Fairytales, Myths, & Legends That is begging for Hollywood to Make Part II

 Back in October I did a list of Fairytales, Myths & Legends That is begging for Hollywood to Make. Instead of listing the ones that are wonderful but overdone to death such as Snow White & The Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Hercules, The Trojan War and The Odyssey, I listed some famous & famous yet lesser-known stories like Snow White & Rose Red & One Thousand & One Nights & Gilgamesh! This list will be no exception!

The Star Lovers A Japanese Myth

Last year I rewarded myself by ordering a book titled Japanese Myths I need to give myself a day where I can sit and read through all of them. Today, I was looking for a particular myth that I heard of and knew that I enjoyed. It is titled The Star Lovers. In this myth, the god of the firmament had a beautiful daughter Tanabata who spent her days weaving. As she sat at the loom, Tanabata, happened to see a handsome young man, Hikoboshi leading an ox and of course her heart was lost to him. Tanabata’s father read her thoughts and agreed to the marriage. While the marriage was happy however, Tanabata neglected her weaving and Hikoboshi’s ox ran amuck in Heaven. Angered by their irresponsibility, the god of the firmament had the two lovers separated by the celestial river. Fear not! This story doesn’t end in tragedy. On the seventh day of the seventh month if the weather was decent, a great number of birds form a bridge so the lovers can reunite for that one night.

While I cannot remember where I heard or read the myth from, I remember learning of the lovers and the magical bridge and it being in Japan. With Asia becoming more popular in Hollywood, it would be great to see this Japanese myth become a movie. I could see any Hollywood studio do this. If Disney did this as a cartoon, I could see them doing a great job if they went back to their roots and not the tired live action remakes.

Maid Maleen The Brothers Grimm

Maid Maleen is a story in The Brothers Grimm fairytale collection. There was a king who had a son who asked another mighty King for his daughter Maid Maleen’s hand in marriage. Maid Maleen was a beautiful princess. Unfortunately, for Maid Maleen & the Prince, her father chose to give her to another prince, so the prince Maid Maleen loved was rejected. To both of their father’s dismay, Maid Maleen & The Prince refused to give each other up. Maid Maleen said to her father I can and will take no other for my husband!

Obviously like most fathers, the king did not take Maid Maleen’s refusal well at all. The king flew into a rage! The king had Maid Maleen & her maid imprisoned in a dark tower for seven years not letting any sunlight or moonlight in. The King felt after seven years, Maid Maleen’s spirit would be broken. Meat & drink were given to Maleen and her maid for seven years. At some point the seven years were at an end yet no one came. Eventually the two escaped after having had enough. Sunlight was shown on them, but the kingdom was much different. The enemy destroyed her kingdom and her father was dead. Eventually they make it to her loves kingdom where he was given against his will to a bride whose personality was as ugly as her looks.

The intended bride ends up breaking her ankle and forces Maid Maleen to take her place as the bride. In the end Maid Maleen reveals herself to be Maid Maleen the woman who the prince should have been with all along and the ugly bride for her reward was beheaded. The two live happily ever after.

I know there was one retelling of Maid Maleen and it was a book titled Book of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. It’s been a long time since I attempted to read that book.

The Aeneid by Virgil

The Aeneid by Virgil is what I would consider a sequel of sorts to The Trojan War. This time its from the defeated Trojan’s point of view and the hero of this sequel is Aeneas who is the son of Aphrodite/Venus. We see how the Trojans are prophesied to find The Roman Empire and how Julius Ceasar would be Aeneas’s descendant. We see Aeneas & Queen Dido (not the singer Dido from the 2000s) of Carthage’s love story tragically end with Dido’s suicide and Aeneas finds the Roman Empire and marries Lavinia becoming the first Roman Emperor & Empress. I remember reading this story back in college for World Literature and for fun, & I love how it was from the Trojan’s point of view and how they saw the Greeks being the bad guys.

I know Virgil originally wrote the story & Edith Hamilton has a book of Greek, Roman & Norse myths in a giant book of myths titled Mythology. Since everyone enjoys shows and movies about Ancient Rome & Greece, it would be interesting to see some Roman mythology on the screen.

The Herdsman And The Weaver Girl A Chinese Myth  

The Herdsman And The Weaver Girl is a Chinese Myth. I read this one from my giant book of Myths & Legends which has Greek, Celtic, Norse, Chinese, African, Native American, Indian & Scottish Myths. In the palace of the high god in Heaven, there lived a weaver girl who spun and wove beautiful garments for the gods. While this pleased the High God of Heaven, this worried him that the weaver girl worked too hard. He sent her to work and set her up with a temporary husband named Chen-Li. The Ox who was sent to earth as punishment for his sins told Chen Li the heavenly maidens bathed in the river, if you took her clothes, she could not fly back to heaven so she could be your wife. Chen Li followed the Ox’s instructions not knowing he was intended for the weaver girl. He took the weaver girl’s clothes. She told him if he gave her back the robe she would come home and become his wife. Chen Li gave her clothes back and she went back home to be his wife. She also gave him a handsome son and a beautiful daughter. The High King of Heaven saw that she had no intent of returning after several years on earth. He sent his soldiers to take her back. After the Ox died, Chen Li tried to reunite with her but the High God put a white scarf which became like a river of fire between them so they could not. After awhile The High King saw they missed each other. The High King decreed on the seventh day of the seventh month all the magpies in the world would form a bridge for the two lovers to meet. The weaver girls tears would become the rainfall and the women would go Our Sister is weeping again. Chen-Li & The Weaver Girl spent so much time together they became stars in the sky. To the Chinese people the white river is The Milky Way. This story gives hope to parted lovers that they will be reunited together.

