World Story-Telling Day

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the March equinox, on (or near) March 20.

We could sit here all day talking what makes a story, a story. Whether it be a modern creation or life lessons that have been passed on through generation to generation.

Today I want you to think about YOUR story. I’m having one of those silly “moments”. What is your story? Is it a good story, is it a drama or a comedy? Is your story about yourself, about others, your communities, or all three?…Did that rhyme?

What is your story.

Clearly you don’t have to tell me your story, but just take a moment to think about it. Think about one of those prompts, like “what would the title of your autobiography be?”.

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Thursday Theories – The Moon

I did some research into this one, after having a discussion with Della Ratcliffe at Inner Journey Events Blog about her post “2023 a year of 13 moons”

I am Australian, but I am first generation white Australian though. I am not an Aboriginal person. What I have been researching into is what do Aboriginal people do when they think of the Moon.

Aboriginal people have, what is called “Dreamtime Stories”

Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories

They generally have a story for everything, from the Murray River was created till how the Australian Native animals were created.

“Emu in the Sky” constellation of dark clouds, and stories about the Sun, Moon, and stars,  revealing a great depth and complexity of ancient Aboriginal cultures. Not only did they know the sky intimately, but they were familiar with planetary motions, tides, and eclipses.

Emu in the Sky | June – On the left hand side of the Southern Cross, try to find a dark oval shape, called the Coalsack Nebula. This is the head of the Emu with the beak pointing downward. The long neck stretches to the left through the middle of “the Pointers”. The body and legs of the Emu stretch halfway across the horizon towards the east.

Aboriginal people don’t celebrate necessarily the same way that Celts would have. They did/do celebrate the different types of moons. They map a lot of the land, and the moon and the sun, and the weather. During the Summers in Australia, a lot of elders from Aboriginal tribes will still help too “burn off” dry land. Too stop such devastating fires from occurring. They have had nearly 60,000 years on working out how to work with the land.

The dreamtime stories have been handed down through 60,000+ years. They don’t have HUGE feasts, like the Celts would have. The Australian land is not really made for huge feasting, it’s dry and hot.

The Story of Me =D

People, fellow readers. I am starting to think something … I am, in fact, really odd, lol.

Or maybe it is, just everyone else?

I actually really like the Royal Family, except for Andrew, of course. But I also understand that people don’t want the Monarchy as head anymore. I like the mystery that the Royal Family bring. The myth and the “magic” of a Monarchy.

I also don’t have a huge problem with Religion, I have a problem when people use Religion to harm. In the right hands, Religion can be an amazingly positive tool, because in the right hands, it is nothing but love. In the wrong hands, well I don’t need to tell you people.

I am not going to feel truly happy again, until Trump is taken down, and trans people, both youth and adults have their rights back.

I just want the world to be kind again. I just want the world to be happy again.

I love to read, and I want to write…but I have a bad habit of trying to do three things at once. The writing tends to get pushed to the back. I am big romantic, but not many people are, so I keep that secret.

World Folklore Day

What is a Folklore?

Folklore generally refers to narratives, jokes, beliefs, proverbs, legends, myths, music, songs, dances, costumes, food, and festivals, through which individuals and groups shape and disseminate a shared identity.

I don’t mean Taylor Swifts awesome music album, called the same as well.

Types of Folklore – literarydevices.net

I would assume that most of you would know Folklore, as in fairy tales and possibly song/music as well. There are so many way to tell a Folklore. Why stop at just one way! But Taylor Swift’s album is a way too.

Folklore will generally tell the lives of “every day folk” their lives, , their conflicts, what happens in them, how they overcome them. Essentially the life lessons of that lesson. Then it becomes a folklore, through oral stories. Some examples of folklore:

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears
• Russian Nesting Dolls
• Native American Dances
• Danny Boy – A Ballard
• John Henry
• Fairytales – The Little Mermaid, Cinderella etc
• Ashanti of Ghana
• Quilting
• Mosaic.

Generally, a folklore is something that was created and has been communicated down through the years. The Folklore seems to be based on myth, rather than reality. Other than the real life lessons, they can teach us.

I personally believe that families can spread folklore through the generations. Maybe not something that becomes popular in mainstream cultures. Think about it.

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

The unofficial holiday encourages celebrators to read, tell, and listen to fairy tales from around the world.

I want to hear all about your favourite fairy tales!

A form of folk tales, fairy tales have a strong oral and written tradition all around the world – with cultures adopting whole or parts of tales from other cultures. Did you know? Before the 17th century, fairy tales often had themes unsuitable for children and were written mostly for adults. Which is interesting, because that is around the time of the Grimms Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen, which, personally, I probably tell those particular tales to my children, lol

I guess things were different then though, lol

I was always fascinated by the tale of “Snow-White and Rose-Red” Brothers Grimm. Why? Probably had something to do with the Bear turning into a Prince. Which explain my favourite Disney Fairy Tale.

Which by the way, you should all watch the French modern version, if you can handle subtitles … It is a beautiful film!

Many Happy Birthday Ms Potter <3

Again, if Ms Potter had been living she would have been 155 today. So, the chances of her being so here, are limited. However that’s not the point.

