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Apples from Heaven: Multicultural Folk Tales About Stories and Storytellers
A collection of international folktales about storytelling and the role of stories in transmitting information, history, and values
- GenresFiction
143 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 21, 2019
Thirty-one tales from around the world, each somehow addressing the theme of stories and storytelling, are presented in professional storyteller Naomi Baltuck's Apples from Heaven, which title is taken from an Armenian folk saying concerning three apples which fell from heaven. The organizational structure of the book, with its three sections, also comes from this saying, with "One for the teller, One for the listener, And one for the one who took it to heart."
The first section, the One for the Teller, leads off with the Iraqi tale of The Golden Lamb, in which three men appeal to Caliph Harun al-Rashid for his judgment, when they are given one golden lamb for their winter's work of shepherding, and cannot decide to whom it should go. The storytelling competition which ensues, leads to a most unexpected result. The Dragon King's Feast is a Chinese tale concerning two brothers, and their incurable penchant for telling tall tales; while The Woodcutter's Daughter is a Kazakh story about a poor but honest woodcutter, who is conned by a wealthy man, only to have his fortunes reversed by his clever daughter, Aina, when she proves herself a better liar. Cutting a Story Down to Size, a brief snippet from the United States, about two friends and their "fish stories," is followed by the Mexican tale of The Most Noble Deed, in which three brothers must each perform a noble deed, and relate the story to their dying mother.
The section continues with Ali the Persian, a second Iraqi tale, in which Caliph Harun al-Rashid is entertained by his best storyteller. The Four Ne'er-do-wells, a Jewish story from Afghanistan, is an amusing tale about four hungry men who, being caught red-handed while stealing fruit, get out of trouble by telling outrageously entertaining lies. The Korean selection, The Story Spirits, is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hoarding stories, rather than sharing them with others; while The Humbled Storyteller, from Russia, teaches that even a brilliant storyteller will eventually meet his match. Finally, The Storyteller at Fault, from Ireland, follows the adventures of the King of Leinster's storyteller, and his extraordinary journey, courtesy of the great magician, Angus of the Bruff.
The second section, the One for the Listener, begins with the Hungarian tale, Now, That's a Story!, in which a princess vows only to marry the man so gifted in storytelling, that he can get her to exclaim, "Now, that's a story!" The Inuit selection, Little Bobtail - in which a brave little mouse named Bobtail tells the story of how she once ate a fox - provides an amusing example of the surprise ending; while the Fijian tale, A Fair Price for a Story, explains how the Firewalkers of Beqa came to be. A Sackful of Stories, from Norway - which seems to be the same basic tale as Herding the King's Hares, found (among other places) in East of the Sun and West of the Moon - demonstrates the power that storytellers can wield, even over the mighty. Truth and Parable, a Yiddish anecdote concerning the meeting of the Preacher of Dubno and a great Talmudic scholar, highlights the importance of making truth acceptable to the listener, of telling it in such a way that it can be heard and understood.
The second section continues with the Scots tale of Conal Crovi, in which Conal Crovi helps the three sons of the King of England regain their father's favor, by sailing with them to Ireland, and attempting to steal the King of Erin's black whitefaced stallions. The stories he spins, when caught, lead to many satisfactory developments. The Suquamish story of The Gossiping Clams is both a cautionary tale, warning against the destructive nature of gossip, and a pourquoi tale, explaining why clams live buried in the sand, and spurt water from their submerged resting place. The Endless Story, from Spain - also found in Ralph Steele Boggs and Mary Gould Davis' Three Golden Oranges and Other Spanish Folk Tales , as The Goatherd Who Won a Princess - is another tale of a humble man winning a bride through his storytelling ability, as is the Turkish selection, The Silent Princess. The three tales related by the hero of this last one, each of which feature three men arguing over who has "rights" to a woman, each of which is resolved in the same way - namely, that the woman has a right to choose herself - reminded me of the Russian story of The Woman of the Wood . Finally, the Chinese tale, Backing Up a Story, sees an inveterate tall-tale-teller rescued from the consequences of his own folly by his wife - a story that is an almost exact duplicate of the Adirondack folktale, How Bill's Wife Taught Him a Thing or Two, in Joseph Bruchac's Hoop Snakes, Hide Behinds, and Side-Hill Winders: Tall Tales from the Adirondacks .
