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...

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...

 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...

  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 ,...

  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...

  The Green Jewel by Donald A Mackenzie "What a boring day" the king thought to himself, "All of this space and I am struggling to find something to entertain me. I have killed all the people in the dungeon and invaded all the nearby countries. How am I supposed to find entertainment now". He flung himself onto the chair to wallow in self pity. He sat there in sadness for an hour, until his chief scribe walked by.  "Oh thank goodness you're here" he exclaimed! "Is something wrong your majesty?" the scribe inquired.  "I am going out of my wits. I am beyond bored in this building. It is a mansion that feels a lot like a prison" the king wailed. "I am sorry to hear that your majesty, but I have a very busy day today" the scribe tried to explain. "Please, I will let you off for the day, if you please please get me out of this castle" the king said. "How about a boat ride?" the scribe suggested. But, this d...

 "What a beautiful day in ocean. The sun is shining and the water feels amazing!" thought Venus. "There is nothing that could ruin the day." But, she thought that a little too soon. Not even five minutes had passed before a messenger came flying at her. The messenger was distraught, which never means it's good news.  "All mighty Venus, there has been an accident." he reported. "What kind of accident? Is Mars okay? Oh, no is it Hephaestus?" she cried. "No, my lady, it is Cupid. He has been in an accident. His shoulder is out of use and he currently cannot fly." he reported. With fear struck deep in her heart, she cried "Whe..Where is my son?"  "He made it to your house before collapsing. Your housemaids are taking care of him now." he reported. Venus had never fled the ocean so quickly. "My Cupid, my favorite son, how could he have gotten himself into this situation", she thought, "I will never forg...

  There was a beautiful girl of the founding family of Walmart, the Waltons. Her families pride and joy was her and the company and she wouldn't want it any other way. She was elegant and kind with no evil in her heart. She was the perfect girl of marriage age. On the other side of town, there was a strong, handsome man. He had hair that reflected the sun. His soul was pure and he could do no wrong. He would have been the perfect match for her, but he was from the founding family of Target, the Daytons. These families hated each other with a passion. The each believed the other had stole their idea of starting a small town business and expanding across the nation. Every where a Walmart went a Target popped up not long after. No one in the town had ever seen a rivalry quite like this. One year at the Better Business Banquet, they were seated at the same table. No one talked other than to make snide remarks. But, two young people couldn't help but steal glances and smiles across ...

There once was a village that lived right on the edge of the jungle. Because of their proximity, animals would wonder in and out of the village. However, the animals did not bring danger to the townspeople. They lived in harmony. One day, a lion, king of the jungle, was walking through the town. He was trying to decide what to get his sister for her birthday. She was always a big fan of the townspeople's jewelry. He was bouncing from stall to stall at the market. That is when he saw her. The most beautiful maiden he had ever seen. She was tall with light brown hair and hazel eyes that reflected the sun in the perfect way. He was completely awestruck. Across the market, they locked eyes. She had a gentle way about her that made him for once feel like he was not a beast or something to be feared. She held his gaze, until she was ripped away by her mother.      "Don't even think about it, he could tear you to bits in one second" said her mother.     "I don't thi...