Week 8: Reading Part B

 Brer Rabbit: The Calamus Root

Invited Fox for dinner after cooking. Brer rabbit goes to Fox’s house for dinner to eat him and doesn’t catch him.

Brer Rabbit: The Calamus Root

Raccoon and Possum to stand up to dog. Possum was a coward against the dog and possum lies about it saying he was being tickled. 

Brer Rabbit: Mr. Fox is "Outdone" by Mr. Buzzard

Fox outwitted by Mr Fox telling him to cut down the tree saying that Brer Rabbit was in there. Laughed at the fox who grabbed him and said Mr Buzzard would pay if Brer Rabbit wasn’t in the hole. Mr Buzzard flies off.

Brer Rabbit: The Awful Fate of Mr. Wolf

Wolf wanted Brer Rabbit. Houses were built for his kids and lost each kid when the house collapsed. Finally built a house that could withstand forces. Wolf asked Brer Rabbit to save him and tricked him into a hatched trunk. Started a fire and lied about his actions; poured the hot water on the trunk which poured onto Wolf and it killed him. They all ate the Wolf with the neighbors.

Bibliography:

Week 9: Brer Rabbit: Brer Rabbit stories, including the famous tar-baby and the briar patch!

Week 8: Reading Part A

Brer Rabbit: The Calamus Root

Invited Fox for dinner after cooking. Brer rabbit goes to Fox’s house for dinner to eat him and doesn’t catch him.

Brer Rabbit: The Calamus Root

Raccoon and Possum to stand up to dog. Possum was a coward against the dog and possum lies about it saying he was being tickled. 

Brer Rabbit: Mr. Fox is "Outdone" by Mr. Buzzard

Fox outwitted by Mr Fox telling him to cut down the tree saying that Brer Rabbit was in there. Laughed at the fox who grabbed him and said Mr Buzzard would pay if Brer Rabbit wasn’t in the hole. Mr Buzzard flies off.

Brer Rabbit: The Awful Fate of Mr. Wolf

Wolf wanted Brer Rabbit. Houses were built for his kids and lost each kid when the house collapsed. Finally built a house that could withstand forces. Wolf asked Brer Rabbit to save him and tricked him into a hatched trunk. Started a fire and lied about his actions; poured the hot water on the trunk which poured onto Wolf and it killed him. They all ate the Wolf with the neighbors.

Bibliography:

Week 9: Brer Rabbit: Brer Rabbit stories, including the famous tar-baby and the briar patch!

Week 7 Reading: Part B

The Lord of the Heavens ordered Evening Star to bring Sun Wu Kong to heaven to be charged and appointed stable master in heaven. He was angered when he learned his post did not have a title or great standing amongst the positions of heaven. Sun returns to his mountain and his 10 days in heaven were 10 years on earth. Two devils bestowed on Sun an imperial robe and said to call you the Great Saint who is Heaven’s Equal would be quite in order and was called by that title from then on.

After hearing of Sun Wu's transgressions the Lord of Heavens ordered Li Dsing, the pagoda-bearing god, and his third son, Notscha, to take the Ape King prisoner. Notscha faces Sun Wu to battle and transforms into a three-headed god with six arms, in which he held six different weapons. Sun Wu transforms in the same manner. Notscha was defeated when a clone from a hair of Sun Wu fought him while Sun Wu attacked from behind. They returned to heaven in defeat. The Lord of Heavens bestows the title “The rank of Great Saint Who Is Heaven’s Equal is very high. But now you must not cut any further capers.” but it was merely words and empty.

Given a castle in heaven, he idled day by day, without occupation, among the clouds of the Heavens.

(Buddha statue, Tang Dynasty)

Bib:

The Monkey King: The wildlife and adventures of the audacious "Monkey King," Sun Wu Kung.

Week 7 Reading Part A

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

Magic stone bursts into an egg. Out of the egg comes a stone ape and rays of light shone out of his eyes. 

He passes through the waterfall (acting as a natural barrier) and finds a bridge, there was a tablet stating: “This is the heavenly cave behind the water-curtain on the Blessed Island of Flowers and Fruits.”

He brought the ape pack through the waterfall into the cave castle across the bridge; the stone ape was made king. By day they played and ate and relaxed and by night they lived safely in their stone cave guarded by the waterfall.

300 years passes.

Three kinds of living creatures who are exempt from Death’s power: the Buddhas, the blessed spirits, and the gods. Whoever attains one of these three grades escapes the rod of rebirth, and lives as long as the Heavens themselves.

