Tech Tip: Pinterest Board

Pinterest is one of my favorite things to use! I have used it for recipes, for ideas to decorate my room and apartment, for style tips, tattoo inspiration, basically everything. I guess you could say that I'm a Pinterest addict! Here is the link to my Pinterest board for Mythology and Folklore:

Story: The Fairy Frog

Once upon a time there lived an old couple, who had a son named Haina. One day Haina, who was grown, married and on his own, received word that his parents were ill and that he should come quickly. When he arrived, Haina's father gave him instructions about what should be done after their deaths. He told Haina to mourn them for seven days, and on the eve of the seventh, to go to the marketplace and buy the first thing offered to him, regardless of the cost, as it would bring him and his family good fortune.

Within the next couple weeks, both Haina's mother and father died. They had a funeral and Haina mourned for seven days. That evening he made his way towards the marketpalce. He had scarcely walked through the entrance when a man approached him, offering to him, a silver casket. Haina asked what was in the box, however the man was unable to say. So remembering his fathers advice, Haina purchased it for one thousand gold pieces; all the gold him and his wife had left.

(The Fairy Frog)

When he got home, Haina opened the casket and out sprang a frog. His wife was very disapointed but, she gave the frog some food, and a cabinet for its home. For the next eight days the frog continued to do nothing but eat. It grew to an enormous size and eventually Haina was forced to build it a shed outside. The frog ate so much that Haina and his wife had little to eat themselves. They were forced to sell some of their things to keep the frog supplied with food and were left in a state of poverty. Eventually Haina's wife broke down in tears. Suprisingly the frog then spoke and said, "as you have been kind to me, tell me what you want and I will grant your wish." Haina declared his wish first and told the frog all he wanted was enough food so that his family would never be hungry again. "Ask and you shall recieve" croaked the frog. There was a knock on the door at that very moment, and when answered, there, on the step, was a huge basket of food. Then Haina's wife spoke and announced that her wish was to be able to have a child, as she had been trying for over a year. "Ask and you shall recieve" croaked the frog.

(Haina's daughter)

Throughout the next year the frog continued to live with Haina and his family. Haina's wife had given birth to a baby girl, and the frog continued to eat until he was bigger than a person. One day, the frog again spoke and said, "It is time for me to leave you but, to repay you for all the kindness that you have shown me, I wish to give you one more gift." Haina's family, baby and all, followed the frog into the woods and, when they got there, the frog began gathering his gifts for them. At their feet, he deposited rare herbs that cure sickness, so that the family would never suffer from a fatal disease or sickness. He also dropped a handful of precious gems and stones so that the family would never again have to live in poverty. He gave one final gift to Haina, and that was a promise. A promise to return in 30 years when his daughter was fully grown, and if she showed the same kindness, a promise to grant any wish she desired, so her parents would never have to worry about her health or happiness again.

Haina and his wife thanked the frog relentlessey, however they still didn't know who exactly they were thanking. So when the frog began to hop away, Haina asked. The frog answered, "I am the fairy son of Adam, and am gifted with the power of assumming any form. Farewell." He then shrunk back down to his normal size and disappeared into the woods, not to be seen or heard from again. Well at least for the next 30 years...

Authors Note: The first part of my story has the same basic plot as the original story, I just changed the wording to make it more for this generation. However, I began changing the plot of the story when the frog first started granting wishes. In the original story the frog grants Haina's wife the gift of food, and Haina asks for the power of knowledge. So the frog wrote the seventy languages, and Law on strips of paper and made Haina swallow it. Once it was swallowed Haina became aquainted with all the knowledge in the world. Then the frog took them into the woods where he called upon the birds and insects to bring all the precious stones and herbs to Haina. The family from then on, became known for their knowledge, wealth, wisdom, and charity. But the frog never made any promise to come back, I added that part.

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends, "The Fairy Frog" by Gertrude Landa link to the reading

Reading Notes, Jewish Fairy Tales, Part B

(The Fairy Frog)

The second part of this reading, to me, did not contain nearly as many interesting stories as the first one did. However, while reading I did still find two that I liked. The first is called The Higgeledy-Piggledy Palace. In this story, there is a man and his extremely beautiful wife, Sarah. She was so beautiful that they feared the King attempting to take her. So the husband tried to hide her, after which, the palace guards find her and take her to the King. Once there, the King attempted to try and make Sarah his queen but began being haunted. He was unable to lay down on the bed as every time he tried, it got overturned. He was unable to touch Sarah, as every time he tried, he was injured. Eventually he figured out it was due to Sarah and he husband so he let them go. The second story is called the Fairy Frog. In this story a son was told by his dying parents to go into the village, and buy the first thing offered to him. The first thing offered was a little silver box, containing something unknown. True to his word, the son bought the box, and when opened at home a frog jumped out. This frog ate the family right into poverty, and eventually was so big that they could no longer take it. The frog offered to grant them what they wanted and he did. Eventually he spoke and said that since he had been treated so well, they were going to get a gift. After going into the woods, the frog gave them a huge pile of herbs and stones. Then told them he was a fairy and hopped away. My favorite of the two was definitely The Fairy Frog.

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa link to the reading

Reading Notes, Jewish Fairy Tales, Part A

(The Giant and the Unicorn)

This week I chose to read Jewish Fairy Tales. My favorite stories that I read in Part A were the Giant of the Flood, and the Quarrel of the Cat and the Dog. The Giant of the Flood was loosely based on the biblical story of Noah's Ark however, in this version there is a giant. Noah wants a unicorn on the Ark, and the giant can find one as long as he too will be saved from the flood. So the giant found a big unicorn, which Noah tied to the side of the ark. The giant rode the unicorn throughout the flood, and Noah refused to feed him so that he would shrink down the size of a normal human being. My favorite part about this story was the ending, when the giant makes sacrifices to the grapevine. And humans who drank the wine made from grapes took on the characteristics of those animals he sacrificed. I really like the Quarrel of the Cat and the Dog because it took something that we know to be true today (that dogs and cats don't get along) and gave an explanation for that reason. I think to rewrite this story, it would be fun to kind of make up my own back story explaining why they don't get along. Another story that was told in this part was the Water-Babe. While reading this I immediately thought of the Disney movie The Prince of Egypt, and while I would do my own take on this, I think its overly told.

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa link to the reading