Folklore Lecture: Exemplary Irish and Scottish Tales

Folklore lecture by Afsaneh Metaluna
Sun May 31 1pm - 2pm
Tinyville Library, Caledon Tanglewood,
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Tanglewood/23/214/23/

Sponsored by the Caledon Library, and produced by Radio Riel. Those who can't join us in Tinyville are invited to tune in at http://music.radioriel.org

Folklorist Afsenah Metaluna will guide us in a new exploration each month; with illustrative stories and her own commentary she'll expose to our understanding some facet of the rich and varied folklore of the British Isles. In the Storyteller's Own Words…

"Rather than a repository of Märchen (wonder tales more or less of the "Grimm's" variety) much of the folklore of England is comprised of local legends that combine references to beliefs and customs and aspects of daily life, particularly rural life. This is contrasted with English ballads and broadsides, which have a strong tradition of their own, as well as the folklore around customs, dance and belief. The wonder tales exist too, though more in the Celtic regions."

This month, as the second part of our Introduction, she will tell, and comment on, short tales from Ireland and Scotland:

Irish Lore
To explore this tradition means to follow the threads in a perfect Celtic knot of history, myth and folklore and Christianity and Celtic belief. One place to begin is with the stories of The Children of Lir. As our series continues, Afsaneh will put The Golden Fly (which her fans heard last month at the West of Ireland Library) in context for us as a forerunner to the the story cycle of Conary Mor.

Scottish Lore
A Selkie story, of the kind we will encounter in future discussions. This time, Afsaneh will explain why she sees this tradition as exemplary of Scottish lore, with its ties to the environment, and its status as a cautionary tales where actions in one realm are mirrored in another.

Schedule of Lectures for the remainder of 2009
Tuesdays 4:30 pm slt
June 9th
July 7th
Aug 4th
Sept 1
Oct 13
Nov 10