Rachel Hedman: So I sat in class and thought of Shakespeare one day. . .

David Novak wondered about the background of the phrase "I won't stand for that!" during our class on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at about 8:10pm.

Today we tend to say this phrase to mean "I won't endure any nonsense!"

David guessed that it might relate to Shakespeare times when the "cheap seats" of theater were not seats at all but a place to stand. If the show was not even worth standing for, then why stand at all?

So I did some sleuthing and discovered. . .there is defiantly an English connection but not directly connected to the theater.

First, I looked up the "stand for" of the phrase to see when that specific phrase came about. The year would make a difference.

"Stand for" came about in 1567 to mean "represent, be in place of" and then turned into a verb to mean "endure, undergo" in 1606.

Though consider what happened in 1626. Suddenly, "stand for" connected to tolerance.

In addition, the word "won't", which is a contraction of "will not", was first recorded in the mid-1500s as "wynnot" and then to "wonnot" in 1584 and finally to the modern version of "won't" in 1667.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Though, the years 1625-1649 will illuminate understanding.

Charles I was crowned the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland on March 27, 1625. It was not long before he disbanded the English Parliament on June 15, 1626.

Why?

The Parliament kept insisting that the people should have certain rights. They wanted it to be clear that a monarch could not do anything that he wished.

Despite being disbanded, the Parliament then submitted a Petition of Rights in 1628. Part of this document declared that the King could not create any new taxes without the consent of the Parliament. People also could not be imprisoned without cause. And so on. And so on.

Did King Charles I like this Petition? What do you think?

The struggle intensified.

Some people saw this as a time to flee to the Americas.

They certainly were not finding tolerance in England.

Colonies formed. An ocean-long distance from England sounded nice.

On June 12, 1630, the Massachusetts Bay Colony landed in Salem mostly comprised of English Puritans. They appointed John Winthrop as governor.

Other religious groups followed.

Back in England of 1640, the English Parliament met for the first time in 11 years and developed the Triennal Act. King Charles I had asked for this gathering due to his need for financial support.

The Parliament refused to grant any money and instead listed all their complaints within the Triennal Act. Part of the Act demanded that the Parliament meet at least once every three years. The Act passed and the king was unable to dissolve the Parliament without its agreement.

Then the English Civil War began in 1642.

Yes, they had a Civil War, too. Strange to think that!

Eventually, King Charles I became a prisoner of the Parliamentarians, supporters of the Parliament.

They attempted to negotiate with King Charles I, but the king committed to his belief of leading England by Divine Right. The Parliamentarians knew that the king could raise an army against them. They reluctantly concluded that they must have the king killed.

In order to vote to have the king killed, the people had to stand to make it known. Fifty-nine commissioners rose to their feet on January 27, 1649 and signed the death warrant.

However, the House of Commons did not pass this death warrant.

After King Charles I was beheaded, the people who had stood during that fateful date on January 27, 1649 were pursued for punishment.

At least 19 of these people were hung, drawn, or quartered. Many were imprisoned for life.

And the people who "won't stand for that"? They lived.

Today you can see the original death warrant of King Charles I at the Parliamentary Archives in the Palace of Westminster, London.

This may be a long way to discover the meaning of "I won't stand for that!", though it can be amazing the story that a few words hold in history.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I looked out the window to see pants in the sky one day. . .

I can usually discover all kinds of creations in the clouds, though rarely to I find a pair of pants in the sky.

That was. . .until Marjorie exclaimed, "It's almost as much blue as a Dutchman's pants out there."

While at her home, we had hoped to eat on the balcony on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 1:20pm.

I stared out the same window that she looked out of and saw that clouds had gathered so thick and dark.

I saw a patch or two of blue sky.

Then the word "Dutchman" lingered in my mind. I tossed around what I knew about the Dutch since I am 1/8 Dutch. That is the most that I am of any ethnicity, and to honor it I wear a Dutch cap as my storyteller's trademark.

The saying relates to the folklore of "if you can see a patch of sky as blue as a Dutchman’s pants it won’t rain”. As with any folklore, it has as story.

The Dutch loved the seas for the trade and commerce and all the luxuries that came with it. For a long time, the Dutch controlled the seas and were the center of power in Europe.

Then, England became jealous.

By 1652, the English gathered enough ships and soldiers to attack Holland. The Dutch retaliated and thus started the first of four Anglo-Dutch Wars.

England's navy was strong and won the first of the four Anglo-Dutch wars. They became cocky and looked for any way to make fun of the Dutch. As most of the Dutch were connected to the nautical world, the sailors tended to wear blue poofy breeches. At times, the breeches needed to be mended and sometimes patches scattered about on the uniform.

This was just what the English wanted for their jokes.

The term "Dutchman's breeches" became slang for a sailor's pair of trousers. The English used it as a derogatory term.

After the second, third, and fourth Anglo-Dutch wars, the Dutch's economy plummeted. England secured control of the seas in 1684.

In case you feel bad for the Dutch, think on this. . .

In 1688 the Dutch William III of Orange became the King of England since the former English King James II was thrown off the throne due to the people's intense dislike of his practices. As William III of Orange was the closest relation to the English Royal Family, he was chosen.

England still controlled the seas, but the land was ruled by a Dutchman.

So that explains the contention between the Dutch and the English, but how did the pants get in the sky?

It still has a nautical connection.

Sailors used the sky as a way to determine the forecast. They were their own weathermen.

They usually looked to the West for their weather verdict.

The conditions were if--

• It had already rained
• There was enough blue in the West to make a Dutchman's breeches

Then--

• The weather would soon clear off

Sailors needed something to define "a patch of blue sky" and when they remembered the patches on the Dutch sailors' blue pants, then the image was chosen.

Other cultures and ethnic groups took this idea and used other bits of garment to define their "patch".

Besides Dutchman's breeches, the following have also been used:

• Dutchman's jacket
• To cut out a pair of pants
• Sailor breeches
• To make a Scotchman a jacket
• To make an old woman's apron
• Make a sailor a pair of trousers if seen before ten o'clock
• Shirt for a sailor
• Large as a handkerchief

Now. . .what kind of garment do you see in the sky?

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I heard the nice to the not-so-nice one day. . .

When parents want to avoid certain words, have you noticed that the "not-so" is added into the conversation?

I heard a comment from a young mom during Sunday School on July 19, 2009 around 2:20pm at the Johnson City, TN Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The mom shared what she usually told her child, "Why, when I'm being nice, you are being not-so-nice back?"

Ah, the parent/child relationship.

Adults tend to skip saying certain words like "stupid", "dumb", and "mean" as if they are swear words. That is. . .when kids are around.

However, this mom made this comment when a roomful of adults. Of course, she was referring to a dialogue with her daughter and must have kept the "not-so-nice" part of it for authenticity.

If most of your time is spent with children, then keeping the "not-so" phrase becomes habit.

The "not-so" phrase also emphasizes the desired trait in the intended listener.

After Sunday School, I attended the Women Meeting called Relief Society.

This time, with a roomful of women, we could be our true selves.

Out came the giggles.

And what did we have. . .but a spotlight of one of the women? Interestingly, we call each other "sisters" whether or not there was a biological connection. The same is for the men, only they are "brothers".

Similar to sibling relationships, we heard the Relief Society President declare, "You're in the limelight!"

Ah, the sister/sister relationship.

And where did the term "limelight" come from?

There once was a surveyor named Thomas Drummond who invented the limelight in 1825. His invention grew in popularity despite some competition from an English chemist named Goldsworthy Gurney who invented a similar light.

The chemicals in the light were calcium oxide also known as the chemical compound lime. It was contained in a hot hydrogen-oxygen flame so that the white light was bright enough to use in lighthouses and to survey land. People said that the light could be seen 100 miles or more away.

Eventually, the theaters discovered that the limelight was safer to use than the gas light currently on stage. They switched. An actor in the limelight was someone "center stage and the center of attention". Naturally, people said the phrase "in the limelight". Limelight has now been replaced by a safer lighting technology.

Back to Relief Society with the women.

To this limelight line, a lady in a violet dress said, "You're blowing it out of proportion!"

This kind of blowing relates to the air that "blows" out of our mouths to describe things. The bigger the words or the more grandiose the achievements, then the more "blows" or breaths. Suddenly, the words do not fit the achievements.

Towards the end of the Relief Society meeting, a lady in a blue dress said, "I try to put myself in that person's shoes."

