Here’s mi – playing catchy uppy with the socials again!
I had a wonderful visit to Balmedie School last week! The P4 classes have been learning all about the Vikings – so I went along to tell some stories and show the pupils some materials from Viking life.
The pupils enjoyed hearing about Thor’s wedding and how he got Mjolnir back from the ice giant Thrym and the stupid death of Sigurd the Mighty
Thanks for inviting me along Balmedie Primary School!
I’m chuffed to be able to post about a project I’ve been working on for the past few months with Ewan McVicar (Writer, folklorist, songmaker and publisher) and some of my favourite North East singers – Natalie Chalrmers, Scott Gardiner, Christine Kydd and Tripple.
Ewan got in contact last year to ask if I’d be interested in listening to and re-telling some of Lucy Stewart’s stories which were recorded by American Ken Goldstein during his visit to the North East of Scotland in 1959/1960. I quickly learned that Lucy’s stories were just the tip of the iceberg. Not only did Lucy turn out to be a source of ballads in addition to the stories, but Goldstein interviewed many fowk during his stay and recorded songs, ballads, stories, rhymes, snippets of folklore and old wives tales.
Many of these recordings were shared at the time with the School of Scottish Studies. (Ken had introductions to many of his subjects through Hamish Henderson.) These recordings are available by searching “Ken Goldstein” on the Kist O Riches web page – https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/ . However many recordings were stashed away at the Ole Miss – the University of Mississippi in the USA – unavailable except to interested visitors. That all changed when Ewan spoke to Ole Miss archivist Greg Johnson and with Greg’s help support, Ewan has worked to identify and share song titles, information about singers and storytellers, and their communities.
Part of the project involved creating, collecting and sharing New For Auld songs and stories – Natalie Chalmers got to work contacting local singers and musicians who recorded some of the ballads and tunes Goldstein collected. Click here for Natalie’s recordings of songs taught to her by Elizabeth Stewart – along with a couple of Elizabeth’s recordings – https://goldsteinandscotland.com/elizabeth-stewart
You can hear my retellings of some of Lucy Stewart’s tales here – https://faefishietaeaikey.com/tales-fae-lucy-and-pauline
To share Goldstein’s collections with the world, Ewan has created two new web pages
https://goldsteinandscotland.com/ – which tells of Goldstein’s visit and the treasures he recorded, and
https://faefishietaeaikey.com/ – which focuses on recordings from the area around Mintlaw – Aikey Fair, Fetterangus (Fishie) and in particular the Stewarts of Fetterangus.
On the 3rd of May I’ll be sharing some of Lucy’s stories along with the others involved in the project –
Ewan says
“On the 3rd May 2025, there will be an informal celebration of the Fae Fishie Tae Aikey project in the Aden Museum theatre, Mintlaw, from 1.30pm onwards.
Christine Kydd, Natalie Chalmers, Pauline Cordiner, Scott Gardiner have all promised to come. Hoping Andy Shanks will make it. Tripple send their apologies. Or come earlier and look into the museum.
All folkies welcome. First forty get home-made shortbread. If you represent a folk club or festival ask for the pack of booklet copies as a fundraiser. The Fishie project is funded by TRACS.
Well that’s World Book Day week over for another year! It really should be World Book Week because we storytellers are aye so busy that week! 
Hey at least we get another shot of it for Scottish Book Week in November!
Anyway, I had a busy week with school visits to @aberchirderprimaryschool and Ellon Primary School as well as a celebration of World Book Day and International Women’s Day at GREC’s Language Cafe.
Of course i forgot to take photos! But here are some pics I did take – of a book I spotted in a P7 class which was a memory from my own childhood; the most delicious school denners of Fogie; and a couple of pieces of work from story and character workshops.
Tomorrow, I’ll hopefully report on a new project I’ve been working on!
I’ve got a couple of weeks for working on upcoming projects, working at GREC‘s Language Cafe and visiting some schools! So no public events coming up in the near future.
Instead, I’d like to share this amazing CV in Poem Form written for me by the wonderful Sheena Blackhall, fa’s praises I canna sing highly eneugh! Photie taen on the wiy tae last year’s Portsoy Haal!
Thanks Sheena! 
The Pauline Cordiner Rap– A Scottish Storyteller
Hae ye heard o a quine fa’s tales can be scary?
