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BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW THE SPECKLED HEN GOT HER SPECKLES

Hej :)
How are you guys?
As I promised, a Brazilian tale without monkeys XD

 Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, there was a little white hen. One
day she was busily engaged in scratching the soil to find worms and
insects for her breakfast. As she worked she sang over and over again
her little crooning song, "Quirrichi, quirrichi, quirrichi." Suddenly
she noticed a tiny piece of paper lying on the ground. "Quirrichi,
quirrichi, what luck!" she said to herself. "This must be a letter.
One time when the king, the great ruler of our country, held his court
in the meadow close by, many people brought him letters and laid them
at his feet. Now I, too, even I, the little white hen, have a letter.
I am going to carry my letter to the king."
 The next morning the little white hen started bravely out on her long
journey. She carried the letter very carefully in her little brown
basket. It was a long distance to the royal palace where the king
lived. The little white hen had never been so far from home in all her
life.
 After a while she met a friendly fox. Foxes and little white hens are
not usually very good friends, you know, but this fox was a friend of
the little white hen. Once upon a time she had helped the fox to
escape from a trap and the fox had never forgotten her kindness to
him.
 "O, little white hen, where are you going?" asked the fox.
 "Quirrichi, quirrichi," replied the little white hen, "I am going to
the royal palace to carry a letter to the king."
 "Indeed, little white hen," said the fox, "I should like to go with
you. Give me your permission to accompany you on your journey."
 "I shall be glad to have you go with me," said the little white hen.
"It is a very long journey to the royal palace where the king lives.
Wouldn't you like me to carry you in my little brown basket?"
 The fox climbed into the little brown basket. After the little white
hen had gone on for some distance farther she met a river. Once upon a
time the little white hen had done the river a kindness. He had, with
great difficulty, thrown some ugly worms upon the bank and he was
afraid they would crawl back in again. The little white hen had eaten
them for him. Always after that the river had been her friend.
 "O, little white hen, where are you going?" the river called out as
soon as he saw her.
 "Quirrichi, quirrichi, I am going to the royal palace to carry a
letter to the king," replied the little white hen.
 "O, little white hen, may I go with you?" asked the river.
 The little white hen told the river that he might go with her and
asked him to ride in the little brown basket. So the river climbed
into the little brown basket.
 After the little white hen had journeyed along for a time she came to
a fire. Once upon a time, when the fire had been dying the little
white hen had brought some dried grass. The grass had given the fire
new life and always after that he had been the friend of the little
white hen.
 "O, little white hen, where are you going?" the fire asked.
 "Quirrichi, quirrichi, I am going to the royal palace to carry a
letter to the king," replied the little white hen.
 "O, little white hen, may I go with you?" asked the fire. "I have
never been to the royal palace and I have never had even a peep at the
king."
 The little white hen told the fire that he might go with her and asked
him to climb into the little brown basket. By this time the little
brown basket was so full, that, try as they might, they couldn't make
room for the fire. At last they thought of a plan. The fire changed
himself into ashes and then there was room for him to get into the
basket.
 The little white hen journeyed on and on, and finally she arrived at
the royal palace.
 "Who are you and what are you carrying in your little brown basket?"
asked the royal doorkeeper when he opened the door.
 "I am the little white hen and I am carrying a letter to the king,"
replied the little white hen. She didn't say a word about the fox and
the river and the fire which she had in her little brown basket. She
was so frightened before the great royal doorkeeper of the palace that
she could hardly find her voice at all.
 The royal doorkeeper invited the little white hen to enter the palace
and he led her to the royal throne where the king was sitting. The
little white hen bowed very low before the king--so low, in fact, that
it mussed up all her feathers.
 "Who are you and what is your business?" asked the king in his big,
deep, kingly voice.
 "Quirrichi, quirrichi, I am the little white hen," replied the little
white hen in her low, frightened, little voice. "I have come to bring
my letter to your royal majesty." She handed the king the piece of
paper which had remained all this time at the bottom of the little
brown basket. There were marks of dirt upon it where the friendly
fox's feet had rested. It was damp where the river had lain. It had
tiny holes in it where the fire had sat after he had turned himself
into hot ashes.
 "What do you mean by bringing me this dirty piece of paper?" shouted
the king in his biggest, deepest, gruffest voice. "I am highly
offended. I always knew that hens were stupid little creatures but you
are quite the stupidest little hen I ever saw in all my life."   
 "Here," and he turned to one of the attendants standing by the throne,
"take this stupid, little white hen and throw her out into the royal
poultry yard. I think we will have her for dinner to-morrow."
 The little white hen was roughly seized by the tallest royal attendant
and carried down the back stairs, through the back gate, out into the
royal poultry yard. She still clung to the little brown basket which
she had brought with her on her long journey to the royal palace and
through all the sad experiences she had met there.
 When the little white hen reached the royal poultry yard all the royal
fowls flew at her. Some plucked at her rumpled white feathers. Others
tried to pick out her eyes. One pulled off the cover of the little
brown basket.
 Out sprang the fox from the little brown basket and in the twinkling
of an eye he fell upon the fowls of the royal poultry yard. Not a
single fowl was left alive.
 There was such a great commotion that the king, the queen, the royal
attendants and all the royal servants of the palace came rushing out
to see what was the matter. The fox had already taken to his heels and
the little white hen lost no time in running away too. She did not,
however, forget to take her little brown basket with her.
 The royal household all ran after her in swift pursuit. They had
almost caught her when the river suddenly sprang out of the little
brown basket and flowed between the little white hen and her royal
pursuers. They couldn't get across without canoes.
 While they were getting the canoes and climbing into them the little
white hen had time to run a long way. She had almost reached a thick
forest where she could easily hide herself when the royal pursuers
again drew near. Then the fire which had changed itself into hot ashes
jumped out of the little brown basket. It immediately became dark, so
dark that the royal household could not even see each other's faces
and, of course, they could not see in which direction the little
white hen was running. There was nothing for them to do but to return
to the royal palace and live on beef and mutton.
 The fire which had turned itself into ashes sprang out of the little
brown basket so suddenly that it scattered ashes all over the little
white hen. From that day she was always speckled where the ashes fell
upon her. The chickens of the little white hen (who was now a little
speckled hen) were all speckled too. So were their chickens and their
chickens and their chickens' chickens, even down to this very day.
Whenever you see a speckled hen you may know that she is descended
from the little white hen who carried a letter to the king, and who,
in her adventures, became the first speckled hen.
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=523

