Story: How the Raven Saved the Hunter

A lonely raven was soaring across the sky, gazing down at the mountains below. She spotted a group of wolves playing in a pile of leaves, a deer a little ways off, and a rabbit that had just emerged from its den. 

(the raven, source) 

Nothing out of the ordinary. She told herself. 

Until all of a sudden she noticed a man heading towards a small stream. As he reached the edge of the water he kneeled down and scooped some up in his hands, and began to bring it up towards his mouth. 

NO. The raven thought as she dove towards the man. 

The man didn’t notice her until the last minute, and he was so startled that he jumped up and dumped all the water from his hands. He then turned around and glared angrily at the raven before dunking his hands back into the water for another drink. 

Just as he brought the water to his lips the raven swooped down from a branch and knocked it from his hands again. The man then jumped upwards furiously and attempted to grab the raven, but she was too fast and dodged his attack. 

The man then began walking slowly to the stream once again, and kept looking over his shoulder to see if the Raven followed. Sure enough she crept closer each step he took. 

“Why can’t I drink from this stream!?” He yelled. “I haven’t had a drink in days, do you want me to die of thirst?”

The raven only stared sadly at the man before cawing at him. She then flew in a few circles and headed further into the woods cawing as she went. 

I hope he follows. The raven thought. 

Lucky for her the man was curious and stumbled after her. Eventually they reached the source of the stream, and the raven landed on a smooth rock before nodding towards the water. 

The mans eyes widened in shock as he saw a jumble of animal skeletons. Just beyond them he saw a dead snake, and from its mouth came the “water” he had almost drank. 

The raven watched carefully as his mind began to wander. She felt relieved that he wouldn’t end up like the other animals. 

All of a sudden the man spoke again, “thank you so much! You saved my life!” he paused briefly, “but why?” 

The raven hopped down from her rock and looked towards the animals by the shore, hoping he would understand. 

He had a puzzled look on his face briefly before realization finally lit up his features. 

“Were they your friends?” He asked quietly.

The raven nodded and many memories of them came to her mind.

“And you couldn’t save them. So now you watch this area to make sure no other animal has to die?” the man pondered. 

Once again the raven nodded at his accurate statement. 

The man looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing, “I’m going to stay here, and help you protect animals from drinking here ever again.” 

The raven heard this but couldn’t believe it, a new friend? It had been so long. In response she only cawed and landed happily on the mans shoulder. 

Author's Note: I kept this story mostly the same when it comes to the original. However, I added the Raven's point of view. I also gave her more of a backstory and showed why she was so desperate to help the man. In the original the man ends up killing the Raven and regretting it later, so I took that part out. 

Bibliography: "How the Raven saved the Hunter" by Albert Shelton from the Tibetan Folktales. 

Reading Notes: South African Folktales, Reading B

While I was reading “The Dance for Water” I was almost positive that the story was going to end badly for the rabbit. However, I was surprised when it slipped out of its skin and ran away. It sounds like an ending I would have written. 

(The rabbit, source)

“The Judgement of Baboon” reminded me of rock paper scissors, especially the part that says “fire consumes wood. wood beats dog” and so on. I think it would be fun to make a story based on this, and call it “the origin of rock paper scissors.” 

Bibliography: South African Folktales by the San People

Reading Notes: Tibetan Folk Tales, Reading B

While I was reading “How the Rabbit Killed the Lion” I was amazed at how quickly the rabbit came up with his excuse as to why he wouldn’t kneel to the lion. It even got the lion to drown itself!

“How the Raven Saved the Hunter” was familiar to me because I read a story similar to it recently (in this class). I don’t remember the title, but I do know that a hawk was trying to save a man from drinking poisoned water (instead of a raven). The Raven seemed to deeply care about this random mans safety, and it would be cool to see its back story. 

(the raven, source)

I also thought “The Two Little Cats” was nice because they had a bunch of animals who helped defend them from the Handre. I’d like to see all these characters become one big friend group. 

