Mythstories Gallery Guides

follow the ducks

each exhibit has a duck nearby, each duck has a number on its back, look at the number in this book.

information about

the exhibits in the

main hall.

Room 3

The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics, the other being The

Mahabharata. There are many versions, the most common is a poem of 24,000

couplets, composed by the sage Valmiki in the 4th century BC, and written down

in the 6th century AD. However the story, which originated in North East India,

had been retold for centuries before Valmiki’s version.

The Ramayana tells the story of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, whose mission

is to kill the evil demon Ravana. The story follows Rama's life from his divine

conception through childhood; marriage to the beautiful Sita; banishment from

his kingdom; fourteen years spent in exile in the wilderness; the abduction of his

beloved wife; his long search to find and free her; his triumphant battle with

Ravana; and his joyful return to the kingdom of Ayodhya. It is an intensely moral

story, which covers all emotions.

Scholars believe the story has an historical context, based on events during the

early days of the Aryan occupation of Northern India. Rama was the son of a

chieftain, the ‘monkeys’ were a friendly tribe of people living an ‘uncivilised’ (to

Aryan’ eyes) life in the enormous forests of Central India. The ‘demons’ were

from a race that had made their home on Sri Lanka and were beginning to invade

the Southern Indian mainland. However the historical context pales into

insignificance when compared with the religious importance of the story.

The Ramayana is one of the most important gospels of the Hindu faith. The

Hindu trinity consists of: Brahma, god as creator; Vishnu, god as preserver; and

Shiva, god as destroyer and re-creator. Vishnu steps in whenever there is trouble

in heaven or on earth and was born as Rama to save the world from the

personification of evil, the demon Ravana.

Sita is both woman and daughter of the gods, found in a furrow of ploughed

ground by her father King Janaka. Some believe she is an avatar of Lakshmi,

goddess of beauty and fortune.

Rama and Sita are the ideal man and woman, examples to every boy and girl.

Rama is the perfect son, brother, husband, warrior and king. Sita is the perfect

woman; tender, compassionate and devoted.

The Ramayana

An Indian epic tale

The places in the story are actual places where today's people make pilgrimages;

Hanuman Langurs still roam around villages looking for food and making

mischief; Sita's clothes are much the same as the clothes worn by women

throughout India today. This gives this tract a continuity that no other religious

story can claim. The Ramayana has remained part of everyday life; told, read and

acted out in cities; recited by storytellers in the smallest most isolated villages

much as it would have been for tens of centuries.

In September or October in Northern India the festival of Dussehra (Dasera) is

centred on the Ramayana. Over the ten-day festival the people celebrate Rama's

victory over Ravana. The story is acted out in a sort of pantomime called Ram

Lila (the play of Rama). Huge effigies of Ravana are made and at the end of the

performance destroyed or blown apart with fireworks and firecrackers. On a

smaller scale children make small clay or mud statues of Ravana and smash

them to symbolise the victory of good over evil.

Diwali, the festival of light and the Indian New Year (usually in October)

commemorates, in some areas of India like Punjab and Gujerat, the coronation

of Rama, and his triumphal return. The story tells how lights were lit in every

window of the city of Ayodhya to guide Rama and his friends home.

Valmiki's poem ends: -

"Rama is ever pleased with those who listen to his story or who tell the whole of

it, and those who do so will attain happiness like unto that of Rama, he whose

deeds are imperishable, he who is Vishnu, the eternal, the lord. May prosperity

attend you! Recite it with love and may the power of Vishnu increase!"

Make your way around the 15 paintings.

Read the synopsis of the story on the luggage

labels. Turn the handles of the automata and

investigate the contents of the drawers and

cupboards.

There’s things to smell, things to admire and things to

dress up in (you’ll find instructions for folding a sari and

a sarong a few pages forward).

You can make and colour a stick puppet too.

The 15 acrylic paintings that tell the story were created by artist Dez Quarrell

between 1988 and 1992 and form part of Mythstories’ core collection.

Most of the rest of this exhibit arrived in 2006 thanks to a grant from NESTA

(National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) under their

‘lluminate’ fund.

The automata were made by artist John

Grayson based on detailed descriptions

given by adult lifeskills students at

Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology.

The students worked with storytellers from

Mythstories museum and John to come up

with the concepts for each artwork. The

students heard the story of the Ramayana in

five episodes. At the end of each episode,

they looked at Dez’s paintings. Then one of

the students described an other image the

story had created in their mind and

answered questions put by other students

building up the detailed descriptions of five

key kinetic moments.

Look up and you will see five

beautiful shadow puppets depicting

characters in the story. They were

hand-made from animal hide and

coloured by India-based puppet

masters Kavi & Leela Mahipat, who

use similar puppets in their own

shows.

You can cut out and colour your own stick puppet using the kits in the ‘cabinet’.

Or if you prefer you can take a kit home to make later.

And on top of the cabinet is the traditional Indian game of Pachisi which you are

welcome to try to play. Full instructions follow.

The Diwi lamps on the cabinet and paper door hangings and friezes displayed

under paintings 7 – 12 were brought back from India and donated to

Mythstories by storyteller Peter Chand.

Many of the items of clothing in the drawers and the fabrics under paintings 1

– 6 were collected during her travels in India and donated by Jude Willerton.

On the top of the cabinet you will also find a modern game, TalkTent.

This was created in 2001/2 by storytellers Jan Blake, Malika Booker and Helen

East, working with artists Ali Pretty and Lucille Tuitt and pupils from ten

schools in London.

The pupils batiked 10 panels, each depicting three stories, that were put

together to create a life-size tent for storytelling and story creating.

The tiny tent you see on the cabinet was designed and

produced by Kavi and Leela Mahipat to contain a game that

linked some of those stories together.

Open the tent VERY CAREFULLY and

explore the pockets and boxes inside.

