Before there was literature, there was storytelling. And we all know that back in the day people told one another stories to while away those long idle hours before TV, radio, the internet or even books did their best to try to fill them up. But what use is storytelling now, in the era of iPlayers and Sky+? We have the world in our living room - or indeed anywhere we want it. Surely the time for storytelling is past?

Emphatically not, and the huge rise in the number of full-time storytellers in the UK is testimony to the fact that the comparatively simple pleasures of a performer interacting with an audience have survived the onslaught of technology - and have even been strengthened by it. Storytelling has a wide variety of applications in the modern world -and for all ages. As the Society for Storytelling's website puts it:

We know that storytelling stretches from its simplest application in the nursery right through to personal stories and bereavement aids in hospitals, strengthening communication in the business sphere, and as an aid to learning in education. In its sharing between teller and listener it gives and receives time, it empowers, it creates and feeds the imagination from one generation to the next.

There it is in a nutshell: humans have always craved social interaction, and have felt the need to feed their imagination. Hence storytelling has given rise to rich oral traditions in just about every culture on the planet, creating a dazzling legacy - which, using the new technology, is now readily accessible across the continents.

Perhaps storytelling's greatest strength is that its subjects are not set in aspic. No storyteller tells a story the same way twice: and the tale grows and evolves in performance, as it is passed from storyteller to storyteller, and from culture to culture. This is why so many stories even from distant points of the globe, share similar themes. These are our inherited myths. These are the stories that are woven out of our shared human compulsions, and which are our birthright and legacy. They talk to us across the oceans - and now the internet.

And here's some short introductions to what you can hear:

Chapter 1: Baranoir

A combination of a myriad of Irish stories woven into one. It has been informed by many trips to the west of Ireland, Belfast and Dublin and a good deal of dreaming on countless images within the wonderful Irish pantheon. The story took ten years to settle and is now half its original length, losing along the way wheels of fire and fortune, and sticks that change into birds.

Chapter 2: The Myth of Sedna

An Inuit story from Greenland about the sea, the great Mother. It was developed during a project for the British Museum with Native American sculptor, Fernando Palma and is particularly special to Xanthe.

Chapter 3: Baba Yaga

The Russian witch is always reinventing herself, teasing and terrifying audiences. Although she has been pinned down this time, Xanthe says she can't guarantee she won't leap out of the classroom the next. If she does, Xanthe advises, chase her and make sure she tells you all the other stories in which she is the star, but remember to do all she says.

Chapter 4: The Skeleton Bride

A Yiddish story inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall. It starts in a forest and ends up in outer space. It is inviting you to tell it and to add any other nonsense you can conjure.

Chapter 5: The Jester

A story from 'The Arabian Nights' whose characters change on a daily basis. It is excellently stupid and requires acting out.

Chapter 6: Holy Man

A French folk tale. "I opened the book and there it was, as if the little black cat had jumped straight into my lap" says Xanthe about discovering the story.

Chapter 7: Little Red Riding Hood

Everyone grows up with Little Red Riding Hood. This is an early French version that comes from a time when being a seamstress might be the only way for a woman to make her own living.

Chapter 8: Anansi and Tiger

Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore. He is a culture hero, who acts on behalf of Nyame, his father and the sky god. He brings rain to stop fires and performs other duties for him. His mother is Asase Ya. There are several mentions of Anansi's children. According to some myths his wife is known as Miss Anansi or Mistress Anansi but most commonly as Aso. He is depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof. The Anansi legends are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe. They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria. Anansi stories originated in Ghana, in Africa. The word Anansi is Akan and means spider.

Chapter 9: Pumpkin

An African story about a very lucky little old lady and her two sweet loving dogs.

Chapter 10: Woman and Pig

A very old traditional story from England, with an accumulative structure that is found in stories all round the world.

Chapter 11: Awongaleema Tree
An African story with elements from a similar Arabian Nights story incorporated. It is best told under a favourite tree.

A Profile of Xanthe Gresham

Xanthe has been a full-time storyteller since 1995 creating many memorable performances such as ‘Cuchulain’, ‘A Key to Eyelids’ and ‘Aphrodite and the Real Red Shoes’. Her style is very distinctive, highly kinaesthetic and delighting in the absurd and preposterous. She has been described as ‘The Aerial Artiste of the spoken word.’ She has worked extensively for The British Museum performing Epics from Iran, Iraq and Ireland, Native American Stories, and Stories for numerous exhibitions such as ‘The Magic of Persia’ and ‘Durer’. She works as a storyteller for Holland Park and The Chelsea Physic Garden and is Lecturer in Storytelling and Drama at the University of East London. She has performed in Festivals, schools and libraries in the UK, Ireland, France, Slovenia, Holland, Switzerland and New Zealand. She was the Storyteller in Residence at Oneword Radio in London, and Beautiful Sounds is delighted to have secured her services in a similar role on our download site. Watch for further recordings in the future!