Reading Diary Week 7: Congo

The Antelope and the Leopard: In a very twisted and grotesque way, the antelope used the leopards emotions to intellectually out due him. The antelope knew that she was inferior to the leopard in a test against strength, but that she would win a the test against wits.

The Turtle and the Man: When kindness is met with greed, the one who uses trickery to fulfill his greed will fail. This story is an excellent representation of karma.

The Gazelle and the Leopard: This story is starting to give me the impression that the Congo isn't exactly the safest place. It seems like many of their stories involve murder as the main form of revenge.

The Fight between Two Fetishes: It was interesting to discover how the people of the Congo explain how something came to be. A wish from one man made a physical being disappear forever from one place purely because it caused him a moment of irritation.

Essay for Week 6: The Tricksters

(The Tricky Tortoise: Web Source: Wikipedia)

The week I read The Filipino Popular Tales and found a very common theme of trickery. In the tale of The Iguana and the Turtle, the iguana was continuously envious of the position that the turtle was in purely because the turtle made each position seem valuable. The turtle used the Iguana's quickness to greed to remove himself from bad situations. Another story that included a form of trickery was The Hummingbird and the Caraboa. In this story the hummingbird exploited and testing the caraboas pride by challenging him to a water drinking contest. The hummingbird knew when the tided would rise and fall and used that knowledge to trick the caraboa into thinking that he could drink more water than a giant water-buffalo! The third story that included trickery was the Hawk and the Coiling. This was very similar to the story of the humming bird and the caraboa in that a challenge was involved. The coiling knew that when the hawk challenged him to a flying contest, that his best chance of winning was to carry something on his back. The hawk fell for this and chose cotton to carry thinking that it would be light and easy, whereas, the coiling chose salt knowing that it would rain. When it did rain, the cotton became very heavy and the salt dissolved allowing the coiling to fly higher than the hawk and be victorious. I thought that this weeks reading was the most enjoyable because of the short mini stories that got straight to the point about their plots. It was also fun to see the physical underdog utilize their brain to be the intellectual victor by tricking their competitors. I think that the stories would have been even better if these underdogs had more of a reason for their trickery though. It seemed like many of them only did it because they knew that they could.

Storytelling for Week 6: The Unbeatable Hummingbird

(The Hummingbird: Photo by Daniel Borman)

Little Hum flew off with a smug grin as he left the very bewildered caraboa behind him.

***

Word began to spread to those who frequented the watering hole of Little Hum's victory. The tortoise and the hawk gasped in disbelieve when the fox told them of this curious feat.

"I do not understand how someone so small could drink more water than the water-buffalo himself!" the hawk said while shaking his head.

"I saaaaaay weeee maaaake Littttttle Huuuum doooo it agaaaaaain, sooooo thaaaaat I caaaaan seeee thiiiis wiiiiith myyyy owwwwwn eyyyyyes," the tortoise mumbled.

"Yes! Great idea! But, who should do it?" the fox questioned?

"I will," said the hippopotamus proudly. "Who could ever drink more water than someone who lives most of his life in the water and has a belly far larger than even the water buffalo. There is no possible way Little Hum could beat me!"

When Hippo's challenge reached the ears of Little Hum, he immediately accepted. Little Hum waited until just before the tide would rise and then made his grand arrival at the watering hole.

"So, my Dear Hippo, I hear that you would like to challenge me to a water drinking contest! Even with your enormous belly, I will still be the winner here," Little Hum said boastfully. "Go on. You first!"

Hippo wattled over to the water and stuck in his snout and then started draining the water at an alarming rate! The water level was actually really going down! Little Hum started to get nervous.

"Come on high tide. Come on high tide," Little Hum thoughtfully pleaded.

"Yes!" He thought! The tide started coming in and the water started to rise!

"Dear Hippo, I thought that the challenge was to drink as much water as you could! Not drink and then spit it out!" Little Hum laughed at him!

"My turn!" Little Hum said. He once more stuck his bill into the water just in time for the low tide. The water began to recede and his audience was astounded!

Authors Note: This is a story of what happened after The Humming Bird and the Caraboa. In the original story, the hummingbird used the high and low tide of the watering hole to trick the caraboa into thinking that he can drink more water than him. I wanted to tell the story of this happening again, only this time with an audience to watch!

