Storytelling: The Fox-Woman and the Hunter

There once was a hunter who lived alone in a cabin in the woods. He was a very kind man who longed for a companion. Sadly he had been victim of a childhood accident that left him an orphan and with his face badly deformed. No woman had ever taken the time to look past his physical appearance and get to know the man inside.

There once was a fox who was also a woman, or a woman who was also a fox, rather. She had been cursed by a jealous witch, forcing her to spend some time each day in fox form. She was really a very beautiful woman with bright eyes and a an alluring smile. Although she was very beautiful, she had a lingering musky odor due to the part of her life she spent as a fox. Because of this, she spent her life alone, choosing her fox form more often than her human form. Men could not stand her musky smell. She longed for love as well, and one day, she came across a lonely hunter which changed both their lives forever.

The fox woman had observed the poor hunter, leaving his house in the mornings to hunt and coming back home to an empty house. She felt bad for the man because she knew what loneliness was like. She thought she could make this man happy, and he could be the companion for which she was looking. She decided to give him a chance. She watched him leave his house one morning, and then she sneaked in and shed her fox-skin. She began tidying the house and washing the man's clothes and cooking him a meal. By the time the hunter came home she had turned his house into a warm, welcoming place- something he never thought possible. He was struck by her beauty instantly. She flashed him a smile when he crossed the threshold, confused by the situation but not scared. He saw her fox-skin hanging on a line in the washroom. "Is this yours?" the hunter asked.

The Fox-Woman in her Fox Form, online source

Looking ashamed, the fox woman simply answered, "Yes." She explained her story as the man listened intently. The fox-woman was worried he would send her away, but he only grabbed her hand and began explaining his own life story. She gave him the same amount of attention as she listened to him explain. When he finished, she flashed him that breathtaking smile that he had fallen in love with just hours before. She got up to serve him the meal she had made him, and the two ate dinner together, something that neither of them had done in years. The joy they both found in each other's company was beautiful. Once their meal was over, the fox-woman washed the dishes while her husband watched her, admiringly.

Once night fell, the fox-woman began to look worried. Her new man asked her what was bothering her, and she explained that she had to put her fox-skin on for three hours. She told him she would love if he would prefer, but he would not have this. The fox-woman put on her fox-skin and the two cuddled on the couch by the fire until she could return to her human form. The two retired to bed and lived happily ever after.

Bibliography: Fox-Woman from Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story tells of a hunter who comes home after an outing to his house being taken care of as if he had a wife, but he does not have one. So, he goes off on a fake outing to determine who it was who did it. He watches a fox enter and thinks it is just looking for food, but when he goes in to check, he sees a beautiful woman and a fox-skin hanging. So, they live together for a while, but the man can't stand her musky smell, so she leaves an never returns. I didn't like this sad ending, nor did I like the fact that the man was so shallow that he did not appreciate her efforts. So, I decided to make my story all about what matters on the inside. This is why I added the detail about the man having a deformity and gave them a happy ending.

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part B

I don’t like the gory stories. Killing and blood don’t interest me as far as stories go. The names are still distracting for me, but I do recognize that this is only a cultural thing. I try not to let it interfere with my impression of the story. I did like the justice found in some stories like the one that ends with the fact that the man who kills is punished in the end. I am very fond of justice, but I don’t necessarily want to read about people killing other people just to find justice in the end. Again, I see the value in teaching about not killing nor lying, but I hate that the woman who lied got killed for her punishment. Why kill someone in the story as a punishment if killing is in fact something we are trying to teach is bad? I still sometimes get uncomfortable with the idea of animals marrying humans. I get that it is for the sake of teaching a lesson or entertainment, but it does not make for a great story in my opinion. I definitely want to emulate these stories in that I want my stories to also teach valuable lessons, but I want to leave out the gory details. I also don’t like the way women are portrayed in these stories. They are portrayed as weak almost and needing a man’s help for their rescue. I do not get the vibe that they are being revered in these stories, which of course, I would prefer they were. These stories seemed to be darker than the ones before. I like more positive, happy stories! Perhaps I can rewrite one of these in a more positive light! I liked that the stories included lots of family interactions such as father/son and brother/sister. I think family stories are great because most people can relate to them on some level.

