Week 3 - Famous Last Words

Alrighty..... Week 1 of actually school is officially over and the second week is about to begin.  There is so much reading for me this semester and it's already started.  Thank God I love to read, huh?  

I have finally gotten a handle on this Myth-Folklore class online.  I think I've gone 3 or 4 whole days without e-mailing professor Gibbs with any more questions... yay me!! I practically live on the MLLL3043 page with the weekly assignments and make myself a "to-do" list of the assignments and check them off as I go.  I am about halfway through the week 3 assignments for this class, which makes me happy because there are a lot of assignments and you never really know how long they are going to take for you to complete until you're done; and by then it's too late if you're approaching the deadline.  I am finding that I get a bit confused with which week I'm working on, since I'm working ahead.  That's another service my little "to-do" list provides; it keeps me straight on which week I'm working through.  

I've found reading all of these stories and myths, etc., is really interesting.  I read Aesop (winter) this week and enjoyed every single story, some more than others, obviously.  Last week I read Ovid I, which was really interesting as well, although I found with that unit there were a few stories I did not care for, whereas with the Aesop there weren't any that I didn't like.  

It's also been fun reading others' stories as well.  I haven’t had the opportunity, obviously, to read everyone’s stories, but the ones that I have read I’ve been very impressed with.  I wonder if they all have to really struggle to come up with an idea for storytelling the way that I do.  I’ve posted before on my blog that I am not the most creative person in the world, so the storytelling and the creative work on our blogs requires some time on my part.  I’m hoping, though, that as the weeks progress and as I read more fellow students’ storytelling posts, better ideas and more creative juices will begin to flow. 

Throes of Creation by Leonid Pasternak

Bibliography:

Writer - Throes of Creation.  Web Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer

Essay - Week 3 - My Memories of Reading

My earliest memories of books comes from my mother.  My mother is a voracious reader.  She also seems to retain everything she ever reads.  I remember that there were always bookshelves filled to the limit with books when I was growing up.  No matter where we moved, my mother made sure there was always room for her books.  So it should not come as a surprise to the reader that my mother began my book collection when I was very young and kept building it over the years.  I can remember lying in bed and my mom reading me Dr. Seuss books like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.  I've had little books from Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman to the Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope.  I believe I also owned every single Nancy Drew book ever written.  What's funny is, that I was an avid reader when I was a child.  I read all the time.  Then, as I got older and got into junior high and high school, I kind of walked away from my books.  Then, as I began to get into adulthood, I picked my books up again.

Something else I find interesting as I look back on my memories of books and reading, is the fact that my choice in books changed as I grew older.  For instance, when I was probably 22-ish, my favorite books were horror stories.  I have literally read every single book that author Dean Koontz has written and one of my favorite books that I read over and over again was Stephen King's The Shining.  However, when I was 29 or 30, I picked up The Shining to read again, as it was one of my favorites, only to find that I found it lackluster and devoid of enough detail to make it truly enthralling.  My mother still loves Stephen King and owns literally every single book he has ever written.  My tastes have changed, obviously.  Some of my favorite novels now are Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.  Those books seemed to provide more of a challenge and there are more classics that I still wish to read.  This seemed to coincide with my going back to college.  So, I wonder, is the fact that I've gone back to school to get a Bachelor's degree and plan on going on to Graduate School to pursue my Masters influencing my taste in books?  As I become more educated, am I craving a more challenging book to activate my imagination?  Maybe......

