Dragons - Mythical, Mystical, Magical Creatures!

Dragon King’s Daughter
(Gohonzon #22, Eight Great Dragon Kings)

"Come not between the dragon and his wrath." ~ Shakespeare, King Lear

Dragons have filled our myths, legends, history and imaginations for centuries. The Scandinavians described swimming dragons and the Vikings placed dragons on the front of their ships to scare off the sea monsters. Their are myths containing dragons date back to 4000 B.C.

Marco Polo wrote of his travels to the province of Karajan and reported on huge serpents, which at the fore part have two short legs, each with three claws.

Records of the Greek historian Herodotus and the Jewish historian Josephus describe flying reptiles in ancient Egypt and Arabia, and in art, dragons appear on ancient pottery in China as late as 202 A.D.

o In some cultures dragons have major spiritual significance.
o In many Asian cultures dragons represented the primal forces of nature, religion and the universe.
o They are associated with wisdom and often said to be wiser than humans.
o They are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers.
o In some cultures they are also said to be capable of human speech

o European dragons are usually depicted as evil.
o Chinese dragons do not have wings but have very long tails. They are benevolent and can take on human form. The Imperial Dragon is the combination of four benevolent spiritual animals, the other three being the phoenix, the unicorn and the tortoise.
o Japanese dragons are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water.
o Persians believed a dragon's baby would be the same color as the mother's eyes.
o Scottish dragons have two tails.

Courtesy of :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon
http://www.allaboutcreation.org/dragon-history.htm
http://www.genesispark.com/genpark/history/history.htm

STORIES

The Dragon - Italy
http://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Italian_folktale_22.html

The Dragon and the Prince - Serbia
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/sfs/sfs57.htm

The Dragon and His Grandmother - Germany
https://fairytalez.com/the-devil-and-his-grandmother/ 

The Dragon of Ghent - Belgium
http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/tl/tl08.htm

The Dragon of the North - Estonia
http://www.mythfolklore.net/3043mythfolklore/reading/estonia/pages/06.htm

The Four Dragons - Asia
http://worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Asian_Folktale_6.html

How the Dragon Came to Be - China
https://www.pitara.com/fiction-for-kids/folktales/how-the-dragon-came-to-be/

The Lambton Worm - England
http://tinyurl.com/3krfcz7

The Golden Dragon of the Boringue on page 188 and Turk, Turban, Tulip and Dragon, page 166 both in Belgian Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis, 1919. To read these tales and download the  book for free go to:
https://archive.org/stream/belgianfairytale00grifiala/belgianfairytale00grifiala_djvu.txt

The Serene Dragon - This incredible site is sure to slay you! Over 544 dragon tales listed by country and region, with origins, and articles; you will be breathing fire in no time at all. Unfortunately, the site is no longer online but you may still access the pages via the Wayback Machine at this link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20050205214117/http://www.theserenedragon.net/home.html

Story-Lovers.com – As always, Jackie Baldwin is ahead of the pack, or in this case, the dragon’s lair. Books, stories and more, all related to those amazing mythical creatures. Note: Our dear Jackie crossed over a few years ago but her incredible work lives on, accessible via the Wayback Machine here: http://web.archive.org/web/20100120170730/http://www.story-lovers.com/listsdragonstories.html

BOOKS

Bookroo – Dragon books for a variety of ages.
https://bookroo.com/explore/books/topics/dragons

CRAFTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activity Village – Lots of crafts and printables.
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/dragons_theme.htm

Chinese Dragon Puppet – Makes a great bookmark as well.
http://tinyurl.com/3ysk9ce

Dragon Coloring Pages 
http://www.coloring.ws/dragons1.htm

Survivor Dragon Island – From the California Summer Reading Collaborative Program http://tinyurl.com/6jsnved

CURRICULUM

Adventures with Dragons, Gods and Giants – A grade three unit connected to the Core Curriculum Standards.
https://studylib.net/doc/18517051/fantastic-adventures-with-dragons--gods--and   NEW