Google Timer Tech Tip

To manage my time efficiently, I like to set aside certain blocks of my day where I will only focus on one particular subject during that time. If I finish before that time is up and I use the remainder of that block to relax or find something entertaining to do. If I  do not finish in time, I either reschedule a new time to finish it, or see if I can push into my next block concerning another activity. To know what I need to get done each day, I always make a list of what subjects I need to hit on the night before so that it's all planned out for me in the morning and I can't make up excuses in my sleepy non-morning person phase.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Filipino Popular Tales

Filipino Tales

The Iguana and the Turtle: The iguana was so envious of what the turtle had or was going through that he feel prey to the turtles simple trickery.

The Greedy Crow: You should be happy with what you have and not lust after what you do not. For if you do, you risk losing what you had. I could tell this tale in the form of toddlers playing with toys.

The Hummingbird and the Carabao: I love the trickery that can be played on those who hold too much pride. The hummingbird was clever and attacked the carabao's pride in such a perfect way.

The Hawk and the Coiling: This story was very similar to the Hummingbird and the Carabao in that trickery was used for the underdog to be victorious in a challenge by being the one who was more clever. However, in this particular story, the underdog also faced a little harm showing that once should be be too prideful after a win.

The Lost Necklace: This was just a story that I found to be a very cute and creative way of explaining why hens and chicks are always scratching at the ground. 

The Story of Our Fingers: This story was also quite fun to read. I think that it's funny that the thumb is what helps us hold on the items, which makes it easier to steal. I also think that it's funny that the pointer finger was the first to object and "point" out the immorality of the thumbs suggestions since it is our pointer finger that we use to place blame on others.

Week 5 Essay: Recurirng Motifs Turkish Fairy Tales

The two stories that shared a common motif were The Fish-Peri and The Crow-Peri. As you can already tell, both stories involve some sort of Turkish peri - meaning fairy. In both narratives, a beautiful animal is captured by some human who is ignorant of the animals true form. In the Fish-Peri, the animal is a lovely fish that the young man can neither eat nor sell because of the joy he finds in gazing upon this beautiful fish. The fish helped the young man during the day by transforming into a maiden and cleaning his house while he was out. In The Crow-Peri, the crow is caught in a trap by a boy. The crow tells the boy that if he releases it, it will help the boy catch an even better bird. The fish and the crow continue to help the young man and the boy through their various tasks throughout the stories by having the males make very strange requests. I'm not sure how the authors decided that things like "forty wagons of wine" or a "bolster" would transform into ivory or feasts, but in the stories that is what happened! Another thing that the two stories had in common was that they both ended with a happily ever after via the marriage of the youth to the fish-peri and the boy to the crow-peri. A final and more broad motif that I have noticed throughout a majority of the Turkish fairy tales is the very common time frame of forty days and forty nights. Either the subject is given only forty days to complete some task or the subject celebrates for forty days and nice - how nice would that be? I'm not positive on the origin of this idea, but I think that it would be an interesting thing for Professor Gibbs to add to the introductory notes of the unit. Overall, I thought that this unit was one of the more enjoyable and easy flowing units I have read thus far.

(Yellow-edged Lyretail: My idea of the fish-peri: Image by: Derek Keats)

Storytelling for Week 5: You Do What You Can For the Ones You Love

(William Randolph Hearst Castle: photo by Matthew Hodges)

"Mark, darling!" Julie called to her husband. "I got invited to go to the country club with Marie this afternoon, so I'll be back in a few hours!"

"Alright sounds good," Mark said as he gave his wife a kiss goodbye.

Mark and Julie have been happily married and lived a somewhat comfortable life for the past twenty years. Julie was a secretary at a company down the road and Mark worked at a small industry the next town over. They made just enough money each month to keep up with their rent and buy groceries. Although Julie tried her best to be content with her lifestyle, she couldn't help but always be jealous of her best friend, Marie's, life.

Marie's husband was the CEO of his industry, so they lived the life of endless luxury with gourmet dinners each night and frequent trips to the country club.

This was Julie's first time going to a fancy country club and what she experienced finally made the envy she held concerning her friend's life surface.

When Julie got home that evening she confronted Mark and said,"darling, you know that I love you, but I cannot live this way anymore. This may seem harsh, but I cannot stay with a man who is unwilling or incapable of climbing up the work ladder and securing a more respectable position with a much larger paycheck. If you cannot obtain this than I'll have no choice but to leave you."

Mark was heartbroken. He had never missed a day of work and has always been the employee his boss could count on. He had no idea how to climb up the work ladder, but he had to try. He loved his beautiful wife and had no intentions on letting her go. Mark needed some time to think, so he walked to the local coffee shop to sip on a cortada.