Nancy Drew novel covers

Bibliography:
Nancy Drew Covers.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/kcdhfys

Week 3 - Aesop (winter)

Reading Diary B:
The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse:

This story was a lesson all children should learn, adults too.  Just because something appears sweet and innocent, does not necessarily make it so.  Additionally, just because something looks frightening, does not necessarily make it evil.  I don't know about the readers, but I have seen people who I think are absolutely beautiful and the more I get to know them and their personality the less  beautiful they are.  Conversely, I have met plenty of people who I would describe as unattractive, but, again, the more I got to know them, the cuter their outward appearances became.  In this story, the mouse sees a Cock who appears frightening and sees a cat who appears very honest and trustworthy. The frightening appearance of the rooster along with his loud crow scares the mouse into fleeing.  Upon returning home and telling his mother of the creatures, she tells him that the Cock was nothing but a bird, but that the cat was dangerous to their kind.  Moral of story....don't judge by outward appearances.

http://tinyurl.com/CatCockMouse

The Astrologer:

This is a great story for paying attention to where you are, not looking so far ahead that you miss things NOW.  The Astrologer tells of a man who thought he was quite good at reading the future in the stars.  But standing there, looking at the stars, he failed to miss the deep mud in front of him.  He fell in up to his ears and had to scream for the others to come and help him.  When they arrive they tell him, "You're so busy trying to see the future, you failed to see what was right in front of you.  Instead of reading the stars, how about paying attention to where you are on earth."  Basically, the moral of the story is to worry only about the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.

http://tinyurl.com/TheAstrologer

The Ant and the Dove:

This story had a fantastic moral, no kindness is ever wasted.  It's just like the Lion and the Mouse.  An ant is swimming desperately in the water, trying to reach the shore, but to no avail.  A dove sees this and drops a blade of grass near the ant, which he grabs onto and safely floats to shore.  Shortly thereafter, the ant sees a hunter getting ready to kill the dove, so the ant stings the hunter on the heel, blowing his aim.  Being kind to others is just something we SHOULD all be doing.  Just as we hope good deeds result in further good deeds, so do wrong doings begat more wrong doings.

http://tinyurl.com/AntDove

Bibliography:
The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse.  Web Source:  http://tinyurl.com/CatCockMouse
Unit: Aesop (winter).  Web Source:  http://tinyurl.com/UnitAesopWinter
The Astrologer.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/TheAstrologer
The Ant and the Dove.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/AntDove

Reading Diary A:
The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox:

I enjoyed this story.  I thought it was pretty funny how the Cock tricked the ever so sly fox.  When the fox went to the "entrance" to the tree to be escorted up, was met with the Cock's best friend, the Dog.  I enjoyed it.  I thought it was cute.  The moral of the story was that if you're willing to resort to trickery and manipulation on others, do not be surprised when the same occurs to you.

http://tinyurl.com/CockDogFox

The Farmer and the Stork:

This story reminded me of things my mother used to say to me and it reminds me of the things I tell my daughter now.  When I speak with other mothers, we have all used this old adage, "guilty by association."  That's exactly what this story is.  The stork gets invited by the cranes to go to the farmers field that had just recently been plowed.  Their real intention was to steal.  But they all, cranes and stork, got caught in nets.  When the farmer found them all, the stork begged to be released because he had no idea that the cranes had the intention of stealing.  The farmer replies that you may very well be a good and honorable bird, but "I caught you with the thieving cranes and you'll have to share the same punishment."  You have to watch out who you hang out with, they could be the best friends you've ever had, but they could also get you into heaps of trouble.

http://tinyurl.com/StorkFarmer

The Travelers and the Purse:

Two men were traveling along a road, when one of them discovered a purse.  Based on its' weight, it was believed to be filled with gold.  The man who found it exclaimed "How lucky am I to have found this."  His fellow traveller replied, "no, no, how lucky WE are. So we share the misfortunes of the road, so should we share the benefits."  The man who found the purse said it was his and he was keeping it.  Just then, a mob of people came down the road exclaiming "thief!"  The man with the purse said, "we will be in trouble if they find this on us."  To which the second man replied, "oh no, you didn't use we or us before, you can just stick with your 'I.'" This was a fantastic lesson, I loved it. The moral of this story was that we cannot expect people to share in our misfortunes if we cannot share with them our good fortunes.

