Fairy Tales and Fables - Final Part of the Final Project

 The final story! The story about Medusa, a woman who isn't who you think she is, or was.

(Note, the three stories that have been re-told can all be found originally at Greekboston. Simply search up the title of the story)

These stories were printed out and made into a small story book. 

Medusa

Medusa, a monster feared for her snake hair and the fact that making eye contact, or even looking into her eyes make you turn to stone, leaving you stuck in place for years to come. Stories often talk about her victims frozen in place stuck there for all of eternity, although Medusa wasn’t born a monster, she was once a normal woman.

Men would crowd Medusa who was said to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Her beauty was legendary and like none other. During this time she was a Priestess to Athena, the goddess of war, due to being a Priestess she wasn’t allowed to get married to any of her male suitors. To continue being devoted to Athena, Medusa had to stay unmarried as Athena was decipeted as a Virgin Goddess; the same must apply to the Priestesses. That was so the Goddesses could pour all their energies into them without worrying about the husbands and childrens.

Medusa's suitors acknowledged the fact that she was devoted to being a Priestess and respected her wishes to stay a virgin. Most of them would admire her from a distance, considering her off-limits. Although that changed when she caught Poseidon's eye. He didn’t honor the fact that Medusa wanted to stay loyal to the Goddess she followed, and instead, did something that disobeyed her permission and wishes. That day, she was no longer elidged to bow to Athena and serve her as a Priestess.

After what happened with Poseidon, Athena found out. She was angered by the disloyalty of Medusa and cursed her. Medusa’s transformation was a slow yet noticeable change. It was painful as her hair would fall out in clumps, heads of snakes pushing at her skull to escape and fly around while hissing and snapping. Her smooth sun-kissed skin would pale and crack, making her look more than just an old lady, who ever should meet the eye of Medusa would have a quick and simple life. They’d be turned into stone to sit for eternity.

Once her transformation was complete, Medusa was banished, she was never to see a human again, not until her passing. Medusa was sent to an isolated island. Her story ends with the men who once sought her out for beauty pursued her for another reason. To kill her.

Medusa’s story shows us that if something looks displeasing doesn’t mean it was, it  tells us to respect people's wishes as it could have great consequences for them.

Wananga - Summer Learning Journey.

 Miss Bancroft had the class go onto the Summer Learning Journey site and pick one or more pictures in the 'Art Colouring Book' or 'Art Colouring Book - NASA Edition' and colour them. I went to the Art Book and picked these two:

And in the NASA Edition I picked this one:

This is the Finished Product:

My best one would have to be the one I did first, which was the Watermelon.

Fairy Tales and Fables - Final Project p2

The next retelling in my story is The Fall of Icarus.

The Fall of Icarus

The start of this story does not start with Icarus, we must start with Daedalus, the father of Icarus, to understand his story more. Daedalus was a craftsman in Athens, Daedalus had a craftsman, his name was Talus. Although Talus showed a lot of potential, enough to overpower Daedalus. But being jealous, Daedalus pushed Talus off a cliff, but he never died. Athena turned Talus into a bird and Daedalus was sent to trial for murder. He was forced to move to Crete. 

All of this happened before the birth of Icarus, if this incident never occurred, Icarus wouldn’t have been born as it was the move who allowed Daedalus to find his lover. While building his new life he fell in love with Naucrate, a servant for the king. Together Daedalus and Naucrate had Icarus. While this was happening, Daedalus had been building a Labyrinth, a massive maze located under the Court of the King Minos. 

The Labyrinth held a Minotar, a Half Human, Half Bull. After entering the Labyrinth, there was no leaving. To keep the Labyrinth and the Minotar a secret, Minos had imprisoned Icarus, Naucrate and Daedalus inside a tower, located above his castle.

Daedalus created an escape plan for himself and his family, this of course led to the doom of Icarus, but that’s off topic. He realized they could escape by air, so he collected feathers, and bound them together with beeswax. Made one for himself and the other for his son. Daedalus warned Icarus that flying too close to the sun would cause his wings to melt.

Once they escaped, they flew. Icarus, who had forgotten his fathers warning, flew to the seas near an Island called Ikaria, the sun began to melt his wings and he fell to the seas beneath him, drowning.

In some ways, this story tells us to be careful of who to trust, but tells us to listen to what we’ve been told because consequences are endless, even if it’s simply telling us to watch our step.

 

Fairy Tales and Fables - Final Project

In Fairy Tales and Fables we have to re-write a retelling and then create something with that retelling, for example, retelling the story of Hansel and Gretel. 

I've chosen to make a small story-book with the retellings of three greek mythology stories. The story of Pandoras Box, was my first story, it's the story I'll be sharing. The Fall of Icarus and the Story of Medusa are two other stories.

PANDORA’S BOX

To start out the story of Pandora's Box, we'll need to start with Zeus, Prometheus and Epimetheus. Prometheus and Epimetheus, two loyal titan brothers to Zeus, Prometheus who was born with the power to see the future (a prophecy gift) saw that Zeus would defeat the titans, he decided to tell Zeus, who was proud of the brothers loyalty.

Showing his proudness, Zeus deemed it fit to allow the brothers to create the first things to live on the planet Earth. Epimetheus created animals, giving them the power to live on earth. He gave each a special ability and form of protection.Prometheus spent his time creating mankind, but when he finished, no protection was left over as Epimetheus had given it all away. Prometheus wanted men to have protection but as none was left over, he asked Zeus to allow humans to have fire, despite fire being for Gods only. Giving it no second thought, Zeus denied permission of men having fire. But Prometheus didn’t listen. He gave mankind fire to protect themselves.

For his ignorance and disobedience, Zeus punished him, sending him far away to the Caucasus Mountains. Chaining him up to a large rock, hidden away from everyone, Zeus also sent an eagle to feast on Prometheus’ liver, which regrew each day. This was a form of tourture, until Heracles found him, killing the eagle and freeing Prometheus. Zeus wasn’t pleased with just tourture. He wanted to punish man for taking fire from Prometheus, so. 

He created Pandora, she was sculpted to look like Aphrodite, a beautiful Goddess, he designed her for Epimetheus. She received the gifts, wisdom, beauty, kindness, peace, generosity, and health from the gods. Bringing Pandora to earth, she was to be Epimetheus’ wife, his brother tried to warn him of Zeus’ trickery, but Epimetheus was blinded by her beauty and chose to marry her anyway. Pandora was given a jar (box) as a wedding gift.

Pandora being curious ignored Zeus’ warning to not open it. So as she opened it horrible things filled the world. Envy, War, Hunger, Hatred, Anger, Disease, Death, Poverty, Greed, and Pain. Lifes miserys had been released, but Pandora slammed the jar shut. Leaving Hope sancuned there. 

Since that day, Humans have been able to hold onto hope while surviving the world’s terrors.

This created the meaning of Pandora’s Box,

it meant things best left untouched,

for fear of what might happen.