Storytelling: Oral Storytelling

Well i have mentioned Oral Storytelling before i haven't gone into much detail about granted it is what it says on the tin however they is still a fair bit to know.

What is it:
Oral storytelling is an ancient and intimate tradition between the storyteller and their audience. The storyteller and the listeners are physically close, often but not always seated together in a circular fashion. Through the telling of the story people become psychically close, developing a connection to one another through the communal experience. The storyteller reveals, and thus shares, him/herself through his/her telling and the listeners reveal and share themselves through their reception of the story. 

The intimacy and connection that the teller and listeners have often deepens the flexibility of oral storytelling which allows the tale to be moulded according to the needs of the audience and/or the location or environment of the telling. Listeners also feel their connection to the creative process as they are involved in its creation due to their presence.

How flexible the oral storytelling is extends to the teller. Each teller will incorporate their own personality and may choose to add characters into the story. As a result, there will be numerous variations of a single story. Some tellers consider anything outside of their narrative as extraneous while other storytellers choose to enhance their telling of the tale with the addition of visual and audio tools, and embrace specific actions with creative strategies and devices.

Why is this a thing?:
Well many argue that oral storytelling has been around as long as human language. Storytelling fulfills the need for human beings to cast their experiences in narrative form. Our ancestors probably gathered around the evening fires and expressed their fears, their beliefs and their heroism through oral narratives. This long tradition of storytelling is evident in many ancient cultures as previously mentioned. Community storytelling offered the security of explanation; how life and its many forms began and why things happen, as well as entertainment and enchantment. 
With many communities being strengthened and maintained through stories that connected the present, the past and the future.

Telling stories is a nurturing act for the listener, who is connected to the storyteller through the story, as well as for the storyteller who is connected to the listeners through the story.

Where did it come from?: 
Many state the early form of oral storytelling originated in simple chants, particularly when people sang chants as they worked at grinding corn or sharpening tools. Our early ancestors created myths to explain natural occurrences. They assigned superhuman qualities to ordinary people, thus originating the hero tale. 

Early storytelling combined stories, poetry, music, and dance. Those who excelled at storytelling became entertainers, educators, cultural advisors, and historians for the community. Through storytellers, the history of a culture was handed down from generation to generation.

The importance of stories and storytellers throughout human history can be seen in the respect afforded to professional storytellers, from the 1800s Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm to present day storytelling festivals the importance of oral storytelling is continue to be prevalent and recognised.