Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Stor E Telling May June 2007

Hare and Tortoies
by
Arthur Rackham, 1912

I have penned the Stor E Telling column since January of 2002 and the articles from 2002-2006 are the publications page of my website found here http://www.storybug.net/stor-e-telling.html; all you just have to point and click.

I will be adding the columns from 2007 – 2012 to that page as well, but I am in the process of checking what link URL's have changed or are now defunct. It is a time consuming process so I am taking the “slow and steady” approach via Aesop and will post the individual columns on my blog for now.

If you interested you may want to subscribe to the blog so you will receive them as soon as they are up. I will not be adding current columns until the following year, so if you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network.

Directions: In the future, if want to access these columns insert Slow and Steady, as I will begin each new addition with that title, OR Stor E Telling into the “Search This Blog” bar on the left side of this blog.  Make sure to scroll up to see the links as the most current blog article will still be displayed as well.

 

May June 2007

The sweet, succulent smell of spring is in the air! After the long, harsh winter many of us endured, what better way to celebrate the awakening of Mother Earth than with stories that celebrate the creation of the world.

Creation Myths from Different Countries and Civilizations

Stories from China, Inca, Hindi, Islam, Zulu and more.
http://www.crystalinks.com/creationcountries.html

The Germanic Myth of Creation

http://users.dickinson.edu/~eddyb/mythology/Creation-1.html

Additional creation myths from numerous cultures.

http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/oberon.htm
http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/cordelia.htm
http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/ophelia.htm
http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/miranda.htm
http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/umbriel.htm
http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/ariel.htm                                                   

America is not the only country to celebrate its independence each year in July. Canada Day is July 1 and Bastille Day, the national French holiday is July 14. I offer you some story sites from these three diverse lands to help you plan ahead so you can be ready to join in on the festivities!

American Folklore
I first shared this site in 2002 but it is well worth a second look. Take an armchair journey with folktales, myths, legends, Tall Tales and ghost stories from the 50 United States. Tales are clearly indexed so you won’t even need to ask for directions.

http://www.americanfolklore.net/

Talking Tall Tales
From the Calgary Public Library, an interactive site that will tell you some tall tales about Johnny Chinook and his wild adventures in the Canadian West! * This site is currently not working due to a flood, which compromised their data center. Check back at another time to see if the link is working. http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/tales/intro.html

Also from the American Folklore site, five links sharing stories from our friendly neighbors to the north. http://www.americanfolklore.net/canada.html

The Tales of Mother Goose by Charles Perrault
At the age of 67 Charles Perrault laid the foundation for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, when he published this book under the name of his 17 year old son.

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault.html

Perrault’s Fairy Tales - Eight of his best known fairy tales.
http://www.angelfire.com/nb/classillus/images/perrault/perra.html

The Fairy Tales of Marie-Catherine d´Aulony

Marie-Catherine lived in France during the time of Charles Perrault but her tales were shared in a more conversational style and usually featured a female protagonist. Many of her works were collected by Andrew Lang in his Fairy Books.
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/daulnoy.html
This page on Facebook did not exist in 2007 so I am adding in now. Thanks to Rob Vanderwildt of Belgium for starting this special group on Facebook  for those interested in the works of Marie-Catherine d’Aulony. https://www.facebook.com/groups/135330009942691/

 

Other Sites of Interest

EasyBib.com

Are you compiling research information for a workshop handout, book, or lesson plan? Here is an easy tool to help you automatically site and source your work in either ALA or MLA format. http://www.easybib.com/

The Key of Gold

Twenty-three Czech folktales by Josef Baudis, circa 1917.
http://volny.cz/enelen/baud/baudisf.html

Myths and Ancient Stories

From China to France, Lapland to Peru and beyond, tales featuring the fun and fanciful fox!
http://www.coyotes.org/kitsune/myths.html

Theoi Project: Guide to Greek Mythology

Persephone, the Greek Goddess of spring growth led me this wonderful site, “a comprehensive guide to the gods (theoi), spirits (daimones), fabulous creatures and monsters (theres) of ancient Greek mythology.”
http://www.theoi.com/index.html
 

PREVIOUS STOR E TELLING BLOGS

January February 2007

http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

March April 2007

http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_30.html

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

 

 

The Golden Greeks: Myths, Fables and Folktales

The Olympian Gods
by Monsiau 1754-1837 

The Summer Olympic Games are here and so I decided to do a bit of research to refresh my memory on the ancient beginnings of the games. It has been wonderful watching one of my favorite sports, swimming, so you will also find folktales connected to the water, and of course, Greek myths and fables.