How to tie a Sari

And five ways to tie a Sarong

The Rules of Pachisi

Pachisi, also known as "Twenty Five", is the national game of India and has

been played there for millennia. Pachisi should not be confused with the

modern commercial Western derivatives Ludo (UK) and Parcheesi (USA),

both of which are simplified and less skilful.

Equipment

The game of Pachisi is played on a board in the shape of a cross, each arm

being divided into three adjacent columns of eight squares. Three of the

squares on each arm are highlighted with a cross or some other

distinguishing mark - the middle square at the end of each arm plus the

fourth square in from the end of the arm on either side. These squares are

called "castles". The middle of the cross forms a large square called the

Charkoni.

Sixteen beehive shaped pieces are used, in four groups of four. The

element of chance is provided by 6 small cowry shells that, when thrown,

indicate an amount according to the following rules:

2 cowries with mouths up - 2

3 cowries with mouths up - 3

4 cowries with mouths up - 4

5 cowries with mouths up - 5

6 cowries with mouths up - 6 + grace

1 cowries with mouths up - 10 + grace

0 cowries with mouths up - 25 + grace

A grace is a special allowance which is a critical part of the game.

Preparation and Objective

The game is for four players playing as partners. Partners sit opposite each

other. To begin, the pieces are placed in the Charkoni. Each player throws

the cowries - highest plays first and thereafter turns are taken in an anti-

clockwise direction.

It is possible to play the game with two players. In this case, play proceeds

exactly as if there were four players but one player plays the partner

counters too.

Each player's objective is to move all four pieces down the middle of the

nearest arm, around the edge of the board in an anti-clockwise direction

and then back up the same arm to finish back in the Charkoni. The pieces

are placed on their sides when returning up the middle of the arm towards

the Charkoni in order to distinguish them from pieces just starting.

Pachisi is a team game, and is only won when partners have all eight pieces

home. As with all true team games, working together is the key to

winning.

Play

Moves are decided by throws of the cowry shells. To begin a turn, the

player throws the cowries. The player moves a piece the number indicated.

If a grace is thrown, the piece moved can be played out of the Charkoni

onto the board, if desired, and the player is allowed another throw and so

on until a 2, 3, 4 or 5 is thrown.

The first piece to leave the Charkoni for each player can depart using any

number. All subsequent pieces are only allowed to start or re-enter the

game using a grace throw.

More than one piece from the same side can occupy the same square. A

piece is not allowed to finish on a castle square that is occupied by one or

more enemy pieces.

If a piece finishes on a non-castle square inhabited by one or more enemy

pieces, the enemy pieces are captured. Captured pieces are returned to the

Charkoni from where they must start again with a grace. A player making a

capture is allowed another throw of the cowries to be taken immediately.

Moving is not compulsory and a player may decide not to move having

thrown the cowries. This is typically done in order to remain safely within a

castle square or to help a partner. A common strategy is for a piece to

remain upon the castle square at the end of the third arm until a 25 is

thrown, thus allowing that piece to finish without risk.

It is possible for a piece, upon completing its circuit, to carry on around the

board for a second time. This is often done in order to assist a partner

who is lagging behind.

Pieces finish the game by re-entering the Charkoni, having completed a

circuit of the board. However, a player is only allowed to move a piece into

the Charkoni by throwing the exact number required.

Instructions from Masters Traditional Games the makers of the board.

Artist Lucy Moxon, aided and abetted by Mythstories storytelling

apprentice Jake Evans created this marvellous interactive exhibit for

the museum, which was installed on Friday 31st March 2017.

The Wondertale Maker is a magical tree which visitors can adorn with

heroes, helpers and villains and leaves of narrative to create their own

story. Just follow the instructions on the next page to create your own

Wondertale.

It was made as part of a project called “inQb8or” which funded a year

long storytelling apprenticeship for young storyteller Jake Evans. Jake

worked on a number of key tasks under Mythstories’ guidance before

gaining his qualification.

His partnership on a cross artform collaboration with emerging fine

artist Lucy Moxon was set the task to come up with an installation that

would allow visitors the chance to make their own tales using the

structure of the classic wondertale. Lucy’s resulting artwork is great

fun to use and embeds the structure of this traditional archetype in all

users’ minds.

We would like to express our profound gratitude to Arts Council

England for supporting this fruitful collaboration with Lottery Funding.

And we hope to use Lucy’s undeniable talents again in the near future.

Meanwhile Jake who was initially introduced to

storytelling by Mythstories at the age of 15,

continues to work with the Mythstories team on a

project to project basis while he develops his own

career as a professional storyteller.

The Wondertale

Maker

An interactive 3-D Artwork

The wagon was created in 2007 in a project led by six local traveller teenagers:

Richard, Cody, Bobbie, Cacey, Jason and Henry. For them it was an opportunity

to tell the story of their own heritage. The traveller people in Britain are among

the last true carriers of the oral heritage learnt tongue to ear. While in Scotland

their role is recognized, here in England that is yet to be the case.

The young people, with the help of The West Midlands Education Service for

Travelling Children, wrote a successful bid to the Local Network Fund that paid

for artists Tom and Una from Illuminations Media to help them turn the fireplace

of the museum into the storytelling wagon. They also brought in musician /

storyteller Dave Arthur who shared traditional gypsy tales he had learnt from

families of Kent travellers and taught the girls how to dance over the broom and

the boys some traveller melodies. Traveller friend, artist Maggie Roberts and her

daughter Jasmine, showed the teenagers how to decorate the front of the bow-

top wagon in the traditional way and created the sign above the exhibit. The

stool decorated with horses’ heads is also Maggie’s work. Other items for the

interior wagon were collected by the teenagers.

There is an album of photographs showing

some of the highlights of this project and

two later projects (see below), on the shelf

in the red cupboard.

Henry made a video documenting the

project, which you can see on Wordscape

North Shropshire (room 2, duck 5).

The Romany Gypsy

Storytelling Wagon

In November 2008 the Prees Travellers Group, which included some of the

parents of the teenagers who had made the wagon, created a mosaic with artist

Elizabeth Turner. This was to be part of the Whitchurch Mosaic Heritage Trail.

