Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, Part B

 "The Sleep of One Hundred Years" had a plot that reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender. 

Plot: It was about a man who found the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed. He was so distraught that he fell into sleep for one hundred years. When he woke up he found the city of Jerusalem to be blooming. When he went into the city he asked where the house of Onias was (his house). His grandson (who looked about eighty) came out and said that his grandfather, Onias disappeared mysteriously one hundred years ago. Onias was again distraught. All the customs and habits of people were all foreign to him. He felt like he didn't belong. So he, again, fell into a deep sleep. 

"The King for Three Days"

Plot: This was a strange story. The king was an evil man. He hated all Jews so consequently he wanted them all to be killed. However, he weirdly wanted to ask for a rabbi's blessing beforehand. The rabbi said he would not give him his blessing. He instead prophesied that the King would indeed takeover Jerusalem but only be king for three days. The king grew angry of this prophecy and didn't believe it to be true. It ended up being true. And he was angry with himself, he had wasted so many lives in order to take over Jerusalem. 

"The Higgledy Piggledy Palace" 

Plot: I enjoyed this story. It was about Abraham's wife, Sarah. She was very beautiful and many men found themselves gazing at her in awe. Abraham was worried about this so he tried to hide her in a large box. She was found and brought to the King. The king wanted to make her the queen, but she refused. A spirit that might've been apart of her came out and cursed the king. The king eventually let her go. 

"The Rabbi's Bogey-Man"

Plot: I remember watching something like this before. It is about a Rabbi who wanted a servant but could not find one because a lot of people found him intimidating. He instead built his own servant. The servant only became a live when a scroll with a sacred name on it was put in its mouth. I remember watching something with a similar story. I'm not sure if it was a tv show or a movie. The creature he created backfired on him. He had to kill his own creation. I feel like many stories are similar in that the owner's creations usually backfire on them. 

"The Fairy Frog" 

Plot: I enjoyed this story very much. It was about Hanina. His parents grew very ill and were about to die. Before they died, they gave him a large sum of gold and told him to buy whatever he wanted no matter the cost. So he did. He bought a large container and didn't know what was inside but the owner told him that it would bring him great fortune. He came home and found a frog which ate everything ravenously. Eventually Hanina and his wife grew hungry and poor because of the frog. Then, good fortune came to them as the frog wanted to now thank Hanina and his wife for taking good care of him. So he gave them good riches, food, and wisdom. Hanina asked the true form of the frog. The frog said he was the fairy son of Adam and could take any form. 

Image Information 

Fairy Frog (needpix)

Bibliography: 

"The Sleep of One Hundred Years" from the Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa Web Source

"The King for Three Days" from the Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa Web Source

"The Higgledy Piggledy Palace" from the Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa Web Source

"The Rabbi's Bogey-Man" from the Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa Web Source

"The Fairy Frog" from the Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa Web Source