Storytelling for Week 9: Radha and Krishna

Radha and Krishna 

Radha just started junior year of high school and was turning 16. “This year was going to be a great and momentous year” – she told herself in the morning. Radha met up with her friends. They caught each other up with what they did over the summer while walking to school. It was really like any first day of school. They saw some familiar faces and some not so familiar faces – it was a pretty big school. 

Being a junior meant that Radha would be taking some upper-division courses, which means that she may have some classes with seniors. Radha did not really think any of this. Until in her afternoon class a senior boy walked into her class and sat next to her. She could not take her eyes off of him. He had black waving hair and he smelled of jasmine. 

As the teacher of the class was calling out attendance, Radha waited and listened for his name. The teacher called out the name “Krishna” and the boy next to her responded “here.” So his name is Krishna. Radha could not think of a better name for the boy sitting next to him. Throughout the whole class they did not exchange one word. Radha was too shy to say anything anyways.

After the first day of school was finally over, Radha met up with her friends to walk back home. She used this opportunity to them all about Krishna. She talked all the way from school to her house. She really adored him. Her friends could tell how much Radha liked Krishna just based on her expression while she was telling them about him so they tried to give Radha some advice on how to them talking. They suggested pretending to need a pencil to borrow or needing help with the class homework. These all were good suggestions but it was a matter if Radha was willing to do them.

Weeks went by and still Radha and Krishna had not exchanged even one word. The longer Radha waited to talk to him the harder is getting the courage to talk to him. 

One day during class the teacher announced that she was going pair everyone up for project they must complete by the end of the semester. As the teacher was calling out the pairs, she said Radha’s name and to her surprised she also said Krishna’s name. It was destiny. This could quite possibly be the beginning of something amazing. 

(Radha and Krishna)

Author's Note: 

My story is loosely based on the poem "The First Passion of Radha" from the Coomaraswamy. Songs of the Love of Radha and Krishna. When first reading the original poem, it reminded me of a school girl crush. This inspired me to modernize the story. I kept the idea of how Krishna is superior to Radha. In the original story Krishna is a God this makes him superior to Radha. In my particular story I just made him into a senior which is still superior to Radha. She is only a junior. I also kept the  main idea that Radha adores Krishna. I just modernized it into a schoolgirl crush. I ended the story the way I did because I wanted the reader to make up his own conclusions of what happens next.

 "The First Passion of Radha" from coomaraswamy. Songs of the Love of Radha and Krishna by Bidyapati (1915). Web Source: Public Domain.

Storytelling for Week 14: Cabbage Stalk

The Cabbage Stalk

    There once was an old poor couple. They did not have much but they were happy. They at least had each other. One day the old man went to the market to get some groceries; it was like any other day. He came upon a beggar. Despite not having much, the old man gave the beggar an apple. The beggar gave the old man seeds in return. These were not any ordinary seeds; they were magical but the old man was not aware of this.
 
    The old man returned to his wife and showed her the seeds the beggar gave him. The wife disregarded them and threw them outside. They carried out their day as if it was like any other day. They did their chores and at the end of the day had dinner with what little they had and went to bed.

     The next morning, the seeds that the wife threw outside grew into a little cabbage stalk. The cabbage stalk continued to grow each day. One day it was as tall as the old couple's home. The couple did not really know what to do but to watch it grow.

     It finally stopped growing once it reached up to the sky. The old man driven by curiosity decided to climb the cabbage stalk. When the old man finally reached to the top of the stalk, he found that he was in another world. Who knew that there was a whole other world up in the sky. While wandering around, the old man came upon a barn.

    Inside the barn were hundreds of golden eggs. He took two eggs with him and climbed down the stalk. He showed the gold eggs to his wife and his wife was overjoyed for now they will no longer be poor anymore.

    The next morning the old man set out to climb the stalk again to retrieve more gold eggs but with his wife this time. As he climbed the stalk he was carrying his wife. They finally reached the top and he showed her the barn full of golden eggs. Driven by greed, the wife grabbed as many eggs as she could. Eventually, the old couple decided to return home.

