A2Z 2020 Accomplished

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Using the 2Z Blog Challenge and NaNoWriCAMP,  to write twenty-two folktales and legends about maidens and matrons, I framed the stories into a sequence to answer the question,  'Why I like the story?' 

I corrected that question to 'DO I LIKE THIS TALE?'  after realizing my chosen folktales preached a code, a norm --> that 'women are servants', and sadly, she went along - norms, horrors. 

I titled my selection of tales to Damsels in Distress. Revisiting these tales from the 14th to 20th centuries, I recognized the narratives are from the male point of view that upheld the notion that woman, female, her, she are to act as a server. The male carrying the sword and pen, he owned the norms. And worst, I thought only men were professional authors. 

 My girl child and youth smothered by this norm; males wrote the narratives.

After twelve years as a storyteller, telling at the Asian Art Museum, and the hundred-plus books of folktales, legends, and myths I studied from across the world ---> I shaped another vision and opinion.

Value, worth, and hope do exist in these tales; women survived by the various powers she possessed. After re-imaged the stories into a female point of view and narrative,  I realized the males did not understand the norms set upon themselves. The freer the female, the freer the male, and powers exist to establish this balance within each.

#16 Durga helps of the Gods. POWER

provoke vs protect --> prepare. 
P is the emotional feeling, POWER. 

Durga Helps the Gods.

     

  I LIKE THIS STORY. I learned that woman has a lot of control over the men, (Gods, kings, and demons) while the men think they are in control. Durga is one, powerful Goddess called to help Gods. Her duty to drive a demon for the Hindi lands of India. She has all the emotional characteristics of a warrior: fearless, disciplined, determined, and physical powers.

I met Durga when I was a child running across a field playing "Ya, ya, Ya, you can't get me," teasing a monster.

Years later, in a creative writing class, I wrote a short story of my childhood running through the fields enticing a monster. “Ya, ya, ya, you can’t catch us.” I fell; I knew the beast would suffocate me. When I stopped yelling and screaming, I saw this wonderful magical woman, not my mom, not an angel, not a faery, and not a saint. From then on, I knew I was protected. I actually forgot about the story knowing always knowing was safe. I even told this story for the primary challenge for America Has Talent. My telling was not convincing.

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Finally, Durga, herself, spoke to me. "I am the field goddess. I am of the Shakti energies of the earth, the Devi, the goddess of protection created by all the Gods. Durga comes as a mere woman to help the innocent. You were a child, who thought a monster lived in the field. Durga helps conquer dangers, helps overcome foes, offers courage to stand and fight if slicing off the head of the evil demon."

I had her voice. Come read her story on wattpad.com, DURGA HELPS THE GODS.  

 Why is this story unique? The major male Gods and the minor gods create a superwoman to conquer a demon because of his request, death only by a woman. I think the buffalo-demon came from the Mesopotamia trade cultures many, many centuries ago to conquer India?  The demon is part of the good/bad fights between the GODS as KINGS. Masiha thinks he knows the Hindi view of women, 'curves to serve'.

What is cultural awareness?  The gifts the Gods give to the woman tell how much the Gods battled with other outsiders to create immortality and realms for themselves. All the Hindi Gods are one huge verbal ‘soap opera’ then to written mythologies. The bonus being Gods reborn again and again is to play out dramas. I thought the Greek mythology was confusing.

# 12 - Elisa and the Eleven Swans, LOYALTY

lost vs labor --> librate.
L is for the emotional feeling of - LOYALTY!

Elisa and the Eleven Swans  

Do I like this story!  Maybe!

A folktale supposedly Hans Christian Anderson wrote, and after reading his real effort to write, this follows the traditional folktales of the time. He told it in the royal courts, so given him credit because males wrote about male's worth.  Elisa knows how to weave, so first told by servants and laborers who created clothes, most likely together, spinning tales of hope.

