Folks of All Mythology

Gathering of the Year               Emity turned off the sidewalk into an alleyway lit brightly from the strung lanterns overhead. The painted black door of the coffee shop stood proudly at the end. H A V E N was stamped in big, bold golden lettering. The brass doorknob was cool against her slightly translucent fingertips.     She opened the door and walked in. Soft piano music accompanied by the clatter of dishes and quiet murmuring of patrons wrapped around Emity. The last home for her kind welcomed her back. Patrons ranging from spirits, like her, to duwendes to nagas to dullahans sat at tables near windows or at the bar. Most were enjoying the food and drink the cafe had to offer.  Emity chose a table apart from the other patrons and sat facing the door.       Minutes later a large man with thick black hair and a pencil mustache trundled through the door. His chin was held high with his shoulders back in a wa...

Ghost. Artie Navarre. (Source: Pixabay )     My favorite story from the Part B readings was "The Higgldey-Piggledy Palace." The "Fairy Frog" was a distant second because of how Adam was incorporated. Plus, my curiosity was piqued when the frog said "fairy son." What's the difference between a son and a fairy son?     Anyway. The Palace story is about how a spirit helps Sarah get away from becoming part of the pharaoh's harem. As the story goes, when Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt, the king saw her and was so taken by her beauty he immediately desired her as a wife. Fearing he would imprison or kill Abraham for being her husband, Sarah said Abraham was her brother.     The pharaoh paid for Sarah and separated her from Abraham. They both prayed for her deliverance from the pharaoh. Help came in the form of a ghost!     Every time the pharaoh would make his moves on Sarah, the ghost hit him with a stick. He could not see the ghost and to anyone not ...

      For week 04, I chose to read the Jewish Fairy Tale unit. The Classic units didn't particularly interest me as I've read them before, and since I read the Women Saints unit I wanted to read something different. Of the six stories in Part A, "The Beggar King" was my favorite.     This one interested me the most because of the genie and how his magic operated. From what I've heard online and come across in brief searches, the genie in Middle Eastern folklore is seen as a demon and force of evil.     However, in this story, the genie is sent to teach people who disrespect the Scripture a lesson. This brings up several questions for me. In Jewish folklore, are all genies like this? Is it just this specific genie who is sent to reprimand people? Is it his punishment? Does he do this willingly? Is this the job he chose/signed up for/was created for? Can he only impersonate men? What about women? Is there a separate genie for the women? How do his powers...