Week 14: Storytelling

The Second Circle 

My name is Dante. It is now the third day of my journey with my guide. Every minute and second that passes I am afraid of what we will encounter. There are spirits that do not understand how or why I am allowed into the Inferno and they question my guide all the time. However, it is a higher power that has allowed my entry. There is so much to learn here and the more than I learn, the more I pray for my own soul. Today we left the first circle and ascended into the second circle. I asked my guide why the souls in this circle where there. His answer was very simple the sinners that took part of this circle where their because of their flesh, their carnal sins. Their sins varied from vanity and luxury to lust and adultery. 

I had no idea that I would see many people that I had heard about in my childhood in this place. Can you believe that Cleopatra was in the second circle?! I was so shocked too. After my guide had named the ancient knights and women I felt sad and I felt bad for them. I thought they were good people and I couldn't imagine the hell (literally), that they were going through. My guide could tell that I was upset so he grabbed my arm and navigated me through the second circle so that I could gather myself up.

As we were walking I noticed some souls that were near to me. I am they were very very close and I did not understand why they were so close to us. I asked my guide and told me that they were close because they had souls that went together. Love was the reason that they were there. It was in the midst of these souls that I met Paolo and Francesca but I spoke to Francesca the most. She told me how her destiny was changed when it all started with a kiss. Can you imagine that? Her husband killed her after he found out about her affair with Paolo. I can imagine she regrets it as it was only a moment of weakness but since their souls are together I can only assume she really did love him.

All I know after visiting this second circle is that I will now watch my back and make sure that love and any other carnal feeling will not lead me to this circle. I am frightened and I never want to send my eternal days there.

The second circle 

Image taken from Untextbook : Wikipedia commons 

Author's Note : 

I used the story Dante's Inferno : Paolo and Francesa to inspire my story this week. I really enjoyed this section of the reading that I did not really change any of the plot. The only thing that I did to make this story my own is that I made the story as if it were Dante telling the story in his own words or in a diary. I felt like this way it would be easier for the reader to know what was going on and more about Dante's feelings as he was navigating the second circle. 

Storytelling Week 13: The exchange

The Exchange

There once was a father who had three beautiful daughters. They were the most beautiful of the town. His daughters were his most prized possession and he would take really good care of them until he faced financial problems. The father had a problem that he kept away from his family. He was very addicted to gambling and he had recently lost a lot of money and his bills were starting to stack up. He didn't want his family to find out about his problems and he needed to relieve some stress, he decided that he would go hunting. 

While we went hunting, he became distracted due to his obsessive thoughts about all of his debt. Without his knowing, he had taken the wrong path and when he looked around he had no idea where he was. He tried to find his way back but it was of no use. He was absolutely lost and he had no solution. He starting screaming, "HELP, HELP, HELP ME". Suddenly, a bear hunter came out of the woods and walked towards the father. "How can I help you"?, he said. "I am lost and I do not know how to get back. Could you please help me out?" The hunter replied, "This is my land and I only help out those who can give me something in return. What can you offer me?" The father knew that he had no money so he could not offer that to the hunter but he did have a beautiful house and without thinking about it twice he said, "I will give you my house. I have nothing more to give you". The hunter then smirked and said, "Oh but you do have something that you can give me... You have the most beautiful daughters in town. I will give you money so you can get back on your feet. In return for my help and money I will get to choose with daughter of yours I want to marry." The father was relieved and he never knew that his daughters could save him from such trouble. He was money hungry and because he would get money in return he decided his daughter for money was a fair trade. 

The eldest daughter and the hunter were married and the father was content. Years passed and his money was scarce and he decided it was time to go back into the woods...

The bear hunter

Image taken from : Hunting Washington 

Author's Note: 

I took this story from The Bear, the Eagle, and the Fish  from the Czech Unit. I decided to this story but it was very interesting to me how this father traded his daughters off for some money in return. I decided to make this story a little less mythical by using a bear hunter instead of a bear approaching the father. I also added some dialogue so that the reader could have some in depth knowledge of the conversation going on with the father. The original story went on with the trade of the two other daughters however I wanted to add suspense by ending my story with the father going back into the woods. 