The original saying was "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his boots." According to lexicographer Harris Collis, this phrase is one of the 101 most frequently used American proverbs. Thus, judgment should not be passed until one has done those exact feats. Instead of the word "judge", it could be replaced with "criticize". Instead of the word "boots", it could be replaced with "boots".

So "not-so-bad" of blowing out some judgment on words?

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I thought about poison one day. . .

A school teacher handed me a bunch of green-faced stickers, and each face had a disgusted look with a tongue stuck out.

I met Mr. Yuk. (Did you know that he has a theme song?)

Classic.

I ran all over the house placing these "poison" stickers on various bottles and containers.

I had done my good deed for the day.

Except for getting "cool" stickers, there generally is not a good feeling connected to "poison".

Then, on Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 2:20pm I heard "the word".

I was sitting in Sunday School at the Johnson City Ward, TN of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The teacher said, "We feel poison for some issues." Then he followed that statement on how it was better to "sue for peace" than to react in violent ways.

What a way to put it.

So. . .what happens when one is poisoned?

First of all, there are many levels to poison.

A poison could be harmful or irritable or down-right toxic and fatal. The amount of exposure to the substance determines the degree of reactions. The body responds in violent ways.

The Sunday School teacher, when he said "we feel poison for some issues", could refer to the reactions we develop when we are mistreated. The natural way would be to "foam at the mouth" with insults or perhaps to "tremble and shake" in physical abuse.

Rather, the teacher encouraged us to "sue for peace". Resist the natural tendencies.

Though, the use of the word "sue" seems like an oxymoron of some kind. The first image is of the court and yelling lawyers and people crying. Does not seem peaceful to me.

So I had to look up the word "sue".

About 1200, the Anglo-French word "suer" meant "continue, persevere". Then came the Old French "sivre" and later "suivre" to mean "pursue, follow after".

If the "sue for peace" was changed to "pursue for peace", that would have a more positive reaction. Or even "pursue and persevere for peace".

I love alliteration.

Perhaps this change in the original phrase would make Mr. Yuk pull in his tongue.

By the way, Mr. Yuk comes from a long line of Public Service Announcements, and Mr. Yuk was only the first I would see while at East Tennessee State University.

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, I walked to and from the grocery store by the East Tennessee State University campus.

I noticed two signs (see them here):

• "Click it or Ticket"
• "Booze it and Lose it" (Lose your license, your freedom, your life.)
  

When I looked up "Public Service announcements", I noticed that most of these rhyme. The human mind tends to remember these sayings easier in this way. See a list of what I mean here.

Our eyes may search for these pleasures in words.

The "Click it or Ticket" campaign conducted a survey by the Public Opinion Strategies and discovered that 83% of 800 United States citizens have seen, read, or heard about it. As for results, the overall population using seat belts increased from 75% to 79%.

It is not enough for something to rhyme for people to remember. Often we desire--whether consciously or subconsciously--for phrases to come in threes. Notice the subheading of the "Booze it and Lose it" about the license, freedom, and life. Then, in addition to the three phrases, the first and last words start with the letter "l". There is a visual balance by using those letters. Of course, then you could mention the power of threes again, because "lose", "license", and "life" all start with "l".

Okay, so maybe this is strange to notice, but does it not make words aesthetically pleasing?

As for Mr. Yuk. . .he will always look disgusting! And he is loved nevertheless.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I listened to a man who reminded me of Spiderman's uncle one day. . .

There is a moment in the first Spiderman movie when Uncle Ben tells Clark Parker, "Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."

Somehow this resonated to how Elder Windham spoke while at the Johnson City, TN Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, July 19, 2009 towards 1:15pm.

He exclaimed, "All of you must have some story--too close to tell."

He added, "What stories are we living?"

Parker's Uncle Ben asked those same type of questions. Uncle Ben wondered about the strange experiments he conducted in his room as well as the fight started at school. He reminded Parker that he faced the years when he decided the man he would become.

When Elder Windham spoke of the image of a story, he seemed to indicate that the narrator could choose many avenues in which to take their story in life.

In Ancient Civilizations, many of the stories are epicentric. This type involves stories within a story and where one starts at one place of the story until it evolves into to allow other possibilities as paths. Some examples of these stories: King Midas, Hercules, Lord Krishna, Ra, Abraham, Shang-Ti, etc.

Common Qualities of Epicentric Stories:

1. Highly Interactive Due to Multi-Layers (provides mystery and encourages creativity)
2. Non-Linear Sequence of Events (builds memory)
3. Contradictions and/or Repetitions (allows teller--and even listeners--to make choices of most logical path)

Our own lives are complicated.

We choose how we live our stories every day.

We are the ultimate epicentric stories.

We even have contradictions.

Haven't you told a story that a family member or friend said, "It didn't happen that way! I remember. . ."

Sometimes we pull close to our hearts certain memories that we do not wish to share. We may be afraid to know what a family member or friend would think.

When Elder Windham said "some story--too close to tell", he did not have to explain that he meant in our hearts. We, as human beings, often connect emotions to our hearts much like we link the brain to intellect or the stomach to physical desires.

Continuing with his talk, Elder Windham stated, "I unscientifically noted some things." He referenced faith-based decisions that do not require a visual to provide proof. Again, he had a heart/emotion theme without actually saying the word "heart". By the way he spoke, it was obvious that he placed greater importance on feelings of the heart than of the mind.

To be "scientific" about something usually implies to dissect or look at the small pieces rather than looking at the whole picture. This could be the reason that sometimes science has a negative connotation when shared with religion.

Ironically, there have been times when both scientists and religious people have accused each other as being "closed-minded".

Is it not interesting that we also have the phrase "open-hearted"? Hmmm. I think there is a connection. Follow that with "open-minded". I sure hope the science and the spiritual get along.

Whenever we speak--verbally or nonverbally--we reveal where we are on that spectrum.

There is a power to speaking. Of such, Elder Windham said towards the end of his talk, "Speaking is just one of those things that means accepting responsibility."

Can you hear the echo of Uncle Ben from Spiderman?

Whether good or ill from our mouths, we accept the consequences.

If in any doubt, then there is always the etymology of the word "responsibility" which comes from the 1599 French "responsible" to mean "answerable (to another, for something)". Then, the Latin "responsus" or "respondere" both mean "to respond". Since 1836, this has come to mean a "sense of obligation", which was inferred by the Latin roots.

Seems like a lot of science and spiritual to me. How about you?

I think Uncle Ben would be proud.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I sat from chair to chair to chair one day. . .

I moved all over the place due to the three-hour meetings of the Johnson City, TN Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, July 19th.

I was used to this constant movement and change of furniture and sitting arrangements.

Yet, I was fascinated by the comparison of the sitting from place to place with how a couple ladies referred to moving to the Tennessee area.

One young lady towards 1:00pm said, "I decided to root myself down and buy a house."

An older middle-aged lady at 2:45pm later said, "I got stuck in the mountains".

These two women were not in conversation with each other. In fact, the young lady spoke during Sacrament Meeting while the older lady spoke during the Women gathering called Relief Society.

Though, despite the different blocks of time, they referred to the stability of choosing one place to be on the same day.

When referring to "root myself down", there is a feeling of doing so with purpose and conviction. If the feeling to move to an area has a temporary feel, then one does not dig their roots deep into that ground or area.

The deeper that roots go, then the harder to pull out.

Some trees have such deep roots that they weave with the roots of others. When storms pass by, then the trees help each other during this chaotic time.

As for the "got stuck in the mountains", there is the impression that the person may wish to be somewhere else. If given the proper tools or know-how, this person would wrench themselves free.

My first image was of tar.

And who do I think of connected to tar--in all meaning of the word--but of Brer Rabbit?

When Brer Rabbit punched at the tar baby because no salutation was given, then he was stuck there good until Brer Rabbit tricked Brer Bear and Brer Fox to thrown him in the thicket of thorns.

So this lady "stuck in the mountains" only needs someone to toss her somewhere else in the world. That could mean a new job for her husband or the need to retire closer to her kids.

She did have a slight tease to her voice when she said "stuck in the mountains" so she may have accepted the place as home. . .though her use of "stuck" was an interesting choice.

May you be rooted to where you want to be!

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I sat and listened and heard one day. . .

Whether a pew is completely hard-backed or if there are some cushions, it certainly has a way of keeping me upright and at attention.

