Both birch trees and oak trees are native to the British Isles, although oak forests are much more common in England than Scotland. While we did not come across any dancing tree stories from England, we did find some from Germany, the Czech Republic and even the West Coast of America.
Birch trees are often depicted as female in stories and oaks as male. The English oak is the richest tree in terms of biodiversity, supporting the largest number of other organisms of any tree in Britain. Its acorns support a number of mammals through the long winter and it provides habitat for birds and bats. But it is richest in insects, supporting hundreds of species, which in turn feed other animals. Its leaves break down easily, forming a thick layer of humus, which feeds insects and fungi, so the soil in which an old oak lives can really be understood as containing the treasures of the tree.
TELLING STORIES WITH THE SEASONS
Reconnecting to the seasons, to the natural rhythms of the year, is an essential antidote to the separation from nature that haunts contemporary living. Traditionally, the stories told would change as the year shifted from dark to light and back again. The Celtic year was divided by eight holy days: the two solstices and two equinoxes, as well as four days that fall roughly halfway between these solar events. Storytelling would have featured as part of the celebrations on each of these days. Some of the stories included in this collection are associated with particular seasons and we invite you to mark the passing of the year, by sharing these stories on Celtic holy days:
Winter Solstice (21 December)
St Mungo and the Robin
The Goat and the Strawberries
Imbolc (2 February)
St Brigid and the Wolf
Spring Equinox (21 March)
Maggie’s Nest
The Sunken Palace
Thomas the Thatcher
Beltane (1 May)
Stolen by Fairies
The Elf and the Slop Bucket
One Tree Hill
Summer Solstice (21 June)
King and Queen of the Birds
The Laddie Who Herded Hares
Jack and the Dancing Trees
Lughnasagh (31 July)
Saving the Forest
The Blaeberry Girl
Jack and the Beanstalk
Margaret MacPherson’s Garden
Autumn Equinox (21 September)
Alder Sprite
The Sleeping King
The Tree with Three Fruits
The Hedgehog and the Fox
Samhain (31 October)
Archie’s Besom
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
The Tiddy Mun
The Beekeeper and the Hare
NATURAL HISTORY INDEX TO THESE STORIES
FAUNA
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Magpie’s Nest
Bees (Apis mellifera)
The Beekeeper and the Hare
The Tree with Three Fruits
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)
The Tree with Three Fruits
Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
King and Queen of the Birds
Crow (Corvus corone)
Magpie’s Nest
The Tree with Three Fruits
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
Domesticated Animals
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
Saving the Forest
The Goat and the Strawberries
Stolen by Fairies
Margaret MacPherson’s Garden
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
King and Queen of the Birds
Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
The Hedgehog and the Fox
Common Glow Worms (Lampyris noctiluca)
Stolen by Fairies
Hares (Lepus europaeus)
The Beekeeper and the Hare
The Laddie Who Herded Hares
Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
The Hedgehog and the Fox
Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara)
Stolen by Fairies
Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Magpie’s Nest
Magpie (Pica pica)
Magpie’s Nest
Mouse, Field (Mus musculus)
Thomas the Thatcher
The Mouse’s Tail
Owl (Asio otus)
Magpie’s Nest
King and Queen of the Birds
The Hedgehog and the Fox
Peewit (Vanellus vanellus)
The Tiddy Mun
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
St Mungo and the Robin
King and Queen of the Birds
Salmon (Salmo satar)
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
Seals (Phoca vitulina)
Seal Island
The Selkie Bride
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Magpie’s Nest
Sparrow (Passeridae)
King and Queen of the Birds
Thomas the Thatcher
Jack and the Dancing Trees
Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
Thomas the Thatcher
Swallows
Archie’s Besom
Wolf (Canis lupus lupus)
St Brigid and the Wolf
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
King and Queen of the Birds
FLORA
Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
The Alder Sprite
Apple (Malus)
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
One Tree Hill
Birch (Betula pubescens)
Archie’s Besom
Jack and the Dancing Trees
Blaeberries (Vaccinium myrtillus)
The Blaeberry Girl
Dandelion (Taraxacum officionale)
St Brigid and the Wolf
Margaret MacPherson’s Garden
Hazel (Corylus avellana)
St Mungo and the Robin
The Sleeping King
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
Archie’s Besom
Nettles (Urtica dioica)
Margaret McPherson’s Garden
Oak (Quercus robur)
Jack and the Dancing Trees
St Brigid and the Wolf
The Tree with Three Fruits
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
One Tree Hill
Stolen by Fairies
Rowan Tree (Sorbus)
Archie’s Besom
Stolen by Fairies
Strawberries (Fragaria)
The Goat and the Strawberries
Thistles (Onopordum acanthium)
Margaret McPherson’s Garden
Rose (Rosa)
The Elf and the Slop Bucket
Margaret McPherson’s Garden
SOURCE NOTES FOR THE STORIES
We have both been involved in storytelling and environmental education for several years. The core of this collection consists of stories that are part of our own repertoires and that we have used many times in a variety of contexts and with a range of ages. When we began envisioning this project, we started actively seeking other stories from Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales that have an environmental angle. The following section provides source information for these stories. Where possible, we’ve traced back to an original publication. We have also listed those contemporary published versions that we could find.
