Choose a mythological tradition (i.e. Norse, Judeo-Christian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, etc.) and look it up on Wikipedia. Next, follow links until you track down a specific god, goddess, angel or spirit that sounds particularly interesting. Write a story that includes this entity and incorporates elements of the mythology surrounding them in a way that preserves some of the ambiance and flavor that attracted you to him/her/it in the first place.A minimum of 500 words. Due at the end of class on Monday.
(Greek Mythology; Selene; Goddess/personification of the moon)
ReplyDeleteI love laying awake at night, staring at the moon. It is always so beautiful. Its pale glow illuminates the shadows and I feel that I had nothing else to fear. I have always been afraid of the dark, but as long as there is a moon, it can’t ever be dark. When the moon is at its fullest, I sneak out and go for a run. It’s usually around midnight when I run and I love the rush I get. I feel like as long as the moon can see me, then no evil can touch me. It’s a feeling close to invincibility but a little less reckless. There is a time where I feel scared and vulnerable. When the moon is at its weakest. There are shadows everywhere for evil to hide. I don’t leave my room on those nights, not even for dinner. I lock my windows, close the shades, lock my door and leave all the lights on. I stay bundled up on my bed and wait for the shadows to go away. For the rest of the month, I can forget about my fear. One night, the moon never rose and neither did the sun. I was left scared and vulnerable, hiding from the impending shadows. I fell asleep during the darkest night and woke up to the darkest day. At 9 am, the streetlamps were still on and the sky was pitch black. Fear paralyzed me but I needed to know what was going on. My clock said it was 9 am but I couldn’t believe it. I went for a walk that afternoon with a flashlight. I felt the need to be with my friends…less vulnerable in large numbers. I walked and watched as people spray painted the sides of buildings and got drunk in the park. My parents had driven to work with a missing window and stereo. The flashlight shook with my hand and no amount of calm breaths stopped the shaking. I heard shouting and broke out into a sprint. I turned my head to see where the shouts had come from but I collided with someone. We fell to the side walk; both of our eyes went wide with fear and wonder.
Her hair is a pale blond, her eyes were almost as dark at the sky and her skin was pale porcelain. She wore a silver dress as modest as the stars. I couldn’t help but stare in astonishment. While there was wonder in my eyes, there was only fear in hers. She stood up as if to run away again, but something stopped her. Instead of running, she took a step closer and was only an inch away from my face. I had to look up at her, she had super-model status legs. She glanced around, looking for someone, and whispered, “Can you help me? I need to find my love before my brother finds me.” Her eyes were full of desperation but she glowed like the moon I was missing so much. Her presence was enough to remind me of the runs I took during the full moon. She spoke again, with more of a spark in her eye, “You run under the moon. You are one of my daughters…you can help!” Her voice was boiling with anticipation and excitement but also with hope. I nodded my head slowly and introduced myself, “I’m Maya.” All the fear I had of the dark, disappeared when she clasped my hand in hers, “I am Selene.” We walked together through the dark town but we were not encased in the darkness. Selene’s glow covered me and any shadows that I could possibly fear. I asked her more of the situation. Her love, Endymion, was not in there usually meeting place. When I suggested that he was just late, she told me that he never left their place. He was bound to it for all eternity. She was convinced that her brother had abandoned his chariot in order to break off Selene’s usual meeting with Endymion. Slowly, I realized that the reason for this torturous darkness was because the goddess of the moon and god of the sun had had an argument. Helios had let his sister’s love live distract him from his duty of rising the sun. Selene, in fear for her Endymion, refused to raise the moon until she had her love once again. Now, I had to settle a dispute between gods. Well, I was willing to do anything to get rid of my fear. So I walked off with Selene to find a sleeping man and hide from a man that was as bright as day. This should be easy, I thought to myself as I began another adventure with my moon.
ReplyDeleteThe descriptions are elegant. I like this one.
DeleteNorse Mythology/ Thor God of Thunder, Lightning, Storms, Oak trees, and Strength.
ReplyDeleteThor, son of Odin a great god is the supposed protector of humans. They're many stories of Thor saving and protecting the human race.
