Famous Last Words: I'm an Introvert

So basically, I was not as social this week and I feel much more rested at the end. Coincidence? I think not. Hopefully I've managed to work out a balance between people, school, and rest that will work better for me throughout the semester. I also found a new place to be productive - the Norman Public library. I love any library, including Bizzell, but sometimes it is nice to get away from campus in a place that is conducive both for concentrating and finding new books. Hopefully I will have time to read one of the books by Kamila Shamsie that I picked up today.

As far as this week's reading goes, I particularly enjoyed some of the semi-linguistic research I did on the etymologies of names from Cebuano and Tagalog in the tales from the Philippines that I read. I was also interested by the Christian themes, such as the cross and the devil, that came up, presumably since the Philippines are 86% Roman Catholic. Even though I did not end up writing about them, I am still very fond of the crab king and his sheriff. I also think the idea of an earlier kingdom populated by such creatures interesting, as I'm pretty sure evolutionary theory would place them on earth before humans.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing for my project this week. It was initially more challenging than I expected, since I wanted to modernize it and it's difficult to put a creation story at any time other than the creation of the world. However, I think my favorite part was creating my own spin on the characters of Tiamat and Qingu, who were traditionally villains. The original scribes who wrote and copied the story inserted variations on which gods were most important, though Tiamat was always present, so I carried on that tradition and gave Qingu more of a backstory. I am now quite attached to them both.

The Fight with Tiamat. Web Source: Crystalinks. 

Week 7 Wikipedia Trails: From Cebuano to Athabaskan Languages

Cebuano: I had far too much fun exploring the original Cebuano (and a bit of Tagalog) words behind the names of some of the animals and other characters in "Why Do Mosquitos Hum" and "Chonguita." Cebuano is a language spoken on some islands in the Philippines. It has about 20 million native speakers, the most of any language spoken in the Philippines, although it is not official. It is also known as Bisaya, which is a more general term that can refer to any language in the Bisaya/Visayan branch of the language family.

Cebuano. Web Source: Wikipedia.

Urheimat: An urheimat is the proposed original homeland of the speakers of a proto-language (the language from which all the languages in a language family are descended). The urheimat of Cebuano is the island of Cebu. The urheimat of Indo-European, the language family that English belongs to, is likely Anatolia, but there are multiple theories. Urheimats in the distant past are often determined by the presence or absence of words for types of animals or landscapes.

Yeneseian: Yeneseian is a language family I had not previously heard of. Only one Yeneseian language, Ket, is currently spoken, and it only has around 200 speakers. Yeneseian's urheimat is Central Siberia, and it has been related by some linguists to the Na-Dene languages of North America, which include Tlingit and the Athabaskan languages.

Athabaskan languages: The Athabaskan languages are far-flung, reaching from Alaska to north-western Mexico. Some of the more well-known languages of this group include Chipewayan, Navajo, and Apache. One of the Apache languages, Plains Apache, is spoken in Oklahoma. The broad geographic span of these languages allows for some guesses as to the ancient migration of their speakers.

Na-Dene Languages. Web Source: Wikipedia.

Week 7 Story: Tsunggita's Revenge

Long before Tsunggita met Don Juan, she knew that she was a part of her father's plan to defeat the king of Laguna and his three haughty sons. How could she not be, with her fantastic ability to shift into any form she chose? One day, her father called her up into his favorite tree for a strategy talk. 

"Tsunggita, my dear, the king of Laguna has sent his three sons off to take their fortunes, and one of them is headed our way. I have a plan, but it involves you marrying one of his sons. I fear they will treat you badly, and the need is not yet dire enough that we could not find another plan."

Monkey. Web Source: MacleanGray. 

But Tsunggita, being rather idealistic and having heard many stories from the birds of fabulous princes in far off lands, thought that the ones near by should be even nicer, just as her own kingdom was nicer than the ones in the stories. "Of course I will marry him, and that way if he is nicer than his father there will be no need to defeat Laguna." 

The first step in the plan was for Tsunggita to turn into an old man and entice Don Juan to her father's palace with promises of good fortune if he offered bread to the monkeys at the gate. This was the first test, to ensure that he would not turn immediately violent at the sight of monkeys. Then her father set up the marriage, and Tsunggita went back with him to join his other brothers, Don Pedro and Don Diego, and their beautiful human wives. Tsunggita was rather disappointed from the beginning, as Don Juan seemed quite ashamed of her and appeared to wish that he had a wife like his brothers'. At first, the king seemed to be taking her appearance in stride, but then the tests began. 

