CRETAN POPULAR TALES
THE TALES OF ROUVA
REGISTRATION From the villages: GERGERI, PANASOS AND NYVRITOS. HERAKLIO 2000
We live in a time that popular tales come to their end, because the way of our life and entertainment has changed and because there are no longer people who know tales. The good old days when people spent their evenings at home listening to tales and everybody, from children to adults, was attracted by the storyteller, are gone.
Ten years ago, when I started this collection, the first thing I heard was: "Who is going to tell you tales, my child? We have forgotten them. Those who used to tell tales are dead." And the situation was really like that. The surviving storytellers in big villages are counted nowadays on the fingers of one hand and in small villages they either exist or not. Fortunately, however, there is still something left waiting for us. So, I was lucky enough to find eight storytellers in the villages of the MUNICIPALITY OF ROUVA, worthy continuers of the Cretan tradition, who narrated the 22 tales of the book.
This initiative started in 1990 in Panasos and finished in Gergeri and Nivritos in 2000, when the registration was completed. Registrations took place between the years 1994, 1996 and 1999. Thus, gradually and patiently I managed to write down a part of the rich heritage our ancestors left us.
What time didn't manage to eliminate.
Tales aren't all in the same style and language, which is due to differences between narrators: to their gender and age, and even to the degree that they have come in contact with modern civilization. I wrote them down as I found them, showing the appropriate respect to popular speech. The few interventions that took place had the unique target to make the texts comprehensible.
I would like to thank all those who helped me. But in particular I would like to thank the storytellers of the MUNICIPALITY OF ROUVA (at the end of the book you can find their curriculum vitae) who trusted to me the tales they knew.
Finally I would like to thank once again my good friends and cooperators, who continue to help me in this effort of mine. The literature professor of P.A. of Heraklio Kostas Stefanakis for editing the texts and the painter - hagiographer Manolis Spanakis, who created the covers and illustrated the book.
Aristofanis Hourdakis
The alphabet of the heart
Alphabet, a magical word, dream and feat of preschool-age children.The alphabet and counting of the first ten numbers constitute important accomplishments of every young pupil. The motto "he masters the Alphabet and counts to ten" was and still is a sign of high intelligence and a criterion of further progress.
Thousands of years ago Aeschylus in his book "PROMETHEUS DESMOTIS" (verse 459 - 461) writes «και να μην αριθμόν, έξοχον σοφισμάτων, εξηύρον αυτοίς, γραμμάτων τε συνθέσεις, μνήμην απάντων, μουσομήτορ εργάνην». In our words: Once again I consider numbers, the most evident wisdom, and word forming as the art Mother of the Muses, with which everything is engraved in human memory for ever. These are the words of Prometheus, great benefactor of mankind.
In our days too (time of speed and informatics) we start with this seemingly simple procedure to conquer knowledge, that is to initiate young pupils.
The knowledge of the Greek language demands a long journey. A magnificent journey, seducing, sometimes difficult, but which charms you with "Homer's sands" or with the mountainous rocks, covered with forests or decorated with snow, that rose with their work, the great masters of the Greek speech. In these "landscapes" along with Greek words you will also hear primitive, pure sounds, which will never be written on music scores or heard in concerts. They are sounds coming from Kourites' cymbals, captains' tambours and lyres or peaceful hearings from shepherds' fifes.
In the work of the Nursery School of Gergeri, young children with the encouragement and guidance of their teachers melodize and write the "Alphabet of the heart" and decorate letters with the spring brush of their pure soul. They also offer us expensive fragrances, precious essences of their existence.
The decoration of letters with colors, perfumes and melodies are a gift of children.
We thank them
Stylianos Daliadakis
Director of Primary Education of Prefecture of Heraklio