This story begins in modern time, when the world is in its third world war. This dispute has been at hand for a very long time. With all the great nations of the world involved it is bound to end in a great disaster. Warfare from before has changed a lot coming into today, for example before a country would not be able to demolish a whole country in a matter of minutes or hours. That is possible with all the nuclear weapons we have now. All it takes is one crazy dictator to engage the nuclear weapon and send it off, to begin a nuclear war. That idea of a crazy dictator has now become a reality. One bomb has been sent to U.S another to North Korea another to France another to Germany another to England and Iraq. There are so many nuclear bombs in the sky right now that there aren’t enough fingers on your hand to count them. This was the worst thing that could have happened to the human race. But when all of humanity is in need of saving there is one god out there that can save us, Thor. He flies in welding his hammer that has the power of Thunder, Lightning, Storms, Oak trees, and Strength; one by one flying at the speed of light, Thor grabbing bomb by bomb and sending to other galaxies that contain no life sending storms and thunder to every nation out there to let them know that war is not the answer. Then he gave a personal visit to every country containing nuclear weapons and with his hammer deactivating each and every one of those weapons that could end mankind. However, before leaving he let the whole world know that he was not going to come back and save earth is the humans keep making their foolish decisions of nuclear wars.
I enjoyed that you set this piece in a hypothetical future.
DeleteAphrodite (Greek goddess- of love, beauty and desire.)
ReplyDeleteA long garden filled with roses that seemed to never end. It was filled with bring red colored roses. As I walked through the garden on my way to the beach, to secretly meet someone, I stopped and sat down looking at them and smelling their beautiful smell. I got up and continued my walk. As I continued my walk through the mile long garden of roses I saw my favorite birds, sparrows. They flew around my head over the garden making the garden so perfect. It felt like forever to walk through the garden, but seeing the beautiful sight of them I didn’t mind. As I made it to the beach I looked out over it and saw the clam ocean and the peaceful sand that no one was on. I walked down the hill and to the ocean. As I stood by the ocean getting my feet wet I felt something hit my foot when I looked down I saw a scallop shell, it had a light pink look to it and it was in perfect shape, I picked it up and put it in my pocket. As I walked along the shore line I heard something coming from a distance. “Aphrodite” Ares called standing on the shore line. “Shhhh.” I said knowing no one could know where I was. I ran to him and he picked me up and hugged me tight and gave me a kiss. “I hope this isn’t the last time I see you after I get married.” I told him. “Trust me it won’t.” “Ok” I giggled and smiled up at him. “You know if I didn’t have to do this marriage with Hephaestus you would be my choice.” I said with a smile. “I know, I wish you didn’t have to do this tomorrow.” He said with a sadden voice. “Me either, but I’ll try my best to see you when I can. I have to go now before someone catches us.” I gave him a kiss and ran off back into the garden. As I looked around to see if anyone was there I changed my path. I started walking through the garden and into the woods. I looked around one more time before disappearing into the woods and no one was watching. I disappeared into the woods and looked around. “Anchises?” I quietly yelled. “Over here” he yelled back. I ran to him giving him a hug and kiss. “Is it good to see you” he smiled and hugged me tight. “I just hope we can still try and see each other after my marriage to Hephaestus tomorrow.” “Oh we will, I know we will” “If I didn’t have to do this tomorrow I would be with you.” “I know you would, you better be going before someone sees us.” He leaded down and kissed me and gave one last hug. As I walked through the woods back to the house, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I still was going to do it.
Ha. Funny - I didn't anticipate Aphrodite having two trysts.
DeleteAlternate Assignment:
ReplyDeleteAnother one is gone. Why do their white silhouettes burst into glimmering light, as mine stays dull and unmoving? I am stuck in an empty abyss of miniature marble houses which hold the bodies of the dead. Why am I stuck as a ghost, haunting myself with memories of my vibrant and colorful life? My brother always said something happens for a reason;if thats so then what is my reason for being tortured with the feeling of life. I wish to leave and follow the bursting glimmering lights to where heaven may lie. For now I roam the cemetery amusing myself with others fear. I chuckle to myself for once I was a wise man to be respected and amused by the science of things now I amuse myself with childish games. What fears me the most is that I may be stuck in a limbo between heaven and hell;never moving on. What had I done in my life to deserve this? I may have not helped the poor and all those other good deeds but I wasn’t féroce. I could think of thousands of names that deserved to be in my state rather than me.