That's it. :3
BTW, no one cares, but I found a huuuuuuge butterfly today, it was almost the size of my hand :O

and it's beautiful, isn't it? Made me happy :'D 
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MYTHOLOGY: BRABO AND THE GIANT

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...Man, I really don't know what to write here haha
Just read 
      ↓

 Ages ago, when the giants were numerous on the earth, there lived a big fellow named Antigonus. That was not what his mother had called him, but some one told him of a Greek general of that name; so he took this for his own. He was rough and cruel. His castle was on the Scheldt River, where the city of Antwerp now stands. Many ships sailed out of France and Holland, down this stream. They were loaded with timber, flax, iron, cheese, fish, bread, linen, and other things made in the country. It was by this trade that many merchants grew rich, and their children had plenty of toys to play with. The river was very grand, deep, and wide. The captains of the ships liked to sail on it, because there was no danger from rocks, and the country through which it flowed was so pretty. 
 So every day, one could see hundreds of white-sailed craft moving towards the sea, or coming in from the ocean. Boys and girls came down to stand in their wooden shoes on the banks, to see the vessels moving to and fro. The incoming ships brought sugar, wine, oranges, lemons, olives and other good things to eat, and wool to make warm clothes. Often craftsmen came from the wonderful countries in the south to tell of the rich cities there, and help to build new and fine houses, and splendid churches, and town halls. So all the Belgian people were happy. 
 But one day, this wicked giant came into the country to stop the ships and make them pay him money. He reared a strong castle on the river banks. It had four sides and high walls, and deep down in the earth were dark, damp dungeons. One had to light a candle to find his way to the horrid places. 
 What was it all for? The people wondered, but they soon found out. The giant, with a big knotted club, made out of an oak tree, strode through the town. He cried out to all the people to assemble in the great open square. 
 "From this day forth," he roared, "no ship, whether up or down the river, shall pass by this place, without my permission. Every captain must pay me toll, in money or goods. Whoever refuses, shall have both his hands cut off and thrown into the river. 
 "Hear ye all and obey. Any one caught in helping a ship go by without paying toll, whether it be night, or whether it be day, shall have his thumbs cut off and be put in the dark dungeon for a month. Again I say, Obey!" 
 With this, the giant swung and twirled his club aloft and then brought it down on a poor countryman's cart, smashing it into flinders. This was done to show his strength.
 So every day, when the ships hove in sight, they were hailed from the giant's castle and made to pay heavy toll. Poor or rich, they had to hand over their money. If any captain refused, he was brought ashore and made to kneel before a block and place one hand upon the other. Then the giant swung his axe and cut off both hands, and flung them into the river. If a ship master hesitated, because he had no money, he was cast into a dungeon, until his friends paid his ransom. 
 Soon, on account of this, the city got a bad name. The captains from France kept in, and the ship men from Spain kept out. The merchants found their trade dwindling, and they grew poorer every day. So some of them slipped out of the city and tried to get the ships to sail in the night, and silently pass the giant's castle. 
 But the giant's watchers, on the towers, were as wide awake as owls and greedy as hawks. They pounced on the ship captains, chopped off their hands and tossed them into the river. The townspeople, who were found on board, were thrown into the dungeons and had their thumbs cut off. 
 So the prosperity of the city was destroyed, for the foreign merchants were afraid to send their ships into the giant's country. The reputation of the city grew worse. It was nicknamed by the Germans Hand Werpen, or Hand Throwing; while the Dutchmen called it Antwerp, which meant the same thing. The Duke of Brabant, or Lord of the land, came to the big fellow's fortress and told him to stop. He even shook his fist under the giant's huge nose, and threatened to attack his castle and burn it. But Antigonus only snapped his fingers, and laughed at him. He made his castle still stronger and kept on hailing ships, throwing some of the crews into dungeons and cutting off the hands of the captains, until the fish in the river grew fat. 
 Now there was a brave young fellow named Brabo, who lived in the province of Brabant. He was proud of his country and her flag of yellow, black and red, and was loyal to his lord. He studied the castle well and saw a window, where he could climb up into the giant's chamber. 
