Types of Prose Narratives: A Text-Book for the Story Writer — John Shaqi
Types of Prose Narratives: A Text-Book for the Story WriterFansler, Harriott Ely
General
Types of Prose Narratives: A Text-Book for the Story Writer
Fansler, Harriott Ely
English prose literature; Storytelling
At last the unfortunate Ilmatar was able to raise her head out of the
waters, and she then began to create the land. Wherever she put her
hand there arose a lovely hill, and where she stepped she made a lake.
Where she dived below the surface are the deep places of the ocean,
where she turned her head towards the land there grew deep bays and
inlets, and where she floated on her back she made hidden rocks and
reefs where so many ships and lives have been lost. Thus the islands
and the rocks and the firm land were created.
After the land was made Wainamoinen was born, but he was not born a
child, but a full-grown man, full of wisdom and magic power. For seven
whole years he swam about in the ocean, and in the eighth he left the
water and stepped upon the dry land. Thus was the birth of Wainamoinen,
the wonderful magician.--From the _Kalevala_.
"Finnish Legends for English Children," by R. Eivind (T. Fisher
Unwin).
_TRIBAL MYTH_
=Origin of the Moon=
South and east of Manila Bay stretches a piece of land, on which there
used to be a large forest surrounded and fringed by the Sierra Madre
mountains on the east, and guarded by the active Taal volcano on the
south. This volcano, which is on a small lake, is said to be always
looking toward the east, shouting with his big mouth the name of _Buan
Buan_, a very beautiful nymph who dwelt once in this deep forest. The
large trees formed towering pillars, the vines and moss that grew wild,
together with the blooming flowers, were ornaments of her court. The
birds, the insects, and all kinds of animals were her subjects.
The people who live now in this land say that in the beginning of the
world there was no such thing as the moon that shines at night. They
assert that the origin of the moon came in this wise:
Many thousands of years ago, when the beautiful nymph Buan was in her
court, a warlike tribe settled on her land of enjoyment. The invaders
began to cultivate the rich soil of this place. Buan, seeing that her
flowers would be destroyed and her birds driven away, fled toward the
west in grief. On the sea she saw a little _banca_ into which she
climbed and in which she drifted along until she came to an island near
where the Sun sleeps.
One afternoon when the Sun was about to hide his last rays, he was met
by the beautiful nymph, who at once said to him, "O Sun, bear me with
you, and I will be your faithful wife forever." Without hesitation
or doubt, the gallant Sun, who had been shining over the earth with
open eyes looking for a wife, took Buan under his golden arm, and they
together, as true lovers, departed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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