Week 12 Story Planning: Merlin

Research: It is unclear as to whether or not there was a real King Arthur. According to multiple different sources, there might have been a Roman-affiliated "Arthur" who defended against incoming Saxon forces during the 5th to 6th centuries A.D. Additionally, some sources even report that the name "Arthur" was a honorary term given to those who fought valiantly. Either way you look at it, Arthur was a valiant warrior who had great leadership abilities.
In the History of the Britons, there are multiple accounts of Arthur fighting in multiple battles, which would have been impossible for him to physically do so. However, accounts like this add to Arthur's legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth added in the figure of Merlin which allowed for the birth story and background of King Arthur. It wasn't until some cultural intermingling in Europe that different writers' imaginations and political agendas got involved that King Arthur's legend became a complex story. 

Merlin on the other hand is a less formed character with more limited background than Arthur. In Geoffrey's rendering of Merlin, Merlin is a Cambion: born of a mortal woman (Adhan) and sired by an incubus, who gives Merlin his supernatural powers. Also, Geoffrey writes that Merlin matures to an ascendant statehood and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. Later authors write that Merlin ends up serving as Arthur's advisor until he is bewitched and imprisoned by the Lady of the Lake. An interesting note to Merlin's name is that in the original writing by Geoffrey, Merlin's Anglo-Norman origin would by Merdinus, which resembled the word merde, meaning feces. I find this funny because in the version of King Arthur in the Untextbook, Merlin knows everything that will happen, but still walks right into his own grave. For a guy who knows what's going to happen, he sure did walk into a crappy situation. Haha..

As for Merlin's backstory, Geoffrey provides us with some history. Merlin's character is based off of a bard who is driven mad by the horrors of war and goes into the woods to become a wild man. Apparently, Merlin is connected to an Aurelius Ambrosius, who is discovered by the British king Vortigern when trying to erect a tower. Long story short, Ambrosius tells Vortigern that the tower will continue to fall unless Ambrosius is given dominion over the tower. In later episodes of Merlin, he goes on to bring the Stonehedge stones from Preseli hills in south-west Wales and Ireland. He also is portrayed as a man with seemingly long life as these different episodes span quite a long time period.

After doing this research, I feel like writing about Merlin. By nature it seems that the original writers wanted to keep his background somewhat mysterious to keep that magical allure to his character. My plan is to expand on Merlin's background by writing in the first person narrative. By writing in this style, I hope to provide the missing details of Merlin's childhood/teenage years. Since these years are my focus, I do not have any big plans to integrate King Arthur into my story. The main focus of my story will be that of Merlin. Also, since Merlin is based on a crazy man who lives in the woods, I think I will work on the events that led up to him becoming that crazy wild man. I imagine Merlin's personality pre-wild man would be bold and courageous seeing as how he knows what will happen. This could be his motivation for joining the military and going to war, because he knew he wouldn't die and would be a hero. However, since there is a difference between knowing something and actually experiencing it, this event will ultimately change Merlin into the crazy wild man that he is based off of. 

Image: Merlinus

Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part A

For Week 12's reading I decided to go with the King Arthur readings. I've always been a fan of King Arthur, Merlin, and the knights of the Round Table. After reading Part A i found out some stuff that I never knew actually happened in and during the life of King Arthur. For one I never knew that King Arthur was adopted and had to continue to prove over and over again that he could pull the sword out of the stone. Also, I always thought that the sword that Arthur pulled out of the stone was the sword Excalibur. I never had any idea that the two swords were not one in the same. 

To me, Merlin was a very interesting character because his character knows everything that will happen. Having this omnipotence, however, does not stop him from getting himself locked underground for life. I found this ironic especially because he must have known that he was going to his death, but he did it anyway because he had so much love for a woman who didn't even love him back. Obviously, even the great Merlin was not exempt from his own fate, so to speak. 

