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"A TORCH IS LIT BY ANOTHER": FINDING NEW MEANING IN A FAMILIAR STORY
"A torch is lit by another ... A man becomes wise by speaking with others."
(Havamal Stanza 8, Trans. Crawford, 2015)
KOTOW applies unique pedagogical teaching and learning methods for learning about cultures all over the world. The methods are simple - read and discuss traditional stories. Although the methods are simple, they are grounded in ancient wisdom.
The pedagogy emulates teachings found in the ancient stories themselves. Oral culture is a significant aspect of human heritage. Sharing traditional stories can inform identity, worldview, origins, history and ethos. The program provides opportunities for the sharing of stories in a hospitable learning environment.
In the Prose Edda Study Program, participants read and discuss the Old Norse creation story, Gylfaginning. The small group is open to applicants from all over the world, and presently includes participants from Denmark, England, Norway, Poland, Holland and the United States. The sharing of different perspectives within the group frequently offers new insights and raises new questions about familiar old stories.
Learning is amplified by the multicultural, multilingual and global nature of the program. Questions and analyses of the text are informed by participants who draw from their own experience and expertise to contribute to discussions, learning and investigations.
The program design draws inspiration from passages in ancient text wherein the Norse god, Odin, exonerates learning and wisdom learnedness. In Havamal, Odin advises that becoming wise is associated with traveling widely (stanza 18) and speaking with others (stanza 57). Along with the reading and sharing of stories, these passages capture the essence of KOTOW pedagogy.
18. He alone is aware | who has wandered wide,
And far abroad has fared,
How great a mind | is guided by him
That wealth of wisdom has.
(Trans. Bellows, 1916)
57. A torch is lit by another
and burns till it’s burned out.
A fire is kindled by another fire.
A man becomes wise by speaking with others
And foolish by keeping to himself.
To learn more about the program, click here:
