Reading A and More Readings: Twenty-Two Goblins, Parts A and F

For my final reading of the semester, I chose Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder.  I read a portion of it when I was in the Myth and Folklore class and really enjoyed it, so I returned for some more.  I’m honestly not sure if I’m just rereading the same riddles or not, but I enjoyed them regardless.  They’re so fun and relatively lighthearted.  It’s also kind of fun to try to solve the riddles, although I have yet to get one right.  They’re very twisted and seem to focus more on the moral side of things than the logical side. 

For example, there was one riddle that was trying to determine which brother of three had earned the right to marry the woman that they had resurrected. In the end, the brother who had slept on the ashes of the woman was the one who had earned the right to marry her, which by the way is a little creepy to be doing.  He slept on her ashes in a hut in the cemetery.  That’s some kind of crazy.  Anyway, the other two brothers were acting as a husband and a son, not a lover, so they didn’t get to marry her.  I never would have reasoned it out to that conclusion. 

I would really like to come back to this particular reading after the semester is over to read the rest of the riddles.  I also might us them in some form or another in the future.  It definitely would have been interesting to incorporate these into my Storybook, but unfortunately it’s a little late for that! I’m glad I chose it for my final reading though! End the semester with a bang!

Bibliography: Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder (1917), Sacred Texts. 

Image Info: Old Cemetery. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

Story: The Best Riddler of Them All

ONCE UPON A TIME, I was a goblin named Riddle.  I lived in a sissoo tree within a vast cemetery, which was perfect since I relish my peace and quiet.  Unfortunately, people would occasionally interfere with my business, so I would disguise myself as a dead body hanging from the tree (It was a cemetery after all!).  I lived this way for many years, doing deals with the occasional passerby who could solve one of my riddles.  No one ever solved more than one of my tricky riddles! That is, until HE came along…

I’d been living in my tree for maybe 50 years when a man came by in the dead of night.  Instead of simply walking by, however, he cut me down from the tree! And then he slung me over his back like a sack of potatoes! The humiliation! I kicked and screamed for a few moments before I remembered that if he answered on of my riddles, I would return to my tree.  I could go back and finish my dinner and forget about this embarrassing situation.

And so I told him a riddle, and being the smart king that he was, he answered it and I returned to my tree.  But the bastard followed me back! Again and again I told him one of my riddles, and again and again he answered them true.  I thought that eventually he would give up and leave me in peace. But noooooo.  The man was incessant, constantly cutting me down and ferrying me back down the cemetery road in the middle of the night.  I suppose I should be glad it wasn’t day time or someone might have seen me being lugged around on the back of this brute!

After 20 riddles, 20 trips back to the tree, and 20 trips back down the cemetery road carried upon his shoulders, I decided to give him my masterpiece of a riddle.  No one had ever answered it correctly.  Not the wizards or witches, not the princes or knights, not even the farseeing oracles of old.  No one had ever figured this riddle out. 

As I told the story, I saw his brow get more and more furrowed.  I could practically see the wheels turning in his head!  I had him! I finally had him! He would answer wrong, his head would burst and I could return to my tree! Unfortunately, that isn’t how this case turned out.  All the wizards, witches, princes, knights and oracles had tried to answer this riddle and their end had come.  But this king was smarter than the others. 

Since he didn’t know the answer, he actually kept his mouth shut! Have you ever heard of a man doing that?!  They at least try on the off chance that they might be right! But not this man.  He kept silent, which impressed me beyond measure. 

I decided to help this impressive, tenacious man.  I knew that the monk would try to harness my power to become the king of the fairies.  I also knew that this man would be a beneficent ruler to both his human kingdom and that of the fairies.  He was honorable, strong, kind, and smart. 

I warned him of the monk’s plan and told him how to circumvent it.  When we arrived to the meeting place, the king followed my instructions to the letter.  The monk was dead and he was the soon to be king.  But he didn’t want the job or the power.  What he told me next was more impressive than all the riddles he had solved. 

“O magic creature, if you are pleased with me, I have nothing more to wish for. Yet I ask you to make me one promise, that these twenty-two different, charming puzzle-stories shall be known all over the world and be received with honor."

While I was loath to leave my tree, I felt an obligation to fulfill this great man’s wishes.  And so I travelled, for one year telling my riddles to every man, woman, and child that I encountered.  For that year, I even left out the side effects!  After that, I continued to travel, telling my riddles.

I thought that I would miss my old life and the peace and quiet of my tree in the cemetery.  And for a time I did.  However, the farther I travelled, the more I began to enjoy myself.  I enjoyed the new sights and foods, sharing my stories with new people who would never have heard them otherwise. 

