Myth-Folklore 2020

 These notes are based off Blue Beard which is from The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (1889).  This is a story that I've seen referenced, but I've never read it myself! It was scary. I thought the bride was going to die. She honestly got lucky I don't like that it was her brothers that saved her If I rewrote it, I would make her fight Blue Beard, or outsmart him somehow Maybe she could hide in the bloody closet and pounce on him Also, she could've just run away after she found out! Anyway, so Blue seems like a pretty sweet guy.  He has an ugly blue beard, so no one wants to marry him. They are also weirded out because a bunch of his old wives have gone missing (clue), which is fair However, with all his money, he is able to woo a new bride He went away on a trip, and gave her all the keys to his mansion She can open all the doors BUT not the secret closet (familiar rule...) She obviously goes into the closet and sees dead women. There are bodies all over the floor  ...

 These notes are from The Robber Bridegroom which is part of Household stories by the Brothers Grimm translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886). So, I've always heard that the Grimm fairy tales are much more gruesome than people realize. They're often read to children (and remade) for young audiences, but are quiet dark.  This is one of the dark ones! That's why I wanted to read these, to find the scary stories. I'm taking notes over part 2, but part 1 is the set up. The miller's daughter is visiting her groom's house. She's never been there, and he told her to visit so that she could get to know him better (lured her!) Never go to someone's house if you don't know them. That's the moral of this one  She has a weird feeling about this whole thing, so she sprinkles pea's on the ground during her journey. I love that this girl is smart! Always trust your instinct When she arrives, there's a creepy bird that's singin...

 These notes are based off Rumpelstiltskin which is from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L Ashliman. This was my favorite story when I was a kid. I read a bunch of different versions from the library and watched versions of it on TV.  It just so fun. The depictions of the little Rumpelstiltskin man are so great.  After reading this translation, I understand the changes that people have made in their retellings.  The most common change is the addition of the prince! In this story, the king is the one who marries the maiden.  In the retellings, there's a prince that tries to help the princess. He gives her advice, and he's the one that figures out the name of Rumpelstiltskin.  It makes the story cute and a bit less creepy. It adds the love element.  I would follow these changes if I wrote my own version of this story. The moral of the story is probably, "don't lie". This whole mess happens because the miller lies abou...

 These notes are based off The Shee An Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire by Joseph Jacobs (1892). Okay, usually I take pretty detailed plot notes for my story notes. However, I've done so many of these in a row, so I'm getting tired of this format. PLUS this story is much longer than usual, and has many parts. I'm going to do something new for this reading, I'll just give brief examples of the story, but focus on characters and how I could change the story into something new So the main characters: The Fairy of Gannon wants to marry King Gannon's daughter he is sent on a quest by the king If he can get the goblin to start laughing again, he will be allowed to marry the princess why is it so important for the goblin to laugh? Maybe the king was former friends with the goblin or the goblin's laugh has certain powers This character is a typical hero! Brave and kind. He does a favor for the goblin, slays the giant, gets the evil king to bring back the goblin's son,...