Inuit Family, online source

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen, link to online source

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part A

Some of the stories were told in very simple terms, which I admire sometimes, but I think I prefer the stories with a bit more detail. It helps immerse me in the setting better.  This would make them more believable to me if that is the goal. I like the stories that ended with hopeful endings the best. It is always better to leave on a positive note than a negative, in my opinion anyway. Some of the stories were just too weird for me. I must not have been ready for the supernatural stories. Animals communicating with humans is sometimes as fantastic as I want to get. I guess it is more about how those stories thrust the reader into the fantast world. I suppose this phenomenon would not be the same for someone a part of that culture, but it made the stories more confusing for me. I would have appreciated more background information to establish the setting. The names were too confusing to me, but of course, that is just a culture issue. I didn't like the stories where there were too many characters of which to keep track, and I also had a problem when there were too many things to follow within the story. I like one main story with a couple characters to get to know.

                                                                    Polar Bear, online source

I absolutely loved the story about the bear and the woman! It was such a fun idea that the bear ended up having a human like mind because the woman spoke to him in "human speech." It honestly gave me a Paddington vibe but in a much more "realistic" way. I did think it was cute that the bear played with the children, but it made me sad that soon everyone was too scared to play with him. It was a great story, but the ending was just so sad! I want to write a reunion story for the old woman and the bear. Or maybe just have the bear find a bear family in which to belong! Many of the stories ended with “And here ends this story,’ which I would like to include in my own. A few stories began with “There once was a wifeless man,” and one story even mentions that’s how “all” stories start. I think it would be fun to start my story with “There once was a childless woman,” because she fosters the bear. I liked that the stories promoted good values like honesty and loyalty, and I would like to give my bear story a theme of love, inclusion, and compassion.

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen, link to online source

Story Planning: Fox-Woman

Source Story: The original story of the fox-woman tells of a hunter who comes home after an outing to his house being taken care of as if he has a wife, but he is completely alone. So, he goes off on a fake outing to determine who it was who did this. He watches a fox enter, who he think is looking for food, but when he goes into his house to check it out, he sees a beautiful woman and a fox skin hanging. It turns out that she was the one who had been doing these things for him, So they live together for a while, but the man realizes he doesn't like her smell. She tells him that she will leave if he doesn't like it, so she does, vowing to never visit a man again.

Bibliography: Fox-Woman from Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson, link to online source

Fox-Woman in Fox Form, online source

Ideas for New Story: I do not like how the original story ends with a bad ending. It makes me sad that the poor fox-woman who works really hard to be a good wife for the hunter has to leave because he doesn't like her smell. I think that her new husband should be grateful for his new wife since she is doing things for him that she doesn't have to. I would like the idea of my story to be that it is what is on the inside that counts, and I want there to be a happy ending for the love story of the hunter and the fox-woman.

Characters:

Hunter- He is a lonely man who longs for someone to love him, but his face is deformed. No woman will take the time to look past his physical appearance and get to know him for the person he is inside.

Fox-woman- She is lonely as well, also longing for love. It is difficult for her because she really is a beautiful woman, but she has an odd odor due to her also being a fox.

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A

                                                          Red Fox, link to online source

These stories were unlike any others I have read. They were very strange, but their strange nature kept me reading more. I really do enjoy the "Once..." stories. They are so simple and classic. Perfect for children.  I like the idea of the animals and humans interacting, but I was slightly weirded out by the idea of animals and humans having romantic sort relationships, as well as the story where the girl married the rock. Sounds weird, huh? It was interesting that all natural things were interacting in some way though, even trees and rocks. I think this is a good testament to how we are all connected. These stories had very odd things happening, but they were explained as if they were commonplace, which gave them more intrigue. Some of the descriptions in the stories were a bit too gruesome for me, and some were just too plain weird honestly. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the stories and, of course, the happy endings were my favorite. The tales did contain justice in the end, even if the ending wasn't all that happy. I enjoyed the short stories better than the longer ones. The long ones seemed to have multiple stories within them, which actually made them a little hard to follow. I hated that the poor fox-woman couldn't be the man's husband simply for her smell. I would like to alter that story. I would like to give her more justice somehow because all the other stories seemed to give justice to those who deserved it. I could incorporate nature into that story as well because it only talks about animals and humans interacting. I would love the fox-woman and man to live happily ever after because the original ending was very sad to me. I want the husband to be grateful for his new wife.