The Alder Sprite
Tradition: England, folklore
Original Source: Katharine M. Briggs, The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (Routledge, London,1967)
Also Appears In: Katharine M. Briggs, A Book of Fairies (Penguin Books, 1976, 1997), pp.30–31.
Gabrielle Maunder, ‘Woodman-Spare that Tree’, in Galaxy: Stories & Writings (Oxford University Press, 1970)
Archie’s Besom
Tradition: Scotland, Travellers
Duncan Williamson says he heard this story from the brother of a crofter, Neil McCallum, in Argyll, where they worked on dry-stane dykes
together, when Duncan was young.
Original Source: Duncan Williamson and Linda Williamson, edited by Linda Williamson, Fireside Tales of the Traveller Children (Birlinn, 1983. Reprinted in 2009), pp.65–72
Also Appears in: Donald Braid, Scottish Traveller Tales: Lives Shaped Through Stories (University Press of Mississippi, 2002), pp.234–238
The Beekeeper and the Hare
Tradition: Scotland, folklore
Original Source: Sorche Nic Leodhas, Thistle and Thyme, Tales and Legends from Scotland (The Bodley Head, London, Sydney, Toronto, 1962. Reprinted 1975), pp.197–208
Also appears in: Susan Milord and Michael Donato, Tales Alive! Ten Multicultural Folktales with Activities (Turtleback Books, 2003), pp.81–86
Unknown in Tell me a Story! (Andrews & McMeel, Kansas City, 1998): www.uexpress.com/tell-me-a-story/1998/3/29/the-beekeeper-and-the-hare-a
Elaine Lindy, ‘The BeeKeeper and the Bewitched Hare’, Stories to Grow By (2007) www.storiestogrowby.orgxk
The Blaeberry Girl
Tradition: Irish, folklore
Alette learned this version as a member of the Talking Trees Storytelling group at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Original Source: There are many Irish stories in which a leprechaun has a buried pot of gold.
Also Appears in: Ian Edwards, Tales from the Forest (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2011)
Una Leavy, Irish Fairy Tales and Legends (Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1999)
Maggie Pearson, The Fox and the Rooster and Other Tales (Little Tiger: Waukesha, WI, 1997)
Linda Shute, Clever Tom and the Leprechaun (Scholastic, 1990)
Joseph Jacobs, Celtic Fairy Tales: ‘The Field of Boliauns’, (The Bodley Head 1970), pp.21–23
Ceridwen’s Cauldron
Tradition: Wales, ancient Celtic
Original Source: Lady Charlotte E. Guest (translated by), The Mabinogion (J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd, London, 1906)
Also Appears in: T.W. Rollerston, ‘The Tale of Taliesin’ in Celtic Myths and Legends (Studio Editions, London, 1986. Reprint in 1990), pp.412–414
Helena Paterson, The Celtic Lunar Zodiac, How to Interpret Your Moon Sign (Rider, London, Sydney, Auckland, Johannesburg, 1992), pp.31–32
The Elf Boy and the Slop Bucket
Tradition: Scotland/Wales/Ireland, folklore
This is a mixture of various versions Allison had read – the fairy comes in different guises: a child, an old man, and they all complain of dirty neighbours and or the pollution they are causing. In the Godfrey McCulloch version, the elf is complaining about the man’s sewage draining into his house!
After Allison had told this tale many times in community gardens, the compost connection was made. Enthusiastic audiences helped to take this natural storytelling step and shape a new ending to an old story.
Original Source: Variant, ‘Sir Godfrey McCulloch’ in Sir George Douglas, Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales (1898, 1977 Edition from EP Publishing limited, East Ardsley, Wakefied, West Yorkshire), pp.112–113
Also Appears in: Variant, ‘Sir Godfrey McCulloch’ in Katharine M. Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folktales, Part B Folk Legends (Routledge, London and New York, 1970), pp.354–355
Elizabeth Shepperd-Jones, Welsh Legendary Tales (Thomas Nelson, Edinburgh, 1959), pp.156–158
Amabel Williams-Ellis, Fairy Tales from the British Isles (Frederick Warne, New York, 1960), pp.76–81
Margaret Read MacDonald, Peace Tales, World Folk Tales to Talk About (Linnet Books, 1992), pp.63–68
Ruth Ratcliff, Scottish Folktales (Frederick Muller Limited, London, 1976)
Irish variants also exist, although the authors have not seen these.
The Goat and the Strawberries
Tradition: England, folklore
Original Source: Sent to Ruth L. Tongue, in a letter, Somerset 1917, and given to Katharine M. Briggs, ‘That’s Enough to go on With’ in A Dictionary of British Folktales, Part A Folk Narratives (Routledge, London and New York, 1970), pp.505–506
Also Appears in: Margaret Read MacDonald, ‘The Strawberries of the Little Men’, in Look Back and See, Twenty Lively Tales for Gentle Tellers (The H.W. Wilson Company, 1991), pp.95–101
Ruth L. Tongue, ‘Forgotten Folktales’ – a manuscript sent to Katharine M. Briggs, 1964
The Hedgehog and the Fox
Tradition: Irish/English, folklore
Variations of this tale are known all over the world. Different types of animal racing each other, in the differing versions – the most widely known being Aesop’s fable, ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’.