Dealing with Dragons
http://www.edhelper.com/books/Dealing_with_Dragons.htm

Komodo Dragons
http://www.edhelper.com/AnimalReadingComprehension_19_1.html

San Diego Zoo - The Lifestyle of the Komodo Dragon - For grades 4 – 6; facts, activities and more on this interesting and ancient creature.

https://sdzwildlifeexplorers.org/animals/komodo-dragon

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/komodo-dragon

Meet the new Komodo dragons at the San Diego Zoo
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/11/18/komodo-dragons-san-antonio

HISTORY

Draconian.com - The history of dragons in various cultures, short legends about dragons and more.
http://www.draconian.com/whatis/whatis.htm

SONGS AND FINGERPLAYS

Dragon Fingerplays
https://www.barbertonlibrary.org/dragonfingerplays

Dragon Storytime – Songs, fingerplays, and book suggestions from the Jacksonville Public Library
http://jplmainchildrens.blogspot.com/2011/09/dragon-storytime.html

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2011 ©

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.

Public Domain - Folktales, Myths & Legends Oh My!

  

                     Folktales of the Bengal
                      Warwick Goble, 1913

These are a few of the free antique books I have downloaded from Google books and other online sources. They are now in the public domain for your reading pleasure.

Many are also available for download directly to a Kindle so you can read on the go. From time to time I will add more to this blog but for now, ready, set, click!

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland - From 1902 a wonderful antique book full of tales and information by Lady Wilde, mother of Oscar Wilde. http://tinyurl.com/2wztlf

Animal Folk Tales by Anne A. Stanley, published in 1916.
http://tinyurl.com/36dswh3

Bengal Fairy Tales by F.B. Bradley-Brit, 1920. Brahmins, jackals, riddles and more. http://tinyurl.com/ycnx46c

The Celtic Twilight - Offered by William Butler Yeats and published in 1893, he writes in the forward, “I have invented nothing but my own comments and one or two deceitful sentences that may keep some poor storytellers discourse with the devils and the angels….”

http://tinyurl.com/2bngdk

Chinese Legends, Or, The Porcelain Tower - There are many wonderful myths, folktales and legends from China is this 1848 book by Thomas Henry Seal.. http://tinyurl.com/4xssl63

Cossack Fairy Tales and Folktales by Robert Nisbet Bain, 1902 – Bain collected these folktales from Ruthenian, the language of the Cossacks, a language intermediate between Russian and Polish. http://tinyurl.com/2uklns8  

Fairy Tales from Brazil: How and Why Tales from Brazilian Folk-lore - “Theresa, the ama, stands before us on the terrace under the mango trees…and we know the story hour has begun. ..To sit at the feet of Theresa, the ama, is to enter storyland. Enjoy and read online or download for your files, eighteen pourquoi tales collected by Elsie Spicer Eells from1917. http://tinyurl.com/9gh46k

Folklore and Legends – England and Scotland by Charles J. Tibbets, 1894.
http://tinyurl.com/yhjapjv

Folk-Tales of Bengal by Lal Behari Day, 1912.
http://tinyurl.com/6hytz4f

The Gold Path Reader, 1912 by Sheath, Hodges and Stevens
http://tinyurl.com/4xu2p4p

Gypsy Folktales by Francis Hindes Groome, 1899.
http://tinyurl.com/3v8qptw

Irish Fairy Tales - Brought to you by James Stephens all the way from 1920; beginning with The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill and ending with Mongan’s Frenzy.
http://tinyurl.com/2y5kcd

Irish Fairy Tales, Folklore and Legend - Illustrated by Geoffrey Strahan and published in 1904 this book offers a variety of English, Scottish and Irish folk-lore.
http://tinyurl.com/38r4wb

