(Unicorns by Arthur B. Davis, Wikimedia Commons)
Odysseus
and his men travelled far and wide in search of the precious unicorn herd.
They were sent off to find the unicorns because they possessed special magic
that could cure the plague that was taking over the kingdom of Ithaca. Unfortunately, the
men came across an obstacle along the way. The men eventually discovered the
island of the giants, which terrified the men because they had only heard
how vicious the giants could be. However, the unicorns had been rumored to roam the island of the giants, so the men had to be brave and explore further.
Odysseus
stepped ashore on the dark brown sand and looked around, trying to see if anything
potentially harmful was in sight. As he looked around, he saw overgrown
grass and weeds everywhere, along with fallen fruit scattered on the ground.
Odysseus and his men followed the path of scattered fruit, in the hopes of
finding something that could lead them to the unicorn herd. They so badly
wanted to find the unicorn herd, but they also wanted to avoid the giants on
the island.
After a few
miles of scattered bananas, apples, pears, and coconuts, the men found a cave
covered in vines. To the left of the cave was a teeny tiny opening, just small
enough for a human to fit through. Because the hole definitely was not large
enough for a giant to fit through, the men all agreed that the cave was safe,
and that they should explore the cave further.
One by one,
the men crawled through the opening, and gasped as soon as they saw a giant
hovering right above the cave opening. The first thing they noticed was the enormous eye the size of a large boulder in the middle of his forehead. Once they got passed his eye, they saw that he had blonde stringy hair, extremely crooked teeth, and wore a brown cloth that draped over his very plump body. The men had hoped the giant did not see
them, but they knew immediately that he had.
“Well,
hello there!!!” shouted the giant while holding out his hand for a handshake. “My name is Greg!”
At first, the men thought they were being tricked, so they
just stood there silently.
Greg said,
“Don’t just stand there. Say something back! That’s what new friends do…
right?”
The men were so taken aback that they did not know how
exactly to respond. After a minute or two of incredibly awkward silence,
Odysseus stepped forward and introduced himself.
“Uh… hi? My
name is… Odysseus and these men are my noble friends,” he said.
“Noble
friends?! That’s incredible! I don’t have any friends, let alone noble ones,”
Greg replied. Just as Greg said this, Odysseus noticed something sparkle in the
distance… something resembling a unicorn.
“Greg, do
you happen to have any unicorns?” asked Odysseus.
“Well, yes.
But the unicorns aren’t my friends. I just keep them here because I get
lonely,” replied the giant.
“Could my
men perhaps take a look?” asked Odysseus. Greg nodded and the men hesitantly
walked past him towards the unicorns. The unicorns were white as snow, and had
a subtle sparkling glow around them. Their magical horns, which were the source of the
cure, were made of pure gold.
One of the
men asked Greg, “How much would it cost for us to take these unicorns? Our
kingdom is in desperate need of their magic, and everyone will die if we return
without it.”
“I am never
going to accept anything for the unicorns. If you take them, I will truly be
alone forever,” said Greg. Odysseus motioned for his friends to come close so
that they could talk without Greg overhearing. After a few minutes of
whispering in a huddle, Odysseus stepped forward from the group.
“We have a
new proposal. What if you and your unicorns came with us back to the kingdom?
We could be your friends and you could live with us and the unicorns in the
castle,” said Odysseus.
“Do you
really mean that?!” Greg exclaimed. All of the men nodded and the giant swooped
them up for a big hug. The men, Greg, and the unicorns travelled back to the kingdom, and the unicorns used their magic to cure the plague. The men became close friends with Greg, and they have lived happily ever since.
Author's Note: I based my story off of Homer's Odyssey. In the original story, Odysseus and his men were on a journey to go back home after the Trojan War, but come across the land of the Cyclopses who are really mean, aggressive, and lawless. They also eat humans. The land is incredibly worn down except for the wild sheep that roam the land along with the Cyclopses. The men come across a cave where one Cyclops was dwelling. The Cyclops keeps the men hostage and eats them one by one over time. Eventually, the remaining men are able to escape by hiding between herds of sheep. For my own story, I wanted to refer to the Cyclopses as giants, and change the personality of one of the giants so that he would be lonely instead of mean and aggressive. In addition, the original story did not include a plague that was killing the people of the kingdom. The original story also did not include unicorns, but I added those plot lines myself to make the story more unique. I chose the image that I did because this one seemed like a historic painting that depicted unicorns as opposed to the other modern pictures that I found that kind of look tacky. I felt that the image added another element to the overall story.
Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey, as translated into English by Tony Kline; link to the reading online
Author's Note: I based my story off of Homer's Odyssey. In the original story, Odysseus and his men were on a journey to go back home after the Trojan War, but come across the land of the Cyclopses who are really mean, aggressive, and lawless. They also eat humans. The land is incredibly worn down except for the wild sheep that roam the land along with the Cyclopses. The men come across a cave where one Cyclops was dwelling. The Cyclops keeps the men hostage and eats them one by one over time. Eventually, the remaining men are able to escape by hiding between herds of sheep. For my own story, I wanted to refer to the Cyclopses as giants, and change the personality of one of the giants so that he would be lonely instead of mean and aggressive. In addition, the original story did not include a plague that was killing the people of the kingdom. The original story also did not include unicorns, but I added those plot lines myself to make the story more unique. I chose the image that I did because this one seemed like a historic painting that depicted unicorns as opposed to the other modern pictures that I found that kind of look tacky. I felt that the image added another element to the overall story.
Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey, as translated into English by Tony Kline; link to the reading online
Wow! I really enjoyed reading that. I was familiar with the original story but had no idea where this was going because you put such a twist on it. You did a good job of keeping the action moving, creating likeable characters, and telling a full story succinctly. I enjoyed the small details you added (dark brown sand, types of fruit, etc.), and overall think that you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your story very much. I loved that you changed the cyclopses to giants and switched the personality of the main character. By changing him from eating the men to just being a giant who desired friends it brought a sense of kindness and humanity to your story. I believe that all humans have this desire to be loved, to be known, and to be valued by other people, who says giants don't have those same feelings? haha. Great job, this was a fun and enjoyable read. Keep up the good work!!!
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ReplyDeleteI think there is an opportunity to really showcase what vibe you want your portfolio to give off in your portfolio introduction. I’m sure that once you have a better idea of what all is going to be in your portfolio, you can really make that section pop. Maybe you could play around with different themes for your blog that goes along with the stories inside of it. Instead of it just being there, it could add to the story and the overall feel of the site when someone is reading. I really like the image you used for this post! Maybe if you made it a little larger, seeing as it plays such a key role in the story telling aspect, it would stand out more. I really like the dialog that you used. It gives the story that humanistic edge that it wouldn’t have without it! I like how you took something that isn’t usually in older stories like the Odyssey (the unicorns) and incorporated them into the story. It worked really well!
Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteI too read the story of Homer's Odyssey. I like that you but a completely different spin on this one. The giant being portrayed as kind and even lonely was a nice twist. The whole 'friendly giant' approach made for a vary unique story in my opinion. I feel like you could expand this story a little further. Maybe you could give us an inside look at what Odysseus was discussing with his men that they didn't want the giant to hear? Maybe some of the men wanted to be dishonest and try to trick the giant into giving them the unicorns sort of how in the original they tricked the giant. Or maybe talk about how the giant was greeted by the people when he returned with Odysseus and his men to their kingdom! I bet the towns people were shocked and appalled to see a giant returning with the crew. This was a very creative and original idea to spin the story in this direction. I can't wait to read some more of your stories!
Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't assigned to read your story, but it caught my eye when I was scrolling through the options! I have read the Odyssey, and I knew that unicorns weren't part of the original story so I wanted to read your version. Your writing flows very well and I enjoyed reading your story. What if you added an obstacle in the story that would make it a little bit harder for the men to reach the unicorns? I like how the giant ended up being friendly, but rarely in life do you get something without having to go through something else first. However, that is the only feedback I have. Other than that, I think that your story was extremely well written and I like how you incorporated a lot of dialogue into it. Many authors don't write dialogue because it takes a little bit more brain-power and time. With that said, you executed this perfectly and your story would not have been the same without it.
Hi Kaitlin, I love this so much! I love the happy ending in the story. Greg seems like a truly friendly giant. ☺ You are an awesome writer and did a terrific job informing your readers. I had envisioned the cave with the beautifully pristine unicorns with Greg! I think your portfolio will turn out so well if you keep this story in there. It really captivates the readers and makes them want to keep reading. I am glad that you turned the Cyclops into giants; it makes it so much more fun! And the unicorns are a nice twist, too. I think your story is more enjoyable to read than Homer’s Odyssey! It is concise and fluid. You did a terrific job writing and I am so glad I got to read your version of it. Definitely keep up the good work! I can’t wait to read more of your writing throughout the semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlin! Wow, I loved your story. I absolutely love Unicorns and found this story very intriguing. I was able to actually imagine the cave in my head, and love when I am able to do that. Reading stories where it is hard to follow, or not picture what I am reading, is never very fun. So I especially loved this. I love reading stories that have fairies, unicorns, or anything mythical! The fact that the giants were friendly instead of evil, was a great twist to the story. If you keep up your writing like this one, your portfolio will turn out to be amazing! This was such a cool twist to Homer’s Odyssey. I actually did a story over Homer’s Odyssey too, and am enjoying yours way more than my own! Thanks for an awesome read and cannot wait to read more of your stories! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! I like that you made a lot of subtle changes to your story, but kept with the overall theme of the original story...this makes your story unique! I am not really a fan of these types of stories, but I really enjoyed reading yours. I like that you made the giant a friendly one. I think it would be good to add a little more detail about this giant. Maybe he could be extremely large and scary looking, but in the end he is super sweet. I would also suggest adding some detail about some of the things giants have done in the past to make the men initially so scared of them. This would just add some background detail to the story to give a little extra information. I would also suggest adding a little more of a conclusion at the ending instead of just saying and they lived happily ever after. Maybe give some examples of how the giant loved the land and the people loved him too or something like that. Awesome story!
ReplyDeleteKaitlin, this story had so many wonderful elements. First, who doesn't love a story about giants and unicorns. Second, a giant named Greg, that is to cute. I was worried that the men might do something to Greg once they had what they wanted, the unicorn. Naturally I love a happy ending. I am glad that you didn't portray how ugly human nature can be sometimes. I think you should mention more about the unicorns' ability to provide a cure for the humans. Why were the sick? What did they suffer from? The story is great but small details can really bring a story to life. They make the story more personal so the reader becomes invested in the outcome of the story. I know I was invested in Greg's safety.😃
ReplyDeleteGreat job! You put a great spin on the Odyssey, and made your characters very likable. The dialogue and everything was awesome too. I thought the introduction of unicorns into the story was kind of strange for a minute until I remembered that the story was about a Cyclops and the world involves things like Pegasus haha. Keep up the good work!
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