"Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole": A Folk Myth

?? Leonard Roberts and Cratis Williams swapping stories Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole" A Folk Myth by Joyce Ann Hancock the story toldspate of time. Eyes soften, lose their focus, and suddenly sparkle in response to the sinks A spell descends when a story is told by a and rises of the storyteller's tale and tone. The master teller. Bodies relax trustfully for a intellect loses its sharp edge as listeners cloak 27 themselves in the gently falling mysteries of ancient knowledge hidden in bold adventures so real they seem to be happening here and now. Intuition stirs silently. As the yarn unspins, tomorrow is woven. It is a sacred act: a tale is told. Something changes. Dr. Leonard Roberts, a master teller, a master teacher, cast a spell when he told the story "Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole," a story of Jack, a familiar folktale hero, and of a marvelous magical horse, and of an evil old man with uncanny powers, and a story of a strange woman who had learned a thing or two from the old sorcerer. When Leonard Roberts told this story his eyes held a secret in their twinkle; it was as if he were hinting at life and death matters, and it was up to you, the listener, to catch on. There was something about the way he told that story, but something about the way you listened, too. Leonard Roberts' telling When Dr. Roberts told "Raglif Jaglif," his voice would coax and gurgle like an infant's, and then be the rasping bass of threatened murder. The range and variety of sound alone stretched the listener's awareness, expanding the hearer's known universe toward new pictures and possibilities. The sounds of the story seemed to emanate from somewhere deep inside the story itself, beyond the teller, but only available through the teller. As Dr. Roberts gestured with his hand to make us see something down the road beyond our ordinary vision, he would gaze down that road and his voice would follow gaze and gesture. He looked past our immediate vision, even beyond his own, it seemed. Leonard Roberts was an adept, a master of timing and telling. He presented to us, the listeners, tools for transformation—hard sure practical tools, but he knew when and how to present those tools and would wait for the precise moment when we were ready to receive them. Those tools were so sure, so safe and time-tested, they have nearly become forgotten or discounted, and over the years have fallen under the protection of the oral tradition where they are dismissed as child's toys— or an old man's foolishness—by people unready or unwilling to be responsible for the tasks required by merely recognizing them. "Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole" has been a continual source of learning for me. It has revealed its secrets in different ways at different times. Year after year, another facet of daily living opens itself up through this old tale, an old tale which would have been no more to me than a dusty lump of coal stored on a shelf, had not the power and humor and light of Dr. Roberts' voice turned the story into a diamond, small and perfect enough to be carried with me as a teaching story always. the matrilineal tradition of the story Dr. Roberts told me that he almost missed "Raglif Jaglif." Already a seasoned collector, he casually asked a cousin if she knew any stories about a magic horse. She said, "No, but my aunt does." The story had been passed down the matriarchal line of Dr. Roberts' family, and it was so close to him that he nearly overlooked it. As he explained to me, stories are considered legacies and are passed down from person to person within the family . "Raglif," interestingly enough, comes to us from the women in Dr. Roberts' family. "Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole" is a traditional Jack tale which draws deeply from classical mythology. When Dr. Roberts finished a telling of Raglif Jaglif, he would always ask his audience if they could recognize any of the source tales. The Heraclean tasks came immediately to the minds of...