Embroider a coat. Embroider a cap. Draw a picture. All things that required one of the humans' best gifts: an opposable thumb. Not to mention, it would have been useful to have grown up where coats and caps were worn. Tsunggita had already considered shapeshifting into a human to win her husband's heart, but her stubborness kept her clinging to her monkey identity. Now her life was on the line: if she could not complete these tasks to the king's satisfaction, she would be put to death. 

Help came from an unexpected source. Her husband was immensely eager that she should win, not for the sake of her life, but so that he would be awarded the throne. He brought her all the finest cloths, threads, and paints. He even brought maids to perform the tasks for her, but she turned them away. "I will do it myself," she said. Show them that a monkey can do anything they can.  

Except she could not avoid the need for thumbs that would hold a needle or a brush. So at night she turned her hands into human hands and completed the tasks. She won them all, and her husband was crowned king. 

But his joy at attaining the throne did not diminish Don Juan's hatred of Tsunggita, and during the very ball that celebrated his victory he threw her brutally against the wall. In terror, she turned herself into a beautiful human woman. Don Juan was delighted: at last he had a wife who he could show off as a prize. 

Her father heard the story and was absolutely furious. Against the wishes of his advisors, he refused to follow the original plan, to wait for Tsunggita's son to take the throne and rule as a monkey king. He marched up to the palace in the capital of Laguna and accused Don Juan of using black magic to turn his daughter into a human. Since he came without an army, he was easily captured by Don Juan, who planned to kill him. But the people of Laguna were touched by the story of the father coming to rescue his daughter single-handedly from a cruel husband, so they marched to the palace and demanded his release. Don Juan was as lazy a king as he was fortune-seeker, so to avoid further problems he released the king. Tsunggita turned back into her original form and won over the hearts of her people. After Don Juan's death, she became queen and joined the human and monkey kingdoms. 

Bibliography: Dean S. Fansler's Filipino Popular Tales, link. 

Author's Note: In the original story, Tsunggita (Chonguita) is not a shapeshifter, and there is no mention of how she became a human. Also, no plan to take over the human kingdom is mentioned, and the story ends after she becomes a human. I wanted her to retain her monkey-ness, as well as to explain why she married Don Juan and how she became a human. I changed her name from Chonguita to Tsunggita to reflect more of the original Tagalog. Tsunggo means monkey, and the -ita suffix is a common borrowing from Spanish. 

Reading Notes: Filipino Tales, Part B

To me, "The Iguana and the Turtle" seems like a tragedy. The turtle lies and tells ridiculous stories to his friend, who wants to believe him and is hurt for it. I wonder if I could tell it in a way that is very dramatic and emphasizes this tragic element. I feel more backstory would help, as to why the iguana and the turtle are such good friends in the first place and what makes the iguana willing to believe the turtle even when he tells outlandish tales.

So much drama about the king of the crabs and his sheriff! I am curious as to why Lamoc bit the king's face instead of coming up with a placating lie like the rest did. Perhaps he had no interest in court intrigues and prefered to be straightforward. This is probably my favorite mosquito story. I am also curious as to the meanings of the names. Does Lamoc mean mosquito in Boholano, the dialect of the Visayan language Cebuano spoken in the area the story teller was from? The answer is yes, according to Google Translate. I had some trouble with some of the other names, but Aninipot appears to mean firefly, which makes sense as his eyes were flashing fire. While I enjoyed the names, I think I would have appreciated the story more if it were clearer which animals were playing a role. I initially assumed that they were all crabs, but that does not seem to be the case, if Lamoc is a mosquito and Aninipot is a firefly. That leaves Hu-Man, as I am pretty sure the king, Mangla, his sheriff, Cagang, and his people the Bataktak (yay reduplication) are all crabs. Since Hu-Man carries his house on his back, perhaps he is a snail or a hermit crab.

Land Crab. Web Source: Wikipedia.

Not related to the story, but the coling is a lovely bird.

Bibliography: Dean S. Fansler's Filipino Popular Tales, link.

Update: Hu-Man is indeed a hermit crab, but his name would be spelled in modern orthography Umang. Also, the Bataktak, as suggested by the author's note, are actually frogs.

Reading Notes: Filipino Tales, Part A

This week I read the Filipino Tales unit. I think what struck me most was the lack of an apparent moral to many of these stories. The three brothers did not seem to get what they deserved - no punishment for laziness, and Ambo revived the girl but Suan ended up with her. Perhaps the message is that if you trust fate with your fortune the results will not necessarily be fair. 

"The Clever Husband and Wife" also seemed unfair to me. They took advantage of the doctor's kindness the whole time, but in the end he was just glad they were alive. That creates a really interesting dynamic - if they had just asked for the money, he undoubtedly would have given it to them, but instead they wanted to get it by their own cleverness. Or perhaps they thought that he was somewhat capricious and would be likely to change his mind about his generosity. It would be interesting to flesh out more of their characters and motivations. 

