The Legend of La Befanastory and recipe originally posted at StorytellingCookingandKids.blogspot.com
A Christmas tale from Italian Folklore retold by La
La Befana was an old woman who lived in a small village in Italy. She was known throughout the village for her wonderful baking and the cleanliness of her kitchen. She was often seen sweeping the area in front of her home. And many had heard her say that she was so busy baking and cleaning that she rarely had time to do anything else.
One winter day, while La Befana was sweeping in front of her home, three travelers stopped to ask her for a drink of water. They told La Befana that they were astrologers (they were often called the three wise men) who were following a star to the birth place of the Christ child. She kindly gave them water and then invited them to dinner.
After dinner the astrologers prepared to continue their journey and asked her if she would like to come with them to see the Christ child. La Befana shook her head saying that she could not possibly take the time needed for such a journey. She was secretly itching to get back to her cleaning and cooking. She stood at her door and watched them leave.
La Befana went back to her sweeping. But hours later she began to feel that she had made a mistake. Maybe she should have gone with the 3 astrologers to see the Christ child. La Befana decided to follow them.
She quickly grabbed a basket and filled it with baked goods of all kinds. She then put on her shawl and with her basket and broom hurried off into the night practically running to catch up with the wise men.
La Befana traveled through the night but never caught up with the wise men. It is said that she ran and ran until she and her broom were lifted up into the air!
Ever since that night, La Befana is believed to fly through the night or run over the roofs in Italy on Epiphany eve. She stops at the home of every child, leaving them treats in their stockings if they are good and a lump of coal if they are bad.
She hopes that one of the children she visits will be the christ child.
Copyright LLL, Storyteller/Storysinger
There once lived a poor family without enough food to eat or enough wood for their fire. The mother decided to go into the forest to search for pine cones.
She was planning to use the pine cones to build a fire for her family, and she was also hoping she could sell some of them to get money to buy food.
After walking for hours, the mother finally reached the forest and started gathering pine cones into her basket.
Suddenly, she heard a voice say, "Why are you stealing my pine cones?"
With that, an elf appeared beside her.
She explained her sad story to the elf.
With a crooked smile, the elf said, "Go into the next forest. The pine cones there are much better."
Hesitantly, the mother set off to the next forest, which was even farther away. When she reached it, she was very tired. She leaned against a tree and sat her basket on the ground.
No sooner had she set down her basket, and dozens of pine cones started falling to the ground. Filled with renewed energy, she gathered all the pine cones into her basket and returned home.
Tired again, once she returned home, she set down the basket for a moment on her doorstep. When she looked down at the basket of pine cones, they had all turned to silver.
The family would never be poor again.
Because of this legend, many people believe that a silver pine cone is lucky. It is customary to keep one on your dresser or hearth to make sure good fortune comes your way.
SUPER SIMPLE CRAFT:
Silver Pine Cones
you will need:
Pinecones
Silver paint or silver spray paint
Glitter (optional)
Directions
Use paint or spray paint to coat the pines cones with silver color.
You may then let them dry or while still wet sprinkle them with glitter.
That's it!
Use the pinecones as decoration around the house, or as a christmas tree decoration or give a silver pine cone and a copy of this legend as a gift.
There are many ways to tell a story.
One of my favorite ways, okay I have lots of favorite ways, but my most favorite way is by singing.
And a good place to get a singable story, other than some of the kids songs, is to check out ballads.
There are many ballads that can be used for storytelling ( check out my blog on The Twa Sisters) or as the basis for your own cante fable.
Greensleeves has a long history, beginning with its first mention in 1580 as a "new northern dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves."
The song was mentioned twice in Act Two, Scene One of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The tune for Greensleeves is used for the Christmas song "What Child is This?". (The lyrics for "What Child is This?" were written around 1865 by Englishman William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898). It is unknown who merged Dix's lyrics with the "Greensleeves" tune.)
A reading of the lyrics [of Greensleeves] shows that it is not a sweet, innocuous love song, but a plea from a 16th century gentleman to his bored mistress. There are countless versions of the lyrics, including fourteen Cavalier songs and John Gay wrote lyrics to the tune for The Beggar's Opera. The verses to Greensleeves seem endless..
Greensleeves: a more modern version
Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.
Chorus:
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady greensleeves.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart
But my heart remains in captivity.
chorus
I have been ready at your hand,
To grant whatever you would crave,
I have both wagered life and land,
Your love and good-will for to have.
chorus
If you intend thus to disdain,
It does the more enrapture me,
And even so, I still remain
A lover in captivity.
chorus
My men were clothed all in green,
And they did ever wait on thee;
All this was gallant to be seen,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
chorus
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
but still thou hadst it readily.
Thy music still to play and sing;
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
chorus
Well, I will pray to God on high,
that thou my constancy mayst see,
And that yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
chorus
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
To God I pray to prosper thee,
For I am still thy lover true,
Come once again and love me.
chorus
THANKSGIVING NIGHT
T'was the night of Thanksgiving
But I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards.
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed in the fridge, full of goodies galore,
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Until all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soured past the trees,
"Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs."