With all this in mind, I might write about a character who is similar to Merlin. A character who tries his best to lead others to greatness because he knows of his own shortcomings. A character who ultimately succeeds in some areas and fails his own self. The more and more that I think about it, the more a story like this seems to need a moral to it. If I was going to write a story with a moral to it then it might end up being something like, "with great power comes great responsibility." However, I'll probably end up changing it haha.







Bibliography: King Arthur by Andrew Lang

Image: Merlin the Enchanter 

Week 11 Story: Beowulf and Grendel

Once upon a time in a place called Danesland, there was a certain creature whose name was Grendel. When Grendel was born and the other monsters saw him, they were taken aback by his looks. Grendel was not easy to look at, not even for other monsters. Despite his physical appearance he showed great promise among the monsters because his strength was abnormal, even among them. As a child, Grendel wrought havoc to small human villages with ease.

Grendel would've been content to live out his life among the other monsters, but those wretched humans caused so much noise. In addition to Grendel's superior physical strength, his senses were also extremely sensitive. The older he got, the more his strength and senses increased. Eventually, the humans learned of Grendel's existence and sought to kill him.

King Hrothgar of the Danes sent his best men to kill Grendel. As they clambered their way through the forest looking for Grendel's den, Grendel watched them from the dark. "They are loud even when they are trying to sneak around," Grendel thought, "I can't stand it anymore!" With that last thought Grendel charged the men and one by one tore them to pieces. The only one to survive was Unferth, who was King Hrothgar's best friend.

Unferth had played dead until Grendel had finished killing his companions and then got up and made his way back to Heoret, Hrothgar's fortress. Unferth ran up to Hrothgar and said, "This is a terrible monster unlike any we have faced before! He kills without any remorse! He cannot be stopped!" Troubled by Unferth's words, Hrothgar decided to send for aid from their neighbors in Geatsland. However, it just so happened that the messengers had to pass through Grendel's territory in order to make their way to Geatsland.

Year after year, all the messengers were killed until twelve long years had passed. Then, one messenger decided to take the long way around by crossing through the dragon's territory. After a long and arduous journey the messenger made it to Geatsland. The warriors of Geatsland loved fighting and were enticed by the messenger's stories from the lands outside of theirs. But, once the messenger told of Grendel and his terrorizing, only one warrior stood up and announced that he would go to Hrothgar's aid. "Beowulf! Beowulf!" The Lords of Geatsland cheered.

Beowulf returned to Danesland with the messenger and a company of men specially appointed by King Hygelac of Dane. With the messenger as their guide they made their way safely to Heoret. Once they arrived Hrothgar welcomed them with open arms and let them know where Grendel lived. After spending the night resting and restoring their strength they got up and headed out to find Grendel.

Grendel watched Beowulf and his company as they stomped through the forest. When they finally stopped to make camp for the night, Grendel decided to attack. Grendel ran right up behind two of Beowulf's men, grabbed their heads and then popped them in one fluid movement. The rest of the men, besides Beowulf, stood up and armed themselves with their swords and shields. Rushing Grendel, they were each slaughtered until only Beowulf himself was left.

The two circled each other, waiting for the other to make a fatal mistake. His impatience getting the best of him, Grendel charged Beowulf. Grendel swung his arms wildly trying to snatch Beowulf up. Beowulf ducked and slipped through each of Grendel's attempts to grab him and then managed to take Grendel's back. Beowulf began to choke Grendel as hard as he could, but Grendel reached up, took hold of Beowulf and threw him against a tree. Beowulf knew that if he didn't do something quick, he would be torn apart just like his companions. Just then he noticed a sword half-covered in dirt. He waited until Grendel was right on top of him before he swung the sword from its hiding place and chopped Grendel's right arm completely off.

"Arggghhhhh!" Grendel cried as he fell to his knees.

Beowulf walked right up to Grendel and said, "Your bloodletting days are over, demon! I am ripper, tearer, slasher, gouger. I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night. Mine is strength and lust and power! I am Beowulf!" And with that Beowulf drew his sword above his head and brought it down on Grendel's neck.







