“Dawn y Cyfarwydd” · Sat Jun 3, 22:24 by Eleri Straker
The title of this little effort translates as “Gift of the Storyteller”. It’s a phrase I grew up with as my old Welsh teacher was a sterling example of a “cyfarwydd” which is the Welsh word for a Bard or a Storyteller. She coloured all her lessons with stories and anecdotes, so even the most boring grammar lessons were entertaining.
As mentioned before, my father too was a natural teller of tales, something that he got from his own grandfather, who, apparently, would, along with his partner in crime, an old work mate, terrify the gathered members of his extended family on a Saturday night, with his tales of ghosts and ghoulies and things that go bump in the night. He would, of course, stop at the stroke of midnight, as this was a mining community and no one told scary tales (outside of the pulpit!) on a Sabbath!
As storytelling is part of the Welsh culture (just go into a pub after an international rugby match to hear real telling of tall tales!) it was second nature for me to use it in my lessons. I’m always spinning yarns and the kids often say (and not just the little ones in year 7) “Go on miss, tell us a story!”
But my stories always have a purpose. They are always used to illustrate a point or to make something more memorable or interesting. Try telling an older class that’s reading Edgar Allen Poe that he had syphilis and watch the interest level rise! Describe in detail how Christopher Marlowe met his end or that Dr John Dee (Elizabeth 1st’s alchemist) was the original 007… It’s amazing how a little colour can make a lesson fun. Sometimes students have difficulty in seeing exactly where Miss’s latest tale is going, but they get there eventually and they remember the story … and the lesson for a very long time. I still get students I haven’t taught for years mentioning the car on the roof story (oral tradition), the slipper full of dog drool (descriptive writing), Van Gogh’s suicide (literary criticism), and the crazy countess who bathed in the blood of young girls (background to Dracula).
The thing about storytelling is that it’s comforting. Most of us were lucky enough to be read to or to be told stories when we were little, so the majority of us associate stories with pleasure. Why else would Spielberg films be so popular? He’s an ace storyteller. We watch TV or go to the cinema to be told a story. Whether we’re sitting in the dark watching the latest movie or sharing in the exploits of Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett, or the most recent adventure of Jack Bauer (24), or Marvel comic’s Wolverine, we’re still indulging in that lovely warm feeling we remember of old. Being told a story. It’s relaxing and we remember the feeling and the experience for a long time.
And that’s my reasoning for telling stories. If a student feels relaxed they are more likely to enjoy and consequently, to remember what was taught.
In ancient times the Storyteller was employed by kings and princes to chronicle events, to re-tell history. To remind people of past glories. To make them remember. And if storytelling was good enough for the ancient Welsh princes, it’s good enough for me.
