Week 10 Reading Diary: Alaska Legends Cont.

This is a continuation of the Alaska unit. These readings are from Myths and Legends of Alaska by Katharine Berry Judson (1911). The two chapters that stood out to me were the Land of the Dead and The Ghost Land

The Land of the Dead

Before I read this unit, I thought that maybe this chapter would talk about zombies (just because that's what my generation is all about now). However, when I read the story, I found myself shivering with chills. It's was quiet creepy. A woman died and is woken up in the land of the dead by her grandfather. He gives her a tour of the land of the dead. She found a village where people are beaten with sticks. This village was known as the dog shades so that the dead could feel how living dogs were beaten. I guess in this legends, the shades refer to the people or animals that have died. In other village, a man had roots and grass growing through his joints, and this was his punishment for tearing up the earth when he was alive. The most interesting part was the river in the land of the dead. The river consist of tears from the living who mourn for dead loved ones.

The Ghost Land

 This chapter could be developed into a suspenseful horror movie. I shouldn't have read it at night. A man's wife passed out which made the man really depressed. He was so depressed that he wandered off into the woods, walking on the Death Trail. Towards the end of the Death Trail, he found the Ghost's rock. Across the lake, he saw a village. A Ghost Canoe took him across the lake where he found his wife. He brought his wife from the ghost village and to his own village. The man told his father that he brought his wife back. When the chief saw the man, he did not see his son's wife. However, when a robe was placed on the wife's shoulder, the robe floated in the air as if someone was actually wearing the robe. When the wife was eating, the spoon floated as if someone was eating, yet there was no one there. For some reason this didn't freak out anyone in the story!

Ghost Land. Source.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Alakan Legends

For this week's reading, I decided to read through Myths and Legends of Alaska by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).

 Raven's Creation

 I liked this story because it reminded me of a creation story. Basically a man was born from a pea pond. The Raven came and introduced himself. He then made man a companion., a woman, and several animals out of clay.

Raven Creates the People

In this story, Raven thought that the Earth looked plain and bare. With that in mind, he made more animals and people out of clay. He noticed that the water was empty, so Raven made sea creatures such as fish and dolphins. In the end, the Earth was full of life from humans to animals to plants all thanks to Raven.

Skyland and the Sea

 Raven took the man to the Skyland which was filled with smaller people with fur. The Skyland had a better climate and all was joyful. It reminded me of heaven. Raven decided to make more animals for man and also taught man how to use tools. In this way, man could survive on Earth. I liked the combination of these three stories because it described the origins of man, animals, and plants. It appears to me that Raven is like a god to the Alaskan people. How odd that it was a black bird that created the world? One would think it would have been an angelic creature.

Native American Raven. Source.

Week 9 Reading Diary: Myths of the Cherokee Cont.

This is the second half of reading through Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).

Tobacco and Strawberries

 The story of tobacco really made me laugh because I interpreted it as a story where all the people and creatures were addicted to tobacco. The story began with one tobacco plant in all the land, and everyone needed tobacco to survive. Well eventually an evil goose stole the last tobacco plant. An elderly woman needed the tobacco plant to live, so all the creatures of the land attempted to retrieve the tobacco plant. However, each animal died in its attempt. Then came the hummingbird to the rescue. The tiny bird flew swiftly to the tobacco plant and returned it home. However, the old woman had fainted. Everyone thought she was dead until she took a sniff of the tobacco plant and jumped up yelling, "Tobacco!" I guess it really did save her life.

The story of strawberries was cute. A husband and wife were in an argument and set off into their separate ways. The husband regretted the fight and wanted to be united with his wife immediately, but she kept walking away from him. God felt pity for the husband and decided to help reunite the husband and wife. He laid out all sorts of fruits in front of the wife so that He could direct you towards her husband, but she ignored the fruits. Then God laid out patches of bright, red strawberries. They were the first strawberries on Earth. The wife was quickly entranced by the color and sweetness of the fruit. She picked them and her mind was flooded with sweet memories of her husband. She gathered a whole basket of strawberries and returned to her husband so that they can eat the fruit together.

T

Strawberries. Source.

How the Deer got his Horns

This story wasn't too much of an attention grabber. The deer and a rabbit were in a competition to see who could run the fastest. The winner would wear the prized antlers. The rabbit, being known as a trickster, scavenge into the woods to become familiar with the path for tomorrow's race, but he was gone so long. The animals found out that the rabbit was making his own path by gnawing on the bushes, so the deer automatically won the antlers. To this day, male deer have antlers and rabbits gnaw on bushes.

