NOTES
Bibliography: Stories from the Celtic Fairy Tales (1) unit. Story source: Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).
One story I enjoyed was the "Field of Boliauns." In this tale, a man named Tom discovers a leprechaun. The little creature has with him a special kind of beer, which I thought was funny. Tom demands that the leprechaun show him to his gold. The leprechaun tricks Tom, and Tom leaves with no new riches. I enjoyed the pacing of this story and the lighthearted tone used by the author. It certainly made the tale fun to read. Lighthearted stories with magical elements make up some of the best folklore. I want to include more of this style of tone in my own writing going forward.
Week 12 notes! This week I am reading Celtic Fairy Tales.
Another interesting story in this unit was "The Shepherd of Myddvai." In this tale, a shepherd becomes enamored with a maiden from the sea. After passing a series of tests, she agrees to become his wife. However, she has a stipulation: she will leave him after three "blows" (which end up amounting to anything from light shoulder taps to rough touches). This eventually comes to pass, and the beautiful maiden returns to the lake. I found this tale interesting because of the strange agreement that the story is centered around. The man agreed to this deal, obviously not understanding what would constitute a "blow," simply because of his love for the maiden. She can be read as a cruel character with questionable motives. The tale was engaging, but left me with more questions than answers. Sometimes stories like this are very worthwhile though, as they challenge readers to make their own interpretations. Also, the aspect of trickery seems to be a recurring theme in some of these Celtic folktales and fairytales.
I enjoyed the first part of this unit and am excite to apply what I've seen to my own stories!
Ornamental Celtic knot design from a Wikimedia user: Source
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