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Greater Than Gold: The Wisdom of Persia's Storytellers
| Article
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20044 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1992 |
6,819 Words |
| Author
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Jan Knappert
Jan Knappert is a folklorist and specialist in African and
Oriental languages who is based in Belgium. |
In the old days, every king had a storyteller. In medieval Europe, for example, he was called a jester. He was not a fool but a teller of gests, tales of the exploits of heroes. Only gradually did the jester become a jokester whose exclusive function was to amuse a bored sovereign rather than to enlighten him about the honorable deeds of ancient kings and knights.
The original function of the jester-storyteller was to educate princes, young kings, and, in Africa, aspiring chiefs. Invariably, the storyteller is old and wise; the princesses and noble ladies often had a female storyteller, a wise old woman who knew numerous tales about clever women. I may tell you more about them another day!
In ancient India, as long ago as the days of Buddha, the kings would appoint teachers for their sons; the princes often were spoiled, lazy boys, so the only way they could be taught was with entertaining histories. The storyteller had to know innumerable jokes to keep his blasé audience amused and listening. The purpose of his tales was to educate the princes and aspiring chieflings in the difficult art of politics, without which no king can hold his throne for long.
How to choose trustworthy counselors and incorruptible chancellors, how to resolve disputes between strong characters, how to win wars without fighting battles, how to keep the peace in the women's quarters, how to administer justice between litigants in court: These were some of the constant challenges facing any sovereign from the moment his reign began. In those days, before the separation between the executive and judiciary branches of government, the king also presided over the court of justice, sitting on given mornings to hear cases brought before him.
Therefore, kings needed to be able to choose wise counselors, men with great knowledge of manners and customs, the rules of morality, the laws of the forefathers, and most, important of all, the hidden springs of human nature. The storytellers' tales and fables schooled the kings in wisdom.
The Persian Perspective
These famous fables were translated into many languages of the ancient East, including Syriac, Greek, and Arabic. Presented here are a selection from Persia. Because the Persians were scholars of a highly refined literary taste, they rearranged some of the tales to form coherent dialogues between the king and his
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