Despite this construction, there will always be the "bobs" of heads as if in agreement to whatever the speaker shares from the pulpit.

Then, as if to remind the Johnson City, TN Ward congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I heard a young lady say, "I know you will hear me, but listening is something different."

That was on Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 12:55pm.

The bishopric often calls on people from the congregation to speak rather than themselves. You could say that the LDS faith encourages their members to be speakers and storytellers.

Brother Jones, the one conducting the meeting, then thanked the lady's comments and said, "I couldn't stop listening. I couldn't stop hearing." He remembered her opening words.

What a beautiful way to acknowledge someone.

In a linguistic way, he balanced the lady's two parts of her line with his two parts. Plus, we heard repetition in how those words of "listening" and "hearing" were used.

Now what of the etymology of "listening" versus "hearing"?

For "listen" is comes from the Old English "hlysnan" to mean "to listen". So that does not reveal much, but then delving deeper, it could also mean "to hear" as well as to "fame, glory". The Gothic side of "hilub" means "listening, attention". The Latin "cluere" means "to hear oneself called, be spoken of".

As for "hear", it comes from the Old English "heran" to mean "to notice, observe". Eventually, there came a spelling difference between "hear" and "here" in the 1200-1550. Part of it was that a "hearing" was a "listening to evidence in court of law" in 1576 and then words like "hearsay" in 1532. Yet, the Old English "hiersum" means "ready to hear, obedient". Consider the response of "Hear, hear!" that started in 1689. Suddenly, the word "hear" was connected to something imperative or to give notice to someone's words. The "Hear, hear!" actually started as "hear him!". From "hear" we also get "hearken", which has more action involved rather than listening only.

So. . .

Until we listen, hear, and tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I anticipated Harry Potter one day. . .

My husband and I agreed that we could watch the new Harry Potter movie separately. That tends to happen when one of us is in Utah and the other is in Tennessee.

Could we wait three weeks to see it together? At least for the first time?

On Friday, July 17, 2009 would be the night I could see the film with some fellow storytelling classmates.

But that would be in the evening.

That meant I had to make the rest of the day productive so I could be "rewarded" with the movie.

Much did get done, but I was distracted at 10:10am when my roommate Catherine talked about one of her friends and said, "She picked up the mantle on that one."

I was not surprised by the religious reference since Catherine has a background in preaching and working with churches to sort out conflicts.

To "pick up the mantle" refers to the time in the Old Testament when Elisha accompanied Elijah the prophet to Jericho. To get there, they had to cross the Jordan River. When Elijah took his mantle/cloak and hit it on the river, the waters parted and Elijah and Elisha could cross on dry land. Then, before Elijah was taken into the heavens on a chariot of fire, he threw his mantle to Elisha. Elisha picked up the mantle and he became the next prophet.

When Catherine's friend "picked up the mantle", then it implied leadership as well as doing more than what expectations require.

Then, Beth picked me up to go to Marjorie's home so I could teach her how to use the class blog. At first, I had problems with the Internet connection on my laptop. Suddenly, the Internet was smooth.

To celebrate the success, Marjorie exclaimed, "You can't beat that with a stick!" In case you were curious, that was at 10:35am.

This expression certainly does mean to celebrate in saying "This is really good!" Some people say that the original saying was "you can't beat that" and then "with a stick", "with a bat", or even "by a long chalk" were added. The last part was to emphasis the greatness of the feat. Pounding or beating something seems like emphasis indeed!

As in the saying "beat him by a long chalk", it means to win by good measure an opponent. This came about when schools created merit marks with chalk and the longer the mark, then the greater the achievements. Yes, this was before we had pencils.

As I revealed some basics in blogging and some tricks of the trade, then Marjorie shouted, "That's just a hoot!"

Today this phrase is an informal way to say something is hilarious or laughable. Originally, around the 1200s, it meant "to call or shout in disapproval or scorn", which was related to "houten" or "huten" that meant "to shout, call out". By 1450, the word "hoot" was used to describe the way a bird sounds, especially the owl. Finally, in 1942, the meaning changed to something more positive as "a laugh, something funny".

I am guessing that Marjorie thought the whole blogging experience was funny. Well, the word "blog" itself certainly sounds silly.

And with some nice laughs like that, I was ready to see that Harry Potter movie.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel finds Relief: People who Make a Difference to the Storyteller

Besides the storyteller, there are many people who make the difference.

Some of these people are--

• Coaches--In 1556 of the Middle French "coche", the German "kotsche", and the Hungarian "kocsi" the word means "large kind of carriage". There was a village named "Kocs" of where the carriage was first made. The word transferred to several different transportation devices. Then, in 1830, another meaning of "instructor/trainer" came about and "coach" was Oxford University slang for a tutor who "carries" a student through an exam. By 1861, the coach connected to athletics. Storytelling could be considered a sport. The idea of being carried seems to take away the will of the storyteller. Now compare to the mentor.
• Mentors--In 1750 from the Greek "mentor", it means "wise advisor". Interestingly, Mentor was the name of a friend of Odysseus and adviser of Telemachus, who was often the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in disguise. The word "mentos" means "intent, purpose, spirit, passion". The Latin "mon-i-tor" means "one who admonishes or "one who thinks". The word "mental" is from around 1422 Middle French "mental" to mean "of the mind" By 1927, it also means "crazy, deranged". This reminded me of how genius and madness are often the same thing. Think Yoda from Star Wars. The word "advice" comes from 1297 Old French "avis" to mean opinion" and the French saying of "it seems to me". There is reference to vision and ability to see, which then leads to knowledge. As for the word "wise", this comes from Old English "wis" to mean "to see". The slang meaning of 1896 means "aware, cunning". The Greek "eidos" of "wise" means "form, shape, kind" and "course of action". If someone had to choose to between a mentor or a coach, I would choose mentor every time.
• Support--In 1382 from the Old French "supporter" and the Latin "supportare", it means "convey, carry, bring up" or "up from under". The "sup" means "up from under" while the "portare" means "to carry". The noun connects to "act of assistance, backing" as in "services which enable something to fulfill its function and remain in operation". When looking at "port", then the Old English "port" means "harbor, haven". The Latin "portus" means "entrance, passage". I certainly feel safe and able to enter risky ventures when I have the support of family and friends in storytelling.

May the world bless us with plenty of coaches, mentors, and support!

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Reaches into Repertoire: What Any Storyteller Wants More Of

There are certain aspects of storytelling that I would want a never-ending supply.

Here are ones that would be on my wish list--

• Creativity/Create--In 1386 from the Latin "creatus", it means "to make, produce", which is also related to "crescere" as in "arise, grow". There is reference to the Creator or "Supreme Being". When we create, we certainly are working with a divine quality. There is a sense of imagination to the act. "Create" also relates to "crescent". In 1399 from the Anglo-French of "cressaunt", then we get "come forth, spring up, grow, thrive". Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, came from the Latin "creare" as in "to bring forth, create, produce". The word "create"references "shape" within the Old English "scapan" to mean "to create, form, destine". There is the sense of scraping, polishing and sometimes hacking.
• Idea--In 1430 of the Latin "idea" it means "figure, image, symbol" as well as "archetype" in Platonic philosophy. The Greek word "idea" means "ideal, prototype" and has reference to being able to see or have vision. Funny enough, an idea was the "result of thinking". How else an idea may come. . .well. . .I guess some things are like lightnings of inspiration. But even thinking is involved here since one needs to recognize that the idea is an idea! When one delves into the meaning of "vision", the word came from 1290 Anglo-French of "visioun" to mean "something seen in the imagination or in the supernatural". Vision also has the connection "to know, to see".
• Originality--In 1315 of the Latin "originalis" we have "beginning, source, birth". From the Latin word "oriri" we get "to rise". The word references to "orchestra" of which, in 1606, the Latin word "orchestra" means "area in an ancient theater". The "tra" part denotes place while the "orkheisthai" means "to dance" as well as "to go, come". As storytellers, to be original may then mean to go or come from another direction upon the stage as a starting point for the story to evolve.
• Theme--Around 1300 of Old French "tesme" (of which the "s" was silent) and from the Latin "thema" we receive the meaning "a subject, thesis". The Greek thema means "a proposition, subject, deposit" or "something set down". This comes from the root of tithenai that means "put down, place". The word "theme" references the word "factitious", of which the Latin "factitius" of 1646 means "artificial". Could this mean that a theme is a man-made device to assign meaning to something presented. Does this make it "artificial" that we put down as if like a thesis for people to make judgments on after hearing the story or stories?
  