As Mark was sitting at the table becoming more and more depressed as nothing was coming to mind on how to appease his wife,  Mark's best friend, Jeff walked into the coffee shop.

Upon seeing Mark unsettled, Jeff questioned him as to why he was in despair. Mark told Jeff what had occurred between Julie and himself.

"Man...I'm so sorry! That is an awful predicament to be in, but hey I tell you what. I know Marie and her husband, and maybe I can talk her into giving you some pointers," Jeff said soothingly.

The next day, Marie called with a list of instructions for Mark to do at work that would insure his promotion. Within the next two months, Mark was working as the industry's floor manager. Six months after that, Mark was the supervisor and was finally making enough money to apply for a membership for he and Julie at the country club.

(Rooftop Pool: photo by Charlie Anzman)

Author's Note: I based this story off of The Soothsayer from the Turkish Fairy Tales. In the story, a nameless married woman falls prey to envy when she visits the bath and discovers a soothsayer's wife is there being gazed upon by all of the other women. The married woman returns home and threatens to leave her husband if he too does not become a soothsayer. I decided to make this story more modern and have the bath be a country club and the desired job be a high position at an industry. I made the rich bath woman be the rich country club woman, Marie, and the poor envious woman a low paid secretary, Julie.Luckily for the poor husband (Mark in my story) ends up succeeding at obtaining the higher paid job and keeping his now happy wife.

Bibliography: "The Soothsayer" from Turkish Fairy tales by Ignacz Kunos. Web Source: Un-Textbook

Reading Diary Week 5: Turkish Fairy Tales

Turkish Fairy Tales

Fear:  It's interesting that this boy is so determined to find what many of us face on a daily basis. He seeks something that is solid in form and not an emotional state, which is why he cannot discover it. I found it funny that the one thing that did scare him was only a slight moment of shock as a pigeon flew out at him.

The Fish-Peri: It made me think of a college student trying to figure out what their skill sets were and how they could apply them to a particular future job. The progression of the story, however, made it to where it could be difficult to formulate a storytelling project from it. It is interesting that in most fairy tales there is always some sort of task(s) that the protagonist must accomplish.

Patience-Stone and Patience Knife: The Persians certainly like to tie "forty day" or "forty nights" into their stories, which is interesting. I could maybe use this story for the storytelling assignment and have the young girl tell it from her point of view. This story certainly had a much nicer ending than I had anticipated.

The Imp of the Well: The poor woodcutter has an absolutely awful wife who did nothing but bring him misery. It's funny how she ended up being the one to help the woodcutter in the end even though she was not there in physical form. The idea of her alone was enough to scare off the Imp!

The Soothsayer: A man and his wife were living a comfortable life until the woman saw what she did not have and envy took hold of her. She threatened to leave her husband if he did not obtain the profession that would give her the life of the woman that she saw. I could make this into a modern day story.

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Week 4 Essay: The Story Retold

Since this week's reading options were between the Middle East and India, I chose to go with the subject I surprisingly knew less about - Arabian Nights. I took Epics of India a year and a half ago and still remembered those stories pretty well, so I wanted to see what the Arabian take on an old favorite of mine - Aladdin - would be. When I started reading the story (starting with Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp) I was extremely disappointed to see in your notes that Abu and Iago were not a part of this story! How could they not include the stories most entertaining characters? I was also very surprised that Jasmine's name (or at least her name in the Disney movie) was never a part of this story either. She was always referred to as "the princess." It's very interesting that Aladdin was the only person in the story given an actual name. There was the "sultan," the "vizir," Aladdin's "mother," the "magician," and the "magician's brother." It would be interesting to know if this is common in Arabian storytelling or if it is just the writing style of this particular author. Maybe it is a way to avoid distraction from the main plot of the story. Who knows? Another aspect of the story that was very different was the idea of two genies versus one goofy blue guy and that the magicians were the two truly evil antagonists. Yes, the vizir slipped his son into the mix of marrying the princess before the three months were up and Aladdin would be given her hand, but I had anticipated for the vizir to something especially evil like take hold of the lamp/ring or thwart another one of Aladdin's pursuits towards a happy life while reading the story. All in all, I thought that it was a fun and interesting twist on the story that I was so accustomed to.

(Aladdin: Illustration by Michael Sporn)

Storytelling for Week 4:

Jasmine wondered through her father's marble palace disgusted with the day's events. She had been told that she would be marrying a man who had presented jewels beyond compare to her father for her hand. Of course she would want to marry someone who thought that she was worth such precious stones. What turned her day so sour, however, was when her father told her that the plan had changed and that she was to marry the vizir's son, Iago.