 Going to the Duke, Brabo promised if his lord's soldiers would storm the gates of the giant's castle, that he would seek out and fight the ruffian. While they battered down the gates, he would climb the walls. "He's nothing but a 'bulle-wak'" (a bully and a boaster), said Brabo, "and we ought to call him that, instead of Antigonus." 
 The Duke agreed. On a dark night, one thousand of his best men-at-arms were marched with their banners, but with no drums or trumpets, or anything that could make a noise and alarm the watchmen. 
 Reaching a wood full of big trees near the castle, they waited till after midnight. All the dogs in the town and country, for five miles around, were seized and put into barns, so as not to bark and wake the giant up. They were given plenty to eat, so that they quickly fell asleep and were perfectly quiet. 
 At the given signal, hundreds of men holding ship's masts, or tree trunks, marched against the gates. They punched and pounded and at last smashed the iron-bound timbers and rushed in. After overcoming the garrison, they lighted candles, and unlocking the dungeons, went down and set the poor half-starved captives free. Some of them pale, haggard and thin as hop poles, could hardly stand. About the same time, the barn doors where the dogs had been kept, were thrown open. In full cry, a regiment of the animals, from puppies to hounds, were at once out, barking, baying, and yelping, as if they knew what was going on and wanted to see the fun. 
 But where was the giant? None of the captains could find him. Not one of the prisoners or the garrison could tell where he had hid. 
 But Brabo knew that the big fellow, Antigonus, was not at all brave, but really only a bully and a coward. So the lad was not afraid. Some of his comrades outside helped him to set up a tall ladder against the wall. Then, while all the watchers and men-at-arms inside, had gone away to defend the gates, Brabo climbed into the castle, through a slit in the thick wall. This had been cut out, like a window, for the bow-and-arrow men, and was usually occupied by a sentinel. Sword in hand, Brabo made for the giant's own room. Glaring at the youth, the big fellow seized his club and brought it down with such force that it went through the wooden floor. But Brabo dodged the blow and, in a trice, made a sweep with his sword. Cutting off the giant's head, he threw it out the window. It had hardly touched the ground, before the dogs arrived. One of the largest of these ran away with the trophy and the big, hairy noddle of the bully was never found again. 
 But the giant's huge hands! Ah, they were cut off by Brabo, who stood on the very top of the highest tower, while all below looked up and cheered. Brabo laid one big hand on top of the other, as the giant used to do, when he cut off the hands of captains. He took first the right hand and then the left hand and threw them, one at a time, into the river. 
 A pretty sight now revealed the fact that the people knew what had been going on and were proud of Brabo's valor. In a moment, every house in Antwerp showed lighted candles, and the city was illuminated. Issuing from the gates came a company of maidens. They were dressed in white, but their leader was robed in yellow, red, and black, the colors of the Brabant flag. They all sang in chorus the praises of Brabo their hero. 
 "Let us now drop the term of disgrace to the city--that of the Hand-Throwing and give it a new name," said one of the leading men of Antwerp. 
 "No," said the chief ruler, "let us rather keep the name, and, more than ever, invite all peaceful ships to come again, 'an-'t-werf' (at the wharf), as of old. Then, let the arms of Antwerp be two red hands above a castle." 
 "Agreed," cried the citizens with a great shout. The Duke of Brabant approved and gave new privileges to the city, on account of Brabo's bravery. So, from high to low, all rejoiced to honor their hero, who was richly rewarded.
 After this, thousands of ships, from many countries, loaded or unloaded their cargoes on the wharves, or sailed peacefully by. Antwerp excelled all seaports and became very rich again. Her people loved their native city so dearly, that they coined the proverb "All the world is a ring, and Antwerp is the pearl set in it." 
 To this day, in the great square, rises the splendid bronze monument of Brabo the Brave. The headless and handless hulk of the giant Antigonus lies sprawling, while on his body rests Antwerp castle. Standing over all, at the top, is Brabo high in air. He holds one of the hands of Antigonus, which he is about to toss into the Scheldt River. 
No people honor valor more than the Belgians. Themselves are today, as of old, among the bravest. 
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=168

Aaand that's it :)
Have a nice week 
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ASDFMOVIE2

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW THE MONKEY BECAME A TRICKSTER

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How are you guys?
Next week I think it would be nice to post a tale with another animal, right? Haha

