Five-Miracles-art - 7/4/08
"Five Miracles of Storytelling" by THL Thomas Whitehart, aka True Thomas the Storyteller.
NOTE: See also the files: Bardic-Guide-art, bardic-msg, Entrtng-n-SCA-art, storytelling-art, Tales-o-Teror-art, Fyrecrawling-art, Hornbook-art.
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NOTICE -
This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium.
These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author or translator.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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Find more of this author's articles and links on his webpage:
Five Miracles of Storytelling
by True Thomas (THL Thomas Whitehart, SCA)
The First Miracle:
There is something special about a storyteller. Granted, any one can tell a story, but there are people who are born to find, keep, create, and tell stories. They come from all walks of life, and come to their gifts through a variety of ways. They are the little kids who put a big blob of black paint on the paper and tell their kindergarten teacher "É.it's a caveÉ.full of bats!" They might be truck drivers, or presidents. Storytellers are the canaries in the coal mine of the human experience, sensitive, perceptive, and crucial. We are unique, crazy, needed, and that's a miracle.
The Second Miracle:
Stories come to us. On the side of cereal boxes, in car pool lanes, from old books, and little kids. Stories will come to us from ancient days and the grout in the shower. They grab us by the ears, and crawl into our hearts and heads and demand to be told. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but tell them you will. If you put a stethoscope to a storytellers head, you will hear the whispersÉ."tell me!". We find stories in so many places, and they become a part of us, and sometimes go out, and come back to us in new and incredible ways. And that's a miracle.
The Third Miracle:
You never know how a story will affect the universe. That person sleeping in the back of the audience, the little kids who just won't settle down, will come up after the story and tell you that it meant something to them. Years can go by, and someone will tell you - my daughter, my grandfather, loved that story you told, and it changed them. Made them sing the silly refrain, look for monsters under the bed, or rediscover parts of their heritage. Stories go out and change the world, and you with them. And that's a miracle.
The Fourth Miracle:
Stories have a life and power of their own. They are continually changing, shifting, moving. Stories can build a nation, or destroy a people. When stories die, untold, unrecorded, a little of what we are as the human race dies with them. To attempt hold a story, to own a story is to deny the power of the gift we are given. Cinderella was born around the world, Jack has seven league boots to cross any boundary. The right story in the right time and place can change the world, and the world can and will take that story, change that story, and hand it right back. Believe in the power and life of stories. And that's a miracle.
The Fifth Miracle:
The universe conspires to have stories told (AKA Storyteller Synchronicity). Your car will break down on the way to a garlic festival, and a garlic farmer will give you a ride to the event, just full of interesting stories. You'll mention a cat in a story, and one will walk behind you on that stage, just as you mention one. You'll tell a story with the wind coming roaring up, and nature complies. I've seen it, you've seen it. It raises the hairs on the back of your neck. You'll be desperate for a story, and a friend will hand you just the right book, that they found at a library sale, on the off chance you might not have it. People on planes, in the doctors office, are there to hear and more importantly give you stories. Little children and garage sales bring you stories. People out of the blue contact you and askÉ..can you tell stories about _________? And miracle of miracles, you can. The universe conspires to help you find and carry these stories to their next destination. Believe, and you'll see some amazing things. Ask any storyteller, and they'll tell you their 5th Miracle story.
And that's a miracle.
Believe!
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Copyright 2008 by True Thomas, 663 Fowler Ave., Newbury Park, CA 91320. <Truethomas (at) sbcglobal.net>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
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