    The husband began to climb down the cabbage stalk with his wife but the weight of the many golden eggs made him lose his grip on his wife. The wife fell to the ground with the golden eggs. The husband finally made it to the ground where he found his wife dead with the golden eggs.

After grieving for a time, the old man went on with his life with boundless wealth but no one to share it with.

Author's Note:
My story was based on the story of the The Fox Physician  from the Russian Folktales. In the "The Fox Physician," a cabbage stalk is grown by the old couple. Driven by curiosity, the old climbed the cabbage stalk. He climbed all the way to the top which was above the sky and into the heavens. While he was in the heavens, he found a mill and in the mill was cake and a pie. After he ate his fill, he climbed back down the cabbage stalk and returned home so that he may tell his wife all that he saw. Hearing all that that her husband saw, the wife wanted to go up as well.So the old man carried his wife in a sack up the cabbage stalk but as he was climbing he lost his grip on the sack and the woman fell to her death. Not knowing what to do, the old man asked for help from a fox. The fox rather than actually trying to save the wife, ate her. This left the husband alone and in poverty. for my story, I kept the old couple, the cabbage stalk, but I left out the fox. I wanted my story to focus on the relationship between the old man and and his wife and how their lives were affected by the cabbage stalk.

Storytelling for Week 12: The Frog and the Princess

The Frog and Princess
There was once a princess who was very beautiful. She was not like any ordinary princess. She enjoyed the outdoors and observing the creatures that lived near the pond in her garden. At school, her favorite subject was biology and thus was always interested in observing the frogs, fish, and ducks that were at her pond.
It was like any other day; she was at her pond observing the creatures when her shoe accidently fell into the pond. The pond being deep and all, she could not go after it to retrieve it. So she cried for her father gave her those shoes.
A frog hearing her cries pitied her. The Frog approached her and said “Princess I will retrieve your shoe on one condition that you take me back to your home and marry me”
The Princess shocked that a frog was speaking to her did not know what to say. The Frog repeated himself. The princess had to think about it but eventually accepted his offer, thinking that she could just run off and leave him once she gave her her shoe. The Frog gave the Princess her shoe and immediately, the Princess ran off with her shoe, leaving behind the frog.
The Princess was home studying for an upcoming biology exam when she heard a knock. It was the Frog. The Princess did not know what to do and so ran to her father asking for advice. He advised that since she made a promise to the Frog, she needs to keep it. She obeyed her father and allowed the frog into her home.
The reminded her that she also promised to marry him. The princess replied to the frog that she did promise to marry the Frog but she did not specify when. So because there not a specific deadline to marry the Frog, the princess replied that she will marry him in a year. The Frog was not too happy about this but agreed to it.
During this time, the Frog and Princess spent a lot of time together. He showed the princess his home, the pond, and taught her everything about the creatures that lived there as well. The Princess enjoyed this. Eventually the Princess fell in love with the Frog. The Princess had never met anyone so kind, smart, and loyal.
One day while spending time together, the Princess kissed the Frog and instantly the Frog turned into a handsome Prince. The Princess fell in love him even more. They married and lived happily ever after.

(The Frog Prince)

Author's Note:
 This story was based on the story of The Frog Prince. I kept the main concepts of the story but made a few changes. For instance in "The Frog Prince," she drops a golden ball but in my story I had the Princess drop her shoe instead. I felt like it was more "fairytale-like" than a golden ball. In my story, the frog retrieves the shoe call on two conditions: the Princess takes the frog home with her and marries him. In "The Frog Prince," the retrieves the golden ball on the condition that the Princess takes him home with her, shares her food with him, and allows him to sleep beside her. I also added a reason why she was at the pond all the time, which was because she was interested in biology and thus enjoyed observing the creatures and their habitat. I also included more about their courtship. I wanted the reader to see that they grew into falling love with each other -- that is why I emphasized that they did not marry until a year. Another difference between my story and "The Frog Prince" was that in "The Frog Prince" the curse was broken not be a kiss but by allowing the frog to sleep over at the princess's home. I felt like a "true love's kiss" was a lot more romantic and magical.

"The Frog Prince" from the Grimm (LibriVox)  by the Brothers Grimm (1876). Web Source: Sacred Texts.