Iago had always gazed at Jasmine longingly every time they were together. He was the type of boy who had trouble holding a normal conversation and - needless to say - had a way of making Jasmine feel uneasy.

The next day, the wedding bells were chiming and Jasmine was dressed in a flowing white dress standing hand in hand at the alter with a crooked grinning Iago.

Later that night, as the newly wedded couple slipped into bed, a strange sensation overcame them as their surroundings suddenly changed. Jasmine now found herself sitting upright in her bed with another man!

"Who are you? Where is my husband? What do you want with me?" Jasmine yelled at the strange man.

"Calm down Jasmine whose beauty is beyond compare. I am the man your father promised you to," Aladdin said calmly as he slid under the covers. Before Jasmine could say another word, Aladdin was softly snoring.

***

Well as you can probably guess, Aladdin removed Iago from the equation and took Jasmine as his wife. Jasmine was far happier with her kindhearted and handsome new husband and she was even more elated to be residing the the most beautiful palace she - or anyone else - had ever laid eyes on. Hers and Aladdin's bedroom alone was larger than the grand hall in her father's palace. This one even went to the extremes of having precious jewels dispersed about the walls so that when they early morning son hit them, her bedroom glowed with vibrant reds and piercing blues.

(Woman that I imagine to look like Jasmine: Photo by Frank Kovalchek)

Author's Note: I based this storytelling assignment off of the story Aladdin from Arabian Nights. In the beginning of the story, Aladdin falls in love with the princess and has his genie provide him with jewels to present to the sultan for Jasmine's hand in marriage (by the way, the name Jasmine was not used in the story, so I added it into mine). The sultan's vizir had always wanted his son to marry the princess, so I gave his son the name Iago, since the Disney parrot, Iago, was not a part of the original story. I decided to retell this marriage fiasco through Jasmine's eyes instead of Aladdin's.
Bibliography: "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" from Arabian Nights by Scheherazade. Web Source: Un-Textbook

Week 4: Arabian Nights

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1: It's funny how easily the human race falls prey to greed. Even in the midst of fear, Aladdin heard the word treasure and instantly became interested in what his "uncle" had to say. The uncle was both the tempted and the tempter in this story. In this version of Aladdin, he rubs the ring to expel the genie versus the lamp.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 2: Aladdin is freed from the cave via wish granted from one of the genies and goes home to his mother. It was his mother that rubbed the lamp to expel that genie. Aladdin falls in the love with the Sultan's daughter. It is Aladdin's mother who goes to the Sultan to ask for his daughters hand in marriage to her simple son. I love that the Sultan was so pleased by the mother's gift for the princess's hand and that he was was not immediately appalled at the idea.

*Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 3: The vizir's son and the princess divorce and Aladdin's mother returns to remind the sultan of his promise. He tells her that he requires a gift of far more value for his daughter's hand. Aladdin met this demand and married the princess. This is the part of the story where the vizir begins to question whether or not magic is involved.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 4: Uh-oh. Big-bad bad guy discovers Aladdin's fortunes and is not so okay with that idea. The sly magician was very cunning to offer new lamps for old ones in order to obtain the magical lamp. With it's power, he sent the palace and princess to a deserted area in Africa.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 5: "'Alas!' she said 'I am the innocent cause of our sorrows.'"Aladdin discovers the fate of his lamp and the magician's desire to steal his wife. Aladdin must finally rely on his own wits to save them versus magic.

Arabian Nights: Aladdin 6: No happily ever after just yet! The magician had a vengeful and even more wicked brother. The magician disguises himself as a holy woman, but is outed by the genie of the lamp upon Aladdin's wish for a roc's egg. NOW it's happily ever after time.

(Aladdin in the Garden: Wikipedia)

Famous Last Words Week 3

So this past week has been quite exciting and eventful - well at least from Friday to today has been! On Friday morning I received a call from Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine inviting me to an interview! For those of you who are not going the medical route, this is HUGE news! Campbell is one of my top choices because of their dedication to community service and mission trips, so I am beyond excited that they are considering me as a possible future student at their school! Later that same day, I was able to share my news with some pretty incredible friends at the Second Wind potluck dinner for all of Second Wind's baristas and student group members to come together for the first time since last semester to share delicious food, catch up with old friends, and meet excited new faces. It turned into a very enjoyable evening of Apples to Apples and Mario Cart on the Wii. It's amazing to be a part of such a family-like group in college and I am so thankful for the relationships that I have made during my time there. If any of you are looking for a great place to find a delicious cup of coffee, a place to study, or some exciting new friends to meet, you should certainly check out Second Wind Coffee House on campus corner! Back to the medical school application process, yesterday I received a letter from Midwestern University College of Osteopathic Medicine telling me that my application is currently in the running for obtaining a possible interview at that school! Man, growing up is exciting, stressful, and terrifying all at once! Getting closer to my dream is both incredible and nerve wracking, but I trust that God has a beautiful path planned for me and I am ready to follow it!

