Topic: Dogs in ancient myths and legends
Illustration from Romance of Old Japan (sourced below)
Comments: Dogs are revered in many differrent cultures, from Egypt to the British Isles and even in today's society (by some people). I'd like to look into how dogs have been portrayed across the different cultures over time.
Possible stories: One story I noticed was "The Martyred Hound" in the British Isles section. I think stories regarding Anubis would be good for this section as well.
Story Comments: In the Martyred Hound, the Prince's hound is treated like family. He goes on hunts, looks after the prince's son, etc. But he ends up killing the hound in vain, and burying him. Stories like these that explain why places are called what they are would be an interesting concept I think.
Story Source: The Martyred Hound
Topic: Dante's Inferno
Comments: I've always had a fascination with how Dante portrayed Hell. The idea of "Hell" was hotly debated during the early 2nd millenium, as it still is. Dante's creativity in storytelling has been studied extensively, and still people study him to find more from what he was trying to say. I've read through some of the cantos he wrote before, but never fully finished it.
Possible Stories: Since Dante's Inferno is one big story, I'd have to choose a section to focus on. I think the section of Fallen Angels would be a good focus point, or even something as broad as the final 3 rings that hold the worst sinners.
Story comments: I read through the section on Fallen Angels and was a bit disappointed to see a lack of any angels mentioned by name. I thought I remembered seeing some last time I read (or attempted to read) the Inferno, but I guess I was wrong. Nonetheless, it's an interesting topic because Dante does a great job of creating a human element in that section especially by demonstrating his fears or worries.
Story Source: The Fallen Angels
Topic: Alice in Wonderland
Comments: Alice in Wonderland is such an interesting story because of the fantastical aspects of it. There have been many adaptations, film and otherwise, and I think a project from the view of the Mad Hatter could allow for a lot of creativity.
Possible Stories: The same thing I would have to do for Dante's Inferno I would have to do for this I imagine, pick a specific section. Like I mentioned, I think a project from the Mad Hatter's point of view would create an interesting narrative, one that could change the way this story is perceived.
Story Comments: I read through the story "A Mad Tea-Party" and noticed it's quite a puzzling section. The use of riddles and questions with no answers is such an interesting narrative to me. The dialogue is strange, which, again, would add up to some interesting dialogue opportunities from a different perspective. I think I could create some ridiculous things that would make perfect sense in the Mad Hatter's thought process.
Story Source: "A Mad Tea-Party"
Topic: Japanese Myths
Comments: Having been to Japan, I learned quite a bit about their culture, beliefs and daily happenings. But what I didn't learn about was their myths and legends (well, besides the obvious ones). I'd love to dig deeper into the aspects of Japanese culture that attempted to explain the unexplainable.
Possible Stories: I think the stories focusing on snakes or dragons would be the best ones to adapt into stories. Dragons and serpents play such an integral role in Japanese culture, so finding a way to tell a story from their perspective could make for an interesting project.
Story Comments: The story I chose was "The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi" because of the serpent/dragon connection. The use of gods as "regular people" stood out to me as odd because usually gods are portrayed as all-powerful, all-knowing, etc. I'm curious if other Japanese myths have the same dynamic between the gods as this one did.
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