 Once upon a time there was a beautiful garden in which grew all sorts
of fruits. Many beasts lived in the garden and they were permitted to
eat of the fruits whenever they wished. But they were asked to observe
one rule. They must make a low, polite bow to the fruit tree, call it
by its name, and say, "Please give me a taste of your fruit." They had
to be very careful to remember the tree's correct name and not to
forget to say "please." It was also very important that they should
remember not to be greedy. They must always leave plenty of fruit for
the other beasts who might pass that way, and plenty to adorn the tree
itself and to furnish seed so that other trees might grow.
 In one corner of the garden grew the most splendid tree of all. It was
tall and beautiful and the rosy-cheeked fruit upon its wide spreading
branches looked wonderfully tempting. No beast had ever tasted of that
fruit, for no beast could ever remember its name.
 In a tiny house near the edge of the garden dwelt a little old woman
who knew the names of all the fruit trees which grew in the garden.
The beasts often went to her and asked the name of the wonderful fruit
tree, but the tree was so far distant from the tiny house of the
little old woman that no beast could ever remember the long, hard name
by the time he reached the fruit tree.
 At last the monkey thought of a trick. Perhaps you do not know it, but
the monkey can play the guitar. He always played when the beasts
gathered together in the garden to dance. The monkey went to the tiny
house of the little old woman, carrying his guitar under his arm. When
she told him the long hard name of the wonderful fruit tree he made up
a little tune to it, all his own, and sang it over and over again all
the way from the tiny house of the little old woman to the corner of
the garden where the wonderful fruit tree grew. When any of the other
beasts met him and asked him what new song he was singing to his
guitar, he said never a word. He marched straight on, playing his
little tune over and over again on his guitar and singing softly the
long hard name.
 At last he reached the corner of the garden where the wonderful fruit
tree grew. He had never seen it look so beautiful. The rosy-cheeked
fruit glowed in the bright sunlight. The monkey could hardly wait to
make his bow, say the long hard name over twice and ask for the fruit
with a "please." What a beautiful colour and what a delicious odour
that fruit had! The monkey had never in all his life been so near to
anything which smelled so good. He took a big bite. What a face he
made! That beautiful sweet smelling fruit was bitter and sour, and it
had a nasty taste. He threw it away from him as far as he could.
 The monkey never forgot the tree's long hard name and the little tune
he had sung. Nor did he forget how the fruit tasted. He never took a
bite of it again; but, after that, his favourite trick was to treat
the other beasts to the wonderful fruit just to see them make faces
when they tasted it.
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=524

That's it.
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MYTHOLOGY: THE FLYING SHIP

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How are you?
I suck at being entertaining so I'll just put today's tale below.