(Bountiful Potluck Yummies: Web Source: Wikipedia)

Week 3 Essay: Some Lessons are Learned the Hard Way

A common theme that I have noticed in mythology is the idea that lessons are almost always learned the hard way. Advice is rarely heeded and the consequences are quite drastic! One example of this is when Phaethon learned that the Sun was his father so he went to visit him in his temple. Upon arriving, Phaethon asked the Sun to prove that he was indeed his father, so the Sun said that he would grant Phaethon any wish. Of course, Phaethon's wish was greedy, reckless, and dangerous - not too different from modern day teens, ha ha! When the Sun tried to warn his son that his wish would only bring harm, Phaethon would not budge from his demand. Well, Phaethon did indeed learn his lesson the hard way when he lost control of the chariot of fire and then was struck by a lightening bolt sent by Jupiter, which led to his death. Another example is in the story of Narcissus. Narcissus learned his lesson the hard way when he foolishly fell in love with his own reflection. He learned the perils of eternally seeking something that he will never have. As a consequence, he lost out on real love with Echo and was transformed into a flower hanging over the water in an eternal gaze upon it's own beauty. A final example that I will give regards Mars and Venus. This couple chose to commit an act of unfaithfulness and in return, they were caught in the act and put on display by Venus's husband to be mocked by all of the other gods. It is very interesting to read these stories and know that something bad is going to happen to the characters even though the characters themselves are ignorant of their impending doom. It makes you almost want to jump into the story and warn them that what they are doing will only lead to their ridicule or death. In life we all make mistakes and learn from hard lessons, but it's important to also recognize that not all lessons need to be learned from personal experience. Sometimes it works out much better to just listen to you friends or elders who generally know a thing or two about what they are talking about!

(Echo and Narcissus: Web Source: Wikipedia)

Storytelling for Week 3: The Source of Hard Labor

"Grandma! I don't wanna work on the farm today!" Declion complained loudly as he sprawled out on the floor preparing for a temper tantrum.

"Declion, your mother sent you to visit your grandpa and I this summer so that you could help us out on the farm. A little hard work and elbow grease will be good for a young man lie you," grandma replied gently as grandmothers do.

"But I don't know how to do anything on a farm. I don't know how to drive a tractor or feed a herd of cattle. I don't want to help!" Declion complained even louder.

"Declion, let me tell you a story about the man you were named after. There once was huge flood that swallowed up the entire earth because the gods Jupiter and Neptune were angry at the world. The were only two survivors from the flood and their names were Deucalion and Pyrrha. They were devastated by their desolation and begged the goddess, Themis, for her help in restoring the human race. They were told by Themis that they had to, "...throw behind [them] the bones of [their] great mother."

"They had to do WHAT?" Declion asked with wide eyes.

"Haha. Patience, grandson. You will see what they meant in a moment," grandma chuckled.

"Deuclion and Pyrrha were just as confused by Themis's statement as you are. Eventually they discovered the true meaning behind Themis's demand and cast behind them the bones of their mother in the form of stones from their mother earth. The stones they threw then turned into people. 'So the toughness of our race, our ability to endure hard labour, and the proof we give of the source from which we are sprung,' grandma said slowly as the story came to an end.

"So you see my sweet grandson, you are created from the stones of the earth and have it in your bones to do the tasks I assign you on the farm," grandma said with a smile.

(From resilient stones to a resilient race. Web source: Flickr)

Authors note: For this storytelling assignment, I decided to not change anything about the actual story of Deuclion and Pyrrha, but instead to create another story around it with a lesson. I thought that this would be best accomplished by having a sweet grandmother convince her grandson that he is capable of working hard because he came from the stones of the earth.