This tale is like the Grimm Brothers. A wicked stepmother full of jealousy ruins the life of the father, (the word 'her' included in the spelling), and the children, especially the daughter. I always wondered, "where is the father"? Again, a wicked woman (wo'man' the word man included in the spelling) ruins with 'his' family. I think these (t'he'se) are tales to have women (wo'men') stay with her family because another wicked woman will destroy everything without the man knowing, "never trust the other woman."

The saving feature of this tale is a sister, learns weaving from the peasant family. After Elisa travels through a horrid nightmare adventure, frees her brothers from a curse spun by a wicked woman, the stepmother. Who is really the nemesis? Patrilocal society!

Also, this hints at the acceptance of what is offered with no fighting, screaming, or anger just blatant acceptance. Were women this dull-witted or is this folktale to tell young girls, if you accept and are patient and loyal, you will be liberated as a QUEEN, destine to run the castle for your husband, the KING, or always just a working Princess.

#8 - Rice Goddess, HONESTY

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hinder vs helper ----> hope 
H is for the emotion, feeling, HONESTY

The RICE GODDESS

Do I like the story? Maybe. She is rewarded by others she helped. What does this say? "Giving gets rewards, honor." I think we (males or females) give though our professions as helpers, teachers, workers, the silent hero/ine. Do all these stories need to be about males and from their point of view? NO! I think this one is saying keep your clothing on.

A Heavenly Being working, serving and saves her family and community while trapped by the greed of a young male. She offers all she knows and has to her situation, and still, he does not honor her. For egos and today the female not recognized and honor for her talents. This code is changing. I was not encouraged to my abilities as an artist and writer that was the male code.
 
Helplessly abandon on earth, this 'damsel in distress' depends on the young man for help, her deceiver. Using her strengths, she survives. Told all around the world in many different versions, unfortunately, from his point of view, I changed to her point of view.

-  he steals her clothing:
-  she helps him;
-  marries the young man, serving him;
-  he peeks into her magic pot:
-  spends years nurturing and serving him;
-  has many children;
-  offers her efforts to starving neighbors;
-  grows worn and tired from her labors.
-  learns her selfish, lusting husband deceived her;
-  takes her children and leaves.    I would!

Today, this heavenly being is honored in every kitchen of South East Asia as the RICE GODDESS, a satisfying ending for another female, woman helper. Giving is the feminine part of all us not to be damaged by foolish male desire. The woman is not just a server, maid, wife, owned, slave, stolen, bought, threatened, abandoned. The female offers balance has hope, desires, wishes, and gifts for us, not to be stolen and used.

Lecture: what the stealing of the clothing/wings means to the women of Java.

Part 8 - FIRE eats everything.

The Hunters stole their FIRE. The one who stole FIRE showed the other hunters how to hold their sticks, far enough away so the flames wouldn't devour the flesh, close enough so FIRE feasted only on the juices that dripped from the yams, squash, and fish.

With each drop of juice that fell into FIRE, the hunters watched flames flare and heard the sizzling greed of FIRE's appetite.

The children placed their emptied cooking sticks into FIRE and the ends burnt into a glowing embers. They danced turning around swinging the sticks back-and-forth. The gleaming ends burst into flames. Seeing the dancing and hearing laughter, Lord Wind thought he might help with the fun.

Read 'Fire eats Everything' on Wattpad.

Part 1 - Humans desire FIRE.

Read 'FIRE the Hunger'.

Humans knew the gods controlled FIRE and lived in the volcanoes. The gods used the glowing lava to created jewels, silver, and golden ores. These forged as gifts for service to their brothers and sisters. Man craved FIRE and its vast offering of treasures and warmth.

However, FIRE came with danger, because FIRE eats everything; FIRE has a ferocious appetite.

READ: FIRE, the Hunger

'FIRE, the Hunger' is on WATTPAD!

With the help of NaNoWriCamp and the Clarion Foundation Write-a-Thon for challenge and motivation, I finished the series of stories, 'FIRE, the Hunger', to be read as an e-book, coming soon to ebook store.

