TALES
TOLD
Janet
Goring, aka Bluebird the Storyteller,
came all the way from Portsmouth to tell us stories – and what a
range of stories she has to offer!
She
began with the tale of The Handsome Young Sailor and Betty Mundy, a
full-bodied fairy lass who gave the aforesaid youthful and
well-favoured tar three magic gifts, an ever-full purse, a travelling
cloak, and a summoning horn, out of which he was swindled by a
scheming princess from Stephen's Castle. Instead of reproaching her
contrite swain, Betty showed him the secret of the nose-lengthening
apples and the nose-shortening pears, by means of which he was able
to recover the magic treasures, and, recognising that, as a man, he
was not really fitted for responsibility, he agreed to place his
future in Betty's hands, in recognition of which [and you can check
the OS map if you don't believe this] Sailor's Lane leads to Betty
Mundy's Bottom. [Mike O'Leary's book of Hampshire Tales contains a
version of this story.]
Then
Janet told us Why the Sky is Far Away, a Nigerian folk-tale which
has been retold by Mary-Joan Gerson. She followed this with a Celtic
story about a young mother whose baby is taken by the Sidhe, and who,
with the advice of a wise-woman, manages to recover the child and
live happily ever after.
Janet's
second session began on a much more personal note, as she discovered
and explored the fate of her great-uncle Henry Whitmore Turner in the
First World War, and visited those acres of war-graves that stretch
across France and Belgium, and saw the fields of corn where the
plough still disinters remnants of humanity.
Finally,
she told us how a travelling fellow found a wishing-well, and with
his wish spread the well's powers into all the water that falls from
the sky. Open your mouth when it rains – you may be lucky! [But –
be careful what you wish for...]
In
the third session, Raph told us of The Remarkable Coincidence, and
then gave us The Sword and the Trumpet, in which communication
triumphs over simple aggression. Maddie followed this with The Island
where Dreams are Made, from the Western Isles. Alan shared his
personal regret that he had not asked in more detail about his
great-uncle's connection with the Angels of Mons, and told us that
story. Jason, with an excellent crow-impersonation, gave us his own
story, The Boy who Turned into a Bird, and Mike told his 10-day old
story, The Truth about Nettles, to finish the evening.
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