Anonymous.
I ATE TOO MUCH
"I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.
I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.
I'm full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more."
JackPrelustsky.com
Skillet cranberries
(serves 4 to 6)
"Colonial cooks made this delight in a skillet with legs (about eight inches tall). It was cooked directly over hot coals. The electric (or gas) stove isn't nearly so romantic as an 18th century working fireplace, but much more efficient."
Ingredients
1 pound fresh cranberries
2 cups brown or white sugar
21/4 cup rum
Directions
Dump the fresh cranberies in to your indispensable black iron skillet (or oven proof dish).
Sprinkle the cranberries with sugar, cover the skillet, and place in a 250 degree oven.
After one hour remove the lid (use foil if you don't have a lid) and pour in the rum.
Continue cooking until the rum evaporates.
And please do not stir unless you have to absolutely have to. Stirring breaks up the cranberries, serves 4 to 6.
Submitted by Sonja Welch, aka The Community Chef, publishes her recipes in the The Community Bank quarterly newsletter "KITE TALES".
A picture once was shown,
In which one man, alone,
Upon the ground had thrown
A lion fully grown.
Much gloried at the sight the rabble.
A lion thus rebuked their babble:—
That you have got the victory there,
There is no contradiction.
But, gentles, possibly you are
The dupes of easy fiction:
Had we the art of making pictures,
Perhaps our champion had beat yours!"
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
African Proverb
I came across this story on a storytelling listserv.
The story was posted by Wayfayer Tomm.
I think this story has a message for all of us.
The Forever Trap
Sometimes are like other times and other times are like no time at all.
One morning that was like no other morning except maybe this morning.
Owl was returning from a long night, of exploring and studying and thinking and other types of work, that owls do in the quiet of the night.
As Owl was returning home he saw a Hunter sneaking through the low morning mist and the tall grass at the base of the big banyan tree.
Owl watched as the Hunter tied a shinny glass bottle.
To the root that stuck out from the base of the big banyan tree.
And Owl thought that that was more than just a little strange.
I mean, what the heck, the shinny glass bottle wasn't going to run away or
anything.
As soon as the Hunter finished tying up the shinny glass bottle he reached his hand into his pocket and he took some things out.
He put them into the bottle then the Hunter crept carefully and quietly off into the low mist and tall grass.
After the Hunter had left everything became really quiet.
Nothing happened for a long time while Owl's eyes closed and he took a well-earned nap.
Owl was almost dreaming when suddenly he heard a clittering and a clattering, a chittering and a chattering from the base of the big banyan tree.
"Oh me, oh my, oh me, oh my, oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I'm trapped, this bottle has me trapped and I'll be trapped forever!"
"Eeeeee! I'll never get loose, I'll never get loose! I want to get loose and I want to get loose right now!!
"Oh me oh my", on and on went the chittering and the chattering, on and on when the clittering and the clattering as owl looked down to the base of the big banyan tree.
He saw Monkey just a pulling and a tugging and a jumping up and a jumping down, a running back and a running forth with his hand stuck inside the shinny glass bottle that was tied to the root that stuck out from the bottom of the big banyan tree.
Owl quickly flew down to get a closer look at the situation and as he looked through the clear sides of the shiny glass bottle, he could see right away what was causing Monkey to have his hand stuck in the shiny glass bottle.
Inside the bottle were many nuts which were Monkey's favorite food.
Monkey had his hands wrapped around three or four of the nuts which was why Monkey could not pull his hand back through the small opening at the top of the shiny glass bottle.
"You have your hand filled with nuts," said Owl to Monkey.
And Monkey said back " I found them, I found them, they're my nuts, they're my nuts and I want to eat them right now!"
"You have your hand stuck in the bottle," said Owl, again, to Monkey.
Monkey said back, " Oh me, oh my, oh me, oh my, oh my goodness this bottle has me trapped! I'm trapped and I'll be trapped forever!"
"EeeK I want to get loose and I'll never get loose I want to get loose and I want to get loose right now!
"Well, let loose of the nuts and you can take your hand out of the bottle." said Owl to Monkey.
And Monkey said back "They're my nuts, they're my nuts! I found them, they're mine and I want them right now!"
Owl told Monkey " If you drop the nuts they will still be in the shiny glass bottle
and you will be able to get your hand out of the bottle and you can decide what to do next while the nuts are still safe in the bottle which you will still be
holding."
Monkey looked around to be sure there was no one else near him and Monkey open his hand and he dropped the nuts and slowly withdrew his hand from the bottle.
When his hand was out of the bottle Monkey started to jump up and down
Shouting joyfully, "I'm free! I'm free! Thank you Owl! Oh thank you Owl! I
don't know how to thank you enough."
And with those words Monkey went running up the big banyan tree until he got
to the end of the rope. Which was tied to the shiny glass bottle, which was tied to the root that stuck out of the base of the big banyan tree.
Well, the rope snapped tight and it pulled Monkey off of balance and he fell to the ground with a big thump and a bounce and a little bump.
