Sometimes stories are so new and different from the ones we are used to hearing that we have a hard time understanding their value. We all have to work through a little fear of the unknown, and it takes some practice to see the goodness in new stories. The good news is, we can learn to see the inherent goodness in those stories. The more we listen to new and different tales, the more we consider the different cultural lenses through which people may see those stories, and therefore, the more we learn to love them and their tellers. 

Even if stories differ from the ones you tell, you can often find their inherent goodness as you listen. Today’s stories will explore quirky ideas like a snake’s marriage proposal to a woman and even a donkey challenging a toad to a race! Each story may seem a little odd at first, but if you listen for a bit of their inherent goodness, you will hear themes of familial strength and expanded love.

 

Today on The Apple Seed, enjoy the following:

"The Woman and the Snake" by Barry Stewart Mann from The Improbable Love of Ethel and Elmer and Other (8:23)

Professional actor, writer, and storyteller Barry Stewart Man tells of a girl named Ambala, who can’t seem to get rid of her illness. One day, the snake she and her father take care of every day appears to her in a dream, and tells her she will be healed. When she finds herself free of the illness soon after, she begins living a confident life till she is again visited by the snake in another dream. This time, he declares that she will marry him! And so, believing his predictions, she prepares to do just that. Listen in as Barry tells The Woman and the Snake, from his album The Improbable Love of Ethel and Elmer and Other.

 

"The Three Army Surgeons" by Ingrid Nixon from Grimm’s with a Twist  (8:34)

Inspirational speaker and storyteller Ingrid Nixon tells of three army surgeons who were so skilled that they could remove their own body parts and sew them right back on by morning. One day, during their stay at an inn, the surgeons body parts go missing – the inn keeper and his wife find a way to replace their body parts, hoping they will not notice the different when morning comes. Puzzle along to this quirky tale as Ingrid tells The Three Army Surgeons, from her album Grimm’s with a Twist. 

 

"Donkey and Toad" by The Storycrafters from Classics with a Twist (8:00)

Storytelling duo Barry Marshall and Jeri Burns, also known as The Storycrafters, tell of a donkey who would always brag about his long, strong legs as he laughs about his friend Toad’s short, stubby ones. Toad enlists his children in helping him win the race, and instructs to jump out at Donkey and sing their ancestral song at him as he passes by. Tune in to the lyrics of this quirky song as The Storycrafters sing along to Donkey and Toad, from their album Classics with a Twist. 

 

"The People Who Could Fly" by Kim and Reggie Harris (16:19)

Our country is still wrestiling with a history so entangled with the enslavement of fellow human beings. A wealth of stories grew up among those enslaved people. And it's so remarkable that such a persistent thread among those stories is the thread of the mythical ability of the people to fly away to the magical country called "Freedom". This story called "the People Who Could Fly" was recorded live at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. 

 

"The Little Red Hen" by Donald Davis from Grandma's Lap Stories (8:09)

Donald Davis usually enthralls audiences with stories of his youth growing up in the Appalachian Mountains. But he tells traditional tales, too. Like "The Little Red Hen".