Tuesday 28 June 2011

Story Ideas

I want to pursue an idea to animate myself but I did come up with my own folk tale if anyone wants to use it.


The Fire Bird


A huntsman is riding through a forest in the winter. The landscape is tall black trees in snowy ground. He catches sight of a vibrant red bird flying through the trees and sets off after it. He stops near a clearing and approaches slowly, drawing his bow. He focuses on The Fire Bird and is about to shoot when a wolf pounces on him. The wolf is huge, black, grizzled and with great sharp teeth. It bites his arm and throws him off the horse. The wolf continues to chew on the struggling huntsman’s arm as his horse rears from behind the wolf. It stomps down but the wolf and huntsman roll out of the way. The wolf turns on the horse and scares it off. They are alone now and the wolf turns on him. The huntsman thinks of drawing a blade on the wolf but stops. He surrenders, kneeling in the snow, waiting for the wolf to take his life. The wolf approaches, horrid and snarling. It opens its jaws, and snaps them shut, an inch from his face. The wolf retreats and sits. The Fire Bird appears through the mist and walks over to the huntsman. It studies him then plucks a feather from its tail. The huntsman takes it with his injured arm and is healed as the feather touches his fingertips. His dagger is still in his left hand and he thinks of striking the bird. He looks at the wolf, and remembers the mercy it showed him. He sheathes his dagger, bows to The Fire Bird, and takes his prize.


A magic feather of The Fire Bird.


This story isn't totally made up. It's inspired by Russian folktales and contains elements from many of them. The Fire Bird is usually portrayed as a magical or highly prized bird that narrowly escapes capture, leaving only a feather. The feather is so beautiful that a king or someone wants to have the whole bird. Men are then set off on a quest to hunt the fire bird with the first two failing after meeting a wolf and lying to it. The third man obeys the wolf and usually ends up doing some sort of quest which ends up with him gaining wealth or a wife or both. So that's where the ideas come from, the bird being a prized animal, the wolf acting as a guardian/test.

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