Week 10 Reading Notes: The Maiden Who Loved a Star, Part B

Purple sage in Texas
Link to story.

Title: The Maiden Who Loved a Star

Publication: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends, 1936

Author: Florence Stratton

Illustrator: Berniece Burrough

Notes: Florence Stratton (1883—January 28, 1938) was an American journalist and writer Having returned to Texas for her career in journalism, she published the Tejas Indian folklore anthology “When the Storm God Rides” in 1936.

Characters:
Young girl
Sky dweller
Old woman
Great Spirit
Places:
Texas

Events:
A young girl forages for prickly pear fruit in the desert
The girl catches a glimpse of a winking star
The girl dreams about the sky dweller living in the stars
The girl goes out to the desert to see the star for a week
She continues to dream of the sky dweller, but they can’t be together
The girl asks the old woman how to die to join the star
The old woman suggests another option in order to live
The girl drinks the old woman’s potion and turns into a desert shrub
The sky dweller falls from the star and turns into purple blossoms on the shrub
The girl and the sky dweller are finally joined
The plant became what we know today as purple sage

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Artist and Aspiring Writer: An Introduction

Image
The artist herself Hello and welcome! My name is Natalie, and I’m a senior majoring in art at the University of Oklahoma. If you read my previous post, then you’ll know that I was born and raised in Texas, hailing from the great city of Dallas. I like good art, good food, and good people. My goals include becoming a professional illustrator, a comic artist (the kind that draws, not the kind that does standup), and maintaining a stable income to support my current/future dogs and cats. A crane spotted at the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden You’re probably wondering why I’m taking this class. In short, I’m a nerd. Outside of art, I like reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and good-humored romance. I also like reading up on things, including non-fiction books, biographies, autobiographies, and endless Wikipedia articles. And when I’m not reading, I’m usually playing video games. Airplane view while heading back to the U.S. from Japan But I am an artist. I like to try
Read more

Week 7 Story: The Legend of Princess Tamatori

Image
"The Legend of Princess Tamatori," illustrated by Natalie Homsher “You lost the jewel?” The Empress spoke, dangerously low. The head council did his best not to flinch, but failed. His skin crawled in fear. He began to speak. “Your majesty, I-“ “Go.” She didn’t have time for his apologies. They were in the middle of a war, and without the power of the jewel to destroy their enemy, their chances of winning would be slim to none. “And don’t come back without the jewel.” She turned her back on him, and the councilman knew that he was dismissed indefinitely. — Takeuchi looked over the steep cliff side and into the ocean, staring into the emerald depths below. He peered through the waters in search in the gem, to no avail. The Jewel of Heart’s Desire, the one thing that could save the country of turmoil, was lost. Worse, he had disappointed his love, Empress Jingū. He stared at the jagged rocks below in despair. Nearby, the pearl divers had returned from work and swum up to sh
Read more