Storytelling for Week 12:

Who is Mr. Fox?

     There once was a beautiful girl named Lady Mary. She had many suitors but was only really interested in one person Mr. Fox.
    Mr. Fox was very well known. He was a very successful businessman. At very young age, he inherited his father's trading and has since then increased its revenue. Not only was he wealthy but he was also very handsome. He took care of his body. Every morning, he ran three miles, did weights, and stretches. He took great pride in his appearance.
    Lady Mary instant fell in love with Mr. Fox even though she really did not know much about him except that he was wealthy and handsome. She had never even been to his home. Lady Mary complained to Mr. Fox about never having been to his home and begged him to invite her over. He succumbed to her wishes and invited her over.
    Mr. Fox's home was unlike any home Lady Mary had ever seen. It was large with many room, which was what she expected. What she did not expect was how clean it was. Lady Mary had never seen such a clean home. Everything was white and very organized. There was not a single thing out of place. Lady Mary decided not to say anything about it – about how strangely clean and organized Mr. Fox’s home was.
   Mr. Fox went away for business for the weekend. Lady Mary saw this as an opportunity to sneak over to Mr. Fox’s home and explore it. When she arrived it looked the same it did the other day when she came over – really clean. Lady Mary always considered cleanliness a good quality but Mr. Fox’s level of cleanliness was abnormal. Nobody is this clean, especially a male. Lady Mary went through the house opening all of the doors and exploring the rooms that were in them. She finally reached the last hall of Mr. Fox’s home and at the end of it was door. Lady Mary reached to open it and was shocked at what she saw what was in it.
    In this particular room were bodies – bodies of dead women. There was blood everywhere. Lady Mary ran as fast as she could out of the home. She ran home to her father and brothers and informed them of what she found but no one believed her. They could not believe that a handsome and wealthy man could be a murderer. Mr. Fox who is known for being charismatic, kind, and well-mannered could never be a murderer. They disregarded Lady Mary’s accusations and carried on with their daily functions. Angered, Lady Mary vowed that she would someday expose Mr. Fox for what he truly is – a murderer.

(Mr. Fox)

Author's Note:
 This story is based on Mr. Fox. In "Mr. Fox," Lady Mary falls in love with a man called Mr. Fox without really knowing who he is. She falls for him because of his wealth and handsome appearance. For a weekend Mr. Fox goes away on business. Lady Mary uses this oppurtunity to go to Mr. Fox's home and perhaps learn more about him. While exploring his home, She comes up dead bodies and realizes that Mr. Fox is a murderer. She runs out in fear only to hear Mr. Fox coming home, dragging a dead body. When Mr. Fox is not looking, Lady Mary takes the hand of the dead body that Mr. Fox cut off. With this hand Lady Mary proves to everyone that Mr. Fox is a murderer. Mr. Fox is then killed by her brothers and friends for his crimes. I kept the main details of the story and made it more like American Psycho. Like the main character from the film American Psycho, Mr. Fox is wealthy, clean, and healthy and has dark secret; he is a killer. I changed the ending to be more like American Psycho in that the killer does not get caught.

"Mr. Fox" From English Fairy Tales: Joseph Jacobs (1890). Web Source: Sacred Texts

