Stories make us greater.

Sgeulachd ni sinn na’s mò, Caledonian proverb, “Stories make us greater.”

Stories entertain us. Stories enlighten us. Stories challenge and frighten us. Stories take us places we have never been and show us people we have never known. Stories reinforce our beliefs; stories teach us to respect our neighbors’ beliefs. Stories remind us of the past, that we may be wary of the future. Stories reveal to us our familiar world in unfamiliar ways. Stories prompt us to grow and adapt and evolve.

Stories make us greater.

One of the greatest stories in the history of literature involves a man with a vision to unite his people against all who would strive to plunder and destroy their way of life. This man was blessed with staunch allies and cursed with bitter rivals. This man sought neither glory nor accolades, though he would win both through his battlefield victories. This man sought no bedchamber conquests, though no shortage of women would offer themselves to him. In the secret depths of his soul, this man sought only the one woman who could help him usher his vision for a united land into reality.

For centuries, literature has named this man Arthur.

For decades, I have named the woman Gyanhumara.

Their courage, their wisdom, their mistakes, their strength, and their love would forge the destiny of their world.

Their story makes us greater.

Re-blogged from my guest post on the Identity Discovery blog posted 05/22/2013.