Boy with a Beer Keg
A tale of a boy who twice tricked Death – and of how Death always keeps his word
Over the years I have told several different versions of Godfather Death (AT type 332), but I particularly like the features specific to this Norwegian variant which I discovered from a discussion on the Storytell forum.
The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic is perhaps what made me think again of the tale and of some changes in my telling. Here is a new recording.
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The tale was collected as “Gutten med øldunken” in Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe’s Norske Folkeeventyr.
Different versions of the tale are on Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts.
Tales which feature death need to be told.
Other favourites of mine include Death in a Nut and Rabbit and the Moon.
Disclaimer
The video clips here are all amateur quality, shot in various theatres or (during the Coronavirus lockdown, in my home studio.
Their intention is just to show the range of my storytelling and give a flavour of a live performance.
Permission is granted for use in non-commercial educational contexts.
The videos are © Richard Martin.
Professionally recorded CDs and DVDs are available here.
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For those who are teachers: Telling stories in the classroom: basing language teaching on storytelling