Storytelling describes the
social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation,
theatrics, or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives,
which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation
or instilling moral values.
This seems like a good thing to do on a hot day while the
blinds are closed against the heat . . . .
The Spirit of the
Whirlwind
TWO men were walking together when they saw a haystack
carried away by the wind. The elder man said it was the Spirit of the
Whirlwind; but the other would not believe him till they saw a cloud of dust,
when they turned their backs to it, and the young man repeated a spell after
the old one. When they turned round, they saw an old grey man with a long white
beard, a broad flapping coat, and streaming hair, devastating the woods. He
took no notice of them, but the elder one cautioned the other not to forget to
repeat the spell whenever he saw him. However, he forgot it, and the whirlwind
in a fury carried him many miles from home, and ever afterwards persecuted him
till he went to his friend and learned the spell again. Next time he saw the
whirlwind he was fishing; and on his repeating the spell, the spirit passed him
angrily, and a great wave surged up from the river, and wetted the man to the
skin. But after that the spirit never reappeared to him, and left him in peace.
wanwavoitë vanwa vangwë
quenya
so mote it be
How the Sea became
Salt
Our story begins with a poor man who asked his rich brother
for help before Christmas, so he could have a meal for him and his wife. His
brother gave him a very nice ham, but made him promise to go straight to the
Devil in return, being fed up with his brother being poor and asking him for
help. The brother agreed, and eventually found the Devil’s shack. He made a
deal to trade the ham for a mill that could produce anything and was told by
the Devil how to stop the mill and restart it again at will. He returned home
and quickly went to work, making any food or other object his heart desired.
His brother was furious at this, angry that he had given his brother food, and
now he seemed to be richer than him. Once his brother explained the mill, the
richer brother offered him a large sum of money to buy it from him, but he
never learned how to stop the mill. With the Devil’s mill in his possession, he
started using it to make herring and porridge, but he couldn’t stop it and it
started flooding the entire town. He returned it to his brother, who forced him
to pay even more money, and then went on to become absurdly rich. Eventually, a
visiting merchant learned of the amazing abilities of the mill, and set about
trying to find a way to get it from its owner, for he envied its abilities. He
captained a ship and traveled the seas carrying a cargo of valuable salt. After
very difficult negotiations, for the man did not want to give up his mill, the
captain was eventually able to buy it for a princely sum. He was worried that
the man might want to renege on the deal, for it was a very valuable device,
and so he immediately set out on his way. Before he had even reached home, his
greed got the better of him, and he immediately set the mill to begin churning
out salt. Unfortunately, like the rich brother, he had absolutely no clue how
to stop the mill once it started. It quickly sunk his ship, taking him to his
death at the bottom of the sea. And so even today, the mill continues to churn
out salt and this is the reason why, the sea is full of salt.
14 Jul 2019
These are great stories to tell to children on rainy days or when they are sick. I remember my dad would tell me stories when I was bored or sick. I really miss that.
ReplyDeleteMy thought exactly as I read the stories. My dad spun stories of a fellow named Sparks for us. They were stories of his days as a radio operator in the army.
ReplyDelete