Author's Note: I used the Beowulf unit by Strafford Riggs as my main source inspiration for this story. In the original, the story is told from the perspective of Geatsland and all I did was switch this to the perspective of the Danes. I kept all the characters names the same and kept their roles relatively the same as well. Some differences were that Unferth never confronted Grendel and the messenger was never sent by King Hrothgar. Also, Grendel's perspective isn't told in the original, so I wrote a little about that in the beginning. The biggest change is how I had Beowulf and his company actually go after Grendel and try to kill him in the forest. Lastly, I took Beowulf's last quote from the Beowulf animation that I found on YouTube.

Bibliography: Beowulf by Strafford Riggs

Image: Beowulf and his men by Henry Pitz (1933) from the Untextbook

Reading Notes: Beowulf, Part A

For Tuesday's reading of week 11, I chose Beowulf. I've always wanted to read the story of Beowulf, but I have never had the opportunity to do so. After reading part A of the Beowulf unit, I feel greatly inspired. Everything about this story spells hero, so far. Also, Beowulf is a man among men as I understand it, because the men of Geatsland seem like giants themselves.

The first element that I'm planning on using from the Beowulf unit is the fact that Beowulf is so powerful even when compared to men who are much older than himself. It is pointed out in the Beowulf unit that even as a child, Beowulf displayed strength that was uncharacteristic of a kid his age. Applying this to my own storytelling, I would like to create a character who is born with great strength, but isn't taught how to use it. Perhaps, as he grows older, he will meet mentors who are able to teach and guide him how to use his profound strength. This could even take elements from Star Wars, because as I type this, it seems more and more similar to Luke and Yoda.
The second element is the fact that Beowulf's peers and seniors do not take him seriously. In the Beowulf unit, Beowulf performs a great swimming feat, but people tend to discredit him because they just don't think that he could do it. Also, everyone calls him the Sluggard, because he trips over his own sword and seems lazy. The truth is that his strength has not been fully tested and pushed to its limits. In short, he has had no real challenge, so he appears to be lazy because he simply can't try his hardest. I would like to apply this to my own story by having my main character easily complete whatever tasks are set before him. In completing these tasks, I will have the onlookers think that the main character is full of himself or something of this nature.


Bibliography: Beowulf by Strafford Riggs
Image: Young Beowulf when he was sixteen, in the Untextbook by Henry Pitz (1933).

Week 10 Storytelling: Different Approaches to War

When the United States was still in its infancy, there were two generals who had different philosophies when it came to war. The first general was in the army and his name was George. The second general was in the Marine Corps and his name was Samuel. George believed that the best way to defeat an enemy was through attrition. Samuel, on the other hand, believed the best way to defeat an enemy was through maneuver.

The two disagreed with each other often and this sometimes caused them to lose battles. One day, after suffering a terrible defeat, the two generals decided that they had to come together and figure out a solution to their problem. "Join your forces with me and we will defeat our enemies with overwhelming numbers!" George exclaimed.

"No! That would lead to a unacceptable loss of life! I will not agree to that misuse of my Marines," Samuel asserted. "Instead, we should strike the enemy at key points and locations in order to disable their war machine," Samuel offered. But neither side could agree with the other. Needless to say, the two were at an impasse. After a long stare down, Samuel finally broke the silence. He said, "We can settle this in our next enemy encounters."

George agreed. The two generals set up their base camps in an area with plenty of space for George's troops to assemble and get into battle formations on an open field. Samuel and his troops preferred to fight in the forest where they could outmaneuver their enemy. However, Samuel thought that his Marines could outperform George's troops when it came down to it.

