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| Rhiannon as Pwyll first saw her (Wikipedia) |
Note: The Welsh myths found in The Mabinogion contain many wonderful stories. This is one of my favorites.
Get Ready: If a friend asks you for a favor, would you say "yes" without knowing what the favor was? What would you do for a stranger?
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| Street scene, Dublin, 1900s (Wikimedia) |
Note: Dubliners is the most accessible of James Joyce's fiction, and contains 15 superb short stories.
Get Ready: What phase of life are you in (adolescence, middle age, etc.)? What challenges do you face that are typical of that age?
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| Could this be Bigfoot? From a trail camera capture (Wikipedia) |
Note: "Bigfoot" is the subject of fairly recent urban legends, and was most likely born as a hoax, or a series of them. But that doesn't stop the true believers from truly believing!
Get Ready: Do you think Bigfoot exists? How about the Yeti ("Abominable Snowman")? Or the Loch Ness monster?
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| An ancient depiction of Enkidu (Wikipedia) |
Note: Gilgamesh goes on a quest to find the secret of immortality--with mixed results.
Get Ready: Are you afraid to die?
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| A man holding a snake and a lion is believed to be Gilgamesh (Wikipedia) |
Note: The oldest known epic is a cracking good "buddy movie," one which explores friendship, love, loss, death, and immortality.
Get Ready: Should a person be punished for wrongs committed in a moment of exuberance?
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| A phoenix in a medieval bestiary (Wikipedia) |
Note: In the history of science, many imaginary animals were once thought to be real (though some were just literary inventions). Let's meet a few.
Get Ready: Can you name any imaginary animals that people once believed in?
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| Illustration from The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1888) by Kate Greenaway (Wikimedia) |
Note: A town's leaders refuse to pay a debt--and as a result pay the ultimate price.
Get Ready: How important is it for one to keep one's word in large matters? In small matters?