The mosaic includes photographs of the traveler homes today and a small

picture tile and mosaic of Henry and Cacey next to the Romany Gypsy

Storytelling Wagon. The travelers wanted their mosaic to be with the wagon in

Mythstories and kindly donated it to the museum.

In 2009/10 Henry and Cacey returned to the museum with Sylvester, John and

Charleen from Prees Heath and Jamie Nadine, Sherel and Alisha from Park Hall,

nr. Oswestry. This group made the special boxes that slide under the wagon

settles and filled them with memorabilia relating to a person who would have

lived in a wagon like the bow-top. This project ‘Life In A Box’ was funded by the

Heritage Lottery Fund. The teenagers worked with wagon-maker Elijah who

taught them the woodworking skills they needed and Maggie returned to

supervise the painting.

Elijah also demonstrated how to make the traditional traveler crocket-baskets,

wooden flowers and paper flowers that can be found among the items on

display.

The group visited Shropshire Archives to research the lives of their ancestors

and recorded a short life-story of each of the four chosen people.

Reset the slider on the left hand side of the

cd machine on top of the stove to ‘CD’ and

press ‘play’ to hear the stories. Look in the

boxes and see if you can work out which

box belongs with each life-story.

The final stage of this project used footage from the

recordings of Media Archive of Central England,

showing traveller evictions in the 1970s and 1980s.

The teenagers responded to the prejudices shown by

recording raps at The Hive, Belmont, Shrewsbury.

This activity was funded by the Shropshire Diversity

and Equalities Fund.

The Romany Gypsy Storytelling Wagon provides an intimate space just waiting

for a story to unfold. It's somewhere most of our visitors find themselves sitting

comfortably listening to a tale or two.

Listen to a story and its soundscape. Chose

percussion instruments and play along or

create your own soundscape.

The pink river dolphin is almost extinct. Listen

to the story of Bufeo Colorado to find out why.

Make up your own story using the finger

puppets from Peru.

This exhibit was created in 2006 as part of Touch It, Move

It, Feel the Rhythm and Do It! It was funded by the

National Endowment for Science, Technology & The Arts.

Reception pupils at Whitchurch Infant School listened to rainforest

stories and experimented with sounds and rhythms. Musician Rich

Wilson recorded them and mixed in noises from the rainforest to

create the soundscapes.

The South American

Rainforest

Stories told in sounds

In 2006 we set Rick Wilson a challenge. Rick, a musician

and percussionists, has a long pedigree of working

alongside storytellers and tells stories himself too, but

could he tell stories with no words?

We gave him a Reception class from a local infants

school to help him along with the task, and we chose

three stories from the South American Rainforest for

him to retell.

In the picture above you can see Rick and his willing

helpers creating the sound of footsteps walking and

running through the leaf mulch. Rick and his team came

up with all sorts of different recording scenarios, most

of which shall remain top secret, but can you imagine

the sound of twenty small mouths sucking on mangoes?

Rick went back to his studio in the Welsh hills and

waved his magic sampling wand and came up with the

amazing results.

Bertilak is one of the main characters in the verse story “Gawain & The Green

Knight”, an Arthurian tale of testing the Christian faith, with many deceptions

and moral dilemmas

You can find the story in the ‘medieval romances’

section of the museum library. Or ask the storyteller to

tell it to you.

Bertilak arrived at Mythstories in pieces inside two ‘body bags’. It took seven

people to put him together.

He had been on display at Rennes museum, Brittany, France. The Bretons also

lay claim to the stories of King Arthur.

Bertilak was made by the Grand Order of Guizers (aka The Guardians of Giants).

His first outing was at the Giant Parade celebrating the Barcelona Olympics in

1992, his appearance at Rennes was the last before his retirement to

Mythstories.

Please do not touch him – he is old and fragile. DO ASK a

curator if you would like to feel samples of his ‘hair’ and ‘skin’.

Bertilak

the Green Knight

A Processional Giant

For an anatomical view, look in the mirror on the box.

The cushion was made by Jake Evans in March 2017 to celebrate his year’s

storytelling apprenticeship at Mythstories.

The sea chest was donated by Audrey Lambart (nee Field) and was used on a

voyage from Montreal to Southampton aboard the Cunard Lines Iverna, when she

returned from studying at Harvard University. It was decorated by work

experience students Bethan Llewelyn and Jess Parry in summer 2007. Ask one of

the curators if you want to look inside.

This final photograph was taken at

the opening of the Channel Tunnel.

Transport Minister Malcolm Riffkind

applauds as Bertilak’s maker Dave

Lobb raises a giant glass of

champagne in a toast.

Apparently after the ceremony that

giant glass goblet had gone missing,

never to be seen again!

The Raven Artbox was commissioned by Shropshire County Council

Arts Service as administrators of the Eric Robinson Arts Trust from

artist Andy Hazell and originally used to tour paintings from the

Trust’s collection around schools in Shropshire.

Turn the handle on the side of the huge treasure

chest and the ravens will clap their steel-can wings.

Please do not touch the ravens; some of the

metal is sharp.

The Artbox is on long-term loan to Mythstories where it both acts as

the museum’s exhibit store and plays a role as a storyscape for ‘The

Treasure of Stokesay’.

Read that story in Room 2 (or ask the

storyteller to tell it) and discover why we are so

pleased to have the artefact in the museum.

The Raven Artbox

An Automata by Andy Hazell

The Gilgamesh tablets were commissioned with funding

from NESTA (The National Endowment for Science,

Technology & the Arts) in 2006.

A group of secondary school pupils with special

literacy needs were told the story of Gilgamesh in

episodes and were asked to respond after each

episode drawing the picture that the story had

created in their heads. Neil took these sketches to his

studio and used them as the starting point for the

eight vitrified clay tablets that make up the story

series.

