Finding Medieval Max
and his Tall Tales
When I first began storytelling I tried
several ideas in bringing Traditional Arthurian (King
Arthur) tales to the general public through storytelling but all failed
miserably and eventually I dropped these programs. I love telling
Arthurian tales but I have to have a program that an audience will come to hear
or buy into and after years of experience I now believe that I have a way to
bring King Arthur back to a modern day world.
I decided to take the concept of the
Arthurian stories and turn them into Tall Tales. Technically they are not that
far away from that as they are. Depending on what sources you use such as
the Mabinogion tales, those stories are already tall tales by today’s
standards. The traditional tales could be easily construed as such.
But why would I bother? Why not let the
dead lie? Good Question.
The one reason why the Arthurian tales
have survived all these centuries is because they strike a human chord that has
haunted man all down through the ages: An innocent boy who would be king,
a man with power who does not abuse it, a man with power who believes in doing
what is right for everyone not just the rich and powerful and those themes are
just for starters. These are all values that America was built on, values of
right and wrong, values of justice and these were all issues that drove the
powerful and the lowly during the medieval ages. In fact man has spent the last
4000 years ( pick a number any number from 2000 years on back and you
would be right) trying to get past these issues.
So I feel that King Arthur and his stories are
still of great value but how can I retell them in a Tall Tale fashion and make
them fun and new for young and old audiences. The problem is that many of
the stories would be perceived as adult themes in today’s world. In truth they
are grown up stories, whether you are looking at the traditional tales or the
complicated stories of the Mabinogion. Even though these stories were
probably meant for family fare when they were 1st told, the value systems of
that time was quite different than today. Plus folk of that time would have
easily understood the values of those stories in that time because of the
symbols utilized and references to what would had been modern day or recent
events. Even though they have been construed with youth and children in mind
for ages that is because the stories have been written and rewritten dozens of
times.
So how do I turn
the stories into Tall Tales, Easy, you change the story and make it accessible to the younger audience but keep the
values. As I said the stories are not that far from Tall Tales to start
with. It does not matter whether the stories were based on a real
character or not. The fact is what today we call Arthurian tales are
little more than a cornucopia of stories. Over the years the Arthurian
tales took on their own life. If you were to seriously study the
Arthurian tales (as I have) you would discover a strange labyrinth of
twisted development as the stories bounced from one source to the other. Was
there ever a real King Arthur, as far as history can say? No! Absolutely no
proof of any such character. No matter who claims what there has never
been one hard shred of evidence to support his existence. Are the stories
probably based on some character or characters that did live, odds are yes.
Almost all legends are based on a real character. He was probably a leader in a
small locality with noble ideas. He had to be a standout. There is no doubt of
that. Also consider that the stories of Arthur started during the dark ages, a
time when records were lost , destroyed or not even taken and when Britain was in
great turmoil from invasions.
One of my past goals was to create
historical programs that encouraged kids to read and learn. Hopefully this
program will have the same end. Even today the name of King Arthur brings to
mind castles and knights to all who hear it. So that is my prime focus with
Medieval Max and King Arthur‘s Tall Tales. Like a blacksmith creating a magic
sword I will be the melting pot of King Arthur and his knights and all the good
stuff that goes with it; Battles, jousting, horses, swords, dragons, trolls and
of course magic and so on. I have re-conceived some of the stories and
characters based on what I like and what I think the kids and adults would
enjoy. I have turned some of the characters upside down. I have stretched some of the ideas to
ridiculous regions. I have had lots of fun with King Arthur and his clan.
Dragons shall attack, Trolls will destroy and battles shall be ensued. Still
Arthur is noble and his followers are classic and they abide the kings rules
even unto their own undoing, though none of his knights are all that
particularly impressive because these guys are just plain human (sorta).
With all this in mind I needed a delivery man
for my stories. Just like Shiny Buzzard I wanted a specific character with back
ground and style. Just like Shiny I am drawing on my past storytelling
experiences and my short acting career to bring this character to life. Again I
am blending the two to make a one. Medieval Max is my storyteller for my
Arthurian and Medieval Tall Tales. He has the look of a man who knows more than he is
telling ( a little too big for his own britches if you ask me) . He will mix
historical facts with fiction and blend the two till you can’t separate one
from the other. Some will call him a magician because when he tells his
stories they will seem to come to life. Others will say that he is just a silly
old man who is prone to excessive imagination and has lost all his marbles.
Well, both are true.
MAX
p.s. I will start pushing Max hard
next year (2014). I plan to post a video of one of his stories a little later
this year. Oh and watch your purses when he’s around. He’s a sneaky old devil.
