Reading Diary for Week 12: Welsh Fairy Book (Thomas)

Welsh Fairy Book


The Red Dragon:  I found it very interesting to have a peak into Merlin's childhood and discover that even there, he was a master of magic and quick with his tongue. I have always been curious about why the Welsh display a Red Dragon as their emblem on their flag, but have never taken the time to look it up. So, it was entertaining to read about it's origins from a mythological stand point.

March's Ears: I thought that it was funny in the introduction that King March had all the physical possessions that man defines as wealth and what constitutes happiness, and yet he was still troubled by his physical features that kept him from true happiness. I also really liked that the secret in the story was given personification that tormented the barber. I very much enjoyed that for once, no one actually died in this myth even though the threat was certainly there!

Bala Lake:  I thought that it was interesting that the harper was sparred from the destruction of the palace with all of its people. I think that it would be interesting to give the harper a back story for why he was in the palace and why the bird chose to save him. Maybe the king heard of the man's talents when he was a young boy and had been forced to be the king's personal performer ever since.

Owen Goes a-Wooing: This was a very interesting story that sort of reminded me of Narnia in that the time Owen spent in this strange underwater land went much faster than time above the lakes surface. It is a very imaginative story!

The Bride form the Red Lake: So the ridiculous ending to this story made me laugh. Imagining the wife with clay on her chest dramatically and hysterically running into the lake is a very humerus image! I wish that I knew more about the significance of why her father said that she could not be hit by her husband with clay.

Hu Gadarn: This was a very interesting tale of how Whales came under the protection of Britain. The story was a little hard to follow and not as easy to understand the flow the author had created.