Storyteller's Story
At the conclusion of the school's activities celebrating oral culture, we sat in the staffroom enjoying the elation a successful day of creativity elicits. A teacher sat beside me and told me she had read the story of the Mermaid of Zennor eight times that day, once for each of the groups who visited her. A tale from her own cultural tradition and home country, it brought her great joy to be able to share it with the International school community. She confided in me that even though she knew the story well, she read it rather than told it, because the text gave her security. This was not the first time I had heard a teacher say this. The transition between reading a story and telling it can be a difficult one for many people to manage, and the reason for this is Fear. I said to her that if she told the story she would attain freedom. As we didn't have a lot of time to discuss what this means in depth, I will explain it now.
Firstly it is important to differentiate between literary stories and oral stories. The former is meant to be read, the latter told. Folktales are essentially tales passed on from mouth to ear over many years. Because of war, disease, famine and displacement, many stories have died with the tellers. However, the advent and pervasiveness of the printing press and an interest in the collecting of folklore has enabled many stories to be recorded and printed, thereby available to the world to be read. Audio-visual technology plays an important role in continuing the documentation of folktales, particularly by members of the culture whose stories are being recorded.
Storytellers source their repertoire through either listening to other storytellers (both professional and those within their own communities) or reading folktales in books. A storyteller must consider both the prejudices and preferences of folklore collectors in written versions of folktales, especially those that were collected in previous centuries, and also their own relationship to the story. By relationship I mean that the storyteller may be intimate with the setting of the tale, familiar with the events described or know the traditions associated with its telling. What is often called 'owning the story' does not mean that the story is from your cultural tradition, although it could be, it means that you tell the story in your words, in your way and from your heart. This doesn't mean that you don't borrow some of the words from a written text or storyteller you love, because they best create the image you want to convey to your audience; all storytellers are guilty of some word or phrase appropriation. But the most authentic tellings are in your words.
Now to forsaking the security of the written word in the pursuit of freedom. You can begin telling your tale with an acknowledgement of the written source as a version of the tale you know, and if listeners want to read the story, you can give them a reference. But follow on with an assertion like, 'this is the way I tell the tale.' Or you can frame the story by explaining to your listeners your relationship to it. For example, 'this tale was told to me by my mother, who was told it by her mother and her mother before that, and now I am telling it to you.' Or, 'this is a traditional tale from the first people to live in this country and if you live here then its important you know this story.'
When I first started storytelling I thought that meant finding a written tale and memorising that version. Other people's words are easy to read but not to tell. No matter how many times I tried to remember the exact words of a story I was learning, I failed. Very few people learn a folktale word for word because this is not the natural way to pass a tale on to others. It is good to learn by heart any repeated rhymes and know the phrases you will use to begin and end a story, but the substance of the tale is easiest learnt by imaging, or making pictures of the story in a sequence in your mind, much like a film. The words which you use in your telling may not be as descriptive as those in a written version, but you won't have to wrestle with trying to retrieve those words from your memory, because they're your own words, describing simply and accurately what is happening in your pictures. The immediacy and directness of your account to your listeners will more than make up for literary devices used in a written work you are reading.
Direct communication between storyteller and listener is the essence of storytelling, because it is an interactive process. The teller is guided by the listener's engagement with the telling. Not having a book as an intermediary liberates the teller to use their whole being to tell the story. They can modify their telling to suit the preferences of their listener rather than be restricted by the words on the page. Even the most expressive reader has to look at the text every few sentences, and therefore their eyes cannot always be looking at their listeners. Their hands are generally involved with book holding and page turning and therefore cannot be used to gesticulate. Reading done sitting or standing takes place in the one spot, so dramatic expression is limited to that area. However the most important difference between reading a story and telling it in your own words is that the tale's presentation, progression and resolution are in the hands of the teller. Therefore, the story becomes their story; shared with their listeners. This doesn't negate any acknowledgement of story sources, but defines the storyteller as the giver of the tale.
Initially I said that Fear is what prevents people storytelling. What are people afraid of? I have heard many teachers say that they can tell a story to young children but not in front of colleagues or parents. Fear of criticism, judgement and ridicule by peers begins in childhood and often continues through into adulthood. We live in a world where humiliation is served up to us in the guise of entertainment. One has to be brave or desperate to volunteer any public performance, so choosing an empathetic audience is important. It is worth noting that in an educational environment the majority of parents and work colleagues are going to be supportive rather than antagonistic to your storytelling endeavours. Fear of failure is another barrier to beginning storytellers. 'What if I forget what comes next in the story, what if I trip over my tongue, what if nobody listens? All of these fears can be addressed through good preparation and compassion. Generally your listeners will be understanding and forgiving if you make a 'mistake'. I have found children as a class, to be the most forgiving and generously spirited souls. The compassion you need to develop is towards yourself. If you find this difficult then imagine that you are a friend who is beginning storytelling. Are you going to demean or applaud her attempts as a storyteller?
Now for that paradoxical fear; the fear of being listened to.
When I first started storytelling I was in a character costume and I always told stories sitting down. There is nothing wrong with a sitting position for storytelling, if that is what is most appropriate for teller and listeners, and there's nothing wrong with adopting a storytelling persona. But I sat down because I was afraid of standing up and claiming the storyteller's space. I was in character because the storyteller was another separate identity, not really me. My fear was about being myself, and allowing others to see and hear me.
I worked with a drama consultant on how to stand up and tell, but it took quite a few years to discard my fairy costume and become Morgan, the storyteller. The fact that much of my work was in an 'entertainment' capacity prolonged the fairy persona, however, when I did move into telling stories in the arenas of education and health promotion I felt that I was beginning to understand the real power of storytelling.
Over the years people have asked me why I became a storyteller and I've responded with various answers about love of books, stories, performing, communicating with people etc. However these answers never seemed accurate or comprehensive enough. Until one day I had what is referred to as an 'aha moment'. I became a storyteller because I wanted to be heard!
Once I understood this, it was as though a veil lifted from my eyes and I was able to see into my heart. Knowing what you are doing is one thing; knowing why you are doing it gives clarity to your purpose. It is also the best antidote for Fear. So what do I want people to hear? Stories of empowerment, compassion, tolerance and the celebration of community strength and diversity. Essentially the stories I tell have Love at their core. Traditional tales tell of love withheld, the desire for love, it's absence, it's expression and ultimately it's triumph. Love can conquer Fear. For me storytelling is a gift of Love.
Photo by Roman W. Schatz
Morgan performing on Folkways Day 2009, at the International School of Augsburg
