Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche- Part B

Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013)

Cupid and Psyche (1639–40) by Anthony van Dyck: Cupid finds the sleeping Psyche

Venus and the Goddesses: Psyche is wandering around looking for Cupid as Venus hears about what has happened. Cupid is hurt and laying in her palace without doing much. Venus comes to her son and scolds him. She basically says how much of a disgrace his is as a son and as a subject of her queen-hood. She wants to take away all of his equipment, and then even threatens to give it to a slave of hers, or destroy them all together. She even goes as far to say that she will birth a new and better son. Of course she moves on to rant about how she is the victim in this situation and how he made her look like a fool. Still angry, she leaves her silent son to get consoled by other gods. Instead of joining in her rage, they actually tell her to chill. They think there is no harm in love essentially. She obviously doesn't take into account that he is a male or his age.

Psyche's Prayer: As all of this happens, Psyche goes to a shrine hoping to please the gods and goddesses. She organizes the offerings and a goddess finally appears to her. She tries to reason with the goddess in order to get permission to stay in the shine until Venus calms down. Unfortunately, it is Venus's aunt and friend. She lets Psyche go instead of holding her captive. So she goes to the temple of Juno, who is known for her protection of ladies and pregnant women. Sadly, she cannot go against Venus either, as she is her daughter in law. No matter how much the goddesses want to help, they simply cannot.

Venus and Mercury: At this point, she has not idea what to do. No one will help her, there is no place for shelter, and she thinks her only option may be to face the inevitable sooner rather than later. Venus gives up on finding her on Earth and looks to the heavens now. She gets on a wonderful chariot and the heavens welcome her. She gets the help of the messenger god Mercury to find the girl. So Mercury goes down to Earth and tells everyone to look for her, and that if they see her, then they will be rewarded with kisses from Venus herself. Venus goes back to her home, while a servant of her's finds Psyche... declaring she has met death.

Venus and Psyche: Psyche is dragged to Venus by the servant where she is physically tormented and laughed at. Venus takes no pity on her being pregnant and doesn't want to claim the child as her grandchild. She says the baby, marriage, and girl are illegitimate, and even threatens to end the pregnancy. Venus beat her down and tore her hair and clothes. She then forces her to sort out many different items into piles and simply leaves. Psyche is so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of items, that ants take pity on her. They form into the size of working men and help to sort everything out, then vanish.

Psyche's Next Task: When Venus returned and saw how perfectly the task had been completed, she was not amused and threw bread at her to eat. Meanwhile, Cupid was locked away as well..partially to heal, and mainly so that he couldn't see his wife. When the next day came, Venus gave Psyche a new task of retrieving a special sheep's golden fleece. The sheep were most likely going to attack her and chase her away. She decided it to be best to just kill herself, but when she went to do so, she was stopped. Someone told her how to get the fleece easily with patients. She did as she was told, and was able to retrieve it without fault. But of course when she brought it to Venus, she still wasn't happy. She gave her another task to go on the top of a dangerous cliff to the waters that feed the river Styx, and to bring her back a vile of the frozen liquid.

The Third Task: As she left go climb the cliff, she could see the snakes, jagged cliffs, and steep steps. Even the water warned her to turn around or she would surely die. Thankfully, Cupid had a slight hold on the royal eagle of Jupiter. So when it saw that his wife was in distress, he swooped down to her from the heavens. He told her how even the gods were afraid of this place, and asked for the vial himself. Despite the serpents still going at the bird, the waters saw the deed as respectable overall, and gave him easy passage.

The Jar of Beauty: Again upon learning that the task was complete, Venus was unhappy. She accused her of being a witch, and sent her off to the last task. She told her to go into hell and ask Persephone to lend Venus a bit of her beauty in a jar. She thought it would be best to get into hell by just dying, and she went to the tallest place she could find to jump off. But then again something spoke to her and stopped her from actually doing it. She was told of a city in which there is a pit that leads to a tunnel. In this path will be a variety of tasks that she must ignore doing. No matter how much these people beg for help, she cannot stop. When she reaches the Goddess, she has to ask for simple peasant bread and the jar. When she leaves, she has to retrace her steps. Finally, she is warned to not open the jar under any circumstances. She is able to do exactly as she is told and reaches Persephone. She then continues on and her task is complete... but not without wanting to take some of the beauty for herself.