To this day, I’m still not sure if the king planned this all along.  Did he know I would enjoy travelling and telling my stories? Or did he just want to share them with the world? 

Author’s Note:

I chose not to do any individual story from the Twenty Two Goblins unit, but to instead do a sort of overview story from the goblin’s (who I called Riddle) point of view.  I kept the story the same, but left out a few details that I didn’t think were entirely necessary.  The original story more follows the king, setting up in his court and revolving around his determination to fulfill his promise to the monk. 

I thought it would be intriguing to write this as if Riddle was telling the story from the present.  She’s looking back on her life and how this moment changed it so drastically.  Few had ever solved her riddles with such confidence and ease, and no one had ever chosen to say nothing when they didn’t know the answer.  I thought it would be fun to show how humiliating it would be for a goblin to be carted around on the shoulders of a man, especially a man as tenacious as the king of these stories.  I also carried it a bit further by telling how she reacted to her travels, coming to enjoy them and the opportunities they afforded her!

Bibliography: Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder (1917), Sacred Texts. 
Image Info: Sissoo Tree. Source: Wikipedia. 

Story: Bodisat News

This just in.  The kingdom of Benares was just sold for a single measure of rice.

According to our covert sources, the king of Benares made an error in judgement when appointing the royal valuer this past year.  He was unhappy with the man formerly in this position and fired him on the spot.  The king then chose a random citizen off the streets to fill the vacancy, a man with no experience and no morals.  Apparently, the new valuer assigned values at random, depending on his mood, the weather, and the phases of the moon.  Sources conflict on whether or not this was part of the king’s plan or simply great hubris in believing that he knew what was best for his treasury.

Early this week, a working man approached the valuer to inquire what his herd of horses would be worth to the king.  An arbitrary decision resulted in the value of a single measure of rice in exchange for five hundred horses.  That is correct.  Five hundred horses are now worth a single measure of rice in the eyes of the royal valuer and the eyes of the king himself.  However, the horse-dealer was not satisfied with this deal and came up with a cunning plan.

Yesterday evening, the horse-dealer put his plan into action.  He approached the royal valuer and offered him a bribe, as we are told is custom in this country.  He then asked the valuer to assess the single measure of rice which he had been given for his herd of horses earlier in the week. They then requested an audience with the king of Benares. The horse-dealer told the king that a herd of five hundred horses was worth a measure of rice and requested to know what the value of that measure of rice was. 

Our sources say that the king was unaware of the events that had been transpiring in his kingdom and he foolishly asked his valuer what a single measure of rice was worth in the kingdom of Benares.  Recall now, that the valuer was not a particularly bright individual and he had been bribed by the horse dealer.  As such, his answer to the king was very surprising. 

The valuer judged a single measure of rice to be worth all of Benares, both within and without the walls.  For those unfamiliar with their global geography, the city of Benares spans 12 leagues from wall to wall and the suburbs and lands belonging to the city span a further 300 leagues.  And all of this was only worth a single measure of rice. 

Information is still trickling in about the aftermath of this earth-shattering event.  The entire court was shut down for the duration of a trial and to discuss whether or not the king would be forced to forfeit his kingdom to the horse dealer. 

We will continue to provide you with details regarding Benares throughout the morning.  Stay tuned with News Channel 6. I am Bodisat and I will keep you updated. 

Author's Note:

I chose to rewrite the story The Rice Measure.  I kept the general storyline the same, although I left out the Bodisat’s role in the original story to make him the news announcer. In the story, a peasant is made the royal valuer when the king thinks the Bodisat is costing him too much money with his fair and accurate assessment of the goods that people bring him.  The king appoints a random peasant to be the valuer and he just puts random costs on the goods brought to him, including the herd of 500 horses.  The horse dealer goes to the Bodisat, the former valuer, who helps him come up with a plan to fool the valuer and the king.  In the end, the Bodisat is returned to his position.  There is no mention as to what happens to the horse dealer who only received a measure of rice for his horses, although I assume that the Bodisat reevaluated the herd for him.  I wanted to stretch my writing skills a little this week, which is why I tried to rewrite the story as a news broadcast.  I’m not sure it worked quite as well as I hoped, but well enough for me I guess. 

Bibliography: Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock (1920), Baldwin Project.

Image Info: Breaking News. Source: Wikimedia Commons; Brown Rice. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

Reading Notes: Eastern Stories Parts C and D

I finished reading Marie Shedlock’s Eastern Stories and Legends this week.  The stories continued along the same style, telling of the many incarnations of Buddha and the various deeds that he did throughout his lives.  However, this half was not as interesting to read as the first half.  I do not know if I was just not as attentive to the stories or if they just weren’t as entertaining as the stories from last week.  I’m still trying to figure out which story I will retell for the week, which has not happened to me this entire semester.  There has always been one story that I really want to retell or have some great ideas for, but not this week. 

