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Central Brittany Journal – October 201036 The Tradition of Storytelling in BrittanyThe Tradition ofStorytelling in BrittanyThe Breton tale stems from Celtic culture. It leans on the dream, the imagination andsubconscious thought. The tale touched our subconscious. It left an impression on ourminds. Today it carries on.The evenings of storytelling were fed by popular tales, epics or legends. Funny, tragic, wonderful, bleak or simplystories of human nature gripped the imagination of Breton audiences. The storyteller would bring along a stringedinstrument such as a harp or lyre.When did People Listen to The Tales?During the long Winter evenings people would come together. Work continued, as some did their dailyjobs. Others would entertain the crowds with their tales. There were different types of gatherings. Here aresome examples:- The filouas. People gathered to listen to tales around the distaff or spinning wheel. Tales would be toldwhile the thread was being spun.- Veillouas. People would gather and just simply amuse themselves. Some people played, others danced andhad a good time. There was no distaff so therefore no work.- Cuiseries of Pommé, People met to make Pommé - a concentrated jam made from apples and sweet cider.The process took all night, and people told tales to entertain each other. Another night time event wherepeople told stories - and which continued up until the end of the nineteenth century - was Night Washing -women washing clothes during the night.In Brittany, the sailors and the fishermen have their own kind of storytelling. A breed of fisherman, calledTerre-Neuvats, told stories during the long crossings of the AtlanticOcean. The Terre-Neuvats would take passengers fishing on theschooners of Saint-Pierre-Miquelon. Sailors spent their spare time inholds which were not comfortable. The sailors entertained themselveswith tales of epic adventures, which stories could last several days.Local fishermen would tell stories about amusing things. The storieswere about their rivals of a small nearby port. Stories were told byword of mouth. They were passed from sailor to sailor. Eventuallythese stories grew and formed a series, which had a name: Jaguens.Jaguens refer to the people of Saint Jacut-de-la-Mer,( Brittany).Why Have the Stories Disappeared?The disappearance of this way of life started in the home. In thehome tales were told to entertain and even prevent people from fallingasleep. Books started to become popular and eventually tales wereread from a book. The reader was a little boy or girl. Reading of suchtales would take place at home and after school.By the 20th century, the radio, and eventually the television, replacedthe old evening tales. In his book, Littérature Orale de Haute-Bretagne, Paul Sébillot explains that during the 19th century, onecould still find stories being told. A group of young boys would amuseaudiences with their riddles called Devinailles. Boys and girls wouldshare tales during their shepherding.Their mothers taught them this artform. But the author also adds that from the end of the 19th century theBreton stories started to disappear little by little.www.thecbj.com