Eco Stories with
Stephen McCabe
Live at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, February 2022
Myths, legends and traditional folktales from across the world are often deeply entwined with nature. For me, they are a form of nature therapy. They invite us to connect our imaginations with the wonder of nature, which in turn connects us to the bigger picture.
As a storyteller and ecotherapy practitioner, I offer eco-therapeutic myth and folklore sessions in many different ways. I am passionate in my belief that stories are for adults and not just children. It is time that we recognise their importance again, like our wise ancestors across the world once did. Whenever we watch a film or read a novel, we are engaging with stories!
My myth and folklore work is geared towards adults who are drawn towards working with nature’s mythologies for deep nature-connection (however, children are welcome to attend most of my events). I also provide Storytelling Therapy which you can find out more about here.
At an adult storytelling event, I will share several traditional stories with the audience. Whilst you relax and allow yourself to become enchanted by nature and your imagination, I may invite some gentle meditation/visualisations or offer personal reflections for you to ponder throughout the event. There is no expectation that the audience engage beyond sitting silently in their seat and listening. I work with stories from across the world, with my favourites being from Scotland, Japan and India. I offer online or in-person sessions in Scotland.
I also offer outdoor nature therapy sessions, where stories are infused into the events. For example, I often gather a group outdoors and share an old story. Then I invite us to bond with our surroundings using the story as our guide and inspiration. I later use my counselling skills to help the group explore how the story and the surrounding nature have spoken to them throughout the session. These sessions can be very beautiful and powerful; the story and the surrounding nature can become as one.
Contact me to find out more.
Watch and listen to some of my work on this page!
Watch ‘Scottish Myths and Nature Connection’: a 45-minute online presentation exploring Scotland’s links with nature-based folklore. There is a short meditation/visualisation near the end of the video which incorporates a nature-based legend from Midlothian, Scotland.
Nature stories nurture us.
This is my telling of the mythical tale of the Liver Birds of Liverpool (my home City). This video is a part of my ‘myths and stories’ ecotherapy course. More info soon!
The story of the manekineko-cat is classic myth from Japan. This is just one of many old stories which claim to be the origin of the famous beckoning cat. My version of this classic tale is about the beauty of pet friendship, the joy of being by the water, luck, and the riches of living a simple life within nature. It’s one of my favourite myths, and I hope you enjoy my telling of it!
Podcast: The Nature Twin
The Nature Twin is a story of my own, inspired by (and including aspects of) Scottish mythology. It featured on episode six of the Nature Therapy Online podcast.
Podcast: Fox and Dog
Fox and Dog is a traditional Scottish story. It was shared for centuries through the oral storytelling tradition of the Scottish Travelling Community. It was shared with me by my storytelling mentor Daniel Allison. I now share it with you on episode 15 of the Nature Therapy Online podcast.
To enquire about booking a myth and nature session, contact me.
Below are a couple of myths/legends that I wrote down myself in a simple, unpretentious fashion. Both stories are close to my heart. However, I recently noticed that neither of them are available as free, written stories on the internet. As I use them in my Myths and Tales nature therapy programme, it felt like a good idea to have some written versions online somewhere! I hope you enjoy them.
The Mythical Story of The Liver Birds of Liverpool
Long ago, in a stretch of damp woodlands near a deep river bank, there lived two birds. These birds were unlike any other; bigger than humans with similarities to both Cormorants and Eagles. Eagle Body. Cormorant head. Strange birds indeed!
These were the only two birds of their species in the entire world. They spent their lives looking for each other, finding little clues that one another existed, such as big birdy footprints, or feathers with a similar scent to their own. However, they were never quite able to find each other. They projected their love for each other onto the land where they lived instead. The deep river felt like a spiritual Goddess to them. It was all they had.
As the centuries passed, the birds continued to thrive, growing bigger. They were giant! The woodlands slowly gave way to the Port of Liverpool; a huge industrial city. The birds generally kept out of human sight, but they would occasionally be seen flying in the moonlight, or diving for fish out on the vast river.