Wi a frien that has attitude, Fizzy the Fairy
Up at Banff Castle, sic jinkies, her ploys
Hae bubbly bairns fair kecklin wi joys
Princely puddocks, a gargoyle fas christened Marischal
Her hoose is fair hotchin, wi broonies incredible
Her hair it is reid as a Halloween flame
An a coo, contermacious whyles jynes in a game
Her events are excitin, fun an educational
Her traditional stories are verra inspirational
She can sing ye auld ballads or a cornkister
Wir you at Forvie fun day? Ye’ll be sorry ye missed her
Nature tales an folklore, tho the rain did doon pelt
Aden’s Fantasy Festival , her Vikin Tales telt
As an audience o littlins an drookit Alpacas
Stude in the doonpish an shook their maraccas
At the Northern Frichts, dragons heezed bi the score
At Tillydrone Librar there wir littlins galore
Fizzy’s fun pairties, Rhynie wifies, a crone,
The kelpie café aa cam intae her zone
Banchory St Ternan fair, Orkney’s Skara brae
Saw history cam alive far the stormy clouds stray
Castle Fraser, or rinnin adults’ ghaistie toors
Storytellin is oorie at the witchin oors
Dobbie’s Busy Beasties, Yuletide special day
Fur siller tae help fund a bairns’ charity
She’s run broomstick trainin skweels, fur trainee witches
An wizard hat craft – usin glue, glitter stitches
Her face peintin’s legend, wi speecial tattoos
She’ll makk the dourest bairn shakk aff the blues
She is fully insured, wi a PVG chitty
Is a member of equity, sings a mean ditty
Here’s a roll call of some of her festival showing
Cambridge and Glastonb’ry, reviews are glowing
Stonehaven and Girvan, Belladrum Tartan Heart
The Wizard performance, next, Science and Art
Spectra, Across The Grain, Banff’s bracin air
Strathern, Aiberdeen, an Perth Prehistory Fair
Glen Nevis, Portsoy, the Broch, Tarland as weel
The Doric Film Festival, a wide appeal
BBC Radio Scotland, an Radio fower
SHMU, Banchory Museum, the Maritime Tower
Aden , Drum, Crathes, an Fraser’s stoot waas
She cams intae her ain in historal haas
Muir of Dinnet , Arbuthnott , Duff Hoose, Peterheid
Turriff, Macduff, Duthie Park, jewels indeed
An the skweels! Tullos, Scotstown, Arduthie, Kaimhill
Robert Gordons, St Margarets, Banchory Hill
Skene Square an Auld Machar, Lairhillock, Meethill
Ferryhill Primary, Bracoden, Newtonhill
Ontae Projecks an ither community wirks
Pitscurry, an Mastrick, the quine niver shirks
Maryfield West Care Hame, Albyn Rainbows
North East Sensory Services, her talent shows
Persley Castle, the Phoenix Club, Inchgarth -nae lack
Future Choices, an Hilton, they aa wint her back
Dyce Caravans, Inchgarth, an Roxburgh Hoose
The Garioch, Inchmarlo, she’s couthie an douce
Portlethen, Kinellar, an Northfield’s rainbows
Pauline an Fizzy spreid joy wi their prose
Syne there’s Grand Circle Tours, tag team tales an the jyle
The World Storytelling Café, her stories beguile
Musica Workshops, Elphinstane’s Institute
Her sessions are thrillin’s a Cadona’s shute
Peacock Visual Arts, an the Bairns’ hospital
Hogmanay at Stonehaven, this quine musical
Wi her puppets an sangs she’s performed tae the best
The Seven Incorporated Trades , wi sic zest!
Shell Uk, Charles Michies, Diageo, Drummuir
Hidden Aiberdeen; she is a whizz at a tour
James Hutton Institute, Scottish Kids Show
Standard Life, an the Stompers, she’s rarin tae go
Aiberdeenshire Geocaching …noo there is a thing
She’s a haun on the pulse , fit the future micht bring
Sae dinna be blate…ye maun rin oot an book her
As fairyfowk gae, Pauline Cordiner’s a looker!
Well that’s me jist aboot recovered from Spectra Festival 2025!
Lindsey Storyteller and I had a wonderful time telling 32 stories over 4 nights to around 1500 people!
Thanks so much to everyone who came for a story – we hope we’ll see you all again next year! 
