Reading Notes A: The Monkey King

-It is strange to me that the Lord of the Heavens would be frightened by anything
- The ape seems like kind of a bully, but he is going on a quest to fulfill a desire that most people have- to beat death.
-It is interesting that there are so many ways to fulfillment- through the sciences or through magic or repose. I agree with that, that one can be fulfilled and find purpose and their true calling in a variety of ways. It is crazy that the master would know all of them, but maybe that is why he has all of the disciples.
-I would like to make a modern version of the monkey king, maybe a single mom moves to a new city with her children and is attempting to establish herself in a career and finds a mentor who knows everything. She would have to have some huge goal- to start her own business perhaps? And all of the apes that it talks about in this story could be her children. And the weapon that the monkey seeks out could be the perfect piece of real estate for her new business.
-Maybe dragging back to the underworld could be her getting a call that she has to go home, and maybe she cuts ties with someone she knew back then - the children's father who does not contribute anything? There are so many overarching themes in this story that I can play with.
-The monkey king is boastful and impulsive, and my modern mom can be that way as well. Maybe she has a smart mouth that gets her in trouble and causes her mentor to have to fire her from her job, but that is the push she needs to start her own business. Maybe I will set it in tokyo.

Story source: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

The Monkey King Songokū, from the Chinese novel Journey to the West

Week 6 Story: Scheherazade's Plan

           "Just breathe deeply. You can do this, just remember the plan," Scheherazade thought to herself as she sauntered into the bed chamber. She knew she would not sleep at all tonight. As she laid down on the floor pillows, she wondered how many women had slept in that spot. Correction, not slept. Laid awake next to a monster, waiting to be strangled the next morning. Scheherazade could not imagine a worse way to die. Just as fear threatened to take over her body, she looked over and saw her sister Dinarzade staring at her. Dinarzade gave her a small smile, and it filled Scheherazade with hope. The smile turned into a stone-faced grimace as they both heard shuffling down the hallway, and the sultan stumbled in the room. Luckily he was so drunk from the festivities that he passed out snoring a few feet from the girls and did not try to touch either one.
            Scheherazade thought of the conversation with her father earlier in the day: "Father, I can do this! I am clever and brave, and if there is any woman that can stop this endless tirade of murder, it is me. If I die trying, it will be for an honorable cause. Dinarzade and I have come up with a plan that will work. I will beg the sultan to let Dinarzade be with me on my last night. An hour before dawn, before he plans on killing me, Dinarzade will wake us and beg me to tell them a story. I will weave a story so enticing, so interesting with such a cliffhanger that the sultan will have no choice but to let me live until the next night to finish the story."
             "That is all fine and well daughter," said the grand-vizir, "but what of the next night? Or the next? You cannot possibly continue to spin stories for the rest of your days! Furthermore, I will not let you marry such a man, when you could have any bachelor in this land!"
              "Father, this is beyond my marital needs. This is beyond even my life. Women are dying, every day. This cannot continue, I cannot hear their screams every night as they lay there waiting to die. I can do this, I can continue the story by adding layers and layers. The sultan only hates women so much because his first woman deceived him so badly that he had to kill her. I just have to keep spinning stories until I can show him that he can love me, a good woman who will not deceive him. With my beauty and my wit, it should not take too long. Father, this is important. I feel it in my heart that this is my duty."
             Scheherazade felt a tear slip out of her eye as she thought of the way her father shook his head in a resigned manner. She knew the toll bringing girls every day had taken on him, and the last thing she had wanted to do was add to that burden by letting him think he was losing his daughter. Scheherazade gave herself a little shake. This was not the time for emotion. She saw the sky begin to turn a faint purple, and Dinarzade begin to stir. It was time to begin her tale.

