Extra Reading Notes: Santal Folklore Part A

I decided to do some extra credit reading notes.  The unit I chose was Santal Folklore taken from Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas (1909).  This is from the India unit.

The Monkey and the Girl

This story was very short, but very strange.  A girl basically randomly promises to marry some thieving monkey, which makes her family mad.  The family go kill the monkey and are going to burn it at the stake.  The girl tells the people that she wants to watch the monkey burn.  When they light him on fire, the girl throws sand in their eyes and jumps into the fire to die with the monkey.... All very strange...  I think a good story for this would be to write diary entries from the girl and the other villagers, about the monkey, and then about the girl's death.  I could include an entry about the girl falling in love with the monkey, describing how she feels about him and what not.  I could also write an entry from the point of view of the kid who told the girl's family that she loved the monkey - he/she could discuss how strange it was that the girl promised to marry the monkey, and also talk about how he/she told her family.  A diary entry from the dad or other relative of the girl may be good to include as well.  I could write about their disgust, and their plot to kill the monkey.

A Hanuman Monkey.  Courtesy of irumge on Flickr

The Ghormuhas

This story, especially the beginning, was creepy!  Ghormuhas sound terrifying, but I wonder what else they do with their time other than cooking and eating humans.  I could write a story from the perspective of the Ghormuhas.  I could show them in everyday life, doing things like going shopping, hanging out with friends, and maybe plotting some evil deeds for good measure.