Anyway, I really enjoyed learning about Buddha in such an intriguing way.  The idea of Buddha being reborn again and again in a different societal/natural position is so contrary to the religions that I am more familiar with.  I like that Buddhism is a little more flexible and fluid than religions like Christianity.  It’s more attune to my sensibilities I guess.  It is such a fascinating religion and I am looking forward to learning more about it over these last couple of weeks of the semester. 

Now I just have to figure out a story-retelling to get me through the week so I can move on to the next big thing!

Bibliography: Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock (1920), The Baldwin Project.

Image Info: Fo Guang Buddha. Source: Wikipedia. 

Storytelling: Old, Not Obsolete

Tall, curvy, busty, blonde, and drop-dead gorgeous.  That was the woman that my husband wanted.  Well, ex-husband.  But that used to be me.  You see, when my husband and I first met I was a young 20-something with luscious golden locks, smooth skin, straight white teeth, and legs for days.  I was beautiful and I knew it.  I always wore short skirts and tight, low-cut tops and dresses that showed off my body to perfection. I'm still beautiful, but not in the same way.

I was the proverbial trophy wife.  Whenever my husband was pursuing a deal or trying to impress some hoot-snooty business man, he would bring me along.  And I loved it.  I loved being admired, feeling men’s eyes on me and knowing that they could look but not touch. I loved getting dressed up in gorgeous designer clothes, slipping on those sky high heels, and attaching a string of diamonds and pearls around my neck to draw attention to my cleavage.  All of it was exactly what I wanted in life and my husband used my looks to his advantage, not that I was complaining at the time.

The men that my husband made deals with would be so distracted by my looks that my husband would get exactly what he wanted, from a lucrative business deal to a new jet for the company at no cost.  He could manipulate those men like none other, with my looks to aid him.  That is, until I became too old for his tastes.

Unfortunately, the men in my husband’s circles only liked the young women that they really had no business being with or laying hands on.  As we aged, the men’s eyes would quickly turn to the next batch of twenty-somethings looking to take our place and we would be essentially put out to pasture.  We were no longer pretty enough to be paraded around at dinner parties, so we were sent away to the summer homes to be out of sight and out of mind.  We were also expected to suddenly start popping out children to further our husband’s lineage as was expected. 

However, unlike most of the women in these circles, I actually learned a thing or two about my husband’s business while I was playing show pony. Little did he know that I was responsible for many of his business deals throughout our marriage and I had no intentions of becoming his broodmare.  He thought that our pre-nup would stop me from filing divorce papers because I could not survive on my own.  Luckily for me, I was smart enough to build up a pretty sizable nest-egg for myself and a files worth of blackmail on not only my husband, but most of his business partners and associates as well.  Sometimes it pays to be looked at as a show pony.  No man expects the trophy wife to actually have anything going on upstairs besides thinking about the next shopping spree they’re going on. 

The second that my husband sent me away to have children, I filed for divorce.  It was time to show my husband that I was no simple-minded trophy wife to be used and discarded once I was no longer of the ‘appropriate’ age.  He was going to learn that I would not go quietly.  I could ruin his life in the blink of an eye.  I didn’t actually want a divorce.  I had a good life and had no problem with finding a lover since our sex life had been dead for a while anyway.  Not that it had ever really been alive.  He would continue to provide me with the life that I was accustomed to and I would not share the dirty little secrets that I had collected over the years.  Win-win, right?

Author's Note:

I decided to revamp the tale of The Elephant That Was Honored in Old Age.  In the original story, the elephant was strong and smart, carrying messages and defeating enemies for her king.  However, when she started to grow weak in her old age, the King discarded her.  He took away all of her honors and ornaments and let her fend for herself in the forest.  That is until one day, when a Potter needed an animal strong enough to pull his carts and the kind offered up the elephant, despite the fact that this was a grave dishonor to the elephant. She went to the Buddha to be and told him what had happened and told the king what had happened and rebuked him for dishonoring the elephant in such a way.  Her honor and place in the palace was restored.

In my version of the story, I put it in modern day and changed the state-elephant into a trophy-wife.  Honestly, the first thought that came to mind was Donald and Melania Trump.  They’re still married, but he’s constantly dishonoring her and looking at other women and possibly sleeping with them.  I just thought that it would be appropriate to have the woman take charge of the situation and not let her husband send her away because she was no longer the young and brainless beauty that he wanted to show off.  

