Myth and Folklore

Sussistinnako the Solipsist alone, spinning ceaselessly lines of the stars web of the universe, weaving tiredlessly, alone entrenched by nothingness, I am swallowed by the vastness spread as far as I can fling the string of my hope - it never catches, falling back into my hands I tie knots in my string, the filament of my desire to end the solitary confiment I was born into the design I thread is the only needle sewing closed the gap between emptiness and fullness finally, two parcels I graced and sang, sang, sang, of love and sadness and great joys until children born of my own gossamer come forth wrapped in the guaze of ivory twins, silken daughters I brought forth to end my loneliness did I end my loneliness or have I only prolonged happiness did I create my happiness or have I only weaved my loneliness i construct, i destroy, i am all fruit of my loom, the blanket woven of my hand, it is me alone, spinning ceaselessly lines of the

How Bluebird and Coyote Got Their Colors The Bluebird sings a song for four mornings as he bathes himself in the lake where "no river flowed in or out."  The bluebird is characterized as wise because he knows of this special lake, although he is an ugly color at the beginning.  Singing his magic song each morning, he exits the third day in just his skin before on the fourth morning he exits the lake with brilliant blue feathers. Then we have Coyote, who is trickster and representing the wrongness of vanity in the story.  He is, as tricksters often are, used to illustrate a lesson.  After he watches the blue bird he asks him how Coyote might also become blue - he was at the time a bright green. The Bluebird does tell him and Coyote does manage to turn himself blue.  But he is so vain and proud to show it off that he does not pay attention to where he is going.  Unfortunately, he trips and rolls down a hill and is covered in dusty dirt.  That is why coyotes are said

I choose Spider's Creation from Southwest and California legends this week.  The story details the creation of the universe by the spider, Sussistinnako.  In the lower world, he is the only being all around.  Then, he goes on to create the other creatures and people.  The first he creates are the two mothers. I think it would be interesting to explore Sussistinnako as a individual as opposed to a creator or powerful being.  My first question is if he was lonely, and if that is why he decided to create other beings?  So he would not be lonely?  Or was it a quest for power?  For peoples he could subjugate and be stronger than? Image from EvolveConsciousness The story forgets him after he divides the world, but I would really like to make my story revolve around Sussistinnako and his emotions.  I want to explore the feelings of loneliness while also tying in solipism if I can.  I think that idea really applies to this story and Sussistinnako. Source:  Myths and Legends of

Revenge of the Sandfly (A Prolouge to  How Nzambi Won and Lost Her Daughter) Nzambi, the Divine Mother, dwells on Earth with her daughter while Nzambi Mpungu - a supreme diety, a creator god - sits in the heavens.  It was a warm day when Nzambi awoke to unusual silence.  Her ears strained for the sound of her child's laughter, but she did not hear the joyful noise.  Startled, Nzambi strode into wakefulness and looked around.  There was a mess about their den and the dirt was peppered with unfamiliar prints.  Breathing deep, Nzambi called to the spirits of the Earth to guide her to the lost child. Along the way, Nzambi stumbled upon a tortiose turned upon his back.  His short legs pedaled in the air, for the sound of the lion's paws spurred fear into the creature even more so than his current predictiament did.  But he was soon to realize that the predator who stalked through the tall grass was not like the other beasts who roamed about. Since her heart was kind a

How The Spider Won and Lost Nzambi's Daughter This story has the same element of the trickster that I saw in How Gazelle Got Married from Reading Notes: Congo Unit, Part A .  It is interesting to see this kind of repetition in stories that both contain the quest to obtain a certain bride.  It is a cool trend that seems to be important to most of the Congo stories, and I think it definitely has interesting possibilities.  I have two ideas on how I might change this story, adapt it into my own thoughts words. This kind of story would probably not be very popular if it was written in today's cultural climate, but I think it would be interesting to put a modern spin on this type of story. I would rather have the bride herself making the demands, although perhaps her mother/father/parents consult in the object need/task completed in order to marry their daughter. Another cool idea would be to switch the role of parent and groom-to-be. Instead of offering their daughter'

How Nsassi (gazelle) Got Married Nenpetro had two wives who each had a beautiful daughter.  They named them Lunga and Lenga.  Instead of having a man give presents in exchange for their hands in marriage, he would have to guess their names.  First the antelope tries to marry them but he cannot guess their names. Then Nsassi comes with his dog to visit them.  He leaves after being told the conditions of marriage to the daughters, frustrated with how he could ever find out their names.  He forgot his dog at Nenpetro's place, and the dog stays for a while.  He overhears Nenpetro call for his two daughters and thus learns their names.  After some trails where they all keep forgetting the names of the girls, the dog eventually is able to tell Nsassi.  Nsassi is able to marry the two girls as he calls them each by their name. It all seemed to me like the dog and Nsassi were tricksters.  It felt like the Rumpelstiltskin story to me, where they simply happen to find out the nam

Looking Back My weekly routine could be improved, as I mainly do the assignments the day that they are due.  It would be more helpful and better if I were to do the assignments beforehand, that way I have more time for the other assignments such as the storybook.  I haven't been using the extra credit options, but it is something that I have the ability to do.  I think using that opportunity would help improve my work. Looking Forward I would like to try and be more descriptive in my reading posts.  I also want to do the extra credit opportunities when I have the time. Image Image from Pinterest

Feedback In Most of the feedback I am receiving contains a lot of positive feedback.  I don't think I have received the criticism I would like because I find those the most useful.  The type of comments I would like to receive would be focused on bettering me as a writer as opposed to praising the skills I already have.  I think that is something we all tend to do because it is easier and we are worried about being mean.  I would really like to receive some (respectful) criticism even if it may be tough to hear because it will be infinitely more helpful than telling me that I am creative (although I appreciate the compliment).  I will also try harder to do this with my own comments to others. Feedback Out I try to comment mainly on the story's plot and the language being used, although I sometimes see different types of structural errors that I have been taught to avoid.  I prefer to stick to the story's writing as opposed to talking about less important things such as

Looking Back Going over my reading posts really opened my eyes to the differences between my first few stories and my most recent.  The first reading post I made was more detailed because it not only explained the story but it also brought up ideas on how I might change it.  I think the stories in which I had included that in the reading notes were much better than those without.  They were more original and I feel more comfortable calling those stories more like my own. Image Art by RaisedbytheVillans I used this image in my week 4 story, the Lonely Dragon and the Cheerful Satyr.   The artwork is my favorite, out of all the other images I have used, because it matched my story so well.  I was really concerned I wouldn't find an image with both dragon and a satyr - let alone one that showed the two getting along rather than fighting.  It is beautiful and so detailed.  The picture is interesting because it has the two characters simply relaxing as opposed to fighting one ano

The Beauty of the Stone Ape In the East, glittering in the Great Sea's mist an island protrudes from the trembling ocean. Chinese lore calls it the Mountain, Mountain of Flowers and Fruits for it blossoms with life overflowing. Indeed, the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits is enriched with colors exotic and vibrant, covered in boundless waves of green which shimmers gold when the Sun lights the ground aflame. There was but one blemish which studded the promontory jutting from the middle of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits called The High Rock. It was round, long ago smoothed by the temper of the waves when the sky and ocean were unmarred by the peaking of mountains but made any eye that feasted on its image convulse for it carried a hollowness, filled with a rotten egg misshapen and stinking a fume green as the tree-leaves. Unbeknownst to mortals, though well-known to the Heavens, The High Rock had stood since the birth of Time. I