The commission was drawn up following a visit to the museum by a

deaf, dumb, blind child. Surely there was a way to tell a story by

touch?

Neil's tablets call out to be touched and add an extra sensory

dimension to the Mythstories museum experience.

Close your eyes, touch the clay tablets and imagine

the story.

The tablets depict this part of the Gilgamesh story:

Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, was two-thirds God and one-third human,

and 100% trouble. 18 feet tall, a seething tower of testosterone.

None of the women were safe from him and all men were his slaves.

The humans would turn their backs on the gods if they did not tame

Gilgamesh, so the gods created the King a massive playmate, Enkidu;

part-man, part-beast. The two giants bonded in combat.

Gilgamesh Tablets

By Neil Dalrymple

They went off on noble adventures leaving the people of Uruk to get

on with their lives. Tragedy struck when Enkidu died and Gilgamesh

experienced grief for the first time. Not just grief and loss, but also

the realisation that one day death would come to him too. Gilgamesh

could not come to terms with his friend’s death or the looming destiny

of his own final fate: He set off on a quest to find eternal life.

He walked to the end of the earth, to the dark mountain where the sun

rose and set. He walked further through absolute emptiness between

this world and the next; the gods’ domain.

He emerged from the mountain in Paradise. The gods tried to tempt

him to stop there. But he needed to find Ut’napishtim and his wife,

the couple who had saved the world from the great flood and had

been rewarded with life eternal; he needed to find the secret.

The boatman, Urshanabi, helped him navigate the sea of death.

Gilgamesh cut 360 tree trunks to punt his boat across. There he met

Ut’napishtim, who said he would give up his secret if Gilgamesh could

conquer the ‘little death’ of sleep, but he was so, so tired. Gilgamesh

was about to return defeated when Ut’napishtim’s wife pleaded with

her husband – not eternal life, but what about rejuvenation?

Ut’napishtim told Urshanabi to take Gilgamesh to the place at the

centre of the oceans, to hold the rope and send Gilgamesh diving

down to fetch the thorny plant ‘the old man becomes young’.

Gilgamesh had the plant in his hand; all he had to do was return

home. But half-way across the desert an oasis lured him to take his

rest. As he slept a serpent smelt the magic plant and ate it from his

hand. Gilgamesh awoke to see the serpent slithering away, leaving its

old dry skin discarded on the sand. The plant was gone but the

realisation had come ‘it is not for man to live forever’.

The Royal Game of Ur

This game was played over 4,500 years ago in

the Sumerian city. It was rediscovered in the

1920s by the British archaeologist Sir Leonard

Wooley when he unearthed the ancient city of ‘Ur

of the Chaldees’ in modern-day Iraq. The game

boards were found in the graves of the rich and

the royals.

Gogmagog’s sword

The sword behind the Gilgamesh tablets belonged to Bertilak’s

and Morgan’s ‘big brother’ Gogmagog. Gogmagog was also

made by members of GOG. The sword is all that remains of this

processional giant.

Here he is in action…

These paintings show the

final two scenes.

They are by Dez Quarréll

who donated them to the

Charity in 2001 and. are

the part of its core

collection that were

‘Illuminated’ by the

NESTA grant.

Here’s the proof:

Take a look in the creature peepers

.Some people will tell

you that you are

looking at a

dragonfly larva case

and a mummified

sand lizard. Others

believe these are

baby dragons.

This dragon’s dropping was collected from a secret

location in the heart of Snowdonia by storyteller Andy

Harrop-Smith, who donated it to the museum. Andy tells us

his grandfather was a dragon-tamer who taught Andy all he

knew. Andy says this is probably a dropping from a snow

dragon.

Be warned, it gets quite sticky in hot weather, so be careful

if you want to touch it.

This poster of the Midgard Serpent

was donated to the museum by

storyteller Michael Dacre. It depicts

the mythical beast that features in

many stories from Norse mythology.

Also see the wooden Viking dragon

in the picture at the top of the page.

…………….And the paper Chinese Dragons features in many festivals today.

Dragons

Do they, or did they, exist?

Do you believe that dragons are sweet-natured, misunderstood creatures like the

baby emerging from the egg made by Ann Oakes-Jones? Or do you believe that

they are viscious creatures to be feared like the one in the pastel drawing by Sue

Jones?

And is the Chinese Lion a dragon or maybe just a close relative?

Probably the most common historical

reference to Chinese Lion Dance is

the story of Nian . According to

legend, a monster was terrorizing a

small village; eating the livestock,

crops and villagers. One day, a

Buddhist monk visited the village and

witnessed the events that had taken

place. To rid the villagers of this

menace, the monk instructed the

villagers to get their best martial

artists and build a 'monster'. In

addition to this, the monk instructed

the villagers to fill bamboo shoots

with gunpowder and to cover the village in red decorations.

The following year, when Nian came back (its coming had become an annual

occurrence), the village's best martial artists ran out with their 'monster', whilst

the rest of the villagers rushed out banging their pots and pans, throwing their

homemade firecrackers. Seeing this, Nian fled the village, scared for its life.

From this day, the Chinese perform this dance to not only celebrate their besting

of Nian, but also to ward off bad-spirits or, if Nian should return, scare it away.

If you want to hear the complete stories, ask the storyteller to tell them. The

answers to these questions may give some clues:

Tyrkir in Wonderland

Could Leif the Lucky really have lived up to his name? And could one

drunken German slave name a new nation?

The Loyalist Cow

Can cows swim? And could one determined bovine specimen inspire a

nation to stand up for itself in the face of overwhelming odds?

The Talking Cat

If your oldest friend started to talk would you listen? And do you know

just when to stop listening to the obvious?

Skunk Has Found a New Home

It’s black and white and makes you see red all over. Do you know

how to extract a skunk from inside a warm and cosy oven?

The Grizzly Boatman

Why would a grizzly bear choose to shoot the rapids in a kayak? And,

even more surprisingly, why would a man choose to accompany him?

