1. When the Storm God Rides- A couple of things about this story: First, it seemed kinda repetitive to me. Things stated in the beginning were restated in the end, something would be said at the end of one paragraph and then again in the beginning of the next paragraph, and the style was just. . . different. A lot of reused descriptions and monikers, which is new. This was a good intro story for the unit, though, I think. Secondly, I find it interesting that the Indians weren't necessarily afraid of their god, but instead afraid of the god's thunder bird (which he rode)--so they were only afraid of the Storm God by proxy. An intriguing twist. All in all, a good etiological tale for the islands along the shores of Texas and the origin of the term "hurricane," and with just a hint of flood story in there, haha.2. How the North Wind Lost His Hair- A fight between two opposing winds--intriguing, tell me more! The contrasting imagery for these two winds is just fantastic! A young, warm, kind and gentle wind from the south versus the harsh old wind blowing fiercely from the north--so beautiful and poetic. A reference back to the Storm God; niceeeee. I can just picture these two giant, semi-solid figures crashing together in the skies, tearing down everything in their path as they fight for dominance. . . Loving this tale! Anyone else reminded of Matilda at the end of this story; you know, the scene where Trunchbull hurls the girl outside of the schoolyard by her braids? This is a great etiological tale for Spanish moss, so descriptive and vivid you can just see it in your mind as you read. . .
3. The Plant That Grows in Trees- This thunder bird just frightens everyone! People, birds, mistletoe--who's next?! Oh, just kidding. The mistletoe isn't afraid of the thunder bird, 'cause the thunder bird was kind enough (?) to take pity on the plant. It put the mistletoe up in a tree where it would be safe from harm; so sweet, haha.
4. Why the Woodpecker Pecks- There was once a woodpecker which liked to peck on the roof above my bedroom closet every morning around 4 am. For a while it actually had me convinced there was a ghost knocking from inside my closet--true story, especially since it was believable as we live in a really old house and all. Yup. But onto the actual tale. . . How odd that here it was a boy that initiated the "sin" of eating the mescal buttons, versus the woman who usually leads others to temptation (such as in the story of Adam and Eve). Kind of a sad ending, but one fitting the actions of the parents. Seriously, leaving the children alone while you go and get high is just stupid and frankly criminal. Though now the sound of a woodpecker is always going to be a kind of melancholy sound, seeing as it's the sound of parents looking for their hidden and long-lost children.
5. The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail- Poor woodpecker, letting your tail get bit off by a fish. Whatever were you thinking? Haha. And another flood! Not quite a creation myth flood story, but still! Why are flood stories so ubiquitous and significant in religion and mythology?. . .
6. Old Woolly Bird's Sacrifice- A story with a flood followed by a story with a drought; huh. I am still reveling in the imagery in this stories; you can just see the scenes unfolding before you--you don't even have to try. And yet the stories are short and simple, and the wording concise. Fantastic. Such altruism! I'm picturing this feeble but kind old grandpa, you know, the one everyone adores and whose stories leave everyone in awe of his history. So sad to think that he felt like a burden (even if a noble notion at its heart), though at least the people came and found him to show that he was worth something to them. Gorgeous ending, just. . . gorgeous. The sacrifice of noble elders bring an end to the drought, and the elders themselves are turned into lovely magnolia flowers as a show of respect for their bravery. Wonderful!7. A Tribe That Left Its Shoes- This is the way the world ends, not with a whisper but a bang. For some say the world will end in fire, some say in water. (I apologize for the terrible adaptations of two fantastic poems, but I just had to. It was the first thing that popped into my mind, as odd as that is, haha.) And now Hansel and Gretel have left a trail of moccasins to lead them home--if only there was a home to go to. . . That's fascinating; so do the lady slipper orchids always point south? I would love to do some research and figure out why that must be. <--Goodness, I'm such a biology nerd, lol.
8. The Cloud That Was Lost- Poor clouds, shoved into each other like nothing so much as bumper cars by the pushy wind and perspiring due to the heat of the sun. No wonder they get tired and rest on the mountains every night! Haha. A cloud described as chasing its tail like a puppy--O. M. G. So freaking adorable, lol. Awwwwww, don't cry! It'll be okay, little lost cloud! :( I don't know whether this should be a happy or sad ending, because at least the little cloud is no longer lost--though the alternative is being drank up by flowers for the wonderful pink and lavender colors that had colored the cloud. An adorable and yet somewhat sad little story.
9. The Swift Blue One- I still find it hard to imagine a time when the Native Americans didn't have horses--I know that such a time existed, have learned it time and time again, but horses and Native Americans have been so closely entwined in all of the imagery and media we experience that it is still a somewhat difficult concept to grasp. . . Anyways, this was a really interesting story, but that's all I'm gonna write about it. Read it on your own, lol.
10. Grandmother River's Trick- I got to see some alligator gar in Lake Texoma this fall, and got to wonder about how I had been wading in those same waters a couple hours earlier and would be wading in them again a couple hours later; a terrifying thought, but gar are just so fascinating that I determined not to be scared and let my ecological curiosity get the best of me, lol. But good work, Grandmother River, for relegating those nasty, greedy garfish to separate ponds away from all of the cute little fish!
And there it is, part A of my readings for week 10! The semester is just going by so quickly. . . I mean, I'm only a week and a half or so away from finishing this class! Like, what?! Then you'll have to find some other random blogger's thoughts to read, haha.
Ciao!
Image Information. Stormy skies; photo by Fir0002, 2005. Wikimedia.
Summer Magnolia blossom; photo by Hans, 2014. Pixabay.
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