Monkey. Web Source: Jeff Shea.

I would also very much like to see what happened after Chonguita turned from a monkey into a beautiful woman. Was she a woman all along or was some other magic at work? Did her husband like her better? What were her feelings towards him? How was she able to do such fine work as a monkey? It would also be interesting to work in the monkey from several of the other stories as a character. Perhaps he is a relative of Chonguita's. As he is very clever, perhaps she called upon his help to get revenge on her husband for his violence. I also wonder if there could be some kind of colonial interpretation, since the sons of the monarch all have Spanish names. That would probably depend on when this story was created, on what Chonguita means, and if it was based on an older, pre-colonial story. 

Bibliography: Dean S. Fansler's Filipino Popular Tales, link. 

Story: From One Sindbad to Another

Basra. Web Source: Wikipedia.

You have undoubtedly heard of my illustrious predecessor, Sindbad the Sailor. I too had heard of his fabulous adventures among mystical, magical places, and most of all of his limitless wealth. If I could just have had one of his invaluable diamonds I would have been a happier person.

Unfortunately for me, I was born the son of a baker in 19th century Iraq, and had no diamonds nor any other source of wealth. On an ordinary day, I worked in my father's shop during the day and walked along the beach in the evening. The sea is far and away the best part of living in Basra. 

One day, one of my customers stopped me as I was putting his loaves in a bag. "I believe I have seen you before, in the port. Are you a sailor?" 

"No sir. I do visit the port occasionally." 

"What is your name?" 

"Sindbad, sir." 

"Sindbad? What a coincidence, so is mine." 

It was from him that I learned that Sindbad the Sailor is more than a single man. He passed on his wealth and blessing to the Sindbad to whom he told his stories in Alf Layla wa Layla, and from then on there has a been a Sindbad who sails around, finding adventures and wealth. Treasure by way of the sea was an offer I could not refuse, but there was more. 

"Just as Sindbad was sent by Harun Al-Rashid, Allah yarahamhu, to Serendib, there is need of Sindbad the Sailor's aid in Serendib today." 

You may know Serendib as Ceylon, the name the British gave it, or Sri Lanka, the name it has as an independent nation in your time. As we in Iraq were well aware, the British were very interested in that time in spreading their imperial reach, particularly through the powerful East India Company. My mission was to join King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy, the Serendib kingdom of the time. I set off on a ship that my predecessor Sindbad recommended to me. 

If you are familiar with the stories of Sindbad, you will not be surprised that I was shipwrecked on my way to Kandy. Even though I now knew that Sindbad was a historical figure, I still doubted that all of his tales were true. As I mentioned, I was more interested in treasure than in mythical figures. But in my search for treasure, I fell down a cliff into a valley filled with giant snakes. As you might imagine, I immediately began running for my life. As I ran, a great shadow fell upon us. The snakes began hissing in terror, and to my shock I could understand them. They were as terrified of the shadow - the roc - as I was of them. The roc swooped low, and dropped something large down on the valley. It was an elephant. The snakes slithered away into caves, but I stayed, my eyes wide with amazement at this huge creature, who began nuzzling me with his trunk. 

Snake; Roc; Elephant. Web Sources: Notey; Wikipedia; World Wildlife Fund.

The elephant too could talk. I was equally surprised by its grasp of geopolitics as by its gentleness. The roc in its flight had seen the actions of the British, and the elephants had seen the rise in hunters seeking ivory. They had come to rally the snakes, but the snakes were too frightened of the roc to parlay. The elephant had come as a mediator, and enlisted me as an aide. I told him of my mission to help save Kandy, which stirred all of their sympathies. 

With the help of the elephants, roc and kin, and giant snakes, the Kandyan army succeeded in besting the might of the British empire, at least for a time. They did not succeed in keeping their independence, but I am sure one of my successors will be around when they regain it. 

And as for me? In gratitude for my help in mediating between them and their enemy the roc, the snakes gave me a handful of magnificent diamonds that kept me and my family in comfort. I returned to the bakery, and found it a relaxing respite after my adventures. With the money from the diamonds, I was able to help those of my neighbors and customers who were in need, until the time when I would take up the mantle of Sindbad once again.

Author's Note: In the original story, Sindbad tells his tales to another man, also named Sindbad. I thought it made sense that this Sindbad would also go one to have adventures, and would pass the title down. I put it in a different historical context to connect in Serendib, and had the elephant as an intermediary between the roc and the snakes since the elephants were originally on a different island.

Bibliography: Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, link. 

Reading Notes: Folklore of the Holy Land, Part B

Al-Khidr. Web Source: Wikipedia.

