Thursday, July 8, 2010

Fairy Tale Fridays: Johnny Appleseed

Special Thanks to my Personal Faery Friend for the Button Art: Ye Olde Faery Shoppe

Fairy Tale Fridays is back!!!!  I apologize for the little break last week, but things were just too crazy for the holiday.  The break did me good though and I am back feeling refreshed, not only in blogging but also in life!  Woohoo!!  Speaking of refreshment, let's move on to our feature!!

This week's selection for Fairy Tale Fridays is Rainbow-walker or what is better known as Johnny Appleseed.  The link that I provided was much shorter and contained different information from the story that I chose to read for this week.  The online version compares Johnny Appleseed to Paul Revere, aiding settlers to safety and warning of danger.  On the other hand, my longer version which was also known as Rainbow-walker, focused rather on Appleseed's intent to spread the love of apples, supporting the environment and caring for the animals and truly, all living things in the world.  One of the best pictures that formed in my mind as I read the story came from the following quote . . .
Off in the distance, in the direction he was going, a rainbow shone in the sky, pink and yellow, green and blue.  To Johnny the pink was the color of apple blossoms, and the pale green was the color of apples before they were ripe.
Johnny was a guy that got along with all living beings, from animals such as his trusty sidekick Brother Wolf to "Indians" and "the white men," despite the differences that existed between them during the time the man lived.  Though his legend has turned into quite the tall tale in the States, I believe the important thing to remember from this story is that Johnny Appleseed was a real man . . . a man that during his time may have been considered "loony" or "lightheaded" . . . BUT, a man that made a difference, spreading his love for the land, nature, and his beliefs.  In fact, I would invite you over to Carol's Notebook to see a featured biography of Johnny Appleseed and learn more about him today!  I know that I learned more than a few things from her!!

Did you explore the journey of Johnny this week or did you explore another American Tall Tale?

UPCOMING TALES:


Friday, August 6th:  The Twin Brothers (Danish Folk and Fairy Tales)
**SPECIAL NOTE:  I have linked those stories that I can find above either in writing or as a video of the reading via YouTube.  The generic link via the country's tales will take you to a listing of additional tales or possible replacements.  Enjoy!



5 comments:

  1. I actually like the tall tale better than the true story.

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  2. I didn't know about Johnny Appleseed being compared to Paul Revere, but that's a neat bit of data. He had a love of apples and was a story teller are two things I recall.

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  3. I had a little storybook about Johnny Appleseed when I was little. I am glad to see you are refreshed. I am feeling refreshed in blogging and life too! Too bad we don't live near each other so we could celebrate that together. :)

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  4. He was a smart and strange guy. Check out the Botany of Desire. There's quite a bit about Johnny Appleseed in the Apple section.

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  5. carolsnotebook . . . I really like the tall tale, but am still interested in reading the true story!

    J. Kaye . . . I didn't know it either! I'm actually discovering a lot of new things with this feature!

    Rebecca . . . Wouldn't that be great?!?! Let's hope the refreshment lasts!! I'm thinking it will since life slows down a bit after this week for a while!

    christine . . . Thanks! I will add it to my list!! :)

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