The Sleep of the Dead: She opened the jar and inside was not divine beauty, but sleep. She was out cold like a cadaver. Meanwhile, Cupid was feeling much better physically. But he longed to see his wife. He found her and wiped the sleep away, back into the jar. He told her to finish the task, and that he would do the rest. He went swiftly to Jove, and tried to win the support of the gods. Jupiter goes on for a while about how awful Cupid has been to every god, including himself, but that despite this, he will help him under one condition... a beautiful girl for himself.

The Wedding Feast: Finally, Jupiter told Venus that she had to chill, and that Cupid shall have his wife forever once she drank ambrosia. He would make the marriage legitimate. After she drank, they had a celebration of the wedding. All the gods danced and drank and sang. Everyone seemed to be very happy and later Psyche gives birth to a little girl named Pleasure. Now we go back to the viewpoint of the donkey. He loved the story told by the crazy old woman to the captured girl. The robbers appeared again with food. They ate and were keen on treating the animals like crap. Forcing them to work beyond injury. The poor donkey heard that they wanted to just push him over a cliff, so he worked hard and trotted fast to prove that he was worth living.

The Escape: The donkey called out to the god that turned him, saying it was perfect time to free him. The donkey instead freed himself from a harness and ran away as fast as he could. The old woman saw and grabbed the rope, but the donkey kicked her to the ground. Unfortunately, she still didn't let go, and now was dead weight as he dragged her along. Luckily, the captured girl took the opportunity to twist the robe away from the woman's hands, mount the donkey, and begin to ride away. She prayed to the gods that if she got home, she would forever give the donkey a nice life and even paint a picture of her and him riding off so that this moment may be remembered forever.

Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche- Part A

Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013)

Cupid and Psyche from the Boston Public Library (L. Prang & Co)

The Captive Woman: A group of thieves who were too poor for their own good, went off and captured a girl of a well off family. She was a beautiful girl who was scared, despite promises from the men that she would be unharmed. They simply wanted ransom money from her parents. The girl however, wept and wept. An old woman who was among the thieves tried to console the girl. She tried to explain that she had nothing to cry about. But the girl wept harder and harder until the old woman became sick of it, threatening her. This story is told from the point of view of a man turned into a donkey. 

Her Dream: The girl begged the woman for forgiveness, as the reason that she was so upset was because it was her wedding day. She was to be married to her cousin, a man she was promised to at a very young age. The girl was crying because she had a dream that she was kidnapped out of the hands of her mother. No one fought for her, and her soon to be husband would live a life alone. That is until he was killed in her dream by one of the thieves. The woman told her not to take it seriously, and that she would tell her a story to make her feel better. 

Psyche's Beauty: The story begins with a king and queen who had three beautiful girls, with the youngest being the most beautiful. People from all around would come to see the young lady. People didn't bother with seeing the temples and shrines of Venus any longer, as the gave offerings to the girls instead. Venus became jealous from the heavens and vowed to make the girl suffer for her beauty. She took her son Cupid to go and have her fall in love with the most awful of men. She told him to use his bow and arrow as she sweet talked him.

The Oracle of Apollo: Poor Psyche stayed forever adored, but loved by no suitor. Even her sisters got married to royalty, but she was alone. Her father went to Apollo to beg for a blessing, but instead cursed the girl to a fatal marriage. The girl stayed humble however, and we ready to face whatever she needed to. She was taken to the top of a cliff, only to be left by all with wedding flowers and a dress. She simply laid her head down in the grass, and waited.

The Magical Palace: When she woke, she saw beautiful crystal lake in front of a godly palace. She looked all around the outside and inside of the palace. Then a voice told her that this was all to be hers, that she could go to her bed to sleep. Then she could bathe before a meal. She did exactly this, and when she went to eat her feast, things just appeared before her. Again, she only heard voices and music, but no people were in sight.

The Mysterious Husband: She retired to bed, but knew that this evening would be different. Her unknown husband made love to her in the night, and left before the morning came. Meanwhile, her parents and sisters mourned the unfortunate thing that had happened to her. One day, the husband spoke to her. He told her that her sisters were going to come to the cliff to look for her, and she must ignore them. She felt that this was awful. She wept and wept, even when her husband came to her. She begged him to let her see them and give them gifts. He was swiftly persuaded by her seductive ways.

