STORYTELLING WITH ANTO

A Mad Tea Party Illustration by Sir John Tenniel There was a table set in front of a house where the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea with a a sleeping Dormouse sleeping inbetween them. They were all crowded at a corner and claimed there was no room, but there was more than enough. They offered her winde but there wasn't any which she said was not civil to offer but they thought it was uncivil for her to sit with them when she had not been invited. The Hatter then asked why a raven was like a writing-desk, which caused a discussion for a while until he asked what day of the month it was. Alice said it was the fourth, to which Hatter said their watch was two days off and so they repaired it with butter and tea. Alice felt puzzled throughout the conversation and finally said, as politely a possible, that she could not understand a thing.  Story source: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Down the Rabbit-Hole Illustration by Sir John Tenniel Alice was with her sister who was reading a book, but she began feeling very tired and sleepy, when at of nowhere she saw a white rabbit. She then heard the rabbit say to itself "oh dear! I shall be late" as it pulled a watch out of its waistpocket, which filled her with curiosity. She followed the rabbit and saw it jump in a rabbit-hole, and so she decided to also go into it. She fell through the hole which seemed to go on forever and was lined with cupboards and shelves. She finally fell unto a room surrounded by doors, but they were all locked. She then saw a table where there was a tiny key, but all the doors were too big for it except for a tiny little door only fidteen inches high. She opened the door but saw no use in waiting by it so she returned to the table where she found a bottle labeled "drink me". When she had drank the liquid she shrunk to be only ten inches high, just the right size to fit ...

The End of Arthur Arthur's nephew, Sir Mordred, plotted against him. Arthur is then struck in battle by Mordred and lies wounded in the battlefield, attended by Sir Bedivere. Arthur knows his tie has come and asks Sir Bedivere to take his sword and throw it in the water. Sir Bedivere told Arthur that he would do as told, but instead hid the sword under a tree. When he returned, Arthur asked what he had seen to which he responded that only the winds and waves, thus Arthur knew he had not truly thrown the sword into the water and instructed him again to do so. Again, Sir Bedivere ignored the commands, so Arthur called him a traitor and said that if he did not do as he was told, he would slay Sir Bedivere himself. Sir Bedivere then threw the sword into the water, and as it flew, an arm and hand lifted itself out of the water and caught the sword by its hilt. Sir Bedivered returned and told King Arthur, who then asked him to carry him to the water. A small barge containing fair lad...

The Drawing of the Sword Excalibur in Pixabay After King Uther Pendragon died, there was no one to rule the land of Britain. The Merlin, the magician, rode to the Archbishop of Canterbury and together decided that they should meet at the Great Church in London on Christmas morning. On that day, they found a large stone that had a sword embedded in it, which read "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of England". Many tugged at the sword, but none could pull it out. They then decided to hold a tournament where all knights could participate. On the day of the tournament, came Sir Ector with his son Sir Kay and his foster-son Arthur. Sir Kay had left behind his sword so he asked his brother to retrieve it for me, but seeing that he could not find it, he pulled the sword in the stone. When he gave the sword to his brother and he saw the inscription, Sir Kay told his father that has was the rightful king of Britain, but his brother had him swear this upon ...

Turtle and Thunder Once Turtle was living alone in the lake, and several times he was hit by something, but when he came out of the water to see what it was, there was nothing. He thus went out of the water and into the woods to find someone to help him. Deer offered but when he showed turtle how he fought, he broke his horns, then Bear also offered, but he was too clumsy. He asked again if someone would help, and he heard lots of little voices offering, it was a group of little turtles. Turtle was pleased and decided they were perfect to help him, so he led them to where he lived and then went home. Soon after, a big rock fell from the sky and landed on the little turtles, killing them all. When Turtle ran out to see what had happened, he saw a big bird flying away. He asked his neighbor, Muskrat, what bird it was, to which he answered it was the Thunder Bird. From the on, Turtle hides in the water when there is a thunderstorm. Story source: Myths and Legends of British North A...

Creation of the World Tortoise with Island on Back

The First Woman Three Young Eskimo Women A long time ago, there were many men but no women, only one woman was known to live in the Southland. A young man from the Northland traveled South and married the woman, and thought to himself that now he had a wife whilst the headsman's son had none. Then the son of the headsman also traveled South and started pulling the woman away by her shoulders in the middle of the night. The husband awakened and also tried to pull the woman away, only by the feet, thus they ripped the woman in half. The son of the headsman took the upper body North, whilst the husband remained south with the lower body. They both then created wooden parts to complete the woman's body. The woman in the South was a really good dancer, but could not do fine needlework for her hands were wooden. The woman in the North could do fine needlework but was a terrible dancer because of her wooden legs. Even to this day, northern women are skillful with their hands, ...

