East of the Sun, West of the Moon
About our Spoken Story Series
Because of the needs of this time —when our normal outgoing lives have changed and our social interactions, our education and our entertainment are happening mostly in our own individual homes, ONE is offering a series of told stories for your enjoyment, healing, unwinding and to lean into the ancestral wisdom passed through tales, myths and legends.
Our story-teller, April Thanhauser, is a member of the ONE visioning council and a life-long lover of folk and fairy tales. She tells us:
“Stories, like hearth fires and campfires have always brought people together —for sharing wisdom, laughter, tears, and comfort. No matter where our people came from, stories are part of our heritage. The traditional tales I will be telling originate from many different parts of the world, but please accept them as a gift from the old ones of our shared human culture.”
About this Episode:
How would you feel if you left your family home for good, on a snowy winter’s night, accompanied by a White Bear? Or if you were asked to ride on the back of the East Wind? Or if you were faced with how to trick a troll princess? Would you be afraid? The heroine of this story, who is referred to simply as “the girl,” faces these and other trials, but when asked “Are you afraid?” she always answers “No.”
This is a Northern story, good for a cold winter’s night, when you can be safe by the hearth with a cup of tea, letting your imagination roam through the 4 quarters of the world and beyond. Come follow the adventures of the girl who must save an enchanted prince, through daring and cleverness and hardship, but also with the help of the ancients and the 4 great Winds.
If you are a parent, like me, who might be concerned that the girl’s trouble comes when she follows her mother’s good advice, please note that it’s the trouble, as usual, that makes the real magic of the story unfold.
Listen to other Stories:
“The Magic Hummingbird”, tells the story of a drought, a famine, two children and a magic hummingbird.
“The Wonderful Healing Leaves”, tells the story of an unlikely hero who must secure healing leaves for the king from the land of no return.
“Xueda and Yinlin”, tells the adventures of two courageous young people who seek a cure for the mysterious illness which has stricken their village.
"Picking Mountain Pears", a traditional Japanese folktale, tells the adventures of three brothers who undertake a quest for the mountain pears to help their beloved mother heal from a mysterious illness.
