Gudbrand on the Hillside
A Norwegian folk tale of how two people had a happy marriage
In the Aarne-Thompson tale type index, “Gudbrand on the Hillside” is classified #1415, Trading Away One’s Fortune. Prof. Ashliman gives several variants, including the well-known Grimms story, Hans im Glück.
This Wikipedia page on the Norwegian tale gives further background. The additional phase of Gudbrand first telling his neighbour the story is, for me, a typical example of what may work in a written text but is definitely counterproductive in a live telling – the focus of my From Page to Stage workshops.
This blog post illustrates that problem more clearly. (It also shows the importance of proofreading – note the missing encounter with the rooster following the goose in Gudbrand’s narration.)
More comic tales
The video gallery has become very extensive. So if you would enjoy more tales like this, here are a few suggestions.
The video clips here are all amateur quality, shot in various theatres or, as here, 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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Go here for a list of all tales included on this site
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Permission to tell outlines my views on copyright
For those who are teachers: Telling stories in the classroom: basing language teaching on storytelling