La Chasse Galerie

Just what would make you sign a pact with the devil? And do you

know how to keep your mouth shut when it really counts?

Canadian

Settler Tales

Acrylic paintings by Dez Quarréll

If you want to hear the complete stories, ask the storyteller to tell them. The

answers to these questions may give some clues:

Talk No More

Could the Great Father fit all the animals on his raft? And

could he ever stop them complaining?

Sedna, Goddess of the Seas

Why would a beautiful girl fall in love with a smelly seabird? And

why would her father condemn her to a watery grave?

Oshadagea, Bringer of the Dew

How can one eagle renew the infertile land? And how can an

everlasting lake fit in the small of its back?

Coyote Steals the Fire

Can Coyote form the dream team to execute his plan? And

what happens when fire-beings cry?

Here Comes Raven, Who Sets Things Right

Who can tell the most boring story? And how can Raven set

things right?

First Nation

Tales

Acrylic paintings by Dez Quarréll

Morgan Le Fey, sometimes called Morgana, is another processional giant made

by The Grand Order of Guizers (aka the Guardians of Giants).

She is younger than Bertilak, and lighter too. By the time she was made GoG

members realised the need for a ‘one-person’ giant for their team.

Morgan is the half-sister of the legendary King Arthur and features in many

Arthurian stories, including the tale of ‘Gawain & The Green Knight’ where she is

the main protagonist and sets the trials for Arthur’s champion, Gawain.

She is not just one of the Royal Family, but also a pagan priestess, deeply

mistrustful of the new religion, Christianity, which is spreading through Arthur’s

Kingdom. Morgan carries a silver sickle, to cut mistletoe at midnight so it

retains its magical properties. On her forehead you will see a crescent moon, a

symbol of her faith. In her bag she carries giant skirt pins, to hold up her skirts

when crossing muddy festival fields.

She has walked in many places across Europe, often with Bertilak at her side and

has come to the eponymous Morgan Library to live out her retirement.

And, yes, she is pregnant. The bump will be Owain, who will grow up to serve as

one of the knights of Arthur’s round table.

Morgan Le Fey

A Processional Giant

A Kete, a plaited flax bag, is a ‘basket of

knowledge’.

The kete has its own stories. Firstly it is the flax

that grows forth from Papatuanuku – there is the

link between the flax and Papatuanuku. Rituals

are observed. Secondly, there is the link between

the kete and the person who plaited it – the person

who caressed the blades of flax to give the kete

shape and design. Thirdly, the kete may be given

to another person thereby creating a link between

people. Fourthly, when a kete is given to another it

is because of a special occasion.

Our Kete was a gift from Thelma Pugh, after her

visit to New Zealand. Inside the basket you will

find a book about kete and their makers. There is

a card on the native Bellbird, a power shell,

containing fragments of other power shells (be very

careful when touching these, they can be sharp),

and finally a Maori headband, which was donated

by Suzanne Thomas along with the two Maori dolls

you will see on top of the bookcase.

Patupaiarehe, Kete

and Talking Stick

From New Zealand

Walking Sticks ‘Toko toko’, or

‘Rakau Korero’ (Talking Stick) are

generally decorated either by

carving a representation of an

ancestor, or a legend. This stick

was hand carved by Te Karuhiruhi

and acquired for the museum by

Trustees Geoff Hardy and Peter

Roscoe on a visit to the Te Puia

Maori Cultural Centre in Rotorua.

When the Maoris have a Hui

(meeting), on the Marae the men

carrying the toko toko are generally

recognised as being orators and

having the authority to speak.

This keyring depicts a Patupaiarehe, a

fairy from the Maori tradition. It was

donated by Thelma Pugh.

Patupaiarehe are well-known for their

love of stealing shadows and reflections.

You will see that both carved objects

have ‘eyes’ made out of small fragments

of power shells.

Use the words to help you put the countries of

South America together.

All the phrases written on the map are from flood

stories told along the valleys, mountain ridges or

rivers at the position you can see them. A lot of

the flood myths derive from the tale ‘One Tree and

Many’ which you can

find in the Rainforest

(duck 6 in this room).

Read the phrases and

see if you can complete

the story.

Or trace how the story

changes as it moves

through the continent.

Try putting some of the

phrases together to

make your own story.

Jigsaw

Flood stories from South

America

Storyteller Liza Watts died in 2016 and her family

have kindly donated her library to Mythstories so

that it may be kept together and intact for use by

other storytellers. It is also a fantastic example of

the type of background work storytellers do. It

shows the breadth of reading and the personal

interests that motivate a teller to tell their tales.

Liza Watts was a pioneer of Theatre in Education

during its Heyday the 1960's and '70's, so that when

she came to storytelling in the 1990's she brought an

unparalleled breadth of very practical insight and

experience to the understanding of how stories worked

in communities and education. She influenced

storytelling practice across the East and West

midlands. During her professional career she had

amassed a library of key texts and often very rare

books, so the placement of this library ,intact, with

Myth Stories as the custodians, creates an accessible

resource which will be invaluable to future generations

of serious storytelling practitioners and

educationalists.

Ben Haggarty, Honorary Professor of Storytelling,

Berlin University of the Arts’.

Liza Watts:

A Storyteller’s

Library

This small replica Hahoe mask was gifted to the museum in 2008 by

the South Korean cultural mission. They accompanied a camera crew

who filmed the museum as part of a world-wide fact-finding mission

before establishing a museum of Hahoe storytelling.

Hahoetal masks are the traditional Korean masks worn in the Hahoe

Pyolshin-gut t'al nori ceremony, which dates back to the 12th century.

They represent the stock characters needed to perform the roles in the

ritual dance dramas included in the ceremony. The masks are

considered to be among of the most beautiful and well known images

representing Korean culture and the government have named them a

"National Treasure"

It is said that a young man named Hur received instructions in a

dream from his local protecting deity to construct the masks. The

decree was that he had to create all of the masks in private,

completely unseen by any other human being. He closed himself off in

his home, hanging straw rope around the house to prevent anyone

from entering while he finished his task. A young woman in love with

Hur grew impatient after not seeing him for several days. She decided

to secretly watch him by making a small hole in his paper window.

