Mythology & Folklore

(Anansi in Spider form from American Gods  GIF made with giphy.com ) I am Ra the ancient. I am the sun. I am the giver of life. A king among men and I am in a damn wheelchair. How did I get this way? Where have I gone wrong? Ra thought to himself as the nurse wheeled him down the hall to the cafeteria. Breakfast was about to be served.   Probably porridge again . He sighed. He hated porridge.   Ra was a god, but he had aged like a man. He was all-powerful - the father of men and gods. His father, Nu had bestowed upon him a great gift. His true name. Ra had many names that men did not know and some that they did; but his true name resided in his heart and no one, mortal nor immortal knew it. Ra was an aged man whose body had been worn by years in the desert sands. He had seen kingdoms rise and fall. He had conquered. He had ruled. Now the only time he was king was during a game of chess at the nursing home’s weekly game night. None of his children visited. ...

Reading A (Ra from Smite found on  Smite Wiki ) "The Secret Name of Ra" Ra has many names that men do not know the secret name gives him power given to him by his father, Nu Isis, Ra's daughter is jealous of her father's power wants the secret name so she may have the power formed a spear made from Ra's saliva and earth the spear turned into a serpent Ra walks the same path every night Ra was very old one day while he walked the path he encountered Isis' serpent the serpent bit him he became very ill he summoned all his children to him to "pronounce words of power" to heal him All of his children came, including Isis, nothing healed him Isis tells her father that the only way she can heal him is if he tells her his secret name of power Eventually, he agrees The power transfers from Ra to Isis Isis gets the power she desires and heals her father he was no longer in pain but he was without his power Storytelling...

(Ancient Architecture Stock Photo provided by Pexels )

"The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish" Persian treasure-hunting story related to the Sinbad story " Valley of Diamonds " a story of a baker who would feed the fish in the river his burnt bread and spoiled dough every morning The fish became fond of the baker because he fed them While the baker worked he encountered a traveling merchant The merchant was looking for a servant offered to pay 100 tumans  (a superunit of currency in Iran) a month  The servant would not have to work for 40 days but on the 40th day he would have to do 2 hours worth of work the baker agreed to serve him The merchant kept good on the terms The baker did not work for 40 days and received his payment on the 40th day, the merchant gathered mule and sacks and slaughtered a cow, and gathered the meat and hide of the cow instructed the baker to "go to a certain place" traveled to the foot of a mountain merchant lit a fire and instructed the baker to take o...

(She Wolf by Hchom. ) "The Wolf-Aunt"  This story tells the tale of a poor man, his wife, and his seven daughters The man cuts thorn bushes to sell as firewood to support his family they are still very poor and were always on the verge of starving one day on the way to the bazar he ran into a woman who claimed to be his lost sister was sing with no children, but very rich offered to take care of the man, his wife, and 7 daughters the man hurries home and tells his wife the man has them all pack up and move to his sister's house the wife says they should cook the sister something nice to show their appreciation send the husband to buy a liver cooks the liver and sends one of the daughters to deliver it to her aunt daughter catches her aunt in wolf-form and faints mother rushes to her aid daughter comes around and tells what she saw mother tells her husband about what his sister really is a wolf says she moved them all there to fatten them up...

The Celtic Dragon Myth (St. George by Gustave Moreau Public Domain Image ) This story has elements about dragons that I think would be interesting to use in my own stories. Not only does it contain dragons but other mythical creatures such as giants, mermaids, and fairies. It also has a lot of symbolism that would be very interesting to use in my own writing, such as the significance of the number 3 and black horses and dogs.  I want to compare dragon myths and tales from many cultures and this Celtic story was very interesting in that regard. Source: The Celtic Dragon Myth by J.F. Campbell (1911) How Beowulf Overcame the Dragon (Dragon GIF created with Giphy from Beowulf (2007)) This story has so many interesting points that I could use to weave new stories. I always like turning the perspective of stories around so maybe I could write a story from the Dargon's perspective - making Beowulf the villain and the dragon the hero. Source: Stories of Beowulf T...

