“Irvine…has a powerful, hypnotic voice that irresistibly draws listeners into the stories. He is a master at recreating the medieval world and making it come alive.”
Larry Cooperman,
School Library Journal
Storytelling World Honors Award for Storytelling Recordings
1. The Prophecy
This story started out as a tale of Merlin and dragons, another of my dragon tales, but I could never quite figure out how to get it to work and eventually set it aside. A couple of years later I started work on The Sword and the Stone, and felt that the tale of Uther Pendragon, and the prophecy concerning him would make a good opening for that tale. However, it soon grew too long, and took on a darker tone than I wanted for Arthur’s story, so I eventually broke the opening off and let it grow into its own piece: Uther’s Tale. When it came time to start to work on this recording, I wanted to open with that story, but felt that once again, it was too dark, plus much of Uther’s story is covered, although briefly, in The Sword and the Stone. So, once again, the piece was cut in two, Uther’s Tale set aside for the moment, and the first half allowed to grow into The Prophecy – and so, after all these years, I have finally ended up with the story of Merlin that I originally intended. The various changes I have made from the traditional versions of this story have their roots in these various permutations the tale has gone through as it grew.
2. The Sword and the Stone
The familiar starting place for the Arthurian tales: the fulfillment of Merlin’s prophecy as Arthur becomes…well, you know.
3. Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight
Adapted from the Middle-English poem, which is generally regarded as one of the great masterpieces of Medieval literature. Although my version is in modern English prose, and is considerably shorter than the original, I have tried to retain as much of its flavor and imagery as possible.
4. Sir Gawaine and the Loathly Lady
Some years ago I wrote an article entitled “Why I Hate Lady Ragnell,” in which I suggested that too many people tell this tale without first coming up with their own vision of what the tale should be. I also suggested that the standard way of telling it contained some flaws that undercut the story’s potential. (You can find links to the article, and some of the responses, on my website.) Some years later, I came across the original, medieval version of the tale, and was immediately tempted to tell it, much to the glee of many who know the article. Whether or not I have kept true to what I said about how the story should and should not be told I leave for you to decide.
I began telling stories over 25 years ago while working as a counselor in summer camps, telling ghost stories in the cabin after lights out. I moved from Louisiana to Pittsburgh, and continued telling stories. Over the years, I have gathered a diverse repertoire of ghost stories, Celtic legends, folktales from around the world, Biblical tales, American and Pennsylvanian history and Shakespeare. I performs at schools, universities, festivals, historical societies, and museums.
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