3. Legends Use the two legends you found in your research. Summarize each legend. (Based on? ) St. Patrick: To most people, St. Patrick is the man who brought a day of good times and green beer to pubs across the world. In reality, St. Patrick wasn’t made a saint until centuries after his death and he wasn’t even Irish. During his childhood, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his years in slavery he converted to Christianity and once freed he did spend the rest of his life teaching the Irish about the Christian religion, but he was soon forgotten after his death.
Finn MacCool: Finn MacCool is a mythological warrior. One popular story tells of a salmon that knew all of the world’s knowledge. Finn decided to eat the Salmon to gain the knowledge. As he was cooking the fish, juice squirted out and burned Finn’s thumb. Finn stuck his thumb in his mouth to stop the pain and instantly learned the knowledge the salmon carried. From then on, anytime Finn sucked his thumb he gained whatever knowledge he was seeking. Compare the two legends. St. Patrick taught the irish christianity and became a saint.
Finn MacCool was a mythological warrior and had the knowledge of anything he wanted when he stuck his hand into his mouth. They both helped the irish with knowledge in some way. How do these legends reflect the culture? St. Patrick introduced christianity to the irish. Finn MacCool had knowledge about anything he wanted What values are evident in each? Christianity and knowledge are and evident value for the irish culture. Check for historical accuracy. (This will take more research and cite your evidence. )
How did the oral tradition alter the historical facts? Myths Use the two myths you found in your research. Summarize each myth. Lir was the lord of the sea. He had a wife and four children. When Lir’s wife died, he married his wife’s sister, Aoife. One day Aoife took the children to a lake. While they were swimming she performed a spell on them and turned them into swans. Under the spell the children were to remain swans until they heard the sound of a Christian bell. The swans swam from lake, to river to stream for years waiting for the sound of that bell, but it wasn’t until St.
Patrick came to Ireland that the children could be free of the curse- 900 years later. Faeries exist in some form in mythology all over the world but hold a special importance to the Irish. The fairy society in Ireland is thought to be very much alive, and far from Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell. An Irish fairy can take any form she wishes, but will usually choose a human form. They are said to be beautiful, powerful and hard to resist. Compare the two myths. The two myths are told in children stories but told in different ways for children. How do these myths reflect the culture?
Every culture has their own myths, and when told they are told for a reason. The faeries have a lot of importance in the irish culture as they are thought to be alive. St. Patrick was the one who took the curse off of the kids. What values are evident in each? Check for religious accuracy. (This will take more research and cite your evidence. ) Why are myths next to impossible to verify? There is no record of these things happening, and there all told by mouth. How did the oral tradition (pre-technology times) contribute to the widespread belief that gods walk among man?
All of the different stories told and everything that has been recorded all comes up to one thing. 5. Fairy Tales Use the two fairy tales you found in your research. Summarize each fairy tale. Leprechauns have been in existence in Irish legend since the medieval times. Traditionally, leprechauns are tall fairies and often appear to humans as an old man – much different from the modern view of a small, childlike fairy in a green suit. As legend holds, Leprechauns love to collect gold, which they store in a pot and hide at the end of a rainbow.
The Pookas are a certain type of fairy- one bent on creating havoc in the mortal world. The Pooka appeared at night across rural Ireland and the seaboard. On a good day, the Pooka would cause destruction on a farm- tearing down fences and disrupting the animals. On a bad day, the Pooka would stand outside the farmhouse and call the people outside by name. If anyone came out, the Pooka would carry them away. The Pookas also loved to mess with the ships pulling away from Ireland, and were blamed for many shipwrecks along the rocky coast.
Compare the two fairy tale. The two fairy tales are both about to small people. The Pookas are meen to people, while the leprechauns leave people alone until the people find them and then they have to grant the human a wish. How do these fairy tales reflect the culture? The Pookas were blamed for many shipwrecks while the ships were leaving irish land. If any humans picked up the leprechauns they had to grant that human wishes which helped the irish with problems. What values are evident in each? Check for origins.
How did the oral tradition (pre-technology times) contribute to the widespread belief in imaginary creatures or magic associated with that culture? Why were these beliefs readily accepted by the masses? The Archetypal Hero’s Journey in Folklore What is an archetype? An original that has been imitated. What is the hero’s journey? Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development.