Bibliography: Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock (1920), Baldwin Project.

Image Info: Peridot and Diamond Necklace. Source: Wikimedia Commons; Black Dress. Source: Pixabay; Country Estate. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Eastern Stories Part A and B

For this week’s reading, I chose Marie Shedlock’s Eastern Stories and Legends.  The readings detail the various incarnations of Buddha, particularly in regards to his many animal incarnations.  I really like these stories.  They are easy to read and remind me of the Aesop Fables that I read in the Myth and Folklore Class.  They have little morals in them, like being kind to those who help you, even if it takes a little creative thinking to discover those morals.  I think they are a really fun and easy-to-read way of learning about the tales of Buddha, which is always great! Buddha’s incarnations are always helpful and kind, even if his companions do not reciprocate the kindness!

I’m trying to push myself as a writer this week.  I almost always retell the story from the perspective of a different character, so I don’t want to do that.  I’m thinking I might try putting one of these stories into the modern day, which will be a bit of a stretch since it’s all about animals.  I’m hoping that it will get me to be more creative and flexible with my writing, since I have to be so rigid and proper with most of my college writing.  I think I might try retelling The Horse that Held Out to the End.  Maybe make the horse into a person? I dunno.  I’ll figure something out!

Bibliography: Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock (1920), Baldwin Project

Image Info: Destrier. Source: Wikipedia

Storytelling: Just Desserts

“No! Let me go! I want to stay with mommy and daddy! Daddy, help me!” I screamed

“It’s okay sweetheart.  Just go with them.  You’ll be okay.  We’ll see you again soon.”

-----------------------------

Unfortunately, I was still too young to recognize that for the lie it was.  It’s been 15 years since I last saw my parents. Fifteen years since I was stolen from my family to become the plaything of the Princess Savitri.  Fifteen years of torment at the hands of the stuck-up princess of Abanti.  Fifteen years of doing everything I was told to keep the dear little Savitri happy because she would one day inherit the kingdom and probably marry a god.  However, I had a different destiny in mind for her highness. 

You see, Savitri had met a man.  And he was not a man that her father would approve of.  His parents were exiled royalty and lived in poverty.  They had nothing.  However, none of this mattered to Savitri because she liked his appearance.   The man had jet black hair, eyes of deep chocolate, and skin like caramel.  His muscles rippled under supple skin and his smile could bring a woman to her knees, if she was pathetic enough.  This was all I heard from Savitri, regardless of the fact that I thought he looked like a rugged hog.  I could see the real man, which was simply one angry at the lot he was given in life and willing to take it out on the nearest royalty whom he blamed for his problems.  He tricked Savitri into falling in love with him and she fell like a tree. 

Instead of doing what us playthings were trained to do and protect Savitri from negative influences, we pushed her towards this man.  We constantly fawned over his gorgeous smile, the dimples as deep as the ocean and eyes that you could drown in.  Yuck.  But it worked. 

Within days, Savitri announced that she would marry the penniless beggar.  It was a beautiful ceremony, full of tears and blah blah blah.  Anyway, afterwards, the man was determined to return to his parents in poverty and Savitri declared that she would follow him. Of course, her parents objected and she rebelled and did what she wanted anyway.  Only later did we find out that her new husband was destined to die within the year.  Us playthings knew Savitri all too well and we knew that she would decide to die alongside him.  Poetic justice and what not. 

The whole point of this adventure was that we would finally be returned to our families.  Fifteen years apart to be the forced friend of a pain-in-the-ass princess and we were finally going home.  It was a joyous reunion all around.  However, I did not know that there would be an especially exciting result of this madness.  Since Savitri left and died as far as everyone knew and her father had no heir, the kingdom went to the next person in line for the throne.  And guess who received that honor.  ME! I’m the queen now, I’m married to an amazing man, and my family is with me.  And who says the little woman can’t win in the end?! 

Author's Note:

I chose to rewrite the story of Savitri from the point of view of the girls that her father chose to be Savitri’s constant companions.  I just imagined that these girls were taken from their families against their will and told that they had to be nice and play with this snotty little princess because she was special.  I don’t think any child would take being forced to be friends happily, especially after being taken from their parents.  I kind of summarized the original story in my rewrite, although it goes a little further and talks about Savitri after she leaves with her husband.  Like most women in fairytales, she chooses to die with her husband, which I think is a little melodramatic to be honest.  Anyway, I thought it would be great to have someone else win in the end!

Bibliography: Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee (1919), Internet Archive.

Image Info: Savitri and Satyavan. Source: Wikimedia Commons.