And monkey started yelling at Owl. "You tricked me, you tricked me! They're my nuts, they're my nuts, I want them and I want them right now!"
Owl waited until Monkey calmed down and then told him, "If you turn the
bottle upside down, all those nuts will fall out and you will be able to eat them."
So Monkey slowly turned the shiny glass bottle upside down.
Out of that bottle flowed more nuts than any one monkey could eat at any one sitting.
Monkey was so happy that he started to jump up and down shouting joyfully, "My nuts, my nuts! Oh thank you Owl, thank you! I don't know how to thank you enough!
"Well", said Owl "Those nuts look awfully good. There are more than you can eat. Maybe you will share a few of those nuts with me."
Monkey shouted "They're my nuts, they're my nuts! I found them, they're mine and I want them and I want all of them!"
And he tried to pick up all the nuts at one time and to run off with them but there were more nuts then any one monkey could carry.
The more nuts that Monkey tried to pick up the more nuts that he dropped until out of complete frustration Monkey stopped and asked "What am I going to do? What am I going to do? Oh Owl, what am I going to do?"
Well Owl cocked his head to one side and he looked at Monkey.
Then Owl cocked his head to the other side and he looked at Monkey some more.
Then Owl said " Monkey if you put all the nuts back in the bottle there will
not be any left on the ground."
Monkey grabbed at the nuts and quickly put them all back in the bottle
Then Owl said "Those nuts look good enough to eat."
Monkey said "And I want to eat them right now!"
Monkey reached his hand into the bottle and rapped his greedy little fingers around three or four nuts, when he found that he couldn't pull his hand out of the bottle.
He said "Oh me, Oh my, oh me, oh my, oh my goodness, oh my goodness I'm
trapped! This bottle has me trapped and I'll be trapped forever! I'll never get loose, I want to get loose and I want to get loose right now!"
Owl just looked at Monkey and Owl said "Monkey, that bottle is not what will
keep you trapped forever."
Then Owl unfolded his wings and flew off to his home where he got good days
sleep.
A wonderful message for all of us!!
(blog music can be turned off at the bottom of the page)
A Classic and too too funny!!
(go to bottom of blog to cut off music)
The Origin of the Rainbow
A Native American Legend - Nation Unknown
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.
GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees, leaves - without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."
BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."
YELLOW chuckled: "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."
ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet: "I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and pawpaws. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."
RED could stand it no longer. He shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you - I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."
PURPLE rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me - they listen and obey."
Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."
And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening - thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."
And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.
Story found at Story-Lovers.com
•••••
Rainbow at the beginning of the blog found at MissouriSkies.org
Just the thing to get you in that Halloween mood!!!
SCENE I. A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron
Thunder. Enter the three Witches
First Witch
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
Second Witch
Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.
Third Witch
Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time.
First Witch
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Second Witch
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Third Witch
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Second Witch
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
Enter HECATE to the other three Witches
HECATE
O well done! I commend your pains;
And every one shall share i' the gains;
And now about the cauldron sing,
Live elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.
Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' & c
HECATE retires
Second Witch
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!
Enter MACBETH
MACBETH
How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!
What is't you do?
ALL
A deed without a name.
MACBETH
I conjure you, by that which you profess,
Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:
Though you untie the winds and let them fight
Against the churches; though the yesty waves
Confound and swallow navigation up;
Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down;
Though castles topple on their warders' heads;
Though palaces and pyramids do slope
Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
Of nature's germens tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken; answer me
To what I ask you.
First Witch
Speak.
Second Witch
Demand.
Third Witch
We'll answer.
First Witch
Say, if thou'dst rather hear it from our mouths,
Or from our masters?
MACBETH
Call 'em; let me see 'em.
First Witch
Pour in sow's blood, that hath eaten
Her nine farrow; grease that's sweaten
From the murderer's gibbet throw
Into the flame.
ALL
Come, high or low;
Thyself and office deftly show!
Thunder. First Apparition: an armed Head
MACBETH
Tell me, thou unknown power,--
First Witch
He knows thy thought:
Hear his speech, but say thou nought.
First Apparition
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff;
Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.
Descends
MACBETH
Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks;
Thou hast harp'd my fear aright: but one
word more,--
First Witch
He will not be commanded: here's another,
More potent than the first.
Thunder. Second Apparition: A bloody Child
Second Apparition
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
MACBETH
Had I three ears, I'ld hear thee.
Second Apparition
Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.
Descends
MACBETH
Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?
But yet I'll make assurance double sure,
And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live;
That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
And sleep in spite of thunder.
Thunder. Third Apparition: a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand
What is this
That rises like the issue of a king,
And wears upon his baby-brow the round
And top of sovereignty?
ALL
Listen, but speak not to't.
Third Apparition
Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.
Descends
MACBETH
That will never be
Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! good!
Rebellion's head, rise never till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth
Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
Can tell so much: shall Banquo's issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?
ALL
Seek to know no more.
MACBETH
I will be satisfied: deny me this,
And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know.
Why sinks that cauldron? and what noise is this?
Hautboys
First Witch
Show!
Second Witch
Show!
Third Witch
Show!
