Nana's Story

“Once upon a time, in a land far far away.” my Nana always began her stories this way. My Nana is not just a loving and wise elder; she played an essential role in shaping my childhood memories and provided unconditional support when I needed it. Grandparents should always be nurturing, kind-hearted, patient, and full of wisdom; mine sure was.

She would yell, “Story Time,” and my siblings and I would come running, settling eagerly at her feet. Her Storytime was legendary to our family members; she been telling her children and grandchildren these stories for years, and these were stories that most kids never heard. This is our family tradition, she would say, and each of us is responsible for carrying on this tradition with the members of our family line. The stories she told us were not the normal Fairy Tales that most kids heard. The stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Little Red Riding Hood were never told to us by Nana.

She would say, “You will learn those on your own, with your friends, on TV or at school, I want to tell you stories you may not ever hear.” So, us children learned about; “The Sealskin”, “The Lover’s Ghost”, “The Fox Sister”, “The Enchanted Maiden” and many others. To help us remember her stories, she inserted family members into the characters found in the stories. She said this also helped us remember the stories as well as the history of our family.

In “The SealSkin,” which “The Little Mermaid” is based on, the Selkie was my Great Grandma Katrin, Nana would tell us the story and say that Katrin was homesick for Iceland, just as the Selkie was homesick for the sea. In “The Lover’s Ghost,” Nana herself was the young woman who’s beloved goes off to war, and the Godmother was her sister Sara. Nana always said that when communication from grandpa was lost during the war, she was told to never give up hope, and Sara’s magic as her Godmother would see her through. Grandfather was found in a POW camp and returned home after the war.

In “The Enchanted Maiden,” which Cinderella is loosely based on, My Aunt Eugene, on my father’s side, is said to be the young girl who married a commoner, whereas her two sisters both married very wealthy, connected individuals. No one thought her husband would amount to anything, and she was often mocked by her wealthy relatives. In turn, she and her commoner spouse ended up doing better than her sisters. Nana likes to emphasize that communication between husband and wife is what makes the marriage thrive, not the initial money brought into the relationship.

I think that with Nana adding family members, it made the stories stick in our memories and helped us know the stories of our relatives and things that happened to them. Nana started her own tradition to give a special gift, a book titled “The Complete First Edition of the Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Each of her children was given this book on the day of their 13th Birthday. She continued this practice for each grandchild. She always wrote a personal note on the inside cover explaining our family’s love of reading and expectations of each child.

Normally, on each child’s 14th birthday, she would quiz them about different stories they’ve read. She never asked any child the same question she asked of another. She wanted us to learn on

our own, not copy from a family member. She expected every one of her family members to read and, more importantly, understand the meaning behind each story.

Nana asked my youngest sister which story she liked best and why. Lily told her that she thought the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” was a good story that everyone should read. The plot of the story was that the 12 Princesses snuck out each night and their father couldn’t figure out where they would go, then one night they were followed, the youngest sister tried three times to warn them but no one would listen to her. The moral to Lily was that you should always listen to each other, even the young ones, because they may just know what they are talking about. Lily never thought any of us ever listened to her, so I can understand why she liked this story the best.

My brother Henry on the other hand preferred “The Squire and the Scroll”. Nana would say that Uncle Joseph was the young squire, General Puller was the Knight, and the president was the king. Uncle Joseph joined the Marines right after Pearl Harbor. He

was in the 2nd battalion, 7th Marines, and fought under Lieutenant General “Chesty” Puller. Henry always liked Uncle Joseph, he idolized him. Never really knew if he liked the story “The Squire and the Scroll” or liked that Nana linked this story to Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe’s unit was the most decorated Marine unit in World War II. Henry says that this story teaches about bravery and the rewards of making virtuous choices in life.

My mother always said her favorite story was “Frau Holle. My mother and her sister, Aunt Lucille, always fought and never really got along. Maybe that’s why Nana put Mom and Aunt Lucille into the story of “Frau Holle. This story is about a hardworking, kind

girl who is rewarded by a magical figure, while her lazy, selfish stepsister is punished for her greed. I think on our side of the family mom is the hardworking girl, and Aunt Lucille is the lazy one, but maybe when Nana tells the story to Aunt Lucille’s kids, she is the hardworking one, and Mom is the lazy one. We don’t talk with that side of the family much. Someday I’m going to have to ask.

I think “The Six Swans” is the best tale. Thanks to Nana, I’ve always believed that family is the most important thing that you must always treasure. In this tale, Nana put me in as the young girl. She knew that I loved my family and I would do anything to protect them. The young girl in the story didn’t speak for six years, even though she was accused of horrible crimes. She knew if she said any words, her brothers would be lost for all time, and the only way to save them was to stay silent. She made a promise to her brothers that she would save them, and she kept her promise.

I promised my Nana that I, as the youngest grandchild, would ensure that this tradition would continue into the next generation. Like the little girl in “The Six Swans,” I plan to honor my promise.