Bibliography:
The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/CockDogFox
The Farmer and the Stork. Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/StorkFarmer
Unit: Aesop (winter).  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/UnitAesopWinter
The Travelers and the Purse.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/TravelersPurse

Famous Last Words - Week 2

I thought I had all the bugs ironed out as far as technology goes, but with the new kinds of assignments this week, I struggled a bit to make sure I had completed all assignments for Week 2.  Now that I have, hopefully things will run nice and smooth from here on out.

My best work from this week, in my opinion, is my adaptation of Ovid's Phaethon's Ride.  This story was so rich with details of Phoebus' (the Sun's) palace, describing the carvings in the great pillars (first you fluff the pillars) of silver and gold, and the zodiac signs engraved on the great doors.  This story goes onto further detail the way Phoebus' throne room appeared with all of the colors of his throne and Day, Month, Year, and Century standing to either side of him in addition to Spring, Summer, Winter, and Autumn and their attire.  It was a richly detailed story that painted a very inspiring image in my head.  As I said in my storytelling blog, there would have been NO WAY I could have done these details justice interpreting them in my own way.  So, I tried to imagine what I could substitute for the great chariot.  There could've been only one... The beautiful Lamborghini Aventador J seen below.  It's fierce and is a very powerful piece of machinery.  She's beautiful!!!  And the fact that she has so much "horsepower" under the hood was a kind of clever way to put a pun on the horse-drawn chariot.  It broke my heart to have to crash this beauty in my story, but it had to be done to bring home the lesson learned from Ovid's Metamorphoses: Phaethon's Ride.

I have said in previous posts that I am not the most creative person and writing creatively is difficult for me.  I have a vivid imagination, but have a difficult time articulating that into a well-written story.  My mind is more apt at writing scientific papers.  For those of you who read this post and read my Week 2 Storytelling of CEO Solomon's Fool-Hardy Son, I hope you enjoy.

Lamborghini Aventador J

** If you don't find this car sexy, something died inside you loooong ago!

Bibliography:
Lamborghini Aventador.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/LambAventJ

Storytelling for Week 2 - CEO Solomon's Fool-Hardy Son

Solomon was in charge of one of the greatest corporations ever to sit upon the Earth.  The daily routines at Solar Palacio, Inc. kept the world running.  The solar powered technology produced at this company was responsible for supplying half the world with unlimited sources of light, and from the sun.  Solomon was quite proud of his company and did everything in his power to keep it running smoothly.  He had hoped one day to pass the reins over to his son, but that was not to be. 

When Solomon’s son, Payton, turned 17 he came to his father with a request.  “Father, I’m 17-year-old now and I want to ask you a huge favor.  I want to prove to you that I am trustworthy and I want you to trust me.  I want to take out your Lamborghini Aventador onto the Autobahn tonight.”  To which Solomon replied, “Son, the horsepower in that car is too much for you.  If you give it too much gas, you could hit other motorists driving along the highway.  The others cannot go quite as fast as the Lamborghini can, and you will put others in danger.  If you are driving too fast to see what is flying past you, you could fly into the guardrails and possibly become impaled.  Son, I love you, but this car is too much for you to handle.  It is a great responsibility.  You may earn my trust in other, less foolhardy ways.”  Payton replied to his father that he was not a child anymore and was quite capable of handling himself as well as the car.  Solomon grew tired of this negotiation and begrudgingly handed over the keys to Payton.  “Please, be careful, son.”  To which Payton replied, “I’ve got this, dad.” 

