Ancient Stories for Modern Times
50 Short Wisdom Tales for All Ages
Folktales—a font of timeless wisdom—are meant to be told aloud. This rich collection curates fifty such tales and provides guidance for telling them well in gatherings.
These lively and engaging stories from around the world star a panoply of colorful characters. Their adventures and conundrums illustrate our relationships to the natural world and to one another and present a rich array of principles to live by. The stories explore a broad range of themes, including authenticity, forgiveness, generosity, death, faith, hope, and many more. Some funny, others poignant—all of the tales draw listeners in and allow them to develop their own personal interpretation. Each story is accompanied by a brief description to help users select one suitable for their occasion and reflective questions to provide food for thought or spark a conversation. Story maps help tellers quickly learn the tales and facilitate powerful oral storytelling. A comprehensive index of themes and Unitarian Universalist Principles rounds out this comprehensive folktale resource.
Faye Mogensen is a long time storyteller, a former park naturalist, and now the director of spiritual learning at the First Unitarian Church of Victoria, British Colombia. A contributor to the folktale collection World on a Maple Leaf, she has also written numerous articles and stories. She holds an M.Ed. specializing in stories and drama as tools for learning.
