Week 6 Story: Attack of the Giants

Edit: The new story can be found in my portfolio here.

I arrived at the old and beaten town with hopes of resting myself for the coming weeks. However, I noticed that something was terribly wrong. The city seemed almost deserted. There were no shops open and there were no children running around in the streets. I came across an older woman and asked her what had become of this once lively town. She told me that there was a pack of giants that had been terrorizing the town for some months now. Every day, one giant would come to the town and demand a tribute from the townsfolk. Each tribute to the giants lessened the number of people in the town. The woman had already lost many of her children to this tribute. I knew I had to put an end to this ridiculous agreement. So, I gathered my supplies and headed out the next morning.

One of the giants arrived the next morning demanding a tribute. The people of the town obliged, and I used this as an opportunity to follow the giant. I stalked him back to his village of giants and lurked in the shadows until it was my time to strike. The nightfall soon came upon us, and I knew my opportunity was near. The band of giants had gathered together to prep their graciously gifted meal. They were enjoying themselves as they drank obscene amounts of wine and dined on the "catch" of the day. I noticed that their senses were dulling as they continued to engorge themselves. A small scuffle broke out between two of the giants as they were arguing over who deserved the last piece of meat. I knew this was my best time to strike, so I prepped my blade and spear.

I crept up behind two of the giants that were off in the distance completely dazed from the alcohol they had consumed. I disposed of them quickly and continued to the rest of the group sitting around the fire. The three giants sitting around the fire were a bit more aware of their surroundings, so I had to move quickly. I snuck up behind one and plunged my sword through his heart. The other two giants noticed what had happened in disbelief. I took my spear and hurled it at one of the giants who had just realized what was happening to his friends. The other giant began to charge at me and he readied his club to bash my skull. I swung myself onto his back and disposed of him like I had the rest. The two giants that had been fighting were now passed out from their recent exhaustion and had no clue what had just taken place. I finished them off and returned to the town. I freed the people of the horrors that were haunting them and went on my way to a new adventure.

(Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel from Victorian Publishers' Bookbindings. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: This story was based on one of the adventures of Raja Rasalu from the book Tales of the Punjab. Raja Rasalu was a hero to the people and he accomplished incredible feats of the strength as a man. However, he had abilities and gifts that no normal man would ever possess. Raja was also very cunning and confident. He always knew what to say and do. During this specific adventure, Raja came upon the city of Nila. He comes upon an older woman that tells Raja of the giants and their tribute from the city. The woman had lost six of her children to the giants and was about to lose her seventh. Rasalu knew he had to rectify the situation, so he took the place of the child that was supposed to be the tribute for the day. Rasalu marched for the giants home on his steed and quickly went to work. However, some of the giants did not believe that he was in fact Raja Rasalu. They gathered a stack of seven shields and stood behind them. Raja Rasalu, being the hero that he was, shot an arrow through all seven shields and all seven giants standing behind them. He tracked down the last giant and let her starve in a cave to death. I changed a few of these elements in my story, but I kept it mostly the same. One of the major changes was that I told it from a first-person perspective. I did leave out some of the details that I mentioned above because I found that it did not fit the first person narrative. Overall, the story that I told is fairly true to its source.

Bibliography: Raja Rasalu from Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel. Source: UnTextbook

Reading Notes: Raja Rasalu, Part B

Today, I took notes over the second part of the reading for Raja Rasalu. I really liked the first story in the Part B reading, so I decided to take notes over these today. The interactions with the hunter and Raja are just the precursor to the events that unfold. I tried to take note of things that happened after the hunter failed to comply with Raja's conditions.

• Again, the poetry in this story is important.
• I really liked the exchange between the buck and doe in the south woods.
• The looming fate of the hunter is such an integral part of the story.
• I think I would like to include similar foreshadowing in the retelling.
• I like the dialogue of the doe as she ponders death after the buck dies.
• I think the dynamic between the buck, doe, and hunter is very interesting.
• There is a lot of self doubt and anguish associated with the dynamic.
• This would be something cool to manipulate or recreate in the retelling.
• Mirshikari is a very confident man and did not understand the weight of his actions.
• Raja Rasalu is very wise and knowledgable. 
• It seems that Raja associates himself with others as entertainment.
• He constantly uses riddles as a way of messing with mortal men.
• I think he is very clever and his cleverness is a reoccurring theme in each story.
• The king is unable to solve Raja's riddle and seeks confirmation of the hunter's death.
• There were many who doubted the death of Mirshikari. I believe this is a testament to his strength. This only reinforces the fact that Raja is so far beyond the strength of other men.
• The story ends by Raja alluding to another king.
• I could possibly transition into the next story.

I think that there is a lot of value in the first story. It spans across four different sections and includes much detail and thought. I can do a lot with this story. There is a lot of possibility for change. I could also focus on one specific section and retell it in my own fashion.

(This is a photo of deer in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in India. This is how I imagined the deer in the story would look. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Raja Rasalu from The Adventures of the Punjab Hero Raja Rasalu by Charles Swynnerton. Source: UnTextbook

Reading Notes: Raja Rasalu, Part A

This week I read the about the adventures of Raja Rasalu. He is known as the Hero of the Punjab. I really like to read and write about hero stories, so I decided to do another one this week. Raja has multiple stories and adventures. I decided to focus on a specific story for my notes. I am taking notes over Raja and his battle with the giants. This will most likely be the story that I choose to retell later this week. Again, I am using the bullet point notes format.

• Raja is perceived as charming to those that meet him.
• He faces similar challenges to that of other heroes in this course.
• Raja flows with confidence in himself.
• Raja does not fear for his life in this situation
• The people of the city had succumbed to the demands of the giants.
• There was not resistance formed to fight off the giants.
• Everyday the people of the city were fearful for their survival.
• The city took turns rationing their men as sacrifice.
• He does not doubt his ability to take on the giants in combat.
• Raja shows no mercy for his foes.
• He was born into the world as giant slayer.
• Raja confronts the giants with confidence and the knowledge that he will win.
• Raja slices off the hand of a giant with ease as a warning.
• The poem of Raja's return has some significance.
• I definitely need to include the poem in the retelling.
• I like how Raja is never challenged in his adventure.
• I could change his typical victory to something more fatal or drastic.

Overall, I think there are a lot of creative options for this week. I have really taken a liking to the stories about heroes and their many adventures. I will probably try to find a new way to get creative with this week's story and do something different.

(A photo of a sunset in Punjab, India. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Raja Rasalu from Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel. Source: UnTextbook