As Payton started the car up and felt and heard the growl of the horsepower under the hood, the adrenaline began to race and his heart began to pound.  Payton turned the Aventador onto the Autobahn and pushed the pedal all the way to the floor.  In a flash, the car was plunging down the highway….90….100….120 miles per hour.  Just as Payton hit 160 miles per hour, a few seconds after beginning the joyride, something went horribly wrong.  He pulled too hard and too tight onto the steering wheel and the car, mechanical wonder that she is, immediately responded to her master’s commands.  The car quickly and sharply turned right, slamming directly into a fuel trucker.  His father’s words rung in his ears, “the car is too much for you to handle.”  As Payton desperately tried to regain control of the Aventador, he skidded into the cement piling on the right side of the freeway, just in time to see the fuel trucker burst into flames behind him.  The flames erupted from the truck like lava flowing from a volcano.  It oozed towards all the vehicles behind it and came lurching towards Payton.  As Payton over-corrected to the left, he side-swiped a car with a family inside, sending them spinning into the flames behind them.  As Payton redirected his eyes to the road ahead, cops had sprawled out on the Autobahn ahead of him and thrown out spike strips.  At the rate of speed he was still travelling, when Payton hit those spikes the Aventador rolled over multiple times, finally resting on her top, pinning Payton inside.  Just then, the car exploded from the fuel leaking out of the car and meeting with the impending fire from the fuel truck. 

Payton was still too young and too inexperienced to handle the great responsibility the Lamborghini Aventador required and in his obstinance, Payton lost his life and Solomon lost his son. 

Johann Liss' - Phaethon's Fall - early 17th century

Author's Note:
I read Ovid I for this week's reading and my favorite story was that of Phaethon and his father, The Sun (Phoebus).  Phaethon is told by his mother that he is the son of the Phoebus, but Phaethon wants proof, so he makes his way to the Palace of the Sun.  When he arrives, Phoebus confirms that Phaethon is in fact his son and to dispel any doubt that young Phaethon might have, he may ask of his father one request.  The boy asks to ride his father's golden chariot.  Phoebus knows this is far too dangerous for Phaethon, but Phaethon wants to hear none of it.  After much back-and-forth, between Phoebus and his son, the decision to ride is ultimately made for them with the rising of the dawn.  The horses are far too strong for young Phaethon to control and Phaethon is much lighter a load than what the horses are used to carrying.  They get completely off course, with the sun rising west and setting in the east, crashing through stars and constellations, and setting the Earth on fire, destroying entire nations.  Ultimately, it's Zeus' intervention that saves the Earth from burning, but sends Phaethon to his death from one of Zeus' famed lightning bolts.

I am not the most creative person in the world and I knew that trying to tell this story from the first person would be as disastrous as Phaethon's ride.  There would've been no way I could've done it justice.  Therefore, I decided to take this ancient Greco-Roman myth and set it in present day times with lightning fast vehicles on the Autobahn in Germany.

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-phaethon-and-sun.html

Bibliography:
Book: Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Author: Publius Ovidius Naso.
Date Published: c. BC 43 - 17/18 AD
Translated to English By: Tony Kline
Web Source: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-phaethon-and-sun.html

Phaethon.  (image) Web Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaethon

Week 2 - Essay - Hope I Didn't Ovido It!

OPTION 2 - ASSESS THE READING UNIT: 

I enjoyed the stories in Ovid I very much.  It’s nice to have the poem translated, because I sure wouldn’t be able to understand it.  (Well not all of it.) I’m sure it’s much more condensed as well, because they sure liked their stories long back in the day. 

I absolutely had my favorite stories.  I loved the stories of Io and Phaeton.  Just in a very general way, the story of Phaethon reminded me a bit of Icarus and flying too close to the sun.  This story surprised me the most.  I never realized that the English language adopted the name Phaethon to indicate a carriage.  Straight from Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice.  Mr. Collins brags of Lady Catherine driving by his home in “her little phaeton and ponies.”  The details of how the Earth scorched, flying into the stars, avoiding Scorpio, etc.  I could have devoured more of that type of story. 

The stories of women like Io and Callisto always annoy me, as does the story of Medusa the Gorgon.  These women were raped, so we’re going with unwillingly here, and yet these women are punished.  Now I realize that there would be no way to punish Jupiter/Jove/Zeus, the perpetual perpetrator, but come on goddesses of ancient Rome and Greece, trick the gods into something, not those poor girls.  It can be done! Zeus tricked Cronus into eating a rock….. helloo!  Haven’t they suffered enough? 

