Struwwelpeter

Struwwelpeter (or Shockheaded Peter) is a collection of German myths. They were created as ways for parents to scare kids from them doing unwanted actions. They were essentially scare tactics.

The most well-known myth in this collection is the first: Stuwwelpeter.

This story is about a young boy named Conrad. His mother tells him not to suck on his thumb for a tailor always visits those who suck their thumbs. And with him, the tailor brings a great pair of scissors and cuts off said thumbs. The mother says that the tailor will cuts off his thumbs clean so they won’t ever be able to grow back again.

The story ends with the mother catching her son sucking on his thumb, and this tall tailor runs in. He snips off the thumbs and that is the end! No more thumb-sucking for Conrad.

Reading this myth made me think of how common scare tactics are. I would think it’s because they work so well, or at least get people thinking.

When a person is shown the possibility of how some of their actions may end up, then it’s definitely more likely for them to care about what they are doing. In the very least, it gets an opinion out of people.

I can see this applying to the writing of Rudyard Kipling in The White Man’s Burden.

In this, Kipling writes in a slight bit of a scare tactic. It can be seen as a way to get people thinking about imperialism and the choices that are made in regards to it. I think The White Man’s Burden can be seen as a bit of a scare tactic in that: countries adding more land or people in their power do want to be respected in the new territory, and for at least some of their customs to be implemented throughout it. The main idea here is that there can be variances in how much you want customs implemented.

Since Kipling’s writing is so dramatic and opinionated in this, I think that the scare tactic could work in two ways. It could either get people thinking about how they are the superior race and they need to uphold that by doing these certain things OR it could work that people realize how crazy that some of this seems and they don’t want to be thinking like extreme imperialists.

The main difference in comparing the scare tactic between Struwwelpeter and Kipling’s writing is that in Struwwelpeter, we see the immediate consequence of the actions. Conrad sucked his thumb, oh, no more thumb. In The White Man’s Burden, there is no definite outcome of Kipling’s point of view. His writing is more of a call to action instead of doing actual action. Since it is a call to action, we don’t get to see a consequence. ( This is related to the different purposes in the writing and also the different audience! You wouldn’t tell a kid: don’t suck your thumb, things could happen! I just don’t know what they would be!
In the story, Conrad is immediately warned of the tailor. In Kipling’s writing, it’s more of a text to consider and then one can act appropriately to that instead of seeing an immediate ‘this will happen if you do this.’)

I found a link to Struwwelpeter to read online if anyone is interested

It’s short and fun!

http://germanstories.vcu.edu/struwwel/daumen_e.html

Skinwalkers

Skinwalkers

                In many different cultures around the world the idea of a shape shifter appears. For many of those it is a source of fear. These are creatures like the werewolf turning from man to beast or the vampire who can turn into bat and sometimes a wolf. While these creatures are meant to be scary they people still talk about them and joke about them. This is not the case with the Skinwalkers in Native American mythology. Just knowing about them and fearing them gives them power.

                Yee Naaldlooshii or Naagloshii are practitioners of The Witching Way or ’ánt’įįhnii. Their brand of magic is considered to be a truly evil thing breaking cultural taboos to attain power. Naagloshii have the power to transform at will into any creature they choose to suit their needs. One version of the legend states that they transform into perfect versions of the creatures except for the eyes. While another version states that they become a twisted caricature of what it should be. In order to transform into something the Skinwalker needs to have collected a pelt from the creature. The majority of legends focus on the transformation into various types of predators. Due to this the Navajo abstain the use of most predator pelts in most of their ceremonies. Another key power of the Skinwalker is the ability to take on the shape of a person. Not as in their own form, but to actually take the body of another. In order to do this they meet the eyes of the person and mentally push their soul out and then inhabit the empty shell.

