Mythology and Folklore MLLL 3046

Image on  Flickr Once upon a time when the Earth was new, there was only one season, Winter. The people of Earth, whether of the plains, the mountains, or the oceanside, lived in fear of the North Wind. As the Earth was still so young, there was still plenty of magic in it. The North Wind possessed some of this magic and was so powerful that he could shapeshift into the form of a human. The waters of the Earth were always icy, if not completely frozen over. The ground was caked with snow and thus mostly infertile. Earth’s people made thick clothes and large fires to battle the North Wind’s blows, and they questioned why they were subjected to such harsh conditions. Perhaps you know the tale of the great O-jeeg who brought down the Summer from the heavens so that Earth’s peoples could enjoy its warmth. Brought down also were Spring and Autumn. These four seasons have since shared the responsibility of watching over the Earth. The North Wind was most di...

The Plough on  Wikimedia This is a continuation of my American Indian Fairy Tales unit notes. Like the last section, this one is narrated by Iagoo, a wise old man who tells stories to the village’s children. Morning Glory is a curious little girl, and she was mentioned in the last section, as well, and her brother is Eagle Feather. Something that I like about this unit is that whenever there is a Native American word the author will put the English after it, even if the word occurs multiple times throughout the story. This is helpful when dealing with readings from other languages. One of the lengthy stories in this unit is How the Summer Came . It is a legend that also has a number of origin stories within. In this tale, a young boy lives on the Earth at the time when all of the animals get along with humans and there is only one season, Winter. Hearing that an Eagle had flown close to a crack in the sky and had felt warmth coming from it, the boy ...

Evening Star image on Wikimedia This week, I chose to read the American Indian Fairy Tales unit. This unit was the most intriguing one that I have read this entire semester. The imagery is so vivid and I can clearly picture the land the Native Americans were living on in these stories. This unit has a narrator, Iagoo. Iagoo is a favorite of the local children who come to hear his stories, and he is also the most knowledgeable person of the lands and how the Earth was made. So, many of these tales and legends are origin stories. The stories in this unit were longer, so overall there are fewer stories in this unit than the units that I had read previously. The tale of Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind is interesting in that the North Wind and South Wind not simply personified, but they are actually portrayed as people. When the South Wind blows, he brings along flowers and gives life to the valleys, and he is the depiction of the perfect Indian summer. When...