 Once upon a time there was a Princess who was always wanting something
new and strange. She would not look at the princes who came to woo her
from the kingdoms round about, because, she said, they all came in the
same way, in carriages which had four wheels and were drawn by four
horses. "Why could not one come in a carriage with five wheels?" she
exclaimed petulantly, one day, "or why come in a carriage at all?" She
added: "If one came in a flying ship I would wed him!"
 So the King made proclamation that whoever came to the palace in a
flying ship should wed the Princess, and succeed to the kingdom. As the
Princess was very beautiful and the kingdom very rich, men everywhere
began to try to build ships that would fly. But that was not so easy.
They could build ships that would sail--but flying was quite another
thing!
 On the far edge of the kingdom dwelt a widow with three sons. The two
elder, hearing the proclamation, said that they wanted to go to the city
and build each a flying ship. So the mother, who was very proud of these
sons, and quite convinced that should the Princess see one of them it
would not be necessary for him to have a flying ship, laid out their
best clothes and gave each a satchel containing a lunch of white bread
and jam and fruit, and wished them good luck on their journeys.
 Now the third son was called Simple, because he did not do as his
brothers did, and cared nothing for fine clothes and fine airs, but
liked to wander off in the woods by himself. When Simple saw his
brothers starting off all so grandly he said: "Give me a lunch, and I
will go and build a flying ship."
 The truth was that the idea of a flying ship very much appealed to
Simple, though he did not give much thought to the Princess.
 But his mother said: "Go back into the woods, Simple, that is the place
for you."
 But Simple persisted, and at last she gave him a satchel containing a
lunch of black bread without any jam, and a flask of water.
 As Simple neared the woods he met a Manikin who asked him for something
to eat. Simple was ashamed to open his satchel with the black bread and
water in it. "But," he reflected, "if one is hungry black bread is
better than no bread." The Manikin certainly looked hungry, so Simple
put his hand into the satchel and took out the roll of bread--and lo--it
was not black at all, but white, made of the finest flour, and spread
with rich, golden butter. The flask, too, when he took it out, was not
as it had been when his mother put it in, but was filled with red wine.
 So Simple and the Manikin sat down by the roadside and ate together.
Then the Manikin asked Simple where he was going, and Simple told him
that he was going to build a flying ship. He almost forgot about the
Princess, but remembered, as an afterthought, and he told the Manikin
that when the ship was done he would fly in it to the palace and marry
the Princess.
 "Well," said the Manikin, "if you want to do that take this ax with you
and the first tree that you come to strike it three times with the ax,
then bow before it three times, and then kneel down with your face
hidden until you are told to get up. There will be a flying ship before
you. Climb into it and fly to the palace of the Princess, and if you
meet anybody along the way take them along."
 So Simple took the ax and went into the wood, and the first tree that he
came to he struck three times with the ax, then bowed three times before
it, then knelt down and hid his face. By-and-by he felt someone touch
his shoulder and he looked up, and there was a ship with wings
outspread, all ready to fly. So he climbed into it and bade it fly away
to the city of the Princess.
 As he flew over a clearing in the woods Simple saw a man with his ear to
the ground, listening.
 "Ho!" he cried, "you below! What are you doing?"
 "I am listening to the sounds of the world," said the man.
 "Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship. Maybe you can hear more up
here."
 So the man climbed up into the ship, and they flew on. As they passed
over a field they saw a man hopping on one leg, with the other strapped
up behind his ear.
"Ho!" cried Simple, "You below! Why do you hop on one leg, with the
other bound up?"
 "Because," said the man, "if I were to unbind the other I would step so
far that I would be at the end of the world in a minute."
 "Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship, that will be less tiresome
than hopping so far."
 So the man came up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed a
clear lake of cold water they saw a man standing beside it looking so
disconsolately at the water that Simple called out, "Ho, you below! Why
do you look at the water so sadly?"
 "Because," said the man, "I am very thirsty."
 "Well," called Simple, "why don't you take a drink? There is water
enough!"
 "No," said the man, "it is not right that I should drink here, for I am
so thirsty that I would drink all of this at one gulp, and there would
be no lake, and I would still be thirsty."
 "Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship. Maybe we can find water
enough for you somewhere."
 So the man climbed up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed
over a village they met a man carrying a great basket of bread. "Ho!"
cried Simple, "you below! Where are you going?"
 "I am going to the baker's at the other end of the village to buy some
bread for my breakfast," replied the man.
 "But you have a big basketful of bread now," said Simple.
 "Oh," said the man, "that is not enough for the first morsel. I shall
eat that up in one bite. There are not bakers enough in this village to
keep me supplied, and I am always hungry."
 "Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship. Maybe we shall find some
bread in the city."
 So the man climbed up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed
over a meadow they saw a man carefully carrying a bundle of straw.
 "Ho!" cried Simple, "you below! Why do you carry that straw so
carefully, when there is straw all about you in the meadow?"
 "But this is no ordinary straw," said the man. "It has a magic power,
and when it is scattered about it will make the hottest place as cold as
ice."
 "Well," said Simple, "bring it along and come up into the ship. It may
be hot in the city."
 So the man climbed up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed
over a wooded park they saw a man carrying a bundle of sticks.
 "Ho!" cried Simple, "you below! Why do you carry those sticks so
carefully when all the woods about you are full of sticks?"
 "But these are not ordinary sticks," said the man. "If I were to throw
them on the ground they would become soldiers, armed and ready for a
battle."
 "Well," said Simple, "they are wonderful sticks indeed! Bring them up
into the ship. There may be a need for soldiers in the city."
 So the man climbed up into the ship and they flew on. Soon they came to
the city, where the word soon went about that a ship was flying over,