"The Sultan Pardons Scheherazade", by Arthur Boyd Houghton (1836-1875). Engraving on wood
Author's Note: This story is based on the Arabian Nights' narrator, Scheherazade. The sultan of the land had a wife whom he loved, but she deceived him terribly. So he killed her according to the law, but this caused him so much grief that he thought that all women were terrible and the world would be better if there were less women in it. So every night he ordered his grand-vizir to bring him a new girl and every morning he had her strangled. Scheherazade, the grand-vizir's daughter, who was well-educated and beautiful, begged her father to let her wed him and distract him with stories so that he would not kill her. This is how the Arabian Nights narration begins. I wanted to show the story from Scheherazade's point of view, because even though she was so courageous I cannot imagine how terrifying that would have been.

Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Week 6 Reading: Arabian Nights, Part B

-I wish that Aladdin had been more deserving of the life he ended up having. The story said he was so idle that it killed his father. That does not seem like the kind of boy who deserves the riches of the world and the sultan's daughter, etc.
-The magician said that if Aladdin touched anything in the cave he would die, yet it says he grabbed fruit?
-I do not know how the sultan's daughter forgave a man who stole her and her husband away on her wedding night and then slept in her bed with her. How terrifying would that be? I do not think I could ever get past that, no matter how much Aladdin was in love with her
-If the lamp was so dang important, maybe Aladdin should not have left it lying around where anyone could get it
-I miss the flying carpet. Maybe I can incorporate that into a retelling
-I wonder why the magician needed the genie of the lamp when he already had the genie of the ring? maybe the genie of the lamp is more powerful? It seems like they can both do the same things
-It would be really fun to elaborate on the wedding from the point of view of the sultan's daughter. What a whirlwind of thoughts she must have been having. She had to have been suspicious of where this really rich man came from, and then there is all that conflicting feelings about him basically kidnapping her and scaring the crap out of her. And how did she feel about the grand-vizir's son? Did she love him? Was she happy to be rid of him and that was why she accepted Aladdin so readily? As per usual she does not get much say in the matter

Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Week 6 Reading: Arabian Nights, Part A

-I love how confident Scheherazade is in herself and her capabilities. And how brave too! She was willing to sacrifice herself for women all throughout her country, even though she was one of the few women who might have been safe. She had so much promise with her education and her beauty and she was not only willing to risk her life but she was willing to be married to the Sultan to do it. I cannot imagine the Sultan was young or good looking and he must have been kind of a monster to do the things he did. I understand its a bummer that the woman you loved turned out to be bad, and I know the story said he basically lost his mind, but that does not make it okay that it was his sole mission in life to rid the world of women. So this young, intelligent, beautiful, wealthy girl gave up her marriage prospects and was willing to risk her life in order to save other women from this fate. That is amazing! How traumatizing would it be to have to try to save your own life every single day. Thank goodness her sister was there to support her, that is the only way she could have gotten through it. I like to think the Sultan was not a monster, his grief just made him lose his mind.
-How impossible must it have been to be the grand-vizir, to have to collect women to die every day. I think I would rather die than do that job. I would run away with my family and live somewhere else, or I would just let them kill me. I don't think I could bring women to slaughter like cattle. But I love that a woman was able to save herself through her wit in this story, she did not have to use her beauty or anything else

Sheherazade and Sultan Schariar by Ferdinand Keller

Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Week 5 Story: Ahura's Dream

         Ahura woke with a start. What a disturbing dream she had had! She wiped the tears from her eyes and immediately went to check on her child, Merab. He was sound asleep in his crib, with dark brown curls framing his red cheeks. Ahura let her heart slow down as she watched him sleep, but she could not get the sick feeling in her stomach to go away. She had dreamt of a wooden floor, and a force making her walk off of it and towards the water. Then she had drowned, but not after seeing her child floating in its depths. The dream had terrified her, and she had felt a prophecy-like quality to the dream that left her anxious. She heard footsteps behind her, and her favorite servant ran up and told her that her husband Nefer-ka-ptah was about to embark on a great journey to find the Book of Thoth, and that he wanted her and Merab to go with him. Ahura fainted.
           When Ahura awoke, she was laying in the arms of the one she loved most. "My husband" she said, "please, we cannot go on this journey. I have had a dream and this trip spells ruin for you and your family!" The man replied, "Ah, my sweet Ahura, do not trouble yourself. You simply had a bad dream, and if there were any chance of harm coming to you or my son I would have also been blessed with some kind of warning as well. I will protect you both, while also gaining all the power and magic in the world. What can go wrong?"
           Ahura tried to comfort herself with his words, but the knot in the pit of her stomach would not loosen. This trip would mean disaster for all of them, she just knew it.