Some photos from my storytelling sessions yesterday at Confucius Institute Aberdeen‘s Spring Family Festival!
I had a couple of wonderful audiences for my sessions – I told stories about snakes – as it’s now the year of the snake and various monsters of the sea. The storytelling took place in the Duncan Rice Library at Aberdeen University who currently have an exhibition called Imagined Norths – all the weird and wonderful beasts that our medieval ancestors imagined lived in the seas and lands to the north!
It has been some time since I last posted properly!
December and January have been full of staying inside, keeping warm and research, research, research!
I’ve not just been researching new stories, but have been working on a couple of projects – both of which I’ll post about soon. But in the meantime, here’s what I’ve got coming up!
On Sunday, 2nd February, I’m going to be joining The University of Aberdeen Confucius Institute for their Spring Family Festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year!
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/about/campus/old-aberdeen/confucius-institute/events/21363/
Activities will be split across the Elphinstone Hall (Chinese calligraphy, dress up, face painting), Zoology Museum (museum open and visit from the Critter Keeper) and The Duncan Rice Library where I’ll be telling stories and you can also visit the Imagined Norths exhibition. I’ll be telling stories from 11.30am to 12.30pm and again from 1.30 to 2.30pm.
I’ve been brushing up on all my favourite sea monsters – Jormungandr, The Mester Stoorwurm, Cetus and the sea serpent that attacked my g-g-grandfather in 1892! So come along for some tales of Myths, Monsters and the Year of the Snake.
From Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th February I’ll be telling stories at Spectra light festival once again with my pal Lindsey Gibb. The theme this year is “Journeys” so we have some amazing stories planned.
We’ll be in the Cowdray Hall from 6 to 10pm each night with stories starting at 6, 6.30, 7, 7.30, 8, 8.30, 9 and 9.30pm. Come join us! Entry will be on the corner of Schoolhill and Blackfriars Street or if you have an accessibility wristband, I expect entry will be the same as last yar – through the Art Gallery. TBC.
Have a look at their web page –
http://www.spectrafestival.com/
Here’s a link to find out about accessibility at Spectra – http://www.spectrafestival.com/accessibility-at-spectra/
After Spectra, my next public event will be at Portlethen Library on Saturday 15th February – this will be a family storytelling session targeted at children aged 5-8 years on the theme of Space! Moons, Suns, Stars and all sorts of celestial tales for all the family!
Aww it’s always lovely to get feedback from a storytelling session – especially when it’s from a school and the pupils have put so much thought into their comments!
I received a lovely email following my #SISFStoryRipple24 Ripple visit to Glenbervie Primary School! The pupils were thinking about how a traditional storyteller uses more than just words to tell their tales – I’ll be over here in the corner with my giant heid getting big after all these wonderful compliments!!
“You have great hand gestures. Thank you for telling your stories”
“It sounded like it was real. Thank you so much”
“You have very good expressions. Thank you for telling your stories!”
“Thankyou for telling us two amazing stories. I loved how you made different expressions for different things you said.”
“Your stories were brilliant. Your actions were great.”
“It sounded realistic. You have a beautiful voice.”
“You made us laugh”
“I could picture it in my head”
“You have great actions and wonderful expressions. The stories were awesome”
“You had lots of exciting hand actions and funny face expressions”
“It was very realistic. I could picture the stories in my head”
“Good description. Good voices. Good hand signals. In your stories there were a lot of plot twists.”
“You had good voices for different people”
A couple of photos from my visit to St Cyrus National Nature Reserve last Sunday! Elsie the Fishwife and I met some braw fowk and told some local tales, fisherfolk stories and stories about the local wildlife.
…. And I’ll be back at St Cyrus National Nature Reserve on Sunday 27th October for a couple of Halloween sessions – one for the kids, and one Adults Only with stories unsuitable for under 16s.
A wee photo from last year’s Aden Music Festival where I was chuffed to be telling stories in the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum – right next to photos of my family!
There were also Bothy Balladeers, Poets and Pipers in the farming museum as well as a great line up in the museum’s theatre and of course the main stage.
Well it’s all happening again on Saturday 14th September so I’m looking forward to be bringing some new tales to the museum, and Wee Imp is looking forward to joining me for the bands 🙂
Pauline Cordiner - Scottish Storyteller 