Week 12 Storytelling : Merlin

Merlin

Merlin was an incredible wizard and a great friend and asset for King Arthur. King Arthur had given Merlin the tasks of finding men that were honorable enough to be a part of the round table. The candidates then made their way to the round table but there were still two empty seats. Sir Tor was one of the last men to be righteous enough for the round table. Before anything else could happen, Sir Pellinore made his way to the court with a lady by his side. Merlin was so pleased with her radiant beauty that he desired her. 

This lady seemed very friendly and seemed to enjoy Merlin's presence. However, her intentions were not pure and she would laugh and mock Merlin because she knew that she did not love him or want him as a partner. Her only wish was to learn all the wizardry that she could from the Great Merlin. 

Merlin was the wizard that King Arthur trusted and Merlin had warned the king of a woman that would come and steal the sword and scabbard therefore King Arthur was careful of who he was around. Poor Merlin, little did he know that their enemy was the beautiful damsel by his side. 

This woman was determined enough to get everything that she could. She stuck by Merlin's side on every journey that he took. One day she became tired and could no longer live her double life. She wanted to get rid of Merlin but she just did not know how. 

That was until one day Merlin took her to a rock, a marvelous rock. He knew that he should not have shown her it all. However, in spite of his wisdom he told her everything there was to know about the wonders of the world. By this time the damsel knew too much about power and she tricked Merlin into creeping under the rock. Poor Merlin, as soon as he went under the rock he would not come back. The damsel used all the magic she knew and made the rock bury Merlin alive. She then left filled with joy thinking that she now had the key to it all. 

Little did she know that King Arthur knew this was the woman Merlin had told her about. King Arthur was prepared and he sent wise men to find Merlin and bring him back again. Merlin was gone just for a short time but he came back with much wiser ready to take the damsel down. 

Merlin stronger than ever when he came back 

Image found from Google Search :timelessmyths

Author's Note: 

I used the story The Passing of Merlin to inspire my story this week. I liked this story because I surprised to find out that even though Merlin was so wise he was tricked by beauty and became weak at the presence of this damsel. In the original story Merlin does pass and there was no one to save him. I decided that I wanted to keep the plot the same. I used the same backbone to retell the story in a much more simpler vocabulary and some description involved. However, I thought that Merlin deserved more than being tricked by a beautiful woman. That is why I made King Arthur the hero of the story by saving Merlin from his death. 

Storytelling Week 11 : The Wheelbarrow

The Wheelbarrow

Hello, my name is bachelor or was, anyhow. I am a nice, handsome, tall man. For many years I searched for my woman, She would just never appear. That is why I lived by myself for a very long time. Now, let me tell you about myself at that time. I was very lonely and food would fill my void. However, soon enough I learned that there are others who loved food just as I would. 

The meats that I would by I would put them on the shelf and slowly one by one they started to go there. They were tiny and hairy but still I was not afraid. Company was nice so I did not care. Their names were rats and mice and soon enough they were more than that. They became important to me that I had to make sure that I had enough meats and food to make them come back. 

So there it was, every week I would make that trip. With my wheelbarrow I would make my way to the streets of London all the way. I chose the finest meats and beets. Then I would take my wheelbarrow back home again. This was the trip that they lead me on and for that I am thankful, as you shall see. It was one fine morning when I realized that there was no more meat so I got up and made my way to London once again. This time however, I had more in mind. Today I was going to London to get me a wife. 

I had met this fine woman the other week; she had smiled back at me at the Juniper her love was for me. I told her I would come back and so It was. With my wheelbarrow I would take her back. She sat in it and screamed with joy. I had a wife and I could not ask for me. My name was no longer bachelor until... that was. The streets were narrow and very filled so the wheelbarrow was the only choice. Had I known I would have brought some other way to bring her home. You see, my wheelbarrow was made for meats and beets not my little wife and all. Through the streets I pushed and pushed until the wood could no longer do. The wheelbarrow broke and my wife fell down and the wheelbarrow tumbled, with my little wife, and all.

So now I go back home again, this time back with nothing, oh.... well. 

The bachelor and the little wife

Taken from the :  Untextbook 

Author's Note:

This is a story based on a rhyme I found in Nursery Rhymes about Love and Matrimony. 