The Mirror -- Week 11

The Mirror
    There lived a beautiful princess named Britomart. She was not like any other princess. Britomart enjoyed the outdoors and adventuring in the unknown for she was fearless and determined. Ever since she was a child she was trained in the warlike ways, such as spearing and sword fighting and using a shield. She detested the feminine life style, such as fingering fine needle and fancy thread that many expected from her.
    While wandering through a forest, Britomart came upon a home. It was psychic’s home. Britomart never really believed in psychics and there so called abilities, nevertheless, she was so driven by curiosity she knocked on the door. An elderly woman, wearing a cloak, answered the door. The elderly psychic was shocked at the presence of Britomart for princesses are never found in this part of the woods, especially at a psychic’s home.
    The psychic under obligation welcomed Britomart into her home. Britomart had never seen so much clutter in a home before. There were things and stuff ever. It was a clutter. As Britomart was wandering through the home, she thought to herself and asked how anyone could ever live in a mess like this. Britomart pitied the psychic until she came upon a mirror in the far back of the home. It was the most beautiful mirror she had ever seen. It was round and hollow. It was like a globe.
    Britomart questioned the psychic about the mirror. The psychic replied that it was a magic mirror.     The psychic asserted that if you asked question, the mirror will reveal the answer to her. Now Britomart has a wonderful life. She had everything but sometimes it was lonely. Britomart has always looked up to her parents and their love for each other. All she ever wanted was for someone to love her as much as her father loved her mother. So she asked who and where her true love was.
    The mirror revealed a gallant knight, named Artegall. He was dressed in finely made armor. His crest was a crouching hound and written on his armor was “Achilles’ arms, which Artegall did win.” Britomart was pleased with the mirror’s answer. Staring at Artegall in the mirror, Britomart fell in love with him.
    She asked the mirror where and how she could find Artegall but unfortunately the mirror only grants one answer for every person. Despite this letdown, Britomart decided that finding Artegall would be her new adventure and goal. She ran out of the Psychic’s home and mounted onto her house and started her journey to finding her true love.

Author's note:
"The Mirror" was based off the story of The Magic Mirror. The story of The Magic Mirror begins with describing who Britomart is. Britomart is an unconventional princess. She enjoys fighting, adventuring, and weaponry. In this story Britomart is traveling with Knights. During the journey one of the knights, driven by curiosity as to why a princess would be dressed in armor and travel with knights, asks Britomart's reasoning for traveling with them. She lies to the knight and replies that she is on a quest to avenge herself against Artegall but really she is on a quest to find Artegall because she is in love with. As she is talking to the knight, Britomart reflects on how she fell in love with Artegall. Britomart came upon a mirror globe and in the mirror globe she saw the face of Artegall. He appeared to her as a gallant and majestic knight, clad in armor. She instantly fell in love with him and made it her globe to find him. In my story, I kept the overall characterization of Britomart but when into more detail about how Britomart came upon the mirror globe. I included a psychic to allude a more supernatural feeling. I also kind of incorporated a part of the story of Snow White into my story. I included the magic mirror aspect. I ended my story with the beginning of her quest. 

"The Magic Mirror" from Faerie Queene: Britomart (1916). Web Source: Sacred Texts
 

Storytelling for Week 10: Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home
 
In the early years of Indian history, there once lived a brother and sister. They lived on a large island near the Gulf of Mexico. They loved their home. The land was bountiful with vegetables, animals, and fruits. For fun the brother and sister enjoyed painting their shoes or moccasins bright colors, such as blue, yellow, red, and white. They loved and were proud of their shoes. Everybody from the ends of the world knew about their shoes and envied them.

For a long time the brother and sister were happy on the island until the volcano on the island erupted. Stone fell down from the volcano on to the brother and sister’s home. Red- hot melted rock ran down the volcano, burning everything it touched. The Brother and sister frantically ran to their home and gathered all they could that was important to them. They packed some food and most importantly their many shoes.

The brother and sister canoed their way to the mainland and stood at a safe distance and watched their home get burned down. The brother and sister cried for days. They eventually gathered their things and made their way to find a new home. Even though they were in search of a new home, they did not wish to forget their original home. The brother and sister began leaving their shoes along the trail so that they could retrace their steps and find their home again. Unfortunately without the brother and sister’s knowledge, their shoes were magically turning into a little orchid, colored like the moccasin.

Eventually, the brother and sister came upon a beautiful home. The brother and sister were so hungry and tired they decided that this place shall be their new home. They knocked on the front door and was greeted by an elderly woman. The woman welcomed the brother and sister into her home and fed them well – a little too well. The brother and sister never ate so much. Whatever their stomach desired, the old woman gave to them. They ate all day.

Eventually though, the brother and sister felt sick and bloated. They wished to leave the old woman’s home. When the brother and sister confronted the old woman, the old woman became angry, revealing her true intentions. She was fattening the brother and sister so that she may eat them. Hearing this the brother and sister ran away as fast as they could. Fortunately, the old woman was not able to catch up with them because of her old age and weak body.