                On top of its ability to transform from one creature to the next it is also sorcerer or evil medicine man of great power. While medicine men used their powers to heal and use nature as a tool, the Skinwalker is the antithesis. They place curses on people, and perform a perverted sing that acts as an anti-heal. They can make or mimic the sound of anything in existence. They use this power to lead people off by themselves before they attack them, often using the sound of a crying baby to lure women out into the open. They also have no qualms about attacking groups. They will burst into a house and attack all those inside. They will use charms such as bone beads, that they will launch at people to be secretly lodged under the skin. These charms will cause fear to well up in the recipient. Skinwalkers feed not only on the physical flesh of those they attack but on the fear of all. So anyone anywhere who is afraid of a Skinwalker is feeding it and giving it strength. That is part of the true terror that they instill. That and the fact that openly speaking about it may bring its attention upon you.

                Because of these fears the are spoken about only seldomly by those who believe and only in whispers during full day light. Few other creatures throughout history have instilled this kind of fear. Most things are feared but dismissed by many as flights of fancy, while the western tribes that believe this are in deadly earnest. Because of how much fear they cause in those who do believe, I wonder how they feel about these Witches appearing on Television and books. Now more people in the world know about their existence. But does it grant power to the Skinwalker the way it does when people truly fear it?

Huckleberry Finn

I read the article: Upcoming NewSouth ‘Huck Finn’ Replaces N-Word

This article is about Twain scholar Alan Gribben with publishing company New-South Books  publishing a different version of Huckleberry Finn. In this version, the n-word that is said so often in the original is replaced with the word ‘slave.’ The article gets into the reasoning as to why Gribben deemed this a good idea, but the main point is for appropriateness for teaching younger kids.

According to the article, Gribben is a teacher and whenever he would read the book out loud, he would replace the n-word with ‘slave’ instead. He became aware of how uncomfortable people can feel about it when Gribben moved south. His daughter became friends with an African-American girl. Apparently “she loathed the book, could barely read it” (Schultz). Gribben was also told by teachers that they wanted to teach Huck Finn, but felt they couldn’t do it anymore. “In the new classroom, it’s really not acceptable” (Schultz).

The article ends with a quote from one of the cofounders of NewSouth, Suzanne La Rosa.

“I almost don’t want to acknowledge this, but it feels like he’s saving the books. His willingness to take this chance—I was very touched.”

Nice grammar, La Rosa.

Here is the article link if anyone is interested: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c71813e3-00e9-4a0e-9889-540824cc83dc%40sessionmgr12&vid=4&hid=28

Schultz, Marc. “Upcoming Newsouth ‘Huck Finn Eliminates the ‘N’ Word.” Publishers Weekly 258.1 (2011): 6. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

After reading this, I suppose I got a better idea of the current state of opinions of teaching Huckleberry Finn. Because the book was taught at my school, I haven’t thought too much into people not teaching it. I’ve always seen it as being more of an eye-opener for America’s past. The fact of that overrides the excessive usage of the n-word. My teachers wouldn’t bleep it out for using ‘slave’ instead either. We’re reading a book, we’re not trying to insult the people reading it now. One just has to remember to read it in context with the times.

The article points out that the book has been banned from many schools. People want to teach it, but they say it’s inappropriate for our classrooms today. Gribben also says that race is important in Huck Finn, but it’s important how it is expressed in the 21^st century (Schultz). This is why he wanted to rewrite the book with ‘slave’ used instead, for it is “something less hurtful, less controversial” and is an alternative to “insisting students read a text that was so incredibly hurtful” (Schultz).

However, I feel that a different approach should be taken than just banning Huck Finn. I feel that the book should be saved for high school and intentionally not for younger ages (middle school and lower) simply because their minds are less likely to be greatly affected by the book.

One of the big parts of the book is the understanding of the context, the time and place in which these things were being said. When the n-word is written in there, it doesn't mean what it does today. This is one of the more mature parts of reading the book. And because the n-word doesn’t mean what it does today, using it as it was in the book helps show the culture of the time. Without it, I feel like Huck Finn would lose part of why it is such a classic. It is supposed to depict the era, and it’s not totally accurate if you change one of the ‘key’ words throughout the entirety of the book.