Raven's Creation Illustration from Judson's Book The first man came from inside a beach pea pod. He remained inside the pod for four days, then on the fifth, he stretched out and fell down unto the earth. He walked around and ran into Raven, a large black bird who could push his beak up and turn into a man. Raven explained that he had created the pod but did not know that a man would come out of it. Raven then fed berries and water to Man and then created several animals from clay. He shaped them carefully and told the man how plentiful they would be, he then would bat his wings four times and they would come to life. Raven then noticed that Man needed a companion, therefore he took more clay and shaped a young woman similar to Man, and use grass to add hair to her head. He let her dry fully, thus giving her a fair completion, and then batter his wings four times, bringing her to life. He then gave the young woman to Man to be his companion. Story source: Myths and...

The Lighting and the Thunder Story source:  Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria  by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910). Lighting Wikimedia Commons In the olden days, the lighting and the thunder lived among the people, but the king made them live far away from everyone. The thunder was an old mother sheep and the lighting was her son, a ram that often burned house and knocked down trees, even killed people. Whenever the lighting did any damage, the thunder would call for him very loudly, but alas her did not care. The people then complained to the king, who ordered the thunder and lighting to live out of town in a bush. This did not last long, for the ram burned down the forest, and the flames would sometimes spread to the farms. The people complained once again, so the kind vanished them from the earth, thus now when the lighting becomes angry he does damage from the sky, and soon his mother's loud voice can be heard. 

The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull Front view of Skull There was a young woman named Afiong who was very beautiful but also very vain. Many men wanted to marry her and her parents tried to arrange it, but she refused them as she wanted a young, strong and good looking man to love her properly. The Skull, who lived in the spirit land, heard of the woman and wished to possess her. He borrowed several body parts to make up a fine young man and went to find Afiong. He admired her, and when she saw him, she fell in love with him and invited him to her house. The Skull met Afiong's parents and asked for her hand in marriage, at first they refused but eventually agreed. After two days, he decided he wanted to take Afiong back to her country, which her parents tried to prevent her from doing but failed. After they had gone, the father consulted his Ju Ju man, who discovered that Afiong had married The Skull from the spirit land and would soon be killed. When Afiong and The...

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies There once was a couple that owned a ring that brought luck to its owners by making sure they always had enough fortune to live on, however, the couple did not know this. Unknowing of its properties, they sold the ring and quickly became poor to the point of hunger. They had a dog and a cat that also grew hungry, so they met to try and help their owners in any way. The dog figured out that they needed to get the ring back, but this was already locked in a wooden chest, so he told the cat to catch a mouse and make it gnaw a hole in the chest to reach for the ring. The cat did as told, and when she had the mouse together they went to find the ring, only to find a broad river in the way. Since the cat could not swim, the dog carried her on his back and waited for her to return. The mouse so gnawed the box, and as soon as he had given her the ring, she began her journey back to the river where the dog once again helped her across. On their way back, the dog h...

Urashima The story of Urashima tells of his quest past the sea for seven long days without rest. He did not return to Suminoye nor to his home but after a fruitless quest, he pulled a great tortoise from the sea. Tortoises are a holy symbol of long life so he returned it to the water. Urashima slept and started dreaming when a vision of a fair maiden came, the daughter of the dragon. She whispered to him that for having speared the tortoise's life he could join her in her castle underneath the sea, and take princess Otohime as his wife, where they would be ever young and free, never to die. But after being in the palace with his wife, he began to long for his home and family, so he decided to go see his parents and then return. His wife then entrusted him with a talismanic casket to take with him but instructed him not to open it. Urashima sailed to his home, Suminoye, but when he reached it there were no huts and no people, thus realizing that he had stayed in the palace for hu...

Izanagi and Izanami In the beginning, everything was chaos and from the void emerged a cloud from which sprouted a bud than then grew and blossomed towards the heavens. From the wonder-flower bloomed the Sun. At the same time, from heaven came downward a night-blooming flower that became the moon. Out of these blossoms sprang many gods, the last of who were Izanagi (all-powerful-God-of-the-Air) and Izanami (fair-Goddess-of-the-Clouds), and from them came all life.  Izanagi and Izanami stood in the Floating Bridge of Heaven when Izanagi said that there must be a kingdom beneath them and that they should visit it. He threw his spear into the ocean and when he drew it, from the drops of liquid the island of Onogora was born. He stirred once ore creating a mountain attached to the Floating Bridge. Izanagi and Izanami both descended and skirted the Pilla of Earth in opposite directions; when they met, Izanami spoke first which was a great offense due to her being a woman, so they...

The Crane and the Crab Illustration by E. Boyd Smith (1908) There once was a crane that lived next to a pond where she could eat as many fish as she wanted and lived in luxury. When she was old she realized that she should have gathered provisions for when she was too old to fish, so she started complaining and moaning. A crab swam to the surface and asked why she was so sad, and she explained that two fishermen said that they would go back to the pond in a few weeks to fish, so she would surely die of starvation. The crab told the fish who were all very anxious and scared, so they approached the crane to develop a plan together. The crane said that she knew of an enchanted pond where they would be safe, so she could carry three or four fish at a time every day. So that morning she took some of the fish and instead of taking them to a pond, she ate them, having once again food regardless of her old age. When it was time to carry the crab she wanted to get rid of him, so she had ...

