gooseweasel: With permission from lettherebedoodles I decided to take their amazing Race

gooseweasel:

With permission from lettherebedoodles I decided to take their amazing Racebent Disney Princess Seriesand, rather than just seeing them as different versions of the original characters, give them stories and fairy tales of their own. I plan on doing her entire series- hopefully I won’t disappoint!

Some of the stories will be based on the culture the new heroine is based on, and others will be stories from other cultures (such as ‘traditional’ western fairy tales), even real life people will inspire these Disney-style Princesses and Heroines. But please remember- this is all for fun. I’m not pretending to be an expert on any of this. I’ll try my best to do right by these characters and cultures, and if there is something horribly offensive, please let me know how I can fix it.

Sorry I’m a crappy lazy graphic designer, btw.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Amondi – Amondi

Inspired by the Luo legend, “Nyamgodho, Son of Ombare”, this is the story of Amondi, the daughter of a king and the most talented musician in all of Africa. Any song she sings can tame birds and beasts, and any object she picks up she can use as an instrument. She even tamed a lion, which grew to be her dear pet. Her voice even seemed able to do magic, and she was beloved by all for it.

One day, a poor, starving man appears to beg Amondi for her help. Introducing himself as Nyamgodho, he tells her that a demon has stolen his wife and dragged her into the Lake- along with all of the family’s wealth and possession. Now he and his children are alone and starving. He begged her to come and sing at the lake, to try and free his wife from the demon’s grasp. Touched by the poor man’s story, Amondi agrees, and begins the long journey back to his home on the Lake. However, she soon starts to realize that things are not quite what they seem, and that the man’s intentions may not be as pure as she originally thought.

Hatshepsut - The Pharaoh Queen

History knows her as Hatshepsut- one of the most powerful and successful pharaohs of all time. And a woman. Beautiful, fierce and cunning, she was a warrior and a leader. But this wasn’t always the case. As a child, she seemed hardly notable, shy and quiet.

But the gods knew she was destined for greater things than simply being the quiet, submissive wife of a pharaoh. This is the story of how Hatshepsut met the goddess Sekhmet. This is the story of how she became her pupil and friend. This is the story of how Hatshepsut became a pharaoh.

Kawariki - Tutira the Shark Man

Based on the Maori story “Kawariki and the Shark Man” Kawariki is the daughter of the leader of the tribe, a powerful tohunga who could use magic called Matakite. Her childhood friend, Tutira, was the child of prisoners-of-war, now force to work as servants. The two were inseparable growing up, and eventually fall in love. But Kawariki was expected to rule and Tutira to serve. Kawariki’s father Matakite tries to command her to stay away from Tutira, and orders her to marry a man from another tribe. When she fights against his orders, Matakite turns Tutira into a monster, a creature that can only live in the sea and away from her- a shark.

But Tutira can still turn back into a human once a month, during the new moon. The two try to find a way to turn Tutira back into a person permanently, before Kawariki is forced to marry someone she doesn’t love. 

Bari-The Abandoned Princess

Based on the Korean myth of Bari the first shaman, this is the story of a princess who grows to be so much more. Bari was the 7th daughter of a cruel King named Ogu, who was hoping for a son. He abandoned Bari to be raised by farmers, angry at her for being female. Bari grows up knowing that she was abandoned, and is mistreated by those around her. Many people think she is cursed.

However, one day King Ogu and the queen grow severely ill, close to dying. The only cure is revealed to be water from the spring of life, which can only be reached by going through the Underworld. No one will go to get the healing water, and so Bari goes, hoping to earn back her parents love by healing them.

As she journeys, Bari meets all sorts of other people who have been abandoned- by their families, children, and society, even the gods. Bari helps them all, and soon begins to realize that maybe what she really need isn’t the approval of the people who abandoned her…

Important (FINAL!) Note: I’m done with this series! It took a lot longer than I originally thought it would, due in great part to how difficult it was to find mythology and legends from African cultures. But I really enjoyed putting this all together, and it was definitely worth it to wait until I was able to find an actual East African story. Granted, I decided to approach the story from a different angle (it’s one of my favorite things to do) but I hope people like that choice. Fairy tales are a big passion of mine, and I really enjoyed exploring the many different ways they can be told. I hope you enjoyed reading all of these, but most of all I hope I did right by the cultures and stories I explored in this series.