Celebrating the Country of Scotland

Thomas the Rhymer and 
the Fairy Queen by
Meredith Morris Williams, 1910

"The winter gathered us into one room as it gathered the cattle into the stable and the byre; the sky came closer; the lamps were lit at three or four in the afternoon, and then the great evening lay  before us like a world: an evening filled with talk, stories, games, music and lamplight."
                                                       - Edwin Muir

This is the sixth in my series, highlighting the rich diversity of folktales, fairy tales, legends, and myths from around the world. My hope is that this will make it easier for you to find new and unique tales to add to your repertoire, and in the process, we will learn more about our global neighbors. I encourage you to conduct further research on the specific region and/or culture behind the stories. I also offer some book suggestions, crafts resources, and articles for additional reading on the magical country of Scotland.

At the end of this blog, you will find links to my previous journeys to the continent of Africa, and the countries of Germany, India, Russia, and Turkey. While we may not be able to travel safely just yet we can still explore the world with our imaginations! 

STORY COLLECTIONS

Clan Traditions and Popular Folktales of the Western Highlands and Islands, 1895 - You will find stories about faeries, folktales, beast fables, and more between these virtual pages.
https://archive.org/details/clantraditionspo00campuoft/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater

Folklore and Legends – England and Scotland by Charles J. Tibbets, 1894. This volume is a mixture of English and Scottish folklore.
http://tinyurl.com/yhjapjv

The Folktales of the Orkney Islands – This amazing site offers tales of the trows, sea tales, ghosts, restless spirits, traditions, and history of these beautiful islands.
http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/index.html

Mysterious Britain - I know the title reads ‘Britain” but there are stories from Scotland as well, so I decided to include it. Banshees, Black Dogs and Bessie Dunlop are but a few of the folktales and legends from England, Wales, and Scotland. Visit with faeries, selkies, dragons and giants but beware, don’t stay tarry too long in one of the haunted castles.
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/

The Scottish Fairy Book by Elizabeth W. Grierson, 1910 - “It may interest some of these children to know that when James IV was a little boy, nearly four hundred years ago, he used to sit on his tutor, Sir David Lindsay's, knee, and listen to some of the same stories that are written here:—to the story of Thomas the Rhymer, of the Red-Etin, and of The Black Bull of Norroway.”
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37532/37532-h/37532-h.htm

Scottish Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Legends by Geoffrey Strahan, 1902 - Stop by and visit with the Minister and the Fairy, The Fisherman and the Merman, or perhaps the The Mermaid Wife, or anyone of the thirty-three tales that await you.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433086946641&view=1up&seq=2

Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales - “Art is not only a thing of bound volumes and of exhibitions; and the Scottish peasant has shown perhaps as keen a sense of it--of the story-teller's art…” Words shared by Sir George Douglas in the introduction to this lovely collection of Scottish fairy and folk tales. Printed in 1901 the work is now in the public domain.  
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/sfft/index.htm

Scottish Folktales and Legends - Forty-six stories from Scotland and the Orkney Islands.
http://oaks.nvg.org/scottish-folktales.html

Scottish Ghost Stories by Elliot O’Donnell, 1911 - Come and meet The Sallow-faced Woman of No, greet The Floating Head of the Benrachett Inn, and have dinner with the White Lady of Rownam Avenue, and many more strangers if you a dare!
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20034

Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend by Donald Alexander Mackenzie, 1917. Fairies, friends, and foes fill this volume of stories from mythical Scotland.
https://tinyurl.com/ycxxlnon

INDIVIDUAL STORIES

I have not offered many individual stories below as I usually do as they are already in the above story collections. However, here are three additional tales to add to the offerings.

The Dreammaker – Scotland
Ursilla and Her Selkie Lover
Mallie and the Trow
http://www.katarina-dejan.com/hbd-folk-tales

ARTICLE

The Language of Traveller Storytellers - A brief article on the origin of the Scottish traveling people. https://arts.gla.ac.uk/STELLA/STARN/crit/langtrav.htm

BOOKS

Munroe Library - Scottish Folk, Fairy Tales, and other Traditional Lore - A nice selection of books from the Munroe Library.
https://mcpl.info/staff-picks/Scottish%20Folk%20and%20Fairy-Tale%20Tradition