I might be able to use “A Rabbit Story” in my storybook. I could have my bear officer respond to the conflict between the rabbit and bear family, and in the end no one would be killed (unlike the original). 

Bibliography: Tibetan Folk Tales by Albert Shelton. 

Story: The Legend of the Lei Tree

It was a chilly morning in the forest, and while most animals were still asleep, a golden tiger was marching determinedly through the undergrowth. He was on his way to meet an old friend, as he did everyday, on top of a hill just beyond the trees. 

Eventually, the tiger reached the base of the hill and began to climb upwards, and once he got to the top he sat beside a lei tree. 

(The tree, source) 

“So, what's the word Lei?” The tiger asked, looking up towards the tree’s leaves. 

The tree began to droop its branches in response but didn’t speak. 

This worried the tiger and he spoke to the tree again, “Are you alright Lei? What’s the matter?”

After being asked a second time the tree replied to the feline, its voice beginning to crack, “The men in the village came yesterday to cut me down. But they got tired and left, to come back today and finish the job.” 

As the lei tree spoke the tiger finally noticed the large gash in its’ trunk and rushed to inspect it further. After a few moments he licked the bark and looked up towards his friend. 

“That should fix it,” he smiled. 

Instantly, the the lei’s broken trunk began to reform as if the wound had never been there. The tiger was magical, and one of his gifts gave him the ability to heal. 

The lei’s drooping leaves sprang up happily, “Thank you tiger! I will always remember this!” 

The tiger only nodded and turned to sit beside the tree once more. The two talked for an hour or so before they bid farewell and the tiger stalked back to his home. 

Unfortunately, later that day, the men came back and began to chop at the tree again. They were determined to do away with the lei since it was creating a shadow over their crops, and causing them to wither and die. However, they grew tired like the day prior and went home. 

The next day the tiger returned to the hill and found the tree shedding leaves as it sobbed. The tiger knew exactly why and went to lick the lei tree’s bark to heal it once again. 

This cycle happened for a few days, and on the fourth day the tiger went to lick the bark but was stopped by the tree itself. 

“DON’T!” the tree yelled, “the men found out that you’ve been healing me, and they placed sharp blades in my bark to harm you!”

The tiger recoiled sharply and grimaced thinking about what could have happened. However, he couldn’t just let his friend be chopped down. As a result,  he inspected the tree further and attempted to dig out the blades. Unfortunately it was in vain. 

The tiger frowned and thought for a moment before coming up with an idea to wait for the villagers to arrive. Once they did he jumped towards them, growling menacingly. 

They froze as the tiger spoke, “I won’t harm you if you remove the blades you placed in the bark of this tree." 

The men looked at each other contemplating what to do. Eventually, they explained their reasoning for cutting the tree, and the tiger came up with a compromise. 

He informed them of his magic, and then used it to create a break in the tree’s leaves so that sunlight could get through. This pleased the men and they left, never giving the tree trouble again. 

Author's Note: I tried to keep aspects of the original story, such as the villagers trying to cut down the lei tree and the tiger healing it overnight. However, I added the part about the tree and tiger being old friends. I also created a happy ending where the the villagers leave the tree alone. In the actual story it ends up being chopped down, and the tiger cuts its tongue on the blades. 

Bibliography: "The Legend of the Lei Tree," by Mrs. K.U. Rafy from the Khasi Folktales Unit

Reading Notes: Khasi Folktales, Reading B

I read “What Makes the Lightning” last week for the feedback focus blog post, but I enjoyed reading it again this week. It’s cool to imagine that thunder and lightening are actually the result of a drum and a swinging sword. I thought this was a unique idea. 

(A picture of lightning, source) 

I also thought that “How the Tiger Got His Strength” was interesting. I wondered what would happen if an animal who is typically able to “walk silently” like the tiger didn’t have that trait. I think it would be funny if there was a tiger who was clumsy and always making tons of noise when it walked around the jungle. 

Another story that caught my attention was “Why the Goat Lives with Mankind.” I thought it was strange when the goat just decided to tell the world that it was defenseless and that the tiger was mistaken in being scared of it. I feel like that was a bad move. 

