Damsels Overcome

Understand story!

Understand folktales to discover the hidden feminine narrative covered by male-dominated narratives.

These tales are adapted, modified, re-visioned, elaborated, embellished, fractured, fabricated, embroidered, changed, altered, and enhanced to a female’s point of view, her narrative. Included in this collection are able animals because the character is a metaphor of human nature. In the past centuries, our ancestors related to animals as teachers.

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Beware pronouns! Who tells the story, what voice is used, and why telling the story. Folktales, fables, legends, fairy tales, and mythology shape what we believe about ourselves. These attitudes live in stories, question the premise. Folk stories have no copyright and must change with the new social norms for both males and females.

This collection of folktales is about damsels in distress with the ability to overcome helplessness. They are survivors, courageous, talented, and intelligent because wise damsels did what they needed to exist within the male norms of the time.

#1 – Oak and the Reeds is an Aesop fable use in this selection to show that humans: women, females, maidens, matrons, and crones reconcile and modify their powers to exist by bending with the winds in traditional male norm and standards of the time.

#2 – The Naga Princess is saved by BoSinh from boys wanting to kill her in this Vietnamese tale. Later, the Princess saved BoSinh, from threatening nagas. After conversations with BoSinh, the younger sister earned a great reward.

#3 – A selfless, serving Rabbit in this Japanese folktale, Rabbit in Moon, knows her friends Monkey and Fox fear of a human beggar wanting food. In a flash, Rabbit saves her friends.

#4 – A spider maiden saved by a male farmer in Japan showed her gratitude by giving her the gift of weaving. As Spider Weaver secretly wove, the farmer peeked to see to her magic, of course, she was up for tragedy.

#5 – A Heaven Maiden saved by a male youth in the Javanese folktale, The Rice Goddess married him. What else can she do? Then he peeked into her magic pot he caused her to work day and night. She worked to provide for her family and discovered his lie.

#6 – A maiden may seem a damsel, never expect this helplessness accurate, the maiden in this Anderson’s folktale Elisa and the Eleven Swans quietly through high odds continued weaving to save her brothers.

#7 – ‘Following her man’ in the Welsh Legend, which I call Lady Enid’s Narrative, Enid cleverly admired Geraint a ‘Knight in Shining Armor.’ Even thought, he demanded she rides with him and put her at high risk.

#8 – Little Red Riding Hood arrived at grandma’s house to be eaten by a wolf, not in my enhanced, modified version called Innocent Red. The wolves, the innocent maiden, and old granny evolved. With a bag of tricks, Innocent Red helped herself live to become an old granny.

#9 – A sturdy, beautiful maiden in ancient Japan, Tatsuko, the Rainbow Dragon, helped her poor mother, while Tatsuko longed for wealth and eternal life. After praying to Goddess Benton, Tatsuko received a wish.

#10 – One old wise, gentle grandma in Sparrow’s Gifts, in Japan, had no greed and loved the sparrows. In the Shinto beliefs of Kami, the younger sister with greed had a grave lesson to learned.

#11 – Fighting her King father about what was worth, Ursula ran away. In the European tale, Ursula, the Kitchen Princess, became a famed chef across the lands. She again served her father the staff of life.

#12 – Rejected by her brother, Julnar of the Sea, is a pivotal story in the 1001 Arabian Nights. Sold to a Sultan, we find out how Julnar used silent seduction to secure her respect and honor for her family.

#13 – The flight of a bird is power. In the Irish folktale, Wren, the RULER of Birds, a flying contest picks the qualified Ruler. The winner is not the biggest with the most powerful wings. The Ruler is one of wit.

#14 – In my original stories, Sylvia Saves the DAY, a gardener loves Myra, the sun, who gave nourishment and warmth. When Myra fell from the winter sky into a woodpile, find out how Sylvia, with her friend, Curren, the wind save Myra.

#15 – My favorite story of getting a project done is the Little Red Hen. An old English folktale, “I Will Do This Myself! ” shows a hen filled with firm determination and completed an overwhelming task.

#16 – A horrid worm demanded young maidens to devour. In this, an ancient Chinese tale is a true warrior, Li Chi, the Worm Slayer. With her bravery and the help of a dog, she saved herself and the village maidens.

#17 – Built over raging waters in a steep gorge, The Bridge entices the hungry Gruffs, who desire the rich grasses on the other side. The goats climb the bridge built by a troll ready to eat them. The troll does not know whom he extorts.

#18 – From a legend of the Hindi in Indian is a goddess, Durga, Who Saved the Gods. A mere woman drove the Buffalo Demon back into the underworld, where he belonged.

#19 – Culturally, dragons have mixed and mingle with humans for centuries. In this Greek folktale, Thoas and the Dragon, the boy saved a baby dragon, and later the grown dragon saved Thoas a man.

#20 – A farmer in Farmer’s Fest invited animals from the forest into his barn to use their services. A rooster did the inviting, while Raven gave the warnings. Each invited animal decided if wanting to live on the farm inside a fence or be free.

#21 – As a child, I wondered about turtle’s slowness and the house she carried. In The Hare and Turtle, the over-confident Hare challenged a slow Turtle and has no clue about her consistent determination.

#22 – While writing about damsels, I realized the maiden, the servant, the princess, the helpless, the abandoned, the weak, the crone, ‘had come of age.’ Damsels Overcome shows how I gained empowerment from the damsels’ in folktales. I have power, abilities, and opportunities to meet people, travel places, and have success. I became a writer, artist, storyteller, also daughter, sister, niece, cousin, wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother: a mere woman, female, lady, matron, feminist, and now the old crone.

I challenged my nemesis, the traditional male social norms that suppressed femininity as helpless, hysterical, the server, the weaker. I gain balance between my male and female. Both build, sustain, or subdue norms in our society today.

Enjoy my collection of stories about damsels. Compelling womenfolk survived. Recognize the achievements of the damsels, who surpass predicaments in the traditional male narrative. I share these stories to inspired and empower both males and females. We are part of each other.

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