Week 13 Reading Notes: Celtic Fairy Tales Part A

 Here are my reading notes for the first part of the Celtic Fairy Tales section. I am really excited about this one and hope it doesn't disappoint! These stories are from Joseph Jacobs who published his first volume of Celtic Fairy Tales in 1892.

The Field of Boliauns: I wasn't really into this story at first but the ending was good. It felt like kind of an origin story to lepracauns having gold and the saying "fool's gold". In this case, Tom was the greedy fool that threatened the lepracaun. I also didn't really see how the beer fit into the story, what is heath? I feel like I could take inspiration from this and write a story about the myth that there is gold at the end of a rainbow. 

The end of a rainbow can be elusive, how can we be sure there isn't actually gold? Stainless Images on Unsplash

The Horned Women: I have just started reading this story and am already getting The Crucible vibes... little bit scary especially with that picture. What does it mean to "card the wool"? Why did the witches target this mistress? I currently feel bad for her. WOAH WAIT! The whole thing about plastering the sieve with clay? I think that happened in a Brer Rabbit story that I read. This is kind of twisted... I like it. But the cake part really grossed me out. I thought the term feet water was pretty funny though!

The Shepherd of Myddvai: I too would marry a man who gave me bread. I think this is interesting because even though the story doesn't say it, could the maidens be mermaids? Ohhh okay so she was like a lake witch basically, since the cow like was dead on a hook and then magically alive when she called for it. Why did she even do any of this in the first place? Like what did she gain from it? I guess the children, I don't know.

Okay to be honest I am really stressed out so I am going to jot down a sentence about the rest that will jot my memory.

The one about the tailor- either a giant or a zombie is rising out of the ground and the tailor sews till he finishes the garment and then runs and the giant thing chases after him. 

Munachar and Manachar- Ew. Repetitive. My note about this one is that I don't like it.

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree- WOAH! Her mom wants to eat her daughter's heart and liver? I am very glad Disney chose to leave that detail out. Okay this story was pretty bomb. Gold-Tree aka Snow White dies twice... well the first time she didn't actually but her mother thought she did. The second time her mom poison stabbed her and then the second wife of the prince removed the stab and Gold-Tree lived again! The prince kept both wives as his own, some classic polygamy, and then the two wives poisoned the mom go off sisters!