Bibliography: Khasi Folktales by Mrs. K.U. Rafy

Reading Notes: Khasi Folktales, Reading A

While I was reading “The Tiger and the Monkeys” I expected the tiger to catch onto the monkey’s tricks and end up killing them. However, he was so oblivious that he never suspected them to be lying to him. I  thought this was a nice twist, especially since it seems like tricksters end up getting into trouble. 

Another story I enjoyed was “The Legend of the Lei Tree” because of how creative and unique it was. Originally I thought that the tree actually did have special powers/was a God (just like the people trying to cut it down) but the tiger ended up being the one who was magical. I think it would have been cool if the tiger and tree were good friends and that the tiger was just trying to protect it. 

(The Lei Tree, source) 

“How the Dog Came to Live with Man” also had some unique aspects to it. I especially thought it was cool how the “ktung rymbai” ended up leaving a scent on the other animal’s feet when the jar was broken, and as a result they could be tracked easier by the dog and hunter. 

Bibliography: Khasi Folktales by Mrs. K.U. Rafy

Feedback Focus

My favorite out of the focusing techniques is “reading out loud,” because it helps me to better picture the story in my head. I’ve actually used this technique for a long time now, when writing papers and also when I write the stories for this class, and I’ve found that it helps me notice errors and as a result my writing flows better. 

The copy-and-delete technique worked well too, but I still prefer reading out loud. However, I found that when I delete the paragraphs I’ve already read I am less distracted (from the previous paragraphs) and it helps me to better understand the story I’m reading. I do like the idea of combining these first two techniques, and I will probably try it in the future! 

For the last technique I started by reading the story (Zoology 1114) in my head, and after I was done with that I re-read it out loud. During my second read through I noticed more details in the story. 

If I were to rate these 3 techniques I would put reading out loud first, then the copy-and-delete, and finally the timer technique. Each method did change my experience while reading the stories, and I do think there are advantages to all of them. I could see myself reading future stories out loud while deleting paragraphs as I go, and also trying to focus on the reading for 10 minutes. 

Out of the stories I read I liked “What Makes the Lightening” the most, and it was interesting to this take on how thunder and lightening came about. 

(A girl reading a story, source) 

Tech Tip: Google SIte Website

Here's the link for my storybook website, it's a work in progress but it'll get there eventually!

Storybook

Story: Ramai and his Animals

Ramai had always loved animals, of all kinds, ever since he was a very young boy. Naturally he had always wanted a pet of his own, but his parents always denied his request. So, in order to meet him halfway, they would take Ramai to the zoo as often as they were able. The boy enjoyed every moment of these occasional trips, but once it was time to leave his excitement would vanish. 

Over the years Ramai’s parents reconsidered getting a pet for their son, along with his brother and sister, and gave each of them money to pick out a pet from the pet store. 

After this the three children set off to find their new best friends. Ramai’s sister chose a rambunctious schnauzer puppy, while his brother settled on a lizard of some kind. 

Ramai, on the other hand, was distracted along the way by a group of boys who were torturing a small orange cat and immediately ran to its rescue. 

“Hey! Stop! Leave the poor thing alone!” Ramai yelled. 

The kids just glared as Ramai approached them and the biggest boy blocked his path so that he couldn’t reach the frightened feline. 

“You can’t tell us what to do, loser!” he spit out. Just then the boy noticed the dollar bill sticking out of Ramai’s pocket and sneered. “Unless you’re willing to pay up.” 

Ramai watched as the bully glanced at the money his parents gave him and began to reach for it. “Fine! I’ll give you some of my money, but ONLY if you let me take the poor cat you’ve been messing with.” 

The other boy smiled, “Deal.” 

Ramai then handed him 10 of the 50 dollars he had, scooped up the shivering orange tabby, and left. 

As he continued on he noticed a scrawny brown dog tied to a fence, without shelter or water during the hot day. Ramai instantly walked up to it and began to scratch it behind the ears, and just as this was happening a middle-aged woman came towards him. 

