Extra Credit Reading Beowulf: Part A

Long ago in the north of what is now known as Europe there was a kingdom called Geatsland. Its ruler was a man named Hygelac. The men who lived in Geatsland were famous for their bravery. The Geats were a warlike nation. Hygelac and his warriors were fighting in battles for most of the year.

The caves along the coasts of Geatsland were inhabited by evil monsters. Huge serpents devoured fishermen when they could catch them by surprise. The forests were filled with loathsome beasts. It was not safe to travel in them after dark. However, the monsters of the sea and the forest kept to themselves. They rarely left their lairs.

Beowulf was Hygelac's nephew. He was the son of the king's sister. When he was young Beowulf went to live with his uncle to learn the arts of war and how to handle ships. As the years passed he became more sullen in his strength. His companions dubbed him "the silent." When he reached his manhood and was admitted to the king's circle a feast was thrown for him. At the feast Beowulf sat in gloomy silence. His strength was great, but he had nothing to use it on. He longed for adventure. 

Hygelac signaled and all the voices in the hall died down. He told everyone that someone had come a long way to sing a wondrous song for them. That person is the Wanderer. The Wanderer came forward with his harp. He sat down on a stool, threw back his cloak, and struck the strings of the harp. His voice was like the crying of birds, but there was a sweetness to it. He sang about a monster that had terrorized a neighboring kingdom. The monster was part bird part animal, and it was called Grendel.

The monster Grendel

Bibliography
The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs, with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).

Reading Notes B: Cherokee

The Possum and the Terrapin went out together to hunt persimmons and found a tree full of ripe fruit. The Possum climbed it and was throwing down the persimmons to the Terrapin when a wolf came up and began to snap. The Possum waited his chance, and at last managed to throw down a large one. It lodged in the wolf's throat as he jumped up at it and choked him to death.

After a while he came to a house and was invited to have some gruel. He sat down beside the jar and dipped up the gruel with one of the wolf's ears as a spoon. Soon the news went around, that the Terrapin had killed the Wolf and was using his ears for spoons. The wolves came together and took Terrapin prisoner. They agreed to boil Terrapin in a pot.

They brought in a pot, but the Terrapin only laughed at it and said that if they put him into that thing he would kick it all to pieces. They said they would burn him in the fire, but the Terrapin laughed again and said he would put it out.

Then they decided to throw him into the deepest hole in the river and drown him. The Terrapin begged and prayed them not to do that, but they paid no attention, and dragged him over to the river and threw him in. That was just what the Terrapin had been waiting for all the time, and he dived under the water and came up on the other side and got away.

Once the animals challenged the birds to a great ballplay, and the birds accepted. The captain of the animals was the Bear, who was so strong and heavy that he could pull down anyone who got in his way. The birds had the Eagle for their captain.

 

Photo by Luca Ambrosi on Unsplash

Bibliography
Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). 

Read Notes Part A Cherokee

The Earth is a great island floating in a sea. It is suspended at the four cardinal points by a cord hanging down from the sky vault.

When all was water the animals were above. One day they wondered what was below the water, so the son of the Beaver, Water Beetle, volunteered to go down and check. He couldn't find a firm place so it kept diving down deeper and deeper. It got to the bottom of the sea, and it came back up with mud. The mud began to spread until it became the land we call the Earth.

The land was fastened to the sky, but no one remembers who did it. At first the Earth was very soft and wet. Birds were sent out to see if the land was dry. At last it was time. They sent out the great buzzard. He flew all over the Earth, but it was still soft. He came to the land we now know as Cherokee Country. He was extremely tired. His wings flapped and wherever they struck the earth there was a valley, and where they turned up again there was a mountain. Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day.

When the earth was dry and the animals came down, it was still dark, so they got the sun and set it in a track to go every day. There is another world under this, and it is like ours in everything except that the seasons are different. The streams that come down from the mountains are the trails by which we reach this underworld, and the springs at their heads are the doorways by which we enter

When the animals and plants were first made they were told to watch and keep awake for seven nights.

A buzzard

Bibliography
Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).