We can celebrate probably the most well known Children’s Author (that didn’t turn into a complete raving lunatic).

When I was a littler, in my younger years, I did ballet. We did a Beatrix Ballet Concert, and I was Mrs Tittlemouse and I was very good, may I say. I was very proper and lady like =D

I don’t have a favourite or most disliked Potter character. I do though find Peter Rabbit overrated, lol. There are so many good characters in Potter’s world. Just ignore the whole “Potter was the JKRowling of her day” Ugh.

World Story-Telling Day

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the March equinox, on (or near) March 20. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night. Participants tell each other about their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from each other and create international contacts.

Please feel free to read anything. I think that the world needs to read again.

The Theme for this year is: 2021 – New Beginnings … Isn’t that lovely!

Do you have a favourite story? I have so many! I would say the list would be shorter ones I didn’t love, but that would be lie. I don’t think I’ve probably even read HALF the stories in the world!

I would love to hear about new stories and authors you may have read already this year ❤

Thursday Theories – Fairy Tales

Since Friday the 26th of Feb is tell a Fairy tale day. I thought it’d be a great time to have a more in-depth look at them.

I have always wanted to do a study into Fairytales, there are actual degrees and certificates for them. However, I don’t think I could ever justify the cost of studying them more, and what do you do afterwards? One day, when I win the lottery.

What are some elements to a Fairy Tale?

• There is usually a good or bad magic element.
• They usually take place “A long time ago” or, a “long time in the future”. They very rarely take place in the present.
• There is usually a universal lesson.
• There is more likely to be some sort of problem, curse or not
• And they are usually a story where someone’s a hero or heroine, and a villian.

Fairy tales, like any good generation to generation story. Tends to change to suit that current generation, and that current era. Which means a lot of our current Fairy tale, normally made into movies by Disney, have strained away from the original tales. In my opinion, not all that bad really. If you take Hans Christen Anderson or the Brothers Grimm, their fairy tales are literally that … Grimm.

Their characters tend to go through horrible things, just to mostly die or have their heart broken in some horrible way. They are definitely not the family loving, good and love always wins of the Disney movies today! There are definitely Grimm Brother fairy tales, that would have been considered the “I.t.” by Stephen King standard, of yesteryear. The original Grimm Brothers fairytales would probably make for some fantastic horror films! So fairy tales are not just for the kiddies!

There are theories out there, that some fairy tales are based on real people and/or real life events.

Snow White:

Based on the life of Margarete von Waldeck, a 16th century Bavarian noblewoman. Margarete grew up in Bad Wildungen, where her brother used small children to work his copper mine. Severely deformed because of the physical labor mining required, they were despairingly referred to as dwarfs. The poison apple is also rooted in fact; an old man would offer tainted fruits to the workers, and other children he believed stole from him.

Margarete’s stepmother, despising her, sent the beauty, to the Brussels court to get rid of her. There Prince Philip II of Spain became her steamy lover. His father, the king of Spain, opposing the romance, dispatched Spanish agents to murder Margarete. They surreptitiously poisoned her.

Beauty and the Beast:

In 1537 there was a young boy named Petrus Gonsalvus who was regularly called a beast. Reportedly, this was most likely because he had a case of hypertrichosis, a condition that causes a person to grow hair all over their body, referred to as “werewolf syndrome.” Gonsalvus was 10 years old when he was taken from Spain, and sent to the King of France to operate as a type of court jester.

Eventually, King Henry’s wife, Catherine de’Medici (who took over after the king died), found Gonsalvus a wife — also called Catherine. Though it took some getting used to, the beauty fell in love with “the beast.” They were married for 40 years and had seven kids together, four of which also had hypertrichosis.

The Pied Piper:

In 1264, a pied piper had offered to get rid of the numerous rats in the Germanic village of Hamelin, as long as the town elders gave him a considerable amount of money upon the completion of this task. After he disposed of the rats, the elders reneged on their promise. Furious, the piper enticed the children of the village to follow him. They never returned.

Retelling…Magically Monday #3

I am sure that my readers are aware of what the word “retelling” means. For those who do not, retelling simple to repeat or ‘retell’ a story you heard and you repeat. Sometimes with extreme accuracy or with little falsehoods hear and there, exaggerations if you will.

One of the funniest things I have been hearing lately, is how people are annoyed or bored with people retelling the Disney animated films. One person even went so far to say that Walt Disney would be turning in his grave with the unoriginal in Hollywood, because of the live action films.

Uhhh…

Apart from Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy…Those characters. Walt Disney didn’t come up with a single original thought. He retold stories that were already in the atmosphere. Walt Disney would not have a single leg to stand on, even if he did not like them. Personally, I think he would have loved them.

What is your favourite Disney movie and is it the same as the original? 

I know, I know…

I am just going to start off this post with a “I know, I know” Myths are, myths. Every story I see of Hades though, he is always trying to release the Titans. I would like to know, why?

What would have made Hades thought that the Titans wouldn’t have done anything to him? Whether he likes it or not, he is a God., like Zeus. I think the Titans would have destroyed him.

Silly Hades