Once again, the brother and sister were homeless. Living at the older woman’s home made the brother and sister realize that there is no place better than home. The brother and sister decided to go back to their island and rebuild it. They tried to find the trail of their shoes that led to the island but found them to be nowhere. Instead they found orchids that were the same exact colors as their shoes. They finally realized that the orchids took the place of their shoes and that the orchids will lead them to their home. With the help of the orchids, the brother and sister made it home safely.

(Orchid)

 

 

 

 

Author's Note:
This story is based on A Tribe That Left Its Shoes.  This story can be found in Tejas Stories. The story of the "A Tribe That Left Its Shoes" is about the origin of the orchid. The story began by introducing a village on an island that enjoys painting their moccasins all kinds of colors. Their home is threatened by a volcano that erupts. This natural disaster forces the villagers to move away from their home. To not forget their way back to the island the villagers leave a trail of their colorful shoes. In place of the moccasin grew a little orchid, colored like the moccasin. And the part of the flower that looked like toe area of the shoe was pointing in the direction of their home -- south. In my story "Home Sweet Home," I decided to add a Hansel and Gretel twist because the leaving a trail of shoes reminded me of how Hansel and Gretel left a trail of bread crumbs. I made the story about two characters, a brother and sister like Hansel and Gretel, instead of an entire village. I also included an antagonist -- the evil older woman. This older woman is similar to the evil witch in Hansel and Gretel in that they both fatten the brother and sister and wish to devour the children. I wanted to end the story with a happy ending so I allowed the brother and sister to return to their home by following their trail of shoes that turned into orchids. This is similar to the original story, "A Tribe That Left Its Shoes."




"A Tribe That Left Its Shoes" from Tejas Stories (1936). Web source: Sacred Texts.

The Hunter and Fox-- Storytelling, Week 9

The Hunter and the Fox
Once there lived a hunter. He was known as the greatest hunter in the land. He was a skilled archer and trapper. There was nothing he could not hunt and capture. He kept many of the skins and heads of his capture creatures as trophies to remind him of his achievements.

Although he was an accomplished hunter, he was a lonely hunter. Every day from a day of hunting, the hunter would come home to an empty home. He had no one to talk to. It is not fun when you have a lot of things but have no one to share it with.

One day when the hunter returned from a trip, he noticed that his home had been visited in his absence. It was not like any common break-in for nothing was taken or missing. The home actually looked better than it had ever looked. It was cleaned and organized. The confused hunter thought nothing of it until it happened again.

This time not only was the housed cleaned but there was also dinner ready on the table. The hunter could not ignore this any longer.

One day the hunter pretended to go away on another hunting trip, but was actually hid himself in a bush and waited for the intruder to arrive. Eventually a fox appeared. The fox entered his home and transformed into a beautiful woman. The hunter approached this woman and asked her if it was her who was cleaning his home and making him dinner. She responded that yes it was indeed her that was cleaning and cooking for him.

As a hunter, his first instinct was to kill this creature/woman but he could not help but admire her beauty. He let her go but he threatened her that if she should return he will be forced to kill and hunt her like the rest of the animals. The fox-woman ran away in fear from hearing this.

After the fox-woman finally left, the hunter returned to his normal routine of hunting and being alone. As the weeks went by, the hunter’s home became messier. Looking at the mess, the hunter began to miss the fox-woman and her company. The hunter felt lonely.

Feeling lonely, the hunter decided to hunt or search for the fox-woman. Weeks passed by and still no luck of finding the fox-woman for the fox-woman was so heart- broken by the hunter she hid herself.

Being the best hunter, the hunter eventually found the fox-woman and asked for her forgiveness. The fox-woman could see that the hunter was genuine and thus accepted his apology. They embraced and the hunter told the fox-woman that he loved her. Hearing this the fox turned into a beautiful woman.

