Readers notebook 
Maria Christine Canlas
IV-Osmena




Story 1.

PYRAMUS and THISBE

This tale has a similarity to the story of Romeo and Juliet.  At first, the two lovers lived in separate houses sharing the same roof  but in between was a big wall . When growing up, the two acquaintances became friends, then lovers.The families disagreed  with the plan of marriage between Pyramus and Thisbe. Through the struggles and tears, their love grew stronger for each other. They noticed a crack on the big wall that separated them, so everyday, they would whisper sweet words to each other. The time came when the two lovers decided to run away and meet in the tomb of Ninus, under a mulberry tree. Thisbe was the first one to arrive. She waited with a vail warped around her face. A lioness arrives near the tomb, frightened, Thisbe escapes but loses her vail. The lioness mouths the vail with blood from the prey she just ate. Pyramus arrives then sees the vail thinking that Thisbe was dead. he cries and kissed the vail and gets his sword and stabs himself. Thisbe arrives and sees Pyramus at the floor dying. She cries and too takes her life. their blood splatters at the white mulberry turning them red. The whiteness of the mulberry soon fled. The gods and parents of the lovers felt pity upon them. The two lovers ashes were mixed together in one golden urn. 





Characters

• Pyramus: is a handsome youth of Babylonia and shows a passionate love for his neighbor Thales
• Thisbe: is the loveliest maiden of Babylonia and returns the love Pyramus.
• Parents of Pyramus and Thisbe:  They oppose the relationship between the two lovers because of their rivalry. the reason of their rivalry wasn't explained in the story. The parents dont play an active role in the story. 
• Semiramis: Queen of Babylonia and wife of Ninus. After the death of her husband, she ruled over Babylonia for many years. She didnt play an active role in the story.
• Ninus: King of Assyria and the late husband of Semiramis. He doesnt play an active role in the story however, it is in his tomb where Pyramus and Thisbe meet after running away. 

Story 2.

ORPHEUS and EURYDICE

 This story starts with a musically talented man named Orpheus. He was good in singing and playing the lyre. All people and even the gods around him loved his music. He then courts a wood nymph named Eurydice. They soon get married but it didnt last long when Eurydice was struck and killed by a viper. Orpheus goes to the underworld to retrieve his wife. He passes all the underworld demons with his music. He then reaches Hades and Persephone then  plays his music. The gods were pleased and they allow to set his wife free, however, Orpheus must not pause,speak, and look upon the wood nymph until they reach the upper world or else she would go back to the underworld. With just a few steps near the Upper world, Orpheus wanted to make sure that it was really his wife he was holding, then he looks at her. Within a second, Eurydice vanishes and bids farewell then returns to the underworld. The God of the underworld doesn't give second chances, so Orpheus leaves depressed and sad. He wanders through the wild solitude of Thrace, playing his lyre. Then a band of Maenads came upon him, tearing from limb to limb. Muses found Orpheus head in a shore and buried it in the sanctuary of the island. his limbs gathered and were placed in a tomb at the foot of mount Olympus, and there to this day, the nightingales sing more swiftly than anywhere else.


Characters

• Orpheus: He was the son of Apollo and he was known for playing his lyre and beautiful voice. His music swept all people, animals, trees, rocks, even the gods themselves. But he was an emotional man and couldn't hide his feelings. 
• Eurydice: She a beautiful wood nymph who falls in love with Orpheus.
• Hades: Is the king of the underworld. He was swept by the music of Orpheus and gave what he wanted but he doesn't give a second chances.
• Persephone: Is the unwillingly queen of the underworld and the daughter of Demeter . She too was swept by the music of Orpheus.

Story 3.