and men and women came out into the streets and on to the roofs of the
houses to see what it might be like. And the King came out on his
balcony and saw Simple and his strange crew flying straight toward the
palace.
 "Now, now," said the King, "what sort of a fellow is this? I cannot have
him marry my daughter. He has not a knight in his train--and as for
him--!" the King had no words in which to express his thought.
 The Princess, too, looking out and seeing the flying ship with Simple in
the bow and the other strange folk behind him, repented of her rash
word, and said: "You must give this fellow some impossible task to do,
so that he will fail, for it is certain that I cannot wed him."
 So the King sent for his courtiers, and bade them wait upon the man in
the flying ship and say to him that before his daughter could be given
in marriage a flask of water must be brought this day from a spring at
the end of the world.
 The man with the wonderful hearing had his ear to the deck of the ship,
and he heard this order, and reported it to Simple, who lamented, and
said: "How can I bring a flask of water from the end of the world? It
may take me a year to go there and back--perhaps even the rest of my
life."
 But the man with the bound leg said: "You forget that I am here. When
the summons comes I will take the flask and go for the water."
 So when the messenger came Simple answered quietly that the order would
be obeyed at once.
 The man with the bound leg unfastened his leg from behind his ear and
started off to the end of the world, and when he came there he filled
the flask and came back with it, and Simple went with it to the palace,
arriving just as the King and the Princess were finishing their dinner.
 "That is all very well," said the King, "but we cannot have this fellow
wed the Princess. We will prepare a feast, and tell him that it must be
eaten at once. Let forty oxen be killed, and five hundred loaves be
prepared and five hundred cakes be baked, and all of these must this
fellow and his followers eat."
 The man with the wonderful hearing having his ear to the deck of the
ship reported this conversation to Simple, who lamented and said: "How
can we eat forty oxen, and five hundred loaves and five hundred cakes!
It will take us a year to eat so much, or maybe all of the rest of our
lives."
 "Oh," said the hungry man, who had long since eaten the few loaves from
his basket, "you forget that I am here. Perhaps now for the first time
in my life I shall have enough to eat."
 So when the feast was served they all sat down to it, and ate as they
wished; then the hungry man ate the remainder of the forty oxen and the
five hundred loaves and the five hundred cakes and there was not a crumb
left. When he had quite finished he said that he could have eaten at
least two more oxen and another hundred cakes, but that he was not quite
so hungry as he had been.
 When the King's messengers told him that the feast was all eaten that
same night he said: "That is all very well, but we cannot have this
fellow wed the Princess. We will prepare a drinking, and serve five
hundred flagons of wine, and tell him that it must all be drunken that
same night, or he cannot wed the Princess. Let the flagons of wine be
prepared and served to him, and all of them must this fellow and his
followers drink."
 The man with the wonderful hearing having his ear to the deck of the
ship reported this to Simple, who lamented and said: "How can we drink
five hundred flagons of wine? It will take us a year to do so, or maybe
all of the rest of our lives."
 But the thirsty man said, "You forget that I am here. Perhaps now for
the first time in my life I shall have enough to drink."
 So when the wine was served they all gathered around the table and drank
as much as they wanted of it; then the thirsty man picked up flagon
after flagon and drank them off until all were empty. And at the end he
said that he could have drunken at least fifty flagons more, but that he
was not so thirsty as he had been.
 When the messengers of the King reported that the wine was all drunken,
the King said: "Now are we put to it, for we cannot have this fellow wed
the Princess." So he sent his messengers to the ship bidding Simple come
to the palace and make ready for the wedding, and prepared a bath for
him. And when Simple entered the room for the bath he found that it was
heated so hot that the walls burned his hands when he touched them, and
the floors were like red-hot iron. But the man with the straw had come
in behind him, warned by the man with the wonderful hearing, and seeing
what was afoot, scattered his straw all about the bathroom, and at once
it became as cold as one could wish, and, the door having been locked,
Simple climbed up on the stove and went to sleep, and there they found
him in the morning, wrapped in a blanket.
 When this was reported to the King he was very angry, and he said, "This
fellow is evidently very smart, but for all of that we cannot have him
wed the Princess. I will give him an impossible task. Go you to him,"
he said to the messenger, "and tell him that he must come to me at
to-morrow's sunrise with an army fitting the rank of one who would wed
the Princess."
 When the man with the wonderful hearing reported this to Simple he was
in despair, and lamented and said: "Now at last am I beaten, though,
after all, I have a flying ship, even if I do not wed the Princess. It
will take me a year to raise an army, perhaps it would take all the rest
of my life."
 But the man with the sticks said: "You forget that I am here. Now all of
these others have proven that they could help you to win the Princess,
let me at least do my share."
 So at dawn they flew out over the parade ground, and the man with the
sticks threw them down upon the ground, and immediately there sprung up
soldiers, in platoons and regiments, with armor, and captains and
colonels and generals to command them. And the King and his courtiers
had never seen such an army, and the Princess, standing on the balcony
beside her father, as they rode by the palace, seeing Simple riding at
the head of the band, with the generals paying him homage, said: "This
man must be a very great prince indeed, and, now that I look at him he
is not so uncomely, after all."
 And Simple, riding at the head of his army, looking up at the balcony
and seeing the Princess there said to himself: "A flying ship is all
very well, but the Princess is very beautiful, and to wed her will be
the most wonderful thing in the world."
 So Simple and the Princess were married, and the crew of the flying ship
were at the wedding, and all of the captains and the colonels and the
generals of his army, and never had there been such a wedding in the
kingdom. And by and by the King died, and Simple became the King, and
the Princess became the Queen, and they lived happily ever after.
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=356