Fire, the Hunger

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Once there was FIRE; the gods controlled and protected FIRE, only the humans wanted its warmth and light from the cold and dark during the night. A god Kaang warned that if the Humans used FIRE, the animals and trees would no longer talk to them. Hummingbird, Beaver, Grandma Spider, and the Monkeys secured FIRE. Then a human Hunter stole FIRE for his warmth and light and cooked animal flesh, which caused fear, havoc, and destruction of human harmony on Mother Earth.

FIRE is hypnotic, enchanting, and a furious eater to be controlled by the Humans with confinement. These stories are compiled from folktales and segued to tell the consequences once humans had FIRE.

The Healing - #AtoZChallenge

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YONDER

#7 Korean Stories
The Taming of TIGER

Tiger injured, starving, and hides in a cave, humiliated.  Finding the Tiger, the woman approaches, “My husband is emotionally injured by the wars. A shaman told me to bring him a whisker from a live tiger to heal him.” The young woman looks like Bear Maiden. Tiger allows the woman to feed him. After, his paw heals; he gives her a whisker. She brings her husband to meet Tiger, who is gratified and stays in the cave until he hears a drum play.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge 4-29-2017 - Letter Y

SITA RESCUED from Ravana, #AtoZChallenge

 RESPONSIBLE

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Sita and the Ramayana

Many battles later many Rakshasas, brother Kumbhakarma, son Indrajet, and now Daemon Ravana, who was obsessed with owning someone not his was dead. Sita freed and Angi, the Fire God, for Rama, proved that Site was always the pure, faithful loyal wife.

Indra, the God of the Heavens brought Rama’s father, Dasaratha, in a chariot to witness, and Sita's father, Janaka, presented her again to Rama.

Flowers fell from the sky. Bells ring!
Rama and Sita went back to Ayodhya to be King and Queen.

Rama, Rama, preserver of the worlds,
Loyal Sita served you with her heart.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-21-2017 - Letter R

The Bridge, Battles of the Ramayana, #AtoZChallenge

QUALIFIED

Sita and the Ramayana

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After Hanuman finds Sita on Lanka, he burns the city with his tail, then he jumps back to tell Rama. The Monkey King Sugriva, the Bears, and the Lions build a bridge of stones and logs across the sea to the Palace of the Deamon Ravana, who brags that these are mere men and animals and can't harm him. He is Rakshasa Emperor and can not be killed. He tells Sita that in four days he plans to kill her. Ravana shows Sita the head of Rama. Her Rakshasa friend, Trijata, said the head was an allusion. As a wasp, Trijata will find out and tell Sita what happens. Her husband, the youngest brother of Ravana, Vibhishana, is vanished from the court because he told Ravana to give Sita back. He helps Rama, Lakshman, and Hanuman with the battles.


Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-20-2017 - Letter Q

Daemon Ravana, #AtoZChallenge

OBSESSION

Sita and the Ramayana

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Each time we visited, Trijata brought me a gift of fruits, perfumes, or fresh vegetables, I finally asked the question, “Where did Ravana come from, and why the ten heads and twenty arms?” Trijata said, “This is a long family history from God Brahma, I will tell the best I can.”


Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-18-2017 - Letter O

Banished and Abducted, #AtoZChallenge

NEGATION

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Sita and the Ramayana

The great Hindi Ramayana is a story of dharma about a son’s, Rama’s, duty and loyalty to father’s words, regardless of the consequences. With his loyal faithful wife, Sita, and brother Lakshman banished from the Koshala Kingdom for fourteens. Then Sita abducted by the ten-headed twenty-eyed daemon Ravana for revenge for killing Rakshasas his daemons.


Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-17-2017 - Letter N

God Indra's Anger, #AtoZChallenge

LOGICAL

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Sita’s RAMAYANA

Ravana, the ten-headed twenty-armed daemon attacked the Heavenly Palace housing the poets, musicians, singers, and dancers and where the golden Ganges began. The gods watched from their heavenly positions; the earthly gods came from their temples, and the demons watched from the underworlds. The creator of the worlds, God Brahma, in meditation to keep time alive stood; the protector of the worlds, God Vishnu, woke from his dream; the destroy of the worlds, God Shiva, stepped down from his meditation and watched.