This original rhyme was very short about this bachelor who would go for meats and then the rats and mice would lead him to London to find his wife. Unfortunately due to a weak wheelbarrow he only had a wife for a short time. I was very skeptical about how I could make this into a story but after some thought I just thought that I could expand on every line. I added some detailed description and backstories to make more of a narration of the events. 

Storytelling Week 9: Cry because he had a wife

Cry because he had a wife 

There was a man who would spend every single day crying to his grandmother because he could no longer stand his wife. He loved her very much at first but as the years had passed by he realized that he could no longer stand her presence. "She drives me nuts", he would say. "I don't know what to do anymore grandmother. She won't leave but there has to be a way to get rid of her". His grandmother loved her grandson so much that she giggled and said, "Well... there is one way but you must only do this if you are truly not happy anymore, son". Eagerly he listened to his grandmother's instructions. 

She told him about the village by the giant’s house. This village was the place where men that would cry because they had no wife lived. However, the giant would make it really hard to get across to the village. His wife had died so he knew that men would only try to get past him if they were trying to get rid of their wives. The giant did not like this idea so he would stall the men in order to try to save the wives. 

The voyage began and the man and his wife started walking. He had lied to his wife because he knew that she would never go with him if he told her that he was trying to get rid of her. He told her, "Lets go on a small vacation. We need time alone".  As they were walking the husband saw the giant's home and he was afraid of what could happen. The giant immediately stopped the couple and offered them breakfast and allowed them to choose with roast they wanted to eat. Since the husband did not want to wife to speculate and doubt his actions. The wife chose the small roast which was the best idea since the rest of the roasts were limbs of the men the giant had defeated while trying to save the women. After they had their breakfast the husband knew he had to get out quick before the wife and the giant engaged in conversation. 

He was happy as he was able to get out quick and the giant did not interrupt his plans. As they kept walking, the husband could see the village close by and he could feel his happiness sinking in. 

However, he knew that the journey would be even harder as the cliff in between them was very dangerous to cross and there was the giant's horse that would kill men bringing in the women. His grandmother had warned him about this horse so he was prepared. He had brought two stones with him to distract and outwit the horse. When he was close enough he threw the stones and his wife was surprised as he was a very calm man. The husband explained that the horse was a exotic and violent species that would attack anyone in its way. The wife admired him so much for protecting her. As soon as they reached the village the husband took the wife into a lodge and when she turned away, he ran as fast as he could. By the time that she noticed that he was gone it was already too late. A man that would cry because he had no wife was already waiting for her. "There you are", he said. She realized that she had been tricked. 

Many years passed and the woman made of her life the best that she could given her conditions. One day there was word in the village about a new cry because he had no wife. When she went to meet the man to welcome him she could not believe her eyes.... it was the cry because he had a wife that had left her in the village abandoned. But it was far too late.. She no longer loved him and he would be cry because he had no wife for the rest of his years. 

Man crying 

Image found on Google Search: Hello Giggles 

Author's Note: 

My story for this week is based on Cry-because-he-had-no-wife  from the Pacific Northwest unit. This story was very interesting to me because I had never heard of anything like it before. It is about an orphan who was very sad because he did not have a wife and he would never stop crying. His grandparents told him about a village where a girl lived that was perfect for him. However, his journey there would not be so easy as he would have to face the giant, the cliff, and the horse that protected the girl. At last, he was able to get to the girl and they married. However, when they came to visit the girl was a little different than what he expected as she was demanding and since his grandparents did not obey her orders she let them die instead of making them young like she had said. In the end, they start heading back and the husband encounters the giant once again and he is demanding the wife and the husband outwits the giant by distracting him and tangling him in ropes that he and his wife had made and they were able to escape. I decided to change this story by first making it a man who would cry because he did have a wife (for comical reasons), then I gave an inside reason as to why the giant was important in the story( trying to save the wives), and lastly the horse who was the giant's last resource to saving the wives. In the end I thought it would be a good moral to the story to remind husbands that have wives that no matter how annoying we can be, they will miss us (once again for my own comical reasons). Enjoy!

Storytelling Week 7 : The Ogre

The Ogre 

This is the story of my life. I had for much time been very misunderstood. The village people thought that I was extinct but they were wrong. They  were happy because they thought we were gone since they defeated my ancestors. My last encounter with the villagers was completely misunderstood and that is why I am here telling you what really happened that day. 

