From Monica Richard's Book of Annwyn...
Sep. 7th, 2003 07:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ferineAn excerpt:
"The Magic of the Tales:
The Celtic tradition of storytelling is as ancient as humanity itself, an oral tradition that began in the times when there was no possibility to record history in any other way. Each generation had a specific storyteller who was responsible for the memorization and recital of the local mythology as well as the tribe's genealogy. To retell a story was to bring about its particular power, for it brought visions and sounds into the minds of the listeners, allowing them to enter an imaginary world where fantastic things were possible: clearly the work of magic. The stories were broken down under headings: tales of battle, wooing, voyages, feasting, catastrophe, etc. and though many were told on long Winter evenings to while the hours away, most were meant to be told during different parts of the year, at feasts and celebrations and on occasions of reverent importance. Each tale was said to manifest a charm upon those who listened intently, and often were begun with an introduction, stating its particular power.
As the Celtic civilization began to grow and rearrange its order to accommodate a larger social network, the role of the storyteller was expanded to include poetry and song, as well as all secrets of the earth and its elements. The learned person became part of a sacred order, once called Druid, (in Welsh: Derwydd) meaning Wisdom, or Seer, and he or she was all-important to the chieftain. His words were magical, and he had the ability to cause harm with satire, or to bless with a proverb. After conquerors drove the British Druids out in order to better control the Celts, the role fell to a less threatening class, the privileged but no longer sacred order of the chief poet, or Bard, who literally carried the nation's history in his head as well as all the knowledge of the mysteries. This is a terribly inefficient overview of a very complicated and intricate cultural system, which I will go into a bit later in this book; I hope it will give you cause for further exploration on your own.
The tales of old seem only to be fit for children in this present day; their significance is discarded by the main population. Know that the first tales ever spoken were told to explain the early truths about Nature and its grand scheme, through the use of strong but forgotten symbolism and imagination. All who listened to these tales would be beneficently rewarded because they underlined the sacred beginnings of mankind.
by Monica Richards, from the Book of Annwyn
"The Magic of the Tales:
The Celtic tradition of storytelling is as ancient as humanity itself, an oral tradition that began in the times when there was no possibility to record history in any other way. Each generation had a specific storyteller who was responsible for the memorization and recital of the local mythology as well as the tribe's genealogy. To retell a story was to bring about its particular power, for it brought visions and sounds into the minds of the listeners, allowing them to enter an imaginary world where fantastic things were possible: clearly the work of magic. The stories were broken down under headings: tales of battle, wooing, voyages, feasting, catastrophe, etc. and though many were told on long Winter evenings to while the hours away, most were meant to be told during different parts of the year, at feasts and celebrations and on occasions of reverent importance. Each tale was said to manifest a charm upon those who listened intently, and often were begun with an introduction, stating its particular power.
As the Celtic civilization began to grow and rearrange its order to accommodate a larger social network, the role of the storyteller was expanded to include poetry and song, as well as all secrets of the earth and its elements. The learned person became part of a sacred order, once called Druid, (in Welsh: Derwydd) meaning Wisdom, or Seer, and he or she was all-important to the chieftain. His words were magical, and he had the ability to cause harm with satire, or to bless with a proverb. After conquerors drove the British Druids out in order to better control the Celts, the role fell to a less threatening class, the privileged but no longer sacred order of the chief poet, or Bard, who literally carried the nation's history in his head as well as all the knowledge of the mysteries. This is a terribly inefficient overview of a very complicated and intricate cultural system, which I will go into a bit later in this book; I hope it will give you cause for further exploration on your own.
The tales of old seem only to be fit for children in this present day; their significance is discarded by the main population. Know that the first tales ever spoken were told to explain the early truths about Nature and its grand scheme, through the use of strong but forgotten symbolism and imagination. All who listened to these tales would be beneficently rewarded because they underlined the sacred beginnings of mankind.
by Monica Richards, from the Book of Annwyn