CEYX and ALCYONE

This next tale is about a couple names Ceyx and Alcyone, the king and queen of Trachis. Cexy was the son of Lucifer, the god of the morning star. Alcyone on the other hand was the daughter of Aeolus, the god of winds. they two married couple were both devoted and madly in love with each other. One day, Ceyx decided he had to make a long journey to the sea. Alcyone begged him not to go for she knew how dangerous it was and mentioned on how her father too had a hard time and how she would see ship parts scattered around the shore.If he would still go, she begged to at lest take her with him. Ceyx was touch by how much she loved him but refused. On the journey a storm came upon Ceyx and his ship sank. Alcyone was off counting the days. She would keep herself busy and make robes for her husband and for herself, to look beautiful when her husband arrives. She would pray to the gods for her husbands safety, Juno was the on who was most touched. She told Iris to go to the god of dreams or slumber Somnus and tell him to send a dream to Alcyone, to tell her what happened to her husband. Iris did what Juno told her and went to Somnus, she quickly told him Junos orders and quickly left, fearing that she will end up in a endless sleep. Somnus gave Junos orders to his son Morpheus, who is skilled in assuming the form of any human being. Morpheus went to Alcyone and took the form of her husband, naked and dripping wet beside her. he told her about his death, Alcyone stretched her arms out to clasp him. She cried aloud and woke up. She told herself that her husband was dead, and soon, she shall die too. In the morning, she went to the shore and saw her husbands body floating, she cried and ran to him, but soon, she noticed that she had feathers around her. The gods were kind and turned her into a bird, same with her husband Ceyx. Their love was unchanged and they would be seen together, flying or riding around the waves. Every year, there are seven days when the sea stays calm ; no breath of wind stirs the waters. These are the days when Alcyone is nesting her eggs. After the young birds are hatched, the charm is broken; but each winter these days of perfect peace and calm, and they are called after her, Alcyone, or, more commonly , Halcyon days. 

Characters

• Ceyx: is the king of Trachis, and the son of Lucifer, the god of the morning star. He is a kind king and is also madly in love with his wife Alcyone. He is a brave leader and isn't afraid of death, as long as he knows his wife is okay. 
• Alcyone: is the queen of Trachis and the daughter of Aeolus, the god of winds. She is devoted to her husband and is a good wife. She s feminine, makes robes, does the same thing a house wife does. She is also patient in waiting for her husband. 
• Lucifer: is the god of the morning star and the father of Ceyx. he shows love for his son and his family. He didn't play an active role in the story. 
• Aeolus: is the god of winds, same with lucifer, he loves his daughter and her family. Alcyone mentioned him in the story to her husband Ceyx.
• Juno/Herra: is the goddess of marriage and is the one who pitied Alcyone. She also sent Iris to tell the god of sleep to tell her about her husbands death. 
• Iris: is the goddess of the sea ,skies and rainbow. She is also a messenger of the gods. She was the one who sent the message to the god of slumber junos orders.
• Somnus: is the god of slumber. He lives near a valley where the sun never shines and dusky twilight wraps around the shadows. No clock crows there; no watch dog barks; no branches rustle in the breeze; no clamor of Tungusdisturb the peace. The only sound comes from the gently flowing stream of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, where the waters murmuring entice to sleep.  He would lay in a couch, downy soft and back of hue. The gods have a hard time waking him up. But he follows the orders and entrust it to his son Morpheus.
• Morpheus: is the son of Somus, he is skilled at assuming the form of every human being. He was the one who got the form of Ceyx and told Alcyone about the death of her husband. 

Story 4.

PYGMALION and GALATEA

Pygmalion is a woman hater and a great sculptor. He told himself that he would never marry. He had a project that he was devoted to, in making a woman statue. He did that to show men around him the deficiencies they had to deal with when they marry. He started on his work day by day, each time he works on the statue, it gets more beautiful until it looked like a real woman at first glance. Pygmalion fell in love with the statue. No woman ever born was this beautiful. He would then make the statue rich robes and dress her up. he would kiss its hard lips and embrace its unmovable hands. He would also buy her gifts real maidens would love, like little birds, gay flowers and shining tears of amber. he would pretend that some of his toys were their children and play with them. He would put her to bed beside him like a normal little girl would do to her doll. He would also dream that the statue was pleased with his gifts and thank him. Soon, he realized his love was hopeless.The feast day of Aphrodite was honored in Cyprus, the place where she arose from the sea. All altars and crowds rounded up in her temples. Many unhappy loves were asking her guidance, one of them was Pygmalion. Pygmalion prayed to Aphrodite to give him a woman the same as his statue, but Aphrodite knew what he really wanted. When Pygmalion returned home, he noticed something strange. He touched his love one and felt a warm body, he kissed her lips and they were soft as a rose bud. He checked her wrist and felt a pulse. He knew this was Aphrodite's doing. With joy, he embraced his love one. Aphrodite herself graced their marriage with her presence. We don't know what happened after that, but Pygmalion named the statue Galatea and they had a son named Paphos, gave his name to Aphrodite's favorite city.