And that's it. Long tale today. Took me a long time to read LOL
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ASDFMOVIE

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW THE MONKEY ESCAPED BEING EATEN

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Right in time this week, mwahaha

 Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, people ate fruits and nuts. Then
there came a time when the fruits and nuts became scarce. People had
to eat meat. So they began killing the various beasts to see which
ones were the best to eat. They skinned them and cut them in pieces
and cooked them over the fire. Some of the beasts were good to eat and
others were not good at all.
 The ox was found to be very good, and so was the sheep, and the
armadillo. Then one day a man thought that he would try to eat the
monkey.
 The monkey was playing his guitar. "Lee, lee, lee, lee, lee lay, lee
lay, lee ray, lee ray." The man came close to him and said, "Come
here, little monkey, and let me hear your music. I enjoy it very
much." All the time the man was coming closer and closer to the
monkey. Just as he was about to stretch out his hand and seize the
monkey, the monkey gave a sudden leap to the tree and hurried away to
the tree top.
 After that every time the man heard the monkey play the guitar he
would come near and try to catch him. The monkey grew afraid of the
man, so afraid that he gave up playing his guitar at all. For a long,
long time he did not play upon it. One day he felt that he just _must_
have some music. He hid in a hole in the ground and there he played
upon his guitar. He did not think that the man would hear him, but the
man had very sharp ears. When he got through playing he started to
come out of the hole in the ground. There was the man waiting for him!
He crawled quickly back,--so far back that the man could not catch
him. The monkey waited and waited for the man to go away, but the man
did not go away.
 After a while the man became thirsty and went to get a drink. He left
his little boy in his place to watch for the monkey. After the man had
gone away the monkey called out to the little boy, "O, little boy, O,
little boy, don't you wish that you could see the monkey dance?"
 The little boy replied that he wished he could.
 "Just put your eyes down to the door of my little cave, and I'll let
you see the monkey dance, little boy," said the monkey.
 The little boy put his eyes down close to the hole in the ground. No
sooner had he done so than the monkey threw dirt into the little boy's
eyes. When the little boy was rubbing his eyes to get the dirt out of
them the monkey made a sudden dash out of the cave and escaped to the
tree tops. When the man returned the little boy did not dare to tell
him that the monkey had escaped. The man waited and waited and waited
there by the hole in the ground. At last he became tired of waiting
and went away.
 After that the man tried harder than ever to catch the monkey. If he
had not had the good luck to catch the monkey napping one day there is
no knowing when he would have got his hands upon him. One day,
however, he caught the monkey napping. He shut him up in a box and
carried him home to the children for supper.
 The man put a big dish full of water over the fire ready to cook the
monkey. Then he went away to collect more fuel for the fire. The
monkey and his guitar were shut up in the box, and there, inside the
box, the monkey played on his guitar. "Lee, lee, lee, lee, lee lay,
lee lay, lee ray, lee ray." The children came crowding close to the
box.
 "O, children, O, children," said the monkey, "don't you wish that you
could see the monkey dance?"
 The children replied that they wished they could.
 "This box is so small that there is not room enough for me to dance
here," said the monkey. "Just let me out and I'll show you how well I
can dance."
 The children opened the box and let the monkey out into the room. The
monkey played on his guitar, "Lee, lee, lee, lee, lee lay, lee lay,
lee ray, lee ray," and he danced about the room. Then he said, "O,
children! O, children! You have nothing at all cooking in that pot
over the fire. Let us put something into the pot to cook."
 The children thought that it would not be polite to tell the monkey
what the pot of water was waiting for, so they let the monkey fill
the pot as he liked. He put into it some little dry sticks and an
empty cocoanut shell. Then he said, "O, children, O, children, I
cannot dance any more. It is so hot here in this room."
 The children begged him to dance some more.
 "If you will open the door a little bit so that I can have more air to
breathe I'll show you a new dance," said the monkey.
 The children opened the door. The monkey danced over to the door and
out of the door away to the tree top. That was the last they ever saw
of him. He moved to another part of the country after that experience.
 When the man came home with fuel for the fire the children did not
dare to tell him that the monkey had escaped. They let him think that
the sticks and the cocoanut shell in the pot was the monkey. He built
a big roaring fire under the pot and soon it was boiling merrily.
After the pot had boiled a while he called the children to come to
supper with him. The children let him taste first. He fished a hard
stick out of the pot and bit into it. "This is not the monkey's leg.
It is just a dry stick," he said, as he made a wry face. Then he
fished the empty cocoanut shell out of the pot. "That is not the
monkey's head," he said as he tasted it, "That is just an empty
cocoanut shell." He couldn't find a single trace of the monkey in that
monkey stew. He never wished to make a monkey stew again.
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=529

That's it. I think I'm going to study :3
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MYTHOLOGY: FIRBOLG

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I told you I would post something again today mwahaha more celtic stuff:

 The Firbolg ('Men of Bags') people are known as the early gods of Ireland. They were the third wave of invaders to Ireland, and defeated the Fomorians. They had been under slavery and servitude in Greece and decided to leave and set sail for Ireland by way of Spain. In the past Ireland had been home to their ancestors the Nemedians.
 Five brothers, Slainge, Rudraige, Gann, Genann and Sengann set off at daybreak sailing westwards on a south-west wind. As they approached Ireland the wind rose up and separated them into three parts: The Fir Bolg, The Fir Domnann, and the Fir Gaileon. The first were named for the leather sacks they carried, the second for the pits that were left when they dug out the earth, and the third for the darts that were their weapons.
 They all eventually landed on Ireland at the same time, and sent messengers to each other to meet up in the center of Ireland at Tara. Then they all assembled there and decided to divide out the land equally between the five brothers into the provinces of Míde, Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught.
 There they lived peacefully enough for many years until the coming of the Tuatha De Danann and the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh.

Source: http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/firbolg.html

Now, really, that's it. I have to start writing the day before posting.

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MYTHOLOGY: FOMORIANS

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I supposed to post this yesterday, I'm sorry D:

BTW, here is it, I hope you like it :3

 The Fomorians ('beneath the sea') are a sea-faring race of demonic giants that were the ancient occupants of Ireland. They are said to have originally come from Northern Africa or Asia and were described as having dark hair and dark skin. The king of the Fomorians is the one-eyed Balor.
 In some accounts the Fomorians are described as one-eyed, one armed, one legged monsters with vast magical powers. In ancient times a curse was always pronounced on someone using this one-eyed, one armed, one legged stance as it was deemed to have great magical power, Lugh uses this method to cast a curse at his enemies in the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh.

Source: http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/formors.html

That's it, by now. I'll post something later today.

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O FORTUNA MISHEARD LYRICS

BRAZILIAN CULTURE: HOW THE PIGEON BECAME A TAME BIRD

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How are you guys? Today I found this tale and it's the most Brazilian thing I've ever read. I mean, it's the only one that I can really imagine happening here.