Old Kingdom Egyptian princess Neferetiabet (dated 2590-2565 BC) from her tomb at Giza, painting on limestone, now in Louvre, France

Author's Note: This story is based on The Book of Thoth, in which Nefer-ka-ptah stole the book of Thoth, a god, in order to learn all the magic and knowledge of the world. In response, Thoth summoned the wrath of Ra and made all three of Nefer-ka-ptah's family walk off the edge of the boat. Ahura, Nefer-ka-ptah's wife, was against the trip to get the book from the beginning, and I wanted to give a little more backstory as to why.

Bibliography: Story source: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Reading Notes: Egypt, Part B

-Who is this priest? Is he important? It seems kind of brazen for him to just approach the son of the Pharoah but maybe priests hold a higher position in than I think they do
-How old is Nefer-ka-ptah in this story? The way he is acting seems pretty young, just taking the word of a priest and running off
-How does Ahura know that this journey will cause so much sorrow for her husband? Maybe she has had a vision or someone has come to warn her about this journey and what it will bring to her family.
-It shows a lot of respect that Nefer-ka-ptah is willing to share the magic of the world with Ahura. However, I wonder if she would have still suffered the same fate if she had not read from the book and been able to combat its magic. This is really a sad story, and I am sad that the child had to die.
-The fact that Nefer-ka-ptah was able to thwart Thoth even in death and how Thoth interacted with Ra reminded me of the Greek gods and goddesses. They are not all powerful, and humans are in some instances able to trick them and get their own way. Also how Thoth had to beg Ra to extract revenge on the humans as if they were equals.
-I wonder if all of this came about because Nefer-ka-ptah forgot to worship the gods in the first place. It seems pretty harsh for Ra to just make them all drown themselves at such a young age, but maybe that is the price you pay for forgetting to worship the gods and putting reading above worship.
-Would the priest have been blamed for any of this, or did Nefer-ka-ptah get what he deserved by searching for such a fantastic power?

Thoth-Ibus by Anonymous

Story source: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Reading Notes: Egypt, Part A

-The Egyptians seem to place a lot of importance on magical deeds and gather a lot of entertainment from hearing about magical acts. The wax crocodile seems to me to be a sad tale of lovers who met a sour end, but it seems like it was told as a form of entertainment among the royals

-I wonder if the crocodile liked being bossed around. Maybe the crocodile could “disappear” and then come back later to seek revenge on the man who made him kill that youth. Maybe the crocodile is a sweet, gentle animal who just wants to live in a lake and do no harm

-The poor woman! Being burned at the stake with no chance to explain herself. I am sure the chief scribe is a busy man and is able to have the attention of any female he pleases. But God forbid a woman strays and breaks the bond of marriage! I cannot imagine a chief scribe is the most attentive husband, what with him being so busy doing magic and other acts.

-Also, what is considered a youth in this case? Is that like a teenager? Because if so, ew that lady is probably too old for him and I am picturing some gross rich lady- pool boy nonsense going on.

-The story mentions a “certain magic box” and there is definitely a lot of story-telling potential there. Maybe the box grants great power to whoever owns it, but at what cost?

-The story said seven days passed and the crocodile held onto the youth within the lake, how did the boy not drown? How did the crocodile not eat him? I guess that is not the most implausible part of this story but still does not make a whole lot of sense to me.

