The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

Like this, only magic.

Hello, reader. This week, we look to Japan for our story. The Tongue-Cut Sparrow is a story about learning to not be a jerk, but only to a point. Follow the link in the previous sentence to read the story, and then continue below to look past the surface with me.

This story really just has three characters: the old man, the old woman, and the sparrow. I'm not sure why the old man didn't realize his sparrow was a fairy when she started talking to him, but maybe he thought that was normal for pet sparrows. The sparrow really does act as a fairy godmother in this story. She takes on a mortal to take care of, and rewards him for his good deeds. Then she punishes another mortal for that woman's wicked deeds. What intrigues me is that the sparrow only uses her fairy powers after her tongue is cut. Clearly, she's been a fairy this whole time, and she's had time to raise daughters as fairy sparrows as well. However, not once did this fairy reward the old man until after her tongue was cut out. It almost seems like she was going to pretend to be a regular talking sparrow until the old woman forced her hand, so to speak.

As for the old woman, I have to wonder why the old man married her in the first place. She's always been like that, so why does such a nice, spineless man still live with someone who's so mean? I'm going to have to assume they didn't meet until they were married. However much we might dislike the old woman for being so mean and awful, she is the only reason this story even happens. Otherwise, it's the story of a man with an awesome pet sparrow. Because of her, the sparrow is revealed as a fairy and the old man and the old woman benefit from it. Only from this brutal, over-the-top punishment do good things come into both of their lives. In a similar fashion, it's only because the old woman got a box of demons that she finally mended her ways and stopped being so cross all the time. Good things only come after bad in this story.

I really feel sorry for the old man. He's pretty much just blown around by others in his life. His wife's and sparrow's actions are what drive him, not his own actions. He has a bond with this sparrow, so after his wife attacks the sparrow, he goes to find her. He doesn't stay with the sparrow too long because he wants to get home to his wife. He only gets gold because the sparrow decides to give it to him. He actually comes into his own at the very end of the story in the paragraph where he convinces his wife not to be so mean anymore. This gets much less time than the sparrow's or old woman's actions. While the old man may be what moves the plot along, this story only happens because of the old woman and the sparrow.

The moral of this story would have to be: be just the right amount of rude and life will be great.

Want a pet sparrow now? Have another moral for this story? Want me to look at a different tale? Comment below!

The Red Slipper

Like these, only magic.

Hello reader. This week's story is Jewish. The Red Slipper looks like it's going to be a Cinderella look-alike, but twists to avoid doing that in just the right ways. Follow the link to read the story and keep reading here to look beneath the surface with me.

I have to wonder about the girl's father in this story. His only job in this story is to raise Rosy-red until he remarries a terrible woman, and then he disappears. Does Rosy-red's stepmother have some kind of magic at her disposal to make this happen? Is she just really good at playing people so she made this man love her enough to marry her, and then hate her enough to leave home constantly? Whatever the answer, Rosy-red's father is not really a character in this story. He and the chieftain's son are the only men in this story, and they don't really do much. I guess the chieftain's son gets to speak, at least. One man sets Rosy-red up for a terrible life and the other brings her into a splendid life. While we're on the subject, there's something a little strange about the chieftain's son.

The chieftain's son finds a shoe in the woods and decides he has to marry the girl who belongs to it. This makes even less sense than Cinderella's story. At least in Cinderella, the prince actually meets the girl he vows to marry. The chieftain's son has no idea what this girl is like, but because of one shoe, he comes back to a cave in the forest to talk to an old woman day after day and has his servants comb the forest to find the shoe's owner. At last, when he is completely convinced that the owner of the shoe is actually living in this cave, he meets Rosy-red and they have their happily ever after. At least this obsessive man could give her a happy ending.

I also wonder about the jinn in this story. I suppose the jinn is referred to as a male, but he is not human, and he has a bit more impact on the story than the human men who set up and end Rosy-red's tale. The jinn rewards good singing and punishes bad singing. I have to wonder about the jewels he's guarding, though. He was willing to give some of them away for a sweet song. I guess it would be pretty lonely hanging out at the bottom of a well, but he must be guarding those jewels for someone. From the phrasing in the story, it sounds like the gems aren't his. This jinn seems to have a terrible effect on Rosy-red's life by setting in motion getting her kicked out of her house, but that ends up being an excellent thing. It's only because Rosy-red got kicked out of her abusive home that she ended up living happily ever after. I like this because it's the opposite of how jinns usually interact with people in stories. Typically, jinns are mean and mess everything up for their master. So, in more ways than one, this story strays from the typical path, and it's better for it.