ALL
Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
Come like shadows, so depart!
A show of Eight Kings, the last with a glass in his hand; GHOST OF BANQUO following
MACBETH
Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: down!
Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls. And thy hair,
Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first.
A third is like the former. Filthy hags!
Why do you show me this? A fourth! Start, eyes!
What, will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?
Another yet! A seventh! I'll see no more:
And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass
Which shows me many more; and some I see
That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry:
Horrible sight! Now, I see, 'tis true;
For the blood-bolter'd Banquo smiles upon me,
And points at them for his.
Apparitions vanish
What, is this so?
First Witch
Ay, sir, all this is so: but why
Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?
Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites,
And show the best of our delights:
I'll charm the air to give a sound,
While you perform your antic round:
That this great king may kindly say,
Our duties did his welcome pay.
Music. The witches dance and then vanish, with HECATE
Night on Bald Mountain from Disney's Fantasia
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor from Disney's Fantasia (1940)
I tell a similar tale titled "Better Wait Til Martin Comes".
The kids and adults love it!!
This story is from a 1970's record album called "Scary Spooky Stories".
Happy Halloween!
Yes, yes...this is related to storytelling.
I keep telling you that EVERYTHING is related to storytelling...or STORYTELLING is related to everything.
(Listen to your storyteller!)
Stories can help people learn, absorb, remember and share information and ideas. Stories motivate, persuade, inform and inspire. Compelling stories have far-reaching emotional impact. And stories can demonstrate what success looks and feels like, painting a clear picture of how we might need to change the way we think and do things.This vid is from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design)an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration.
from The-Storytellers.com
I figured they had said it so well there was no need for me to change it.
"A song ain’t nothin’ in the world but a story just wrote with music to it." —Hank Williams, Sr.
One of my favorite Hank Williams,Sr. songs (Cold Cold Heart) sung by a wonderful singer.
My other favorite Hank,Sr. song...Long Gone Lonesome Blues. Lovin' it!!!
to truly appreciate this joke!
A professional storyteller comes home to a burned down house.
His sobbing and slightly-singed wife is standing outside.
"What happened, honey?" the man asks.
"Oh, John, it was terrible," she weeps. "I was cooking, the phone rang.
It was a booking agent wanting to hire you for an event.
Because I was on the phone, I didn't notice the stove was on fire.
It went up in second. Everything is gone.
I nearly didn't make it out of the house. Poor Fluffy is..."
"Wait! Back up a minute," The man says.
"A booking agent wants to hire me?"
I have tried to leave this story as I found it in Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm published in 1886. Only a very few changes have been made in language or description.
There was once a soldier who for many years had served the king faithfully. But when the war came to an end, it was decided that he could serve no longer because of the many wounds which he had received.
The king said to him, "You may return to your home, I need you no longer, and you will not receive any more money, for he only receives wages who renders me service for them."
Then the soldier, who knew no other way to earn a living, went away greatly troubled, and walked the whole day, until in the evening he entered a forest.
When darkness came on, he saw a light, which he went up to, and came to a house wherein lived a witch.
"Do give me one night's lodging, and a little to eat and drink," said he to her, "or I shall starve."
"Oho!'" she answered, "who gives anything to a cast-away soldier? Yet I will be compassionate, and take you in, if you will do what I wish."
"What do you wish?" said the soldier.
"That you should dig all round my garden for me, tomorrow."
The soldier consented, and next day labored with all his strength, but could not finish it by the evening.
"I see well enough," said the witch, "that you can do no more today, but I will keep you yet another night, in payment for which you must tomorrow chop me a load of wood, and chop it small."
The soldier spent the whole day in doing it, and in the evening the witch proposed that he should stay one night more.
"Tomorrow, you shall only do me a very trifling piece of work. Behind my house, there is an old dry well, into which my light has fallen, it burns blue, and never goes out, and you shall bring it up again."
Next day the old woman took him to the well, and let him down in a basket.
He found the blue light, and made her a signal to draw him up again.
She did draw him up, but when he came near the edge, she stretched down her hand and wanted to take the blue light away from him.
"No," said he, perceiving her evil intention, "I will not give you the light until I am standing with both feet upon the ground."
The witch fell into a passion, let him fall again into the well, and went away.
The poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground, and the blue light went on burning, but of what use was that to him?
He saw very well that he could not escape death.
He sat for a while very sorrowfully, then suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco pipe, which was still half full.
"This shall be my last pleasure," thought he, pulled it out, lit it at the blue light and began to smoke. When the smoke had circled about the cavern, suddenly a little man stood before him, and said,"Lord, what are your commands?"
"What are my commands?" replied the soldier, quite astonished.
"I must do everything you bid me," said the little man.
"Good," said the soldier, "then in the first place help me out of this well."
The little man took him by the hand, and led him through an underground passage, but he did not forget to take the blue light with him. On the way the little man showed him the treasures which the witch had collected and hidden there, and the soldier took as much gold as he could carry.
When he was above, he said to the little man, "Now go and bind the old witch, and carry her before the judge."
In a short time she came by like the wind, riding on a wild tom-cat and screaming frightfully.