 

Week 9 Reading Diary: Myths of the Cherokee

I decided to read through Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900) for this weeks Native American unit.

The Rattlesnake's Vengeance

This story stood out to me because I couldn't believe that the husband gave up his wife to a tribe of rattlesnakes. In the story, a wife and her kids were playing around the house when a rattlesnake approached the children. Out of instinct, the mother killed the rattlesnake. I would have done the same. Her husband was out and about hunting when a tribe of rattlesnakes approached him. They cried to him that his wife had killed their chief rattlesnake. The hunter apologized, but in order to prove this, the hunter had to give the tribe his wife. And that's exactly what he did! He returned home and asked his wife to fetch water from the well. When she went to retrieve the water, the band of rattlesnakes bit her. The husband stayed with her until she died, but still what in the world! I guess legend says that there is a mutual understanding between the rattlesnakes and humans now. The Cherokee must sing a song before approaching any rattlesnake and the snake won't attack the human.

Rattlesnake. Source.

The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird

This story was pretty funny. A crane and a hummingbird race around the world in order to marry a woman that they're both in love with. The hummingbird was a fast fellow and very handsome whereas the crane was a hefty guy that was awkward looking. The woman thought the hummingbird would win with ease, but she didn't realize that the crane could fly all night. The hummingbird sped off at first but became really tired and took a break. The crane flew steadily and ate breakfast before each flight. The ended up winning the race, but the woman refused to marry him! So she stayed single.
 

Week 7 Reading Diary: Filipino Tales Cont.

This is the continuation of the Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler (1921). I wasn't a huge fan of the Filipino tales. They seemed a little one dimensional. I chose to focus on the two chapters listed below since it they appealed to me more than the others.

Why the Sun Shine More Brightly than the Moon

I liked this story because, well, for one it was about the sun and the moon. I have always enjoyed hearing about other culture's origin stories about the sun and the moon. Secondly, the story was about two daughters which reminded me of my twin sisters. In this story, Araw, older daughter, was very kind and good-natured. On the other hand, her younger sister, Buwan, was rude and cruel. One day their mother, who was a fairy, witnessed Buwan mistreating Araw, so the mother prayed to God for help. God wanted to see for himself what the fuss was about so he disguised himself as a beggar and approached the sister. Araw treated the beggar well so God gave her a diamond that shined brightly. Buwan didn't get a diamond. Therefore, she traveled to the heavens and stole a smaller diamond from God. Infuriated, God sent his angels to retrieve the diamond and to punish Buwan. However, the angels ended throwing both the girls into the ocean and threw the diamonds into the sky where they still remain today. Araw means day or sun; Buwan means moon.

Sun and Moon. Source.

The Lost Necklace

In this story,  a crow buys a fine necklace that shined brightly. He wore his necklace everywhere. One day, Hen was walking with her little chicks when she noticed the crow's necklace. Mesmerized by its beauty, Hen asked the crow if she could borrow the necklace for the night. Crow liked Hen so he agreed. The next day Crow noticed that Hen was no longer wearing the necklace. When he inquired about it, Hen apologized and explained that her chicks took in the middle of the night. They've been looking for it all day, but still had no luck. Crow was angry and told Hen to keep looking for the necklace. To this day, hens and their chicks scratch the ground looking for the crow's necklace.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Filipino Tales

I decided to read through the Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler (1921) for this weeks Asian unit. My favorite readings were about three brothers and three sons. I'm not sure it is about the number three that makes it so popular in folk stories.

Three Brothers of Fortune

Three sons, named Suan, Iloy, and Ambo, played hooky and decided to go on an adventure. Throughout their journey, each of them found charms. Ambo was given a book that revived the dead. Iloy was given a magic carpet that flew in the air. Suan wasn't given any charm. Instead he found two rocks that morphed together when they touched then separated again. He was convinced that the stones had magical powers, so he kept them in his pocket. Further into their journey, the three sons found a couple crying over their dead daughter. Ambo brought her back to life with his book. Iloy whisked them away, including the daughter, to a beach. Suan saved them all from drowning by repairing a broken plank pieces with his rock. In the end, they argued who would keep the daughter. Because they couldn't reach an agreement, they had a kind decide. The king split the daughter into three parts so that the sons could have an equal share. Ambo, an Iloy didn't want their share and left. Suan gathered all three pieces and had his magic rocks put the daughter back together. It was then Suan who had the greatest charm.