(Fox-Woman)

 Author's Note:
This story was based from the the Fox-Woman from Marriage Tales. In the Fox-woman, the hunter comes upon an intruder but she is not like any other common intruder. She does not steal or break anything. Rather, she cleans and cooks. The hunter curious about this intruder decides to hide out until the intruder arrives. Upon the intruder's arrival, to the surprise of the hunter he discovers that it is a woman but she is not any ordinary woman. She is a fox-woman. She is a fox when she wears the fox skin and is a woman when she takes it off. The hunter confronts the fox-woman. The fox-woman responds by telling him that she is his wife. The hunter is unable to accept her as she is and therefore rejects her, causing her to run-off. My story was based off this story but I made a few changes. For instance, my story has a happier ending. The hunter and the fox-woman end up together. My story was more a love story. My inspiration came from the Beauty and the Beast. Like the beast from Beauty and the Beast, the fox-woman becomes human after learning that she is loved.

"The Fox-woman" from the Native American Marriage Tales by Thompson (1929).Web source: Sacred Texts

Storytelling for Week 7: Leap of Love

Leap of Love

Once there lived a poor young farmer who loved a pretty maiden. The maiden was the daughter of a rich merchant. Because of his low social class, the young farmer was aware that a union between him and the maiden was impossible. All he could do was admire her from a far.

While count his riches, the merchant decided that he could afford to throw a rich feasts for his friends and guests. He would need meat and the freshest vegetables and fruits. The merchant’s advisor suggested that he get the foods for the feast from the young farmer for the young farmer is known to grow the best fruits and vegetables and raise the best meats. Hearing this, the merchant demanded the services of this young farmer.

The young farmer was doing his daily chores on the farm when a messenger came and gave him a letter. The letter was a request from the merchant, demanding the presence of the young farmer. The young farmer was elated by this request for this meant that he gets to be closer to the maiden if it was just for a short time.

The young farmer journeyed to the merchant’s home and presented himself. The merchant was instantly pleased with and hired him on the spot.

The preparation for the kind of party the merchant desire took days. The young farmer was fine with this for this means that he will be able to see the maiden even more.

The young farmer indeed get to see the young maiden often for she was always in the kitchen because she loved to cook. One day the farmer gained enough courage to go up to the maiden and talk to her. While conversing, they learned that they had quite a lot in common. For instance, they both love food. The young farmer loves to raise food and the maiden loved to cook food.

For days up until the feast, the young farmer and the maiden spent their time in the kitchen cooking and preparing for the party. They soon fell in love with each other. The maiden knew that her father, the merchant, would never approve of this relationship so the young farmer and the maiden kept their love a secret.

The day of the feast finally arrived. Everything about the feast was what the merchant had hoped for: lots of food and merry people. While everyone was distracted with partying, the maiden decided to use this time to run away.

In the distance the young farmer with a horse was waiting for the maiden. They have decided to run away and elope. Unfortunately one of the servants saw the secret meeting between the maiden and the young farmer and ran back and informed the merchant of it. The merchant outraged ran after them.

The merchant finally caught up with the lovers. The lovers had nowhere to go for they were on the edge of cliff. The only escape they had was to leap over onto the cliff on the other side. Because of the strong love for each other, they decided to take a leap of faith (love) and jump over onto the other cliff. To everyone’s surprise, including the lovers, they made it safely. This was the last time the merchant or anyone else ever saw them. 

(Leap of Love)

Author's note: This story is based on the The Lover's Leap. This story can be found in Folktales of Laos. The story of the The Lover's Leap is about a young man who falls in love with a maiden and the maiden loves him as well. There love was forbidden by the maiden's father though. The father  comanded his daughter to never speak or see the young man ever. Believing that the romantic relationship between the young man and his daughter had ended, he throws a feast to actually find a suitable man to marry. During, the feast the young man approaches her and ask for hand in marriage. She accepts and the two run away on horse back. Unfortunately a horse saw them and informed the father. The father and his men pursue them. The only escape for the young lovers was to leap across to the hill on the other side. They decided go for it but they missed the opposite cliff and fell to their deaths. In my story Leap of Love, I chose a happier ending because I don't really like sad endings. I also chose to go a little more in detail about the courtship between the two lovers.

"The Lover's Leap" from the Folktales of Laos (1899). Web source:Sacred Texts