Original Source: Katharine M. Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folktales, Part A Folk Narratives (Routledge, London and New York, 1970), pp.108–109
Also Appears in: Michael Scott, Irish Animal Tales (The Mercier Press, Cork and Dublin, 1989), pp.46–52
Jack and the Beanstalk
Tradition: English
Original Source: Katharine M. Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folktales, Part A Folk Narratives (Routledge, London and New York, 1970) versions 1, 11, & C, pp.316–322
Also Appears in: Iona and Peter Opie, The Classic Fairy Tales (Oxford University Press, 1974), pp.163–174
Bobby Norfolk’s re-telling ‘Jack and the Magic Beans’ in David Holt and Bill Mooney, Ready-To-Tell-Tales, Sure Fire Stories from America’s Favourite Storytellers (August House, Inc, Atlanta, 1994), pp.207–211
Jack and the Dancing Trees
Tradition: Scotland, Travellers
This is a popular story amongst storytellers in Scotland and we’ve heard many versions of it in many different contexts.
Original Source: Stanley Robertson. ‘Battling Don’s Tale’ in Exodus to Alford (Balnain Books, Nairn, Scotland, 1988)
Also Appears in: Ian Edwards, ‘Old Croovie’ in Tales from the Forest (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2011)
King and Queen of the Birds
Tradition: British Isles, folklore
This story is well known and told all over the world. In other British versions, after the wrens have won the contest, they never again fly higher than low-lying trees and bushes. This is a good alternative ending if you want your listeners to remember in which habitats to look to find Britain’s second smallest bird, the wren. In other cultures the wren is often replaced with the linnet or other small bird.
Original Source: Oral. Possibly a retelling of an Aesop’s fable, known as King of the Birds. A version of this story can be found on every continent on earth, except for Antarctica!
Also Appears in: Sir George Douglas, Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales (1898, 1977 edition from EP Publishing Ltd, East Ardsley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire), pp. 33–45
Katharine M. Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folktales, Part A Folk Narratives (Routledge, London and New York, 1970), pp.117–119
Norah and William Montgomerie, ‘The Eagle and the Wren’ in The Folk Tales of Scotland: The Well at the World’s End and Other Stories (Birlinn, 1975, reprint: 2013), pp. 214
The Laddie who Herded Hares
Tradition: Border country between Scotland and England
Alette first heard this story told at a storytelling training day for Eco-Schools back in 2008, which was the day that she and Allison first met!
Original Source: Winifred Finlay, The Laddie who kept Hares, Tales from the Borders (London, Kaye & Ward, 1979), pp.90–100
Also Appears in: James P. Spence, Scottish Borders Tales (The History Press, 2015)
Magpie’s Nest
Tradition: England, folklore
Allison tells this tale every spring, while the birds are nest-building. She had to make a story-stick to help her remember the sequence of nest – building methods, and the different birds involved.
After learning this tale from Allison, Alette first told it in the Penguin Observation Hut at the Edinburgh zoo. It was freezing cold and audiences didn’t want to stay for long, this story was the perfect length.
Original Source: Charles Swainson
, The Folklore and Provincial Names of British Birds (Kessinger Publishing, 1886), p.80 and 166
Also Appears in: Katharine M. Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folktales, Part A Folk Narratives (Routledge, London and New York, 1970), p.123.
Michael J. Caduto, Earth Tales From Around the World (Fulcrum Publishing, Golden Colorado, 1997), pp.133–134
Margaret McPherson’s Garden
Tradition: Scotland, Traveller Tale
Allison learned this story from Owen Pilgrim, a storyteller who learned it directly from the late master storyteller, Duncan Williamson. It should be noted that Duncan called it ‘Maggie McPherson’s Garden’, but we’ve given her her Sunday name.
Original Source: Oral – the late Duncan Williamson
Also Appears in: Lindsay S. Pinchbeck, Stories of the Fairy Folk-A documentary film about three storytellers from Scotland and Ireland (2008)
Mouse’s Tail
Tradition: England and British Isles
This is a very old ‘Nursery Tale’. It is part of a large collection of similar stories and rhymes in which the main character, usually a mouse and sometimes a fox, loses their tail and has to go on a journey, garnering favours to win back their tail.
Original Source: James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales: a sequel to the Nursery Rhymes of England (John Russell Smith: London, 1849), pp.33–34
Also Appears in: Katharine M. Briggs, A Dictionary of British Folktales-Part A Folk Narratives (Routledge, London and New York, 1970, 1991), pp.512
Alida Gersie, Mouse Wants her Tail Back: Earthtales – Storytelling in Times of Change (Green Print, The Merlin Press, 1992), pp.74
The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle
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