Rînoh the Giant – Part 1

If you haven’t read my last post, this is my version of events leading up to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, in as few words as possible.

Are you sitting down? Then I’ll begin.

To set the scene, think of Lord of the Rings and Narnia – a world with swords, armour, magic and no electricity.

This is a story about a Giant called Rînoh and how he came to be so angry.

In a far away land full of legend and adventure there lived two races, the Men and the Giants.  The Men were very intelligent and skilled workers of steel while the Giants were strong yet very light on their feet.  They happily coexisted using each other’s skills to the benefit of the whole community, the Giants would hunt using their strength, lightness of foot and the weapons made by the Men, and so they were interdependent for many generations.  They also shared their skills so that the Giants could craft from metal and the Men improved in hunting.  Apart from their obvious size difference (a male Giant would grow to 11 feet tall) the only other difference was that the Giants had swirling patterns on their skin that looked like tattoos that would start to appear when they were about 12 years old.

But as with all races, there were those who were out for themselves, and so crafty Men would employ equally nasty Giants to steal livestock, which was blamed on attacks by wild animals.

Over time the problem grew as ego’s kicked in and the Men and Giants grew in their greed and bravado – the raids would get more daring and the trading wouldn’t be so hidden.  It all came to a head when a group of young Giants tried to steal prize stallions from the Chief of the Men, Topħer, and were captured by the guards.

There was a trial before the elders of the town (made up of Giants and Men) of all involved and they were sentenced to repay all they had earned from their wrong doing and to work for free for the good of the town for 2 years each.

Although justice had been served on the guilty few, seeds of doubt and mistrust had begun to grow between the ancient peoples – the Men started to slow down the provision of weapons to the hunting groups of Giants, which bought in less food, and in turn the Giants would not give so much food to the Men as they had to work harder for it.  The old relationship quickly broke down as the tension had gone from underlying and subtle to fights in the streets and houses being smashed to pieces.

The town elders sadly decided to break their ancient bond for the good of all and so the Giants agreed to move away to the valleys where they would start life again.  As a mark of respect and a sign that hopefully one day they could live together again, Topħer had his skin marked like that of a Giant, and the Chief of the Giants, Witåll, presented Topħer with a sword painstakingly made by his best smith.

And so, the Giants left and split into clans and settled in the valleys surrounding the Men, building new homes and generally starting afresh.  But the mistrust was still there as you can’t heal broken bonds with geography.  Without the knowledge of Topħer the Men would send out bands of spies and bring false reports of growing fear and anger toward them, and so there was an increasing tension yet again.  Hidden groups with influence at all levels of society would start to meet and secretly try to rally people against a new and dangerous enemy, gaining much support, particularly from those who were affected by the stealing.  Eventually Topħer died and was ceremonially buried with the sword given to him by Witåll, and so the two signs of future peace were gone.

The dissenters seized their opportunity and made a bold public move as they quickly started to heap accusation on the Giants and encouraged all out war against them to prevent them from destroying their way of life.  Witåll had heard about the cries against his people, but was also getting very old, so in order to preserve the heritage of his people, he broke ancient law that said he could only share certain knowledge with the next Chief and he passed on tales of legend to his councilors of wild riches and the ability to control anger and rage that would come to one in genuine need, and commanded them to pass this information on to each clan and family leader along with an ancient map, and for them to tell all the people.  He also decreed that a copy of the legend and map be placed in each settlement and kept in a place of safety so that if the need arose it could be used to find the riches and power of old.

To be continued…

What I think about Jack and the Beanstalk

I know, it’s not exactly a hard-hitting topic, but it is a tale that bothers me no end, to the point that I may have accidentally written a prequel that is so moving it made my boy cry out of sadness.

Anyway.

My problem is that it is basically a story that celebrates idleness, disobedience, tresspass, theft and murder.

It is, honest! Let us assess the main points:

• Jack is a lazy boy who is sent to market to sell the family cow for money to buy food
• He trades the cow for magic beans (can’t knock a boy for a sense of adventure, but come on, he and his mother were starving to death!)
• He climbs the giant beanstalk (fair enough, adventure etc)
• Sneaks into a castle he is warned to stay clear of
• Steals the magic harp and Hen/Goose that lays golden eggs
• Chops the beanstalk down when he is chased by the rightful owner, and thus commits murder
• There is celebration that the desolate family are out of poverty

Know, what is right about all that?  Nothing.  And now they* have turned it into a film, that I have admittedly not seen, but again goes to great lengths to paint the giants as the guilty party.

Whenever I read it to the kids, I always make a point of his bad behaviour with a solemn warning – bedtimes are indeed funtimes in my house.