CRAFTS

Activity Village – Make a Loch Ness Monster, a Teddy Bear Kilt, or your very own tartan. These are just a few of the fun crafts for children to make and take.
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/scottish-crafts

DLTK-KIDS.COM - Crafts to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day, bagpiper craft, jigsaw puzzles, and more to celebrate Scotland.
https://www.dltk-kids.com/World/scotland/index.htm

MUSIC

Scottish Songs - A collection approximately 200 Scottish songs either written by Scots or about Scotland. This page also has a link to a large collection of Scottish poetry.
http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_index.htm

Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches – A collaborative project of the BBC Scotland, School of Scottish Studies (University of Edinburgh) and the National Trust offering thousands of hours of Gaelic and Scots recordings. The project includes folklore, songs, music, history, poetry, traditions, stories, and other information. A true treasure!
http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/

SOMETHING EXTRA

Scotclans.com – This site offers some stories, along with short synopses to enhance further research. There are specific sections on:

• Jacobite Legends
• Supernatural Scotland
• Religious Legends
• Royal Legends
• Scottish Monsters
• Scottish Heroes and Villains
  https://www.scotclans.com/scotland/scottish-myths/

Scottish Myths, Folktales and Legends - Background information on some of Scotland’s famous locations and people.
https://www.scotland.org/features/scottish-myths-folklore-and-legends

The Six Creepiest Creatures from Scottish Folklore – Background information to help you jump start your story research.
https://folklorethursday.com/legends/the-six-creepiest-creatures-from-scottish-folklore/

Trees for Life - “Award winning conservation charity dedicated to restoring the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands of Scotland.” From Alder to Yew, this site offers an array of myths and folklore of the Caledonian Forest that will surely complement an Arbor Day storytelling program. Note: Unfortunately, the original link no longer exists but you may still access the information via the Wayback Machine at this link.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120124135501/http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/index.html

ADDITIONAL CULTURAL RESOURCES

Celebrating the Continent of Africa
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrating-continent-of-africa.html

Celebrating the Country of Germany
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/02/celebrating-country-of-germany.html

Celebrating the Country of India
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrate-country-of-india.html

Celebrating the Country of Russia
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/03/celebrating-country-of-russia.html

Celebrating the Country of Turkey
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/11/celebrating-country-of-turkey.html

 

 

 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2021 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

                                                                     

 

Slow and Steady: Stor e Telling August September 2012

Hare and Tortoise
Children's Illustrations, 1880

I have penned the Stor E Telling column since January of 2002 and the articles from 2002-2006 are the publications page of my website found here http://tinyurl.com/llnn47y . I will be adding the columns from 2007 to 2012 to that page as well. However, I am in the process of checking what link URL's have changed or are now defunct. It is a time consuming process so I am taking the “slow and steady” approach via Aesop and will post the individual columns on my blog for now.

I will not be adding current columns until the following year, so if you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network. Please feel free to comment on the blog and let me know if you find this useful.

August September 2012       

                                                      
Below are some sites I researched for a blog post in August 2011, which complement this issue’s theme. For the complete list of resources go to
http://tinyurl.com/7slhh6y .

A Guide for Educators – Bullying, It’s Not Just Child’s Play from the University of Pennsylvania. Although this information was compiled and published in 2002 there is still useful information for educators and administrators.

http://tinyurl.com/85ugn69

Anti-Bias Lesson Plans and Resources for K-12 Educators: Words That Heal – Using Children’s Literature to Address Bullying - A good place to start if you are planning a program or lesson on anti-bullying. The site offers discussion guides, extension plans statistics and an annotated bibliography of children’s fiction.

http://tinyurl.com/66kyjp

COPS – Center for Problem-Oriented Policing by Rana Sampson – Bullying in Schools http://tinyurl.com/88h8wh7

Miscellaneous sites to whet your storytelling appetite.