Once the deities' rules were broken, Hur immediately started vomiting

and haemorrhaging blood, dying on the spot. It is said he was working

on the final mask of Imae when he died, leaving it unfinished without a

chin. The girl then died of guilt and a broken heart. The villagers

performed an exorcism allowing for their souls to be raised to the

rank of local deity, and they were able to marry in the afterlife. The

Hahoe Pyolshin-gut ritual ceremony was developed to honour them

and console their tormented souls.

Hahoe Mask

From South Korea

The masks represent the characters in the Hahoe pyolsin-gut dance.

They are:

Chuji (the winged lions): They act as protectors from evil during the ritual

performance. They are long ovals adorned with feathers and often painted red.

They are not worn over the face, but held.

Kaksi (the young woman/bride): A goddess in the first play of the cycle and a

young bride in later episodes. This mask has a closed mouth and closed

downward lowered eyes, indicating that she is both shy and quiet. Her eyes are

not symmetrical, and the mask is carved and painted to have long black hair.

The mask is constructed from one solid piece of wood.

Chung (the Buddhist monk): A lecherous and gluttonous character. The mouth

of the mask is a separate piece from the top and attached with cords, allowing

for movement to represent laughter. The eyes are narrow, and there is a small

horn-like bump on the forehead. The mask is often painted red to represent

middle-age.

Yangban (the aristocrat): The character with the most power, and therefore the

object of extreme mockery in the plays. The eyes are painted closed, with deep

dark eyebrows and wrinkles surrounding them. The chin is a separate piece from

the top of the mask, and the actors can lean forward and back to make the mask

smile or frown as needed.

Ch'oraengi (the aristocrat's servant): The wise fool, providing much of the

comedy for the plays. He has a crooked mouth with his sharp teeth showing and

bulging eyes set in a deep socket with a solid dark eyebrow. The expression of

the mask shows stubbornness, anger and a mischievous and meddling nature.

Sonpi (the teacher/scholar): Another character holding high social status, the

mask has flared nostrils and sharply defined cheekbones to show an air of

disapproval, conceit and disdain. It is wider at the top, coming almost to a point

at the chin to represent and mock the large brain of the know-it-all scholar. The

mask has a separate jaw attached with a chord or string.

Imae (the scholar's servant): This character is portrayed as a jolly fool, with a

drooping eyes to express foolishness and naivety. The forehead and cheeks are

slanted and there are many wrinkles around the entire face and eyes. It is the

only mask without a chin.

Punae/Bune (the concubine): Punae is a forward and sexual character,

appearing in the plays as the concubine of either the scholar or the aristocrat.

The mask is symmetrical and made of one solid piece of wood. She has a very

small mouth with red rouged lips, cheeks and forehead. Her eyes are closed and

she has a general look of happiness and good-humour. The mask is constructed

with black hair painted on the top of her head and 2 cords/strings hanging from

the sides of the mask.

Paekjung (the butcher): The mask has narrow eyes and a separate jaw, allowing

the mask to have an evil grin when the actor leaned forward, and appear to be in

maniacal laughter when leaning back. The hair and eyebrows are painted black

and the mask is covered with wrinkles. The brow is slanted to represent an ill-

tempered nature.

Halmi (the old woman): The mask has wide round eyes and an open mouth,

both surrounded by wrinkles. The forehead and chin are both pointed to

represent a character without the blessings of heaven above or the promise of

good fortune later in life. The mask is one solid piece of wood.

Three of the original twelve masks are lost. These represent:

Ttoktari (the old man)

Pyolch'ae (the civil servant/tax collector)

Ch'ongkak (the bachelor)

The Pyolshin-gut t'al nori ceremony consists of ten "episodes." They are:

Opening rituals/"Piggyback" episode: The ceremony

begins with a forty to fifty foot pole being erected to

honor the village's guardian deity. The pole has five

brightly coloured pieces of fabric and a bell on top. A

second, smaller pole is built for the "Deity of the Home-

site," also with five pieces of fabric on the top. The

villagers and audience then prays for the Gods to descend

and bless the proceedings, and the bell on top the larger

pole rings to signify their approval. The villagers then

throw pieces of clothing at the poles, trying to have them

drape over them. Success would ensure personal blessings

of prosperity. The master of ceremonies and performers

then start marching down to the performance site

followed by the audience, playing music and dancing along the way. The

performer wearing the Kaksi bride mask is carried to the performance, as she is

representing the deity of the girl, and deities cannot touch the ground. This

action earns the deity's blessing for the proceedings.

The Winged Lions Dance: Two performers carry the Chuji masks and dance

around the playing space, loudly opening and closing the mouths of the masks.

The purpose of this dance is to ensure the safety of the playing space and actors

by expelling evil spirits and demonic animals, which would be scared of the

winged lions. Once the dance is done, the stage has been purified.

The Butcher Episode: Paekjung, dances around and taunts the audience. He

kills a bull and then starts trying to sell the heart and other organs to the

audience. The audience refuses and he shows frustration by throwing tantrums

and shouting. He then makes an energetic attempt to sell the bull's testicles. He

runs through the audience trying desperately to finish his task.

The Old Widow Episode: Halmi, tells the story of losing her husband the day

after their wedding, and expresses her grief at having been a widow since she

was fifteen. She sings a song at her loom telling her tale.

The Corrupt Monk Episode: Chung watches Punae/Bune dance around the

stage. She then urinates on the ground, Chung scoops up the wet earth and

smells it, and is instantly taken over with lust. The two dance a lascivious dance

unknowingly being watched by Sonpi and Yangban. They then run off together

to the disapproval of the scholar, aristocrat and their servants.