Nor was it long before the little man reappeared.
"It is all done," said he, "and the witch is already hanging on the gallows."
"What further commands has my lord?" inquired the little man.
"At this moment, none," answered the soldier, "You can return home, only be at hand immediately, if I summon you."
"Nothing more is needed than that you should light your pipe at the blue light, and I will appear before you at once."
Thereupon the little man vanished from the soldier's sight.
The soldier returned to the town from which he had come.
He went to the best inn, ordered himself handsome clothes, and then bade the landlord furnish him a room as handsome as possible.
When it was ready and the soldier had taken possession of it, he summoned the little man and said, "I have served the king faithfully, but he has dismissed me, and left me to hunger, and now I want to take my revenge."
"What am I to do?" asked the little man.
"Late at night, when the king's daughter is in bed, bring her here in her sleep, she shall do servant's work for me."
The little man said, "That is an easy thing for me to do, but a very dangerous thing for you, for if it is discovered, you will fare ill."
But the soldier would not be dissuaded and so the little man left.
When twelve o'clock had struck, the door sprang open, and the man carried in the princess.
"Aha! Are you there?" cried the soldier, "get to your work at once! Fetch the broom and sweep the chamber."
When she had done this, he ordered her to come to his chair, and then he stretched out his feet and said, "Pull off my boots."
He then made her pick them up and clean and brighten them.
She did everything he bade her, without opposition, silently and with half-shut eyes.
When the first cock crowed, the little man carried her back to the royal palace, and laid her in her bed.
Next morning when the princess arose she went to her father, and told him that she had had a very strange dream.
"I was carried through the streets with the rapidity of lightning," said she, "and taken into a soldier's room, and I had to wait upon him like a servant, sweep his room, clean his boots, and do all kinds of menial work. It was only a dream, and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything."
"The dream may have been true," said the king. "I will give you a piece of advice. Fill your pocket full of peas, and make a small hole in the pocket, and then if you are carried away again, they will fall out and leave a track in the streets."
Unseen by the king, the soldier's little man servant was standing beside him when he said that, and heard all. At night when the sleeping princess was again carried through the streets, some peas certainly did fall out of her pocket, but they made no track, for the crafty little man had just before scattered peas in every street there was. And again the princess was compelled to do servant's work until cock-crow.
Next morning the king sent his people out to seek the track, but it was all in vain, for in every street poor children were sitting, picking up peas, and saying, "It must have rained peas, last night."
"We must think of something else," said the king. "Keep your shoes on when you go to bed, and before you come back from the place where you are taken, hide one of them there, I will soon contrive to find it."
The little man heard this plot, and at night when the soldier again ordered him to bring the princess, revealed it to him, and told him that he knew of no expedient to counteract this stratagem, and that if the shoe were found in the soldier's house it would go badly with him.
"Do what I bid you." replied the soldier, and again this third night the princess was obliged to work like a servant, but before she went away, she hid her shoe under the bed.
Next morning the king had the entire town searched for his daughter's shoe. It was found at the soldier's, and the soldier himself, who at the entreaty of the little man had gone outside the gate, was soon brought back, and thrown into prison.
In his flight he had forgotten the most valuable things he had, the blue light and the gold, and had only one ducat in his pocket. And now loaded with chains, he was standing at the window of his dungeon, when he chanced to see one of his comrades passing by.
The soldier tapped at the pane of glass, and when this man came up, said to him, "Be so kind as to fetch me the small bundle I have left lying in the inn, and I will give you a ducat for doing it."
His comrade ran thither and brought him what he wanted.
As soon as the soldier was alone again, he lighted his pipe and summoned the little man.
"Have no fear," said the latter to his master.
"Go wheresoever they take you, and let them do what they will, only take the blue light with you."
Next day the soldier was tried, and though he had done nothing wicked, the judge condemned him to death.
When he was led forth to die, he begged a last favor of the king.
"What is it?" asked the king.
"That I may smoke one more pipe on my way."
"You may smoke three," answered the king, "but do not imagine that I will spare your life."
Then the soldier pulled out his pipe and lighted it at the blue light, and as soon as a few wreaths of smoke had ascended, the little man was there with a small cudgel in his hand, and said, "What does my lord command?"
"Strike down to earth that false judge there, and his constable, and spare not the king who has treated me so ill."
Then the little man fell on them like lightning, darting this way and that way, and whosoever was so much as touched by his cudgel fell to earth, and did not venture to stir again.
The king was terrified. He threw himself on the soldier's mercy, and merely to be allowed to live at all, gave him his kingdom for his own, and his daughter to wife.
Yes, that is the end of the story.
Part of me wants to add something more to it and a part of me thinks……well, what more is there to say???
What do you think??
Problem:
One Cookie.
Two Kids.
Solution:
One child divides the cookie in half.
The other child gets first choice of halves.
American Folk Advice from Peace Tales
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Yeah...really...it is!
So I decided to put up a fun story about a little girl looking for the perfect birthday gift.