In 1911, the world’s tallest building (at that time) was built in Liverpool: The Liver Building. It had two tall towers on the top.
Shortly afterwards, the city suffered mysterious, terrifying earthquakes. Small buildings collapsed, people died. The magnificent Liver Building threatened to collapse too, and the whole city seemed as if it was about to crumble into dust.
At a critical moment, the two birds —who had still never found each other — came to the rescue. From separate areas of the city, they flew into the air and each landed on a separate tower with their backs to each other. One bird was looking out over the river, and the other bird was looking out over the city. They landed there to put their full weight on the building, to stop the city that they loved so deeply from crumbling into dust. Miraculously, their spare of the moment plan – which they both devised independently of each other – worked.
The birds saw each other mid-flight as they flew towards the towers. However, instead of flying off together, they both made a split-second decision to put their weight on the towers to control the earthquake.
Once they landed, they both knew that if they moved an inch, the city would start to shake all over again. It was so hard to have their backs to each other, after searching for each other for so long. However, they both adored their respective views of the river and the city, and the feeling of living so high up in the air.
These two enormous, mythical birds are now known as The Liver Birds of Liverpool. They are still on the towers of the Liver Building now, in the city centre. The locals have affectionately given them the names of Bertie and Bella.
It is known that if Bertie and Bella ever do turn around and look at each other, they are likely to fly off together, which will make Liverpool begin to shake once more. Only the heavy strength of the birds keeps the mysterious earthquakes of Liverpool under control.
The Liver Birds make this incredible sacrifice for the city that they love, and the locals have thanked them by making them the official symbol of the city itself.
If you ever visit Liverpool, you must visit the Liver Building to see Bertie and Bella. Although they look like statues, if you look closely enough you can actually see them breathing.
Fox and Dog
(A Scottish Traveller’s tale widely shared by Duncan Williamson)
In the lowlands of Scotland, not so long ago, there lived a beautiful Fox. He adored the free life of the woods; the sound of the river flowing, the feel of the air against his red fur, the smell of the wild garlic in spring and the taste of the small mammals who he was so adept at catching.
One day, he was chased from the forest by a fox-hunting human on a horse, surrounded by savage dogs. The fox only just managed to escape the woods, and he embarked on a journey to the nearest town to find safety.
When he arrived, exhausted and hungry, he came across a spaniel in a kennel, in the back garden of a wee cottage. The fox, desperately hungry and thirsty, popped his head over the cottage wall.
“You there! You’re not a cat are you?” asked the ginger spaniel. She had a posh English accent, unlike anything the fox had ever heard.
The fox would have laughed if he wasn’t feeling so ill. In his strong southern Scots accent, he said, “Of course I’m nae a cat hen, am a forx! You…you dinnae hunt forxes do you?”
“I’ve never hunted anything darling,” said the spaniel, "I’m all about this delicious chunky tinned food! Here, would you like some?”
The spaniel was so delighted to meet a wild fox that she invited him to share her dog food from her bowl. They both shared the food and also their life stories; the fox told of his freedom and struggles, and the spaniel told of her comforts and boredom.
The spaniel suggested to the fox that they swap places in life. She wanted to taste freedom.
As the fox was still in shock from being chased from the woods, he was tempted by the safety and security on offer. As they were both small and ginger (and the dog’s owners being neglectful and stupid) they both figured that they might get away with it.
Just as the fox was about to agree, he noticed a chain around the spaniel’s neck. He couldn’t believe it. She was a prisoner!
The spaniel asked him to fetch the key to the chain, which was held beneath a small plant pot by the cottage. The fox was horrified. “Am sorry pal, but I cannae do this. I’d rather be hungry and free!”
With that, the fox disappeared into the local park for the night, but rumour has it that the fox and spaniel remained friends for a long time — regardless of their differences.