Week 5 Story: The Fairy's Favors

Once long ago there was a married couple who wanted to start a family of their own, but they were unsuccessful for many years.

Eventually, they journeyed to a land far away to find a fairy to grant them high fertility. They brought with them all the wealth they possessed, which was not much but they were very desperate to have a child. The fairy's castle they stumbled upon was surrounded by a beautiful forest. As they approached the castle the giant doors opened and the fairy flew out quickly.

"Who dare approach my castle in the midst of lunchtime?" demanded the fairy.

"We are sorry to bother you, but my wife and I would like to make a deal with you. We want to be given the gift of at least five children and in exchange we will give you all the gold and gems we have to offer" suggested the husband as he reached in his bag to present the gifts.

The fairy laughed at the sight of two gold goblets and three necklaces. "I have items of more value in one drawer than you have to give. I am feeling generous, so for a different price I will grant you your wish. I get to choose the names of your children and every time you want to conceive a new child, you must give the fairy community a favor." said the fairy with a smile.

The couple agreed without hesitation and continued inside to sign a magically binding contract. The first favor from the fairy was to fill three baskets full of fruit from the surrounding forest. The couple completed this task with ease and discovered nine months later the fairy held up her end of the bargain as well.

The fairy decided on the name Roman for the first child and he was born a beautiful baby. He never gave his parents trouble and they were a very happy family. However, they still earned for more children so they set off to ask the next favor from the fairy. She wanted them to find her sister and bring her to the castle. They had not spoken in a while, but she knew the town the sister was living in so the task was not impossible. The journey took the couple four days to get to the sister fairy and return back an extra day to convince the sister to come. Nine more months pass and the second born arrives.

The couple was very happy with their son, Ryan, but they really wanted a daughter. After waiting a few more years they ventured out to receive the fairy's next favor.

The fairy was in a foul mood when they arrived because her sister had just left after an awful fight. She wanted the couple to convince the fairy counsel to kick her sister off of the committee. They couple went to the next meeting and attempted a case for the sister to be voted off, but they did not know any bad cases against the fairy and she was well liked in the community. A few fairies voted for her to leave, but the majority vote was against the couple.

They returned to the fairy with bad news and she said for their attempt she will hold up half of her deal. Nine months proceeds and a girl is born, but with only half of her body. The fairy chose the name Reeve and wished the parents the best because she would not be assisting them with any more children because they failed her previous task.

The other children were scared of Reeve so the family was forced to move away. They secluded themselves from anyone else, but they lived a very happy life together. 

Author's Notes: The story begins with a King who does not have any children and asks a derwish for help. He is given four apples to feed his wives so they will become pregnant with children for him. One wife only eats half of the apple and births a son with a half-body. The King is furious and sends the wife and son away. I used the same introduction of wanting a child, but I used a couple instead of just a man or woman. I also included a child with a half-body being born, but my plot was very different and I included a fairy character instead of a derwish.
Bibliography: Nim Tanak from the Persian Tales by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer, Web Source

Image Information:  Castle in the Woods, Web Source: Pxhere

Reading Notes: Persian Tales Part B

The main female character from the first tale seems a bit sneaky. Maybe she has other intentions or a secret she is hiding. The ultimatums were intense. The Hemp-Smoker's Dream did not have much focus on the character's personalities. The father seemed protective in the story of the Wolf-Bride, but I was surprised to find out who the wolf was, which is sad on my part considering the name. Bowl-on-the-Back was a sneaky, clever character and the fox was sort of naive. The Merchant and the Saffron had a great ending and the characters helped each other reach their goals. The Shah Abbas character had good intentions, but he caused a horrible event to happen to the mom. However, he did make up for this and showed grief for what he did. I think I want to include a character like him in my story. The final story about the Baker and fish was my favorite. The fish helped the Baker, who fed them many times, and the bad guy got what he deserved. I saw these fish as very friendly, caring characters while reading this story.

Image Information: This is How I Imagine the Fish from the Final Story to Look, Web Source: Pixabay
Bibliography: Persian Tales by David and Emily Lorimer. Web Source

Reading Notes: Persian Tales Part A

When I began reading the Wolf and Goat, it was sort of difficult to imagine the characters talking. I thought back to the three little pigs, although there were four goats, and this made the setting more manageable. Once the mother goat takes one of the children to save the others, I was reminded of Hansel and Gretel so that is what house I imagined. I wasn't sure what the author meant when they said the sparrow never got home. I really like the beginning phrase "once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but god in the world". I think the author is trying to get across it was a very long time a go, but saying it this way makes the point. Reading Tales City of Nothing in the World was very interesting because you had no idea what was going to happen next. I felt it was really easy to imagine the setting as the story progressed. The mouse who requested a particular bed from a potential husband was my favorite tale. My jaw dropped when she asked what the husband will beat her with when they fight. The characters repeating lines at the end reminded me of  'there once was a woman who swallowed a fly'. The actions coming from these characters were a little more brutal though. The Boy who Became Bulbul had a very easy setting/plot to follow. I really enjoyed the song the bulbul would sing. The half-boy character was unique! This story contained my favorite ending. The setting for Muhammad Tirandaz Archer was a little harder to imagine for me. I thought the story was a bit repetitive of the bow and arrow. I have noticed a reoccurring theme in the stories, a task is given and if not completed a brutal punishment, like decapitation, is bestowed. This reminds me of the old law when a thief would lose their hand. I want to know what the Blacksmith said to the mouse in the final story of this unit.

 Image Information: A Wolf and Seven Sheep. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: Persian Tales by David and Emily Lorimer, Web Source