• Motif--In 1848 of the French "motif" it means "dominant idea, theme". It references the word "motive", of which this word came about in 1362 from the Old French "motif" to mean "something brought forward". Then, from Modern Latin "motivus", we have "moving, impelling". When connecting to the word "move", then it could mean "that which inwardly moves a person to behave a certain way". A motif is much like the universal thoughts and observations that move us to certain results or actions.
• Archetype--In 1545 from the Latin "archetypum" is the meaning "original pattern from which copies are made". The Greek "arkhetypon" means "pattern, model" or "first-moulded". The "arkhe" means "first" and the "typos" means "model, type, blow, mark of a blow". Then, from Jungian pyschology of 1919 we then have it mean "pervasive idea or image from the collective unconscious". Some of the word "archetypes" connects with "archon" of mean the Greek "arkhon" means "ruler" or "to begin, rule, command". Some common archetypes in storytelling are the wild woman, old hag, the step-mother. We see them in all cultures and seem to "rule" how we view these models or characters.
• Repertoire--In 1847 from the French "re'pertoire", it means "a stock of plays, songs, etc." The Latin "repertorium" means "inventory. The word references "repertory", which is from the 1552 Latin "repertus" to mean "to find, get, invent". The "parire" part means to "produce, bring forth". There was also reference to the word "parent" from the Old French "parent" or the Latin "parere" as to "bring forth, give birth to, produce". Any stories we put in our repertoire is a form of birthing. The stories become our children. . .and sometimes we "show them off" to the world.
• Interaction--This is a combination of the words "inter" and "action" put together in 1832. The "inter" comes from the Latin "inter" to mean "among, between". Sometimes "inter" is spelled "entre" in French and used in such words as "entertain" and "enterprise". The "action" comes from Old French "action" or the Latin "actionem" around 1360 to mean "to do". In 1599, relates to "fighting". Then by 1968 it means "excitement". In the storytelling sense, an interaction with the audience could be more "fighting" if anger-based, but usually ours would fall more into the "excitement" area in an attempt to engage among them.
• Improvisation--In 1786 of the French "improvisation" and "improviser", they mean "act of improvising musically" as well as to "compose or say extemporaneously". The Italian "improvvisare" means "unforeseen, unprepared". When looking up extemporaneous, the word comes from 1656 from the Latin "extemporaneus" to mean "offhand, in accordance with (the needs of) the moment". There is a connection to "time", of which the Old English word "getimian" means "to happen, befall". Improvising is about seeing what will befall when asked to shared ideas at first thought. Whenever we tell stories, there is always the improvising with the audience although the plot of the story may stay fixed. Then there are the storytellers who are 100% improvisational.
• Spontaneity--In 1656 of the Late Latin "spontaneus" we have "willing, of one's own free will". When looking at "will", this word comes from the Old English "willan" or "wyllan" to mean "to wish, desire, want" as well as to "be pleasing". Rather than the frozen sound that storytelling could have, the free flow of words tend to be more "pleasing" to the audience.

What do you wish you had a never-ending supply of as a storyteller?

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel wrestles with Rhetoric: What words work best for storytelling events?

The names of events suddenly became important with the possibility of the 2012 National Storytelling Conference to be held in Salt Lake City, UT.

I proposed to the National Storytelling Network that we change the name from "National Storytelling Conference" to something that had a global sound and invited more than professional storytellers.

Since we already have the International Storytelling Center, it seems that "world" would be better to use than "international" to avoid any confusions.

The word "storytelling" often conjures images of an old lady reading stories to preschoolers. When "storytelling" is then "story", then people will see the event as one that could fulfill their interests.

It is the last word for the new name of the National Storytelling Conference that baffles me.

While transcribing the "Mythical Storytelling Conference" discussion for Storytelling Linguistics, what should be on my mind but the importance of a name.

For a while, I loved the name "World Story Fair" to replace "National Storytelling Conference". I prefer to listen to many opinions. I found myself on the cell phone calling storytellers from Tennessee to Minnesota to California to Hawaii.

I discovered support for "World" and "Story", but different views were shared for the last word.

Yes, I will need to expand my mini survey. Of course, the vote ultimately comes upon the National Storytelling Network Board on July 31, 2009.

Most people wanted an event word that would reflect a gathering of story colleagues and professionals. That meant "Fair" could focus too much on the general public.

Sometimes change is resisted within the storytelling community, and the word "conference" would be needed. To me, the word "conference" lacks the interactivity and socialization that make an event great.

That was when I decided to delve into the etymologies of places and events for us storytellers.

Some words relate to my challenge at hand.

And the others?

I was just plain curious--

• Practice--In 1392, this word came from the Old French "practiser" to mean "to do, act, or perform habitually". Modern Latin uses the word "practicare" to mean "to do, perform, practice" while the Greek "praktikos" means "practical". Then, in 1568, the word "practiced" referred to being an expert and related to professions, especially in the religious area. I am sure any storyteller would agree that practicing is "practical" and the professional ones tend to do so with religious fervor!
• Rehearsal/Rehearse--The Anglo-French of 1300 used the word "rehearser" or "rehercier" to mean "to give an account of", "to go over again, repeat", and "to rake over". The "re" part is "again" while it is the "hercier" part that connects with "to rake, harrow". Surprisingly to me, this word connects with "hearse". When approached from this way, then the raking has a different view. The word "hearse" could also be "herce" in Old French or "hirpicem" in Latin. The Oscan "hirpus" means "wolf" and relates to the "teeth" on the rake. The rake breaks up the soil. Nowadays we think of hearse as the vehicle that carries a body away. I only hope that the rehearsal for the storyteller will break up soil so that something can live rather than something that is dead. Perhaps by rehearsing, we bury the dead and rough-and-tumble practices to make way for the new evolved story to be shared soon with the intended audience.
• Premiere/Premier--The French word "premiere" came from a longer word "premiere representation" and refers to the "first performance of a play". The word was first recorded in 1889. Yet, the word "premier" as an adjective came about 1470 from Middle French to mean "first, chief" and from Latin "primarius" to mean "of the first rank, chief". This may seem a little unrelated, but when from the word "primary" from "primarius", then it also means "of the first rank, chief, principal, excellent". It is that "excellent" part that a storyteller strives for that first time presenting a piece to an audience.
• Festival/Festivity--From the Old French in 1387 came "festivite'" as well as the Latin "festivitatem" and "festum". The "festum" related to "feast". Yet, the first time "festival" was recorded as a noun, it was 1589. Modern Latin provided that "festivalis" was "of a church holiday. If the word "festival" is broken down to "fest", then we have American English who borrowed and abstracted from the German use of the term "Volksfest" to be "fest".
• Fair--The noun emerged in 1330 from the Anglo-French "feyre" and from Old French "feire" to mean "holiday, market fair". The Latin "feriae" referred to "religious festival, holiday". Feasts were often involved in one way or another.
• Venue--Originally "venue" came from the Old French "venir" as in "to come" around 1330. However, it was "a coming for the purpose of attack". Then, in 1531, it became known as a "place where a case in law is tried". Finally, in 1857, the word was extended to mean locality in generally, "especially site of a concert or sporting event". Perhaps the storyteller is always "on trial" by the audience? When exploring the word "come", this one came from the Old English "cuman" and could mean "to go, walk, step" as well as "to regain consciousness". Could it be that audience members are brought to consciousness to the world of story?
• Conference--This word really comes from "confer" or the Latin "conferre" in 1533. This word means "to bring together, compare" with the "com" meaning "together" and "ferre" meaning "to bear". "Confer" relates to "Infer" and there is a sense of "taking counsel". From "infer" with the Latin word "inferre" of 1526, then it means "bring into, cause" as well as "to bear, to carry, to take". The Russian word for "infer" is "brat" or "bremya", which means " burden". Though, by 1529, there was a sense for the word to mean "draw a conclusion". Therefore, a conference could be a place where people come together, compare techniques or information, take counsel, and then draw conclusions as individuals as well as for the community at large. Perhaps the word "conference" is not so bad after all to continue to use for the National Storytelling Conference's name change.
• Exposition (Expo)--This comes from the Old French in 1388 of "exposition" to mean "explanation, narration". From the Latin "expositio" we get the word "expound". Later, it meant "public display" recorded for the first time in 1851 with reference to the Crystal Palance Exposition in London. Yet, the abbreviation "expo" was first connected to the world's fair held in Montreal in 1967. To expound on the word "expound", it comes from the Old French of 1300 of "expondre" to mean "put forth, explain". I had considered the phrase "World Story Expo" to reflect more of an interactive sound. I had also thought of "World Story Fair" so expo's connection with the world's fair is intriguing.
• Stage--The noun come from the Old French "estage" in 1300 to mean "story of a building, raised floor for exhibitions" as well as "a story or floor of a building, stage for performance". From the Latin "staticum", it means "a place for standing". The stage was often the place for actors and plays so the word connected to these performances. The word "stage" could refer to a "period of development or time in life". In many ways, a storyteller develops when sharing stories upon a stage. The story evolves as it is finally before an audience.
• Slam--There are a couple different means for "slam". For one version, "slam" means "a severe blow" from a Scandinavian source in 1672 from the Norwegian "slamre" or the Swedish "slemma". The verb means "to shut with force" and to "say uncomplimentary things about". Slam has connected to such words as "slam-bang", "slam-drunk", "slam-dance", and even "slammer" to refer to jail or prison. The second version of "slam" could mean "a winning of all tricks in a card game" from 1621 or "complete success" from 1920. As for the Story Slam, the event is lively and intense and could be like verbal blow to the brain. The audience is encouraged to boo or heckle. However, when a slam artist connects with the audience, then there is the feeling of "complete success".
• Fringe--The word comes from 1354 of the Old French "frenge" or the Latin "frimbia" meaning "fibers, threads, fringe". There is the figurative sense of "outer edge, margin" recorded in 1894. Nowadays, it refers to an unfiltered festival that has "edgy" material and could have adult content warnings. There are some fringes that are family-friendly.