Characters

• Pygmalion: He is a woman hater at first, but soon fell in love with one of his artworks. He is a great sculptor.  He gives unconditional love even though he looked crazy. He knows how to treat his loved one. 
• Galatea: She at first was a lifeless statue. She was so beautiful that no woman ever born was as beautiful as her. When she turned human, she gave love to Pygmalion and was married to him. 
• Aphrodite: She is the goddess of love and is the one who answered Pygmalions prayers by giving life to Galatea. She was also the one who graced their marriage. 
• Paphos: He is the son of Pygmalion ang Galatea. He was also named after the favorite city of Aphrodite. 

Story 5.

BAUCIS and PHILEMON

In the Phrygia hill-country, all peasants were amazed by two trees, one was a oak tree and the other was a linden tree. What made it special was that the two trees grew from the same trunk. The story starts with Jupiter and Mercury wanting to go down to earth and see how hospitable the people in Phrygia were. He and mercury went down and disguised themselves as old poor men. They knocked at the doors but every one turned them down. They tried hundreds, but they all did the same. At last, they found a little hovel of the humblest sort, they were poorer than anyone they had found with a roof made out of reeds. But here, when they knocked, the door was opened wide and cheerful voices invited them in. They were brought in a clean room and an old man and woman greeted them with kind hearts and made sure they were comfortable. They set a bench close to the fire to warm them up. they cooked supper fro the guest. They boiled the best cabbage they had in the garden and added a piece of pork. They set the table and added some radishes and egg in the table. They served them happily with wine and the dish they made, but they noticed something strange, no matter how much they pour the food in the mixing bowls, they were kept full. Same goes with the cups, no matter how much cups of wine were poured out, the level of the wine stayed the same. The couple were in terror, so they preyed silently. They begged their guest to pardon them for the poor refreshments and offered them goose. They had a hard time chasing the goose until they got worn out, witch kept Jupiter and Mercury entertained. Then the gods decided that the time has come to take action. They told them that they were gods and that the people in the city of Phrygia shall be punished, except for them. They escorted them outside their hut, then the couple was surprised to see their surroundings. They were surrounded by a great lake. Then their tiny hut turned into a stately pillared temple of the whitest marble and a golden roof. Jupiter asked them on what they wanted and they answered that they wanted to be the priest that guards the temple and when their time comes, they would die together. The time came when they were both of very old age. They embraced each other and bid farewell to each other, then they both turned into trees.


Characters

• Baucis: She is a hospitable and kind woman. No matter what the struggles she and her husband went through, they stayed strong and happy. Even if they served strangers, they gave their best to give comfort to them and gave the best supplies they had without hesitation. 
• Philemon: He is the husband of Baucis and he too is a hospitable man. He is the same as his wife, he is also a hardworking man and cheerful guy. 
• Jupiter/Zeus: He is the leader of all gods and also the god of lightning. He is also a humble man and also wanted to see if there is good to people. He gives good people the things they deserve and the bad ones a punishment. He always seeks adventure and rewards those who help him. 
• Mercury: He is the son of Jupiter and is the god of trade, merchants, and travel. He is the fastest god and is the favorite companion of Jupiter during his adventures. 

Story 6.