The Laughing Prince: A Book of Jugoslav Fairy Tales and Folk Tales, by Parker Fillmore, 1921. Fourteen tales to add a smile to your day. http://tinyurl.com/yceb8wc

Louisiana Folktales by Alcée Fortier, 1895 shared in both French dialect with English translation. http://tinyurl.com/3ttzqs

Myths and Legends of Alaska – Download this book from 1911 and the Land of the Midnight Sun! http://tinyurl.com/lpowsy

The Pearl Fountain and Other Fairy Tales by Bridget and Julia Kavanaugh, 1876. Eleven fairytales from long ago. http://tinyurl.com/7zdexk

Russian Folk-tales by William Ralston Shedden Ralston, 1880. Full of myths, legends, and folktales of demons, witches, vampires and ghouls if you dare!
http://tinyurl.com/28t449c

West African Folk-Tales by W.H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair – Children love animal and Anansi stories. This book will help add some new tales to your repertoire. Please note that this is a downloadable pdf file and will require that you open the file to access the stories.
http://tinyurl.com/48krhp7

Unlock the Possibilities - Enhance Your Online Presence: Blog It Baby!

My thanks to everyone who attended my workshop presentation, Enhance Your Online Presence - Blog it Baby! at the Northlands Storytelling Conference. I know there were other wonderful workshops you could have chosen and I appreciate and value your time. The links below provide additional information to help you take your blogging experience and storytelling business to the next level! 

  

For those of you who did not attend the conference and workshop, the links are here for your use as well.

EIGHT SITES FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES

Pictures will make your blog more interested and help it to stand out from the others. If you find an image you want to use and it isn’t in the public domain, contact the artist and ask. You will be surprised how many are generous with their permission. Make sure you link back to their site as a “thank you” and as a professional courtesy.

Digital Gallery: New York Public Library http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm
Clipart History -  http://www.clipart-history.com/
Dated Images -  http://datedimages.genpics.org/
Google Images - http://www.google.com/imghp
Karen’s Whimsy - http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/
Library of Congress American Memory - http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (Check copyright information for separate items)
U.S. History Images - http://ushistoryimages.com/

ADDITIONAL READING

It never hurts to read what professionals have to share. When have some time stop by and learn their tips and tricks.

How to Add an RSS Feed to Your Blog
http://tinyurl.com/5uyqht6

How to Start a Professional Blog: 10 Tips for New Bloggers
http://tinyurl.com/447orr5

How to Write Searchable Keyword Phrases in a Blog Post
http://tinyurl.com/3qbz6v3

SEO: Search Engine Optimization Tips
http://tinyurl.com/3k7gwum

What is the Ideal Post Frequency for a Blog?
While this article is from 2008 it still offers interesting information. Take the advice with a grain of salt and the realization that the writer is a professional blogger. What is the correct frequency for him might be far too much for you. Remember, sometimes less is more. http://tinyurl.com/6b9ju8f

When’s the Best Time to Publish Blog Posts?
http://tinyurl.com/6ld9xwh and
http://tinyurl.com/5vyuzyc

  

OTHER TOOLS


Tagxedo – A word cloud tool that can also be used to create various shapes. The key shaped word cloud at the top of this page was made using Tagxedo. http://www.tagxedo.com/

Wordle – Another word cloud tool. I used it on my blog post about the tool when I first stumbled on it. I simply added my blog URL and you can see the word cloud it created here using words from my blog posts here” http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/04/wordle-patterns-of-prose.html  You may also use Wordle by keying in the words you choose. http://www.wordle.net/

Happy blogging!

Karen Chace ©

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.

Preserving Our Roots - Collecting Family History

For a while I've had this picture, trying to decide the best place for it. You see, it was my mothers.  Birch trees were her favorite and about 30 years ago a lovely neighbor painted it for her.

