Reading Options for Mythology and Folklore

The UnTextbook is a very fitting name for an online compilation of myths and legends. I am excited to begin to explore these stories throughout the semester. 

The first Unit that caught my eye was the Arabian Nights unit. This has always been a collection of stories that I have heard about, and been interested in, but never taken the time to read. I didn't realize Aladdin was a part of this collection, so now I have even more respect for Disney's opening number in their cartoon rendition of the story. I glanced through the story titles and was intrigued by the Story of the Parrot and the Story of the Ogre. As I read the story, my interest was peaked by the analogous nature of the stories. I'll definitely want to return to this unit during this semester.

The second Unit that caught my eye was the Russian Folktales unit. Mostly, because I hadn't really ever thought about folktales originating in Russia. My first thought about the titles of the stories was that they were really dark, gory, and dealt with a lot of death. I read the story the Leshy and was not shocked by the tragic tone of the story. It reminded me of the original Grimm fairy tales. In this story, a young girl was stolen, held captive for three years, rescued by a hunter, and then given in marriage to that hunter by her parents. I'm intrigued to explore more units to find out how far-reaching the tone of patriarchy is in myths and folktales. 

The third Unit I explored was the Twenty Two Goblins unit. This caught my eye because in every book, movie, or TV show goblins represent a different kind of beast. I'm curious about how they originated in fairytales. I browsed the Introduction and the Three Lovers and am very curious about this story and I hope to read it fully during this course. 

Arabian Nights Web Source: Dublin Civic Theatre