The moral of this story is either: "Keep the gems you find in a bucket for yourself," or, "If you're going to get lost in the woods, make sure to lose one of your magical shoes so a crazy prince will find you."

Have another moral? Annoyed I didn't talk about the women in this story? Have a story you want me to analyze? Comment below!

Snaring the Sun

Did I say you could set this quickly?

Hello, reader. This week, we turn toward Hawaii for our tale. Snaring the Sun is the Hawaiian story behind why the sun is in the sky longer in some seasons that others. I was only familiar with the story about Hades and Persephone, so it's nice to read how another culture handles this. Click on the link above and then read below to think a bit more deeply about it.

Maui is spurred into action because he feels bad for his mother. While I almost wish his mother had snared the sun herself, it is a good reason for him to change something so drastic. I mean, if you're a god it is. Maui studies the problem before rushing into it and decides that the best way to grab the sun is to make a strong rope out of coconut husks. I can't really fault the Moemoe for saying he couldn't do it. I didn't think Maui would be able to grab the sun, either. Of course, it is a legend so science is a little...different.

Once Maui gets the sun, he violently breaks off its strongest legs and then declares he's going to kill it for going too quickly. I'm going to assume that he was bluffing because that would be the opposite of what he wanted to happen. Either way, I'm a little startled by the violence of this story. Not only can Maui lasso the sun, but then he breaks it apart with his bare hands. Remind me not to anger any Hawaiian gods. Or demigods. ...or in some stories Maui is just a human.

Anyway, Maui is not done. Once he gets the sun to agree to go more slowly, he hunts down the Moemoe who said he couldn't do it, and kills him. To be fair, Maui did tell this critter that he would kill it for doubting him. Once the Moemoe died, it became a long rock beside a road somewhere. So I guess this is an origin myth for two things: the difference in time the sun is above the horizon during different seasons, and a long rock. I have to admit I didn't see that one coming.

Keeping in mind that this story has the filter of not only the person who verbally told it, but also the person who wrote it down and published it, there's a bit more to Maui than meets the eye. Yes, he is violent and impulsive, but he is also devoted and persistent. He went to great lengths and did something impossible just to make his mother's life easier. That's love. Maui is kind of a great guy, just a little impulsive and violent.

The moral of this story would either be: if you are Maui's mother, he will change the world to make your life easier, or even if you doubt someone, don't tell them, or they might kill you after they succeed at their impossible task.

Disagree with my morals? Have some of your own? Have a story you want me to write about? Have an opinion about Hawaii versus Hawai'i? Comment below!

Pied Piper of Hameln

Nothing to see here, just a man leading children away with his music.

Hello again, reader. This week, by request, we'll be looking at the Pied Piper of Hameln, from Germany. This is a story the brothers Grimm collected, but it looks like at least part of it was based on real events. Follow the link to the story above and then let's take a look at it below.

Firstly, the moral question of the tale is whether or not the townsfolk deserved to have their children taken from them. They agreed to pay this man a sum of money and, after he did the job, they decided not to pay him. Obviously, the townsfolk are not the best people. They should have paid what they agreed to, so, I understand why the piper would be angry. However, that does not mean that he can kidnap the town's children. Children are, obviously, very different from money, so he wasn't taking what was owed him. I'm sure the townsfolk would argue that the piper took more than he was owed. All of the moral arguments aside, it would be far more expensive to feed and care for those children than whatever the townsfolk had promised the piper.

This leads me to my next point: why did the piper want these children? Obviously he wanted to hurt the townsfolk, but did he have a plan after the door in the mountain shut behind the last child? I'm sure the children almost immediately started crying, once the spell wore off. I would like to be charitable and think he got these children other loving homes, however, I think the truth is much more sinister. After all, we have a town that was suddenly and inexplicably overrun by rats and the man who, with just his music, can miraculously lead them out of town. Then he can do the same thing with the children. Yes, I'm saying he turned those children into rats. Then he can set them loose on another town and try to collect his payment from those folks instead. It's smart, if terrifying. On the other hand, maybe the whole thing was a metaphor for a disease, brought by the rats, that hit the children the hardest. Who knows?

As far as a moral for this story, I would say, make sure you pay your debts, especially if they're to a magic man with crazy powers.

Want me to write about a folktale you find interesting? Have a different moral? Or a different argument about this tale? Comment below!

Old Mother Frost

Seconds before the tar was dumped all over that girl.

This week's story comes to us from Eastern Europe. Old Mother Frost is a story about two sisters and, of course, Old Mother Frost.