The enemy attacked the following morning, but thanks to their tireless training, both George's and Samuel's troops were alerted and reacted quickly. George's soldiers rushed into their pre-assigned spots on the battlefield and formed up. Samuel's Marines took just a little longer, but this was enough for the enemy to spot a potential weakness. The enemy charged Samuel's ranks head-on causing some casualties. Without even having to think about what to do, George's soldiers swung their flank around and formed an L-shaped formation. The enemy was forced to fight Samuel on their front and George on their flank. George was able to pressure the enemy and cause disarray among their ranks. After this, George cut of the enemy's escape route and forced them to surrender.

"I told you that my way was better!" George shouted over to Samuel.

"Ridiculous! My Marines would outperform yours in a heartbeat if we were to fight in the forest!" Samuel shouted back.

"You're just jealous, BUT I have intel that an enemy force is moving toward us from the forest," George stated. "How about we put your Marines to the test," George said.

"So be it!" Samuel exclaimed. Samuel returned to his men and briefed them on the situation. The Marines broke up into small units so that they could easily move through the forest. Then, without any hesitation, the Marines squared away their gear and prepared to move into the forest. George also returned to his men and briefed them on the situation. In the same manner as the Marines, the soldiers gathered their gear and began to form up in their standard formations.

Samuel's Marines moved quickly to the designated ambush position, laid down, and began to wait for the enemy to approach. George's soldiers, however, were still trying to figure out how to efficiently move through the forest without breaking up their formation. Seeing George's soldiers in the distance, the enemy began their charge in order to seize the initiative. Unknown to them, though, Samuel's Marines were lying in wait.

Samuel gathered his breath and then shouted the command, "Attack!" Before the enemy even knew what happened, the Marines had them surrounded. Dropping their weapons and raising their arms above their heads, all the enemies surrendered. "Easy day," Samuel said as he walked up to George.

"You got lucky," George said, "But from now on I think I'll leave this type of fighting to you."

"Wise decision," Samuel said, "And I'll leave you to your own style of fighting as well." So, the two generals realized that both approaches to war had their advantages and disadvantages.













Author's Note: My story was based on the Blackfoot story "Two Fast Runners." In this original story, there was an antelope and a deer who challenged each other to see who was the fastest. In the end, it depended on the terrain that the two ran on/in. For my story, I thought it would be fun to substitute the antelope and the deer for the Army and the Marine Corps. Both branches have their own approach to war, and I wanted to show this through a story. Hope you liked it!

Bibliography: Two Fast Runners, by George Bird Grinnell

Image: Pickett's charge, Battle of Gettysburg

Reading Notes: Blackfoot Stories, Part A

For Monday's reading notes during week 10, I decided to go with the Blackfoot tribe's stories as translated by George Bird Grinnell in 1915. I chose this group of stories because I have never been told any Blackfoot stories, to my knowledge. From reading part A of these stories, I liked the character of the Old Man. The Old Man helps people as Napi and gets himself into a lot of trouble as the Old Man. Because of this, I plan on using the character of the Old Man for my storytelling on Wednesday.

To me, it seems as if the Old Man should be wise and all-knowing, but he still gets himself into trouble by doing juvenile things. Some of the characteristics that lead me to believe this are: 1. He can talk to animals, 2. He seems to have some power over the plants and animals and, 3. He is sometimes generous with his possessions. It is also the way that he talks that makes me believe this too. When he talks to the animals, plants, or inanimate objects, he talks to them as if he has the power to change them.

Other characters who interested me were Thunder and Sun. In the story, "How the Thunder Pipe Came," Thunder seemed similar to that of a god. Thunder took what he wanted and was only afraid of the Ravens. Sun could see everything and as far as I could tell was not afraid of anything. I'm definitely thinking of using these two characters, but I'm not sure as to how I will use them yet. Of the two, Sun seems the wiser and I suppose I could make him Thunder's father? Or I could possibly make them brothers, with Thunder being the younger brother who is still immature. Either way, I'm sure Tuesday's reading will help me in my dilemma.

