Wikipedia Trail: From Sirens to Hera

1. Siren. Sirens are mythical creatures that are portrayed as beautiful women or birds with the head of a woman. They typically enticed sailors with their voices, which resulted in starvation because they were too entranced to leave the island. Sirens were meant to search for Persephone, but failed. They are also mentioned in the Odyssey; Odysseus managed to avoid his death by having his companions tie him up and plugging his ears. 

The Siren by Edward Armitage. Source.

2. Persephone. Persephone is the queen of the underworld and was kidnapped by Hades. She is also connected to spring and is related to the fertility of the soil. She was also able to visit her mother, Demeter, but only for part of the year. One of her common symbols is a pomegranate.

3. Dionysus. Dionysus drove people mad. He is the god of wine and fertility, among other things. His followers (who are also mad) are often seen dancing or playing music. Dionysus is the only god that has a human mother.

4. Hera. Hera is both Zeus's wife and sister. There are several stories that show her actions against Zeus's mistresses; she attempts to harm the children or the mothers, such as Heracles. When he was an infant, she sent snakes to kill him, but they failed. 

Time Strategies

Time management is incredibly important. I do not think I ever really had to apply it often in high school, but in college, it's definitely all about managing your time. I am grateful that this is something I don't struggle with too often. During the day, I am constantly running ideas through my mind, like what I would like to get done today, how much I could possibly get done today, or what I should at least start. I use a bullet journal sometimes so I can have a checklist for the day. At night, sometimes I'll sit down with my planner and think about what I can do so I can get ahead of the schedule without overwhelming myself. If I don't finish everything I'm supposed to do that day, it's okay. I make a schedule that can be rearranged easily so there's no need to stress if it isn't followed thoroughly.

Sketchnote Bullet Journal. Source.

I did read "The Important Habit of Just Starting" because I realize that I often think about how easy an assignment is and I wonder why it took me so long to even do it. Just starting is difficult for me because I get lazy and sometimes unmotivated, even if I know it's a simple assignment. I do realize that I just need to push myself into it or get some incentive to begin whatever needs to be done. I also read "Four Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination" and I think those questions will actually help me a lot. It'll make it much easier to see my priorities so I can figure out my weekly schedule. Since classes have just begun, I am still trying to figure out how to manage my time, but I'd like to be ahead in this class so it won't be as stressful when my other classes get more difficult.

Reading Options

Ovid's Metamorphoses

I actually read this book in another course and found it to be really interesting. I love that mythology often revolves around tragedy-- not to say I dislike happy endings, but I think tragic stories are able to bring out more emotions in readers. Not only that, but the stories in this book are incredibly unique in nearly everything, whether it be the plot or the characters. The characters always fascinate me, especially the gods because they are seen to be so grand. Not only that, but there are some other characters like Summer or Spring who are personified seasons. I think the image of the gods is very easy to imagine, so it brings lots of writing ideas to mind.

Aesop’s Fables (Jacob)

I like the fables because they are short but present a powerful message. It always interests me that the animals follow tropes, like the fox is the trickster or the lion usually wins. It makes me wonder why this is or how these characteristics were assigned to these animals. What intrigues me the most is typically the last line of these stories. It’s a short sentence, but there is so much meaning in such few words and it perfectly sums up the moral of the story. It’s easy to find motivation whenever I read the last line because there are so many ways to apply the theme to a story. It would be easy to twist those words and use them however one would like.

Homer's Iliad

I have also read this book, but honestly, I had a lot of trouble following it because it was a translation. Despite that, I did like the story because of how much the gods intervened. I am curious as to why they intervened so much and played favorites because if I recall correctly, gods were not meant to mess with fate. Even if they were powerful, there was a certain limit to what they could do for humans. Not only that, but I have always thought that the gods were incredibly human in their actions. I would like to learn more about what the gods think when they view humans because I know some of them do not care for them, while others play favorites. 

The Lion and Other Beasts. Source. 

Storybook Favorites

Diary of the Undead

The title caught my interest because I enjoy watching or reading about zombies/the undead. I enjoyed reading the story because it was different from other media that involved the undead; usually, the undead are portrayed as just that-- the undead. It is always said that the undead do not have personalities because they are long gone. However, with this story, the author went a different route and actually wrote in the perspective of the undead. He gave them character and described their emotions. He also went with a diary layout, so it was easy to read and understand.

Mermaid Maiden

This story revolves around the romance between a mermaid and a human. I liked the introduction because it set the backstory for the human while also introducing the mermaid. I enjoyed reading it because the point of view switched between the two main characters, so I was able to understand what they thought and how they felt about each other. The author explained how different they were from each other and why that could have been a problem so it was easy to understand the conflict they faced. I also really liked the pictures! They were fitting for the story and beautiful.

Underwater Castle. Source.