The Aristocrat and the Scholar Episode: Sonpi and Yangban fight over their

shared desire for Punae/Bune. They argue about their worthiness, citing

examples of their education and desire, and then compete to buy the bull

testicles from the butcher as a sign of virility. The three come to amiable terms

and all dance together. Their servants mock their and tell them the tax collector

is coming so Yangban, Sonpi and Punae scatter.

The Wedding Episode: Villagers compete to present the couple with their

personal mat to be used for their wedding night. It is believed that anyone

successfully adding their mat to the pile will be blessed with prosperity. A small

wedding ceremony is then performed on a collection of mats piled from the

offerings of the audience.

The Wedding Night/Bridal Chamber: Ch'ongkak ceremoniously removes Kaksi's

robe and they lay down together on their pile of wedding mats, acting out the

consummation of their marriage. Afterwards, the couple falls asleep and Chung

jumps out of a wooden chest and murders Ch'ongkak. This scene is played at

midnight, and due to its graphic nature women and children were forbidden to

attend.

Japanese rule of South Korea halted the Hahoe pyolsin-kut ceremony in

1928. From 1974-1975 The Hahoe Mask Dance Drama Preservation

Society collected all existing manuscripts, meticulously recreating the

ritual performance. They continue to perform the dances domestically

and internationally, as well as training and passing on the traditions to

younger generations.

This Mata ni pachedi or mata ni chandarvo (Temple Cloth) is on loan

from Storyteller Helen East.

Made by the Vagri community of Gujurat, originally a travelling group,

the cloth provided a temporary and very portable altar and sometimes

part of a tent used for devotion and prayer. The Vagri community are

now resident in Ahmedabad where they continue to make the cloths in

the same way.

The cloths show the Goddess Durga in some of her various avatars

(incarnations or bodily forms). Durga has 64 avatars (64 Yoginis)

amongst which is Kali the demon slayer. The peoples of Gujurat

believe Durga is their protector. The cloths are rectangular narratives

divided into 7 or 9 parts, each a stand-alone story, with Durga or a

Gujarati Goddess as the central figure riding on her vehicle. The

central figure on this cloth is riding a crocodile so the goddess is

probably Khodiyar Maa (the mother goddess). Sometimes the

episodes around the cloth include a life story of the commissioner

and/or an image of a local Vagri priest (the Bhuva) leading a goat for

sacrifice.

The Cloths are made from printed and dyed cotton, hand drawn with

a kalam (reed pen or bamboo stick with a cotton swab on the end) and

then dyed with block prints. Traditional mata ni pachedi have only

three colours; maroon/red representing the earth, black to ward off

the evil eye and white (usually the background colour) which stands

for purity. Each vegetable dye colour is applied separately. The cloth

is fixed with an alizarin solution and then rinsed in running water

between the application of each colour.

Story or

Temple Cloth

Kalamkari of Gujarat style

The Cloth is prepared by soaking it in water to get rid of the starch

and left to dry in the sun. It is then soaked in a mixture of cow dung

and salt and boiled. Then it is bleached in a mixture of castor oil and

caustic soda, followed by a mixture of castor oil and Harra (myrobalan

powder) and then left to dry.

Printing is done with wooden blocks faced with rusted iron motifs.

They are soaked for a week in a solution of sugar and the paste of

tamarind seeds which when mixed with myrobalan powder produces

the back dye.

There is one large printing block on the shelf below the cloth,

together with three small ‘novelty’ blocks depicting animals.

These were donated by Judi Willerton.

The story of Khodiyar Maa goes back to around 700A.D. It begins in a village

called Roishala. Roishala was a part of Vallabhipur province near what is now

Bhavnagar city in Saurashtra (Gujrat, India).

Maharaj Shilbhadra was the ruler of the Vallabhipur province. Mamaniya Gadhvi lived

in the small town, Roishala in his kingdom. He used to be Maharaj Shilbhadra’s best

companion and a close confidant. Honest by heart, the humble and eloquent Shiv

bhakt, Mamaniya Gadhvi was appointed as a Rajgadhvi by his friend. The king would

talk to him for hours at his palace and consult him for important governance issues.

This friendship between Maharaj Shilbhadra and Mamaniya was envied by many

ministers in the Maharaj’s council. They disliked his presence at the palace and

Mahraj’s personal chamber but they could dare not reveal their hatred to the king.

So one of the minister’s pointed out to the queen that Mamaniya and his wife were

‘baanj’ as they hadn’t had a child despite the many years since their marriage. This

made Mamaniya’s presence inauspicious for the king, the kingdom and the queen’s

prospects of having a child.

The brainwashed queen ordered the king’s men to stop Mamaniya Gadhvi coming into

the palace. Next day the modest soul was stopped at the doors of the court. He was

told by the doormen that the king didn’t want to see his inauspicious face. Shocked

Mamaniya asked why. The doorman told him that the king found it ominous for a man

without children to be present in his court or his palace.

Mamaniya’s heart broke. He left the palace without argument, feeling humiliated to be

treated this way by the king after years of friendship and selfless service.

Mamaniya went home from the capital. The displeased look on his face could not be

missed by his wife, Minalde. After probing for reasons, she learned about his

humiliation at the king’s palace, all because they did not have children. She could do

little to placate her husband, who was still reeling under the shock.

Mamaniya decided to go to the Shiv temple and ask Lord Shiv for children. He decided

to perform Kamal pooja (a type of Hathyog to please God). Lord Shiv was unmoved

and Mamaniya decided to give him his life. Just when he was about to make his final

sacrifice Lord Shiv appeared and told him that it was not in his destiny to become a

father.

Later he went to ‘Naglok’ (the snake kingdom) to see if ‘Nagdev’ (the king of snakes)

could help. On hearing his case, Nagdev’s daughters (Nagputris) decided to rescue

helpless Mamaniya from his emotional crisis. 7 nagputris (daughters) and 1 nagputra

(son) agreed to be born in Mamaniya’s home. They promised to arrive on Mahasudh

Aatham.

