Fifty Tales, or The Heart of the Matter
By Hugh Lupton
Hugh Lupton reaches into world mythology and shares fifty tales from the heart of his repertoire.

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Stories are living things. They are viral.
They enter us through our eyes or our ears and they take up residence inside us. Sometimes they haunt us, sometimes they advise us, sometimes they amuse, perplex, gratify, contradict, intrigue, celebrate, terrify, challenge, arouse, confuse us. Some stories are distractions and diversions, others hover on the edge of revelation. Some have a short lifespan and are quickly forgotten, others linger inside us for a lifetime.
As a storyteller they’re my stock in trade.
But I’m choosy.
If I’m going to absorb a story, make it my own, and then pass it on to an audience, it’s got to be worth its salt. That’s why I’ve always told traditional narratives - stories from that winding track that leads from nursery rhyme to the great tales of creation and redemption, by way of ballads, riddles, folk-tales, wonder-tales, legends, epics and myths.
These stories have been shaped by countless voices and they’ve stood the test of time. They’re concentrations and repositories of human experience. They speak in the enigmatic picture-language of dreams. I’ve loved them since I was a boy.
It’s now more than forty years since I started telling stories for a living. Over that period I’ve told many, many tales. New stories are always being taken on. Old ones lie fallow.
But, among them, there are some that won’t rest. Once learned, they’ve never gone quiet. They keep returning. They’ve always got something to say.
All storytellers who’ve served their time have a similar accumulation of restless tales, always demanding to be told.
These are the stories at the heart of a repertoire.
In this book I’ve netted fifty of mine.
Each of them is a favourite. They represent my storytelling core.
They’re alive. They’re eager to escape. They shouldn’t be held down on the page for too long. They want to take wing on the tongue and the breath.
Buy this book and set them free.
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Hugh Lupton
Hugh Lupton’s interest in traditional music, in street theatre, in live poetry, and in myth, resulted in him becoming a professional storyteller in 1981.
For twelve years he toured Britain with the ‘Company of Storytellers’ (with Ben Haggarty and Sally Pomme Clayton). Their work was instrumental in stimulating a nation-wide revival of interest in storytelling. Since the mid-nineties he has worked as a solo performer and collaborator. He has performed throughout Britain, in Europe, North and South America and in Africa.
In 2006 he and Daniel Morden were awarded the Classical Association Prize for ‘the most significant contribution to the public understanding of the classics’. His work with musician Chris Wood has resulted in commissions from BBC Radio 3 and the ‘Song of the Year’ at the BBC folk awards.
Hugh tells stories from many cultures, but his particular passion is for the hidden layers of the British landscape and the stories and ballads that give voice to them. Several collections of his folk tales for children and two acclaimed novels have been published ‘The Ballad of John Clare’ and ‘The Assembly of the Severed Head’.
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Old King Caiman
Old King Caiman was coming to the end of his days. Nobody loved him. He had been a cruel king. Now he was old and alone, his teeth were yellow, his eyes were dim and his scales were tarnished.
In the back of his mind one question troubled him: Who would follow him to the throne? Who would rule over the country when he was gone?
Years ago he had eaten all his children. Just to make sure that they didn’t cause him any trouble, he’d eaten every one of them (he was a caiman after all). Now he wished he hadn’t.
“Just one son,” he thought to himself, “If only there was just one handsome son or a beautiful daughter to take my place.”
One day, as he was sitting on his throne with these thoughts turning slowly in his mind, a Young Caiman burst into the room. He was magnificent, his teeth white and sharp as knives, his eyes bright, every scale shining like a jewel. He bowed.
“Father!” He said.
“Father?”
“Father! I am your secret son. My mother hid me from you. I grew up far away across the world. Now I have returned. I am young and strong and clever. Give me your golden crown. Your throne should be mine now.”
Old King Caiman looked the youngster up and down. He scowled. He was filled with jealousy and admiration. He liked and hated what he saw.
“I can see that you are young and strong and bold, just as I was once when I was in my prime - but are you clever?”
The Young Caiman smiled:
“Test me.”
- 22nd April 2022 Thank you and...
Dear Friends, thank you for your generous support for FIFTY TALES. Numbers are creeping up steadily. Just to let you know that on Sunday (24th April) I'll be performing 'On Common Ground' (John Clare & Enclosures) as part of an evening to celebrate 90 years since the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass. It's at Rich Mix Theatre, London E1 6LA. At 6.45pm. Come if you can. Here's a link with more details: https…
These people are helping to fund Fifty Tales, or The Heart of the Matter.
Catherine Reyes
Barbara Clarkson
pamela thom-rowe
Tim Frost
Pascale Nicolet
Harriet Lupton
Henry Gunn
David Harrison
Sean Taylor
Pippa King
Polly Rodgers
Alexander Mackenzie
William Lupton
Mari Joyce
Mike O'Connor
Martin Manasse
Adelheid Kern
eliot baron
eliot baron
Paul Jones
Robin Grey
Stephen Lupton
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