Bibliography: "Deuclion and Pyrrha" by Tony Kline from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Websource: Un-Textbook

Week 3 Reading Diary: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4)

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Deucalion and Pyrrha: Jupiter (Zeus) and Neptune (Poseidon) cause a flood that turns all land to sea. Deucalion and Pyrrha survived the flood and Jupiter saw their innocence and had Neptune calm the floods. Deucalion is saddened when he discovers that he and his wife are the only two humans left and he then questions her loyalty to him by asking her what she would have done had she been the only one saved from the floods. The first part of this story reminded me of Noah, but now it's starting to sound more like Adam and Eve. When the goddess told them to throw the bones of their mother behind them, they believe those bones to refer to the stones of the earth. I really like that parallel. When the threw the rocks behind them, they turned into people. "So the toughness of our race, our ability to endure hard labour, and the proof we give of the source from which we are sprung." This would make a great storytelling post by using a son visiting his grandparents and complaining about having to work hard on their farm. The Grandmother can tell this story to her grandson.

Lo: Lo was a woman of beauty enough to catch the eye of Jupiter. She ran from him and he caught and raped her. Juno, Jupiter's wife looked for him and when she found him, he had just turned Lo into a cow to hide her identity. Since Jupiter is known for being unfaithful, Juno had an idea that the cow was a really a woman. So Juno asked for the cow as a gift. Lo flees to her family for help upon learning of her new form. In the end, she returns to her natural form.

Phaethon and the Sun: Phaethon was son of the Sun, although he was not claimed. He had to ask him mother forcefully if he truly was the son of the Sun. Phaethon goes to the Sun gods temple to seek him and is welcomed by his father. Phaethon asks for his father's chariot - uh oh. His father warns of the dangers of riding the chariot.

Phaethon's Ride: Phaethon let his quest to be high and mighty cloud his judgement. As I had assumed the task of controlling the horses was too much for him and he dropped the reins from fear. Classic example of a child not heading a parents warning and having to learn a life lesson themselves (although it's a but more complicated in this case!). The earth caught fire as a result and Earth was confused by why she was being punished.

The Death of Phaethon: I love the way the author wrote this phrase, "...his right hand threw it from eye-level at the charioteer, removing him, at the same moment, from the chariot and from life, extinguishing fire with fierce fire." Phaethon's sisters spent so much time grieving over him that they turned to trees. Sometimes when a life is ended, we must learn how to move on so that we are not forever stuck in our grief. The Sun god mourns his loss and blames Jupiter.

Callisto: Go figure that Jupiter against allows his lust to control him and falls in love with and rapes the nymph, Callisto. Jupiter had impregnated her and she was shunned by the goddess, Diana for her lack of purity. Instead of placing the blame on Jupiter, Juno punishes Callisto by turning her into a bear. Jupiter made Callisto and her son, Arcas into constellations, "the Great and Little Bear."

Semele: Again, Jupiter could not stay faithful, and sought companionship with another women, whom he again impregnated. Juno believes that she will be frowned upon by others if she does not punish Semele for baring Jupiter's child. Semele ended up punishing herself for wishing for something that was too great for her to handle in the midst of greed.

Echo: Echo lost her ability to speak normally because she used to be the one who kept Venus occupied while the other nymphs ran off after a time with Jupiter. When Juno became aware of this, she took Echo's ability to speak normally away and can now only repeat the last words of someone else. The way the author played on Narcissus's words and Echo's repeating phrases was fun to read.

Narcissus: Narcissus become thirsty and, "While he desires to quench his thirst, a different thirst is created." Narcissus discovers himself and is disheartened when that love he seeks cannot be obtained. Echo is sad for Narcissus's pain mirroring the same feelings someone in modern day has when the one they love does not want them and they only wish that person happiness. Narcissus turns into a flower.

Pyramus and Thisbe: The more you cannot have something, the more you want it. The two lovers planned to meet in secret. Pyramus comes to the meeting spot at thinks that Thisbe is dead, so he kills himself from guilt and depression. Of course, Thisbe find Pyramus this way and kills herself out of love as well.

Mars and Venus: Venus and Mars were having an affair, so her husband - being the craftsman he is - devised a contraption that caught them in their unfaithful act. The husband. Vulcan puts the couple on display as punishment.

Perseus and Andromeda:  Perseus turned Altas into Mount Atlas using Medusa's head after being refused hospitality. Perseus rescues Andromeda and demands her hand from her parents as reward.

Perseus and Medusa: Perseus is faced by a dangerous sea serpent, which he eventually defeats. He then frees and marries Andromeda. Perseus tells of how he defeated Medusa and how her head now adorns the shield belonging to Athena.