Let's Talk Mythology and Folklore

How does that sound for a title? Of the ideas that I proposed last week, I think that creation stories will be the one that I focus on. Looking at several different creation stories, I think that one of the best ways that I could attempt to make a more or less continuous story would be to retell each creation story as only the portion relevant for the creation of different things. Like what was suggested in the feedback on my ideas, I think separating the stories into tales of the creation of the cosmos, creation of the Earth, creation of man, etc., would be the best strategy to employ. I think the idea would be to talk about how each creation contributes to the full creation of everything; each story contributes something new but doesn't contribute everything. They should build on top of each other, and I might attempt to more fully integrate them into them in a way that more or less makes sense. To this effect, I started looking for creation stories that would be good for eac...

But I'm giving it my best shot... When my sister and I were growing up, we couldn't give up. This is not to say that we weren't allowed  to give up when we struggled to learn new concepts or acquire new skills. Instead, my parents, somehow, managed to instill in my sister and me from a very early age that the idea that we couldn't  do something simply because it was difficult didn't make any sense. Such thoughts and vocalizations were not forbidden, or even, really, discouraged. They were simply wrong . To this day, I'm still not sure how they managed to get that concept into the heads of five-year-olds and make them believe it (it sounds a little too much like the generic "you can do anything you put your mind to" statement that many parents make for my taste), but they did and I am grateful for it. In a way, I guess this is pretty similar to the "growth mindset" that we've talked about in this class before, and that is further discuss...

I was delighted when Cupid told me he was in love. We had been friends for....an eternity. Longer even (Time is such a human concept). Even though I am much older than Cupid will ever be, we've gotten along famously ever since his birth. Yes, I was there when Cupid was born. Heck, I was there when his mother was born! When Venus rose from the seafoam, I was there to gently blow her to shore. Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus So when Cupid told me he was in love, I was thrilled. But how could I have known that it would go so wrong for such a time? _________________________ Let me just say that I love Venus. Really, she's great! Sure she can be a bit jealous sometimes and she does have the occasional vindictive streak, but, I mean, generally, she's a pretty cool goddess! I mean, who doesn't love Love? But when Venus went on her one-woman rampage against Psyche, even I thought that she took it a little too far. Originally, I had no idea why Venus had...

But I'll be damned if she isn't a tough old bat... This story, like many other myths or legends, is told from the third-person omniscient point of view. It might be fun to change the perspective of this story to first-person, possibly someone outside of the main action of the story, such as the aforementioned Zephyr. Though the overall story (This being a story within a story.) is told in first-person. Despite how Demeter and Hera advise against Aphrodite's fury towards Psyche, neither is willing to give her shelter. This is a plot point that could be changed. The tasks that Venus gives Psyche are somewhat reminiscent of the tasks given to Hercules by Hera. (Forgive me if I continue to switch between the Greek and Roman names, it's sometimes easier.) The actual tasks could easily be changed in a retelling. Hercules achieved his feats through his own might and the help of others. Psyche's are seemingly only accomplished with help from others. I feel tha...

Without the flying part... A story within a story.  The old woman tells the girl not to worry about the "fantasy" of the dream. She claims that dreams during the day are false and that nightmares usually signal the opposite of their content.  This seems kind of contrary to dreams in many other myths or legends, as they can be prophetic. Especially nightmares. Prohibition: (The first one was to not even talk to her sisters. But the husband eventually relents on that.) The actual prohibition was not to investigate the appearance of the husband. "Not even Cupid could compare to you." - There's some irony for you. Psyche does use her seductive powers to get what she wants for the most part. Zephyr the West Wind is hardly mentioned in this telling of the story (at least so far) but could be relegated to a more important role in a retelling. Maybe make Zephyr the close friend or best friend of Cupid. One who delights in the love that his friend has found...