beard and looked very weary. He asked him what he knew of the village and the man explained that he and his family were the only ones there. He asked him why he looked so weary and so beaten down. The man explained how each year that he and his family had been there, a giant beast had come and slain one of his daughters. He had one left and was worried for her safety. Our hero then asked him to describe the monster. He painted a vivid picture of the serpent's beady red eyes and the blood that coated the body. He described the eight heads of the serpent that were accompanied by the eight prong like tails. This did not scare our hero. He...

  Sindbad  by Andrew Lang He awoke with a jolt. Today was the day dad was going to let him help with the valley of diamonds. It is said to be the most beautiful valley of all the lands, especially this disappointingly boring island. The valley is said to have the most elegant diamonds. Diamonds that range in size from a pinky toe nail to a fist. Diamonds that are so shiny you could see yourself in the reflection. He could not wait. His father had even told him if the bird brought back diamonds from his throw, he got to keep it. Can you imagine having that kind of wealth? He ran down stairs to his waiting father. But, he was not as excited for him. His father sat him down and had a stern talk with him. "Son, I know that you are excited, but there are some safety precautions that we have to go over. There are snakes in the valley. They typically hide at night. That is why we go first thing in the morning. So we can put as much distance as possible between us and them by nightfal...

  Sindbad  by Andrew Lang Sindbad had promised himself that he would stay put. But, he began itching to be on the sea again. He set out once more. This time, however, it was a boat that he bought himself. He went and invited all of the merchants he liked. There were many nations represented on that boat. On the next good breeze day, they set out. The wind helped the sails but did not help the motion sickness. The water was very choppy but they made it. The came across this island. It appeared to be uninhibited. The merchants climbed ashore and found a giant egg. The egg was bigger than the merchants were tall. But, that did not stop them from hacking up the bird inside and using it for a meal. Sindbad announced that they should get moving because the parents were sure to show up soon. With screeching behind them, they ran. When their vessel was in sight, they jumped on and were setting sail. Until, they noticed two shadows. Both birds were holding huge rocks. The first launche...