I was intrigued by Goblin City as it was the only story that was not focused on animals (the monk story had some focus on a deer). Additionally, there was a note about how it led well into next week's reading, so I chose the story to have some preparation for future readings. The story was short and to the point and mirrored some of the folktales I read in the mythology and folklore class. I found it interesting how the goblins and fairy were simplified in regard to their name. From my experience reading Indian stories, characters tend to have very unique Indian names rather than just "she-goblin" or "fairy". Perhaps it was changed to make the story easier to understand, but I did find that aspect notable. I also wondered where the male goblins were in the story. Why did the she-goblins not marry the male goblins? How often do sailors get wrecked near the island? How did they get married? There is so many questions that could be answered in a potential retelling of the story as it is a very short story. I also want to know why the goblins feared water and cats. What do those two do to a goblin and how do they react? The image provided was useful for picturing the sailors leaving the island, and I did like how the story how it was possible to fit so many sailers on to the back of the horse. The horse reminded me of Pegasus from Greek Mythology and in Percy Jackson. Like the horse in this story, Pegasus often came to the rescue for Percy. Overall, the story was a quick and interesting read, and I a lot of ways to make the story longer and more complete for the reader.
Just a quick note to say that mixing up Greek mythology with Indian mythology is a wonderful writing strategy: there is a student who took Indian Epics last semester who did a story combining Daedalus and Icarus with the gods and goddesses of India... and she is going to carry on with that project (I think) now that she is in the Myth-Folklore class! Here's her project from last time: Vengeance of the Sun God (she was very Riordan-inspired!)
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