 Once upon a time there was a father with three sons who had reached
the age when they must go out into the world to earn their own living.
When the time for parting came he gave to each of them a large melon
with the advice that they open the melons only at a place where there
was water nearby.
 The three brothers set out from their father's house, each taking a
different path. As soon as the eldest son was out of sight of the
house he opened his melon. A beautiful maiden sprang out of the melon
saying, "Give me water or give me milk." There was no water nearby and
neither did the young man have any milk to give her. She fell down
dead.
 The second son left his father's house by a path which led over a
steep hill. The large melon was heavy to carry and in a little while
he became very tired and thirsty. He saw no water nearby and feared
that there was no possibility of finding any soon, so he thought he
would open the melon and use it to quench his thirst. Accordingly he
opened his melon. To his great surprise, a beautiful maiden sprang
forth saying, "Give me water or give me milk." Of course he had
neither to give her and she fell down dead.
 The third son also travelled by a path which led over a steep hill.
He, too, became very tired and thirsty and he often thought how much
he would like to open his melon. However, he remembered his father's
advice to open it only where there was water nearby. So he travelled
on and on hoping to find a spring of water on the hillside. He did not
have the good fortune to pass near a spring either going up the hill
or coming down on the opposite side. At the foot of the hill there was
a town and in the centre of the town there was a fountain. The young
man hurried straight to the fountain and took a long refreshing drink.
 Then he opened his melon. A beautiful maiden sprang forth saying,
"Give me water or give me milk." The young man gave her a drink of
water. Then he helped her to a hiding place among the thick branches
of the tree which grew beside the fountain and went away in search of
food.
 Soon a little black servant girl came to the fountain to fill a big
water jar which she carried on her head. The maiden in the tree above
the fountain peeped out through the branches. When the little black
servant girl bent over the water to fill her jar she saw the
reflection of a charming face in the water. "How beautiful I have
become," she said to herself. "How ridiculous that any one as
beautiful as I am should carry water on her head." She threw her water
jar upon the ground in disdain and it broke into a thousand pieces.
 When the little maid reached home with neither water nor water jar her
mistress punished her severely and sent her again to the fountain
with a new water jar to fill. This time the maiden in the tree gave a
little silvery laugh when the black servant girl bent over the water.
The little maid looked up and spied her in the tree. "O, it is you, is
it, who are responsible for my beating?" she said. She pulled a pin
out of her camisa and, reaching up, she stuck it savagely into the
beautiful maiden in the tree. Then a strange thing happened. There was
no longer any beautiful maiden in the tree. There was just a pigeon
there.
 At that moment the young man came back to the tree with the food he
had procured. When the little black maid heard his footsteps she was
frightened nearly to death. She hid herself quickly among the thick
branches of the tree. The young man was very much surprised to find a
little black maid in the tree in the place of the beautiful maiden he
had left there. "What has happened to you during my absence" he asked
in horror as soon as he saw her. "The sun has burned my complexion.
That is all. It is nothing. I shall be myself again when I get away
from this hot place," the little maid replied.
 The young man married the little black maid and took her away out of
sunny places hoping that she would soon be again the beautiful maiden
she was when he left her by the fountain in search of food. But she
always remained black.
 Years passed and the young man became very rich. He lived in a
beautiful mansion. All around the house there was a wonderful garden
full of lovely flowers and splendid trees where birds loved to sing
sweet songs and build their nests. In spite of his beautiful home the
young man was not very happy. It was a great trial to have a wife who
was so black. He often walked up and down the paths in his garden at
the close of the day and thought about how beautiful his wife had been
the first time he ever saw her. As he walked in the garden there was
always a pigeon which followed him about. It flew about his head in a
way that annoyed him, so one day when his wife was sick and asked for
a pigeon to be roasted for her dinner he commanded that this
particular pigeon should be killed.
 When the cook was preparing the pigeon for her mistress to eat for
dinner she noticed a black speck on the pigeon's breast. She thought
that it was a speck of dirt and tried to brush it away. To her
surprise she could not brush it off easily because it was a pin firmly
embedded in the pigeon's breast. She pulled and pulled but could not
pull it out so she sent for her master to come and see what he could
do to remove it. He at once pulled out the pin and then a wonderful
thing happened. The pigeon was transformed into a beautiful maiden. He
at once recognised her as the same lovely maiden who had sprung forth
from his melon by the fountain and whom he had left hidden in the
tree.
 When the young man's black wife learned that her husband had found the
beautiful maiden again after all these years she confessed her deceit
and soon died. The young man married the beautiful maiden who was
still just as beautiful as she was the first time he saw her. They
were very happy together but the wife never forgot about the time she
had been a pigeon.
 Up to that time pigeons had been wild birds who built their nests in
the deep forest. The wife often wished that they would build their
nests in her beautiful garden so she had little bird houses built and
set up there.
 One day a pigeon, bolder than the rest, flew through the garden and
spied the little bird houses. He moved his family there at once and
told the other pigeons that there were other houses there for them
too. The other pigeons were timid and so they waited to see what
terrible calamity might happen to the bold pigeon and his family, but
not a single unpleasant thing occurred. They were just as happy as
happy could be in their new home.
 After a while other pigeon families moved into the garden and were
happy too. Thus it came about that after years and years the pigeons
no longer build their nests in the deep forest, but they always make
their homes near the homes of men. The pigeons, themselves, do not
know how it all came about, but the beautiful woman who was once a
pigeon, when she had children of her own, told them about it, and they
told their children. 
Source: http://fairytalesandfolklore.com/tale.php?tale=538

That's it :3
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