Back then we lived in a house just a short walk from the beach. I remember that brilliant summer afternoon. The clean scent of ocean air softly drifted our way on the breeze. We were sitting on the back deck of her friend Eileen's house, enjoying the easy laughter that always seems to flow on those "life is good" days. Eileen stepped into the house and when she returned she was carrying the painting in her hands. I still recall the look of pure delight in my mother's eyes. No one had every done anything like that for her before and she treasured it.

When she passed away my step-father kept the painting, and now that he is also gone, it has been passed down to me. Yesterday, I decided to hang it in my office on the wall just over my shoulder. It makes me feel as if she is watching over me.

The memory of that summer day started me thinking about family and traditions, and so I decided to put together some resources for you.  Later today I will again host one of our family traditions, the Easter Egg Hunt. Although my son is 24 years old he still insists on the hunt, and of course, his Easter Egg Basket.  Family traditions can come from all kinds of moments, Easter Egg hunts, summer days, and paintings of birch trees...what's important is that you remember them.

RESOURCES
Center for Studies in Oral Tradition
http://oraltradition.org/

Indian Country Wisconsin - Ojibwe Oral Tradition
http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-141.html
Oneida Oral Tradition http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-136.html

Kentucky Bacon Oral History Project - "In Kentucky, curing bacon and hams has been a necessity of life for generations. In more recent years, this tradition has been in retreat. ... There remain, however, a select few artisans who cling faithfully to family traditions." This site provides audio clips and edited transcripts of oral histories of some of these artisans.
http://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/kentucky-bacon-oral-history-project/
Copyright http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24156

In The First Person - Over 2,500 collections of oral history from around the world: personal narratives, letters, diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, and oral histories; a goldmine of information.
This site is no longer active but information is still available via The Wayback Machine at the link below.
https://web.archive.org/web/20111020195552/http://www.inthefirstperson.com/firp/index.aspx


Oral Tradition Journal -This is one fabulous resource you will return to again and again. The Center for Studies in Oral Tradition at the University of Missouri has generously placed twenty-two years of their journal online. The site contains nearly 500 articles and 10,000 pages with the contents downloadable as pdf files. The site is also searchable by keyword or author name.  Thanks to Jo Radner for passing this site along. http://journal.oraltradition.org/

Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide -A 35 page guide for collecting oral histories from family and community members, including tips, forms and questions to get you started.
http://tinyurl.com/3hjt7r4

Family Folklore: How to Collect Your Own Family Folklore - Every family needs a Tradition Bearer so why not you? Produced to accompany the exhibition, The Grand Generation, Memory, Mastery’, and Legacy, this guide will lead you through the process of discovering and recording your own family traditions and folklore. http://tinyurl.com/3lmntw8


CRAFTS

Ancestry Chart
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/familytree/semicircle/

Family Tree
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/miscellaneous/families.htm

My Grandfather's Book
http://tinyurl.com/3ee9z5b

My Grandmother's Book
http://tinyurl.com/3bdjnfm

CURRICULUM

Family Traditions - UNC Education - Grade 1
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2856

Family Traditions - Utah Education Network
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=599

Learning to Give - Traditions of the Family
http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit67/lesson1.html

Read Write Think - My Family Traditions: A Class Book and a Potluck Lunch
http://tinyurl.com/2d96by6



Karen Chace  2011 ©
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 newsletter via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Two Minutes To Tell - StoriesLive!

Stories take on many forms. Some may be long, sweeping Irish epics, comical Appalachian Jack Tales, or pourquoi folktales answering those "Why?" questions young children always seems to ask. Then there are those short, two minute stories that reach in, touch your soul, grab your heart, and momentarily leave the listener speechless. Two minutes? Can it be possible to accomplish all of that as the seconds tick by?

There is a story connected to the famous author Ernest Hemingway. It is said he considers this short story to be his best work, and he did it in just six words:

"For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn."

