T is for Tending & Telling Tales—A to Z Blog Challenge

We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/). The Story Crossroads theme for this year is Hope & Healing…folktales around the world that beat back viruses. Each post highlights one or more balms to soothe and cure our struggles of today with oral tradition and lore of the past. At times, a post will make a connection to history. You can guess what inspired this theme. Yes, the COVID-19. What better time to delve into tales where things can and do turn out “happily ever after”?

Tending & Telling Tales-

From Armenia-

Nourie Hadig feels like part Snow White and part Sleeping Beauty. However, instead of a woman asking a mirror, it is the moon. As for a sleeping princess, this time it is a sleeping prince.

50-word-or-less summary:

Woman asked moon who’s most beautiful. Woman. When daughter was 15, moon answered girl. Jealous! Asked husband to kill her. Pretended. Escaped! Girl comes upon sleeping prince. Must tend for 7 years to heal/break curse. Awake! Prince proposed. Asked for Stone of Patience. Tells her tale. Broke stone. Married!

Version of Story: https://www.uexpress.com/tell-me-a-story/2013/6/2/nourie-hadig-an-armenian-folktale

Compare to History:

The Parkinson’s Story Exchange was founded by Johanna O’day after enjoying NPR’s StoryCorps and how they collected stories from around the nation. Johanna partnered with StoryCorps so that researchers for Parkinson’s could understand the patients and the patients could understand the medical people. They inform each other through the stories shared and archived. Healing and medical progress come as a result—like being awakened from a 7-year sleep.

More on the History: https://www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/blog/the-parkinsons-story-exchange-inspiring-stories-from-people-living-with-parkinsons/ and http://healthlibrary.stanford.edu/story-exchange.html

From India-

Princess Savitri, named after the goddess Savitri with her miracle birth, later grew up and married happily to Prince Satyavan. Then, she tended to her husband doomed to die in one year. Yama, the god of death, arrived on time. She must rescue her love from death somehow.

50-word-or-less summary:

Princess chose husband prophesied to die in one year. Happy year. Tended. Princess starved/insomnia three days before prediction. Saw Yama/god of death due to fasting/praying. Chased after Yama. He admired loyalty. Three chases, three wishes (can’t ask for husband’s life). Last wish-children with prince as father. Wit! Lived!

Finding the Story: http://www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/GOS03.html

Compare to History:

Many nurses have tended to the sick and dying. Florence Nightingale brought hope on the battlefield during Crimean War of 1854z After her, professional nursing was seen alongside soldiers. During the American Civil War, Clara Burton saw the need of more trained nurses and had nursing schools established. Clara traveled to Switzerland, witnessed the International Committee of the Red Cross, and eventually founded the American Red Cross in 1882. Then, in 1888, some American Red Cross nurses jumped off moving trains to reach people in need. Remind you of the tenacity of Princess Savitri?

More on the History: https://www.workingnurse.com/articles/Nursing-with-the-American-Red-Cross

Please share in the comments…or anything on your mind.While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings in process of being adapted due to COVID-19.Our 2020 Festival has been transformed into Story Crossroads Spectacular, a virtual experience. See here: http://www.storycrossroads.org/spectacular on May 13, 2020 starting at 9am MDT with events all day.

We thank our funders such as National Endowment for the Arts, Utah Division of Arts and Museums, Western States Arts Federation, Utah Humanities, Zoo, Arts & the Parks of Salt Lake County (ZAP), City of Murray, Salt Lake City Arts Council, and many other businesses and individuals. Join us in the support by donating today!