I thought that the story of Semele could have had more background information.  It feels as though the story picks up after the fact, but I’m curious to know how Jupiter found Semele.  We hear how he found Io and Callisto, but Semele seems to be different, she enjoyed (?) the company of Zeus/Jupiter.  Additionally, I’m a bit unclear as to the meaning of the following statement made by Juno to Semele while incognito:

“beg him to assume all of his powers before he embraces you, and be just as glorious as when Juno welcomes him on high.”

So, does Jupiter manifest all his powers, although admittedly holding some back, to come to Semele again?  And it is his almighty power that IS him that destroys her?

I had a difficult time understanding some of the goings on of Semele’s story.  For instance, when Semele is asking Jupiter for the favor and says “when you enter into the pact with Venus.”  I searched the Internet for a better comprehension of this phrase, but to no avail.  I saw other beings had entered into pacts with Venus, but nothing explaining this exactly.  I do this pretty often throughout reading these stories.  If there is someone who I am not familiar with, or some side story, I will do the research on it and look it up.  I feel it gives me a better understanding of the story itself.  I wonder if it would be possible to create, I don’t know, a side reference that perhaps addresses these other characters?  Or perhaps short footnotes?  

Ruben's-Fall of Phaeton

Bibliography:

Myth-Folklore Unit: Ovid's Metamorphoses I.  Web Source:  http://tinyurl.com/kavgc4d

Ovid's Metamorphoses: Semele.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/l8vv3cw 

Ruben's - Fall of Phaeton.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/osk78yz 

Week 2 - Greek Myths: Ovid I

Pyramus & Thisbe:

This was fantastic, I read it in under 5 minutes.  There was no double-reading to check for meaning.  It was crystal clear.  Reminded me so much of Romeo & Juliet.  Misunderstandings ripping a lover from one's arms.  I just really, really enjoyed this story.
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-pyramus-and-thisbe.html

Perseus & Andromeda: 

I wished I could've been Andromeda when I was younger.  She was beautiful and had a handsome man, son of the God Jupiter no less, pining for her.  I mean, hello!  A man who would move heaven and earth to save her and claim her love.
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-perseus-and.html

Perseus & Medusa: 

I've loved this story since I can remember.  My mom used to read this one to me a lot, a bit less gory though.  The fact that one look from Medusa can turn you to stone makes fighting her and retrieving her head quite difficult.  Being inventive enough to use the inside of the shield as a mirror to watch for her without actually gazing upon her is brilliant.  

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-medusa.html

Looking back on this last bit of Reading Diary - B, it appears that I am a hopeless romantic.  hmm?
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20Ovid%20I

IO: DEFINITELY A FAVE

• Io was returning from her father's stream when Jup/Zeus tried to entice her to take shade from the heat and sun in the woods.  He suggested if she was afraid of the beast's dens, then she could go in safety to the remote woods - protected by none other than the god who holds heaven in his hands 
• he tells her not to flee, but she is already in flight
• Jup/Zeus hid the earth with fog, caught up with her, & raped her (butt-head)
• Juno/Hera/Saturnia
• Juno/Hera/Saturnia looked down into Argos and saw the fog covering the land in broad daylight

• she knew Jup/Zeus was up to no good ... & was engaged in his usual "cheating/sexual" activity 
• she came down to earth and parted the fogs 
• Jup/Zeus sensing her arrival changed Io into a heifer 
• Saturnia/Juno/Hera approved of the looks of the heifer & asked whose she was
• Jup/Zeus lied to stop her questioning - saying she was born from the earth
• Saturnia/Hera/Juno claimed heifer/Io as a gift 
• Jup/Zeus agrees bec not to would be to raise suspicion & Hera/Juno/Saturnia is of his race

• Juno had Argus watch Io
• Argus had 100 eyes all around his head, that rested 2 at a time, so whenever he was turned, he was still looking at her
• Io/heifer could graze in the sun, but at nightfall she was penned with a rope around her neck
• she fed on leaves and drank muddy water
• when she wished to reach her arms out to beg Argus, she could not stretch her arms, as she had no arms to stretch 
• when she tried to plead, she only mooed 
• she saw her reflection in Inachus' river & saw her horns, she fled in fear of herself 

