Week 13 Reading A: Robin Hood's Delight

• Will Scarlock, Little John, and Robin Hood
• Outlaws
• "Men of a noble blood"
• Simply that they were noble people, or were they formerly of the noble caste?
• Lived in Sheerwood (Sherwood)
• Came across 3 keepers clad in green in the forest
• Midsummer day
• 3 Keepers
• King Henry's deer keepers
• Armed with faucheons (falchions) and forest-bills (weapons)
• Robin Hood accuses keepers of being devils
• Likely for not letting any others hunt the deer
• Robin Hood challenges the keepers, but they refuse
• Keepers aren't afraid of the outlaws; keepers don't believe that they've done anything wrong
• Robin Hood identifies himself, and keepers decide to fight
• Outlaws are losing, Robin Hood tries to convince keepers to let him blow his bugle-horn before continuing to fight
• Keepers don't believe it will do anything to them
• They refuse the deal
• Robin Hood declares that they won't fight anymore, and invites keepers to come to Nottingham with them and 'fight' there with wine
• Outlaws and keepers go to Nottingham and drink for three days, becoming friends

Bibliography: Robin Hood's Delight from The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child. Web Source.

Image: Robin Hood Memorial from Wikimedia Commons. Web Source.

Week 12 Story: The Righteous King

When Uther Pendragon died, he left no heir to take the crown of Britain.

The knights of the land all fought for his throne, forsaking their people in order to vie for power.

But in secret, Uther had left an heir behind. Arthur Pendragon, who had been spirited away at Uther's behest before his death. He had not wished for his son to be put at risk by power-hungry nobles and knights, instead having Merlin send Arthur to be raised by a good-hearted knight by the name of Ector.

Years passed, and the fights over the throne started to move from those of words to those of violence. In order to prevent blood from being spilled, Merlin summoned all the lords and gentlemen of Britain to London. There, he presented to them a sword, one trapped inside a bar of steel that rested on top of a stone.

"Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of England."

These were both the words he spoke to them, and the words inscribed upon the stone.

Many tried to pull the sword, but all failed. Despite these failures, the knights decided that any man had a right to try to win the sword, and held a tournament. Sir Ector came to the tournament, and he brought both of his sons: Kay and Arthur.

Arthur had not been kept unaware of his birthright, and while he was not an ill-hearted boy, there was an arrogance and superiority that this knowledge had caused in him. He did not wish to have power for its own sake, but believed that it was his birthright to guide England. Upon hearing of the sword, Arthur took advantage of the tournament to make his way to the square. All others were at the tournament, and so none were there to stop him from grasping the sword. With all of his strength, Arthur pulled-

-and the sword did not budge. Stunned, Arthur tried once more. And again. And again, and again, until he was red in the face and breathless from exertion.

But the result did not change. The sword in the stone, the proof for whosoever would become king, did not move for Arthur Pendragon.

In a daze, Arthur left to go to his brother Kay.

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Later that evening, the sword was still unattended. The tournament was wrapping up nearby, and various people walked through the square, finishing up their tasks for the day and returning home.

A scream came from an alley, and frightful glances went in the direction of its source. However, no one moved to help. They did not have the strength to help, nor the courage.

Except one boy did. Artus, the son of a peasant and with nothing else to his name, knew nothing about fighting. He knew nothing about swords, or kings, or even about knights. But what he did know is that someone needed help, and the only weapon he could see was a sword sheathed in a stone.

Without hesitation, he grasped the handle of the sword and lifted it with ease.

Ignoring the gasps of those around him, Artus dashed to where the scream had come from, coming across a noble's soldier intimidating a farmer.

Without a word, Artus moved between them, aiming the sword inelegantly at the soldier. He knew he could not win, but protected the farmer regardless.

Instead of death, a stunned stare from the soldier greeted him. The soldier recognized the sword Artus held, as his lord had failed to pull it from the stone.

Artus was surprised at this, but even more so when the soldier and the farmer both knelt to him. All the other people of the town, having followed when they saw him rush off, knelt as well.

"Hail, our new king!"

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Author's Note:

In the original tale, Arthur Pendragon is the rightful king of Britain. He is unaware of his identity, and pulls the sword from the stone when looking for a replacement sword for Kay's after Kay forgets his sword. While I like the tales of King Arthur, I like the idea that the sword would choose someone based on whether or not they deserve to be king rather than a birthright. Therefore I created Artus, whose personality is that of someone who protects those in need, and changed Arthur to be aware of his birthright, becoming slightly arrogant because of it and intentionally trying to pull the sword and become king.

