Week 13 Story Planning: The Deal with the Devil

I'm planning on writing a new version of the story of The Ghost Mother, but this time I want to tell it from the mother's point of view. I'm thinking that it would give some perspective to the story if she had a good explanation for dying when the baby is born, and keeping it a secret that she is feeding it as a ghost. To give some backstory, the wife has been keeping it a secret from her husband that she is infertile and cannot bear children. They live in happiness and harmony otherwise. One day as she is out picking flowers or gathering food (or something else entirely), a figure approaches her. This would presumably be the devil or a demon warlock of some kind. The devil tells her that he knows she cannot bear children, but he offers a solution. He will impregnate her, but she must lose her life in the process. Her love for her husband is so great, and his desire for a child is equally great, so she feels compelled to give him a child in exchange for her life. She pleads with the devil that she get to feed the child, arguing that it will not survive without her milk. The devil compromises, and he agrees to allow her to visit the child at night. However, she will only appear as a ghost, and she must not be seen by any other humans. If anyone sees her, the baby will perish, and the ghost mother will remain a ghost forever. I guess she doesn't stay a ghost in the original, but I would like her to remain a ghost that cries forever. The husband will probably not hire a caretaker for the baby. I would rather write it that he takes care of the baby himself, and he discovers the ghost of his wife by himself.


Medieval Ghost found on Wikimedia, here.

Bibliography: The Ghost Mother, part of Russian Fairy Tales Unit by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.

Week 13 Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part B

In The Witch Girl I was surprised that the witch was someone's daughter. I just assumed that she would be a witch that lives in the woods on her own or with other witches. It reminds me of the Salem Witch Trail time period in the American northeast. I could write a story with a similar plot, but set in Salem. Also, I wonder why no one had thought to stay awake and fight the witch when she came. Only the Cossack thought of this.
The priest's son is an unsuspecting hero in The Headless Princess. I could write about someone who sees a power figure doing something evil behind closed doors. Then he has to race to save everyone before the evil person can get to him. I like the elements of magic that his teacher showed him to use. It could be a metaphor for 'knowledge is power.' And at the end, even the princess's father wanted nothing to do with a witch. Witches must have been a big deal in Russia.
The Warlock makes me feel like everyone in Russia wants to evade death and keep all of their wealth. I could write about someone who sells their soul to live forever and be rich, but they get outsmarted by a child with a cross. Or it could be about three witches who try to steal an old man's wealth, but he outsmarts them and gets to live forever.
The Fox-Physician continued with the 'foxes are tricksters' theme. The old man should not be too sad though, so long as he can get back up the cabbage to heaven. It seems to me that there was no rhyme or reason to the story. I cannot figure out if there is a moral or lesson to be learned. Maybe the lesson is to not trust a fox with your loved one's remains.
I like the communication with people in the afterlife in The Fiddler in Hell. I could use that to help me write a story where someone visits a loved one in the afterlife and they receive some sort of divine assistance. That could help me write part two of Aaron Discovers the World.


Moujik and Family, artist unknown. Found on Wikimedia, here.

Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.

Week 13 Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part A

The Dead Mother is a spooky story that sounds like it would be a hellish nightmare for the widowed father. I think it was interesting that once the ghost mother was discovered, she was never heard from again, and the baby died. She was keeping it alive, but it still screamed all day. That sounds awful. The poor old man in The Treasure loses his wife and gains riches, albeit in a roundabout way, but it is really a story of man's greed being his own destruction. I was quite surprised at the end when the goat skin had fused to the pope's body, but I find it to be a fitting punishment. It was even more curious that the pope could not shed the goat skin even after returning the money to the poor old man. No one gets away with wrongdoing in Russia, I suppose.
I laughed so hard at The Bad Wife. It is almost like a dream sequence that plays out in old married couples' heads. This was taking marital problems to the extreme, and I found it hilarious. Now I am just assuming that is how all Russian men think about their wife. It's so funny that she is so terrible that even the demons are scared of her. She must have been the devil himself. While the first story might be a Russian man's nightmare, this could be a Russian man's dream.
The Three Copecks is an epic adventure that ultimately leads to a happy engagement. I think this story is a metaphor for life; if you are patient, confident and trusting, good things will come to you. The long story reminded me of Homer's Odyssey, especially because it followed the cat far and wide, and ultimately the protagonist reaped benefits after a long time.
The Miser is a good representation of how far a greedy man will go to not pay back a debt. This makes me think of rich people in power evading taxes whilst mocking the poor and needy.


Rhus Tomentosa, The Wild Currant Tree. Photo taken by Abu Shawka, found on Wikimedia, here.
To represent the currant bush in The Bad Wife.

Bibliography: Stories from Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.