Reading Notes: Anthology

Reading through some mythology samples made me quite excited to do some storytelling of my own, but for know, I've selected some of the stories that stood out most to me as potential candidates for my own: 

A hare. 
Courtesy of Hagerty Ryan. 
Source: Pixnio.

Origin: The Hare That Was not Afraid to Die

I loved the storytelling in this second story; all the characters and the language are beautiful — its words are rich, lush and descriptive. I would definitely consider this tale for my own storytelling — I enjoy its ending, but would retell in my own language. 


The Supernatural: The Indian who Wrestled with a Ghost

I really enjoyed this story — it's detailed and rich, and it's full of cultural references. I'm hoping in storytelling I can recapture elements like those in this story; right now, I don't completely understand what all of them are supposed to mean. 

The end of this one was confusing to me — not because it was complex, but because it seemed a bit off. The man defeated the ghost, then stole some horses – I feel like I could create a more satisfying ending. Maybe the ghost could promise the man great rewards in exchange for beating him, or threaten him with something even more terrifying than death as a penalty. I also thought the story could use more structure — the first ghost did not seem to play a role other than being slightly scary.

Fairytales: The Three Roses

I liked the basilisk story (Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney movie as a child), but it was fairly sparse on any details, and passed too quickly. If this were a parent telling a story to their child, I feel like there would be more details, and Mary might even fall in love with the basilisk instead of just marrying him out of obligation. The story could be richer, and the characters have more motive.