Bibliography: Blackfoot Stories by George Bird Grinnell

Image: The Thunder Man

Week 9 Storytelling: Man's Best Friend

As a young dog, I spent a lot of time around the First People, who came from the skies. They were curious of their surroundings and explored everywhere that they could. In those early days I did not go with the elder First People to explore, but instead I stayed back with the little ones because I was still a young dog, or "pup," as they call it. We spent all day together, running around the village and playing a game they call "fetch." It's actually a great game! And it never got old, even when I did.

As I grew older, the First People started to take me along with them on their exploration trips. We saw many different lands, but we never saw any other people. I didn't care to meet any other people anyway, because the First People treated me good and kept me fed. Of course I did my part for them and helped them haul heavy loads, along with some of the other dogs in my pack. As a matter of fact, we dogs loved to haul around heavy loads, because it made us bigger and stronger.

After more time had passed I was a fully grown dog who had earned my own eagle feather. This was a great honor among the First People because it symbolized one's experience and wisdom. However, my true test came when the Water People came into contact with us. The Water People suddenly appeared one day and for the most part they seemed like honorable people with good intentions.

We established hunting grounds for the First People and hunting grounds for the Water People, but anyone was allowed to hunt as long as there was plenty of game. For a while we both lived in peace, but one night I noticed something off. As I was laying down enjoying the night breeze, I smelt one of the Water People off in the distance. Naturally, I picked up and followed the scent until I was close enough to see the person I was tracking.

When I got close enough, I was shocked from what I saw, the Water Person was putting a boy inside of a log and closing it up. I had no idea what his intentions were, I just knew that I didn't like it. The Water Person was fully covered from head to toe in a thick hide and carried both a bow and knife made from the shoulder blade of a deer. Needless to say, I knew that I couldn't take him by myself, so I circled the Water Person in hopes of finding a weakness, but there was none.

I waited in the bushes, silently, until the Water Person left, then I went over to the log and barked softly to the boy inside. There was no response. In a panic, I began to scratch and claw at the bark of the log until I made a hole big enough to get the boy out of. I managed to pull the boy out of the log by my teeth, but he still did not wake up. Thinking that the Water Person was far away by now, I began to bark to let the pack know I needed help.

To my surprise, a spear flew right past my ear, barely missing me. Without looking back, I hurriedly dug myself under the boy and stood up, having the boy on top of my back. I ran faster than I thought my four paws could take me. However, it wasn't fast enough. The Water Person tackled me from the side and knocked the boy off my back, but he woke he boy up in the process. Startled, the boy took off running back toward the village. I stayed back to give the boy any time that I could.

I took a wide stance on my four paws and gave a low growl to the Water Person, hoping that I could intimidate him to leave. He didn't take the hint, but rather he drew his deer knife and stood ready for an attack. Growing impatient, he made the first move, lunging toward me for a kill strike, but I managed to side step and bite down hard on his wrist. He dropped the knife and I made my move. Jumping at his face, I began to claw and bite any skin that was exposed from the thick hide that he wore.

I wasn't very successful and the Water Person managed to throw me off of himself. I landed on my side, but I quickly got back on all fours, only to realize that I couldn't breathe properly. Looking to my side, the Water Person's spear was sticking out of me and I collapsed. The Water Person approached me with his deer knife and was just about to stab me when my pack appeared and overwhelmed him. After that, I lost consciousness.

I woke up back in the village with my wounds bound up by the First People and with the boy sitting beside me. I looked around some more and I noticed my pack was there too. As a matter of fact, the entire village was there. I guess they thought I wasn't going to make it through my injuries and came to pay their last respects. Then, the village chief walked up to me and said, "that was my boy you saved, you really are man's best friend."







Author's Note: I based my story on the Jealous Uncle story from the Native American Hero Tales unit. In the original story, the uncle attempts to kill his nephew, but each time the nephew escapes using toys from the previous nephews that the uncle had killed. In my story, I wanted to take the perspective of an animal who would end up saving the nephew and thus demonstrate that dogs are loyal to the end.

Bibliography: Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson

Image: Hunting dog