Pride Goes Before Destruction

The title stuck out to me in comparison to the others. The introduction was captivating because it personifies death. Death is seen to be frightening and cold-- that is no different from this story, as well. The strange thing is that the reader is still alive when they encounter death and death tells them stories in order to prevent them from ending their life in a foolish way. I thought it was fascinating that they made death try to help the reader go against the very thing they are known for. The other parts of the story were well told! They used the story of Adam and Eve and incorporated the theme of the title in the story. It was well written and easy to visualize.

Introduction from a Writer

Hi! My name is Kaylen Nguyen. I enjoy writing as a hobby (which makes me really happy that it’s a big part of this class) and have been doing it for about eight years now. I hope to publish a book of short stories or poetry one day! I like writing for others and doing requests for fandoms (I do get really strange ones, though), as well as developing my own character (she's like my child. I love her). It’s actually a bit strange writing my own stories for class and a bit difficult because my writing style involves all lower case. I also like drawing, but that’s a different story. I’m definitely not good at it since I haven’t consistently practiced, but I’m trying to stay patient and get better (here’s hoping).

My major is Pre-Nursing and I hope to attend OUHSC next fall. I hope to become a nurse practitioner in a few years. This actually isn’t my first mythology course; the first class I ever had in college was Classical Mythology. I really wasn’t too interested in it at first and kind of just chose it in all honesty. I ended up loving the course. It was a lot of reading, but it was interesting (in really weird ways), so I really enjoyed it! I think my biggest accomplishment last semester was just surviving anatomy. Roughest class I have ever taken.

I usually just watch comedy shows, like The Office, Parks and Rec, or Bob’s Burgers. As for my music taste, I can’t really say I prefer a genre because it’s kind of all over the place. I do like indie music a lot, though! I get a lot of inspiration for writing from lyrics, especially from the group Daughter. I also like Tinashe-- she actually performed here a few months ago, but I wasn’t able to go. The feeling of having one of your favorite singers perform ten minutes away from you is more painful than it should be. I love listening to soundtracks from games, too. I have quite a bit on my phone that I constantly listen to. I also really love playing video games!

Last but not least: I have a dog named Bailey who is basically like a lazy grandma.

(Personal photo of Bailey from October 2016)

Week 1 Story: Downfall

[ 0. The Fool. ]

( Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin. )

I. Dearest King,

your courage, faith, and strength have led to your uprising.

You’ve learned to lead, to guide, and to bring hope to your people in times of need.

You’ve learned to become the hero, the savior-- the king that the people deserve.

But you have yet to learn that fate is not kind,

even to those who deserve it.

Because your best quality, your kindness,

will be your downfall.

(Fate pleads to the gods that she may spare you,

but the gods are not always merciful.)

II. Dearest King,

there’s a traitor among your ranks.

The knife in your back digs deeper and deeper when you learn of false loyalties.

You ask yourself why, but the answer you search for never comes.

There’s hurt in your heart,

but your visage is hard as stone--

but deep down inside,

you’re suffering, aren’t you?

(Betrayal is the deepest pain life gives us.)

III. Dearest King,

what will you do?

There’s a cold fury in your eyes and a harshness in your voice.

Uncertainty fills your chest and washes the tide of anger away when you see the glint of fear in the traitor’s eyes.

You know of cruel kings; you do not know the reasons behind their actions,

nor do you know where their heart has fled to.

There is one thing you know:

you are not one of them.

(You let him live. You’ve planted the seed to your ending.)

IV. Dearest King,

you thought nothing would come of your kindness.

You should have known better than to fall victim to that facade of fear.

The traitor is back and he is not alone.

You shouldn’t have let him live; he won’t do the same for you.

The men who follow him hold greed in their smiles and laughter dances on the tip of their tongues.

They’ve gotten rid of your guards and you've been left all alone.

It’s only you and the bounty on your head now, Your Majesty.

(Dearest King, you reap what you sow.)

The Fool

Author's Note: The original story is titled "The Swallow and the Other Birds". A man is planting hemp seeds while the other birds are nearby and the swallow warns the others about the man, telling them that they should pick up the seeds. However, this advice is disregarded. Later on, the man actually uses that hemp to create nets, which in turn capture the birds that refused to listen. The second line in my story is actually the last line in the original story; I had difficulty thinking of a plot, but that line stuck out to me, so I wanted to write something along the lines of betrayal and the dangers of kindness. The first line refers to tarot cards. The fool represents ignorance to the consequences of one's actions.

Bibliography. "The Swallow and the Other Birds" from Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source.

Favorite Place

A few years ago, I went on a cruise to Mexico. I was not initially excited (I did get pretty sea sick and spending five days without wifi is more excruciating than I would like to admit), but we eventually went off the ship. We went to Cozumel, which was absolutely beautiful. There was a shopping center that I enjoyed browsing; they had plenty to offer and the merchandise was interesting. Not only was the shopping center nice, but we also went to another area by the water. It was actually a dreary and windy day, so it was not your typical sunny day at the beach. That was actually my first time at a beach; despite the weather, it was enjoyable to feel the sand beneath my feet and watch the calm waves. I would love to go back when it is sunny!

East Side of Cozumel, Mexico by Mangrove Mike. Taken on March 28, 2008. Source: Flickr.