Bibliography: The Drawing of the Sword from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Web Source.

Image: Excalibur Sword in Stone among the Celtic Standing Stones at Glen Innes New England by denisbin on flickr. Web Source.

Week 12 Reading B: Sir Lancelot and the Five Hundred Knights

• Lancelot went through the forest and met hermits after a Knight stole his horse and helm; had an adventure and got them back
• Learned from a hermit that Galahad was his son, and that Galahad sat in the Siege Perilous at the Feast of Pentecost
• Siege Perilous was seat at Round Table reserved for the person who would retrieve the Holy Grail, and was said to kill anyone else who would sit in it
• Sir Lancelot then came to a castle where 500 knights fought
• Near the castle were knights in black, and the others were knights in white
• Since the black knights were faring worse, Lancelot joined their side
• He always takes the side of the weak
• White knights tired Lancelot out and took him away into the forest
• Lancelot was shamed by his loss, and was "persuaded that [he was] more sinful than ever [he] was."
• Rode until he reached a chapel, where a nun inquired as to his name and quest
• Lancelot answered
• The nun tells Lancelot that the tournament was symbolic
• Black knights were unpurged sins while white knights were those of holiness
• Lancelot went to aid the sinners when they were overcome, which caused his loss
• Nun warns Lancelot of his "vain-glory" and pride
• Tells him that "among earthly sinful Knights [he is] without peer."

Bibliography: An Adventure of Sir Lancelot from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Web Source.

Image:  Combat de chevaliers dans la campagne by Eugène Delacroix on Wikimedia Commons. Web Source.

Week 12 Reading Notes A: The Drawing of the Sword

• Uther Pendragon died without anyone to take over
• All Knights hoped to seize the crown for themselves
• All/most of the knights wanted power rather than to protect the people
• Knights focused more on trying to become King than to help the people
• Merlin rode to the Archbishop of Canterbury and summoned all the lords and gentlemen of Britain to London on Christmas
• Large stone with a bar of steel on top with a sword inside, inscribed with the words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of England"
• Many tried to pull the sword but failed
• Knights decided that all had a right to try and win the sword, and held a tournament
• Sir Ector, a Knight, brought his son Kay and foster-son Arthur
• Kay forgot his sword and sent Arthur back for it
• House was locked up and Arthur couldn't get in, so he went and took the sword in the stone
• Somehow Arthur was unaware that the sword was the sword of selection?
• Arthur brings sword to Kay, who brings it to his father Ector
• After Ector is told of what happened and Arthur returns the sword and draws it again, he and Kay kneel for Arthur
• They tell the Archbishop, and prove the feat to him and everyone who comes to watch (on Candlemas, when more Knights and others are present)
• Arthur is crowned king

• For story: Make the person who pulls out the sword not Arthur
• Instead of right of birth, Merlin makes the sword go to the person who is most fit to lead the country
• Arthur is aware of what the sword is
• Ector knew of Arthur's heritage and told him, so Arthur believed that he was the rightful king
• Instead of taking the sword for Kay, he takes advantage of everyone being gone and tries to pull the sword
• Fails
• Arthur doesn't want power for power's sake, but still believes it is his birthright and is confused at the failure
• Another named Artus is the true ruler
• Artus is in the square later that evening
• Hears someone getting assaulted nearby, draws sword and goes to protect them
• Many see him pull the sword and follow, watching him protect a peasant from being assaulted by a noble's soldier

Bibliography:

Image: Excalibur Sword in Stone among the Celtic Standing Stones at Glen Innes New England by denisbin on flickr. Web Source.

Week 11 Story: A Den of Snakes

Once, there lived a boy. He lived a peaceful life with his grandmother and family in the village. He would often go into the woods, hunting birds and bringing them back to feed himself and his grandmother.

The rest of his family was jealous, for he did not share the birds with them. The rest of the village was jealous, for he would not teach others how to hunt the birds as well as him.

The boy's family and his village treated him cruelly. They never caused his body harm, but instead wore him down with cutting words. Despite his love and loyalty for his grandmother, the boy's mind slowly sunk further and further into anguish.

When she learned of what was happening, the grandmother was furious. She threatened all the villagers and her family, telling them that if they continued to act as deceitful snakes, then it would be their fate to turn into snakes.

They laughed at her, and refused to stop.

At last, the boy broke. He left, wandering into the forest and straight into the river. The villagers were smug, and the boy's family celebrated. 'This selfish boy is now gone from our lives,' they cheered.

But then.