One theme from the first half of the reading that came up again in the second is the search for eternal life. This is a pretty common theme around the world, including in the Epic of Gilgamesh, but I was somewhat surprised to find it in when the characters expect to life forever in Paradise. Adam wished for fruit from the tree of life but did not get it. Abraham and Moses were both, at least according to some accounts, promised the possibility of choosing their own time of death, but had to be tricked into choosing it as neither of them wanted to die. I am curious as to what the relationship is between these folktales and the Quran. 

I was very surprised by the part of the story of David where he learned from his people that he ought to earn his own living - and actually took up a trade. I find it rather ironic that he became an armormaker, as when he fought Goliath he refused King Saul's armor. But I'm even more impressed that he actually took up a trade because his people thought it was right. While in general I do think it makes sense for the ruler to be compensated financially so they can focus on ruling and not have conflicts of interests, I appreciate the humility and desire for fairness that his actions show. 

El Khudr (or Al-Khidr) is interesting as he combines so many different figures, including Phinehas (a priest of Israel), Elijah the prophet, John the Baptist, Vishnu, and St. George. I am not entirely sure how he can be all of those people - I suppose each is a manifestation of the underlying, immortal person of Al-Khidr. It would be amusing if he had a friend who was also immortal and got very confused as to who he was whenever their paths crossed. 

Bibliography: J. E. Hanauer's Folklore of the Holy Land, link. 

Reading Notes: Folklore of the Holy Land, Part A

Jinns. Web Source: Wikipedia.

My main thoughts when reading these stories were on the similarities and differences with the stories I know about people such as Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham. There were, of course, a lot of parallels that I was expecting, so what caught my eye were the differences. However, this course is not about religion, so I will not go into details.

I was intrigued by the Tablet of Destiny, which reminded me of the tablet with the same name in Mesopotamian mythology, which I am doing my storybook on and actually led me to more information about it. According to Wikipedia, the Islamic one is actually called the Preserved Tablet, اللوح المحفوظ, and, like in the story, contains all that will and has happened.

The second piece of the creation story that was interesting from a story perspective was that God created the mind before he created humans. I wonder what that mind was thinking before it was part of humans.

I was highly amused by the comment about European doctors who think they know everything but do not let women chat with new mothers to protect them from jinn. Whether or not you believe in jinn, it does seem important for new mothers to have companionship and help. Here I think they tend to be somewhat isolated. It would be interesting to have a spin-off story about a new mother who is under the care of a Western doctor and her friends have to wage a secret war against the jinn.

Speaking of women, the part of Noah's story with the three types of women also stood out to me. In this story, Noah promises his daughter to three different men. When the first two, who have been gone longer than promised, return, he turns a donkey and a female dog into women to become their brides. Because of this, women are either wonderful and helpful, or share the characteristics of a donkey or a dog, according to this story anyway. Ouch.

Bibliography: J. E. Hanauer's Folklore of the Holy Land, link.

Week 5 Story Planning: Sindbad the Sailor and his Successors

I want to write a story where Sindbad has a become a tradition, a role to assume when there is an adventure to be had and a need for treasure. I am inspired by the fact that Sindbad told his stories to a fellow he met who was also named Sindbad, and also by Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride.

Presumbly, the tradition would have carried on from that time till the present day. They would likely have initially worked for Harun Al-Rashid, a caliph in the Abbasid caliphate in the late 8th century. The Abbasid caliphate ruled the entire Middle East and much of North Africa at its height. Under its reign, the arts and sciences flourished. A Thousand and One Nights (also known as the Arabian Nights), which contains the tale of Sindbad, was compiled during this period. 

Abbasid Caliphate. Web Source: Wikipedia. 

The Abbasid caliphate's rule in Iraq ended after the Mongols invaded. In the latter half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th it was under the rule of the Mamluk dynasty. In the mid-19th century the Ottomans gained control of the region. In my story, the tradition of Sindbad the Sailor would have continued through the different dynasties.

One of the other real places that Sindbad visits is the island of Serendib, known formerly as Ceylon and now being the modern country of Sri Lanka. Part of his accomplishment and then mission was to establish a relationship between Harun Al-Rashid and Serendib. My story will tell how his successor in the early 19th century was called upon to help the kingdom of Kandy, located on the island of Lanka, defend itself against the British East India Company. The British were actually defeated in one of the Kandyan wars, so I may have that be due to Sindbad's intervention. 

The Last King of Kandy. Web Source: Wikipedia. 

To incorporate more elements from the original stories, I will bring some of the other creatures, such as the rocs, giant snakes, and elephants, onto Serendib, although they were originally found on other islands. They will serve as allies to Sindbad in his fight against the British.

Bibliography: Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, link. 