The King, the Falcon, and the Drinking-Cup Falcon in Wikimedia Commons A king who was very fond of hunting had a falcon that he would always take with him and even feed by hand. During one hunt, the king saw a deer and started pursuing it, but his companions couldn't ride as fast as him so he quickly left them behind. The king became disoriented and lost and was very thirsty, so he took a cup out of his bag and began filling it with the water of a small stream. When he was about to drink it, the falcon flew down and knocked the cup out of his hands. This happened a few more times, angering the king so much to the point that he grabbed the falcon and threw it to the ground, killing him instantly. At this moment one of the king's servants found him and offered him water from his flask, but the king demanded to drink water from the stream, however, because it took too long he asked the servant to go to the origin of the stream and fill his cup. When the servant returned he ...

The Tale of King Rhampsinitus Temple at Karnak Story source: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907). There was a king of Egypt called Rhampsinitus who was very wealthy. He had a chamber made to store his riches, but one of the builders left a stone loose so that it could be removed from the outside. When the man was about to die he told the secret of the stone to his two sons who then proceeded to retrieve the treasures. The king was furious at the robberies, so he placed more guards and traps, until one night one of the brothers was caught. He knew that if he were caught in the morning they both would, so he instructed his brother to cut his head and leave. He did as instructed, which angered the king even more. He ordered the guards to place the body hanged in front of the palace to find anyone that would grieve the boy, but no one came. The boys' mother grieved and asked her son to retrieve the body, so he tricked the guards by getting them drunk and man...

Gods of Egyptian Mythology in Wikimedia Commons Osiris + Isis + Set + Horus After Osiris' birth, it was proclaimed that he would be the lord of all things, then when Ra passed to heaven Osiris took his throne and ruled over Egypt. When Osiris took power men were savages, so he made laws and decrees to bring peace. Isis was Osiris' consort and also helped mankind with her wisdom. Osiris taught men to sow the seed and then harvest it. When he saw that all was good in Egypt, he proceeded to bring good and wisdom to other parts of the world, not by conquering them but by being reasonable and gentle. Isis ruled over Egypt while her husband was away which angered Set, Osiris' brother. He preferred warfare over peace and his heart was filled with evil. He attempted a rebellion, but Isis frustrated his plans. He then decided to directly overcome Osiris.  Set had a chest made to Osiris' exact measurements, and claimed he would gift it to whomever perfectly fit in it. ...

Perseus and Medusa Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses , translated by Tony Kline (2000). Medusa by Matt Rhodes Perseus manages to kill the sea creature by attacking from its back. Everyone claps from Perseus, Cassiopeia and Cepheus rejoice and welcome him as their son-in-law. Perseus sets the head of Medusa on some leaves, which harden at the touch; the ocean nymphs notice this and try it with other leaves and seeds and scatter through the waves, creating corals which also harden when taken out of the water. Perseus then erects three temples, each for Minerva, Mercury, and Jupiter, he then takes Andromeda as his wife. He then proceeds to tell the story of how he slew Medusa.  In a cave below Atlas lived the Graeae, the sisters that share only one eye. He took the eye to receive their help. He then went to where the Gorgons live, and he saw the men and animals turned to stone by Medusa. He only saw Medusa through the reflection on his polished bronze shield, and he sl...

Callisto Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses , translated by Tony Kline (2000). Diana and Callisto by Peter Paul Rubens Jupiter sees a girl from Nonacris that is one of Diana's most loyal companions, Callisto. Diana's handmaidens had to take an oath to swear off men and remain chaste. Jupiter pursues Callisto wearing the face and dress of Diana, and impregnates her. After the act had happened she was called by the other nymphs; she tried to hide her shame but they all could sense it. Nine moons passed when one day Diana told her maidens to all bathe together naked in a stream. Callisto tries to hide her swollen belly, but Diana realizes she is pregnant and commands her to leave. Callisto then gave birth to a boy, Arcas, which deeply angered Juno; she grabbed Callisto by her hair who slowly transformed into a bear. When Arcas turned fifteen he went hunting in the woods where he came across the bear that was his mother. Callisto recognized her son and tried to appro...

The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis Story source: Homer's Odyssey , translated into English by Tony Kline. (2004). Ulysses and the Siren by Draper Herbert James Scylla & Charybdis by Alessandro Allori Circe tells Odysseus to have his men plug his ears with wax to avoid listening to the Sirens and thus avoid their danger. Odysseus decides he wants to listen to them so he has his men tie him to the mast. They sing about great knowledge and try to lure him. Odysseus cries to his men to turn the ship towards the Sirens, but they manage to escape without harm.