Reviews for The story of a vision

The average rating for The story of a vision based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-03-10 00:00:00 George Magalios Originally published in German as Das geraubter Feuer, this collection of twenty-seven folktales from around the world takes the idea of heroic rebellion and individual bravery as its theme. Divided into four regional sections - Eastern Europe and Siberia, Africa, Asia and Australia, and America - it is meant, as specified on the front dust-jacket flap, as a companion to classical mythological collections, and (I can only assume) the folklore of western Europe. Translated by Stella Humphries, and published in English in 1974, The Stolen Fire is sparsely illustrated by Herbert Holzing, whose artwork appears all of six times - on the title page, and preceding the author's introduction and each of the four sections - and resembles nothing so much as a series of rubbings of stone carvings. I can't say these illustrations appealed to me, but luckily they didn't appear too frequently, and my main interest was in the text. The tales themselves were engaging, although I wish that the geographic/cultural origin had been specified in more detail. Baumann is quite specific with some, but only makes mention of the continent of origin with others. Leaving that aside, this was on the whole an appealing folkloric anthology, with a number of tales I had not encountered before. The selections include: Staver and Vassilissa, a Russian tale in which the boyar Staver boasts of his wealth and wife at a feast, only to be imprisoned by Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev. His clever wife, Vassilissa, disguises herself as a man, and rides to the rescue, convincing the duke that she is a representative of the Khan of the Golden Hordes, there to collect tribute. This tale of a woman who is both a strong warrior and a cunning tactician, can also be found in Katrin Tchana's The Serpent Slayer and Other Stories of Strong Women . Dobrinya at the Saracens' Mount, another tale of Kievan Rus, in which the hero slays a fierce dragon and its offspring, freeing the Russians it had imprisoned, including the Grand Duke's niece, Sabava. The figure of Dobrynya Nikitich, an important bogatyr - a warrior-knight of Kievan Rus, who went on quests and performed great deeds - is believed to be based on an historical warlord. He is apparently still an important part of the Russian tradition, judging from the successful 2006 animated film based upon his adventures, Добрыня Никитич и Змей Горыныч . Urismag, a tale from the Caucasus, in which the eponymous Nart hero decides that he has grown too old to be of any use, and orders his people to build him a coffin, and cast him into the river. Eventually washing up on land belonging up the Lord of the Black Sea - the Narts' bitter enemy - Urismag is imprisoned, but manages to convince his captor to seek ransom, sending a very clever message within a message to his wife and people. The Nart sagas, which lay out the heroic deeds of a race of giants and heroes, are part of the folklore of a number of ethnic groups in the Caucasus - the Ossetians, Circassians, Ubykh, Abkhaz, Abazin, Karachay-Balkar and Chechen-Ingush - and are believed by some scholars to be one of the sources for Britain's King Arthur legends. Those interested in reading the Nart sagas themselves are advised to seek out John Colarusso's excellent 2002 translation (the first ever into English), Nart Sagas from the Caucasus: Myths and Legends from the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs . Those curious about a possible King Arthur connection, might want to peruse From Scythia to Camelot: A Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Holy Grail . George in the Realm of Darkness, a brief Bulgarian tale in which the titular hero is cast into a deep well by his envious brothers, rescuing the daughter of the Tsar of the Realm of Darkness while underground, before returning to his own world. I had never seen this tale elsewhere, nor run into any reference to it - hardly surprising, when one considers that I've read so little Bulgarian folklore - so I was quite excited to discover it here. I'd love to read a collection of Bulgarian tales... Tardanak, described by Baumann as a tale from "South Siberia," features an everyman hero who continually escapes from the seven-headed monster Yelbeggen, until finally, after outwitting and slaying his adversary, he returns to his fields. Although I have seen this tale included in Russian folktale collections, I believe it is actually from the Altai people. Kara Khan's Daughter, another tale from South Siberia, features the indomitable Altyn Aryg, who sets out to prove herself worthy of succeeding her father, despite being a girl, killing the much feared Snake Prince in the process. A second Altaic tale, this story can also be found in Kathleen Ragan and Jane Yolen's Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World . The Herald of War, an Estonian tale in which the king's messenger, meeting the terrible creatures that accompany war - the crow and vulture, the wolf, terrible Famine, horrific Pestilence - abandons his duty to summon men to the army. This fascinating tale, with its clear anti-war message, had me wondering as to source and context, wishing (once again) that Baumann had provided more information. Big Kihuo and Little Kihuo, an "East African" selection, in which a chief's son, originally impeded by his father's fear of him, eventually becomes a great leader, successfully expanding his people's land-base, until the human cost of defeat puts an end to his warring. This was an interesting tale - I wasn't quite sure if the ending was meant to convey a message, or if it was to be read as a straightforward statement of "fact." I 'm not familiar with the Vakishamba people, and can't seem to find any reference to them, which is rather frustrating. Nana Miriam, a Songai tale from Nigeria, follows the adventures of Fara Maka's beautiful daughter, Nana Miriam, who kills the hippopotamus-monster that had been causing her people so much hardship. This wonderful tale can also be found in Jane Yolen's Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls . Mbega the Kigego, a tale from the Shambala people of Tanazania, which tells of a kigego - someone whose upper teeth grow in first, and who is believed to bring bad luck - who becomes a great chief. I was unfamiliar with this concept of the "kigego" - it sure wasn't covered in the recent collection of tooth-related folklore I read, Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World ! The Leopard, a tale from Central Africa, in which three people - a man, his wife, and his brother - all display courage in different ways, when dealing with a leopard. The characters here are described as "Pygmies," but no indication as to their ethnic identity - Aka, Mbuti, Baka, Twa - or of