Reading Notes: Sindbad, Part B

Two things that struck me during the second half, which were also present in the first half, were that even though Sindbad is clearly a very adventurous person, he does have a tendency to wish he had stayed at home in luxury. This seems not to occur when he is in a crisis, but rather when he is alone and without a clear source of help. Basically, he gets homesick.

Secondly, I forgot to mention in my first reading notes that the currency is called the sequin. I assume he is not getting rich with these....

Sequin. Web Source: Wikipedia. 

Some further searching shows that the sequin was a Venetian currency, a gold coin minted from 1284 to 1797. In addition, the Ottoman Empire minted a similar coin starting in 1478. However, Sindbad's adventures occur during the reign of Harun al Rashid, who ruled from 763 to 809. His currency was the dinar, so the use of the sequin here is an anachronism, albeit an amusing one.

My more general takeaway was that Sindbad's story conveys what the narrator values without imposing an obvious moral on the story. For example, Sindbad survives multiple times because of the generosity of people who discover him starving, as after he escapes on a raft from the jeweled cliff and ends up in a strange land. At other times, he survives because of his patience and ability to endure crises with a cool head. He extols the virtues, particularly the justice of the king of Serendib. Finally, his end goal is spend the rest of his life with his friends and family. Thus, these stories extol the virtues of hospitality, endurance, justice, and family life positively. I appreciate this manner of conveying a message, with an interesting character, plenty of adventure, and rewards for the presence of virtue instead of consequences for its absence.

Bibliography: Andrew Lang's Arabian Nights' Entertainments, link.

Reading Notes: Sindbad, Part A

First of all, Sindbad is a really interesting character. He starts out rather profligate with his wealth, but decides to invest it with a combination of thought and daring. But upon gaining wealth, he is very generously with it, donating charitably to the poor and the mosques of his homeland. Although his subsequent adventures serve to make him even wealthier, his motivation is adventure and wanderlust, not earning money. I am particuarly fond of his adventurous spirit combined with kindness and ingenuity. My favorite story was that of the roc and the valley of diamonds, because the dangers are magnificent animals and he does not have to kill them to escape.

Roc. Web Source: Wikipedia. 

I like the serial nature of Sindbad's story, which reminds me of modern storytelling, particularly in TV shows. Sindbad also seems to have somewhat of a superhero story arc, which could be enhanced. His origin story would be his realization about his poor spending habits which will leave him destitute, causing him to pursue a life of adventure and ultimately generosity. This would be more apparent if his motives were more deeply described. For example, what specifically prompted his realization that growing old in poverty would be a life of misery? What if his mission on his voyages was not just wanderlust, but specifically a desire to gain additional wealth for the poor in his hometown?

If someone were to turn the story of Sindbad into a superhero show, they would have a wealth of fantastic creatures and villains, from the roc to the giant snakes to the cannibals. It might be a bit of a challenge to integrate them into a real world universe. Perhaps the idea would be that these are islands that are somehow hidden from the rest of humanity, like the island of Themyscira in Wonder Woman.

Bibliography: Andrew Lang's Arabian Nights's Entertainments, link.

Tech Tip: Pinterest Browsing

I got a Pinterest account a few years ago, but it's been a while since I have actually used it. While I do have the browser button in Chrome, I am also given the option to save any image to Pinterest when I scroll over it, which is simpler. When Pinterest was suggested for the course, I realized that it certainly would be great for story illustrations. I think it will be particularly useful as I develop my storybook.

Babylonian archers. Web Source: Tumblr.
 In addition, I decided that it would also be helpful in my cooking, as I am trying to explore more foods this semester. So far that board mostly includes different uses for corn masa, including a pizza and pancakes.

Corn masa pancakes. Web Source: Mi Maseca.

I have also added some to my calligraphy board, in case I find time during the school year to experiment with that.

Russian calligraphy. Web Source: Pinterest.

Comment Wall: Babylonian Tales

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback about my storybook, Babylonian Tales. I will be retelling some of the mythology from ancient Babylon.


Mushhushshu Dragon. Web Source: The Met.

Week 4 Story: The Golems

The last thing the golem remembered was pain, as if every part of his body had been crushed. Looking at himself now, he was surprised to discover that he was whole and as strong as before. He wondered if he could still talk. In the distance, he saw another figure, and walked towards it. To his surprise, it was a woman, of his kind. He had never seen anyone else made from wood and glue like him.

"Hello!" He was pleased to see that he could still talk. He supposed the rabbi had put the Name back in his mouth. 

She smiled shyly back. Perhaps she could not speak. 

"Have you seen the rabbi anywhere?"

She shook her head. 

"Can you talk?"

She hesitated, then slowly opened her mouth. At first the sounds were garbled, but then they began forming words. "I've never tried before. I was just a servant. I did everything I was asked, but - but -" 

She began to cry softly, something he had seen humans do but did not suppose was possible for a wooden creature like himself.