“Do you want this dog?” She asked.

Ramai looked at her for a moment before nodding. 

“Well, he’s mine. But I can’t afford to take care of him anymore. He’s yours for 20 dollars.” she replied. 

Ramai then handed her another portion of his money, took the chain off the dog, and headed down the street with both of the animals he had acquired in the last half hour. 

Once again, he found another animal in need. This time it was an otter, strangely enough. A man was fishing along the river and had accidentally hooked the poor creature. It looked as if he was about to put it out of its misery before Ramai rushed forward to stop him. 

“Please don’t hurt it!” Ramai called out. “I’ll pay you to spare it!” 

The toothless man looked puzzled by his request, but handed over the otter in exchange for 10 dollars. Now Ramai was the owner of three miscellaneous animals, and decided to head back home. He felt that it was best to skip out on a trip to the pet store. 

However, along the way, he heard a terrified yell in a nearby yard and went to investigate. Once he got there he saw a mortified young girl pointing at a small garter snake. An older man, probably her father, was about to kill the snake with a shovel. 

Ramai stopped yet another animal from being harmed by hollering at the man, who gave him an annoyed look. 

“Sir, would it be okay if I take the snake? Instead of you killing it?” Ramai asked. 

The man looked towards his daughter and shrugged. He then agreed and asked for money in return.  Ramai then gave the man the last of his money and gently picked up the tiny snake. 

Over the course of the day he had somehow acquired a cat, a dog, an otter, and a snake. 

His parents wouldn’t be happy. 

Ramai pondered what to do as he took the long walk home, and passed by a small abandoned shed. He then got the idea to house his animals there for the time being. 

(The old shed Ramai kept his animals, source) 

Inside the shed he found that there was enough space for all of his rescued animals, and left them there so that he could go home to get them food and water. 

His parents questioned him when he arrived, and were even more puzzled when he began taking bread and sandwich meat from the fridge. 

“You DIDN’T get a pet today?

“But you’ve always wanted a pet Ramai.”

“Why are you taking all the sandwich meat?” 

Ramai brushed them off and mentioned that he was going to hang out with a friend, and that he promised to bring sandwiches. He then ran out the door, stuffing a couple water bottles and bowls into a backpack. 

After a while he reached his miniature zoo and divided up the bread, sandwich meat, and water among the starving animals. The dog and cat ate the food happily, but the otter and snake didn’t touch it at all. This worried Ramai and he wondered what he should do next. 

What food would the two animals enjoy?

As Ramai was trying to come up with a game plan he heard rustling around the door of his shed. He quickly looked over his shoulder in that direction and saw his mom and dad staring in disbelief. 

“Ramai. Where did you get all these animals?” his mom questioned. 

“You do know that you can’t just feed them meat and bread right?” his father mentioned. 

Ramai sighed and began to explain himself to his parents. Surprisingly they weren’t mad, and in fact they were happily hugging him by the end of his story. 

“We’re SO proud of you son!” his father exclaimed. “You tried to help these animals when they were in need.” 

His mother nodded and looked at her husband. “What do you say we let Ramai keep his little ragtag team of animals? I think he’d take great care of them, with the right supplies of course.”

His father agreed and Ramai smiled so big that has face began to hurt. He then gathered his cat, dog, otter, and snake in for a group hug. In the end he got his pet, but he also got a zoo. 

Author’s Note: I based this story off of the story “Ramai and his Animals” from the Santal Folklore Unit, and I changed it quite a bit. In the original Ramai’s father did give him and his siblings money, but they were supposed to use it in a “profitable” way. His brothers spent their money on cattle and horses, but Ramai used his to rescue animals who were going to be killed. I used that part for my re-write, and took off the end of the original story because the father ends up killing Ramai’s animals, and I didn’t want that. 

Bibliography: Santal Folklore translated by C.H Bompas, "Ramai and his Animals." Source. 