After some of these meanings, perhaps the new name "World Story Conference" in place of "National Storytelling Conference" would be best.

What do you think?

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

The Rachel Response: New Words in Storytelling & the Arts

The global storytelling movement for the past 40 years has brought new words to the art.

Sometimes, these words are shared for hopes of protologism, in which the creator of a new word or phrase is desirous for it to be accepted within the art community or beyond.

For the storytelling community, the word seems to be "accepted" when included or in relation with events such as the National Storytelling Conference or the National Storytelling Festival. There are moments when words, not meant to be used more than the one time, take flight and land in other areas across the world.

Here are some neologisms for our art--

• Urban Storytelling/Word Artists/Spoken Word--The term "urban storytelling" has become popular mostly due to The Moth, a New York City-based nonprofit at The Players Club. At this place, people from the community are guided by an artistic director to find the essence of a dramatic personal experience and make it presentable for the public. The themes of urban storytelling tend to be edgy and on the rebellious nature for whatever may be on the social agenda at the time. Sometimes the words and images chosen seem raw or violent. The word "spoken word" could be applied, though this term has different meanings depending on the region or intended audience. In the 1980s, the term "spoken word" was adopted by academia in an effort to categorize word-based performance as opposed to established areas of art like music, theatre, and dance.
• Poetry Slam/Story Slam--Storytelling and poetry have existed for centuries and now these art forms have evolved into something more intense and lively. Story slams and poetry slams outreach mainly to high school students and college-aged adults, though all ages, cultures and races participate. The key components of a slam--poetry or storytelling: anyone could share poem/story; no props or costumes; about five judges from the audience and/or pre-determined panel; time limit (3 min. for poetry, 5 min. for story); and the importance of audience reactions. The event usually has three rounds of about 7-10 artists, with a different artist to be "sacrificial". The audience is taught to boo and hiss as well as to applaud. Heckling is encouraged. This world is highly competitive. The National Storytelling Conference had its first Story Slam in 2008. You can learn more about slams at my blog.
  
• Anti-Slam/Art Stars--With all the booing and hissing from slams, then this movement of "anti-slam" came along. Usually that is how it works. For every trend there is a counter-trend. Reverand Jen Miller developed a poetry slam and created the venue called "Collective: Unconscious" and premiered on October 17, 2007. Every week the performers are called "art stars". Though the performers are given boards that show 1-10 numbers, the purpose is for the panel of "judges" to all give "10"s, thus calling each participant a winner. Performing arts could range from stand-up comedy to fiction to commentary to poetry and even rants. Author John S. Hall said of this movement, ". . .where everybody gets a ten. In a sense, that's kind of like the opposite problem [to slams], which is that you're saying there are no winners or losers at all. And even at an open reading, there are winners and losers, but it seems less stratified and controlled and gamed."
• Tridem--This term was coined by Elizabeth Rose, director of the National Youth Storytelling Showcase, in 2007. Although the showcase asked for auditions for solo and tandem storytellers, she would also receive entries with three storytellers telling one story. Though the word "tandem" is still used as the category title, the word "tridem" was needed to be more specific in the kind of storytelling taking place. This term has spread to other youth-oriented storytelling events such as the Weber State University Storytelling Festival where over 70 youth tell stories alongside national and regional storytellers. The new audition page on the website has been clarified to say that the event looks for solo, tandem, or tridem performances.
• House Concerts/Backyard Concerts--Although musicians, singers, and comedians have used houses as venues for their work, this have been a new term amongst the storytelling community in the past couple years. One of the 2009 Storytelling Magazine issues spotlighted this type of event featuring Dan Keding and Rivka Willick. Other storytellers who have benefited from these events are Priscilla Howe and Tim Ereneta. A host, sometimes the same person as the storyteller, invites friends and family to their house. Depending on the weather, the event could be inside or outside. Some of these concerts are ticketed while some are offered free. The artist could be testing material or may give polished performances of the same level as any paid venue. The Utah Storytelling Guild will launch and sponsor House Concerts as part of their membership's professional development series in Fall 2009. The participating storytellers must have completed at least five practices with specific audiences. The storytellers will tell for free, but will be allowed to sell merchandise.
• [Here]Say/[Murmur]--Yes, the brackets are important if you want to refer to the community-based storytelling occurring in some downtown areas. The use of [here]say is the play on the word "hearsay", which means "scuttlebutt or gossip". In the storytelling sense, [murmur] is a pioneering mobile-based oral history documentary project which started in Toronto, Canada. Out from [murmur] came [here]say, which are community-based oral history documentary projects. Often these two programs are thought as story maps. For example, a person may see a sign in the downtown area to call a certain number to hear a story about that part of town. More signs would scatter along the street to have an experience like an art walk. What started in Canada has now become popular in the United States. You can read more about them here. Or should I say hear?
• Second Life/Storytelling Guild of Second Life--This refers to a virtual world developed by Linden Lab on June 23, 2003 and not a second chance at life. Or is it? Second Life (SL) can be accessed through the Internet where people could create an avatar/character to look like them or look however they want. These avatars are often called "residents" and socialize with other "residents". This is for ages 18 and older, though there is now a Teen Second Life for 13-17-year-olds. People could own virtual property and places. For example, storyteller Dale Gilbert Jarvis created the virtual place for the Storytelling Guild of Second Life. There are regular storytelling events streamed lived where avatars gather. If you want to read about my experience with Second Life, then read it here.
• UnFestival/UnConference/Open Conference--These are kinds of event where audiences "vote with their feet". Rather than the festival or conference where the audience is expected to arrive and leave sessions when scheduled, the audience is given permission to come and go as they feel the need. The presenters accept this fact. This eliminates the need for time limits on stories. Anyone could be the storyteller, presenter, or speaker. The term "open conference" is the more common term and derives from the adjective "opensource" that means "public access and community development". For the storytelling community, these terms were shared often due to the decision by the National Storytelling Network to not have an annual conference in 2009. Rather, this year became known as the "Year of the Regions" as NSN combined efforts with regional storytelling conferences in sponsorship. Some storytellers resisted the break in tradition and proposed having unconferences. Read more about these terms at Tim Ereneta's blog here.
  