If you’re worried about the kids feeling bad when reading Huck Finn, just remind them that this is the past. The book isn’t trying to insult you or anyone you know. It is more trying to show how things used to be.

 I also feel that replacing the n-word is pushing aside something that would be better to not push aside. People still struggle with racism and if it’s more hushed up, then it’s acknowledging the problem less. If anything, we should acknowledge the problem more! This is how people get more comfortable with expressing the issues that surround such things. 

Old Shuck, The Hell Hound

The Demon Hound

Many of our generation have read the Harry Potter series and are familiar with such characters as Sirius Black. Sirius turns into a large shaggy black dog. This is part of a fairly common myth in Britain, the only thing that needs to be added is eyes that are on fire or glow. With that you have Old Shuck, the ghost dog. The description is used many times over the years, take for example The Hound of Baskerville. Other names it goes by include; Grim, Padfoot (used in Harry Potter), Skeff, Shriker and Wish Hound.

                There are several different legends surrounding this ghostly canine or rather outcomes since it has been sighted many times throughout the ages. This massive dog ranges in size from that of just a large dog to the size of a small horse. With alternatively red or green glowing saucer eyes beast is sometimes considered a hell hound. Sometimes he doesn’t even appear so you only know he is there by his hot breath. He haunts many different places ranging from dense forests and crossroads, to churches and graveyards. The area in particular within Britain that he is said to exist in is region known as East Anglia. While some few regard this terrifying creature as something that protects others view it as a stark omen of your doom.

                Originally Shuck was regarded as an omen of death. If you heard the beat howl you were advised to cover your eyes and hide. If you actually saw it then you or someone dear to you would die by the end of the year. One early sighting said that he ran the length of a church yard at incredible speed and in passing wrung the necks of two kneeling parishioners before fading again into nothing. While this encounter was truly violent some people regard Shuck as a guardian for travelers who would warn away wrong does.

                The oldest written description of old shuck is from 1805 but other verbal tales could point back even further than this, as far back as the late 1500s potentially. While many regard this demon dog with horror it’s rare that he actually attacks the person who sees him and then usually it’s in response to the viewer doing something. The most common action for Shuck to take is to do nothing but walk along and be seen, though on some occasions he does interact positively with the viewer. The cases that include Shuck interacting with the viewer are mostly from the 1800’s cases that are newer even current have him behaving extremely passively.

                Whether Shuck good or evil is debatable. I think it would be more appropriate to say that he simply is and it depends from situation to situation how he will behave. If he is a marker of death it may be a warning rather than a sentence. Something to tell you to get your affairs in order. I personally love the idea of a giant flame eyed dog guarding over me while I travel. Whatever Shucks  actions and motives may be this is one myth that has persisted for a long time and will probably continue for many years to come.

Source: http://www.hiddenea.com/shuckland/introduction.htm

Die Heinzelmännchen

Excerpt from “Die Heinzelmännchen”:

How comfortable it used to be at Cölln 
With the Heinzelmännchen there! 
If one was lazy 
One just rested on a bench and took it easy. 
They came by night before one even thought about it: 
The little men - and they swarmed 
And clapped, made noise, and plucked and pulled, 
And hopped and trotted, polished and scraped. 
And before a lazy fellow woke up 
His entire day's work was done.

------------

Nobody wants to get their work done. Or better yet, no one wants to have to do work in the first place. For us now, that might mean we procrastinate on homework, we stay in the pool until we look like prunes, and we complain. Another way to go about not doing your work is to make stories of how you wished someone else would do the work for you. 

It is not too much of a surprise that people back in the 19th century took part in that sort of activity. No one wanted work then either!

A popular myth within Germanic history is that of the Heinzelmännchen. The Heinzelmännchen were a race of small house gnomes. The idea is similar to that of many others, but while a tailor sleeps, the Heinzelmännchen will come and finish his work for him. Then, when he wakes up, there will be finished work and he can be permitted to be lazy. This is shown in the excerpt above. However, the tailor’s wife gets frustrated with this and scatters peas around, to annoy the Heinzelmännchen. They do get frustrated and they never come again!