The Poor Man and His Three Sons

A dying father gave his three sons three different objects, a scythe, a rooster, and a cat. In order to make money off of those objects, the father advised his sons to find a place in which the people were in need of each object's function. The first son with the scythe found a village with rice crops. He showed the villagers how a scythe can be used to cut down the crops much faster than ripping the crops by hand. Amazed by the new tool, the villagers bought the scythe for a large sum of money. The second son introduced the concept of time to a town that didn't have a rooster, so they bought the rooster for lots of money. The third son found a town that was rat-infested. He showed the town that his cat could kill the rats. His cat was sold and he left with a large sum of money. The moral of the story: Select the right place in which to trade.

The Three Sons. Source.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Nigerian Unit Cont.

This is the continuation of Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).


 Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes

 I thought this chapter was pretty funny because the moon was described as a pale, fat woman who lived in the sky. I've read several folk stories that have described the moon and it's usually the same description of a beautiful, wise woman. Sometimes the moon would be described as the sun's twin or the sun's lover. It caught me off guard to hear that the moon was a plump, round woman, but it makes sense! The moon noticed that a poor woman was starving, so she offered the old woman some of her meat. Eventually the moon became thinner and gave little light which explains why the moon wanes.


Why Dead People are Buried

 This story was quiet interesting since it explained the origins of burying practices. The almighty creator felt sympathy for the humans and creatures whenever they died. Therefore, the creator decided to send a message to the humans that the bodies should be buried in a compound with wooden ashes thrown over it, and within twenty-four hours the body would become alive again. For some reason, the creator chose a dog as a messenger to deliver the message to the humans, but of course the dog saw a bone and became distracted. To redeliver the message, a sheep was sent as a messenger. Why a sheep? I have no idea! The sheep became distracted with grass and forgot the message. By the time he remembered it, the sheep told the humans to bury their dead in the ground. The dog tried to tell the humans the correct message, but everyone ignored the dog because they have already heard the message from the sheep. To think, if the dog delivered the message successfully, the dead would have been revived every night.

My take on the dog as the messenger. Source.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Nigeria Unit

For this week's unit I decided to read African folk stories from the Nigerian Unit. It has always been a dream of mine to visit Africa or study abroad in Kenya. Maybe in the future I will. The stories that I read are from Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).

Of the Pretty Stranger Who Killed the King

In this short story, a people of Itu were plotting to kill King Mbotu of Old Town, Calabar. They tried several ways to end the king's life, but they were unsuccessful. A witch heard of the troubles of the Itu people and volunteered to kill Mbotu. Therefore, the witch transformed herself into a youthful and beautiful girl. The king fell in lust with her and asked her to marry him. As part of the plan, the witch married the king. She prepared with a special dish that has sleeping herbs which immediately put the king to sleep when he took a bite of the food. While he snooze, she removed the hidden knife from her bosom and cut off his head. The witch traveled to the Itu people and delivered the king's head. The moral of the story was: Never marry a stranger, no matter how pretty she may be.

 The Disobedient Daughter who Married a Skull

I found this story quite interesting. In summary, a beautiful girl named Afiong refused to marry any man in the village because they were all ugly. She wanted to be with a man that was just as attractive as she was. Well, one day the spirit known as Skull, made himself into a perfect man by picking body parts from different men. He took a nice head from one man, strong arms from another, and so on. Skull presented himself to Afiong who fell in love with him. Although she didn't know him very well, she agreed to marry him and left her village. Little did she know that Skull was taking her back to the spirit land where his true ugly form was revealed. Not only that, but the spirits were cannibals and wanted to Afiong. In short, Afiong ran away from the spirit world and agreed to marry any man that her parents picked. She ended up with a man that was her father's friend.

My take on Afiong and Skull. Source.

It was interesting to see a reoccurring theme of marrying someone that you know. It must have been a common practice in Africa to marry strangers.

Week 5 Reading Diary: The Voyages of Sinbad Continued

This is a continuation of The Voyages of Sinbad from Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights' Entertainments.

 Seventh Voyage

 On his journey of delivering a gift to a king, Sinbad was captured and sold into slavery. His master asked Sinbad if he was skilled with the bow and arrow. He told his master that he was talented with the bow and arrow, so his master assigned him to a task. His master led Sinbad into a forest where he was commanded to shoot any elephants that he saw (why are the elephants always killed)? Sinbad waited and waited for an elephant until finally a heard of elephants came rushing by. He shot an elephant to the ground and buried it for his master to see. Months passed and Sinbad killed countless of elephants. One day, a heard of elephants surrounded Sinbad and shook him out of his tree. The heard took Sinbad to an elephant's graveyard that was filled with elephant skeletons and tusks. I think this was supposed to show Sinbad the horror that he has been causing, instead Sinbad traveled to his master and showed him Ivory Hill (as the place was called). The master was so excited about his riches that he freed Sinbad and gave him a fraction of his fortune. This depressed me. I'm a huge animal lover, and I wish Sinbad realized what he did to the elephants instead of being rewards for it.