The stepsister is, of course, the good, hardworking sister. However, she has her problems too. She lets herself be bullied and doesn't say anything about it. She's treated terribly at home, but after she leaves, this girl gets home sick. I'm a little confused and worried about her. She had a good situation with Old Mother Frost, but she wanted to leave anyway. I understand that a girl alone didn't typically have options, but this girl did and she chose to go back to the abuse.

Old Mother Frost is a bit of a puzzle in herself. She seems to be able to do her own work, but drops it without question to let someone else do it. I'm not faulting her for that. However, I wonder why she's testing those girls and how many girls she's tested. If she gave all of the good ones bags of gold, it would seriously mess up the economy, so I'm assuming she doesn't do that every time, or they're small bags of gold. Is that her way of making a difference? She puts snow on the world every day, and winnows out the industrious from the lazy. Old Mother Frost has a lot going on, and I honestly want to know more about her than the good or lazy girls. Reader, let me know if you see more stories about Old Mother Frost.

The moral of this story is either to be incredibly hardworking, especially if you're working for a stranger, or not to let magical old women pour anything on you. Because that tar will not wash out.

What do you think? What moral would you give this story? Comment below, and let me know if there's any stories you'd like to see.

Anansi and Brother Death

It's Anansi. Just hanging out.

By request, this week, we are looking at a story about Anansi. Anansi is a character in West African and Caribbean folktales. He is also a spider. (I'm sorry for those of you who are freaked out by spiders. Maybe go back and reread last week's tale instead.) This version of the story seems to come from Jamaica. Anasi and Brother Death is a story about how lazy Death is. Read the story and turn it on its head with me below.

When the story opens, we have Anansi walking for a long time and in need of some water. When he meets a silent and apparently deaf old man, Anasi walks into his house and takes whatever he wants. The old man doesn't stop him, so Anasi feels like he can come back again and do the same thing. Not once does the old man, Death, move or say anything to stop him. On the third day, Anansi brings his oldest daughter and decides that she will be Death's wife as repayment. A person/spider as repayment for three large meals doesn't seem like a fair trade, but I've never liked the idea of trading people for things. Even after Anansi presents Death with a bride, Death still doesn't say or do anything. Is it that hard to say you're not interested? Apparently it was easier for Death to kill her and eat her than to tell her father that he didn't want her.

I can't understand Death's motivation, but I suppose that if he made a meal out of Anansi's daughter and another meal out of Anansi, then he would have made up two of the meals he lost. These must be very large spiders, or Death is very small. In either case, it's good to know that Death can't climb or throw things. Although, on the off chance that he's improved in these two areas, you might not want to stake your bid on immortality just by staying up somewhere high. I was intrigued that the vision of Death was so limited. He had trouble talking and he can't throw things or climb. I wonder what else this version of Death can't do. Are there more ways to cheat Death than just a chess? That will probably have to be an ongoing topic of discussion. At least in Anansi's case, running and building webs are good enough.

The moral of this story is either: don't take things from people without asking, or if you're going to steal from Death, don't try to marry one of your children to him.

The Loyal Sweetheart

No, not this kind of blue flower.

By request, this week's tale comes from the Native Americans. I selected a story from the Passamaquoddy tribe, specifically. The story is called The Loyal Sweetheart and the title is very descriptive. Read the story at the link above, and then analyze it with me below.

In a story with a title like this, we almost have to have a beautiful woman who doesn't want to marry anyone except the man who doesn't feel he's got a reason to think they can marry. That's a pretty standard beginning. However, one of the first things that caught my attention about this story was actually the love song. Often, characters will use a love song to convey their feelings to that special person, but very rarely do I see the lyrics written out. The imagery in the love song actually works perfectly with the story, which must have been planned. The women are taken hostage in the autumn and are held for weeks, which of course takes them into winter. The spring was the warriors coming to rescue the women, and then Blue Flower and her warrior could be together again. The spring was probably only metaphorical at this point, instead of the actual season, but it's close enough to work with the song.

I was also surprised at the threatened violence in this story. Blue Flower could have been burned at the stake for not wanting to marry any of the men who kidnapped her. Obviously she wouldn't have wanted to marry them, but refusing even with the threat of death is very brave. The chief convinced his warriors to give her more time, which ended up saving their lives. It's only because they didn't do the things they threatened to do to Blue Flower that she convinced her warrior not to torture them. She is brave, stubborn, and merciful. I do love finding heroines like this.

As far as a moral for this story, it's either got to be: treat people well, because you never know when your places with change, or be true to your heart. That's when the heavens will part and show the world what you believe in. ...or maybe that's a pop song.

What would you put as the moral for this story? Comment below!

Do you have a story, character, or part of the world you want me to cover? Comment below for that as well.