First, let me tell you about my ancestors and their history with the village. My ancestors were very territorial and protective. They didn't want to harm anyone but if they felt that they were being attacked they would lash out without thinking of the consequences. One day, Raiko a general of Rashomon came into our village and at the sight of my ancestors he immediately attacked. It wasn't his fault that he reacted that way. His ancestors had told stories about how horrible we were. He thought that my ancestors were going to eat him because the myths said that ogres would kill and eat their victim. That was all a lie. We did kill and eat our prey but we only ate animals. Not humans. Nevertheless, Raiko attacked and he defeated everyone in my village. He came back to Rashomon and told his story of victory and his village praised him. They gifted him with the army of the most elite warriors who were the named the most brave of them all. They were assigned the tasks that most men were to coward to confront. 

You see when Raiko came to my village I was out by the stream trying to catch some fish. He missed me. He didn't even know my friends and I existed. Our parents were killed that day but we were not mad at the humans. We knew it was all a misunderstanding and all we wanted was peace. As the time went by my friends stayed away from the village the most they could because they knew if the humans ever saw them again they would be killed. I however had hope. I had hope that maybe if only maybe I could talk to them they would realize that we are friendly and harmless. While I was out in the forest I heard one of Raiko's men "The ogres do not exist. I will bet with you!". The other warrior answered, "Yes, they do. They are far away and hidden but it is impossible for Raiko to have killed all of them. One must have gotten away". The other responded, "I will go past the gate into the forest to prove to you that I am not afraid because they do not exist". 

I then knew that it was the perfect time to show the men that I came in peace, or so I thought. I waited for the sunset to come as that was when one of the warriors would come to the gate. When I saw him approach the gate I walked behind him. Instantly he felt me behind him and he stretched his hand out just enough to touch my arm. I knew he knew that I was an ogre because he immediately drew his sword and swung it against my arm. The pain was horrible and I immediately yelled out. I ran for my life and he was not able to catch up to me. Now I look down at my mutilated arm everyday and am constantly reminded that peace is just as impossible as my parents being alive again. 

The warriors sword 

Image found through Google at Dark World Wiki 

Author's Note: 

This week I did my storytelling based on the story The Ogre of Rashomon  . This story is a three part story and the first story lets the reader know that Raiko was known to be a local hero because of his actions against the ogres. The story is from the perspective of the warriors and the state of mind of the people of Rashomon. I wanted to keep the plot the same except I wanted to change the perspective of the story and add a dimension to the ogre's intentions since we were not told if the ogre wanted to attack or not. I really enjoyed the original story and hopefully you'll enjoy my take on it too. 

Storytelling week 5 : The revenge of the Brother

The revenge of the Brother 

There was once two brothers named Jake and Justin. Justin was very humble and sweet and he owed his loyalty to his brother since his brother always looked after him. Jake on the other hand was very handsome,strong and mighty. He had a wife and she was very beautiful. Jake would always stay home with his wife and while they would stay home and wine and dine, Justin would be out in the fields taking care of the animals and the harvest. Justin never complained about his work and he always brought food back home. He did this out of love for his brother and his wife. Justin worked day and night and although taking care of the oxen and the grain was very tiresome work he would come back home every night and take care of Jake's and his wife's needs.

Justin taking care of the oxen 

One day Justin was surprised to see Jake come out to the field to help him out with the herds. As Jake was walking around the land he noticed that there was still a lot of land that needed seeding so that more grains and harvest could grow. Justin without disobeying Jake's order went into the house looking for the seeds that Jake had told him about. Now, when Justin went into the house he noticed that these seeds were not any ordinary kind. He went into the house thinking that he was only looking for a small bag of seeds. Instead, he found himself in a room full of big heavy sacks filled with seeds. Jake's wife came into the room asking Justin if he needed any help. Justin replied, "No, it is okay I must do this as my beloved brother has sent me in to look for these". Jake's wife was very surprised to see Justin pick up these sacks without any difficulty and she noticed his strong biceps and abs compress when he picked up these sacks. She noticed his beautiful structure. She immediately desired Justin. "Justin, how strong you are", she said. "Wow, your biceps are so nice, it must be so easy working out in the fields with your muscular build. Unfortunately your brother is always here at home with me so his body is not built like yours". 

