1. Master and Pupil- Anybody else love the wife's dig at her husband, saying that he's completely ignorant? That's one way to introduce a character, haha. Why does the devil appear when the peasant praises how good water is at a random spring? So confused. . . Not to deny the legitimacy of this story, but who can't recognize their own kid after a year? I'm really curious how old this kid is that he will change so much in a single year. Also, why would this kid want to go back to his poor father who left him in the care of the devil? Where is the logic there? I might possibly want to be apprenticed to the devil just so that I can shape-change. Yup. This son is so greedy he's just asking for trouble; he deserves to be sold back to the devil. "Variegated eyes;" great description, right there. But stupid, avaricious father. . . I'm loving this chase scene--so many transformations! And why not change into inanimate objects occasionally? Burn, devil, burn--disco inferno! (And they lived happily ever after.)2. Fate- Apparently people have been objecting to arranged marriages for eons--go figure. Random devil in one story, random angel in the next. So classist of them, leaving the poor people's fates out in the weather like that; how cruel. How terrible, to marry a weaver's daughter! Stupid prince, for all you know she could weave straw into gold! "A guest is a gift of God"--unless your guest is an in-law, an ex, pesky relatives, or a serial killer. (Woah, that escalated quickly. . .) He totally just killed the weaver's daughter! What the heck! And after the weaver was so kind to him! He just turned into a killer, if not a serial killer. Goodness. Okay, so maybe he wasn't totally cruel. He just seriously wounded the weaver's daughter and left bags of money as compensation--and then married her unknowingly. Guess you really can't escape your fate, even if you try to murder your future.
3. The Serpent and the Peasant- Begin with a vision of utopia and you can only go downhill from there. Let's watch this train wreck! A fox suspended by the tail obviously means that your chickens are going to be especially prosperous in the near future (you know, since the fox can't steal them and all). Just go with it. . . Cunning, hypocrisy, and treachery--prosperous chickens was close. The one story where a snake is the good guy and man the one who's treacherous--I knew I liked snakes for a reason! Awww, what a sweet ending! Such a kindly and generous snake!
4. The Two Brothers- Bears and wolves and jackals, oh my! I think the mouse should actually be a dragon hoarding gold; it's much more exciting that way. How dare he just callously kill the mouse like that! I should beat him with twigs. . . And the brother said, "Let there be water!" and it was done. . . Save the princess, rule the world. . . And after all of that good fortune, let's just end the tale with a grisly murder! That's all, folks!
5. The King and the Apple- First line makes no sense; great start! The ultimatum in this story also makes little sense--basically, just repent and then decide whether or not you want to enter. . . I want a talking apple! What?! Totally did not see that one coming. Why not ask questions such as "what is 2 + 2?" I don't understand this tale at all. . .6. The Three Precepts- So much repetition--why?! I think, I think, I think that this story is odd, is odd, is weird. Though I wouldn't mind, wouldn't mind, would like a snake that lays precious stones. But I definitely do not want the fate of the youth by the end of this tale, I'll tell you that. (Though I really enjoy the random poem/song thingy at the end of this tale, haha; "Thou hast drunk bad, stale, wine,/ And eaten a rotten walnut." The end.)
7. The Cunning Old Man and the Demi- The beginnings of these stories are just so great; e.g. "He might have worked, but he was lazy." <--Story of my life, haha. Clever lazy old man. It's like the valiant little tailor who killed 7 in one blow, lol. How do you not see a guy throwing a deer, a goat, a boar, and then another deer into a river? Seriously, how do you miss that?! But poor demi, he didn't deserve the fate that he got. . .
8. The Shepherd Judge- "Yeah, man, I'll be a judge--but only if you blind me first." Who says that? Who?! And why he can still judge after his sight has been restored, when he had to be blind before? What is going on?!9. The Priest's Youngest Son- I. . . just. . . don't. . . understand. . . Read the psalter over your father's grave, jump a wall, milk a doe, and you will live happily ever after? Is that what I'm supposed to get out of this?. . .
10. Mingrelian Proverbs- My personal favorites: Turn to the right, or turn to the left, 'twill all be one in the end; Wish thy neighbour to have an ox, and God will send it to thee; The hen scratched and scratched till she dug up a knife, with which her own throat was afterwards cut; If the bear overcome thee--then call him Papa; The dog took fright at a wolf, and barked all the year round at a stump; I say it--but whether it happen or no 'tis nothing to do with me; My father I love, my mother I love, but myself I prefer before all; A heart-kiss is better than a lip-kiss; Our granny has no teeth, so she likes not others' teeth to see. BEST. PROVERBS. EVERRRR.And that is all. Ciao!!!
Image Information. Path in forest over water; wallpaper. Superb Wallpapers.
Dog treeing; photo by Scochran4, 2010. Wikipedia.
Horse jumping ditch obstacle; photo by Henry Bucklow, 2009. Wikipedia.
All hail the apple king; photo by MisterMadHatter. DeviantArt.
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