Well, my version of events leading up to the telling of Jacks story show him for what he is, a lazy killer (I’m very aware of the inconsistency of calling someone a lazy killer) and that will follow in another post.

MrTheKidd

*you know, them

Train Journey – A Poem

I wrote this poem on the 23rd of January 2009 whilst sitting on a train waiting for it to depart from London Blackfriars to Catford.  It was about 5:15pm.

I hope you enjoy it.

Train Journey

Long blue shafts of pressed metal glide effortlessly beneath Victorian trusses,
While birds idly chatter, perched in comfort in the eaves, away from the busses ;

The Thames, in its majesty, reflects the ghosts of the buildings that line its’ ancient flanks,
As it rolls unceasingly forth, with no purpose or haste, while it sweetly kisses its’ banks ;

The skyline beside me is littered with cranes, wind turbines and grey structures of old and new,
Its familiarity is disturbing and challenging all at once as I reflect on how quickly this cityscape grew ;

Once upon a time this route would have held lush fields that rolled and boasted in green,
A thought that is laughable in this urban jungle ;  to find grass here now you’d have to be keen ;

My destination approaches with its’ place-name suggestive of a healthier past founded on loam,
It’s not much to look at ;  a bit rough ‘round the edges, but it’s the place I currently call home.

MrTheKidd

Lent

Usually for Lent, the typical person will give up something superficial, like chocolate, alchohol, or even facebook, with the more serious or religious Christian being more pious in their undertaking, and so devoting more time to prayer, Bible study or fasting. To be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure most participants fully know why they are doing it.

I’ve personally never participated as I saw it as part of a liturgical calendar that was made to keep the faithful in check, rather than something that can bring freedom, and until this morning, I planned on keeping this tradition going for another year.

The change of heart came as I listened to the preach from Sunday on my way to work, which is all about work and it’s place in creation. It’s a topic I’ve heard preached about before, but this time it was more poignant as I recently came close to breaking point courtesy, among other things, of an ambitious workload.

The main thing that I took away was a short bit about a 17th Century Carmelite monk called Brother Lawrence, or Lawrence of The Resurrection to use his full monk name.

The most outstanding thing about this man is that he wasn’t outstanding at all, he simply made a decision and acted upon it, from the time he entered monk-hood until his death, and it’s that decision that has kept his name alive. He resolved to do all work ‘unto the Lord’ regardless of task and his feelings towards it.

When he arrived at the monastery, he was assigned to the kitchen as he didn’t have the qualifications to be a cleric, and so he carried out all kitchen duties as though they were for God personally. Like all people, he struggled in this new discipline initially, but after a few years (!) it became second nature. He became known for his wisdom and for his profound peace, and people from far and wide sought his guidance, which was compiled into the book, The Practice of the Presence of God by Father Joseph de Beaufort, later vicar general to the Archbishop of Paris after his death.

He wasn’t a world changing reformer or fiery preacher, he just sought to serve God in the work of his hands, and in doing has become an inspiration for over 200 years.

Which brings me to Lent.

After a crash at work, it would be too easy for me to get bitter, resentful and moany about my day job, and having motivational post-its stuck up isn’t enough to keep me on the path of cheer, so I have decided to follow in the footsteps of a long deceased French monk and will for the next 40 days devote every mouse click and pen stroke to God, not as a religious act for favour or to try and somehow earn grace, but so I can be refreshed continually, so I can witness more effectively in my actions, so I can find joy in my day job, and so I can better reflect on the forthcoming event of Easter. I have agreed to be quick to repent and forgive myself for slip-ups, and I will try to keep some kind of record to track the experience. If after 40 days it seems like a good thing to continue, then that’s what I shall do.

So, this year for Lent I’m giving up working for The Man, instead I’m going to work for my Dad.

MrTheKidd

Fact: I’ve been ill

Hi all,

Please allow me to explain the sudden mysterious absence; the short version is that I’ve been off ill. The long version might need a cup of something hot.

Basically, I crashed – not actually, but my health. I sustained an overloaded plate for too long and it fell, spilling its contents everywhere (home, work, church, health, friends etc) so I’ve been resting at home, trying to let my body, emotions and mind all level out so I can start again. I am now in a position to start again, and I’m wiser for the experience. I am blessed to have a supportive and understanding wife who actually put her foot down and told me to stop (or it may well have been a full-blown stress explosion) but also colleagues and boss, who is willing to do whatever is needed for me to fully recover and to be supported going forward.

So, I’ll be back with facts, dealing with the backlog first, and hopefully some other posts too.

Thank you for your patience.

Bill