week 6, storytelling The Giant and The Creature


The Giant and The Creature

In a world above the clouds, lived a clan of giants. This world was magical, full of joy and excitement. Everything that existed shimmered a bright gold. The giants were majestic creatures, who were known for their grace and beauty. The giants were responsible for looking after the creatures that lived below them. They provided the rain, the wind, and the sun. The giants were good, and they loved the creatures that they were destined to care for. To the creatures, the giants were royalty. The creatures praised them and sang to them, knowing that their fate depended on the giants. Because the creatures praised the giants, and the giants loved the creatures, their world was blissfully beautiful. Although the giants did love the creatures, once a year, they would request a sacrifice from the creatures as an act of appreciation for everything the giants give to them. The giants would feast on the sacrifice, and all would be well.

On a cold and rainy winter day, the king of the giant clan discovered his daughter was missing. He looked high and low, but she was no where to be found. The giants continued their search, refusing to believe that the daughter would never return home.

After one month of searching, it was time for the sacrificial feast. The king, still mourning his daughter, requested a creature from the land below. The creature that was brought to him was beautiful, with big green eyes that could melt the heart of anyone who saw them. The second the king peered into those eyes, he saw pity in this creature, for it reminded him of his daughter's eyes. Without hesitation, the king sent the creature back, and asked for another.

The giants then feasted on the creature that was sacrificed. After their feast, a  creature appeared from below the clouds.

"Creature, what has brought you to the land above the clouds? You know this is no place for you," spoke the king.

"I know, king, but I have news for you that I can't contain any longer." replied the creature.

"Okay, continue," said the king.

"I have a gift, you see. I can detect deceitful magic. One month ago, I was on my way home from the market and I saw a beautiful giant come down from the clouds. As soon as her feet touch the cold dirt, she transformed into a creature, just like me. Her eyes shined a bright green, the kind of green that really makes you stare," the creature paused for a moment, and smiled at the thought of his infatuation with her. He continued, "I spoke with her, king, and she told me that she is your daughter, and she was casted out of the clouds and turned into a creature by her stepmother who disapproved of her. She was almost sacrificed at the feast, but you showed her mercy."

The king sat in silence for a moment before replying, "Thank you for coming here, show me my daughter creature, I need to bring her home."

"Yes, king, but on one condition," the creature said, "I have fallen in love with your daughter in the time that we have spent together. I will show her to you, as long as you make a giant out of me and take me to the clouds so I can be with her for eternity."

The king thought hard about the proposition. "Very well," said the king.

The creature took the King to his daughter, and he transformed both of them back to the skies and they were married.

The king then thought about his current wife who had so deceitfully casted his daughter out of the skies. That evening when his wife was asleep, he sent her to the land below, and as soon as her feet touched the cold dirt, she was transformed into a creature. But her eyes were not a bright green, and she was not shown any mercy.


Author's Note: In the original story, The Hind, there were no giants, and no creatures. The King's son and slave were transformed into cows. I wanted to create something that was a little more magical and interesting, so I added in the giants and creatures. I followed the same basic storyline, however the original was very long, so I changed a few things and took out a few things.

 The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/arabian-nights-hind.html 
 the giants from the clouds





Comments

  1. Evan ShresthaMarch 4, 2018 at 6:04 PM

    Hi Gracie!

    I loved your rendition of The Hind! You certainly added a magical aspect to the story with the incorporation of the giants. Was there a reason you chose giants to the creatures living above the clouds? Also, was the first creature supposed to by the King's daughter after she had taken the form of one of the creatures? Some explanation of how she went missing and what the mother's motivation was would make the story fuller!

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