ENDYMION

In this short tale, Endymion is a shepherd and was cursed to eternal sleep. The goddess of the moon Selene, would always go down to earth and bathe him with her kisses. She was the one who put him in his eternal slumber. She did it for her to be able to caress him as she pleased. But it is said that her passion brings her only a burden of pain.







Characters

• Endymion: His name is very famous and is sometimes said to be a king, a hunter, but most poets say he was a shepherd. But all agree that he was a youth with surpassing beauty and this was the cause of his singular fate. 
• Selene: She is the goddess of the moon and is madly in love with Endymion. She is selfish and does not know how to love. She cursed Endymion into eternal sleep, just so she could do whatever she wanted with him. 

Story 7.

Daphine

In this tale, Daphine is an independent, love-and-marriage hater, young huntress and is similar to Artemis. Her father the river god Peneus was greatly tired, because she refused all handsome and eligible men who would wooed her. her father would tell her that he wanted a grandchild but she would answer that she would love to be like Diana. Her father would yield and she would be off to the deep woods, blissful in her freedom. But at last, Apollo saw her and he was enchanted by her beauty. She wasnt dressed like any maiden would dress like, which gave Apollo the thought of how she would look like if she were to dress lovely and her hair nicely arranged. He started off in pursuit, but then, Daphine fled. She was a fast runner,  even Apollo had a hard time to catch up. But eventually, he catched up. He ran and sent his voice to her , telling her that he was the god Apollo and that he loved her. This made her even more frightened. She was even more determined to never give up. Then she arrived at the river and screamed to her father to help her. She suddenly transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo in grief watched the transformation. Some say she was Apollos first love.



Characters

• Daphine: She is a huntress and a love-marriage hater. She is an independent woman and embraces her freedom. She is an outgoing girl. Unlike other maidens, she doesn't care about dresses or even her appearance. She was also deeply loved by Apollo. 
• Apollo: He is the sun-god, light, and music. He is also the brother of Artemis and showed deep affection for Daphine. He had a lyre and usually sang it in the gods gathering and feast. 
• Peneus: He is the god of the river and father of Daphine. He would always scold his child for not finding a lover. He always wanted a grandchild but he didn't force Daphine on the things he wanted. 

Story 8.

ALPHEUS and ARETHUSA

In Ortyga, an island which formed part of Syracuse, the greatest city of Sicily, there is a scared spring called Arethusa. Once, however, Artheusa was not a water or evan a water nymph. She was a fair young huntress and a follower of Artemis. She had nothing to do with men, loves hunting and the freedom of the forest. One hot day, she came upon a river and bathed. She suddenly felt something beneath her. Frightened, she sprang into the bank. She suddenly heard a voice. She suddenly ran with all her speed. The unknown voice call her, telling her that he was the god of the river Alpheus and he was only following her because he loved her. She ran faster knowing that he was the god of the river, she didn't want anything to do with him. She prayed to Artemis for help. The goddess helps her, turning her into a spring of water. It is said that she wasnt able to escape Alpheus. He would turn back into the river water and follows her into the tunnels. His water now mingles with hers in the fountain. They say that often, greek flowers are seen coming up from the bottom, and if you throw a wooden cup in the Alpheus Greece, it will reappear in Arethusa's well in Sicily. Alpheus makes his way far under the deep with his waters, he would travel to Arethusa with bridal gifts, fair leaves and flowers.


Characters

• Alpheus: He is a river god of Alpheus and also is in love with a woman named Arethusa. He just wouldn't leave her alone and would do his best in courting her. Even if Arethusa prayed to Artemis to help her escape, he would always find ways to reach her and bring her gifts. 
• Arethusa: She is a young and beautiful huntress and follower of Artemis. She doesn't want anything to do with love and loves the freedom in the forest. She doesn't give up so easily. But eventually didn't succeed in escaping Alpheus. 
• Artemis: She is the goddess of Hunting, wilderness,wild animals, childbirth and virginity. She is also the daughter of Zeus and Leto and is the twin sister of Apollo. She tries to help Arethusa in the story but doesn't fully succeed.