Elephant's Graveyard. Source.

Week 5 Reading Diary: The Voyages of Sinbad

For my Middle-Eastern unit I read The Voyages of Sinbad which is part of Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. I remember years ago I watched the cartoon version of Sinbad. The only part I remember is the scene with the deadly sirens. I thought reading this unit would refresh me of the story, but it turned out to be completely different than what I expected. My favorite voyages were Sinbad's second voyage and fourth voyage.

Second Voyage

 During Sinbad's second voyage, Sinbad was stranded on an island that contained huge pearly white rocks. These rocks were extremely massive and unlike any stone he has ever seen. He then realized that these "rocks" were actually eggs of a giant bird known as roc. Of course Sinbad, being the crazy sailor he is, attached himself to the bird's legs by wrapping his turban around the talon. I don't know why he thought this would be a great idea because the roc transported Sinbad to a valley of giant snakes which can swallow whole elephants. Sinbad noticed that the entire valley was covered with diamonds. So he takes some diamonds and attaches a slap of snake meat onto himself so that he can return to the roc's nest with his jewels.

Sinbad in the valley of diamonds. Source.

Fourth Voyage

This voyage was a bit crazier. Sinbad was ship wrecked on an island where he found a beautiful. What he didn't realize was that the was a strange custom on the island. If one married partner dies, then the other partner must be buried alive with his/her spouse. Sinbad's wife died of an illness so Sinbad was trapped in a cave with water and bread. Another couple entered the cave (husband died, wife alive), and Sinbad killed the wife to eat her rations. He continued this until a ship rescued him. What was crazy to me was the fact that Sinbad killed several husbands and wives in order to steal their rations instead of plotting an escape together...

Week 4 Reading Diary: Arabian Nights Continued

I finished the second unit of the Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, and it was all about Aladdin and his lamp. It was quite different from Disney's Aladdin.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

First off, a magician was the one who urged Aladdin to go into a hidden cave and find the wonderful lamp. The magician demanded the lamp, but Aladdin refused to give up the lamp until he was out of the cave. Frustrated with the boy, the magician left and closed the cave. Aladdin was now stuck in the cave with the magician's magic ring (it was given to Aladdin earlier to open the cave). What was odd was that Aladdin rubbed the ring and out came the genie. I thought it would be the magical lamp, but in this story it was the magic ring. The genie appeared and promised Aladdin that he would obey him. Another twist to the story was that Aladdin had two genies, not one! He had the genie from the ring and the genie from the lamp! That's a lot of power for one man...

Continuing on with the story, Aladdin fell in love with the Sultan's daughter and wished to marry her. He wishesdfor a grand palace to win her father's approval. They become husband and wife after several months of bickering between the sultan and another person. The evil magician kidnapped Aladdin's lamp and his wife which reversed the magic. Aladdin used the genie from the ring to save her from the evil magician. The magician died. BUT! He had an evil brother!! I thought this was a dramatic bit to the story. It sounds like a random hook in the story line just to make another chapter in the book. After defeating the brother, Aladdin and his wife lived happily ever after.

Arabian Nights. Source.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Arabian Nights

For this week's Middle Eastern Unit, I decided to read the Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrations by H.J. Ford. The introduction began with a huge hook! The sultan's wife, who he loved with all of his heart and soul, had been unfaithful. Enraged with the deception and the betrayal, the sultan had the grand-vizir put her to death. The sultan could not bring himself to trust any woman ever again, so he proposed a ludicrous solution. He will marry a new wife every morning and by nightfall the bride's father would have to kill her. This meant every day there was a new bride and a new death. The entire town wept out of lamentation.

The one day, a beautiful woman named Scheherazade volunteered to be the new sultan's wife. She convinced her father that she could stop this horrendous torture. Of course her father refused to sacrifice his daughter, but she was determined. The sultan was quite happy to hear that he will be marrying the most beautiful woman in all of Persia, but it was a shame that she would have to die in the morning. During my reading, I kept wondering how Scheherazade would save herself in the morning. The clever girl told stories to her little sister and the sultan but never finished the stories. Because he wanted to hear the ending of the stories, the sultan would spare his wife's life.