Today, the founders of massmouth are blazing a new trail for teenagers in Massachusetts. They are doing what might seem to be an impossible task, getting teens to share their stories through the StoriesLive!  program. Granted, two minutes doesn't allow time to add extraordinary imagery, nuance and perfect pacing, the tools professional use to enhance their stories. Yet, the shorter time frame might just be the key these young adults need to unlock and release the fear of public speaking. Two minutes is possible, two is doable, two minutes is safe. 

Listen to Maho share his heartstopping story, just one of the many high school students who are learning to share where they come from!

Would you like a chance to hear these stories live? There will be a public performance at Cambridge Public Library on April 30 at 2:30 P.M. (on Broadway). To listen to more student tellers go to  www.massmouth.ning.com/events .

A World Without Art

"Art is important. We tend to think it is a luxury, but it gives people deep pleasure because beauty is the personification of hope that something grander is at work. Gil Dellinger


"Art programs at Boyertown High School in Pennsylvania are in danger of being cut, so the students made a video to show the School Board Finance Committee how they feel about their art classes - they weren't allowed to show it. Now districts across Pennsylvania and the nation are starting to use it to advocate for their own programs. It's a great video."  From Art Learning, Inc.

These amazing students give me hope!

Three Cups of Tea or a Serving of Honesty

Tea-Drinking by Andrey Ryabushkin
1903



This weekend I was working on a blog post about honesty, based on a discussion during our FAIR Massachusetts Humanities session. We read A Days Work by Eve Bunting and The Empty Pot by Demi. The discussion was rich and families shared personal stories about moments when they chose honesty over deception.

As storytellers and teachers we carry stories of integrity, honesty, generosity, fairness and respect into schools and libraries, and sometimes use real life examples of philanthropic men and women to frame our folktales. Gregg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea seemed to embody all of these ethics and more. Sadly, this weekend there have been questions from many authoritative fronts about the veracity of his work and organization.


 

One insightful article about this new dilemma is at The Book Bench - New Yorker.“Three Cups of Tea” and the Stories We Tell"  by Macy Halford

http://tinyurl.com/68tlblz

I sincerely hope Mr. Mortenson will reconsider and allow an unbiased accounting of his organizations funding, exonerate himself and undo the damage to his reputation.  At a time when too many people place pop musicians, actors, athletes and reality housewives on pedestals, now more than ever we need true heroes to emulate and respect.

STORIES

A Boiled Seed Cannot Sprout - China
http://www.wisdomcommons.org/virtue/76-integrity/parables

The Hidden Treasure – India * The tale is also accompanied by a teacher’s worksheet.
http://tinyurl.com/6bvr54u

The Honest Penny - Norway

http://oaks.nvg.org/ntales46.html

The Honest Thief - India

http://www.pitara.com/talespin/folktales/online.asp?story=37

The Honest Woodcutter

http://www.4to40.com/folktales/index.asp?p=Honest_Woodcutter

Learning to Give - Twelve multicultural folktales about honesty.

http://learningtogive.org/materials/folktales/trait.asp?trait=honesty

BOOKS

Books that foster critical thinking.

http://thinkcritically.weebly.com/childrens-literature-resources.html

CURRICULUM

First-School - http://www.first-school.ws/features/stories/the-cherry-tree.htm

Learning to Give - http://tinyurl.com/42xb7qw

Teacher Planet – Many curriculum links, activities and more.

http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/honesty.php

Character Connection – A useful pdf file filled with stories, activities and a word search.
http://tinyurl.com/3rjsfj3


ACTIVITY

Tall Tales - Parents can use this activity at any time, and while it seems like just a fun story, it can teach children that not telling the truth, or exaggerating the facts in a story can sound silly to someone else. Choose an event that happened while you were with the child, and make it into a story. For instance, you can tell a story of how you went camping last summer. As you tell the story, insert five untruths or exaggerations into the tale. They can be anything from encountering a bear, to changing what color tent you stayed in. See if the child can figure out the five facts that are not true in your story. From http://tinyurl.com/3ochq9n