Week 4 Reading Diary B: Indian Fairy Tales

The Talkative Tortoise: I liked this story because it reminded me of the fact that if you say something mean to someone who said something mean to you first ,then you are just as low as they are. It was hard for me to picture a tortoise splitting in two, but I could honestly see the Buddha having people gather around him to tell them this story. I could imagine the people becoming humans of few words from then on out. I feel like I could retell this in my Storytelling post this week by telling a story of a mother trying to teach her children a lesson.

The Prince and the Fakir:  I was shocked when I read that the prince killed the Fakir. I was also shocked that the princess didn't tell anyone that the prince really wasn't really a Fakir. I'm surprised that the king didn't try to protest his daughter's marriage. I did like that he accepted his son-in-law in the end. That made me smile. I could see this story being told in a modern setting. This would make a great Storytelling post for me to do for this week.

Why the Fish Laughed: I think this story was unnecessarily long, but I liked it. I wondered at the beginning of the story if the young man was really foolish. I thought it was funny that the father's daughter said that he was extremely wise and ended up making her dad look like the fool. I thought it was odd that she was the only one who understood why the fish laughed, but I liked that the young man was able to save his father's life.

How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner: I really liked this story because it explained why so many people still to this day don't like the sun and the wind. I think it was very generous that the moon brought home dinner for her mother, but I don't think it was fair for the star to expect her children to bring home dinner for her. I thought it was great to finally come across an Indian story that explains the origins of the sun, moon, and the wind.  

(Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, illustrations by John D. Batten (1912))