• Open Space Technologies/Brain Trust Sessions--A facilitator guides a group of people to briefly share the theme of the gathering. People announce what topics are of most interest to them. These ideas are listed on a piece of paper or board for the improvised agenda. The person suggesting the topic would be expected to lead the discussion when people can decide what room to go for the discussion. When all ideas are listed, then discussions ensue and people attend whichever ones they wish. The attendees organize the action. At the end of each session, someone reports what was expressed within the group. The report is then recorded and and becomes available to anyone. OSTs actually came into being 1985 by Harrison Owen. For the storytelling communities, Brain Trust Sessions occurred for the first time at the 2008 National Storytelling Conference. One room was used, though a couple sessions took different corners of the room so many topics could be discussed in small groups at the same time.
• Storytelling Elitism--Storyteller Marilyn Hudson coined this phrase in 2008 after what she saw happening with the Oklahoma Tellers. In this case, the elitist could be the person who hires the storyteller or could be the storyteller himself. The elitist is the person who "sees only one type of storytelling as 'true storytelling' (theatrics vs. traditional, for example)." The organizer or the teller may see one style and may want to imitate only that style at the event. This causes difficulty for new tellers or lesser-known tellers to grace the stage. For more of Hudson's views, you can go here.
• Festival-Worthy/Festival-Ready--When storytellers submit promo materials or audition items for storytelling festivals, then they are hoping to be "festival-worthy". This term is used most often for the National Storytelling Festival as well as for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival due to the prestige associated with these events. I have heard the term "festival-ready" by Kathy Palermo, one of the directors of the Arne Nixon Student Storytelling Festival. Since Palermo teaches a storytelling class at Hanford High School in California, she has her students perform for this event. The students divide into several classrooms with a professional storyteller in each room to act as mentor/judge. The professional storyteller choses which students could tell later that afternoon and are then deemed "festival-ready". This phrase is even written on the ballot sheets. The afternoon is open for the public and not all youth are expected to be chosen to share their stories. However, all youth do receive certificates.
• New Voices--These storytellers are in the 18-30-year-old range. Due to the small numbers of this generation in the storytelling community, some people consider age 35 to be part of this discussion group within the National Storytelling Network. This group formed at the 2005 National Storytelling Conference in Bellingham, WA. The "new" part of the name refers to the ages and not necessarily to their amount of experience with the storytelling art.
• YES! (also known as Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance)--The name for this organization was voted into place by people within the Youth Storytelling special interest group merged with the up-and-coming Educator special interest group of the National Storytelling Network at the 2005 National Storytelling Conference. The NSN Board encouraged the groups to merge due to some overlapping goals. The exclamation point was a key part of the name and represents "alliance". The name was also chosen to answer the question, "Storytelling in Education? YES!".
• Edu-tainment--This word combines the words "education" and "entertainment". Storytellers wanting to promote both elements in their program told sponsors that they had "edu-tainment" value. Some storytellers are offended if their stories are only considered entertainment or "full of fluff".
• Sense Presence--This term was coined by storyteller Bill Harley. The word is a combination of "stage presence" and "senses". The storytelling community often talks about "The Triangle" in that the three important relationships in the storytelling: teller to story to audience. Harley said that "sense presence" was when a storyteller did a perfect melding of these relationships in which the right story was told to the right audience by the right teller. A teller may not feel "sense presence" after every performance or even from a story that received that feeling before. It was something to strive for each time a storyteller went on stage. Harley predicted that these sense presence moments were rare despite someone's experience with the art.
• Storetry--This word combines "story" with "poetry". My first encounter with the word was when Mitch Capel (a.k.a. Gran'daddy Junebug) labeled his style as "storetry" at the 2007 Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. All his stories/narratives were recited with rhythm and rhyme. I have since seen a book named Storetry by Allan Williams and published by RoseDog Books.
• Citizen Journalist/Public Journalist/Street Journalist--Anyone can post news online and be their own journalist through tools like blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. This movement started around 1988 and has exploded due to people being able to go on the Internet from home or on their cell phones. These terms are not to be confused with "community journalist" or "civic journalist", who are considered professionals. Several storytellers write regular blogs so to join the citizen journalist force. From the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information came the statement that these journalists are "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information."
• Ezine--This is the back-formation of Ezine Articles. Writers are able to write about their expertise and become featured at EzineArticles.com. This site has a searchable database that make it possible for people to ask permission of the writers to add these articles to their own newsletters. In a content-driven world, this service is invaluable. Anyone could submit articles, but there are guidelines and all articles are proofread before posting online. Some storytellers have received offers for performances or presentations due to the articles posted at this site.
• iTales.com--Like iTunes.com is geared mostly for music, the iTales.com site is where people can find stories available for download at similar fees. The "i" refers to "Internet". These audio stories could be placed on your computer, mp3 player, iPod, or on a CD. Storytellers receive a commission on any of their stories sold at this site.
• Digital Storytelling/Web-based Storytelling/Hypertexts/Narrative Computer Games--These terms are still being figured out, though, at this time, they refer to using the Internet or computer software to create visual and/or audio ways to share true stories of one's life. The main focus is to share it in an engaging way that involves the emotions. Most of these stories are less than eight minutes long. One of the most popular places that uses these forms of storytelling is the Center for Digital Storytelling in San Francisco.
• YouTube Storyteller--This phrase was likely coined by storyteller Tim Ereneta. On YouTube, he created a "channel" or group within YouTube called "The Ancient Art of Storytelling". People could submit their videos to this channel if they were performance storytelling pieces. Some people submit stories only online rather than going about the world as professional storytellers. Thus, they could be called "YouTube Storytellers". There are also storytellers who have over 20 videos of stories on YouTube and could also qualify for this term although no number has been set for who would be a YouTube teller. Perhaps if you at least have one, you can join this family!
• Fringe Teller--This phrase, like "YouTube Storyteller", was most likely created by storyteller Tim Ereneta. This may have been the shorter way of saying "a storyteller who performs often at fringes". A fringe is a festival-like atmosphere that allows people to apply for a slot. The person could use the average of 55 minutes in whatever way he wishes. There are adult content warnings listed, if applicable, so the audience member could decide on their attendance. Most fringes gear for adults though there are specific family-friendly ones. Common artists found on the fringe circuit are musicians, comedians, and actors. As more and more storytellers are looking for alternate venues, the fringe has been a welcoming place. Any performing artists must pay for their own advertising, but they are still linked to a specific fringe.
• Masterminding--This is a verb created from the noun of "Mastermind Group". Sean Buvala has popularized this term in the storytelling community. A Mastermind Group is a bunch of people all committed to improve as individuals in their industry. The group often meets in-person, by telephone, or through online methods to "check-in" with each other and keep everyone accountable for their individual goals often involving the marketing and/or development sides. The group may all be storytellers or the group may be a mix of business men from all backgrounds.
• Shout Out--Several storytellers have labeled blog posts with "Shout Out" when they want to promote an individual, company, or idea. This term is a sign of respect and is synonymous to the phrase "giving props". The phrase emerged in 1990 with rap artists and has finally caught on in the last year with storytellers. Sometimes game show hosts have used the term when contestants have family in the audience so there could be a "Shout Out" to them.
• Storytelling Tourism/Storytelling Tourists--This is the act of gathering a bunch of people to travel to another place--most likely a foreign country--to delve into that place's take on storytelling. The "tourists" are usually storytellers who combine their skills with the storytellers of the area visited. There is then a cultural exchange of ideas and techniques. The most famous of these tours are organized by Eth-Noh-Tec, a storytelling husband and wife team. Each year tends to rotate between India and China with the tourists coming from the United States.

Please share any words that you have heard within the storytelling community. . .or ones about to emerge.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I was listening to the radio one night. . .

I usually do not listen to the radio except for when it comes to my alarm clock.

Curious as to what stations were popular in Eastern Tennessee, I swiveled the knob and heard a sympony of static, songs, and sounds until I stopped on WFHG SuperTalk 92.7 on July 14, 2009. Already this was unlike me, as talk radio often means sports and unless they are talking about the Green Bay Packers, I am probably not interested.

Perhaps being 10:55pm had something to do with the listening.

Strangely, I stopped to listen to a commercial. Well, maybe this is not so strange. My husband, Casey, knows that I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Unless who are playing? Yes, the Green Bay Packers.

It might relate to the fact that I studied Communications Marketing and each class we analyzed what we saw.

Anyway, one of the commercials promoted the learning of foreign languages. Just the word "languages" caught my attention due to our Linguistics class. Then, the ending line said, "Don't try to learn a language. Absorb it."

The first image that sprung to mind was of the sponge and its ability to soak a lot of water. The word "absorb" comes from the Middle French word "absorber" in 1490 and means "to swallow up". In Latin, the word "absorbere" breaks down the word into "ab" for "from" and "sorbere" for "suck in". Sometimes it means "to drink greedily". Eating and speaking often involve the mouth. Why not use such a saying to promote learning foreign languages?