Reading Notes: Persian Tales, Reading B

"Half-Boy” reminded me of the “Half-Chick” story, but they had very different outcomes. It’s kinda sad that Nim Tanak only got his father’s approval after he rescued his brothers and sisters, but at least his father began to love him, despite his appearance, in the end. It would be nice though if he was accepted from the very beginning. 

“The Sad Tale of the Mouse’s Tail” felt like it cut off abruptly, so if I were to re-write it I would add more to the story. I would probably find a way for the mouse to get its tail sewn back on, or maybe it could have a tail like Eeyore’s in Winnie the Pooh?

(The mouse with a missing tail, source) 

When I was started reading “The Wolf-Bride” I didn’t expect the son to be killed by his own wife, who turned into a wolf. I want to know if she always unknowingly turned into a werewolf at points or if her doing so was only a one time thing. I would be interested to hear her backstory. 

Bibliography: Persian Tales, Translated by David and Emily Lorimer. 

Reading Notes: Santal Folklore, Reading A

I liked the Ledha and the Leopard story because the dynamic between the boy and the buffalo. They seemed to become a little family, and even after Ledha became Raja he built a house in the jungle to be closer to them. I think this relationship would be fun to write about. I also thought it was funny that the Leopard was so scared of a tiny lizard.

(The herd of buffalo, source) 

Ramai and the Animals was my favorite of this group of stories. I feel like I would end up rescuing all those animals like he did, instead of buying livestock like his brothers. I liked how Ramai didn’t seem to care what his father thought, and did what he thought was right with his money. If I were to rewrite this I would probably take out them part of him getting married in the end (it seems unnecessary) and maybe have him rescue his animals in time before his father kills them. 

I also thought The Tiger Cub and the Calf was interesting. I liked how they decided to stick together after they found out that the tiger’s mother killed the cow. I could write a sequel to this story maybe? It would be cool to see where they end up, and the adventures they go on. It also said that the tiger’s mother was angry and would have killed them if she found them. It could be an “on the run” type story?

Bibliography: Santal Folklore, translated by C.H. Bompas

Story: The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

An old dog sat on a porch, looking towards the road, waiting for her granddaughter to return from her first day of school. She was waiting patiently, and wanted to hear every detail of her day. 

A few moments later she saw her granddaughter rushing towards her from the street, and as she stood to greet her the grandmother noticed tears running down the puppy’s cheeks. Alarmed, the dog ran to meet the little dog halfway. 

“What happened! What’s wrong?” The grandmother asked. 

The puppy looked up sadly, “I made a friend today. But he was a cat, and people made fun of us for playing together!” 

"I’m so sor-“

“What’s wrong with liking cats?” the puppy interrupted. 

The grandmother pondered this for a moment and finally responded, “Cats and dogs haven’t gotten along for a long time now. It all began from a quarrel between two friends, who were a cat and a dog.” 

The puppy still looked confused so the old dog continued, “would you like to hear the story?” 

The puppy nodded and the grandmother started her story. 

“A long time ago, even before I was born, there was a dog and cat who were the best of friends. They were always together, kept each others secrets, and shared everything they had with each other. They even shared the food they hunted.”

“However, during a harsh winter, food became scarce and the pair began to go hungry. The cat came up with an idea to go their separate ways, hoping that they would eat better if they weren’t sharing every scrap of food they could find. The dog didn’t like this idea, but the cat pushed it.”

“Eventually the dog gave in to the cats request, albeit sadly, and the two shared an oath to never cross each other’s paths again.”

The puppy spoke up, “Why did the dog agree! They need to stay together!”

Her grandmother only nodded and continued speaking. 

“After their oath the cat found a house to live in, where it caught all the mice it could imagine. But the dog wasn’t so lucky. It ran into trouble with a monkey, who pelted coconuts at it, and a flock of sheep he agreed to protect, who ended up getting eaten by wolves. This discouraged the dog, and it decided to stay away from all other animals.”

“Over time the dog began to get weaker and weaker until it came across a man working in a garden. The man seemed to like the dog and invited it to live with him. The dog agreed and was nursed back to health.”