Mamaniya told his wife to keep 8 cradles ready in anticipation of the great event. As

promised 8 snakes crawled in to their house and one occupied each cradle. In no time

they transformed into babies. One of the 8 babies born was Janbai (later to become

Khodiyar Maa).

Mamaniya and his wife celebrated the miracle of the births by distributing sweets. The

announcement of having fathered 7 daughters and 1 son reached every nook and

corner of the town.

They named their daughters Aaval, Jogal, Togal, Janbai, Holbai, Beejbai, Sosai and the

son, Mehrak (Mehrakiya with love).

But her fellow-villagers knew that Minalde had not been pregnant, to have delivered 8

children must have been a miracle. Some suspected the miracle to be a result of a

black-magic trick practiced by Mamaniya and his wife. These rumours found their way

to Maharaj Shilbhadra’s ears. He had been as glad as anyone else to know that

Mamaniya was no longer a ‘baanj.’ But the rumour made him reluctant to participate

in Mamaniya’s charan celebrations.

The king’s jealous ministers took this opportunity to plan the king’s assassination and

blame Mamaniya’s charan for the same. One of them secretly poisoned the sweets

specially brought by Mamaniya to offer to the king.

A happy Maharaj Shilbhadra took a look at all the babies. When he took little Janbai in

to his arms from the cradle, Mataji extended her hands over his head to bless him. To

protect the innocent king from his assassination attempt, Mataji performed another

miracle from the cradle. When Shilbhadra was about to eat the poisoned sweets they

disappeared suddenly.

This annoyed the king adding to his belief that black magic was involved. He ordered

the killing of the babies by immersing them in water in iron boxes. To his disbelief the

iron boxes floated on water and everyone on the banks could still hear the babies

crying in the boxes. They all survived!

Khodiya Maa is named

Mamaniya’s young children were playing in the field when brother, Mehrak was bitten

by a venomous snake. His sisters rushed to him. Aaval said they had to fetch ‘Ami’

(Elixir of life) from the ‘Naglok’ underneath the sea. It had to be brought before the

sunset in order to save Mehrak’s life. Janbai volunteered to bring Ami from Naglok

before the sun set.

She got ‘Ami’ from Naglok. While hurrying back to the surface of water she injured her

foot on the sharp rocks. She was rescued by a crocodile who took Janbai on its back to

the surface of water.

Limping with discomfort Janbai still reached the accident site on time. Seeing her in

this state, Aaval guesses she must have injured her foot. Feet injury is known as Khodi

and Aaval heard one of her sisters saying, “Khodati aavechhe” (She is limping on her

way). For Janbai’s feat of saving her brother, Aaval decided to name her Khodiyar and

declared that she would be in future known and worshipped as KHODIYAR Maa.

This particular event shows how quick and impatient Khodiyar Maa is when it comes to

answering the prayers of her followers and also made ‘magar’ (crocodile) her ‘vahan’

(vehicle). Khodiyar Maa on her crocodile symbolizes her control over land and water.

These textiles were made by Julie Long as part of her Level

2 City & Guilds course in Hand and Textile Embroidery.

They are on long-term loan.

The bags, pictures and cushions are all designed as props

to help tell the stories they depict.

The workbook that accompanies “The Green Knight” serves

as a window to examine their making process.

Please look inside ‘The Silver Hoof’ bag to find a

written version of the story and to handle items

connected with the tale.

You will also find Julie’s written versions of the other

stories.

Do not be confused, the story of ‘The Green Knight’ on the

cushion is NOT the same tale as ‘Gawain & The Green

Knight’ (Duck 7).

Shining Threads

Made by Julie Long

Although the dolls come from all over the world

most are unified by their collector, Grace

Hallworth. The well known Trinidad born

storyteller, author and librarian had a passion for

dolls and wherever she travelled a new doll would

come into her care.

Now residing again in the UK, Grace kindly

donated her dolls to Mythstories and you will find

them in and on top of the bookcases.

The two Maori dolls in this room were donated by

Suzanne Thomas.

In the bookcase you will find collections of folk tales, legends and fairy stories

from America, Africa, Asia and Australasia and two shelves of story anthologies

from around the world and other oddities like the objects opposite.

Nearby you will find:-

A selection of Guatemalan worry dolls. These tiny little Central American dolls

are made for, and often by, children to take away the worries of real life. When

the dolls are placed under your pillow you're certain to have a good night’s sleep

and wake up worry free in the morning. You will find a Guatemalan Worry Doll

Nativity, complete with baby worry doll in a straw lined crib, with llamas looking

on. This, together with the three single dolls, was donated by young storyteller,

Jen Ward. The story sash was donated by Cumbrian storyteller, Heather

Edwards.

Room 3 Extras (no ducks)

Also look out for ……….

All these items, unless otherwise stated, were donated by Jude Willerton.

Buddhist Prayer Flags - a Chinese parasol.

a Buddhist Prayer Wheel –some Chinese Chopstick – a simple drop spindle

Our headwear and footwear department …try something on

Children’s Shoes (Nepal) - man’s topi (Nepal) - Shemagh and headband (Egypt)

A Boy’s topi (Nepal) – A Yashmack (Jordan) – Hat with earflaps (Nepal)

Dancing Clogs – A Slovakian Hat

Keeping the museum safe!

Shropshire fairies aren’t sweet, loveable creature they can create havoc in a

home. Here are two traditional methods of keeping the home fairy-free.

Both need to be placed above the door.

The first is a bough of May blossom. Someone else must bring it and place it

above the threshold. You can’t ask anyone to collect it for you it has to be a gift.

Ours was brought into the museum by storyteller Helen East and as you can see

has remained in its place of honour for many years.

The second is an horseshoe, contrary to popular belief it doesn’t need to be this

way up to stop the luck falling out. The important thing is that it is made of

iron, a material the fairies detest going anywhere near. This could be because of

their connection to Bronze Age peoples who were driven out by the coming of

the Iron Age.