In an age filled with TV shows, movies and video games (not saying these are bad by the way) does anyone wish the storyteller would return? You know the person who sits and tells a story from memory for the entertainment of others.
2006-07-12 14:53:55 · 18 answers · asked by chris in NC 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
In my world it's alive and well. I'm a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. We re-create life in the Middle Ages. Part of that, a big part, are the bardic arts. Storytelling, singing, and other performing arts are kept alive here.
At our events we'll spend all night telling stories and singing around the fire. It's one of the reasons I joined. I agree that the storyteller seems to be nearly extinct in the modern world. That's why we escape it to live a different life on the weekends. I strongly suggest you check out the links I provided. I think you'll be able to find a group in your area. Seek us out. You won't be disappointed.
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2006-07-12 15:10:56 · answer #1 · answered by finnegas2001 2 · 5⤊ 2⤋
The Bardic tradition does exist. It is in the backseat of your car, in a child's bedroom, in the living room during a black-out and sometimes it can be found around a campfire.
Storytelling is an opportunity waiting to happen. Turn off the radio, TV or car DVD player and reconnect with a story. It doesn't have to be a fairytale or Homeric epic. It could be something funny that happened last Thanksgiving or even a childhood memory.
Something funny always happens during Thanksgiving. One year, we forgot to bring napkins. So we passed around a communal dish towel and my grandmother used a slice of bread. We all have those moments.
Don't underestimate your childhood. My mother did until she told me that when she was a child, she would climb a cherry tree and eat the fruit right off the branches and I thought that was amazing!
2006-07-13 05:50:19 · answer #2 · answered by germaine_87313 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hear where you're coming from (and do agree), but the true bard is dead and not likely to return.
The epics of Homer, Beowulf, or Gilgamesh even part of the Hebrew Bible (at some point long ago) were all orally composed by true bards on the spot with some help from formulae, general plot-lines and depending the size of the bard's ego on that particular night (longer=bigger). The poets were trained from birth to sing, (ever see Spartacus and wonder about the "singing"?) never even nearly repeating the same song twice. To hear such a virtuoso performance as the 15 000 line homeric poems as they were composed would have been a glorious experience.
The ability to truly tell stories like this died with literacy though (I guess that's a good thing).
Those who simply recited the old stories from memory were called rhapsodes.
2006-07-12 16:25:07 · answer #3 · answered by QED 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh that would be beautiful. I can just imagine sitting round a fire with my closest friends, a good supply of guinness and a good storyteller. We miss out on so much simple stuff as we get older and the world evolves, It's very sad really.
2006-07-12 15:23:57 · answer #4 · answered by debisioux 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah! I'm glad you said that! I have often thought that would be kinda cool. I'd love to listen to stories from a bard. Sadly that art of storytelling has been lost for the most part.
2006-07-12 17:39:18 · answer #5 · answered by Quicksilver 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would, except for the fact that most "storytellers" nowadays seem to exist in cubicle-laden environments and their "stories" always seem to focus not on the epic journey of a boat coasting to a new world, but of their thwarted trip to the candy machine earlier in the day. Very sad.
2006-07-12 14:58:05 · answer #6 · answered by athena1213 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, most definitely! My family loves telling stories, and everyone loves them. I'd much rather sit and listen to a good story than watch TV or play a video game.
2006-07-12 14:57:05 · answer #7 · answered by Caritas 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that is putting out to look plenty like Christmas... or maybe that is not. the two way, why no longer start up preparing? i'm no longer asserting drag out the tree or something, yet watch some Christmas video clips, start up thinking approximately what to get human beings, hear to Christmas song, plan a gingerbread living house, drink loads of warm Chocolate, and luxuriate in the different vacations alongside the way. have faith me, time will FLY.
2016-12-10 05:48:21 · answer #8 · answered by coupe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oooo that would be lovely! Thankfully we've got a few here in Wisconsin that tour the coffee houses and art fairs. I so do like spinning while listening to songs and stories (I'm not kidding....I spin wool) its much more relaxing. It's another lost art that should come back.
2006-07-12 15:07:14 · answer #9 · answered by Mama Otter 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I too am a member of the Bard Door (get it?) and we may be endangered, but far from extinct. You will find us as independant performers, freelance circus acts, at open mic nights, jam sessions, poetry reads, folk festivals, and all periods of re-enactment fests.
Modern forms ( that many of us poo poo) are live comic shows, burlesques, and of course late night talk show hosts monologues.
Find us, befriend us, invite us to dinner, unplug the TV, sit and enjoy! Help to support us, and we won't be a dieing breed. Thank you!
2006-07-12 15:34:02 · answer #10 · answered by Don Quixote de Kaw 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