Reading: Jewish Fairy Tales, Part A

Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa 

The Giants of the Flood:

  • Noah was worried about finding a unicorn
  • Og the Giant wanted to be saved in exchange for the unicorn, Noah refused 
  • he brought the unicorn and Noah decided to save it 
  • Og tried to cheat by riding the unicorn alongside the boat
  • Noah promises to feed him as long as he is a servant for the descendants
  • Og tries to leave once the flood is over
  • Og sacrifices animals to the grape vine planted, each parallel to what happens when you get drunk
  • Og forgets duties to Noah, eventually Moses kills him
The Beggar King:

  • "For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation", word of Holy Book the high priest read
  • tore the page with the quote out of the book because it offended him
  • went out hunting chased a deer across the river to find out a boy was hidden in the deer skin
  • was a genie wanting to teach the king a lesson, switched places and left the king on the bank
  • wood-cutter found him, no one believed that he was the king 
  • king repents, switches back at a beggar feast 
  • showed kindness and sympathy to all subjects
The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog 
  • dog and cat were best friends
  • winter came, there were struggles to survive 
  • cat wants to split up but dog thinks he can help
  • cat goes to the house of Adam for mice
  • they take oath to never cross paths again, because serpent says it's what to do
  • cat thrives, dog struggles-wolf gives him shelter, he gets attacked while keeping watch
  • finds monkey, asks for shelter-it says no
  • decides to help sheep in exchange for food and shelter, didn't do well and leaves 
  • wanders to the house of Adam, cat attacks 
  • dog wants to leave, they were never friends again
The Water-Babe:
  • Childless Princess finds baby floating in the Nile river, named it Moses
  • everyone loved Moses except the ministers
  • at his birthday party he took the King's crown off and put it on his head 
  • says this is a action of evil, decides to test him with fire and jewels
  • passed test and later fled, married, and did wonderful things 
From Shepard-Boy to King:
  • boy hears whispers that he should be king 
  • comes across magic mountain, ground began to rise as he sat on the moutain
  • realized he was on a giant animal, lion demanded all animals bowed to him
  • Unicorn bowed and David slipped off, lands in front of lion-deer saves him, later became king 
The Magic Palace: 
  • Ibrahim was a noble man and his family faced struggles
  • sets out to find work in borrowed clothes 
  • comes across Arab who want to be a slave
  • helps Arab find work building a palace, and sells his as a slave to a man
  • Slave promises to build palace in one day and begins praying
  • Slave was the Prophet Elijah who came to perform a good deed to those who are noble 
Noah's Ark: Wikipedia

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