The last module of classes started this week, and even
though we are a wee bit droopy from our travels over fall break, classes began
with enthusiasm for the new subjects at hand.
I am teaching Introduction to Communication to a smaller group of
students; we’re enjoying it already. We have
covered quite a bit of material and been on our first field trip (see below). The house staff also organized a two-castle
day trip that got us into the countryside again.
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival has
been going on for the past ten days, with a variety of events around the theme
of “Stories without Borders.” The other
big event of the week was Halloween. Any day of the year, one can go on a ghost tour or dungeon tour in
Edinburgh, so they are well set up for a ghoulish party.
Stirling Castle
and Linlithgow Palace
Stirling is about an hour from Edinburgh and is an
ancient seat of power, partly because of its location at a good point for
crossing the River Forth. The castle
sits on a volcanic outcrop similar to the one Edinburgh Castle sits on (supposedly, on a clear day, one can be seen from the other). Between 1500 and 1600, new buildings were
added that showed the influence of the Renaissance and that were intended to
show the power and sophistication of the Scots.
James IV added buildings, including the Great Hall in about 1500
This beautiful window in the Great Hall provides a beautiful view toward Edinburgh
James V initiated the spectacular Palace, with interiors that have been researched
and re-done to show it as it might have looked in the 1545. This room in the King's Inner Hall, with a spectacular painted wood ceiling with carved heads of many famous people.
The Queen's Bedchamber--the king's and queen's apartments each contained 3 rooms.
They adjoined through a door locked from the Queen's side (smart lady).
The Queen's Inner Hall contains many lovely features, especially the Unicorn Tapestries.
The originals of these seven tapestries would have hung here in the 1500s, but are now owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and hang in the Cloisters there. The ones in Stirling are reproductions made as part of the renovation of the Royal Apartments. Their creation took place over 13 years and involved 18 weavers, using both modern and ancient techniques.
The tapestries are vibrant, beautiful, and tell a fascinating story.
James VI commissioned the Chapel Royal in 1594
From Stirling Castle, the William Wallace Monument is visible against the hills.
It marks the victory of Wallace over the English in the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.
Ever seen Braveheart? That's the guy.
Linlithgow Palace sits between Stirling and Edinburgh
and was one of the places the royals went to get away from work. The grounds include a lovely loch (manmade)
and peel (park). King James V and his
daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, were both born in this palace. It was ruined (mainly by a fire) nearly 200
years ago, but the rock structure is still fairly in-tact. It provided an interesting contrast to the
Palace at Stirling—it was as though we could see what was underneath all of
that opulent décor.
Above the gate is the same insignia as on the ceiling in the King's Bedchamber in Stirling
From the outside the palace looks less ruined than it is
Inside you can climb one of the towers and get a view of the ruins, loch, and park
The Great Hall is great, but bare
The size of the main fireplace in the kitchen gives a sense of the scale of the place
International
Storytelling Festival
The first field trip for my class this module was to a
Storytelling Festival workshop called “The Ties that Bind: Word Dancing with
Shonaleigh.” The focus was on using
language effectively to better manage conflict, and on acknowledging that each
party involved in the conflict has a story.
Shonaleigh is a storyteller from an ancient Jewish women’s tradition,
having learned thousands of stories from her grandmother (a Holocaust
survivor). She based some of the
workshop on her current work with international human rights trials. It fit very well with our course content, and
students enjoyed the opportunity to interact with others and to see the course
concepts applied in this way.
John Knox House, occupied by the famous Protestant reformer in the 1560s, and
now home of the Scottish Storytelling Centre
I attended another Storytelling Festival event on my
own one afternoon. It was held at the
Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh and was called “Tree Trails.” Two storytellers, Janis Mackay and Ken
Shapley, led the group around the Garden, stopping occasionally for a story
that featured a type of tree nearby. We
heard the tale of the Prince and the Birch Lady; we learned how the rowan tree
came to Scotland (that story included leprechauns and a giant); we heard a
poem about which wood is best to burn in a fireplace (see below). One of the storytellers also played the
digeridoo and had several interesting wood sticks and staffs that we learned
about—like the piece of yew that one could write a New Year’s Resolution on to
help it come true. Of course, the
resolution had to be written in ancient runes so the magic would work : )
At this tree we listened to Ken's story and digeridoo
and then tied a strip of cloth in the tree as we made a wish
The fall colors in the Garden were very nice, but as I left in the late afternoon, the lights
and sound for their fall event, “Botanic Lights: A Night in the Garden,” were coming
on. It was lovely in the waning light; I'm sure it was magical after dark.
Halloween
Businesses from pubs to toy stores decorated for Halloween. Special concerts and other events were held,
and for the whole weekend, the city centre was crowded with adult revelers. The children put on costumes for parties, but
there is not so much Trick or Treating here.
The Storytelling Festival also had several events for different ages, from
the “Guisers Trail” (a walk through the old town in costume or mask—a disguise—singing, dancing, and reciting
poems) to the “Samhuinn Fire Festival” (the Beltane Fire Society celebrating
the Celtic New Year—marking the end of summer and welcoming winter—with a
torch-lit procession of acrobatics, costumes, and performances). And yes, there were a more than a few
fireworks shot off.
If you are wondering what I did, I stayed at the
house. I was the staff person on duty,
so I needed to answer the phone and door and be nearby. However, the staff and students who stayed in
had some old-fashioned fun with a bonfire and snacks and pumpkin carving and
costumes. I am happy to report that
there were no major incidents and that everyone got back safely from whatever
they did. I also can report that the
house was very quiet Sunday morning.
Firewood Poem—for those
of you getting firewood ready for winter
The poem about firewood is old and can be found in
many versions; this one, attributed to Lady Celia Congreve, is the one the
storyteller recited—from memory, of course.
Beechwood
fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold
Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But ash wet or ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by.