The third section, the One for the one who took it to heart, opens with the Seneca tale of The Storyteller's Stone, which explains how stories first came to the people. Next is the Irish tale of The Head of Donn Bó, in which the head of a young bard, who died beside his king in battle, sings song of astonishing beauty. The Sage's Gift, from the Middle East, and The Princes Who Were Blockheads, from India, both involve the use of storytelling as a means of instruction, while Tongue Meat, a Swahili tale from eastern Africa, presents stories as a necessary form of sustenance. The Japanese tale of Hoichi sees the storyteller's art raising the dead, when blind Hoichi's recitation of the story of the Battle of Dan-no-ura, fought between the Genji and Heike clans, raises the spirits of the Heike.
The Tamil selection, Tell It the the Walls sees an older woman liberated from many of her cares, when she confides her story to the inanimate walls. Wisdom, from India, is a brief tale of a young king who, for most of his life, delegates the responsibility of seeking wisdom to his scholars, until, in his old age, a storyteller must step in and distill what they have learned. How All Stories Came to Be Known As Spider Stories is an Ashanti tale featuring that beloved trickster-spider, Anansi, and details how stories were won from the Sky God. The Romanian story, Why People Tell Tales, follows the experiences of three travelers, when they take shelter one night at an old woman's home; and finally, Lighting the Fire is a Hasidic Jewish story, which highlights God's willingness to listen to humanity's stories.
There's a lot of material in Apples from Heaven - for the storyteller, and for the folklore scholar or enthusiast. I know I enjoyed reading the selections presented here, particularly the ones with which I was already familiar, as their placement in a thematic collection, as opposed to a national or cultural one, gave me some additional insight. I had always interpreted the Norwegian A Sackful of Stories, for example, as a teaching tale about the importance of kindness and respect - the young man is rewarded for helping the old woman/troll. But Baltuck's retelling highlighted a different aspect of the story, allowing me to see that it also addresses the question of story itself - it's power to shame or motivate others. Definitely worth a look, for anyone with an interest in folklore, and the power of stories!
The first section, the One for the Teller, leads off with the Iraqi tale of The Golden Lamb, in which three men appeal to Caliph Harun al-Rashid for his judgment, when they are given one golden lamb for their winter's work of shepherding, and cannot decide to whom it should go. The storytelling competition which ensues, leads to a most unexpected result. The Dragon King's Feast is a Chinese tale concerning two brothers, and their incurable penchant for telling tall tales; while The Woodcutter's Daughter is a Kazakh story about a poor but honest woodcutter, who is conned by a wealthy man, only to have his fortunes reversed by his clever daughter, Aina, when she proves herself a better liar. Cutting a Story Down to Size, a brief snippet from the United States, about two friends and their "fish stories," is followed by the Mexican tale of The Most Noble Deed, in which three brothers must each perform a noble deed, and relate the story to their dying mother.
The section continues with Ali the Persian, a second Iraqi tale, in which Caliph Harun al-Rashid is entertained by his best storyteller. The Four Ne'er-do-wells, a Jewish story from Afghanistan, is an amusing tale about four hungry men who, being caught red-handed while stealing fruit, get out of trouble by telling outrageously entertaining lies. The Korean selection, The Story Spirits, is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hoarding stories, rather than sharing them with others; while The Humbled Storyteller, from Russia, teaches that even a brilliant storyteller will eventually meet his match. Finally, The Storyteller at Fault, from Ireland, follows the adventures of the King of Leinster's storyteller, and his extraordinary journey, courtesy of the great magician, Angus of the Bruff.
The second section, the One for the Listener, begins with the Hungarian tale, Now, That's a Story!, in which a princess vows only to marry the man so gifted in storytelling, that he can get her to exclaim, "Now, that's a story!" The Inuit selection, Little Bobtail - in which a brave little mouse named Bobtail tells the story of how she once ate a fox - provides an amusing example of the surprise ending; while the Fijian tale, A Fair Price for a Story, explains how the Firewalkers of Beqa came to be. A Sackful of Stories, from Norway - which seems to be the same basic tale as Herding the King's Hares, found (among other places) in East of the Sun and West of the Moon - demonstrates the power that storytellers can wield, even over the mighty. Truth and Parable, a Yiddish anecdote concerning the meeting of the Preacher of Dubno and a great Talmudic scholar, highlights the importance of making truth acceptable to the listener, of telling it in such a way that it can be heard and understood.