From the river that the boy had walked into, a giant snake emerged. It slithered its way to the center of the village, leaving a trail in its wake. Horrified yet curious, the boy's family and the rest of the villagers gathered to watch from what they believed to be a safe distance.

However, the boy's grandmother walked past them all, moving right up to the snake, and greeted him warmly. It took the villagers many moments to realize, but the snake was the boy transformed.

The enormous snake - the boy they had driven out - turned his eyes onto the villagers and his family. He let out a hiss, and all who heard it would swear that they heard a single word in it: 'suffer.'

And they did. A sudden pain came onto each and every member of the village but one, and they writhed as their bodies transformed. From the feet up, they slowly changed into snakes, the agony only increasing the longer this transformation went on.

By the end, every person in the village, the boy's family included, had become a snake, and they mindlessly slithered about on the ground.

The boy's grandmother had not been saved from this fate. However, her change had been free of pain, and so her mind was untouched. Turning her new head to face the boy-turned-snake, the grandmother wrapped her new body around his in a hug. Together, they left the snake-filled village and went to the river.

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Author's Note:

In "The Snake Boy", a boy is treated horribly by his family until he leaves. When he returns, he transforms into a snake and goes into the river. His grandmother grieves until the family's horrible treatment of her drivers her to walk into the river as well.

In "The Snake Man", two hunters go into the woods and one breaks a taboo about eating squirrels, where the price is transforming into a snake, which then happens to him.

I tried to combine these two stories into one, with the boy turning into a snake after he first leaves the village. When he returns, the grandmother's words - that the villagers acting like deceitful snakes would result in them becoming snakes - come true. The boy-turned-snake's gaze transforms everyone into snakes, but the grandmother is the only one who retains her human mind through the transformation.

Bibliography: "The Snake Boy" and "The Snake Man" from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. Web Source.

Image:  Dangerous Cobra by Peka on Pixabay. Web Source.

Reading Notes B Week 11: The Snake Boy & The Snake Man

• Snake Boy
• Boy who went bird hunting every day and brought birds back to grandmother
• Family was jealous
• of Grandma for getting birds brought to her? of Boy for grandmother's affections?
• Family treated boy so bad that he told grandma he would leave
• Left without eating breakfast and returned in the evening with a pair of deer horns
• Told grandma he had to be alone in the hothouse, so she left to go into the house with the others
• Grandma came back at daybreak and saw a massive snake with horns on its head with two human legs in place of a tail
• Boy told her to leave, and crawled out (long period of time) of the hothouse.
• Crawled through settlement leaving a trail until it reached the river and went in
• Grandmother grieved despite boy having told her not to grieve for him
• Family got upset, told her that if she thought so much of him she should go join him
• Grandmother follows trail and walks into river
• Once afterward, man sees her sitting on a rock in the river, but she jumps in the water as soon as she sees him
• Snake Man
• Two hunters under a taboo not to eat squirrel or turkey
• Go into woods, light a fire to prepare supper once evening comes
• One killed several squirrels during day and prepared to eat them
• Other warned him not to break taboo or he'd turn into a snake
• Hunter ignored warning and ate squirrels
• Later in the night, hunter was rolling around in agony with his lower body having turned into the body and tail of a water snake
• Other hunter could not help, and could only watch as first hunter slowly turned into a snake
• Snake hunter finished turning into snake and crawled into river

Bibliography: "The Snake Boy" and "The Snake Man" from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. Web Source.

Image: Mississippi Green Water Snake by John Sullivan on Wikimedia Commons. Web Source.

Reading Notes A Week 11: The First Fire

• World was cold in the beginning
• The Thunders sent lighting and created a fire in the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree on an island
• Animals saw smoke and knew the fire was there, could not reach because of water
• Animals wanted to go after fire
• Raven flew to the sycamore tree, but the heat scorched his feathers black and he retreated
• Screech-owl went but nearly got eyes burned out, eyes got turned red
• Hooting Owl and Horned Owl got white rings about their eyes from the ashes
• Uksu'hï snake (black racer) went through the water and a small hole at bottom of tree, but got scorched black by the hot ashes and from then on had the habit of doubling back on his tracks "as if trying to escape from close quarters"
• Gûle'gï ("The Climber") swam over and climbed the outside of the tree, but fell in when smoke choked him and also turned black
• Animals held another council but all were afraid of the burning tree
• Känäne'skï Amai'yëhï (Water Spider) volunteered
• She wove a tusti bowl and carried it to the island, and put a coal of fire into the bowl
• Water Spider brought back the coal and brought the world fire

Bibliography: The First Fire from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. Web Source.

Image:  Ring of Fire from pixabay by geralt. Web Source.