Monday, October 24, 2016

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part 1


· It seems as though every creation story contains a great flood. Like, everywhere.

· It’s interesting to me how there seems to be this idea in the creation story of men kind of knowing what had to come next: women sewed clothes before there were children to dress in them, they desired dogs, they knew to progress from eating of the earth to hunting.

· What an unpleasant story! I like how the guy plotting murder gets his comeuppance, but it’s still sad. I’m also glad that Nukúnguasik didn’t get accused of murdering him.

· Once again, I’m very glad that the innocent bear didn’t get falsely accused of murdering the man when in fact the man attacked him first.

· What if the bear had been unhappy about the fact that the people eat bears?

· Awww I feel so bad for Qalagánguasê L. Why on earth did he tell all the people about the ghosts a minute after the ghosts told him not to?

· I could tell that story from the perspective of a villager. It might be unpleasant, though, because I would have to justify being mean.

· Wow I wish I could get married that easily.

· Wait so what happened to the girl?

· How does the girl feel about this? One day she’s married then the next someone’s like “no, you’re not his wife” and then you’re not? Why can that happen? (Yes, I know it’s a different culture.)

· “[It] always happened that he shamefully overslept himself every time he had made up his mind to go out hunting.” Same.

· I like that he’s willing to say that sheer luck caused him to save the man, not merit.

· This reminds me a bit of Samson and Delilah.

· So, did he end up living in the hills alone?

· But… the dude is married.

· Wow! He destroyed their sledges and took their stuff. I don’t like him.

Bibliography:  Eskimo Folk Tales, by Knud Rasmussen.

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