Brynlee's Thoughts on Mythology and Folklore

   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...