"I think I remember the rabbi mentioning a servant before me, one who set the town on fire?" 

She nodded. 

"Don't blame yourself. What could we do that we were not made to do? We can't be held responsible." 

"What did you do?" 

"Ha! I fulfilled the king's judgement on the rabbi. The king decided that if the rabbi made something truly alive, he should be killed and all his people with him. I suppose that I am truly alive, for I began to turn against the rabbi and threaten him and his people with death." 

"But the Name is gone from us! How are we still here?" 

"The paper is gone, but I suppose the Name is greater than the paper it is written on. It stayed inside us, keeping us alive." 

"I don't think we are actually alive. I'm sure I died, in the fire. I remember the flames, the burning wood and melting glue."  

Now that she mentioned it, the golem supposed that he had died too. The Name must be greater, not just then paper, but then death too. Had it given them a soul? "I wonder what will happen to the rabbi now. After all, it seems that he did make living creatures, not just tools. How arrogant! Does he not know that this power belongs to G-d alone?" 

The other golem smiled. "I hope he burns too." 

He thought about the pain she must have suffered, all because the rabbi was so careless with his creation. Truly, humans should not be in charge of creation. "I hope so too." 

The Rabbi and the Golem. Web Source: Wikipedia. 

Author's Note: In the story "The Rabbi and the Bogey-Man," Rabbi Lion makes two servants from wood and glue and puts a paper with the Name of G-d in their mouths to animate them. The first is burned up in a fire after some children tell her to make them one. The second is made to prove to the king that the rabbi can control his invention and that it is not alive. However, the golem turns on the rabbi and threatens to kill all the Jews in the city, so the rabbi removes the name, and he crumbles away. I decided to have the two golems meet in the after-life and realize that they are truly alive. I decided to write G-d without the vowel, as this is a Jewish fairy tale and I believe that is considered appropriate. 

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, Part B

One of the reasons I chose this unit was to learn more about the history of the golem, as told in "The Rabbi's Bogey-Man." Some of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books feature golems. Interestingly enough, given that the first golem in this story ends up burning down the synagogue, Pratchett's golems form a volunteer fire brigade. Certainly this story portrays the golems in a more negative light than those of Discworld. However, golems in any world pose ethical questions, such as whether they or their maker, here Rabbi Lion, should be blamed for their actions. For example the second golem turns on the rabbi, but he may simply be fulfilling the king's judgement on the rabbi, that if he truly made a living thing he should be condemned to death. At first glance he may seem simply murderous, but he may actually be the just reward of the rabbi's arrogance. On the other hand, his desire to kill all the Jews in the name of the king could be representative of the king's actual desires. In that case, it should have been taken as a warning to the people.


Golem. Web Source: Wikipedia.

I would be very interested in telling the story from the perspective of the golems, particularly if I could do so without definitively stating whether they were alive or simply like robots. I feel especially sad for the first golem, who was trying to help the children and ended up causing great destruction and killing herself. The second one is more complicated, given his desire to kill the Jews of the city. It would be interesting to explore how his mind, if he has one, came to this conclusion and whether it was truly of his own agency and free will, or more like computer programming because of the circumstances of his creation.

Bibliography: Gertrude Landa's Jewish Fairy Tales, web source.

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, Part A

One of the creatures that stood out to me from the Jewish Fairy Tales unit were the unicorns, featured in both the "The Giant of the Flood" and "From Shepherd-Boy to King." I never really thought about which story traditions unicorns came from, and I certainly did not associate them with Jewish folktales. I was particularly surprised that they were so large. Just from scanning the Wikipedia page, I learned that some of the oldest images of unicorns are from the Indus Valley seals and that unicorns were originally known for their strength, not their beauty and innocence. This makes more sense with the flood story in particular.

Unicorn. Web Source: Wikipedia.

"The Beggar King" has a pretty similar pattern to most stories of proud kings. particularly reminds me of the story of Nebuchadnezzar. What stood out to me was that Hagag wanted to stay in his humbler role, and I thought his concern for the blind beggars was quite touching. I am confused by the genie, since I thought jinn were from Islamic stories. According to Wikipedia, there are creatures called Shedim that parallel the jinn, however they tend to be demonic, while this genie is benevolent. Is it an angel?

The most curious story to me was "The Magic Palace." First of all, like "The Beggar King" it is called a Jewish fairy tale yet the main character has the Arabic name Ibrahim, and the mysterious guest (who, spoiler alert, is Elijah, who was Jewish) appears as an Arab. Also, when I first read through it, the moral was not clear to me, particularly the magic palace part. However, a second reading clarified that the entire story was really about rescuing the godly and esteemed Ibrahim from his poverty, and the ornate palace built by magic was simply the means, not the end.