The second section continues with the Scots tale of Conal Crovi, in which Conal Crovi helps the three sons of the King of England regain their father's favor, by sailing with them to Ireland, and attempting to steal the King of Erin's black whitefaced stallions. The stories he spins, when caught, lead to many satisfactory developments. The Suquamish story of The Gossiping Clams is both a cautionary tale, warning against the destructive nature of gossip, and a pourquoi tale, explaining why clams live buried in the sand, and spurt water from their submerged resting place. The Endless Story, from Spain - also found in Ralph Steele Boggs and Mary Gould Davis' Three Golden Oranges and Other Spanish Folk Tales , as The Goatherd Who Won a Princess - is another tale of a humble man winning a bride through his storytelling ability, as is the Turkish selection, The Silent Princess. The three tales related by the hero of this last one, each of which feature three men arguing over who has "rights" to a woman, each of which is resolved in the same way - namely, that the woman has a right to choose herself - reminded me of the Russian story of The Woman of the Wood . Finally, the Chinese tale, Backing Up a Story, sees an inveterate tall-tale-teller rescued from the consequences of his own folly by his wife - a story that is an almost exact duplicate of the Adirondack folktale, How Bill's Wife Taught Him a Thing or Two, in Joseph Bruchac's Hoop Snakes, Hide Behinds, and Side-Hill Winders: Tall Tales from the Adirondacks .
The third section, the One for the one who took it to heart, opens with the Seneca tale of The Storyteller's Stone, which explains how stories first came to the people. Next is the Irish tale of The Head of Donn Bó, in which the head of a young bard, who died beside his king in battle, sings song of astonishing beauty. The Sage's Gift, from the Middle East, and The Princes Who Were Blockheads, from India, both involve the use of storytelling as a means of instruction, while Tongue Meat, a Swahili tale from eastern Africa, presents stories as a necessary form of sustenance. The Japanese tale of Hoichi sees the storyteller's art raising the dead, when blind Hoichi's recitation of the story of the Battle of Dan-no-ura, fought between the Genji and Heike clans, raises the spirits of the Heike.
The Tamil selection, Tell It the the Walls sees an older woman liberated from many of her cares, when she confides her story to the inanimate walls. Wisdom, from India, is a brief tale of a young king who, for most of his life, delegates the responsibility of seeking wisdom to his scholars, until, in his old age, a storyteller must step in and distill what they have learned. How All Stories Came to Be Known As Spider Stories is an Ashanti tale featuring that beloved trickster-spider, Anansi, and details how stories were won from the Sky God. The Romanian story, Why People Tell Tales, follows the experiences of three travelers, when they take shelter one night at an old woman's home; and finally, Lighting the Fire is a Hasidic Jewish story, which highlights God's willingness to listen to humanity's stories.
There's a lot of material in Apples from Heaven - for the storyteller, and for the folklore scholar or enthusiast. I know I enjoyed reading the selections presented here, particularly the ones with which I was already familiar, as their placement in a thematic collection, as opposed to a national or cultural one, gave me some additional insight. I had always interpreted the Norwegian A Sackful of Stories, for example, as a teaching tale about the importance of kindness and respect - the young man is rewarded for helping the old woman/troll. But Baltuck's retelling highlighted a different aspect of the story, allowing me to see that it also addresses the question of story itself - it's power to shame or motivate others. Definitely worth a look, for anyone with an interest in folklore, and the power of stories!
July 17, 2011
This book was a good first exposure to folk tales of various cultures. Each story is roughly two, maybe three pages long, and with each story it is labeled which country it originated from. I enjoyed reading this stories from countries such as Iraq, Ireland, Russia and multiple islands. It opens up your mind to those living in these areas. We tend to have blind spots for those not in our immediate eye sight, and to have this moment to learn about somewhere I'm not really aware of.
June 1, 2021
Being a storyteller it should not be surprising that I either heard or read over half of the 31 stories in this lovely book in some version or other. I love stories about stories, storytellers and story listeners and have gathered a nice collection myself. Yet an dozen or so of the tales in this book were new and surprising for me. I now have the first horror story about a storyteller in my collection (Hoichi).
The book is well written, easy to read. The stories are mostly short. The production value isn’t too great without illustrations and printed as a paperback. This book deserves a beautiful (expanded) hardcover edition.
The book is well written, easy to read. The stories are mostly short. The production value isn’t too great without illustrations and printed as a paperback. This book deserves a beautiful (expanded) hardcover edition.
Want to read
July 21, 2011This book was recommended by Monica, and I was glad to see a folk tales recommendation. I am really into reading my kids folk tales and fables right now. They absolutely love them, and to hear about ones from across the way like in Iraq will prove interesting, for sure!
February 20, 2015
Well written. Stylistically, a good midpoint between straight storytelling and literary styles. I will fondly remember 'Sackful of Stories' from Norway, for it is unique in that it is the one folk tale that made me laugh out loud - twice! - while reading.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews