Title: Lee, Jeanne M. Legend of the Milky Way. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982.
Summary: The story tells of origins of the Milky Way, which in China is known as the Silver River. A young peasant, whose only friend is his water buffalo, plays his flute by the river. One day, his music travels up to heaven, where a beautiful princess hears it. Entranced, she travels to earth to find the music's source. When she finds the young man, she says she is a weaver from far away. They fall in love, marry, and live together in his small house. One day, the man's beloved water buffalo lays dying. He tells the young man to sew his hide into a cloak, which will perform miracles. Up in heaven, the Queen notices the weaver princess's empty loom and orders the palace guards to search for her. They find her on earth and take her back to heaven. When the young man returns to find his wife gone, he doesn't know what to do. He remembers the buffalo cloak and puts it on; miraculously, he is lifted up to the sky. The Queen sees him coming, and to stop him, takes a pin from her hair to draw a silver river across the sky. The man can go no further. To separate the man and the princess forever, the Queen turns them into stars, one on each side of the river. The princess cries all day and night. Her father, the King, takes pity on her and allows her to visit her husband once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh month, the blackbirds of heaven form a bridge over the Silver River, and the weaver princess visits her husband for a short while.
Cultural origins and how identified: This tale is from China. The following is from the book's colophon: "Retells the Chinese legend of the Weaver Princess who came down from heaven to marry a mortal; a love story represented in the stars of the Milky Way." This is on the jacket flyleaf: "This enchanting ancient Chinese folktale about the origin of the Milky Way has circulated among the people of China for more than two thousand years." The following is quoted from the last page of the book: "The seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese year falls sometime in August. On that day in China, the people honor the weaver princess and her earthly husband with a feast. If it rains that night, they say the princess is crying because she must say good-bye to her husband. Sometimes, on a clear night, you can see the bridge of birds across the 'Silver River'. The star that astronomers call Vega in the constellation Lyra is the weaver princess, and the stair Altair in the constellation Aquila is the young man."
Audience: Publishers Weekly Reviews states that the story is appropriate for ages 4-7. In my opinion, 4 is a bit young to understand the romantic nuances. I would tell this story to ages 7 and up, in either a library or school storytime. It might even work for adults; perhaps as a bittersweet story to tell around Valentine's Day.
Notes on adaptation for telling: This is a gorgeous, elegaic tale akin to a creation myth. It should be told reverently and quietly, with an air of mystery.
Summary: The story tells of origins of the Milky Way, which in China is known as the Silver River. A young peasant, whose only friend is his water buffalo, plays his flute by the river. One day, his music travels up to heaven, where a beautiful princess hears it. Entranced, she travels to earth to find the music's source. When she finds the young man, she says she is a weaver from far away. They fall in love, marry, and live together in his small house. One day, the man's beloved water buffalo lays dying. He tells the young man to sew his hide into a cloak, which will perform miracles. Up in heaven, the Queen notices the weaver princess's empty loom and orders the palace guards to search for her. They find her on earth and take her back to heaven. When the young man returns to find his wife gone, he doesn't know what to do. He remembers the buffalo cloak and puts it on; miraculously, he is lifted up to the sky. The Queen sees him coming, and to stop him, takes a pin from her hair to draw a silver river across the sky. The man can go no further. To separate the man and the princess forever, the Queen turns them into stars, one on each side of the river. The princess cries all day and night. Her father, the King, takes pity on her and allows her to visit her husband once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh month, the blackbirds of heaven form a bridge over the Silver River, and the weaver princess visits her husband for a short while.
Cultural origins and how identified: This tale is from China. The following is from the book's colophon: "Retells the Chinese legend of the Weaver Princess who came down from heaven to marry a mortal; a love story represented in the stars of the Milky Way." This is on the jacket flyleaf: "This enchanting ancient Chinese folktale about the origin of the Milky Way has circulated among the people of China for more than two thousand years." The following is quoted from the last page of the book: "The seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese year falls sometime in August. On that day in China, the people honor the weaver princess and her earthly husband with a feast. If it rains that night, they say the princess is crying because she must say good-bye to her husband. Sometimes, on a clear night, you can see the bridge of birds across the 'Silver River'. The star that astronomers call Vega in the constellation Lyra is the weaver princess, and the stair Altair in the constellation Aquila is the young man."
Audience: Publishers Weekly Reviews states that the story is appropriate for ages 4-7. In my opinion, 4 is a bit young to understand the romantic nuances. I would tell this story to ages 7 and up, in either a library or school storytime. It might even work for adults; perhaps as a bittersweet story to tell around Valentine's Day.
Notes on adaptation for telling: This is a gorgeous, elegaic tale akin to a creation myth. It should be told reverently and quietly, with an air of mystery.
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