River God
Picture by Unknown
Source: Flickr
The River God wanted the most beautiful bride. Every Spring
the River God asked the three witches that lived in a hut next to him to find
him a beautiful bride. The witches go on a journey every Spring when the
flowers bloom, the sun shines, and the rain pours. However, everyone in the
kingdom knew of the River God, and his plans to capture a beautiful girl. They
knew if that their daughter was to be the chosen one, she would die in the
river. They know a river would never be able to provide for her, and take care
of her, and most importantly love her because the River God is not human.
There once was a beautiful girl—Elizabeth. She had long
beautiful brown hair, blue eyes, and a smile that could cheer anyone up. She
was at the bakery making pies, breads, and other delicious pastries when the
witches noticed this beautiful human figure. They immediately went into her
shop. They told her they were new in town, and didn’t have many friends.
Little did Elizabeth know they were actually witches looked
for a bride for the River God. Kindly, Elizabeth invited them to her house!
They all walked up the hill to her tiny little blue palace, and she treated her
guests with a wonderful meal consisting of chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots,
and beans. The witches were disgusted because all they liked to eat was nasty
soup. They continued to eat, and also ate her apple pies.
The witches then took Elizabeth to the River God after
dinner for a little walk. She was stunned to see that they knew the river God,
and immediately sensed a fear. The River God fell in love at first sight. The
waves started to crash and the wind started to blow when a fine gentleman
appeared from the water.
He said, “Hello, I am the River God. You may know me as
someone to be afraid of, but I am not someone to fear. I had to fall in love to
be human. Elizabeth, take my hand in marriage, so we can live happily ever
after.
She accepts the proposal, and they live happily ever after in her little blue palace. However, Elizabeth did not want to be married to a God. She asked that he just be a normal man in the kingdom.
The River God was so in love with Elizabeth that he was ready to take off the thrown, and live as simple life with his simple, elegant fiancé.
Bibliography: R. Wilhelm's The Chinese Fairy Book: How the River God’s Wedding Was Broken Off
Author's Note: This story was very different and had many traditional aspects to think about. the original story portrayed the River God as evil, greedy, and dangerous. No one wanted their daughter to have to be the bride of the River God. The mayor of the town helped stopped this terrible tradition of forced marriage by have the River God's helpers being placed in the potential bride's shoes. I made this story different from the original by giving the River God a bigger purpose than just having a bride. In my story, the River God had to fall in love in order to become human and show everyone that he is not evil. He falls in love with Elizabeth, and turns into a human. Elizabeth accepts his proposal. However, in order for him to have her as his bride, he had to let go of his status. My story was based on love, and how strong love can be. Enjoy!
Hi Dhara, I really like your story and I like that the marriage to the River God will mean death to the girl that is chosen. I like the way you describe it as well. I think it is very creative how you describe the wave crashing and the wind picking up when the River God starting to have feeling for Elizabeth. Your details for things are very well written. I really enjoy your story!
ReplyDeleteHey Dhara! I love the picture for this story. It sets the scene well for your readers. I actually read this story too. I like that your version was more based on love than death and greed. I like that you put a lot of detail into Elizabeth’s appearance, her work, and her home. I’m still a little irritated with the witches. Did they know that the river god was actually kind?
ReplyDeleteHi Dhara!
ReplyDeleteI really want to compliment that layout of your blog. My blog is very bland, and yours makes me want to spice it up a bit! I love both the background picture and the picture you used for your story. I also really like the aspects you focused on in your version of the story. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Dhara!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really cute story! I'm a sucker for any heroine named Elizabeth (it's my favorite name) and I like that she didn't care that he was a god. She just wanted to live her life. I did notice that you wrote "thrown" at the end, and I think you meant "throne" but other than that it looked good. I did wish that we found out more of what Elizabeth was thinking for all of this, but it's still a good story without that.
Hello Dhara!
ReplyDeleteI like how you changed the story to be love centered. The river god proved his love by choosing Elizabeth over power. That is a wonderful ending to the story. Throughout the story I was worried that Elizabeth was going to drown; I am really glad that she didn't. Great job!