At that point, the regular programming for the talk radio came on.

Phil Valentine was the host and he opened the line for callers. At times, he read emails from people. One person voiced, "You really hacked me off." That was a violent way of saying that this particular caller would never listen to this radio station again due to the debate on whether President Obama needed to provide a live birth certificate to prove citizenship to the United States. The person's statement sounded much like what you would expect a butcher to say as he brought down his cleaver into the side of a cow.

The word "hack" came from the Old English "tohaccian" which means "to hack to pieces" or "to hew, strike". There is a slang version of hack to mean "cope with" or "get through by some effort" with the sound of "can't hack it", which was first recorded in the United States of 1955. Now we use "hack" from coughing to an illegal entrance into a computer or "creative prank".

For the caller, I will go with the butcher version, especially as the word "hack" even sounds like a cleaver falling down into the meat.

The announcer's response was to "Get off our duffs". Phil expressed that it would be better to go and do something rather than nothing. He reminded people that if they were unhappy as to the way a politian handled issues, then part of the action included to vote for other people who would fight against the unfavorable issues.

I never heard the use of "duffs" to be the same area of the buttocks, but I am sure plenty of people have used the word "duffs". The term came from the 1830s with unknown origin though the best guess would be from the Scottish culture. Interestingly, a "duffer" means "old man", "bad golfer", or "dull or stupid person". Yet, the 18th century, theives used "duffer" as slang to mean "to dress or manipulate an old thing and make it look new."

Some of the craziest names have been given, and it seems to be the comic relief of the human body.

As the radio show continued, I heard a classic plane story with turbulance. From one of the flight passengers was said, "The plane did a Charleston." Not only was the plane headed to Charleston, SC, but the reference to Charleston refers to the fast-pace dance.

The dance often involves side-kicks from the knee and was most popular in 1923 due to the name of a song named after Charleston, SC. The city itself was named after King Charles II of England. The New York Times said of the dance, "I have no objection to a person dancing their feet and head off ... but I think it best that they keep away from the Charleston." That was on July 26, 1925.

The most intrguing story was about a prison in Texas that needed to figure out how to jam cell phone signals. Some of the inmates were still doing drug deals and other criminal acts behind bars. Somehow the cell phones get snuck inside. Dogs are being trained to sniff them out. In the meantime, there are "cells found in cells". Double meanings often are ripe for jokes or for such comedy shows like Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. . .even if they refer to dangerous activity.

The word "cell" comes from the Latin word "cella" as in "small room, hut" or the Latin word "celare" meaning "to hide, conceal". Prisoners are, in a real sense, hidden from the world. The Gothic word of "halja" is related to "cell" and means "hell" or "cave". How could these relate to cell as in "cellular telephone"?

"Cellular" comes from Modern Latin of "cellularis" or "little cell". For cell phones, an area is divided into "cells" of a few square miles to be served by transmitters. This use of the word came about in 1977.

By this time, it was 11:27pm.

Great!

I still had a few hours before my regular bedtime!

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman
(801) 870-5799
info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel Hedman: So I was sitting on a plane one day. . .

I am always anxious to know who may be my neighbor when I fly on the plane.

Or rather three neighbors.

For my trip from Salt Lake City, UT to Johnson City, TN on July 12, 2009, not only would I take one plane, but I would take three.

It was the neighbor who "stole" my window seat who I loved best.

An older retired-looking man with beshoveled whiskers turned away from the window and towards me when I came to the row. I asked, "Do I have the right seat?"

He seemed reluctant to speak, as if he knew the guilt. I had to smile. He slightly fidgeted like a kid who snuck the last bit of chocolate chip ice cream from grandma's freezer.

He replied, "My eye sight is not that good, and I can never figur' out where those letters [A, B, C, D, E, or F] belong to." He said this with his grumble-like-a-bear voice had such a soothing nature that I could fall asleep and stay awake at the same time.

It was a rich enough voice that I nodded my head and responded, "You're good. You're good."

That started our first exchange of conversation at 9:30pm. We would not get to Las Vegas until about midnight. A red-eye flight was in store beyond that one for me.

Suddenly I realized that this man, who had the appearance that he liked to keep to himself and avoid talk with strangers, suddenly became a storyteller. My mind applauded as I knew this would be an enjoyable ride.

Eventually he learned that I was a professional storyteller, but that was about it. I wanted to be the story listener.

I had my "delighted-to-listen-to-you" face on and encouraged with the occasional "Oh!" or "Really?" to keep him going.

There was no way I wanted to interrupt his narrative flow.

That was when I learned that his name was Harry. Harry from Oregon.

A furniture-maker by trade, he was really an inventer at heart. (I could add story-inventor, too.) His ideas came more to life when working with his favorite hardwoods like oak or ash.

He chuckled about his endeavors, "Someone is always building a bigger mousetrap."

I have heard this saying before, though his experience with creating small things the size of a mousetrap to huge kitchen tables, made me even curious to the story behind it.

Harry may have shared the most common part of that saying, but the full saying comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson when he said, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door."

Perhaps Emerson was aware that when James Henry Atkinson created the wooden base trap with the spring wiring in 1897, that many people who submit patents for similar and bigger versions.

A New York Times article by Edmund Andrews said, "The world is still seeking a better mousetrap. Even with thousands of mousetrap designs, ranging from spring-loaded jaws to glue snares to poisoned cheese, a new mousetrap patent appears every few weeks." Only about 20% of these patents have seen "real" money.

Answers.com posted, "To build a better mousetrap means to achieve an ideal, to reach a pinnacle achievement, or to create the best possible device in an imperfect world."

Back to Harry, my neighbor.

One time he went to a quilt show one time--out of curiosity--and was perplexed to see that these quilts that were sometimes hand-stitched and represented hours and hours of loving hands and hearts, the quilts were hung on the walls with nails. He returned to his workshop to come up with a solution: quilt compression bars.

Harry exclaimed, "Then I hit it on the nail!"

Being that he had previously mentioned nails as the source of the problem, I had to laugh when he used that common saying to explain his triumph or "Eureka!" moment.

The original saying was "hit the nail on the head" and refers to "a properly placed and forceful point that was made". For Harry, he used the saying to show how his invention made the women rave at the quilting shows. Of all the things he invented, quilt compression bars have been the most profitable.

Depending on the person, the saying could mean to do the right thing with the most effectiveness and effiecieny. Now that is what Harry did.

I asked for his website as my mother-in-law went to quilt shows all the time and would be interested, too.

That was when I heard a lot of "You betcha!" from him.

Our conversation--or should I say his stories--twisted and turned until, through the windows, we could see the Las Vegas lights. The plane was about to land for its first part of the trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas.

One of the most popular activities in Las Vegas: gambling. The "bet" from "betcha" was amusing to hear from Harry. The ending "a" of "betcha" is a shortened version of "ya" also known as "you". So literally, Harry said, "You bet, you!" as in "You can count on it."

In times past, people gambled money or stock or land, but the most binding of all was when you gave your word for something. In a sense, you bet you. There was a time when these promises did not have to written as legal contracts. People could rely on whatever you said.

As for Harry, it was as if his mind either consciously looked for moments to share sayings appropriate to the topic or proximity to a place, or that he was so bright that his subconscious figured the sayings out on his own.

Whatever the reason, there was a feast of words to behold and to savor.

Perhaps a seat being "stolen" is not such a bad thing. It may make way for some stories.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

(801) 870-5799

info@rachelhedman.com

Rachel the Raconteur: "Oh, Storyteller, Storyteller, why must I be called Storyteller?"

I have never considered myself a raconteur though I always liked the name of it.

I am a fan of alliteration and revel in rattling "r" words if received enough reason.

Yet, when people ask what I do, I say, "I am a storyteller."

This reminds me of a time. . .or actually the day after my "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" storytelling premiere. My parents flew from Wisconsin to Utah to attend. They were still in town so we went to the LDS Draper Temple open house in the Salt Lake City area.

The tour started at a church building. From there, we were shuttled for about five minutes to the Temple. While on the bus, my Mom told a family sitting nearby--with a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old--that I was a storyteller. Then Mom, still looking at them, addressed me with, "Tell them a story."

Two things ran in my mind. First, you do not argue with Mom. Second, I knew I was a lot like my Mom for I would have done the same thing if I had a daughter.