(Clockwork Girl & Boy by Milo ) “They call me a magician,” he grumbled to himself as he stared down into the Jewish ghetto below. Beyond the ghetto stood the towering heights of the city-proper. He sat in his leather chair in his dimly lit study twirling the end of his bushy mustache around the tip of his finger.  The Sabbath was approaching and he had no one to assist him. The people feared him - so much that none would work for him.   They were afraid not because he was an evil man but because he was a learned man, a man of science. Drawings of fantastical flying machines on yellowed parchment littered his desk. The people feared Rabbi Lion and his experiments. His genius was not yet understood. Bright flashes of light sometimes shone from his windows. The lay people attributed these flashes of light to demons so none were willing to enter his service.   “Pfft, if I were able to wield magic why would I not just command someone to serve me,” he thought. ...

"The Sleep of One Hundred Years" Rabbi Onias is travelling to Jerusalem the city ravaged by war, the first temple destroyed travelled by camel with a basket of dates and a leather bottle of water did not eat in case he came across someone who needed it more the land around the city was deserted except for a man planting a carob tree at the bottom of a hill must replant his destroyed vineyards so that the land may live again Onias passed the man and continued his journey reaches the top of the hill and sees the once beautiful city of Jerusalem is now destroyed begins to weep lays down at sunset with his head on his camel falls into a deep sleep sleeps for days, then weeks, then months, then years birds and wind dropped seeds around Onias as he slept grew into a thick hedge around him hiding him from sight date in his basket fell out and grew a large date palm that provided shade slept for 100 years awoke and stretched aching bones very confused ...

(Lucy Writing Advice Cartoon from UC Writing Centre ) "5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ" - Megan Bruneau Receiving feedback for my writing has never been a strength of mine. I, like the author of this article, get very defensive of my work. It is always very hard for me to take classes where I have to share my work with others let alone have people critique my work. However, this semester I am in this class that hinges on blog comments and I am in a creative writing class that workshops writing projects and let me tell you it has been an adventure already. The tips that Bruneau gives in this article are definitely going to stay with me as I navigate this semester. Tip number two stayed with me the most. I need to keep reminding myself that "having growth areas is a good thing" and that any feedback given is meant to strengthen my writing. "How to Give Students Specific Feedback That Actually Helps Them Learn" - Justin Chando Two points f...

Dragon Myths (Red European Dragon from dragonwisdom.wikia.com ) (Chinese Dragon by Dongjun Lu ) I have loved dragons since I was very young. It probably stems from the fact that I also love fantasy stories and novels. I am a writer that specializes in genre fiction, specifically sci-fi and fantasy writing. I have actually been researching dragon lore on my own before I started this class because I am using different types of dragons in several of my stories and novels-in-progress. My previous knowledge of dragons is mostly from works of fiction and a mythology class I took as a freshman in high school a million years ago. I know a bit about the European and Chinese variations of the dragon but I would like to see where else dragons appear in mythology around the world if they do at all. I would like to learn more about dragon mythologies so that I may portray them accurately or flip the typical dragon story on its ear and make it new and unique. If I choose to focus on...

(Deucalion and Pyrrha from ClipArt ETC ) “The humans have grown selfish and wicked,” said Jupiter as he peered to earth from his throne on Mount Olympus. “I have grown weary of their wicked deeds and ungrateful ways. We must teach them a lesson, will you help me, brother?”   “I will,” returns Neptune and with that Jupiter calls his storms and water falls from the skies. Neptune summons his waves and calls the rivers for aid. Together they drown the world. “Break the reins that hold your waters!” Neptune slams his trident to the earth and with a thunderous clap cracks open upon the earth allowing his oceans to stretch across the land. The roaring waters of the streams and the lakes rush across the lands and cover everything in sight. Where there once were buildings and pastures stood nothing but open sea. The buildings that were built sturdy enough to withstand the waves could still not be seen. Their pillars and roofs were lost amongst the waves. No longer was there ...

Story: Echo Bacchus/Dionysus - "twice born" First taken from his mother Semele Then from Zeus' thigh - placed there for safe keeping Jupiter and Juno debate who enjoys love-making more Men v. women Jupiter "expansive with wine" - drunk talk "you gain more than we do from the pleasure of love" Juno Denies it Decided to ask Tiresias for his opinion "had known Venus in both ways" Changed   to a woman after disturbing mating snakes - lived that way 7 years "confirmed Jupiter's words" Saturnia did not like the judgment and made him go blind "No god has the right to void what another god has done" Jupiter gave him foresight in exchange for his lost sight Narcissus   Attractive young man Born to the river god Cephisus and a nymph Mother consulted Tiresias to see if he would live to an old age Seer says "if he does not discover himself" Discovered by the nymph Echo when h...