Reading Notes: Folktales of Bengal, Part B

The Story of a Brahmadaitya
This story was really cool and I wasn't expecting it to end on a great note! I'm glad it did, but I was expecting something bad to happen, such as the Brahmadaitya not helping the Brahman at the end or the ghosts doing something to mess up the Brahman's plans. I'm glad it ended nicely, but if I rewrite it, I could end the story at a cliffhanger or with an unhappy ending. I love happy endings, but just to mix things up a little I could change it around!

The Ghost who was Afraid of Being Bagged
I really liked this story! However, I didn't like that the wife treated the poor Brahman as she did. She complained about everything and made the Brahman feel terrible about himself; a spouse should never make their significant other feel like that. If I were to rewrite this story, I think I would change it to where the Brahman left the wife or made her apologize for everything before accepting her again, because he should not have been treated that way! I could also set this story into present day, such as in a college or high school. 

The Bald Wife
I liked this story because it portrayed the life of someone who was loved very much, and one who wasn't. The one who was loved did not try to console the other; instead, she was rude and treated the other like a maid. When the loving one went to get help and was transformed into a beautiful woman with lots of gold, jewelry, and other riches. When she went back, she treated the other woman with kindness, even though the woman was mean to her. When the meaner woman got jealous and wanted to get as beautiful as the other, she didn't listen to the instructions and ended up staying the same. I like this theme of patience and obedience, so I may incorporate that into a story if I decide to rewrite this. 

Source: The ghost from The Ghost who was Afraid of Being Bagged.

Bibliography: Bengali Folktales, Part B. 

Reading Notes: Folktales of Bengal, Part A

The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled
This story was really interesting because it reminded me of the Indian Epic, the Ramayana, a little bit. The new queen demanded something ridiculous of the king, and he did it. Another similarity between the two is that the son of the king came back and straightened things out near the end. If I rewrite this story, I think I will tell it in the point of view of the son. Usually stories like these were third person omniscient, but I think it would be cool to do one in the first person to see the journey and the thoughts of the "boy whom seven mothers suckled." I could also retell this story in modern times, and have the boy find his mother through a computer system to see who his real mom actually is. There are many ways I could retell this, so we'll see which one works out best.

The Origin of Opium
Like I mentioned in Week 2, I love origin stories! This one was specifically about the drug opium. It reminded me of the Origin of the Moon stories, where the blacksmith wanted to be numerous things. The moon was the last one that he requested before the wise man got annoyed and made sure he stayed as the moon. In this case, the Rishi never got annoyed at the person that started off as a mouse and wanted to be like ten different things. That showed patience and kindness. If I were to rewrite this story, I may add a moral of the story at the end, just to recap a life lesson. I could create another origin story with how other drugs got started or just pick another object and create the origin story of that, while keeping the same theme of a person wanting to change themselves until they become the thing.

Source: The bird who contains the boy's mother's life in The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled.

Bibliography: Bengali Folktales, Part A.