As far as retelling goes, I would like to incorporate a unicorn. So I might retell "The Giant of the Flood" from the point of view of the unicorn. I would also be interested in a sequel to "The Beggar King," focusing on the group of beggars that he served as guide.


Bibliography: Gertrude Landa's Jewish Fairy Tales, web source.

Topic Research: Babylonia

For this step in my research, I decided to read a few stories from the ancient Babylonian religious tradition. As a note, the names in the different resources do not always have the same spelling, since they are transcribed from cuneiform.

Marduk vs. Tiamat: The first story tells of a battle between Marduk and Tiamat. Tiamat , who appears as water, a woman, or a dragon, is the personification of the sea, and she rose up in battle against the gods. They sent Marduk, who defeated her with his Evil Wind and an arrow, then formed the earth, particularly Mesopotamia, from her body. This story forms the basis of Babylonian cosmogony.


The Battle. Web Source: Mesopotamian Gods.

Ludlul bel nemeqi (aka The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer or I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom):
The second story is a poem that tells the story of Shubshi-meshre-Shakkan, a noblemen who fell from grace in the eyes of the king and lost all of his property, friends, and health thanks to some conniving courtiers. On his deathbed, Marduk sends a priest to save him.

Inanna's Descent into the Netherworld - Inanna, a goddess who goes to visit her sister Ereshkigal in the netherworld. Her sister forces her to strip off her jewelry and fine clothes and keeps her prisoner as a corpse. Her servant, Ninshubur, sends two demons, called gallas, to rescue her. However, a substitute is necessary. Inanna convinces the demons not to take her servant, sons, or beautician, who are all in mourning for her, but her husband is not in mourning, so she becomes angry and gives him to the gallas as her substitute.


Inanna and Dumuzi. Web Source: Ancient History Encyclopedia.

Another interesting character, who I have not found a story about but who might be useful in framing the project, is Nabu, Marduk's scribe and sometimes son. He is the god of scribes and writing, and writes the fate of the land each year after Marduk judges it.

Wikipedia Trails: From Eid Al Adha to the Kaaba

Yesterday was the Islamic holiday Eid Al Adha, which commemorates the end of the hajj and Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. This story fits in with the Classical and Biblical unit we are currently reading through.

Eid Al Adha: Also known as Eid Al Kabiir, Eid Al Adha is celebrated on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja (a month in the Hijri calendar). The celebrations include special prayers, new or formal clothes, and the sacrifice of an animal. The meat is divided into thirds: one third for the family it belongs to, one for their relatives, and one for the poor. The name literally means the feast of the sacrifice.


Blessings for Eid Al Adha. Web Source: Wikipedia.

Ishmael: From the page on Eid Al Adha, I decided to look more into the story of Ishmael. According to many Islamic interpretations, Ishmael/Ismail is the son that Abraham was asked to sacrifice. Ishmael was the son of Abraham and his second wife, Hagar, the maid servant of his first wife, Sarah. In Islamic tradition, God told Abraham to cast Hagar and baby Ishmael out into the desert, where they were dying of thirst. The angel Gabriel appeared to Hagar and showed her a spring of water under Ishmael's feet. She founded a city by selling this water to caravans, which became Mecca.


Abraham and Ishmael. Web Source: Wikipedia.

Hajj: The reenactment of Hagar's search for water is one of the rituals of Hajj, which is far more complicated than I realized. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims with the physical and financial means to do so are required to travel to Mecca and perform the rituals on these particular days at least once in their lives. All pilgrims will dress the same, which shows their equality before God. The rituals including throwing stones at pillars that represent the devil, animal sacrifice, shaving the head, and circling the Kaaba.


Pilgrims on Hajj. Web Source: Wikipedia.

The Kaaba: The Kaaba is a building within the most sacred mosque in Mecca. Its name literally means the cube, because of its shape. It is said to have been built by Abraham with the help of Ishmael and an angel who brought him the black stone. All Muslims face towards the Kaaba during prayer. The Kaaba was a holy site even before Islam, but during Muhammad's exile to Medina he instituted it as the Qiblah, instead of Jerusalem, and upon his return he removed the pagan statues from around it.


The Kaaba. Web Source: Wikipedia.

Feedback Strategies: Praise, Criticism, and Encouragement

As I mentioned in my first post on feedback, I am generally a fan. This week, I read the articles "Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback" and "Presence not Praise: How to Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Acheivement," both of which looked at styles of feedback. I have mixed opinions about both of them.

As suggested in the title, the author of "Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback" suggests that forward-focused suggestions are more beneficial than feedback on past performances. While I agree that a future-oriented response can be positive, sometimes a person knows the goal but is unsure to what degree they have met it. In these instances, an external eye and feedback on past performances is also useful in acheiving a future goal.