Pssst! Here's my other Happy Birthday to Me!! Blog
Nikini was a little girl. She lived with her mother and father, in a house near the woods. She was very friendly with the animals in the woods. One evening, Nikini’s father came home with a big gift box.
“What’s that, Thatha?” Nikini asked her father.
“It’s your mother’s birthday tomorrow,” her father said.
“Oh!” Nikini was very upset.
“How could I forget my Amma’s birthday? She would never forget mine. So I should give her a wonderful gift,” Nikini thought.
“But what shall I give her?” She went into her bedroom and thought. She loved her mother so much that she couldn’t think of anything good enough for a gift for her. She thought and thought until nightfall, but she couldn’t think of anything.
Then a firefly, seeing Nikini by the window, flew to her. “Nikini, what are you doing in the dark?” the firefly asked. “Firefly, it’s my Amma’s birthday tomorrow. She loves me very much. She makes me very happy on my birthdays. So I want to make her happy on her birthday. I want to give her the ‘greatest’ gift of all. But I can’t think of anything as great as my Amma,” said Nikini, sadly.
“I think you should give her the ‘biggest’ gift. Something like the sky, or the ocean,” said the firefly.
Nikini thought for a moment. “Dear firefly, the biggest thing in the world is my Amma’s love. So, I would like to find a gift as big as her love. But how can I find it?” said Nikini.
“You are a very good daughter who tries to give the biggest gift to her mother. So, I will help you. Let’s go out and find it,” the firefly said.
Nikini went out in the dark with the firefly. The firefly showed her the way. They went to the woods. They searched and searched, but they couldn’t find anything as big as her mother’s love.
On the way, a mynah bird who was about to go to sleep, saw Nikini. “Nikini, where are you going in the dark?” the mynah bird asked. “Mynah bird, it’s my Amma’s birthday tomorrow. She loves me very much. She cooks and cleans and works hard with no rest. Her love is the biggest thing in the world for me. So, I should give her the ‘biggest’ gift. But I still couldn’t find anything as big as my Amma’s love,” Nikini said sadly.
“No, I think you should give her the ‘most beautiful’ gift, something like beautiful flowers, beautiful pearls,” the bluebird said. Nikini thought for a moment.
“Dear mynah bird, the most beautiful thing in the world is my Amma. So, I would like to find a flower or a pearl as beautiful as my Amma. But where can I find it?” asked Nikini. “You are a very good daughter. So I will help you,” said the mynah bird and away they went. They went on and on but couldn’t find anything as beautiful as her mother.
They went on until Nikini stumbled upon a rabbit who was fast asleep. “Oh, Nikini, where are you going in the dark?” asked the rabbit, rubbing his eyes.
“Rabbit, it’s my Amma’s birthday tomorrow. She loves me very much. She feeds me, cuddles me and holds me close until I fall asleep. She is the most beautiful thing in the world. So I should give her the ‘most beautiful’ gift. But I still couldn’t find anything as beautiful as my Amma,” said Nikini sadly.
“No, I think you should give her the ‘most precious’ gift in the world, something as precious as the moon and the stars,” said the rabbit.
Nikini thought for a moment. “Dear rabbit, the most precious thing in the world is my Amma. Even if I hang the moon on a necklace, even if I make stars into earrings, they are not as precious as she is. I want to find something as precious as my Amma. But how can I find it?” asked Nikini sadly.
“You are a very good daughter. I will help you find it.” The rabbit went along with the firefly, the mynah bird and Nikini. They went on and on, but they couldn’t find anything as precious as her mother.
On their way, she got entangled in a huge cobweb. Then the spider, who was having a sweet dream in the middle of the night, got up. “Oh, Nikini, where are you going in the dark?” the spider asked.
“Spider, it’s my Amma’s birthday tomorrow. She loves me very much. When I am sick she cries and looks after me without sleep until I get well. She is the most precious thing in the world for me. So I should give her the ‘most precious’ gift. But I can’t find anything as precious as my Amma,” Nikini said sadly.
“No, I think you should give her the gift that would make her ‘the happiest’,” said the spider.
.
“Oh, what would make her happiest?” Nikini thought and thought.
“Something like a delicious cake, a lovely birthday card, a nice pair of shoes, a colorful dress…?” Nikini thought for a while.
“Oh, a beautiful sari!! I think she would like a beautiful sari most. I want to give her the most beautiful sari in the world. I want to find the most beautiful sari for her. And I want to give it to her as she wakes up in the morning and say, “Happy birthday!” But how can I find it? There’s only a little time left, until morning,” Nikini said, impatiently.
“Nikini, you are a great daughter who thinks so much about her mother. Some children don’t even care about their mother’s birthday. They remember about their own birthdays and gifts only. So I will weave a very beautiful sari for you,” said the spider and she started weaving a beautiful sari.
Nikini was very tired after walking all over the woods and not sleeping the whole night. But she was so happy that she didn’t feel sleepy at all. She helped the spider weave the most beautiful sari for her mother.
The firefly flew far away and brought back beautiful flowers to decorate it. The rabbit ran around the woods and brought beautiful colors from flowers, to paint the sari with. The mynah bird shook the branches of trees and they shed dewdrops on it.