Anger drove Indra. On his white three-headed elephant Airavata, he raced to God Brahma, who sat on the lotus flower waiting.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-14-2017 - Letter L

Judgement - The Dragon Keepers - #AtoZChallenge

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JUDGEMENT

Dragons control the weather and honored and respected because they changed dryness and scarcity into richness and prosperity by keeping the rains falling. The Golden Emperors declared themselves the Dragons of the Golden Dynasty, and allow no one to speak the word, dragon, expect the royalty. 
The Emperors were in total control. Alas, an Emperor and his court dishonored the dragons.

Emperor and his court dragons ate two mythical dragons causing great disrespect and dishonor to all Celestial Dragons, who became angry. Droughts came because of the mandate declared by earthy Emperors, that they controlled the weather and natural happening of the earth. The people starved. After long many droughts and hardships, the people revolted, which lasted for two hundred years.

In 1911, the new government of China declared all the peoples of China had the status of the Dragon; all work hard to protect the forests, lakes, rivers, and mountains so everyone prospered.

In 1948, the Dynasty changed shape. Still, the Dragon lives within peoples who honored and respected Dragons since the very beginning of time.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-12-2017 - Letter J

Enid and Geraint

A to Z Blog Challenge

View story on BobbieTale Channel

Story from the Mabinogion, the Welsh Myths 

REASONABLE, radiate, realistic, refreshing, rogue, remarkable, responsible, refine, responsive, relish, reliable, royal, resourceful, respectable, robust -->  RAGE

Today’s story is about Knight Geraint, an irresponsible lover, who takes his wife, Lady Enid, on a long perilous quest to prove he is the grand warrior (her Night in Shining Armor) still worthy of her admiration. Told in the first person with a point of view from Lady Enid, who is the daughter of Earl Ynywl, and wife to Lord Geraint from the Arthurian Court. (added later). This is an ancient tale and versions cross between Wales and France - Brittany, a classic! Maybe a bit of Germanic influence included. Stories did cross with the traders, the troubadours, which rode in the trading routes.

Check out missgient.net, The Mabinogion, The Welsh Mythology, the books of translation were by Lady Charlotte Guest. The site includes more Classic European Myths and Legends.

Another good site is Timeless Myths, Arthurian Legends, Erec and Enide,
Tales of the Knights, created by Jimmy Joe, all rights, 10/2006.

Faery Rhyonna's Flight

Rhyonna is a faery and flying is the only importance in her life. The beginnings of the story came to me as I ventured to the creek near where I lived as a child. The story re-appeared with  my daughter when she was 8 camping with friends at a lake that had, really had, hundreds of dragonflies; that was 32 years ago. Hand written on scrapes of paper, Rhyonna fluttered in the sun and enchanted my life and finally landed on the pages of a book. 
Rhyonna is the narrator of her healing story with uncomfortable challenges Not the cute image of a faery, Rhyonna is a survivor, a faery who wins her battles!  Rhyonna's Fright at Amazon and Smashword.

Elfn and Faery Homes Repaired

Today was a busy day for Grandma Bobbie, as she started painting the Troll houses for Harian's family. OH, MY, was Harian on her. He wanted his house brown. When she finally found the brown paint he was fine.  He did not want the yellow snowflakes on his house. "No way!" He stomped around causing houses to topple all over Grandma Bobbie's painting studio. Bobbie told Harian, "I have no white paint." Harion yelled,  "You just paint what you wanted." Harion is a large giant. Bobbie responded, "Harion, to remind everyone you are from Iceland, I use the snowflakes. Yellow is power." Finally he did like the yellow snowflakes. Then he argued,  "NO! Not a purple door." "I'll repaint it tomorrow." "And no glitter!" "Harian, kaJ said the glitter is a substance for the magic to create the inside like you want." Finally Maude, Harion's wife, liked the purple glitter and said, "Harian, the doors stays purple with the glitter.' And to Bobbie, "Please, put the glass windows around the top so we can watch the bridge and house. And yes, maybe a skylight."

And so it was settled, a brown house,  yellow snowflakes with windows, and a purple glittered door.