As far as I know I haven’t read any retellings of this myth or seen a movie done. Many elements of The Herdsman & The Weaver Girl are similar to The Star Lovers. The Star Lovers. Both have themes about weavers, love, a god keeping them apart and the two lovers meeting on the seventh day of the seventh month & there’s birds forming a bridge. Only huge differences are that The Star Lovers is a Japanese myth, The Herdsman & The Weaver Girl is a Chinese myth. In the Chinese myth there are magical robes, and The Weaver Girl lives with Chen on earth for awhile and they both become stars. In the Japanese myth the lovers are still meeting once a year.

The Legend Of Hiawatha Native American Myth

In the same large book of Myths & Legends, I came across The Legend of Hiawatha which is an Iroquois Myth. I also read Hiawatha was a real person. Though this is more on the mythological side of him. No one would know where Hiawatha came from but many of the different tribes respected him, he commanded a canoe that would move at will. At one point when he was amongst one of the tribes, a great white cloud was approaching one of the tribes him and his daughter were with. The people wanted to scatter. Hiawatha advised everyone to stay still as he did, including his daughter. For to run would be cowardice. The white cloud turned into a heron that didn’t move again. His daughter was nowhere to be found. Hiawatha used a feather for his costume and instructed the other warriors to do so. Hiawatha told the people that it would be foolish to challenge northern invaders in individual tribes telling the tribes they must unite and be one or else risk being taken over by their enemies.

 Hiawatha says: You, the Mohawks, sitting under the shadow of the great tree whose roots sink deep into the earth, you shall be the first nation, because you are warlike and mighty.

You, the Oneidas, who recline your bodies against the impenetrable stone, you shall be the second nation, because you have never failed to give wise counsel.

You, the Onodagas, who occupy the land at the foot of the great hills, because you are so gifted in speech, you shall be the third nation.

You, the Seneca, who reside in the depths of the forest, you shall be the fourth nation, because of your cunning and speed in the hunt.

And you, the Cayugas, who roam the prairies and possess great wisdom, you shall be known as the fifth nation, because you understand more than any of us how to raise corn and build lodges.

Hiawatha said if they unite the Great Spirit will smile upon them, but if they remained divided and warlike they will end up enslaved and or left to perish. Hiawatha was then summoned to the skies by the Great Spirit. As strange music was heard in the air and the people watched, Hiawatha disappeared in the air and was never seen again.

I’ve heard the name of Hiawatha but other than that didn’t know much about him. It would be interesting to see rather than do another Pocahontas movie.

The Chameleon Wins A Wife An African Myth  

The Chameleon Wins A Wife is an African myth in Kenya from the Kikuyu people. It’s a rather comical tale of a frog & a chameleon fighting over the hand of a beautiful young woman from Ngema. As I was reading this in my giant book of Myths & Legends, the frog looking at the girl, I almost thought this would be an African version of The Frog Prince. However, it was not. No kisses turned the frog into a handsome prince. The frog did get cocky and present empty sacks and bags not impressing Ngema’s father at all. The chameleon did win the hand of Ngema in the end. He compared her to the hollow sound of a gourd earlier in the story. Not romantic in my view but comical hahaha!

I could see this being a cute Disney cartoon if they do it right & get back to their roots! I know Disney was supposed to do a live action film about an African myth none of it involving chameleons as far as I’m aware.

The Princess & The Pea Danish Fairytale

The Princess & The Pea by Hans Christian Anderson is about a Prince wanting to marry a princess. He searched everywhere for one but could not find the right one. A princess shows up at the palace at night looking wet and disheveled from the rain. The prince’s mother, The Queen had a test for this princess. Underneath 20 mattresses was a single pea. The next morning after everyone was rested, it was time for breakfast. The Queen asked the princess how she slept. The princess did not get her beauty sleep as she was uncomfortable. The Queen knew her test had work and she was a real princess. Only a princess could feel a pea underneath the mattress. The prince & princess were married.

I know there was a retelling of The Princess & The Pea by Debbie Vigue which was close-ish to the original with things added. It was great from what I remember. The real princess must reunite with her love and get her kingdom back. An enemy princess and her father try to take over. But there’s a happy ending.

Disney is doing a musical comedy movie titled Penelope. I hope they have all intents of doing it. It’s not known if it will be animation or live action. Here is an old newsletter from two years back discussing it.

https://booknotions.com/disney-developing-a-new-musical-based-on-a-popular-fairytale/