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.

#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.

#6 - Spider Weaver FOURISH

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Fatal vs flend --> flee.
F is for today's feeling, FOURISH!

Spider Weaver

Do I like this story? maybe
I read this story, after several years of telling in the Japanese Gallery at the Asia Art Gallery in San Francisco, and the realization flashed. Spider maiden does not have a name. One saved even by the smallest efforts, is bound with a task. The spider's pay-back for life, weaving and while she serving again under another attack.

A small spider as helpless, a 'damsel in distress', saved by a farmer who a spider honors him (a male) with weaving, the powerful skills of a small spider, female, and nameless. The weaver’s story told to remind listeners of 'his' protection, and all the gifts 'he' received from 'she'. He, as the lead, is usual for the time and country. When telling in the Japanese Gallery, the boys liked the story; the girls turned their heads. Now, finally, I know why, the girl saved again by a 'male' in ‘shining armor’ and 'she' must serve him, nameless.

Gifts given from the maiden spider for her protection is what women do and did. Yesterday and today, the saved woman gives her whole life; she cleans her home, buys the foods, cooks the meal, washes the dishes and clothes, cares for plants, and takes care of the children, drives, and maybe socializes with friends or in a group, and helps her aging parents.

My choices, if lucky, were to marry and have children, become a nun, be a secretary, bookkeeper, court clerk, store clerk, a librarian, nurse, or teacher. I wanted to be an artist, so I became a teacher. My mother liked that, she only went to 8th grade and sent away to become a clerk in another family’s store far away from home. 

Thank goodness today, after many feminists protest, males heard the anguish cries and passed laws, and they have learned family tasks and become an equal partner. Women can now achieve in other fields besides being the caregiver, or a piece of property. Today women are doctors, nurses, news forecasters, scientists, politicians, lawyers, judges, CEOs, and run their own businesses and own companies.
 

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

The First Prince and Tiger Die - #AtoZChallenge

UNDERSTANDING

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#3 Korean Stories
The Taming of TIGER

By now the First Earthy son, Dan-Gum of the Heavenly Prince is the first Emperor. He dies as ‘the old man of the mountain’ and gives his mother's, Bear Maiden, gifts to his children. The daughter received clay and pottery; her husband is in the army. The oldest son gifted a rope, gourd, and bamboo stick, the totem carver. The second gifted the mill stones, the miller. The youngest son gifted the drums, the musician. They traveled on different paths to meet in ten years to honor their father at the feast 'the old man of the mountain'.

Tiger died on his way to see the Heavenly Prince, Hwan-Ung. Revived by three unwise Brahmins, Tiger eats them. In a cage he is carried back to the Mong Mountains and left.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-25-2017 - Letter U

Heavenly Prince is King, #AtoZChallenge

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THRIVE

#2 Korean Stories -
The Taming of TIGER

The Heavenly Prince, Hwan-Ung, tells his Father he will rule this new land. When he arrives, he asks Bear and Tiger to be the first people. Tiger who rather be free leaves the cave and hides in the trees to watch for Bear. Tiger sees Bear Maiden, who becomes the first woman. She dances with the Heavenly Prince, who gives her a child, the first Earthly Man, Dan-Gum. The Korean Emperors claimed they ascended from the Heavenly Prince.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-24-2017 - Letter T

Sita Abandoned, #AtoZChallenge

KINDRED

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The great Hindi Ramayana is an Epic Legend of great dharma. A story of the God Vishnu, Protector of the worlds, and Goddess Lakshmi, who came to save the world from Ravana, the ten-headed and twenty-armed daemon. Rama (Vishnu) is a son of duty and loyalty to his father's words, regardless of the consequences, dharma. Lakshmi the loyal wife of Vishnu raped by Ravana in another life cursed Ravana, and now Lakshmi returns as Sita for her revenge. Evil Ravana, the ten-headed twenty-armed daemon, as Emperor of Lanka should protect the three worlds only conquers the three worlds and takes women as his possessions.

Ramayana was orally told for centuries; the classic version written 2500 years ago by poet Valmiki. I have shortened, modified, and re-image this epic to tell from the point of view of Sita in an over-over-simplified version. Actually, the Ramayana has 25,000 verses and takes nine hours to recite.

 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: #AtoZChallenge - 4-13-2017 - Letter K

The Bear and Heavenly Son, Creation Myth - Korean

A to Z Blog Challenge

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Bear and Heavenly Son – Creation Myth from Korean


WORTH, want, wonderful, watchful, warm, whole, wealthy, willful, willing, wise, wonder, wanderer —> WORRIED

Welcome lovers of story!  Today’s story is about Bear, Tiger and the Heaven’s Son, a creation myth from Korean. Creation myths can be changed to suit the leaders of a country, as done by every, every conqueror since the early battles for territory. The victories broadcasted in paintings on rock, in temples, palaces, in verbal stories, then written, and now photographs, viewed in movies, on TV news, and now on our computers. Story changes to suit the place, time, and teller, as all good stories and history does. Can we believe what we hear or what we see? Some say we do believe what is written. I wonder, Why?

STORY BUILDING, JULNAR OF THE SEA

A to Z Blogging Challenge

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Julnar of the Sea,
Tales from the Arabian 1001 Nights

SPECIAL, stable, sensible, satisfied, sleek, splendid, soft, scholar, safe, strong, sturdy, shrewd, significant, supportive, steady, sensitive, strength, super, superb, social, smooth, swift, successful, sweet, sympathetic -->  SPOIL

Welcome lovers of STORY! Today story is about how to set-up a tradition tale for telling, the how-to made simple. Julnar of the Sea will be the example story, ancient and well crafted maybe too long and involved, a story within a story. The teller, Sacheherazade, had her motives for telling about Julnar. Of course, it is a story to create success for herself, a concubine, scholar and good storyteller. 

Li Chi, Worm Slayer

A to Z Blogging Challenge

Soon view on BobbieTales Channel

 Li Chi, Worm Slayer

HEROINE, honorable, helpful, humble, happy, harmony, honest, healthy, humorous, having, has, holds, hope --> a negative is HARM!

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The Silk Road was opened  during and after the Black Dragon 100 BC. Trading brought outside beliefs, warriors, and conquerors into China because the Emperors who ruled China, at that time were many and bidding war against each other. With the start of the Chin Dynasty about 220 AD, heroes helped displace these worms and serpents who threatened the protective wise dragons. Li Chi is such a heroine who helped start the Golden Dynasty of the Golden Dragons, who gain control of China’s prosperity and harmony lasted for generations.

Li Chi is the youngest daughter of a farmer who had no sons. She watched as the Sorceress and the Magistrate collected rice from her father and mother to save her older sister from the worm that live on the mountain. She will the serpent.

Durga, the goddess who saved the gods -atozchallenge

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A to Z Blogging Contest

Durga is a goddess called to help the Gods. She is their devotee with a duty to drive a demon for the Hindi lands of India. She has all the emotional characteristic for a warrior: daring, driven, disciplined, determination, and dynamic. I met Durga when I was a child running across a field playing "Ya, ya, Ya, you can't get me," actually 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 monster would suffocate me. When I stopped yelling and screaming, I saw this wonderful magical woman, a warrior. 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 writing the story, only knowing I always had courage and was safe.

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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 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, gives courage to take a stand and fight, if needed slicing off the head of the evil demon. I understood Durga. I had her voice. Come read her story on wattpad.com

DURGA HELPS THE GODS.