A Traveler's Guide to Hyrule; Thursday, First Period [09/16].

[in_sidon_we_trust]

It was probably noticeable the moment the students came into the classroom that morning; Sidon's usual exuberance that could be felt radiating from him a mile away had been a bit dampened, although he still greeted them with a smile and a nod. A smile and a nod from Sidon, though, was markedly restrained, and the reason for this much more demure Sidon was about to be explained.

( The Great Calamity, aka Oh? Did Someone Say APOCALYPSE?? )

"And," his voice went a little lighter now, even throwing in a faint chuckle as his smile seemed to gain more of its usual verve, "as travelers to Hyrule, I hope you would be ready, too! We will not do so today, because I feel the history of the Calamity is weight enough for anyone's shoulders without having to add an actual physical toil to them, but I will let you know, next week, we will be covering the various threats currently present on Hyrule, as well as the one looming over us, and how one might best defend themselves against it. For today, though, if you'd like to ask any questions or expand on anything in today's lesson, I would greatly enjoy exploring that. But, if not, then I think we'll close early today, because there is a great world out there to explore and enjoy, and we must never take that for granted."

World Mythology, Thursday, Period 3

[atreideslioness]

"Today we're visiting with a few creation tales from some of the Indigenous cultures of this contient." Ghanima grabbed her handouts from the front desk and began walking up and down the rows, dropping papers on desks. "For me to try and cover the history and mythology of every tribe in a single day would be impossible, not to mention insulting to the cultures involved. A thoughtful, anthropologically sound approach to these stories would take up an entire semester, not a class period."

"Among many tribes there is a strong sense that behind all individual spirits and personifications of the divine, there is a single creative life-force, sometimes called ‘the Great Mystery’, which expresses itself throughout the universe, in every human, animal, tree and grain of sand. Every story, too, is a working out of this life-force. One aspect of this outlook is the major role played in the stories by animals, who often speak to humans and assist them. Most tribes thought of individual members of a species as expressions of the spiritual archetype of that species, which in turn embodied a particular spirit power."
"Another key feature of the Indigenous American spiritual outlook is found in the powers ascribed to the Four Directions, which occur either literally or in symbolic form throughout the stories. These are often represented by particular colours, or by animals. The Four Directions have to be in balance for all to be well with the world, and often a central point of balance is identified as a fifth direction; for example, four brothers represent the outer directions, and their sister the center."

"Indigenous tales include all the types found worldwide, such as stories of creation, and of heroic journeys. However, they are particularly rich in ‘trickster’ myths. Notable examples are Coyote, and Iktome. The trickster is an ambiguous figure who demonstrates the qualities of early human development, both cultural and psychological, that make civilization possible, and yet which cause problems. He is an expression of the least developed stage of life, which is dominated by physical appetites."

"Today we're talking about the Woman Who Fell From The Sky, a Haudenosaunee creation tale, and a version of the story of Sedna, an Inuit tale," she said, quickly handwavily going over both myths, "and we will discuss the differences, similarities, and how they relate to other creation myths you may know."

Bardic Inspiration 2: the Bardening, Thursday, Period 2

[wrongkindofsith]

Class was back in that tavern that seemed to just be stuck in the programming for either Cara or Jaskier. Hard to tell which. But at least it was familiar.

"So, we've dealt with conflict with song last week, but there are a myriad of other ways to avoid conflict," Jaskier said.

"Most of them are even effective," Cara said dryly. "Shocking, I know."

"She kids!" Did she?

She didn't. "And that's important because unknowingly using ineffective protection is worse than none at all."

"Protection is very important," Jaskier agreed immediately. "In general. Lest you lose body parts."

"Or worse," Cara said, letting them use their imagination for what could be worse than losing body parts. "You could be left with regrets for the rest of your life."

Jaskier nodded solemnly at that. "So, let's try to write a song on the matter!"

Cara did not sigh, but she radiated big sigh energy.