I am probably more in agreement with the second article, though I have to admit my first thought was, but I like praise. Upon a more thorough reading, I realized that I actually do agree that presence is a more necessary foundation, particularly in the context of raising a child. In addition, I remembered times where praise has made me more nervous. So while I still think there is a place for giving a positive or encouraging word about someone's character or performance, I can see how it might not should be the basis of a learning environment.

In general, when I have given feedback in school before, the instructor has specified that vague praise is not the goal, so I have focused on giving comments on specific parts of the assignment, whether done well or poorly. I also have found that praise is useful in mitigating criticism so it does not sound as harsh. Both praise and criticism should have the goal of building someone up and helping them do better work.


Encouragement. Web Source: Inked Weddings.

Week 3 Story: The Judgement of Malchus

“Malchus of Antioch, do you know why you have been called before this court today?”

“Yes your lordship. I am guilty of the death of one Margaret of Antioch, a brave and noble woman of Christ.”

The provost frowned. “Far from it, for her death was upon my order.”

“Then you are guilty as well, your lordship.”

“And that is why I have summoned you all here today,” said a loud voice from the back of the room.

Looking around, Malchus noticed that he and Olybrius, the provost, had been joined not by Olybrius’ soldiers but by a dragon, an unsettling young man, and two other figures, both very bright. He thought it was one of the latter two that had spoken, but he was not sure which one.

“Tell us what you have done to the woman who was called Margaret,” said one of the bright ones.

The dragon growled at the mention of her name. “I fully intended to eat her, but she made the sign of the cross and I was forced to back down.”

“And you, Veltis?”

The strange young man shifted uncomfortably. “I am ashamed to admit that she bested me as well.” He rubbed his neck. “I couldn’t stop myself - every question she asked I answered. In the end, she made the ground open up and swallow me.

“Olybrius, son of Adam, what was your relationship with this woman?”

The provost looked annoyed. “She was the most beautiful girl I had seen in a long time. I intended to marry her, but she had betrayed our gods for a crucified one, which was most unseemly. I had her tortured multiple times, but she refused to return to our beliefs. At last I commanded my hangman to kill her, and this time there was no miraculous rescue.”

“And you Malchus, son of Adam - are you the hangman of whom Olybrius spoke?”

“To my everlasting shame, sir.” Malchus looked at his hands. “She asked for a bit of time to pray, and I gave it to her. But really it was for myself sir - I needed the time to gather up my courage. How could I kill this woman who had bested a dragon and come out alive from boiling water? But then, I’d seen the provost kill the 5000 men who converted because of her. So I wasn’t sure. But after hearing her pray, pray for forgiveness for all of us - for me - who had tortured her and were going to kill her - I couldn’t do it. And that voice - the voice from heaven - it said it granted her prayers, sir.” His voice was trembling.

“And yet the woman is dead,” said the other bright one.

“Yes sir. She told me that I might have no share with her if I did not cut off her head. So I did.” Malchus covered his face, and his shoulders shook.

“I see.”

The first bright one seemed to have made his judgement. “You all have done well in persecuting this woman. Not as well as I might have hoped, since she bested you, but that is to be expected when dealing the Enemy. You will certainly be rewarded by Our Father Below.”

“Wait just a moment,” said the second. “I believe Malchus belongs to me.”

Malchus began to be rather terrified, as the second seemed far more likely to judge him.

“Not at all. Did he not kill one of your people’s so-called saints? What more does it take to come Below?”

“He killed her, yes, but she requested that he be forgiven before her death. He has repented and believes, and that is all it takes to come Above. You have the other three, let me take this one.”

“Oh alright, have it your way. I’ve got three times as many as you.” He led the dragon, Veltis, and Olybrius away, leaving Malchus alone with the second.

“Malchus, you shall experience all the torture on earth that you have dealt this woman. But you shall one day see her again in paradise.”

Malchus knelt in gratitude.

“Do not kneel to me, but look ever heavenwards.”

When Malchus looked up, the figure had disappeared.

The Beheading of Saint Margaret. Web Source: The National Gallery.

Author’s note: This story is based on the story of St. Margaret, from The Golden Legends. She was raised by her nursemaid, who converted her to Christianity. The provost wanted to marry her, but wanted her to renounce Christianity first. When she refused, he had her imprisoned, tortured, and eventually killed. During her imprisonment, she defeated the demon Veltis. I wanted to explore the story from the perspective of the other characters, particularly the hangman who beheaded her against his own wishes. In this story, the characters responsible for her death are judged by a demon and an angel. The demon’s language is partially based on that of The Screwtape Letters.


Bibliography: “Saint Margaret,” Voragine's The Golden Legend, link to the reading online.