Reading Notes: American Indian Fairy Tales, Reading B

Notes. In the Boy Who Snared the Sun, it was interesting that ordinary things could be sacred. For example, a small fire was watched over by two old witches. Aside from this, catching the sun is quite strange in reality, but anything can happen in myths.

There are interesting questions that two stories in this unit asked whether in question form or sentence form. In How the Summer Came, a sentence says, “Suppose there was no summer anywhere.” In Fairy Bride, the question is “Where was this Happy Land—this place without pain or care?” These sentences are so interesting that I can think of a story that goes with them.

In How the Summer Came, I can write about a story with only winter conditions. It will be something like the movie The Day After Tomorrow. People are stuck with winter after mistreating the Earth. So, I can go into detail about a family’s daily activity.

Aside from this, another story I could write is about O-jeeg’s deeds. O-jeeg knew about the landscape he frequented, and he was able to transform into a fisher or marten. He knew how to hunt, he was friends with animals, and when he transformed, he was somewhat invincible but he had a weak spot.

(Cracked window. Web Source.)

Another story I could write is inspired from how the sky cracked showing a summer-like land. I can make a story about a dream in a dream. A little girl is stuck in a pretend world that feels real until a family member of hers cracks the pretend world and brings her back to reality. I can even expand this story with some parts of Fairy Bride. The girl who finds a happy land, but it’s not what she thinks it is. A girl who always has a longing of something that she can’t explain. She’s just drawn to this place. She felt out of place in the world she was in. And then her real brother cracks the world she is in and she returns home.

Bibliography. American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned; link to reading online.