12. The Moon and Stars- And we begin today's readings withhhh--another famine. Really? Ooooooh, a DRAGON. Now things can get interesting. . . And it has a castle?! Things just keep getting better. I wish had good enough eyesight to detect a fly moving miles away; when I take my glasses off, I'm barely lucky enough to be able to see a fist flying at my face. Kweku Tsin, you are so much cleverer than your father it's not even funny. Though hitching your entire plan on the hopes that the gods will catch your rope and carry you away--that's a little iffy. And the bag of bones and magical fiddle are a little random. Lol, he threw him a bone. I love wordplay. . . Can't stop the boogie, either, I guess. Hooray for magical fiddles and dancing dragons! So, basically, what I got out of this story is if you climb up to the heavens you get to become either sun, moon, or star. I'm cool with that. Who has a ladder I can borrow?
13. How the Tortoise Got Its Shell- I. Love. Yams. Just saying. Can I go to the festival, please?! A fast, shell-less tortoise? What does that even look like? First moral of the story: drinking too much wine makes you slow and sleepy. Fact. Wow. That escalated quickly. Second moral: don't get stuck outside of a party in the rain for 2 months while carrying a load of wine and palm trees; you will get squashed and die. Then again, if you have friends among the gods they can just bring you back to life, though you may end up as a creeping creature with a giant pot stuck to your back. So that's a what-if to ponder.14. The Hunter and the Tortoise- It's like the beginning of Snow White--a hunter enchanted by a beautiful song. Though this song is sung by a tortoise rather than a princess, which is a major difference. Plus the hunter wasn't ordered to kill the tortoise. . . Yeah, I guess it's really not like the beginning of Snow White at all. If I had a magical singing tortoise, could I keep the secret to myself? Hmmm. . . Probs not. Oh, bad call hunter man. Risking your life on a scorned tortoise to sing for a crowd whom she specifically told you not to tell of her? Bad call. Wow. That tortoise totally let the hunter get beheaded. I mean, I expected it, but still, that's harsh. Especially seeing as she talks to all the other people after he's dead. Goodness.
15. The Leopard and the Ram- When people get my work get done for me, I always just assume I've been sleepwalking or something. Fairies are just too obvious an answer. (Then again, no one really does my work for me, so I've never been as confuddled as this pair of animals.) Awww, they decided to live together! How adorable! Since when do rams eat meat? Weirdest ending; did not know where that was going, but cool.
16. King Chameleon and the Animals- The animals all lived together in friendship, and yet wicked deeds were constantly being done. . . Sounds like a very twisted kind of friendship, haha. Why is the hare always the fastest animal? What about the cheetah or something? Lol, I love this chameleon! Very clever, Pascal, very clever. Aww, Pascal! No one values your cleverness, do they? Then again, you're a real cheetah here, so it's kinda your fault.
17. Elephant and Wren- I've always wished someone would pay me with an elephant rather than money. It just seems so much more practical. If you actually want the tree cut down, why would you require they use a wooden axe be used? That makes no sense. . . The oldest trick in the book; madest thou look! Haha. Apparently Anansi is hungry enough to eat an elephant; I mean, I've been hungry enough to eat horse before (and honestly, horse meat is pretty tasty), but elephant? *shudder* So Anansi gets an entire elephant to himself and his children get to share a tiny wren? That seems fair. I'm glad his paternal instincts are in working order. Run, elephant, run! Esc-a-pay!
18. The Ungrateful Man- You have to wonder how all four creatures ended up in the hole; I mean, you would think once the first one fell in the others would have had enough warning to realize that there was a giant hole there. "I need the blood of a traitor." "Well then, just behead the guest that turned on his kindly host. That should do the trick." I feel like there was a bit of an overreaction there. They totally could've just nicked the guy's finger or something. Not saying he didn't get his just desserts, but still. . .
19. Why Tigers Never Attack Men Unless They Are Provoked- Richard Parker, there you are! And here I thought you just wandered off into the jungle and abandoned the human race entirely. Also, can I have a friend tiger? I could ride it like I was playing Crash Bandicoot in real life, go walking through the jungle with it, and intimidate all of my nonexistent enemies. It could be a fun time.
20. How Mushrooms First Grew- Birds really have no honor, do they? First I come across a chicken willing to give its offspring up as food, now I find a bushfowl willing to sell its offspring for profit--what is up with that?! At least the ants are practical.
21. Farmer Mybrow and the Fairies- Fairies are just so helpful. I wish there were some around to do my homework assignments for me. Mmmmm, yams. . .
Tadahhhhh! Another week of reading done, and more fascinating etiological stories learned! Now people get to think I'm even crazier as I pull more fun facts/tales about random objects out of my bag of tricks. . .
Ciao!!!
Image Information. Anza Borrego Starscape; photo by Anthony Citrano, 2009. Flickr.
African Spur-Thigh Tortoise; photo by Cheryl, 2008. Flickr.
Veiled Chameleon; photo by Jarek Tuszynski, 2009. Wikimedia.
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