Bibliography: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson, link to online source

Growth Mindset

I am usually pretty good at pushing myself to go farther. If I feel overwhelmed though, I will resort to only doing the minimum. This remains true across the board. If I am really enthusiastic about something, I am more inclined to push myself.               

I definitely do not look for praise or reward. I am very self-motivated. I used to be too hard on myself, but I have gotten better about it. Of course, it is encouraging to get outside praise and/or reward though.

I am very bad about wanting to stay in my comfort zone. I am not completely opposed to try new things, but I need the right kind of motivation to do so. The motivation must come from the right person and the right place in order to be effective in leading me to branch out. I am one to play it safe as opposed to making risks more often than not though. I used to hate change, but I have become more open to it lately. Parenting teaches you to roll with the flow.

Inspiration, online source

I focus on both my grades and my learning, but I hate to say that I focus more on my grades. This is different if I am taking a course which I am actually interested in though.

I am good at seeing both the short and long-term perspective. This is another thing that becomes difficult when I am overwhelmed though.

I do not like others to make my decisions for me. I will sometimes let it happen if I feel too shy and won’t speak up, but I am very good at setting my own goals and, more importantly, sticking to them. My bashfulness and social anxiety keeps me from asking some questions that I have and causing me to rely on sticking to what I know, but motherhood is helping me get past this issue. I am less scared to ask questions now.

I usually have a good idea of when I am good at something and when I am not, but I don’t let that knowledge get me down. I will keep trying to get better, unless it is something that is not important. I don’t usually feel bored or frustrated unless I am tired. I have a pretty enthusiastic attitude toward life in general.

Of course, I am more likely to choose what is easy as opposed to what is hard, but I can also see what will be “easy” in the long run. I will not make the “easy” decision if it means a more difficult future. I tend to want things to go “right” the first time, but I have no problem working on something if need be.

Motivational Baby, online source

I was a never a procrastinator until I became a mom. Now, I am the queen of procrastination. I have really been struggling with that this semester, and I keep telling myself that if I can only make it to spring break, I will do better for the remainder of the semester.

In all honesty, I am not good at taking constructive criticism. It is a weakness of mine, and I tend to be defensive when I get it. I am trying really hard to get better at it though. I used to be a perfectionist, but I am a fairly eager learner. I will take others’ advice into consideration to improve my work; I just may not take it well in my head at first. Although I get defensive, I will always use my mistakes to improve in the future. I don’t usually compare myself to others, but I do learn from others’ successes and mistakes.

                For the remainder of the semester, I am going to do my best to resist the temptation to only do the minimum when things get overwhelming. I will push myself to continue to give my best effort. I need to branch out and try new and different writing styles with my stories to help me get better at branching out from my comfort zone. I need to do better about sticking to the schedule I set for myself to get things done. I am good at setting a schedule… I just need to get better at following it! I will continue to work on not taking criticism personally and use it to improve my work.

Week 8 Reflections

Reading:

I think I have done a pretty good job with my reading selections so far. I have found something interesting in every collection of stories I have read. There have been some stories throughout the collections that I was really tempted to just skip over, but there was always a great story or multiple to make it worth it. The reading I have enjoyed most was the Arabian Nights reading. The whole story inception thing really captivated me. I need to do better about setting aside a time to do my reading though because I have been bad about doing them at the last minute which makes it less enjoyable.

My reading notes are extremely helpful each week. I usually already have my story planned out after I write my reading notes post. I think I am doing very well with reading like a writer. I have all kinds of ideas about my own stories flowing through my head as I read.

The Cherokee readings sound intriguing for weeks nine and ten. Almost all of the stories for weeks eleven and twelve sound enticing! That is going to be a hard decision! The same goes for week thirteen and fourteen. We are ending strong for sure!