Curious was the tailor's wife 
And found herself a way to pass the time: 
She scattered some peas the next night. 
The Heinzelmännchen came cautiously: 
One tripped, fell down in the house, 
They slipped down the steps 
And plopped into vats! 
They fell with a bang, 
They hollered and screamed and cursed! 
She jumped at the noise with a light: 
Husch, husch, husch - they all vanished!

This was written in 19^th century Germany at the same time as the industrial revolution (which Germany was very involved and powerful in). A big part of the industrial revolution was this advancement in technology where we start using machines and more complicated structures to finish our work instead of simple tools and our own hands. A thought that came to mind when realizing this was that there was as new work dynamic coming into play at this point in time (mid 1700’s to mid 1800’s). There is this idea coming more into play of there being less work for an individual than before. There’s an easier way to get many things finished. What if the myth of the Heinzelmännchen could be a bit in response to the idea of other things doing work for us?

Of course, there are similar stories to this that were written long before the industrial revolution, but it’d be interesting if the writing of it was indeed, in response to the idea of an easier way of life.

It seems to be a human quality to put off many things that we’re supposed to do, but just won’t. We’re such a sensitive species where we’re incredibly picky about what we want to do! And these sorts of stories are so common across the world that it shows how we’re all united…in creatively complaining!

If you’re interested, here’s a link to the full (translated) version of the poem that the Heinzelmännchen were originally mentioned in:

http://www.steincollectors.org/library/articles/heinzel/colln.html

Big Man Myths

Big Man Myths

“The world of Giants prepared the way for the world we know today.

The world of Giants is the subject of legend.

The legends tell the history of our People, and

Teach us by example how to live and die.”

From the Yakama Nation Museum

                In the time when this country was still young, it was viewed as a big land with big challenges. In response the Americans made some big man myths. The two men that stand apart in size and strength are Alfred Bulltop Stormalong, and Paul Bunyan with his blue ox Babe. The stories of these men portray them as towering over others and creating things to match their size. These men through myth and folktale helped to shape the world we live in.

                Stormalong is guessed to have been a 30 foot tall man who sails a ship with a hinged mast so it won’t catch on the moon, so long that his men had to ride horses from one end to the other, and so wide that it had to squeeze through the English channel. The passage was so tight that the scraping caused the white cliffs of dover. He swam to the bottom of the Atlantic to wrestle with a giant octopus that was holding onto his ships anchor. His lifelong rival was a Kraken (Giant Squid) who he fought several time and finally beat by trapping it in a whirlpool. There are several different endings to his long life. One is that he ate himself to death, the second that he worked himself to death steering his ship during a race. The final one is that he saved a bunch of ships and sailors during a hurricane only to be swept away himself at the end.

Now Paul Bunyan was said to be 64 axe handles high. When you do the math on that it comes out to be about 95 feet tall. Babe the blue ox was supposed to have grown so big it took a murder of crows a day to fly down his length, he even had a mate Bessie the Yeller Cow, who was built on the same frame. Babe and Paul were attributed with many great things from pulling roads straight, to creating mountain ranges. Many of the tales around him were also fairly comical. Things like boys skating around on a stove with butter on their feet in order to make flapjacks for Paul.

                What is it about America that made us create these giants to help in the shaping of our world? Not just saying that big men did big deeds in how they worked, but that they physically shaped the world we live in. Stormalong fought against things that sailors feared like the kraken and saving other ships from hurricanes. While Paul Bunyan was a hardworking man who served as an inspiration to others, for his hard and problem solving. Stories told to entertain and to a degree explain things.

http://www.americanfolklore.net/index.html

Welcome!

Welcome all those who crave knowledge of the fantastic and the mythological! Here you will find a plethora of information and tales regarding Myths, and the creatures of those myths, in the 19th century! So stick around. We update weekly!