The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters: The sisters did come, and Psyche invited them into the palace. Soon, they grew envious and started to ask questions about the husband. She avoided their questions and quickly shooed them away. They told each others about their awful lives and their bad husbands. They felt that they had gotten the short end of the stick and that the youngest sister was so undeserving of all that she was given. They plotted to keep what they knew hidden from their parents, and to go back to knock their sister down.

Psyche's Husband Warns Her: The sisters faked injury and went running to their parents, plotting murder. Meanwhile, the husband told her that he would give her a divine child if she did as she was told and ignored the sisters. She wasn't to speak about her husband at all. Again she was able to seduce her husband into letting her see her sisters, despite his warnings. She promised to never ask about his image ever again, but still hoped that the child she was to bear would look like him.

Fears and Doubts: The sisters did come again, and faked being nice to Psyche. Again she thought of lies to tell them about her husband, and again had them taken away by the wind. They knew she was lying this time. They came to her again with a lie that her husband was going to eat her after she gave birth, as he was a monster. She thought that her sisters would never lie to her, and so she believed them. She admitted that she had never seen his face, and they told her to kill the man. They told her that they would wait and take her back to a mortal man to marry. She was left by the sisters and was so torn, yet she prepared for the kill. So she waited until her husband fell into a deep sleep.

Psyche's Husband Revealed: She went to do the deed, but saw that the man was Cupid himself. She had to hide the blade, but couldn't help but look at him again. Then she admired his wings, and his weapons. She took out an arrow and accidentally pricked her finger. She then fell in love with Cupid even more. But he was woken up by the lamp's oil, and so he left his wife alone. He told her that he warned her, that he should have listened to his mother. Now he would leave her, and her sisters would face their own punishments for causing all of this.

Psyche's Despair: She flung herself into a river and was found by Pan, who told her to pray to Cupid, as he could tell she was lovesick. She wound up at her sister's husband's palace. Who quickly was taken away to a cliff. She and her sister both shared the same fate that Cupid brought upon them, death by the jagged rocks. Their bodies to be eaten by animals. It is unknown what happens to Psyche yet...

Topic Research

Camelot ER

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

All of my sources below can be used to find the stories of King Arthur, Guinevere, and the knights of the round table. I wanted to have options in regards to how I can find the most dramatic medical stories as possible for my project. Sometimes the same story can have different versions of how someone's injury or even death occurred, or one may go into greater detail than the other.  

Source One: Historical Tales, Vol. 14 - King Arthur, by Charles Morris
Source Two: King Arthur and His Knights by Maude Radford Warren
Source Three: The Junior Classics — Volume 4: Heroes and Heroines of Chivalry by William Patten

Feedback Strategies

Mistakes are Mine from the Feedback Padlet

The two posts I read were Be a Mirror by Gravity Goldberg and How to Give Bad Feedback Without Being a Jerk by Adam Grant. Grant pointed out four main ideas that included explaining yourself, getting a better attitude, asking if people want feedback, and being transparent. I think that all of these things are important when giving feedback because your goal is to help, not hurt fellow writers. It is easy to critique others without thinking about how people are going to actually take it. Some people have thicker skin than others, but you never really know how someone is going to react to your feedback. Therefore, you might as well give efficient feedback that will be helpful overall. Goldberg pointed out five similar yet different ideas that can help in giving feedback that include being specific, focusing on the reader and process, making sure it can transfer, and finally to not be too personal. These tips are so important because we have to think of helping out other writers in a way that others will understand, not just us personally. I know that I have gotten much better at giving feedback as I have progressed in college, but I look forward to using some of these tips to help out my fellow peers. I also look forward to working on my ability to take feedback and constructive criticism without taking things so negatively. Anytime I received feedback in the past I would immediately be upset. I never saw the feedback as being something that could help me because I let my emotions get in the way. However, I feel that I have grown and I am able to take the comments that are given to me in order to better my future self. Now, I can only get better!

Week 3 Story: The Quarrel of the Sun and Moon

Inspired by The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).

Sun and Moon from the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514)

When God created the Sun and the Moon, they were destined to be the best of friends. The Sun would warm the Moon, and the Moon would cool the Sun. The two lived harmoniously in the cosmos and nothing would ever tear the two apart. That is, until God created the Earth. There was less space for the two to roam so closely together. The Sun felt squished and the Moon grew to be claustrophobic. 