Aino Folk-Tales by Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1888 - The Ainu are an ethnic minority in Japan, living primarily on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō.
http://tinyurl.com/899tr6s

English Fairy Tales Folklore and Legends, 1904; a collection of English, Scottish, and Irish folk-lore tales for the young.

http://tinyurl.com/6ravqrl 

 

Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane, 1885. In his preface Crane states, “The stories which, with but few exceptions…are given exactly as they were taken down from the mouths of the people.”  Within you will find fairy tales, legends, ghost stories and more.
http://tinyurl.com/cmvuuh8

 

Popular Tales of the West Highlands by J.F. Campbell, 1890. This link will lead you to Volume I but at the top of the page you will note links for volumes II, III and IV.
http://tinyurl.com/cr5363u

Round About Rambles by Frank Stockton “We are off on our rambles…we shall explore streets and houses that have been buried for centuries.” Within these pages you will discover sixty nine stories brought to you by way of 1910. Read about The Bootblack’s Dog, A Battle on Stilts, The Light in the Castle and more.
http://tinyurl.com/c5csepm

Tales of Giants from Brazil by Elsie Spicer Eells, 1918. Beast slayers, wicked giants and beautiful princesses’ await.
http://tinyurl.com/crm7b8v

Twenty-four Unusual Stories for Boys and Girls by Anna Cogswell Tyler, 1921. A lovely collection of folktales, Christmas stories, Greek legends and Halloween tales to delight storytellers and children alike. http://tinyurl.com/bt52slm

Wonder Tales from Scottish Myths and Legends by Donald Alexander Mackenzie, 1917.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/tsm/index.htm

School is just around the corner and I have categorized my curriculum resources on a variety of themes from my blog posts and newsletters from 2008 through October 2011. I hope they will add some spice to your storytelling in and beyond the classroom this year.

Fun in the Classroom with Folktales and Fairytales

http://tinyurl.com/d6hlk45

School Daze, School Daze
http://tinyurl.com/4xsaw5k

School Daze, School Daze II

http://tinyurl.com/7evm83j

Two Roads Diverged in the Woods…Public Domain and Copyright Resources.

The Public Domain Review: Guide to Finding Interesting Public Domain Works Online

http://publicdomainreview.org/guide-to-finding-interesting-public-domain-works-online/
My thanks to Canadian storyteller Donna Dudinsky for sharing this site.

Copyright – To Steal or Not to Steal…Is That Really a Question?

Links to a blog post with copyright resources I shared in February of 2012.
http://tinyurl.com/bmn3jx8

And if you missed any of the previous “Slow and Steady…” blog posts here are the links to the series so far.

2007

January February 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
March April 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_30.html
May June 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
July August 2007
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_15.html
September October 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_20.html
November December 2007
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_29.html

2008

January February 2008
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
March April 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_11.html
May June 2008
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-may-june-2008.html

Summer 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_25.html
Fall 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

 

2009

January February 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_10.html
May June 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_14.html
July August 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_21.html
September October 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/09/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_29.html
November December 2009
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

2010

January February 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_13.html
April May 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_28.html

July August 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-july.html
September October 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling.html
November December 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html

2011

January February 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-january.html

April May 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/11/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-april.html 
July August 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-july.html
September October 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling.html
November December 2011
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-november.html

2012

January, February, March 2012

http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-january.html
April May 2012
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-april.html
June July 2012
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-and-steady-stor-e-telling-june.html

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

 

 

Does "Your Story" Ring True?

Pinocchio, 1911
From, Das Plakat

Pinocchio’s Nose Grows ^©
by Linda Gorham

* This article was previously published in the Northlands Journal, June 2010. It is republished here with her permission.

Truth in advertising. It’s a simple concept yet so many have, perhaps conveniently, forgotten how dishonesty can ruin careers. We have the politician who exaggerated his service in Vietnam, the renown chef who lied on his resume about where and for whom he cooked, the CEO who, well, didn’t actually ‘graduate’ from Harvard, and the Olympic athlete who, for years, denied taking steroids. Plus, there are countless people who lied about getting Medals of Honor in Vietnam. You’ve heard the responses, “Oops.” “Sorry.” “I misspoke.” And you’ve heard their consequences as they were humiliated, fired, jailed and/or forced to take early retirements.

This phenomenon is not just for the high profile professions. The temptation to exaggerate our experiences and qualifications occurs in every field – yes, even in the storytelling world. We too, could use a ‘truth in advertising’ reality check.

• Are we bilingual because we tell The Barking Mouse?
• Are we bona fide musicians if we occasionally bang on a drum, shake a tambourine, or blow into a recorder?
• Does taking a workshop with fill-in-the-blank-big-name-storyteller make us similarly talented?
• If we have told with fill-in-the-blank-big-name-storyteller, are we also qualified to be headliners?
• Do we have the right to give ourselves the title Master Storyteller, Griot, or Baba?