Whichever country you are cheering on, I hope you will find something interesting, fun and useful below.

Originally, the Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece beginning in the 8^th century B.C. The Ancient Olympic Games were a series of competitions held between representatives of several city-states and kingdoms in Ancient Greece. These games featured mainly athletic but also combat and chariot racing events.

At the start of the Olympic Games, the Greeks would ignite a cauldron of flames upon Hera's altar. They lit the flame using a hollow disc or mirror called a skaphia, which focused the sun's rays into a single point to light the flame. The flame would burn throughout the Games as a sign of purity, reason, and peace. During the games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the games were finished.

The origin of these Olympics is a mystery but some myths identify Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games.The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events.


The Olympics were of religious importance, featuring sporting events alongside ritual sacrifices honoring both Zeus and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia.


While there is exact date as to when the Games officially ended, the most commonly held date is 393 A.D. In 1896 Baron Pierre de Coubertin, tried to revive the games. He initially planned to hold the games in France, but was convinced that Greece was the appropriate country to host the first modern Olympics. Thirteen countries competed in nines sports: cycling, fencing, gymnastics, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, track and field, weight lifting and wrestling.

Information from the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/olympic-torch1.htm

GREEK MYTHS AND FABLES 

Aesop Fables – No post about Greece would be complete without sharing some Aesop Fables.

http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/

Greek Mythology for Kids – This site offers myths but also activities and lesson plans connected to Greece. http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html

  

STORIES

Since one of the most popular sports in the modern day Olympic Games is swimming here are some stories connected to water.

Bear Lake Monster - United States

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/the_bear_lake_monster.html
The Good Ferryman and the Water Nymphs - Poland

http://worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Polish_folktale_5.html 

The King of the Sharks – Hawaii
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/08/the_king_of_sharks.html

The Golden Fish - Russia

http://russian-crafts.com/tales/gold_fish.html

The Heart of the Monkey - Africa

http://www.english-for-students.com/Heart-of-The-Monkey.html
The Seal’s Skin – Iceland 
http://www.vikingrune.com/selkies-folktale/

Sam-Chung and the Water Demon - China

http://worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Asian_Folktale_16.html
Water Faeries - Scotland
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/sfft/sfft36.htm
Why Dogs Wag Their Tails - Philippines
http://asiarecipe.com/phitales3.html
Wild Goose Island – United States
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2008/09/goose_island.html

SOMETHING EXTRA

Two previous blog posts with stories of the sea!

Siren’s of the Sea 

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/02/mermaids-sirens-of-sea.html

Water, Water Everywhere! 

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/03/water-water-everywhere.html

CRAFTS

Kaboose.com -  Make your own Olympic torch. Easy for ages 4 and up.

http://crafts.kaboose.com/olympic-torch.html

Activity Village – More crafts connected to the Olympics; medals, Olympic Rings and other patriotic crafts.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/olympic_crafts_for_kids.htm

CURRICULUM

A-Z Teacher Stuff – Seventeen lesson plans connected to the Olympics from grades K-12.

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Olympics/

History for Kids.org – Learn about the ancient Greeks; religion, mythology, ancient life and more.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/

RECIPES

Kid Friendly Olympic Recipes 

http://www.sj-r.com/blogs/community/justforkids/x383254025/Kid-Friendly-Olympic-Recipes

If you find this information and the links helpful in your work please consider taking a moment to leave a comment at the end of the blog. I love hearing from you!

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.