• her father (Inachus) & her sisters found her/heifer, & admired her, but did not know it was Io
• she drew her story in the ground with her hoof
• shocked, Inachus could not believe it was her and says "he had less sorrow when she was lost than finding her in this state" (paraphrase) 
• Inachus tells Io that he had been planning a marriage & a marriage-bed, hoped for grandchildren (said as a god he was unable to die, so would mourn forever)
• now you must gain a husband from amongst the heard and get you a son 
• Argus leads her back away from her father & sisters, and sits on top of a mountain, watching her 

• Jup/Zeus could no longer stand Io/Phoronis' suffering 
• Mercury dons his winged sandals, a cap, and his wand
• when he gets to earth he sheds the sandals & cap & keeps his wand
• he disguises himself as a shepherd and begins to play on his reed pipe, steeling female cows along the way
• Argus hears the music & invites Mercury to come sit next to him on the mountain with the best grass anywhere 
• it takes all day to lure ALL of Argus' eyes to sleep, once he does he taps each eye with his wand to induce deeper sleep
• Mercury then cuts of Argus' head saying, "you are overthrown" 

• Juno's special bird is a peacock -- NOTE NEXT BIT 
• Juno takes the eyes of Argus and places them into the feathers of her own bird & filled the tail with star-like jewels 
• Juno was furious, & set a blaze of fury in front of the eye of the "slut"
• drove her running across the world 
• the Nile put an end to Io's suffering 
• when she reached the Nile she craned her neck and pointed her face up to the gods, begging for the end of her suffering 
• Jupiter grabbed Juno & tried to calm her, telling Juno that Io would never be a source of pain from this day forward 
• called the Stygian waters to witness what he was promising 
• As Juno calms down, Io reverts back to her human form 

PHAETHON & THE SUN:

• description of The Sun's palace (Phoebus) 
• raised columns, with gold & bronze
• on the doors (engraved by Mulciber--god Vulcan) waters, the globe, & the sky
• sea contained Triton, Proteus, Agaeon crushing 2 whales together, & Doris with her daughters, brushing their green hair
• above this -- 6 zodiac signs on each door (12) 
• describes Phoebus' garb
• purple robe
• throne shining with emeralds 
• to both sides - Day, Month, Year, Century, & equally spaced hours
• Spring with crown of flowers
• Summer - garland of ears of corn
• autum - stained by grapes
• Winter - had white hair 
• Sun sat in the middle of them all 

• Phoebus asked son why he was there
• Phaethon asked for his father to tell him if he was his father, and to allow him to use the name 
• Phoebus said he was his son, that his mother had not lied 
• Phoebus said to banish his doubts, he could ask for any favor and asked the Stygian Lake to witness the promise 
• before Phoebus could even sit back in his char, Phaethon had asked to ride his chariot and control the winged horses for a day 

• Phoebus regretted the oath
• he told Phaethon it was unsafe - that he is mortal and the thing he asks is not mortal 
• He told Phaethon that only he had the power to control the chariot of fire 
• not even Jup/Zeus could drive the horses 
• Phoebus says: the first part of track is steep, horses have trouble with it

• when coming over the top, the view of earth below still startles him
• the end of the track is steep & needs good control 
• even Tethys (aquatic sea goddess) fears that Phoebus might dive into the waves 
• the sky overhead turns (dizzying) 
• must move the opposite way, but still he gets dizzy 
• Phoebus asks what Phaethon would do with the chariot 
• He tells Phaethon that he still must avoid, after all of the above: 
• horns of Taurus
• the archer Sagittarius
• the Leo lion jaw 
• the pincer's of Scorpio
• the claws of Cancer the crab
• Phoebus says Phaethon would not be able to control the horses, because he barely can
• Phoebus tells him, that he is not the one giving the gift of death, there is still a chance for Phaethon to rescind his request 