Are we tiptoeing into Pinocchio nose growing situations? Are we portraying ourselves honestly? Are we standing behind our own credentials? Are we creating experiences and qualifications we don’t really have? Are we afraid we blend in with in the increasingly crowded world of storytelling that we won’t be noticed?

We all spend hours creating, editing, and tweaking our resumes, brochures, websites, blogs, and all the other marketing tools at our disposal. We check for typos, punctuality, and grammar. How about one more check … for honesty?

We each want to stand out. That’s a human trait. It reflects a desire to grow and get the jobs we feel we deserve. But it is my hope that we want to stand out on our own skills, experiences, and talents. Find your own voice. Figure out who you are and what you have to offer. Ask yourself, “What makes me extraordinary and unique?”

·           What type of stories do I tell?

·           What kind of emotional energy do I convey?

·           What do I offer that is distinctive?

·           What is my look, my colors, my signature style?

·           What descriptive words do I want someone to say after seeing me perform?

·           What do I have to offer that sets me apart from others?

Be remarkable in your own right and you will never feel the need to define yourself by your relationships with others. There are plenty of ways for you to express your own creative uniqueness.

Seth Godin defined the concept of individuality in his book PurpleCow. Godin’s thesis is that we have all seen plenty of black and white cows. Dime a dozen, right? Just think how excited we would be to see something new, something unique, something that stands out – something like a purple cow! Is there room for individual and event purple cows in the storytelling world? Absolutely!

Purple cow-type storytelling events are growing fast. The Moth is a purple cow. The Moth started as a group of people sharing stories monthly in someone’s living room. The concept is to have very short humorous personal stories, selected by lottery, that are told in small bar-type clubs. Since 1997, The Moth has had over 3,000 sold-out events in over eight major US cities reaching over 100,000 people. 

A Fringe is a purple cow. The Fringe concept started in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947 as an alternative festival that played concurrently, but outside the formal location, of the Edinburgh International Festival. Fringes don’t focus on a single genre. They are ‘performing-arts smorgasbords’ that embrace theater, dance, puppetry, and spoken word. There are fifteen fringe festivals in the United States and many more throughout the world. Fringes are growing fast!

Individual storytellers are purple cows too. Today we see storytelling combined with dance, music, mime, and puppetry. We see more movement, more staging, and extreme body language. There are no limits.

Eighteen years ago, I was part of a group of writers who wrote and published Quality Angles. This book, geared to business executives, was a thesis on what it takes to be successful and balanced in the business world. My contribution was to find and interview people with unusual (Purple Cow type) jobs.

Finding them in the pre-Internet age was a challenge. I searched newspaper archives, library reference books, and bookstores. I also asked everyone I knew for leads. In the end, I found twenty amazing people. Among them was an ice cream taster whose tongue was insured for $1,000,000. I also found a woman who was a professional screamer, a full time rodeo clown, and even a professional storyteller. Imagine making money tasting ice cream, screaming in movies, protecting cowboys, and telling stories (to kids and adults)!

Interviewing these professionals was an eye-opening experience. They were all gutsy, determined, and not afraid to take risks. I asked them about the challenges of having unusual jobs and I asked them what advice they would give to others interested in doing the same. “Be unique,” they said. “Be known for excellence. Provide the highest standard of what your customers need. Provide your skills in a new way to show your customers the possibilities beyond what they think they require.” And from my ice cream taster, “Keep your reputation strong; be known as a person of integrity.”

My mother was famous for saying, “The truth will set you free.” I don’t think she would mind if I alter her mantra just a little bit. Honestly evaluating who you are and what you have to offer is key. Truth in advertising will set you free.

  

Dynamic and exciting, Linda Gorham engages her audiences by using movement, humor, and sometimes zaniness as she tells imaginative folktales (and more!) updated with “attitude!” Her stories, keynotes, and history programs inspire, entertain, and inspire all ages.

Linda performs internationally as a storyteller, speaker, and workshop presenter. Since 1989, in addition to her work in schools and libraries, Linda has customized programs for festivals, museums, keynotes, conferences, staff development, and corporations.  www.LindaGorham.com

 * Linda Gorham is a guest blogger for Karen Chace and Catch the Storybug blog. All rights to this article belong to Linda. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without the  expressed written permission of Linda.