Essay for Week 3: Not Your Average Bible Story

Cat Meets Dog (1865) authored by Laura Valentine published by Scibner, Welford and Co. via Wikimedia Commons

I really liked the Jewish Fairy Tales Unit. One of my favorite stories this unit was The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog. I was surprised that this story existed because up to this point every fairy tale in the unit was loosely based on traditional bible stories or linked to a story in some way. I am very much a dog person. Actually, I hate cats. So I was not surprised when the cat was the one to ruin the relationship between the two best friends. Another of my favorite stories this unit was The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace. First things first, I love the title of this story. It is so goofy and you know that something crazy is going to happen. I could just imagine the confusion on the pharaoh's face as something that he cannot see is beating him for trying to touch Sarah. The poor pharaoh must have been thinking that he was losing his mind! One of my least favorite stories was the The Fairy Frog. I just could not really get into this story. I don't think that I could spend all my money on a box with a frog in it. Even if it was my parents dying wish. I also don't understand how they kept feeding it and spent all of their money on the frog when they were starving. Honestly, I probably would have cooked me up a giant frog's legs. Things only got weirder when the giant frog started talking and giving the people all of these weird gifts and abilities for taking care of it. One thing that surprised me in this unit was the unicorns. When I think of unicorns I think of something about the size of a horse with a horn on its head and is usually white as snow. In the Jewish Fairy Tales, the unicorns were huge. In one story they were as large as a mountain. Definitely not the typical unicorn you read about and see in movies.

Storytelling for Week 3: Best Work Day of the Century

Dear Diary,

Today was one of the best days I have had at work in a really long time!

This morning I was running so late I had to skip breakfast. I flew to work as fast as I could and made it right on time! I get to my office and the big boss was waiting for me. I mumbled a quick excuse as to why I wasn't there sooner and he brushed it off like he had bigger issues than my rushed arrival. God said, "I have an important job for you on earth Gabe." I almost literally started jumping up and down. It had been so long since I had gotten a field job! I kept my cool though, I didn't want God to think I wasn't capable for the job. Straightening up I ask, "What would you like from me sir?" God looked at me and with a sad smile said, "Sarah and Abraham have been taken to the pharaoh. He would like to make Sarah his queen. We cannot let this happen. We must not forsake them. Do whatever it takes to make the pharaoh release Sarah and Abraham." He turns toward the door and pauses, "Good luck Gabe. I believe in you!" then he exits without another word. I am not going to lie. After God left I did a little victory dance in the office.

I packed up everything I would need for the journey as fast as I could. As an after thought, I decided to bring with me my staff. I do not know why, but it felt right. I then stretch my wings. Safety first right? How awful would it be to pull a muscle when flying down to earth? I go to the launch pad and make it to earth in record time.

Once I get there I see Sarah. She is so brave as she stands up to the pharaoh and attempts to keep him away from her. I make myself so that only Sarah can see me so that I might bring her a bit of comfort. She looks at me in shock so the pharaoh turned around and saw nothing. He attempts to touch her and I did the first thing that came to my mind. I grabbed my staff and hit him with it. The pharaoh's face was priceless. He came back to his senses and tried to touch Sarah again. So I hit him again. For a third time the pharaoh attempted to touch Sarah and this time I just put my staff on his arm. He could not move it! The look of terror on his face as he asked Sarah to go was fantastic. However, the pharaoh still had Sarah and Abraham in his home. I recalled that my orders were to make sure that both Sarah and Abraham were released and that has yet to happen. I decided I would just keep bothering the pharaoh. I made him trip on things, run into walls, I even hit him a few more times until finally the pharaoh decided that he was sick because of Sarah and Abraham and had them leave. After making sure Sarah and Abraham made it out okay and were safe on their journey, I flew back home just in time for dinner.

I would love to have more jobs like that one. Definitely the highlight of the century so far!

-Gabe

Angel by Michelangelo from Wikimedia Commons 

Author's Note: My story is based off of the Jewish Fairy Tale The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace. In this story Abraham puts his wife, Sarah, into a box because she is so beautiful. He was afraid of the attention she brought to them. She was found by some egyptians who brought her to the pharaoh for her beauty. The pharaoh was so taken by her that he offered to make her his queen. Meanwhile, Abraham posed as Sarah's brother in fear of the pharaoh killing him. The pharaoh makes advances toward Sarah and then is beaten by this invisible figure until he releases Sarah and Abraham. I decided to write my story from the invisible figure's point of view because I felt like if I had that job I would be having so much fun teaching that jerk a lesson or two.

Bibliography: "The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace" from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919). Web Source: Untextbook

Week 3: Reading Diary- Jewish Fairy Tales

The Giant of the Flood

I like how this version of Noah has giants, unicorns, and a phoenix. It is strange that in Jewish fairy tales unicorns are huge, some are as large as mountains. I was not expecting for this story to tell us why men act foolishly when they drink too much wine. It is also surprising that the giant served Noah's family all the way to Moses.

The Beggar King

Basically, do not teat things out of the Holy Book. King Hagag was punished by a genie for ripping out a passage that was not to his liking. I really liked that the king went to be a beggar and was truly sorry for his sins. He even originally refused to retake the crown to take care of the blind beggars. It shows that a little humility is great for leaders . However, I think it is a little strange that the genie and Hagag were able to switch back and forth without brining any attention to themselves.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

I love that there is a Jewish Fairy Tale to explain why cats and dogs do not get along. I am definitely a dog person, so it does not surprise me that it is the cats fault. I felt so bad for the poor dog, not able to find another creature for a companion until it came across a human. I guess that is why dogs are a mans best friend. Yet again it is the cat that throws a fit, when the dog did not mean to break the contract. The dog is pushed to go to a new home and this leads to the never ending conflict between cats and dogs. 

The Sleep of One Hundred Years

I cannot believe he slept one hundred years. I also cannot believe that Onias did not notice anything different. I feel like a lot more should change in one hundred years than the temple being rebuilt, and I guess more changed than he originally noticed because he felt so out of place later in the story. I do not blame Onias for wanting to go back to sleep. In a world that is so different and not knowing anyone I am sure it is hard to try to fit back in. 

The King for Three Days

I do not understand why Godfrey de Bouillon wanted to get a blessing from a rabbi. It does not make any since. He is killing all the jews and wants a blessing from one? Rashi, the rabbi, gave a pretty specific prophecy. I was interested to see how the story would unfold. I was thinking that Godfrey was going to be forced out of his role of a king after three days, so I was kind of surprised when he gave up the position willingly. I thought it was kind of funny when Godfrey thought the rabbi was wrong because he had four men instead of three and then a rock fell on one of them. It was almost like in the cartoons when a giant anvil or piano lands on the character. 

The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace

I really liked this story. I felt sorry for Sarah when Abraham put her in a box, but I guess it was for good reason since when she was seen she was taken to the Pharaoh. I was a little nervous for Sarah and Abraham and was relieved when the spirit showed up to answer their prayers. I thought it was kind of funny that the spirit did not stop when the Pharaoh was done advancing on Sarah, but kept at it for the entire night until he decided to let Sarah and Abraham leave. I feel like the spirit really enjoyed it's job that day. 

The Fairy Frog

This story is really weird for me. Most of the previous stories I could align with a traditional bible story in some way and I couldn't do it with this one. I would also like to know how this frog seems to know everything. I guess it comes with the height. I think the lesson of this story is to obey the wishes of the dying, but I am not quite certain.