Round the Herne

 This recording is mainly for members of the Suffolk Jungian Circle prior to a discussion at the end of November about Jung's notions around alchemy and its attendant symbolism. It may also be of some interest to other people who are not members of the Circle.

 It's World Book Day so I have plucked some books off the shelves to share a few stories and a poem with you. In order of appearance they are: "King of Lies" from an anthology called Children of the Salmon, by Eileen O'Faolain (a collection of Irish legends and folk tales. "River God", a poem by Stevie Smith in the Penguin Poetry collection. "The Widow's Son" from an anthology called Twenty Folk and Fairy Tales from East to West, collated by Charles Folkard (this one would give a Jungian a field day in analysing its symbolism, and probably give a feminist apoplexy). The story is originally Greek, though the setting  does not make this obvious. "The Tale of the Parasite", from The Book of the Thousand Nights and One - the stories of Shahrazad. This version is translated by Powys Mathers from an earlier version by J C Mardrus.

A ghoulish tale for Halloween - was aiming to record several, but am struggling to string three cohesive thoughts together at the moment (wish it were otherwise). This one draws on Arabic folklore and warns against trusting strange women found in deserts. The folklore of that region is replete with horrors, and I really must learn a few new tales to turn stomachs with. If I find any time or mental capacity this evening I will add up another story to help get people in the mood for the cavorting of dark forces (and I am managing to avoid a single Brexit joke here).

It's Pooka's Pageant tomorrow at Oddfellows Hall in Ipswich, our annual celebration of polytheism through the performing arts. I shall be doing two storytelling slots, one of pre-Islamic Arabic stories with a rather gruesome twist, and the other a selection of Taoist myths. We also have a good selection of singers, poets and storytellers to entertain people with Indian, German, Welsh, Egyptian and other roots. Should be a great day, I'm hoping the weather will hold, as there are some outdoor events scheduled. After the Pageant... the day went very well, with some considerable talent on display and a wide selection of tales, poems and song. The poetry of Matthew Plumb was, for me, particularly impressive with its intensely evocative grasp of the natural world. I don't doubt that one day soon he will become quite a name in the poetry world. It pretty much rained all day long, but this actually served to enhance listening to poems about the force of nature. I also enjoy...