Stone ape decides to seek out these creatures to learn how to become immortal.

He sailed to Asia on a raft, got there learned the proper ways; these people did not care for life but wealth and honors. Reaching the western side of Asia he built another raft to sail across and find the immortal beings.

He meets a woodchopper who takes him to a saint, The Discerner. One of the disciples lets him in.

The master asks for his name and he responds that he has none and the master names him Sun Wu Kung. The stone ape learned many things but only wanted to learn the way that would grant him eternal life.

Gave him a riddle to come to see him during the night through the back door and teach him the great truth in secret.

The master murmured into his ear a divine, magical incantation to further the concentration of his vital powers and explained the hidden knowledge word for word. Completed this divine training in three years.

Then the Master again murmured a secret incantation into his ear, by means of which he gained the power to transform himself seventy-two times to protect himself from the danger of demons and spirits.

The master tells him to go home.

Devil King of Chaos took many of the apes fighting Sun Wu Kongs children and tried to take over the cave.

Monkey King

Sun Wu began to give the devil a beating. Sun Wu Kung, had eighty-four thousand hairs on his body that transformed into apes to attack the devil king. Sun Wu ended the devil king

Faces the dragon King to get a weapon suitable enough; he was given a divine iron rod

Bib:

The Monkey King: The wild life and adventures of the audacious "Monkey King," Sun Wu Kung.

Week 6: Storybook Lab

 I found a blog with some really great background info and short stories on Poseidon and some others here. I also learned that Triton and Proteus have the gift of prophecy which I think I'll use in the first story. Proteus does not like to tell the truth of a prophecy unless captured. Possibly half a prophecy revealed to triton the other half to Proteus and Persius has to capture him to get the rest out. I also learned more on Nereus that he is like Posidons father in law because he is Amphrite's father. 

I learned some on Phorcys as well who might give an intriguing part of my storybook being the parents of the largest sea creatures and having dominion over them. 

Phorcys

This part of theoi has great content on Oceanus:

• Part 1: Myths & Introduction
  • Family of Oceanus
  • Gallery
  • Encyclopedia Entry
  • Sources
  • Parentage
  • Children
  • Genesis of the Gods
  • War of the Titans
  • Oceanus & Prometheus Bound
  • Oceanus God of the River Oceanus
  • Oceanus & the Constellation Ursa Major
  • Oceanus God of the Sea
• Part 2: The River Oceanus

Week 6 Reading: Part A

 

Noah's Ark

 Allah creates the Tablet of Destiny on which the past, present, and future is written for everyone and everything. Allah creates a giant pen that comes to life and writes on the tablet. Then Allah created water, then wind. Then mountains arose and the rest of the water formed into seven concentric seas. An angel rested beneath the earth to support it.

Our Father Adam

Adam formed out of a handful of dust was placed lifeless forty days or forty years. Iblìs cast out of the Celestial Garden, and became the Satan doomed to stoning, cause of all man's tribulation. Made woman out of dust given to Adam but would not submit to him and was cast out of the garden consorting with Iblìs, became the mother of devils, named El-Karìneh/Lilith. Then Eve was created out of one of Adams's ribs and were very happy together till Iblìs and persuading Hawa to eat of the forbidden fruit, which, according to some of the learned, was wheat. Adam, having been persuaded by his wife to share his offence, was, as a punishment, cast out of Paradise, together with Hawa, Iblìs, and the serpent. Adam and Hawa found one another 200 years later.

Noah one of the six greatest prophets that ever lived and he lived at Damascus till Allah sent him to warn mankind of the Flood and build the ark. Beaten by his own wife Wa’ileh, his wicked son Canaan, and Uj ibn. Anak was the daughter of Adam, a vile woman and the first of witches. These four persuaded everyone that Noah was mad. The waters of the Deluge destroyed all mankind except those inside the ark and Og. Og died at last by the hand of Mûsa and the ark stopped at where Mecca is located. After the Flood, when the men and women who had been saved in the ark had gone forth to re-people the earth. Three types of women: god-fearing, stupid and indolent slatterns, and shrewd.

Job proved his faith when Allah deprived him, not only of all his worldly possessions and his children, but of his health as well. His wife took care of him for 7 years. Below Job's feet in the valley below Jerusalem sprang up at the Patriarch's feet. Allah then restored his children to life and made his wife so young and handsome that she bore him twenty-six sons. 

Abraham's wife had a painless birth by the grace of Allah. Prayed: O Allah, Thou Great, Unsearchable, Unchangeable One, reveal Thyself to Thy servant, guide me, and keep me from error