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 

Week 3 Story: Venus's Revenge on Psyche

        Venus had done her best to forgive the girl. She obviously made her son very happy, and she did love the grandson that was born out of their union. But every time she looked upon that wretched girl's face, she was filled with a rage that threatened to rattle the heavens! The girl had been made a deity, and this had only intensified her beauty and reputation among the mortals. Venus tried to shrug off the whispers of Psyche usurping her one day as Goddess of Love, but these rumors slithered around in the back of her mind like venomous snakes. She hated Psyche, and she could try her best to convince herself and others that she did not, but that was never going to change. And shouldn't Venus, one of the most highly-revered goddesses, not have to live tormented by this villainous girl for the rest of her days? No, something must be done. Venus paced her chambers, rattling her brain for a solution to the problem of her daughter-in-law. Suddenly, her violet-colored eyes flashed with a light that had not been seen since Psyche had set foot on Mount Olympus. She knew exactly what she must do and who to call to help her. In a puff of pink smoke she disappeared to Zeus's court.
           Zeus jumped, startled, when Venus appeared before him. He hated how his goddesses poofed to and fro, it was quite unnerving. Zeus's jaw set when he saw the expression on Venus's face. He knew it all too well from years of hearing Venus's wishes. He bellowed, "What is it you have come for, my child?" Venus reclined on one of the marble steps below his throne and replied, "No need to bellow, you old fool. It's just me. I have come to see about your love life. You seem very tense lately and as the Goddess of Love I feel it is my duty to make sure the King of the Heavens is well attended to when it comes to love and pleasure." Zeus shifted uneasily, stammering, "My love life is fine and none of your concern. I take any damsel I wish and my desires are sated. Maybe I am tense because I have goddesses like you running around causing trouble. I distinctly remember Olympus being turned upside down only a short while ago while you were looking for that daughter-in-law of yours."
          Venus waved away his comments with her slender hand. "The Goddess of Love knows the difference between sexual tension and other stresses, and it is coming off of you in waves. I remember when you used to take any damsel you wish, yes, you were much more relaxed then," the goddess continued nonchalantly. As Zeus began sputtering incoherently at this insult, Venus cut him off, "Speaking of my daughter-in-law, she is a pretty thing, isn't she? They say she is the fairest deity on Mount Olympus. A perfect damsel for the Tamer of Lightning, don't you think? I bet a pretty face like hers could relieve any and all tension those old bones have."
           Zeus cocked his head and asked, "What are you up to Venus?" The Goddess of Love leaned in with a feral glint in her eye, "I need the girl gone. She torments me day and night, and my reputation is in ruins while she is here. All I ask is that you awe her with your power and seduce her, and if Cupid happens to discover you two while in the act, then it is a sad coincidence that you could not help. That love-struck fool will not be able to bear the sight of her once she is soiled, and he will exile her somewhere where I never have to see her face again. Now, can you do me a favor and bed the most beautiful girl in the world?"

Jupiter and Juno by Annibale Carracci

Story source: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Author's Note: This story is an extension of Cupid and Psyche, a fairy tale written by Apuleius. Psyche is hailed as the fairest girl in all the world, and Venus, the Goddess of Love, becomes extremely irritated and jealous because the mortals are forgetting to worship her and believe that Psyche is Venus reincarnated. So Venus sends her son Cupid to curse Psyche to fall in love with someone terrible. But instead, Cupid makes Psyche fall in love with him. There is of course some turmoil including Venus trying to destroy Psyche with a number of tasks but the story ends happily ever after with Venus dancing at their wedding ceremony and Psyche turning into a deity. This did not sit well with me because Venus had this all-encompassing rage throughout the entire story that just ended at the very end quite suddenly. So I incorporated a seething grudge in this extension to show how Venus got her revenge. 

Reading Notes Part B: Cupid and Psyche

- I love that in Roman mythology the gods and goddesses are so flawed and humanistic. Venus is an almost all-powerful goddess who is worshipped the world over yet she is tormented by this mortal, by a girl whose lifetime is the blink of an eye for Venus. It makes for very interesting reading.

-I cannot imagine how absolutely frightening Psyche’s first night with her husband must have been. She was taken away from her family on a morbid prophecy, swept away to a strange castle filled with invisible servants, and then her virginity was taken by someone she cannot see! It is hard to imagine someone falling in love with a person who treats them like that, but maybe Psyche is so starved for human interaction that she is unable to maintain these feelings

-It seems that Venus could be taking out some of her own guilt on her son. Her speech was awfully harsh, threatening to clip his wings and have another son to replace him. It is known that Venus was unfaithful and has had some love affairs that were not exactly great for her marital reputation, possibly she is feeling guilty about that and taking it out on her son?

-The goddesses have a very fierce protection of one another. All of the gods and goddesses are so close knit in this big, dysfunctional family

-While the gods and goddesses seem awfully harsh with their punishments, they also seem extremely understanding of some faults. Jupiter talks of how Cupid constantly disrespected him and ruined his reputation, yet he grants him his wish right when he asks for it. It would be a tight line to walk as a god or goddess

-Venus quickly turned around from hating Psyche with all her might to dancing merrily at her wedding. A whole other story could be done about the inner turmoil there

Story source: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Image: Cupid and Psyche by François-Édouard Picot