Comments on: The Black Prince

By: Niki Pidd

Niki Pidd — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:30:43 +0000

Hello, I am a professional storyteller (amongst other things) in Melbourne, Australia. I have been telling this story for years now. It never fails to hit its mark. I have never seen it written down, but had it passed on to me by a teller, who passed it on from a teller. My version is only slightly different, the ending similar, though not the same. When telling this story to secondary students they often comment on the fact that the lovers don’t recognise each other and live happily ever after. They make great comments about the fact that the Prince is no longer the boy and that in surrendering his flute he has given up part of himself that he can’t retrieve. We discuss the kinds of forks in the road in life that we may encounter where the choices will have great weight. Thanks for your site! Most interesting. Every best wish, Niki

By: Johann

Johann — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:48:09 +0000

I think we have been raised to always wish for a happy ending and I think especially with relationships. You always fear to lose someone close to you, because you shape your life around the anothe person. I thnk the ‘penny will drop’ in all who attended the session. Satuday’s session is lingering in the back of my mind….

By: Petro Janse van Vuuren

Petro Janse van Vuuren — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:18:51 +0000

It interested me greatly that no one’s rewritten ending to the story included the prince finding his flute again. Only the story written by Johan, who played the prince, hinted at the idea that he might go and make himself a new flute. All the others ended with the prince and the princess somehow finding each other. Why this is interesting to me is because I would have hoped the workshop somehow communicated that our happiness never lies outside of ourselves in someone else, but inside ourselves – in our own music. I would love comments on this.