why are we "The Story telling apes?"

[houseofcantor]

mk...some thoughts running around led to these questions..

Who was the first 'Shaman'?

What did they see?

What stories did they spin to explain/ describe what they saw?

How did they maintain their place in the tribe/ family group?

Many of our "stories" are from what is observed in the night sky, knowing people as I do I am wondering just how our 'primitive' legends of what was going on in the 'heavens' above us influenced our current political and religious understanding/ misunderstandings ..today?

Recently I had cause to look up the Myth/ Legend of Mithras. On going outside (to have a cigarette) and looking up I saw the whole "legend" in the night sky with Orion and Taurus there in full view.

Please humour an old lady and I will need the expertise of orogenicman, Minimalist, padraic et al to expand my understanding of ...

Just what the fuck are we telling ourselves!

I was. I was the old man, my tribe was led by a young woman; we were huddled under a tree in the savanna during a thunderstorm. I could read her emotional context clearly:

OK old man. Earn your place. Tell these young' uns a story to calm their fears. Tell them what is this thing I cannot hunt and kill. Tell them that I do not fear by huddling under this tree. Or the next thing in the stew is you, old fool.

So I punt. Goddidit, pound my chest, yell at the heavens; put on a good show. Kids are watching me rather than the lightning. I scream longer than the storm, obviously I frightened the gods off. Go, grampa! Tell us another!

Dontchu remember?