Finally, they had made the most beautiful sari in the world. The flowers looked lovely on it, the colors were the prettiest shades, and the dewdrops glittered like gems and pearls.
“This is very beautiful…the most beautiful sari I have ever seen. Amma would surely love this,” Nikini yelled with excitement. They were all happy.
“Let’s go…let’s give this to Amma and wish her a happy birthday,” said Nikini. She hurried towards home with her friends.
As they got halfway, a strong wind blew across the woods and it started to rain heavily. They tried their best to protect the sari from the rain and the wind. But they failed. The sari was torn into pieces.
“Oh, noooooooo!” Nikini screamed. She was so sad that she cried and cried, while getting soaked in the rain.
The dawn arrived, and the sun rose. She heard a voice calling out. “Nikini…Nikini!” someone was shouting.
It was Nikini’s mother, who was searching for her missing daughter. Just then, she saw Nikini crying under a tree. She came running to Nikini.
“Oh, my darling, where have you been? Why are you crying?” she asked.
“Amma, I went searching for a birthday gift for you. I searched for the greatest gift for you, but I couldn’t find it. I searched for the biggest gift for you, but I couldn’t find it. I searched for the most beautiful gift for you, but I couldn’t find it. I searched for the most precious gift for you, but I couldn’t find it. So finally, my friends made me a gift which you would like most. It was a very beautiful sari. But it got caught by the wind and was torn into pieces. I’m so sad that I couldn’t give it to you and make you happy,” Nikini said, still sobbing.
“My darling, do you know what is the most beautiful, most precious and the greatest thing to me? That is my little daughter. What I like most is her love. The love I felt from you today is the greatest, biggest, most precious and the most beautiful gift I’ve ever had in my life,” said her mother and she hugged her.
Nikini was very happy and so were her friends.
All of them went home with her, to celebrate the birthday.
A wonderful storytelling series!
I truly wish that they had made more of them.
I have always appreciated the way that Jim Henson combined the use of puppets and people so effectively.
And it's always good to see some one telling the classic tales.
Fearnot is the story of a boy that goes out to find out what fear is.
This story is especially enjoyable at this time of year!
Enjoy!
Fearnot Part 1
Fearnot Part 2
Fearnot Part 3
A grandson came home from school one day and told his grandfather how angry he was at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice.
His grandfather said, "Let me tell you a story."
"I, too, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.
But, hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy.
It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die.
I have struggled with these feelings many times.
It is as if there are two wolves inside me: one is good and does no harm.
He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended.
He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf is full of anger.
The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper.
He fights with everyone, all the time, for no reason.
He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great.
It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of then try to dominate my spirit."
The People in the Next Town
An old farmer was hoeing in his field, when a traveller came along.
The traveller asked the farmer, "What sort of people live in the next town?"
To this the farmer replied with a question, "What sort of people live where you've come from?"
"Bad. Lazy, good-for-nothing louts. Selfish and untrustwothy - every single one of them. I'm glad I left them and moved away."
"Hmm," replied the old farmer. "I'm afraid you'll find people in the next town to be of the same sort."
This disappointed the traveller, who went on his way.
After some time another traveller called out to the farmer, asking, "What sort of people live in the next town?"
"What sort of people live where you've come from?" asked the farmer.
"The best. Hard working, honest, and friendly. I'm really sad I had to leave them."
"Don't worry," said the farmer. "You'll find the same sort in the next town."
A North American Tale
Four Candles burned slowly.
Their Ambiance was so soft you could hear them speak ....
The first candle said, "I Am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep me lit."
Then Peace's flame slowly diminished and went out completely.
The second candle said, "I Am Faith, but these days, I am no longer indispensable."
Then Faith's flame slowly diminished and went out completely.
Sadly the third candle spoke, "I Am Love and I haven't the strength to stay lit any longer."
"People put me aside and don't understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them."
And waiting no longer, Love went out completely.
Suddenly...
A child entered the room and saw the three candles no longer burning.
The child began to cry, "Why are you not burning? You're supposed to stay lit until the end."
Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the child, "Don't be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles."
With Shining eyes the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other three candles.
Never let the Flame of Hope go out of your life.
With Hope, no matter how bad things look and are...Peace, Faith and Love can Shine Brightly in our lives.
Author Unknown
I happened to find this wonderful vid (on Youtube of course) and I couldn't wait to share it.
The animators tell the story of Coyote Steals Fire without using words.
I think it's very well done.
I have added a written version of the story after the vid.
You'll notice that the written version is different than video. It has more animal characters.
How Coyote Stole Fire (Karuk)
Long ago, when man was newly come into the world, there were days when he was the happiest creature of all. Those were the days when spring brushed across the willow tails, or when his children ripened with the blueberries in the sun of summer, or when the goldenrod bloomed in the autumn haze.
But always the mists of autumn evenings grew more chill, and the sun's strokes grew shorter. Then man saw winter moving near, and he became fearful and unhappy. He was afraid for his children, and for the grandfathers and grandmothers who carried in their heads the sacred tales of the tribe. Many of these, young and old, would die in the long, ice-bitter months of winter.
