Extra Reading Diary: Welsh Fairy Book (Thomas)

This is a Reading Diary that details my thoughts on the first section of the  Welsh Fairy Tales unit. Story source: The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas with illustrations by Willy Pogány (1908).

• Just from that he could tell that the man was an evil sorcerer??
• This story paints the most amazing image of the knights at the round table.
• I like how sassy this boy is.  He's standing up to the king!
• The boy was Merlin! How cool!
• I actually really love the name, "The Lady of Greenwood."  
• Yeah having horse's ears is a pretty big secret. 
• Wow an elfin cow.  Maybe instead of "when pigs fly" there should "when cows are elves" expression. 
•  "Bala Lake" had a very different tone compared to the other stories.  
• When I saw "Tudur" all I could think of was the Tudors.  
• This story is so vivid. 
• The story with the cockshells reminds me of when Spongebob pays with "bubble money."
• Hmmmmm Helig's Hollow sounds like a very interesting place.  

(Einion and the Lady of Greenwood from the Untextbook.)

Tech Tip: SoundCloud Embedded

Reading Diary B: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

This is a Reading Diary that details my thoughts on the second section of the Heptameron unit. Story source: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, translated by Walter K. Kelly (1855).

•  I really like the idea from this story that love works wonders.  
• Wow this isn't the ideal brother and brother-in-law family dynamic that you hope for. 
• The brother thinks that isolating his sister will solve the fact that he murdered her husband??
• Well that was a really sad ending. 
• I guess selling animals is the only way to settle this...
• This story with the good-natured man and the terrible wife actually makes me sad. 
• The story ends just as it begins.  
•  The commentary on women in this is very interesting. 
• I guess the commentary on men is just as interesting. 
  

 

(Margaret of Navarre & Margaret Queen from Jouer-Enligne.)

Reading Diary A: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

This is a Reading Diary that details my thoughts first section of the Heptameron unit. Story source: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, translated by Walter K. Kelly (1855).

• When I picture Francis I all I see is the actor who played him in "The Tudors."  
• Where do all these stories of men being undeterred when pursuing women come from? I have not ever witnessed this in my life.  Three years with her never even talking to him!!
• Wow I did not expect that ending.  I guess in the dating world women are stags and mean are hunters.  
• It's difficult for me to imagine the a priest hiding up in a loft...
• This is a really interesting retelling of Mary!
• I feel like I'm supposed to be familiar with some of these names...but I'm not. 
• I'm not 100% certain what a Cordelier.
• This last story is so ominous.  

(Marguerite, Queen of Navarre from Wikipedia.)

Famous Last Words for Week 12

Could this day be any more dreary?  I ask this question as I sit at a table in Bizzell Library with plenty of homework to complete but no motivation to do any of it.  Outside it's cloudy, windy and cold.  Inside here looking at my assignments and all the stuff I have to do this week it's irritating, annoying and cold.  From a week that started out 70 degress and sunny how did we get here?!  I think these are the signs that winter is actually coming and the prolonged sunniness and summer weather is soon to be over. 

The biggest thing that I accomplished this past week was completing a research paper and my storybook assignment for this class.  Each are both a huge weight off my shoulders and I'm very happy to have both of them done.  But there are still some huge assignments still waiting for me to complete them.  I hope I'll get around to them eventually.... Is there are cure for senioritis? 

On Friday, I drove up to Oklahoma City to celebrate my friend's 22nd birthday.  A lot of people drove in for it so it was extra fun to see people I hadn't seen in awhile.  I'm not ready to turn 22 yet, I think I want to be 21 forever.  Seeing my friend's birthday just made all of it so much more real.  Here's a picture of me and my friend at her birthday celebration. 

(Personal photo of me and friend taken in November 2015.)  

 This next week should be REALLY fun.  I'll be attending the Hunger Games premiere, OU will play TCU and this will be my last football game as a student here and then I'll go home to attend "The Book of Mormon" with my parents.  I can't wait.  But hopefully I'll be able to do some studying as well.  Hopefully...

Essay: The Lost Heroine

This week I read about Britomart, a woman of Arthurian legends.  I was so impressed with her because she seemed like such a modern heroine.  Britomart was a princess who disguised herself as a knight and went on many epic adventures. 

