Reading Notes Week 11: Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends, Part C

Hawk and the Osprey: The first paragraph succinctly introduces the setting (a natural lake with a small island), and the main characters (Hawk, She-Hawk, Lion, Osprey, and Tortoise). Coordinating the animals with cardinal directions makes them easier to remember. I love this story's power of friendship ideal. Also, I appreciate the way it has a not-quite epilogue after the climactic action, in which "they discoursed for a long time on the value of friendship". We all need a little help sometimes, and that's where friendship can come in handy.

Grandmother's Golden Dish: "Avaricious". The four sentence structure returns: Introduction of the protagonist, their occupation, the setting, and the antagonist, all in the first paragraph. Oh no how did the entire wealthy family die? Was there a disease? A mysterious curse? The honorable businessman had success because of his kindness and honesty, while the tempestuous, dishonest businessman's demise was brought about by his own trickery and hatred. Moral: be like the Bodisat, not the Devadatta.

The Elephant that Spared Life: "Procured him a wife from a family of equal rank" These rank marriages are constantly brought up- it's like a kind of caste conditioning agenda. The well-intentioned, law abiding citizens inexplicably triumphed, while the slanderous jealous man was made their slave. Classic black/white good and evil villain gets their due story.

How the Antelope was Caught: A great example of how lust and greed can take you places you by nature would never choose to go. Good re-telling potential with feeding a squirrel or ducks or even a human spin with cheesecake or something. Hansel and Gretel has a similar motif.

The Banyan Deer: Selflessness is again the primary moral- the willingness of the King of the Banyan Deer to sacrifice himself for a doe not even of his herd was moving enough to the human King that he promised for his people to become vegetarians. What struck me in this story was the description of the golden deer, with his jewel-like eyes and beautiful antlers. I also thought having two look-alike deer equals discernible through a good deed and a bad one was also interesting- like the villain is but the hero with a different ideology.

The Pupil who Taught his Teacher: So many of these stories start with numbers: 50 carts, 30,000 monkeys, 500 youths, etc. I suppose it lends a sense of credibility? I will try to incorporate this in my next story perhaps. "kith and kin". This story tells youth that, if you follow the rules, you will not die young. If only this were true. I would go so far as to say this tale has the negative impact of inferring that people who die young are sinful:( Setting-wise, this was an easy transition, and the gentle trickery with the bones was an interesting twist.

The Man who Told a Lie: "I must not tell lies"- Harry Potter (Dolores Umbridge). Moral: even if the people do not know, someone will, and you will suffer for your dishonesty. I wonder what these flowers looked like/ who was in charge of gardening them, and am curious about the alluded-to setting of the abode of the Blest.

Bibliography:

    Shedlock, Marie L. Eastern Stories and Legends. Link.

Image Info: A 2017 Japanese Cover for Marie Shedlock's Eastern Stories and Legends.
Source: Ratuken Kobo. Link.