Coyote, like the rest of the People, had no need for fire. So he seldom concerned himself with it, until one spring day when he was passing a human village. There the women were singing a song of mourning for the babies and the old ones who had died in the winter. Their voices moaned like the west wind through a buffalo skull, prickling the hairs on Coyote's neck.
"Feel how the sun is now warm on our backs," one of the men was saying. "Feel how it warms the earth and makes these stones hot to the touch. If only we could have had a small piece of the sun in our teepees during the winter."
Coyote, overhearing this, felt sorry for the men and women. He also felt that there was something he could do to help them. He knew of a faraway mountain-top where the three Fire Beings lived. These Beings kept fire to themselves, guarding it carefully for fear that man might somehow acquire it and become as strong as they.
Coyote saw that he could do a good turn for man at the expense of these selfish Fire Beings. So Coyote went to the mountain of the Fire Beings and crept to its top. He watched the way that the Beings guarded their fire. As he approached, the Beings leaped to their feet and gazed searchingly round their camp. Their eyes glinted like bloodstones, and their hands were clawed like the talons of the great black vulture.
"What's that? What's that I hear?" hissed one of the Beings.
"A thief, skulking in the bushes!" screeched another.
The third looked more closely, and saw Coyote.
But he had gone to the mountain-top on all fours, so the Being thought she saw only an ordinary coyote slinking among the trees.
"It is no one, it is nothing!" she cried, and the other two looked where she pointed and also saw only a grey coyote. They sat down again by their fire and paid Coyote no more attention.
So he watched all day and night as the Fire Beings guarded their fire. He saw how they fed it pine cones and dry branches from the sycamore trees. He saw how they stamped furiously on runaway rivulets of flame that sometimes nibbled outwards on edges of dry grass. He saw also how, at night, the Beings took turns to sit by the fire. Two would sleep while one was on guard; and at certain times the Being by the fire would get up and go into their teepee, and another would come out to sit by the fire.
Coyote saw that the Beings were always jealously watchful of their fire except during one part of the day. That was in the earliest morning, when the first winds of dawn arose on the mountains. Then the Being by the fire would hurry, shivering, into the teepee calling, "Sister, sister, go out and watch the fire." But the next Being would always be slow to go out for her turn, her head spinning with sleep and the thin dreams of dawn.
Coyote, seeing all this, went down the mountain and spoke to his friends among the People. He told them of hairless man, fearing the cold and death of winter. And he told them of the Fire Beings, and the warmth and brightness of the flame. They all agreed that man should have fire, and they all promised to help Coyote's undertaking.
Then Coyote sped again to the mountain top. Again the Fire Beings leaped up when he came close, and one cried out, "What's that? A thief, a thief!"
But again the others looked closely, and saw only a grey coyote hunting among the bushes. So they sat down again and paid him no more attention.
Coyote waited through the day, and watched as night fell and two of the Beings went off to the teepee to sleep. He watched as they changed over at certain times all the night long, until at last the dawn winds rose.
Then the Being on guard called, "Sister, sister, get up and watch the fire."
And the Being whose turn it was climbed slow and sleepy from her bed, saying, "Yes, yes, I am coming. Do not shout so."
But before she could come out of the teepee, Coyote lunged from the bushes, snatched up a glowing portion of fire, and sprang away down the mountainside.
Screaming, the Fire Beings flew after him. Swift as Coyote ran, they caught up with him, and one of them reached out a clutching hand. Her fingers touched only the tip of the tail, but the touch was enough to turn the hairs white, and coyote tail tips are white still. Coyote shouted, and flung the fire away from him. But the others of the People had gathered at the mountain's foot.
Squirrel saw the fire falling, and caught it, putting it on her back and fleeing away through the treetops. The fire scorched her back so painfully that her tail curled up and back, as squirrels' tails still do today.
The Fire Beings then pursued Squirrel, who threw the fire to Chipmunk. Chattering with fear, Chipmunk stood still as if rooted until the Beings were almost upon her. Then, as she turned to run, one Being clawed at her, tearing down the length of her back and leaving three stripes that are to be seen on chipmunks' backs even today.
Chipmunk threw the fire to Frog, and the Beings turned towards him. One of the Beings grasped his tail, but Frog gave a mighty leap and tore himself free, leaving his tail behind in the Being's hand, which is why frogs have had no tails ever since.
As the Beings came after him again, Frog flung the fire on to Wood. And Wood swallowed it.
The Fire Beings gathered round, but they did not know how to get the fire out of Wood. They promised it gifts, sang to it and shouted at it. They twisted it and struck it and tore it with their knives. But Wood did not give up the fire. In the end, defeated, the Beings went back to their mountaintop and left the People alone.
But Coyote knew how to get fire out of Wood. And he went to the village of men and showed them how. He showed them the trick of rubbing two dry sticks together, and the trick of spinning a sharpened stick in a hole made in another piece of wood.
So man was from then on warm and safe through the killing cold of winter.
story found online at Native American Trickster Tales
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