The Moon moaned and groaned about not being able to go on much longer in these conditions. He thought it would be best if they split apart in the Milky Way Galaxy. But the Sun thought he warmed the Moon, that the Moon would need his help. The Moon thought that he was cold and hard enough to take care of himself, and so he convinced the Sun to depart. The Moon decided he would go to provide shade for the Earth, and the Sun was to wander off throughout the galaxy. The two took an oath to never inhabit the same space again, as it would just be too difficult. The Sun somberly drifted away while the Moon shifted closer and closer to the Earth. 

When the Moon approached the Earth, he told him that he would provide shade to cool down his land and waters. The Earth welcomed the Moon gleefully. The Moon stayed near the Earth, shifting from land to sea and back again. The Sun, on the other hand, had a more difficult time finding a host. He finally came across Saturn who felt sorry for the Sun. Saturn allowed the Sun to stay near if he agreed to supply energy to Saturns rings. The Sun did exactly that, until the rings began to form around the Sun as well. The energy was too much for the Sun, and he nearly exploded into nothing. The Sun had to leave Saturn and his rings.

Soon the Sun came across Neptune. As he got closer, Neptune warned him to stay far far away. He told the Sun that the rays would melt his ice caps and boil his water. Neptune launched ice at the Sun until they were millions of miles apart. 

The Sun began to get desperate. He soon came across the tiny planet of Pluto. Pluto was happy to have the large Sun near him, as the Sun would provide protection from the larger planets. However, instead of just protecting Pluto, the Sun made Pluto look even smaller to in comparison. Soon, Pluto wasn't considered a planet anymore because when compared to the Sun, Pluto was too small to be a real planet. The Sun had only done more damage to the poor dwarf planet. 

The Sun felt awful and avoided any other planets at all costs. Until one day he stumbled upon a planet that had roots in its dirt. The Sun's rays helped the roots grow and the planet became lush with grass and trees. The Sun then saw the Moon on the other side of the planet and realized that this must be Earth. He wanted to leave for the sake of the Moon, but the Earth wanted the Suns warmth for the land and sea. He told the Sun and Moon that they could both orbit him. The Moon refused to share the Earth, and began to chase the Sun. To this day they are constantly chasing each other around the Earth. 

Author's Note: I wanted to make a story that reflected the opposite nature of the cat and the dog. The sun and moon seemed to be a great choice because the Earth needs both, just like Adam wanted both the cat and dog. Although my story isn't anywhere near scientific, I really enjoyed telling a story of why something happens the way it does today. 

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales-Part B

Jewish Fairy Tales from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).

My Dog Jessie Sleeping for (Almost) One Hundred Years

The Sleep of One Hundred Years: Post destruction of the First Temple of Judaism, Rabbi Onias traveled there to bring supplies to the people who he thought needed it more than himself. After seeing the city that was once a wonder, he fell to the ground and slept. Seeds began to blow by him and the fruits in his basket started to bud trees, and so he was blocked with shade for one hundred years. He woke up confused by his surroundings, long beard and camel bones beneath him. He saw that Jerusalem was again beautiful and habited. In the city he found his grandson who told him that Jerusalem was saved. The Rabbi was now at peace, and fell asleep again without waking up.

King for Three Days: This story of the Crusades focuses on a soldier named Godfrey. Thinking he was doing the work of God, Godfrey (among others) killed many Jews. For some odd reason he wanted a blessing or sort of thank you from a Rabbi. Of course, the Rabbi was not going to do so, but Godfrey (despite wanting to) didn't hurt the Rabbi. Instead he told Godfrey that he would be King of the land... but only for three days. Godfrey wasn't happy with this of course, and wanted to prove the Rabbi wrong, proving him to be a "false prophet." The prophecy came true just as the Rabbi had said.

The Higgeledy-Piggledy Palace: Due to Sarah's beauty, her husband Abraham concealed her away in a box so no one would steal her away. When going past guards, he was too willing to pay any price that the guards became suspicious. They decided they had to open the box. Of course she was taken to the King who wanted her for himself. To avoid trouble, the couple had to lie and say that they were siblings. After changing into beautiful garments, the king wanted her as queen. As he tried to approach her, a force would stop him. He couldn't even lay down to sleep without his body being flung to the ground. It was like the entire palace was cursed, just as he was with leprosy. He went to Abraham and begged him to leave after curing him. Abraham did so, but not without telling him the truth, while giving him warning. If the King's family ever bothered his, then they too would see the fate of the King.