Phoebus asks if it isn't enough of proof that he is his father in that he is worried for Phaethon

• ask for something else...anything else on the great earth, sky, and sea
• Phoebus says "Phaethon you ask for punishment as your reward!" 
• MAKE A WISER CHOICE 
• Phaethon still wanted the chariot 
• chariot: 
• axle of gold
• gold chariot pole
• golden rims
• silver spokes
• chrysolites & gemstones set in the chariot, set in zodiac order

Phoebus rubbed an ointment on Phaethon's face to protect from the flames & begged his son to not use the whip so much as reining the horses in, because they run fast enough already 

• do not take a path straight through the 5 zones of heaven
• the way the track is set up, it avoids the poles
• he asks him to not sink lower so that the heat & cool remains balanced 
• if he goes too high he will scorch heaven
• too low, and he will scorch earth
• do not go too far left or right 
• he tells Phaethon that it is time
• either seize the reins or change your mind

• the weight of Phaethon was lighter than Phoebus & the horses were unaccustomed to this 
• they immediately ran off the track
• Phaethon could not find the track, running wild through the heavens 
• the stars grew hot 
• Dragon, Draco, (in the frozen pole) became hot and even he, Bootës, fled in confusion

• Phaethon looks down on earth, terrified, & wishes he wasn't Phoebus' son, only Merops' son
• when Phaethon saw Scorpio, in fear of the stinger, he dropped the reins 

• when the horses realize Phaethon has let go of the reins, they veer further off course
• the chariot is running below the Moon's horses, and the clouds boil & smoke 
• the earth then bursts into flames 
• cities destroyed
• forests destroyed 
• whole nations & people destroyed 

• the Earth asks, if she has angered the king of the gods, then please do it quickly with lightning bolts, much quicker & less painful than this torture 
• the earth asks, ok, if i deserve this, fine, but does your brother, the Sea, deserve it
• if the Earth and the Sea are deserving of this, look at your heavens... they burn too 
• she begs... SAVE WHATEVER IS LEFT .... THINK OF THE COMMON INTEREST 

• Jup/Zeus heard the Earth's pleas 
• he lifted up a lightning bolt & removed Phaethon from the chariot & killed him 
• the horses pull from from the chariot 
• Phaethon falls on fire to the earth 
• claimed by the river god, Eridanus 
• here the Italian nymphs take his body and carve this into the rock: 
• here Phaeton lies, who the sun's journey made, dared all though he, by weakness was betrayed 
• Phoebus mourned his son, & there was a day without light 
• Phaethon's mother searched the world over for her son or his bones, she found his bones, but found that they were already buried 
• the Heliads (who were Clymene & Phoebus' daughters -3) cried for their lost brother

• the sisters had mourned for 4 years and wanted to die
• Phaethüsa (oldest) tried to jump to her death, ankles stiffened
• Lampetia tried to go to Phaethüsa, but was rooted 
• the 3rd tore at her hair & pulled out leaves
• the sisters were slowly covered in bark until nothing but their mouths were outside 
• their mother, Clymene, kissed each one and tried to rip the bark off, but found blood
• the daughters told her she was tearing skin & bid their mother farewell 
• they were then completely covered in bark 
• their tears still fall, as amber 

• was related to Phaethon through his mother 
• was upset the way Jupiter handled the whole situation 
• he wanted to be away from Liguria 
• he filled Eridanus' - woods where the sisters had roamed 
• his grief was so great he turned into a swan 
• he wanted to be away from the fire & live in the floods 

• Phaethon's father hated the light, himself, & the day
• refused to light/heat earth
• Phoebus calls out Jupiter - that he handled it wrong, that he should try to steer the horses & put down the lightning bolts that took his son 
• the gods all come to comfort Phoebus/Sol & Jup/Zeus threatens him
• then Phoebus lashed his horses, blaming them for Phaethon's death 

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-pyramus-and-thisbe.html

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20Ovid%20I

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/03/ovids-metamorphoses-io.html

Google Search Tech Tip

I site searched Native American site:sacred-texts.com/nam and chose "Cherokee Religion" as a subject I was interested in.  

