Have you ever wondered why the wisdom of stories is unforgettable? Have you ever wondered why stories have always been an essential part of human culture?

There is an old story that the Scandanavian and.Germanic people tell about their supreme god, Odin, who gave humankind the gift of storytelling to console them for their troubles. Suffering was lessened and vital energy was creatively channelled once people 'knew what the story was,' the story of which pain and desire were a part.

Stories were a divine gift that deepened human understanding and devotion. It was a gift of fire, and the tradition of storytelling has been a perpetual passing on of the fire. In that story of the Norse people, a beautiful young woman, transformed into a vicious hag by her father's spell, is returned to her original beauty with a kiss from Odin. The young woman and Odin spend three days and nights together, after which the young woman wanders the earth telling her story about her love for the god. It is said that all who heard the story were filled with a wisdom that they never forgot.

-- © David Shapiro