Myth and Folklore

Art by RaisedbytheVillains It had been a long day for Satyr.   Most of the sun’s light had been spent wandering through the winter forest searching for any remaining herbs that had managed to withstand the cold.   Finding none had been disheartening, but Satyr held hope that the evening would fare much better. He was unaware of the figure lurking in the woods.   There was a creature following the young Satyr, tracking and watching with eyes of human shape and of inhuman color. Satyr merrily took the path to his home.   Only moments after a winding turn, a tall shadow caught his eyes.   Turning, Satyr found a rather handsome man shivering in the shelter of a hollow tree.   Man wore a hood, as well as a thin cloak draped over his shoulders but that did not even cover his knees.   With a low tusk, Satyr offered to take the stranger to his house so his new companion might warm himself inside. “You would have my greatest gratitude.” Man...

From Aesop's Fables unit I choose stories about humans and Gods.  I choose The Man and the Satyr as well as Hot and Cold .  The first fable is in The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs and the second is from The Baby's Own Aesop by W. J. Linton and illustrated by Walter Crane. Image from Fables of Aesop The Man and the Satyr (Jacobs 56) A Man loses his way and a Satyr finds him.   Man blows on his hands to warm them but then blows on his porridge to cool them. The Satyr is like what?   You’re weird and gotta be bad news if you can blow both hot and cold. Hot and Cold (Crane 44) It is such a cute little rhyme and really just   echoes the story of the man and the satyr. Brainstorming: Satyr squinted his eyes when Man blew on his hands.   The flesh was pink and his bones were shivering all throughout the body connected to those hands. “What are you doing?” Man smiled.   It was soft as if he had been waiting for Satyr to ask. “I...

From the stories about Dogs and Cats in the Aesop's Fables unit, I chose The Cat Maiden  from the  Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs and The Cat and Venus from The Baby's Own Aesop by W.J. Linton. The Cat Maiden is different from The Cat and Venus because the first entertain a debate as opposed to simply offering a lesson like the latter. In The Cat Maiden , two of the Roman Gods - Jupiter and Venus - are discussing the potential of living beings to change their nature.  Jupiter states that yes, living beings can defy their nature.  Venus is adamant that no living thing can change its nature. Jupiter decides to test his theory.  He chooses Cat and turns her into a woman.  After saddling her off with a man, marrying them, and entertaining the newly-weds at their wedding feast, he is proudly declaring himself the winner. But Venus is crafty and she has a trick up her sleeve.  Venus releases a mouse upon the wedding party.  Inevitably, Cat...