the specific cultural origin of this tale, is given. The Stolen Fire, the Polynesian tale which gives this collection its name, in which Maui wins fire from the giant Mahuika. Stories of fire-winners are always interesting - I was reminded of the tale of Prometheus here - and Baumann seems to have included a number of them. Etana's Flight to Heaven, a tale from ancient Sumer, in which the king Etana learns that even he cannot make childbirth safe and painless. Muchukunda and Krishna, an Indian myth, in which a great king and hero elects, after being granted a wish by the gods, to withdraw to a cave and sleep, with the understanding that anyone who wakes him will be consumed by flames. Centuries later, the Prince Krishna remembers the legend of Muchukunda, and uses it to defeat an invading barbarian king. Kutune Shirka and the Golden Otter, an Ainu tale in which the hero captures the Golden Otter when all others fail, but refuses to give it to the Man of Ishkar and his sister, precipitating a protracted conflict. Kutune Shirka is an important figure in the folk tradition of the Ainu - the indigenous people of northern Japan - and there is an entire epic devoted to his adventures: Kutune Shirka: The Ainu Epic . Isanagi and Isanami, a Japanese myth in which two gods - brother and sister, and husband and wife - create the islands of Japan, before being separated by death. Elements of this story, particularly that in which Isanagi searches for his lost wife in the realm of the dead, reminded me of the Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice , although the resulting bitterness between the parted couple was new to me. Kesar of Ling and the Giant of the North, a Tibetan tale concerning the terribly ugly prince Kesar, whose own mother continually tries to rid herself of him, but who grows up to be a great hero, slaying the terrible Giant of the North and freeing his captive, Dzemo. This figure, also known as Gesar of Ling, is the subject of many Himalayan tales, with an epic many times longer than The Iliad devoted to his adventures. I've always wanted to read more of his story, and am struck, this time around, by the similarity of the name "Kesar" to similar titles, such as the Roman Caesar, the German Kaiser, or the Russian Tsar. I can't believe I never noticed that before! Girrowin, an Aboriginal tale from Australia, in which a discontented man question Bayami, the creator of the world, determined to know why humans must die, when their creator does not. This pourquoi tale, which explains the existence of Girrowin, or "the Place of Flowers," was quite fascinating, but I would have liked to know which Aboriginal culture produced it. The Prince of the House of Liu, a Chinese tale in which a young prince must flee, after the death of his father, and the palace coup which brings his kinsman, Wang Mang, to power. Finding refuge, first with loyal Old Chang, and then with a clever farmer, the prince eventually succeeds in his quest to reclaim the throne. Prince Five-Weapons, an Indian tale, in which the eponymous hero - so named because of his prophesied skill with weapons - defeats a terrible ogre. I liked that "knowledge of the nature of things" turns out to be the greatest weapon at the prince's disposal. One-Two-Man and Stoneshirt, a tale from "North America," concerns a young hero who, upon discovering that the evil sorcerer Stoneshirt killed his father and abducted his mother when he was a baby, sets out to defeat him, splitting himself temporarily into two men. This was an interesting story, but I found myself wishing (not for the first time!) that Baumann had been more specific, as to the cultural origins of the tale. North America is a big place, and its indigenous cultures are incredibly diverse! Referring to such tales as "Indian" is akin to referring to the brothers Grimm as "European" - technically correct, but so unspecific as to be disrespectful, particularly if more information is available. The Flute Player, this time from "South America," follows the story of a young man who, shamed by the words of a woman who demands action, sets out to defeat the boa constrictor who has been killing the children of his tribe. Like One-Two-Man and Stoneshirt, no cultural origin is given for this tale. Smoking Star, another "North American" tale, which sets out the many heroic deeds of the eponymous hero. References to bison here make it clear that this must be a story from one of the peoples of the Great Plains, and a final reference to Smoking Star being killed by the Cree, would suggest that this might be a Lakota story. Uitziton and the First Quarrel, an Aztec myth from Mexico, relates the story of Uitziton, who leads some of his people away from their original home, Aztlan, when it becomes overcrowded. Uitziton's resolution of the first quarrel amongst the people, in which he chooses the bag with the two sticks, makes this another tale of a fire-bringer. The Seven Deeds of Onkoito, a "North American" tale in which the hero avenges the deaths of his uncles, defeating seven dangers and/or evils. Although Bauman offers no hint, I believe that the figure of Onkoito comes from the folk traditions of the Maidu people of California, and that he is mentioned in Kroeber's Indian Myths of South Central California . Norwan, the final "North American" tale, in which the willful Norwan, the Woman of the South, abandons her husband Norbis and brother Hessiha, to take up residence with the Redbreast brothers, thereby precipitating a terrible conflict. This story reminded me strongly of the Greek tradition of the Trojan War, with the signal difference that it is Norwan herself - unlike Helen of Troy - who decides to return, in order to put an end to the violence. This fascinating myth comes from the Wintu people of northern California. And finally, there is After the Great Fire, a "South American" tale in which the world and all its inhabitants are destroyed by fire, save for one couple who have hidden underground. I was reminded of the great flood myths of the world, when reading this one, as the fire serves the same purpose here, as the waters. I was also much struck by the couples' determination to live, when they emerge, and are questioned by the evil spirit Sararuma. The power of their declaration, "Yes, we want to go on living," is evident in its effect on their interrogator.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-12-10 00:00:00 Debra Waldron I have had this book since I was a child and I haven't touched it in years! I decided to pick it up for the read-a-thon so I could finish the prompt. This is a beautiful children's picture book with eight different fairytale stories and my favorite part of it is definitely the stunning pictures. The illustrations aren't actually drawings but rather embroidery pieces the artist created for the book. If you have a little one who loves princesses, this may be a book to get to read to them!