Maybe 2 1/2 minutes were left of the ride. A Chinese tale flashed into my mind and I shared it. The story ended as the shuttle came to a stop. The family thanked me for the story. As I always have business cards in my wallet, I gave a card. I encouraged the kids to share the story with others. I may never know what will happen as a result, but the storyteller side of me thought, "Ah, this is part of what life is about. . .sharing stories so people can find their own."

Okay, so perhaps the above story could qualify me as a raconteur.

But let us think about the title of "raconteur". It is not all that different than the title of "storyteller" that people like my mother or I use all the time to describe how we share stories.

Yet, have you come upon other beautiful names for the storyteller? Do you then exclaim, like me, "Oh, Storyteller, Storyteller, why must I be called Storyteller?"

Then these words may be of interest--

• Raconteur--A person who excels in telling anecdotes. This comes from the Middle French language with the verb "raconter" with the "re" meaning "again" and "aconter" meaning "to tell or to make an account". You could also refer to "recount" of which this word came to being about 1456 of Middle French. Yet, if a raconteur shared anecdotes, then what of that the word "anecdotes"? In 1676, it was Greek for "anekdota" with "an" meaning "not" and "ekdotos" meaning "published". Often these tales were giggled or gossiped about as secret or private stories. They were meant to be brief, witty, skillful and amusing.


• Troubadour--A composer and performer of Occitan lyric poetry in the High Middle Ages (1100-1350). This singer/storyteller created their own works with the main themes of chivalry and courtly love. Their pieces were often metaphysical, intellectual, and formulaic. Often the stories were humerous and sometimes vulgar satires. Their words could be so powerful that often movements were attributed to the troubadours. If they preferred, they may accompany their story with instruments like the fiddle. The etymology is debated as either having Latin or Arabic roots. If the Latin way, then the Old French/Occitan word "trobador" means "trope" or "turn, manner". The Latin way could also come from the Modern French word "trouver" meaning "to find". Most agree that the word "trobar" in Occitan meant "invent" or "compose". If the Arabic way, the word "trobar" is thought to mean "to sing". Then, there are some who declare that both the Latin and Arabic may have been merged on purpose to have a play on words as with the coincidence of "trobar" and the triliteral Arabic root.


• Bard--Many cultures have "borrowed" this Greek word from "bardos" meaning "to raise the voice, praise" of the Proto-Celtic time, which traces even to Proto-Indo-European. Often, a bard was a professional poet hired by monarchies or nobles to create eulogies or other praising work. If the patron did not pay the right amount to the bard, then these praises transformed into satires. For the pre-Christian Celtic people, the bard sang songs about the wondrous deeds of the warriors or to reveal family geneologies and histories. The bard traveled from place to place like a nomad, though was paid considerly more. Nowadays, bards have been generalized to mean epic authors, singers and/or narrators. For more on Irish bards, then read a post I wrote entitled "Today's Bards and Seanachies: Irish Wisdom in Storytelling Techniques".


• Seanachie--These traditional tellers from from the Celtic culture and can vary in spelling from "seanchai" to "shanachne" to "seanchaidhe". The "seanchas" means "old lore". If you took the "idhe" and add an "s" to make "sidhe", then you get a word that means "hill of the fairies or people of the faerie mound". These would be part of the tales they would share as well as the history and laws memorized in long lyric poems. Specific speech and gesture teachniques are used. Sometimes stories came from literary sources. Yet, for the most part, the stories were passed from one teller to another teller. A few seanachies traveled, but most settled in one area and became known as "village storytellers". For more on Irish seanachies, then read a post I wrote entitled "Today's Bards and Seanachies: Irish Wisdom in Storytelling Techniques".


• Skald--This was a Scandinavian poet and singer of Medieval times, and likely the word came from "sekw" and means "to say, utter". Norwegians and Icelandic poets of the Viking times were most common to have this title. You may want to consider that "skald" looks a lot like "scold" and is often attributed to these tellers. In 1150, "scold" meant "person of ribald speech" or "person fond of abusive language". The word "skaldskap" meant "libel in verse". These people were feared due to the ability to make language wound the soul or to mock. Mainly, women used this skill. The word changed into a verb in 1377.


• Scop--This person was the Old English/German counterpart of the skald. Mostly epics and sagas were told including Beowulf. The word came from the verb "scapan" as in "to create, form". This word later transformed into "scoff" and to mean "abuse, derision". From the Germanic "skeub" we get "push, thrust" and this kind of scop usually believed that the spiritual or the heroic went hand-in-hand with the ecstatic or drunken state. Thus, we receive much mocking in those areas from the scops.


• Minstrel--Since the 1800s, this term has meant "Medieval singer of heroic or lyric poetry who accompanied himself on a stringed instrument". It did not always connect with a historical place in time. The word came from the Old French "menestral" to mean "entertainer, servant" and from the Middle Latin "ministrals" for "servant, jester singer". Finally, Late Latin brought "ministerialem" to mean "imperial household officer, one having an official duty". The French often saw minstrels as pure musicians, but the English, around 1600s, declared that anyone who delved into the entertainment field for the benefit of a patron was a ministrel. This could include singers, storytellers, jugglers, and buffoons.


• Ashik--This is a person who sings semi-improvised stories with central themes of worldly love, epics of wars, or both from the areas of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Iran. The teller travels much like the troubadour or the bard yet with spiritual influences. The teller plays the saz, a lute-like instrument. The ashik practices the oral tradition and shares the values held by the tradition of the culture. Today, the ashik can be found in rural areas of Azerbaijan and Iran while this same kind of teller is currently called "bakshy" in Turkey. The word "ashik" comes from the Arabic word "Asheq", which means "one who is in love". "Ishq" is commonly added to words to refer to love. It is also from "ashiqah" meaning "a vine" and refers to the common belief that "when love takes its root in the heart of a lover, everything other than God is effaced". This is also known as "divine love" or "man's love for God" found in the Sufi tradition of Islam.


• Griot/Jeli--This is a West African poet, praise singer, wandering musician, and who has the ability to remember all of the history of the local area as well as to improvize pieces based on current events. Sometimes the griot is known for gossip, satire, or political comment. Griots married other griots and passed the stories along to their children. The Manding term of "jeliya" means musicianhood with "jali" or "djali" meaning "blood" and refers to the way the stories are passed within certain bloods. Every Jatigi, warrior-king, had a griot and vice-versa or each were considered worthless without the other. Some villages had their own griot to share stories of the births, deaths, marriages, and of everyday events. The French word "guiriot" and the Portuguese word "criado" mean "servant", and so nowadays most of these tellers prefer to be called "jeli" than "griot".

What would you like to be called?

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

(801) 870-5799

info@rachelhedman.com

The Ox as Mayor, a German folktale

This story is dedicated to Koko, Kanzi, Washoe, and Alex the Parrot--

A peasant couple decided, "Our ox is so clever. We should send him to school. Then he can learn to talk and to read."

At this time, a group of students were on their way to college and passed by the couple's home. The people called out, "Wait! As you are going to school, please take our ox so he may learn, too!"

The students smiled and saw this as an opportunity.

"We will bring the ox with us. . .only if you pay for his books. We have already paid for ours."

This made sense to the couple so they gave money to the students without question.

The students took the ox.

Then, about every month, a letter arrived from the students to express how well the ox was doing in school. The couple wished that the ox would write to them instead of the students, but the students insisted that the ox was so busy studying. Yet, each time these letters arrived, the students always asked the couple for more money to pay for more books. The ox flew through reading the ones he already had.

These letters went on for several years.

Finally, the couple missed their ox so much that they wished to visit him. When they wrote of this desire to the students, the students mentioned that not only did the ox graduate from school but that the ox became the mayor at a certain village.

This the couple had to see.

The couple traveled to this village.

Now it happened that the mayor's name was Ox. When the couple asked how to find Ox, the people pointed to a particular building. The couple entered.

There was a man behind a desk.

"Ox?" asked the couple.

The man looked up.

"Who are you?" asked the mayor.

"Who are we? What do you mean 'Who are we?'"

Still, the mayor looked confused.

"So this is how it will be," fumed the couple. "We pay for your education so you can talk and read, and you choose to ignore us? Then we shall go home."

The couple stomped out of that village.

When the couple arrived at their home, a dog welcomed them.

The couple looked at each other, smiled, and had another thought.

--This is my take on this German folktale. One version is found in Folktales Told around the World edited by Richard M. Dorson.