She started caressing his arms and said "Come be with me tonight. I will take care of you forever". Justin immediately saw an opportunity to make his brother pay back for all the work that he had made him do. You see, Justin's heart was filled with love for his brother until he noticed that all he was for his brother was someone to do all his dirty work while he stayed home doing nothing but enjoying the luxury of life with his wife. Justin heart immediately turned dark and his heart sought revenge.
"Wait for me tonight and I will come and get you. My brother was like a father to me until I realized that I was not a son to him but a free worker. I am hurt and now I will take what he loves the most."

Author's Note: 

I have used the story The Two Brothers: Part One  from the Ancient Egyptian Unit. I chose this story because it caught my attention how this brother did everything from his brother Anpu out of love and loyalty. I was impressed with his actions whenever he had an opportunity to lay with his brother's wife and she desired him but instead he rejected her and she was embarrassed. In the end of the story however, Anpu's wife accuses Bata of sleeping with her against her will as Anpu found her in the room distressed. Anpu was furious even though Bata had not committed any harm against his brother. In my story, I wanted to portray Bata's kind and working heart until he noticed who he was for his brother and the moment the his heart turned dark. In the original story Bata is accused of acting against his brother and in my story I wanted to make the "innocent" brother guilty. I think that these stories such as Joseph's story in the bible depict us stories of men that flee temptation and do not act against the people that they respect. I think that in our time it is harder to come across men that act in that manner. 

Storytelling, Week 2: Joseph the seducer

Joseph was brought into Egypt, and Potifar had grace over Joseph. Joseph served him and gained trust he even became in charge of overseeing the house. All trust was put in his hands. However, Joseph had been away for a very long time and although he was happy he was weak. He was weak in the sense that he longed to lie with a woman. Potifar's wife was very beautiful and Joseph spent a lot of time around her. Since he over saw the palace he had keys to all the rooms. One day he thought " I will only take a peek" and he made his way to the bathing house at the time that Potifar's wife would be in there. Without her knowing he watched her undress and bathe. Her soft skin glistened as the moonlight struck her through the open window. Her skin so fair and soft, her breast laid perfectly on her chest and he lusted her. He knew that Potifar would be gone for some time since he had business to take care of with the Pharaoh it was a perfect time. Potifar's wife seemed lonely and upset as it had been months that she had seen her loved one. Joseph made his way in and caressed her and told her it would all be okay. Potifar's wife trusted him, as he was the second man in charge. As many times before she laid in her bed in her nightgown as Joseph guarded her place. Joseph would no longer hide his desire he approached her bedside and grabbed her hand. "Lie with me", he said, "I will make you forger all your sorrows. With me you will never meet solitude again. " He leaned it to kiss and rubbed her thigh. She was appalled, "My master would not approve. How dare you come into my house and disrespect me in such way? How could I do this evil and sin against my God?" She ran out and cried for help. Joseph knew it would only be a matter of time. Potifar heard the news and made his way back to Egypt only to find Joseph gone. Joseph prayed to his God but his God had turned away for he has disrespected his master but above all had disrespected his father. Not too much time had passed and Joseph was found, he was thrown in jail and shortly after paid for his actions as he faced the gallows. 

Potifar's Wife- Orazio Gentileschi 

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Author's Note: The original story that inspired my own was Potifar's Wife . In the original story Joseph was loyal to his master and his God. He was humble and honest. Potifar's wife was promiscuous and lusted Joseph. One day Joseph was naive and went on with his day. Potifar's wife approached Joseph and told him to lie with her. Joseph was not weak and ran out the room leaving his garment that she had pulled away. Ashamed, she blamed him and accused him of harassing her and trying to sleep with her. Joseph was sent to jail but later forgiven as he was innocent. I made this story my own by changing the character involved with the lust and changing some events by adding more detail. However, I wanted to keep the betrayal story line the same.  In my story, the betrayer is Joseph. Potifar's wife is put in a positive light rather than a negative one. In the original story there is no consequence for Potifar's wife even though she was the one who approached Joseph. I wanted to make sure that that was not the case in my story, therefore I made Joseph be punished by facing death in the gallows. I was really excited when I found the picture above as it was a really great addition to the story as you could see what was going on in the story as well. 

Bibliography: Potifar's Wife, King James Bible (1611), Genesis 39