The Rabbi's Bogey-Man: Rabbi Lion couldn't find someone to serve him because people of his city were afraid of him. They thought that demons and witches worked for him. So, he decided to make his own woman servant. Sadly, she was burned down to nothing but the name of God on parchment when she was trying to play with children around a fire she had built too large. The Rabbi was taken to the King to be punished for this. The King had the Rabbi make another servant, and a man was made. The Rabbi and his monster were let go, but as time passed the monster grew less and less obedient. Eventually, the monster attempted to break into the synagogue to destroy the Torah scrolls in order to create an army of his own kind to destroy Jews. The Rabbi stole the name of God from the monsters mouth, and what was left was a pile of broken wood and glue.

The Fairy Frog: Hanina, the son of a wealthy/intelligent man one day found his parents at their death beds. They told him to mourn and then go to the market to buy the first thing offered to him no matter the price, as it would bring him luck. He did as he was told and spent nearly all of his money on a small casket that contained a frog. He and his wife fed the frog so well that they basically starved themselves, and the frog grew to be huge. The frog granted the couple all they had wanted, even all the information needed for Hanina to be a great sage. Then the frog took the couple to the forest where many creatures brought them an abundance of gifts. When the couple asked who the frog was, he said the fairy son of Adam before turning into a regular sized frog again and hopping away. Hanina and his wife would continue life as wealthy, intelligent, and charitable people.

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales-Part A

Jewish Fairy Tales from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).

Just Your Average Cat and Dog Story by Paul Anderson

The Giant of the Flood: The story give background of Noah's Ark, including unicorns and giants. Noah made a deal with the giant so that he may live, as Noah wanted the unicorn to be included on the Ark. However, the giant was to be a servant of Noah. A sort of side story was told of wine and why it makes people act silly. Eventually, the Og became giant yet again and had to be slain by Moses. So in the end, he did parish from breaking the deal he had made with Noah.

The Beggar King: When hearing that the Holy Book talks of material riches not being important, he wants the pages ripped out before going hunting. The deer he tries to hunt turned out to be a genie who wants to teach him a lesson. The king was stripped of his regular clothing and was looking rough, and therefore when he went back to the palace, the guards turned him away. Eventually the only job he could find was the guide of blind men. When the day came that it was feast day for beggars, the king returned only to be recognized by the genie. He had learned his lesson and returned as a kind and giving king.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog: Although the two were once inseparable, winter proved the cat's real sly nature. In fact, the cat declared the serpent as the smartest creature. The cat went to the house of Adam to catch mice and was fat/happy. The dog faired not as well and was nearly killed. Then after being told to leave by monkeys, he tried to protect sheep and failed. He finally made his way to Adam, who loved him more than the cat. The cat never stopped being mean to the dog.

The Water-Babe: Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh. The child won the heart of the family, but not Bilam. They put the baby to the test in court The princess wished to have the baby grab the coals in order to pass the test. In the midst, he burned his tongue and gained a lisp. The princess wanted to take the staff from the magician, but she was unable to read. However, the staff would one day be the staff of Moses when he married the daughter of the magician.

From Shepherd-Boy to King: David as a child was wandering outside when he head someone speak. As he head music, he began to climb a mountain that he thought was the source. Eventually he just sat down and watched the ground move below like a tail. Then he was lifted from the ground as it was thought to be a monster or unicorn. He waited to be lowered down again when a lion came and challenged him. A deer came to allow the boy to ride away as he knew that David was one day to be king.

The Magic Palace: Ibrahim and his family came into trouble of hunger and lack of clothing. His wife begged him to get work for food, but he couldn't in rags. She went to get a cloak from neighbors and cheered him on. He found a man who was willing to help as a builder to be sold. And so he brought money home to his wife and kids. Ibrahim dreamed of great things and the next morning he sprang to action. It was Elijah who had come and build a wonderful building for the jeweler. He was the benefactor of mankind. Ibrahim came to see the masterpiece and the people of the city received silver and gold.