I thought it was insane that the sultan would even think of punishing his wives in that way. Who would be so heartless to kill their wife, in fact kill a new wife every morning?

Scheherazade  and the sultan. Source.

Week 3 Reading Diary: The Fables of Aesop Continued

I finished reading the second unit of The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs. Two chapters in this unit caught my attention were The Old Man and Death and also The Man and His Mother.

The Old Man and Death

This story was about a man who was gathering sticks in a forest. I guess the task at hand was so great and tiring that he cried out to Death to take his life away. Lo and behold, Death appears around the corner as a skeleton and asked how he could be of service. Shocked that Death was right in front of him, the man asked Death to help gather sticks. The moral of this story was: We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.

I thought that this was an interesting moral because I have always heard that you should be careful for what you wish for. I was always taught that when you pray and ask something from God, He will never give you exactly what you want. Instead, He will give you want you need. I wonder if the man prayed to God, would God give him a large bundle of sticks or the strength to carry the sticks?

Death and the man. Source.

 
The Man and His Mother 

 A young man was caught stealing, so he was sentenced to be executed to pay for his crime. As every prisoner has one last wish, he wished to speak to his mother for the last time. I thought this was a sweet gesture until I continued reading. The man asked his mother to come closer because he had to whisper something in her ear. She brought her ear close to her son's mouth, and then he bit her ear! He actually bit his mother's ear! Everyone was shocked and asked him why he would do such a thing to his mother. He then explained that it was to punish his mother because she encouraged the stealing when he was younger. The moral of the story: rain up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart therefrom.

 I could never imagine blaming my mother for my wrong doings, but the moral does make sense.

Week 3 Reading Diary: The Fables of Aesop

For my week 3 of reading I decided to read The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacob. It was quite a change from last week's reading since it was filled with several short stories. The story that interest me the most were the fables about wolves.

Wolves

There was a collection of short stories that showed the wolf as a deceptive monster that ate sheep or as a foolish, selfish tyrant. One story that caught my attention was the story about the wolf and the dog. A starving wolf in the middle of winter was passing by a dog's house. The dog saw the poor condition of the wolf and asked the wolf why he chose to live in such harsh conditions when he could be living in a warm home with security and food. Since there was no other option, the wolf agreed to cooperate with the dog to find a new home. The dog introduced the wolf to its master, and all seemed well. Then the wolf noticed that the dog's hair was thinning around his neck. Out of curiosity, the wolf asked what was wrong with the dog's neck. The dog explained that at nighttime, his master will put a chain over the dog's neck which pinched the hairs off his collar. "You just have to get used to it," said the dog. Immediately, the wolf turned around and walked away from the dog's offer. The moral of the story was: Better starve free than be a fat slave.

The moral of the story appealed to me because I know of several people who are willing to give up their freedom for security. This idea is still relevant in today's politics. According to Aesop, it appears that freedom is extremely more valuable than any amount of food.

The wolf and the dog. Source.

Week 11 Reading Diary: Beowulf Continued

The story continues with Beowulf! I finished the second unit of Beowulf, and let me just say that he was more of a monster that the dragons that he battled. He destroyed the horrendous Grendel with his bare hands, and destroyed its mother. Afterwards, he died battling a dragon. Can you believe that it took a beast such as a dragon to destroy Beowulf? I'm convinced that this man isn't human at all.

What really surprised me was Beowulf's anxiety the night before he battled Grendel. He tossed and turned in bed, worrying about the battle that would ensue the next day with the monster. Ironically, Grendel put a sleeping spell on the kingdom so that he could sneak into the castle undetected. Maybe it was the spell that interfered with Beowulf's sleep.

The most depressing part of the story was Beowulf's death. Beowulf and his most faithful companion Wiglaf battled the dragon side by side. Right before the dragon fell to its death, its tail caught Beowulf and broke his body. Outraged with the dragon, Wiglaf stabbed the the dragon's heart, finishing him once and for all. Wiglaf rushed to Beowulf's side to hear his last words. Beowulf told his friend, "Farewell, good Wiglaf, my own true friend." That was the end of Beowulf.

Beowulf and Wiglaf battling the dragon. Source.

(The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs, 1933)

Week 11 Reading Diary: Beowulf

For this week's reading, I read the first half of Beowulf unit from The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs and illustrator Henry Pitz (1933). It wasn't a bad choice! I'm really appreciative that Riggs translated Beowulf into modern prose. It made the read easier and more enjoyable.