Amulet in the shape of a crocodile.

Egyptian, Late Period - Ptolemaic Period, 664 BC-30 BC

Story source: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Comment Wall: The Witches of Oz

Hello Everyone!
This is the comment wall for my Storybook: The Witches of Oz: Memoirs from a Land Not So Far Away

Thanks for reading!!

Elphaba by Lady Orlando

Topic Research: The Witches of Oz

I would like to do a storybook that tells about the four witches of Oz: The good witches of the North and South and the evil witches of the East and West, from their perspective. I would like to add dimension to the witches and let them tell "their side" of their origin story or possibly how they interacted with Dorothy. I think to get a full breadth on all the witches I would need to read parts of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), The Wicked Witch of Oz (1993- Payes), Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908), The Unknown Witches of Oz (2000-Hardenbrook), and possibly Glinda of Oz (1920).


Resources:
Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the East
Good Witch of the South
Good Witch of the North

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part B

-It is interesting how important people's bodies are in these tales. Men in the dozens are willing to give their lives to protect the bodies of men who are already dead. It is poignant and deeply emotional how these warriors who pride themselves on bloodlust and fighting can care so much about another man's afterlife
-It is confusing to try to tell what side the gods are one. It seems that their wills shift with the change of the wind. I think it would be much better for man if the gods just stayed out of their wars
-There must have been so many thoughts going through Hector's mind as Achilles rushed at him. He had heard all of the tales of Achilles, how he had been blessed by the gods. And he had boasted to Petrocolus about killing him and then killing Achilles, so maybe he deserved it? But I do not think Hector was thinking about his own life, or about the people of Troy. I think he was thinking of his wife and child, the woman who had said all of those lovely words to him as he went to battle yesterday. Hector knew he was probably going to die, and if I were him I would just let my mind wander to what made me happiest.
-On another note, where the heck is Paris in all of this? I don't see him running out to meet Achilles. I don't see him fighting over anyone's body. He is the one who started this war and he is letting his whole nation die for him. I have seen the movie so I am sure he shows up and I am writing this as I read it but still, who lets Hector just walk out to die when you are the one that started this.
-It makes me angry to think of the gods lounging over this war, considering whether Hector should die while Hector is running for his life, probably the most scared he has ever been. The mortals are dying and sweating and running and the gods are just musing about whether to save them or not. Maybe that is the wrong impression but that is how it is coming off to me.


Bibliography: The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907).

Wrath of Achilles by Michel Drolling

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part A

-It would be interesting to retell the story from Briseïs’s point of view and incorporate Athena and a love story with Achilles

-It is an interesting relationship between Zeus and his subjects. While it seems that he is their king and has some respect, there is not an all-powerful rule over his subjects. In the case of Thetis, she reminds him what she has done for him. I think of him almost as the rich uncle in a big family who you go to when you need money and you remind him of what you have done for the family.

-Hera and Zeus’s relationship is fascinating. I find Hera to be sassy and independent and powerful, and I love that although she recognizes Zeus as a man and ruler of Olympus she does not take his crap. She goes her own way and has her own opinions, sometimes much to the anger of her husband. In a world where women often do not have much say in the matters going on in these stories, that is refreshing

-It is very romantic and sad the way Hector’s wife begs him to stay out of the battle- the line “but you are father to me and mother, and brother, and husband also” really stuck out to me. Because as I have gotten into a more serious relationship I can see how that can be true. The love of your life should take on roles that encompass not only a lover but also a best friend and a provider and a caretaker, a guide and a nurturer. You want your husband or wife to be there for you as you lose those people, in particular your parents, and something that can really help that burden is if you have someone in your life who takes on part of the role that you used to rely on your parents for. Naturally a person should internalize some of those roles themselves but everyone still needs guidance in their lives.

Bibliography: The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907).

Thetis and Zeus, by Ingres