Essay: Trickster and the Fool in Myths and Legends of the Sioux.

My favorite trickster and "fools" in this unit was the story with Unktomi and the two widows. Unktomi is very tricky because he was able to fool his widows so cleverly. Unktomi starts off his adventure by find red plums, and tricking the two widows with the red plums by making them think that they could find the plums easily. He also tricks them into think that he is their brother, and so the two widows trust Unktomi with watching their children. While the widows are out, Unktomi kills their children and uses them in a soup that he's cooking. When the widows return, Unktomi tricks them yet again by telling the widows to not check on their babies and eat the soup he made first. Like who does that? So then Unktomi leaves the two widows before they found out what he's done. When the two widows finally do find their babies, then are sad and angry and want to kill Unktomi. When they find out where he's hiding, they get tricked again by a stranger who lures them into a hole where Unktomi is, and he sneakily comes out the whole and traps the two widows into the hole and sets it on fire. In this story, I consider Unktomi and the stranger the tricksters, and the two widows were the ultimate fools. I would really consider this read, I really enjoyed it! Here is the link to the story: click me :)

(Loki, the ultimate trickster)

Reading Diary B: Myths and Legends of the Sioux

Out of all the stories in the second half of this reading, I think I was more fascinated with the ruthlessness of Unktomi in the story of him fooling the two widows. The story starts off with Unktomi finding some red plums on his walk through the forest. With the plums, Unktomi planned to trick two widows by enticing them with the red plums and watch their babies while they went out to find the plums. He also pretended to be their brother. While the two widows are out finding plums, Unktomi kills their babies and eats them in a soup. When the widows return empty handed, Unktomi tells them not check on the babies because he just put them to bed, and not to bother them until they're finished eating the soup that he cooked their babies in. When they realize what Unktomi has done, they try to kill him, he he crawls into a hole. A stranger tries to help them catch Unktomi, but the two widows end up in the hole and Unktomi escapes and traps them down in the hole and sets it on fire. I think if I were to retell this story, I would definitely change the ending. I am a sucker for karma, so I feel like Unktomi should face his demise. 

(Plum tree)

Sioux unit.

Reading Diary A: Myths and Legends of the Sioux

In this unit I thought the story of the lost wife was something I could write about this week. The story is about a woman who escapes an abusive marriage, and so she leaves her village. Upon leaving her village she meets a man and he leads her to a village of wolves. The man is the chief of the wolves and they help her stay alive for a year. During the time that woman is missing her family and husband are worried and have been looking for her. They find her and she eventually goes back with them. The husband also wants her to come back and live with him, but she refuses for awhile, but they reconcile in the end. I have so many ideas to twist this story some way. In this story there is the woman lives with wolves for year, and this made me thing what is she became one of them. Like a werewolf. Like maybe her meeting a new man, he introduces her to his family (wolves) and offers to turn her. Or she could be bitten and turned and not even know. There are so many ways I can twist this story! I would really recommend the first half of this unit. The stories are very insightful and I enjoyed reading them. 

(Girl surrounded by wolves)

Sioux unit.