"Coincidentally, this was the house that cat had decided to live and it was unhappy to see the dog there. It thought that the dog had broken their oath and constantly scratched and hissed at it whenever they passed one another.”

(The cat being angry with the dog, source) 

“Finally, having enough, the dog decided to leave the comfortable home. The man was saddened by this and asked if the two would become friends again. The dog said that it would gladly do so, but the cat would never agree.”

“And that, is why dogs and cats have been at odds for so long,” the older dog finished. “But that doesn’t mean that this relationship can’t be changed.” 

The puppy seemed to be processing this information still. But after a moment she spoke up. 

“Do you think I could help fix things between dogs and cats? Through my friendship with a cat?”

“It’s a start” replied the grandmother dog. “You may face disapproval by some, but don’t let that deter you. True friendships don’t come around often.” 

The puppy smiled and thanked her grandmother for the story. Then she ran off to meet her new friend. 

The grandmother watched pridefully as she rushed away. 

Author’s Note: I chose to alter the “Quarrel of the Cat and Dog” for this week’s story. The original told of how the dog and cat became at odds with each other, and I decided to explore how this would affect future generations. So I created a situation where a puppy became friends with a cat, but as a result of the past they were teased by their peers for it. I wanted the story to have a better ending, so I decided to have the puppy try to make a difference and “repair” the relationship between the two species. 

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales by Gertrude Landa, "The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog," Source. 

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, Reading B

“The Sleep of a Hundred Years” reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender in some ways. Mostly for the fact that the man slept for one hundred years, just like the protagonist in Avatar. I think that aspect of the story is what I liked most, the character would be so out of place and confused. So many things can change over that amount of time. 

Also, the king definitely got what he deserved in "The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace.”

“The Fairy Frog” caught my attention too, there’s something weird about a man-sized frog! It also summoned all those animals, in many stories the lion is king, but what if a frog was? 

(the image from "The Fairy Frog," Source)

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa. 

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, Reading A

“The Giant of the Flood” was interesting, and it was different than the Christian version of Noah’s Ark I had heard before. I didn’t know of Og the Giant, and it was cool that there was a phoenix and unicorn as well. I’m not sure if I would use this story, but it was nice to read another version of a popular story. 

I also liked “The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog” (of course). There seems to be many stories like this one, where people try to explain how cats and dogs became “enemies.” People seem to like this dynamic. The oath the dog and cat took in this story was something I hadn’t read before, and it could make for an interesting story this week. I’d probably add more details, or maybe show a modern-day dog or cat telling this legend to their children. Or maybe a dog and cat becoming friends, but feeling guilty about it because of the animosity between their species. Of course both dogs and cats have different versions of how the story went down. 

(The dog and the cat from the story, Source) 

“From Shepherd-Boy to King” was another story I could see re-writing. Maybe instead of David I could use a different character/person, and show how they became king or queen after the lion incident. 

Bibliography: These stories are from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa. 

Feedback Thoughts

While reading through the articles I thought that the most useful was “Overcoming the Fear of Feedback.” The manager story made sense and illustrated what I fear when giving people feedback or criticism. The manager asked for the feedback but her first reaction was to be mad or betrayed, and that’s what I’ve always worried about doing. I don’t want to upset people because of feedback I give them. 

It also said that a majority of people actually wanted feedback on their work, which makes me feel better. It also said not to blame others for their feedback. Which I also think is important. 

The next article I read was “Taking Feedback like a Champ” and it stated that without feedback from others we remain stagnant. In my major we often do critiques, and any feedback is essential in improving. Without feedback on our projects we might not notice our mistakes, and keep making them. However, I think it's better to give people ideas on how to improve instead of saying something like, "this looks weird" or "this doesn't work." 

(A presentation at a workplace, Source) 

Overall I take critiques pretty well, I may get nervous beforehand but they always end up better than I expect. I need to speak up more often when giving feedback to others though. 

Also, in the “Be a Mirror” reading it said to avoid saying things like “I think” or “I like.” I’m guilty definitely guilty of this, and should probably work on it.