What's the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word 'storytelling'? A parent who's reading a fairy tale to their little child – that's what most of us think of immediately. But there's more to stories, of course. What about our favourite movies, the thriller we're reading right now, and that friend who's so brilliant at telling jokes and anecdotes that everyone loves listening to? The movies, the thrillers, the anecdotes and the jokes: they all have something in common with fairy tales. They're all based on the same activity, which is one of the most exciting things humans can do: telling stories!
But why do we tell stories? Just for fun? Well, here's a story for you. Imagine the world hundreds of thousands of years ago. A group of Neanderthals are sitting around the fire in a cave, where they've just finished eating a big meal together. One of them has an idea. He wants to get some berries, which he wants to share with everybody.
His friend decides to join him. Off they go, out of the cave, down to the place where the best berries grow. Well, they don't come back for a long while, and finally, the only one of them to return is the friend, who's covered in blood and has a sad story to share. He tells the others that as soon as they went round the bend, not far from the cave, a sabre-toothed tiger attacked them and killed his friend. The others are shocked, of course, but they're also warned.
Are you getting the idea? Stories aren't just about entertainment. Good stories engage us emotionally, and they do that by giving us something to think about. They contain messages which might be useful for us in the future, like the Neanderthal man's story, which certainly wasn't intended to entertain his friends!
We admire people whose magical storytelling skills capture our attention and our imagination. Everybody has always respected storytellers, who have been important members of many societies. In the past, storytellers often travelled a lot. When they went to places far away, their stories travelled with them. When they returned home, they had new stories to share. People were eager to listen, which was fun but also gave them a chance to learn about those remote places.
In cultures all over the world, important stories have been passed down from generation to generation. These stories come from previous generations, whose wisdom and knowledge they contain. They're often about disasters, dramatic events such as fires, storms, thunder, lightning and floods. Every country and culture has its own stories. Our stories have become part of our tradition. Our stories reflect who we are.