The story begins with a description of King Hygelac of Geatsland who is Beowulf's uncle. Beowulf lives with his uncle and his aunt who is Queen Hygd. Young Beowulf was described as a very athletic young boy with a strength so that all of his friends were filled with jealousy and rage. Because Beowulf is his uncle's favorite, he is appointed as the king's thane, or a nobleman that served the king.

 I've noticed that there is great criticism of Beowulf from his friends and the people of Geatsland. The legendary man is known for destroying dragons and swimming across the great sea for five days and night, yet people still call him a coward and lazy. It seems to me that Beowulf is stubborn and short-tempered. He cares about his reputation, and will never allow anyone to ruin it. This is obvious during the quarrel between Unferth, a counselor of the king of Danes, and Beowulf.

Unferth vs. Beowulf

In short, Beowulf hears from the songs of a traveling man that there is a monster named Grendel that has been terrorizing Daneland. He sees this as an opportunity to prove to his kingdom and his friends that he is the almighty and powerful Beowulf (and not a coward). He arrives at Daneland with a warm welcome from the king and his nobleman, except for one counselor, Unferth. During the celebration banquet to welcome Beowulf and his companions, Unferth declares that Beowulf should save himself from any embarrassment and go home. He calls Beowulf a "sluggard" and a coward that cannot defeat Grendel. Beowulf becomes enraged, but of course remains calm and collected. He makes a speech that entails of his many accomplishments to redeem himself and swears that he will defeat the evil, infamous Grendel.

Grendel. Source.

Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Ovid's Metamorphoses

The second reading of Ovid's Metamorphoses by Tony Kline was more interesting. The story began with Juno and Jupiter debating on who enjoys lovemaking more between the man or the woman. Jupiter changed the sex of a snake from a man to a woman to finalize the debate. It was settled that the woman enjoyed having sex more than the man (interesting..). The story that stuck with me the most was the story of Narcissus.

Narcissus

Narcissus is a son of a beautiful nymph. He was born as a beautiful child that everyone fell in love with. The prophet Teiresias predicted that Narcissus would be able to live a long life as long as "he does not discover himself." In other words, Narcissus seeing his own reflection would be his downfall. One day when Narcissus was escaping Echo, a woman who was in love with him, he saw his won reflection in a fountain. He immediately fell in love with himself. In fact, he was so in love with himself that he tried kissing his reflection and reaching for his reflection's neck. Narcissus becomes frustrated that he couldn't come in contact with the love of his life so he cried and began destroying himself. In the end, he transformed into a flower.

Narcissus staring into his own reflection. Source.

Week 2 Reading Diary Ovid'sMetamorphoses

I read the first part of Ovid's Metamorphoses Books 1-4 as translated by Tony Kline. It began with a huge flood that destroyed Earth, leaving only 2 survivors named Deucalion and Pyrrha. The most interesting parts of the stories were all of Jupiter's (Zeus) love affairs and how his wife Juno reacted to them. Seriously though Jupiter would sleep with every girl that he found attractive. According to the first portion that I've read, he raped lo, Callisto, and Semele.

Lo

Lo is the daughter of Inachus, the river god. She is also a priestess for Juno. Jupiter sees Lo and ended up raping her. In order to keep Lo to himself and hide her from his wife, Juno, he transforms Lo into a heifer (or a cow). To shorten the story, Lo, as a cow, finds her father Inachus and tries to communicate to him her grief and suffering. The guard that was standing watch named Argus pulled Lo away from her father, and sent her away. Eventually she returns to human form.

Callisto

 Calllisto is a nymph that follows Diana, the goddess of hunt. Jupiter sees Callisto hunting in woods. To deceive her, Jupiter made himself look like Diana and talks to Callisto, but before she knew it, he rapes her. Juno finds out and turns Callisto into a bear.

Castillo as a Bear by Virgil Solis. Source.

Semele

Jupiter as another love affair with Semele, the daughter of Cadmus. Semele is also pregnant with Jupiter's baby. Juno is outraged and develops her plot for revenge. Juno befriends Semele, and tells her that Jupiter should prove his almighty power and divinity to Semele. Semele then demands Jupiter to prove his glory, although he begged her to not make this wish. Jupiter shows off his mighty storms and lightning strikes which ends up killing Semele. An odd part of the story is that the baby, Bacchus, is still developing in Semele's womb. He is torn away from the womb and sewn into his father's thigh to complete his development.