So, as I've said in a lot of my other blog posts, I am Cherokee and I enjoy taking my Cherokee foreign language classes in which I not only learn the Cherokee language, but also customs, games, stories, and more.  The "Cherokee Religion" page I visited pointed out that they speak Tsalagi.  Which, you would actually pronounce as Ja-La-Gee.  (hee hee, I learned this in class )  However, I did not know that the Cherokee had a long-standing feud with the Iroquois and other eastern tribes (i.e., Shawnee and Creek).  

Something I found amusing on this website was that some people today actually claim to be descendants of a Native American princess.  Anyone who knows about Native American traditions knows that there is no such type title or hierarchy with the Native American traditions.  

The website also pointed out two books that chronicled certain aspects of Cherokee life.  They are Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee.  I would be VERY interested to acquire these books and spend hours reading them and learning more about the Cherokee.  

To add my own information to this blog, as I have learned from stories my grandmother told me and from my fantastic Native American foreign language instructors at OU.  The Cherokee believed in 7's.  There were 7 clans, 7 colors, 7 sacred healing trees/foliage, etc.  Also, colors meant certain things to them.  A common game played amongst the Cherokee was Cherokee Marbles.  

I've heard so many stories from a few reliable sources and it's nearly impossible to doubt the believability of these stories, despite our scientific logical white world.  


Bibliography:
Cherokee Religion.  Web Source: http://sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/index.htm 

Google Timer Tech Tip

I actually use a timer a lot.  I set the alarm on my phone to wake me in the morning.  When I'm cooking, I put a timer (usually my phone) in whatever room I'm in so I don't forget and burn something and just in case I can't hear the alarm.  I've read so much material that says good study habits not only include concentrating and minimizing distractions, but also the necessity to take regular study breaks.  It's that second part that I have a hard time with.  So I think using the Google timer would be quite useful for me.  Maybe I could set it for an-hour-and-a-half or two hours and then when the timer goes off, I walk away from the books and the computer and chill for 15-20 minutes.

Never knew Google had a timer.  I guess I should have...they have everything else!

Week 1 - Famous Last Words

Well, I’ve been working ahead this week, so I have a jump-start on things before the semester actually begins.  The week didn’t start out too well.  I have never blogged before.  I’m pretty tech-savvy, but it took a lot of getting used to.  I kept creating new blogs instead of new posts on my class blog.  So, once Professor Gibbs got me on the right track, I had to go back and delete a few blogs and then recreate them as new posts.  Whew!  But, I got it done.  Now I’m into the rhythm of things.  I still have to look for things, like changing my labels and things of that nature.  But all-in-all, things are running much smoother now. 

Additionally, I felt a little lost navigating through all of the information provided for this course.  I’ve taken many classes online before, so it wasn’t an issue of not being familiar with technology.  Instead, it was more of getting oriented to where Professor Gibbs provides the information.  At first I felt like I needed to look for assignments throughout a plethora of web pages.  However, I have finally got it through my thick head that all I really need to do is click on the link for the week we are in (or whichever I need to work on) and then go through that list assignment by assignment.  This has helped me get a handle on things and I think I’ve got it figured out now.  I also decided that I need to make myself a list of things that need to be completed from the “Declarations” section on D2L.  Then, set about finding those assignments and instructions on our web pages, and subsequently check them off as I’ve done them.  I’m a very visual person – this helps me! 

I’m not much of a creative person.  My daughter is brilliant at writing her own stories and making cross-overs from several stories and combining them into her own compilation.  I, on the other hand, do not have a creative (writing) bone in my body.  So this is going to be the hardest part of this course for me; rewriting the stories that we read into my own words.  But, we’ll just see how it goes. 

Bibliography:

Revolving Around the Writing Revolution.  Web Source: http://tinyurl.com/mdezgf8