The thing I was most surprised about was how I have NEVER heard of this heroine until this class.  Especially nowadays when there are cries for strong, independent female roles, how did this awesome character become so overlooked?  Guinevere and Morgana are much better known than Britomart but now I can't seem to understand why. 

I can't even think of a character that is more of a feminist.  She held her ground with King Arthur himself, competed in tournaments and rescued villagers.  I know that Morgana was King Arthur's villain but she never suited up as a knight and took on King Arthur herself.  She mainly just used sorcery and trickery to mess with him and had others do her fighting.  Guinevere was always more of a damsel in distress than an actual fully-fledged out character. 

I feel like Britomart had a lot of qualities that are generally reserved for men, especially in Arthurian Legends.  She is a true equal and a qualified knight.  Britomart does set on a quest to meet the man who is supposed to be the love of her life, so it can be argued that she's centered around a man.  But I would argue that this is a very common theme in Arthurian legends as most knights have sought out the women to be there wives.  I really hope someone makes her story into an HBO show or an epic movie.  We need more characters like her in the main stream media!!!

(Britomart 1900 Walter Crane | Oil Painting Reproduction | 1st-Art-Gallery.com from Pinterest.)

Bibliography: This story is part of the Fairie Queen: Britomart unit. Story source: Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod, with drawings by A. G. Walker (1916).

Storytelling for Week 12: Britomart the Brave

I trudged onward, clicking my heels constantly to coax more speed out of my horse.  The grass was like a sea of green rapidly flowing past me as I galloped across the land.  This will all be worth it in the end.  

Suddenly I caught sight of my nemesis.  The Savage Knight was across the way with his horned helmet and all-black armor.  He charged at me with full speed and I braced myself for impact.  Our eyes locked and I gestured crudely at him to bring forth his best shot.  He had no idea about my enchanted spear and as he charged, I swiftly knocked him from his horse and onto the ground.  But our fight was not over yet. 

The Savage Knight was not shaken up and he quickly knocked me down from my own horse so we were once again on even terms.  He drew his sword, as did I and our blows were met with evenly matched rebuttals.  After a time, I grew tired.  My arm felt as though it could not even lift my sword let alone strike with it.  The Savage Knight gathered his strength and dealt a stiff strike that surely could have ended me. 

I fell back as my helmet flew off my head, revealing to the Savage Knight and his squire that I was the Princess Britomart in disguise.  The Savage Knight stood before me to deliver a finishing blow, but when we met eyes his sword instantly fell from his hands.  I seized this opportunity and grabbed his sword, intent on finishing him off before his sympathy faded. 

Pushing him down with the base of the sword I stood before him.  "Finish this fight or I will finish you off," I beckoned the savage.  However, he would not move.  He stayed on the ground and would not rise.  I grew angry since I now would not get a chance to finish him off gloriously, but he refused to fight me because I am a woman.

The Savage Knight then took off his helmet and revealed himself to be no savage but the renown Sir Artegall.  This struck me personally because I had seen his face once before in Merlin's Mirror when I asked it who would be my true love.

And just like that, I reached the goal of my quest without even realizing it.  I set out two years ago to find the man in the mirror and here he stood right before me.  Words failed me because how do you address the future love of your life after almost just killing him in a sword fight?

"It is nice to finally meet you, Sir Artegall."   

(Britomart by Tyrannosaurus-lex from Deviant Art.)

  
Author's Note:  I was so excited to write this story because I became a big fan of the heroine after the readings.  Britomart the warrior princess is so cool and I wish there was a movie or something about her.  If you're slightly confused, the source material has her traveling around the lands making friends and even enemies all the while she is looking for her true love Sir Artegall who she saw in Merlin's enchanted mirror.  They meet after becoming enemies as they were both in disguises and almost kill each other before taking off their helmets and falling in love at first sight.  I just thought this was such a cool story and wanted to write my own version of it.  There was no dialogue so that was a little tough but I ended up adding a couple of lines.  I'm also obsessed with this picture I found.  I think this really captures the awesome main character!!  

Bibliography: Fairie Queen: Britomart unit. Story source: Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod, with drawings by A. G. Walker (1916).