Writing:

I am happy with the stories I have written this semester. I have learned that I am very fond of dialogue and need to get better at adding descriptive details. I usually ask my mom for help with my writing because she was an English teacher for many years and has her masters. I trust her advice completely.

I am very excited about my Storybook! I have it planned out very well, and my first story was such fun to write!

I would like to try writing a story in a script format. I saw that in a storybook, and it made me remember doing a script in a creative writing class in high school. It was a lot of fun, and I would like to try it again. Like I mentioned earlier, I need to get better about adding descriptive details and imagery to my stories. I think one of the best ways to develop my writing skills is simply to practice, read others’ stories, and get feedback- all things we do in this class! 

Connecting:

I usually admire the novel ideas that others have of which I would have never thought. I have noticed a lot of grammar issues, mainly run-ons and comma issues that I really hope to avoid in my writing. I think I have gotten better at feedback as the semester has progressed. I want to start reading others’ stories a bit more critically because I am usually a bit too complimentary, which isn’t always that helpful, although it is nice to hear.

Image Info:

Books, online source

Pen and Paper, online source

Connections, online source

Storytelling: The Enchanted Lake

There is an enchanted lake in my hometown that no one really knows about. Why, you ask? I should rephrase. No one has ever lived to tell about it. Men, women, and children alike have visited the lake to never return again. Fisherman, kayakers, picnickers. All disappeared to never be found. The lake has no type nor no mercy. Why do people keep visiting such a place? Skepticism. Curiosity. Stupidity, even. Whatever the reason may be, the impending danger of eminent death has not been an effective deterrent for all. Including myself. My reason for embarking on this journey are a mixture of all three. I need to know what happened to all those people. I don't believe that people can just disappear.  And I have never been the sharpest tool in the shed. So, to the lake I go with foolish hopes of a different outcome than my predecessors.

Day 1:

I am nervous and fearful. This will not stop me though. I woke up early to prepare myself for the trip. For weeks, I have been getting my affairs in order in case I really do disappear without a trace. I'm not afraid of death. Only pain. I am hopeful that those before me suffered no pain before their disappearances. One can dream, right? I'm not actually going to reach the lake today. I will only be making observations around it. Of course, no one really knows where the border lies between enchantment and our normal world, so I will be keeping a safe distance. For now.

I see nothing unusual. I am an experienced camper, and nothing about this campsite seems scary or even out of the ordinary. Flora. Fauna. Your typical wilderness. I hear animals in the distance which poses a question. Can animals venture to the lake and leave as they please? There is a relatively close water source not too far from here, but one would think the animal population would be affected by this phenomenon. Something scientists should look into. I'll remember that if I ever come back to tell them.

Enchanted Lake, online source

Day 2: I am excited to see what this day will bring. I have accepted that it may not be a fate that I will like, but at least I will go down in history. I copied my day one entry and left it at the campsite, just in case that's the only one they find. I have made it about 200 yards from the lake's edge with no sign of anything weird. I am slightly panicking because I saw a large splash and a burst of light coming from the lake. I'm not ready to die. I creep toward the water anyway. My heart keeps beating faster and faster as I slowly make my way. My palms are sweaty. Knees weak. Arms are heavy... No time for jokes. I see a figure start to appear under the water. It looks like a giant fish. Of course, the enchanted lake would have giant fish. Wait! That is a human! A human who looks like a fish... a mermaid. I am seeing a mermaid right before my eyes! I can't believe it! And neither should you.

I am a coward. I always have been, and I thought being the first man to make it out alive from the enchanted lake would make me happy. More importantly, I thought it would make me special. The days leading up to this terrifying excursion led me to do a lot of thinking, and I realized that I really am special. We are all special, and I don't need to risk my life to prove it. So, I never made it past day one. I never made it past my campsite a mile away from the lake. I thought about faking an entire crazy story and have it published, but then I realized that there would be no fulfillment from writing a crazy story just to claim it as fact.  There really is an enchanted lake in my hometown, but I don't believe anyone will ever know about it. People will know about me though. I am going to make sure of it. In the right way.

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story of the enchanted lake was interesting to me because it told of this special, enchanted place but explained that it was only enchanted to those inside it. The enchantment did not exist to the outside world, which is the inspiration I used for the setting of my story.