A planetary mythology to bring individuals back into relationship with Humanity, the Community of Life and planet Earth

What is The Earth Stories Collection?

The Earth Stories Collection is a repository of myths, legends, fables and folktales from cultures around the planet which are capable of transmitting a complex-systems worldview and of illustrating the principles and values of the Earth Charter.

It is inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, a food crop seed bank in which seeds from all parts of the world are preserved as a food guarantee for humanity in the face of the possibility of a global crisis or disaster.

In this sense, The Earth Stories Collection is called to be a cultural seed bank, a base of global educational resources for the construction (or reconstruction) of a deeply sustainable global society, based on social and economic justice, and values of peace and democracy; that is, the values of the Earth Charter.

‘Myth calls us to hope, and calls to action. We are asked to recover the mythical thought of our childhood, the imaginative view (the child’s view) the innocence we should never have lost. We are asked to recover imagination, feelings, ethical principles, beauty, metaphor as the language of the soul … to be able to communicate and talk with sister snake, brother bear, brother oak and sister stone.

‘What better way to do it than by telling us wonderful stories by the fire again?’

 

Grian A. Cutanda, in The Earth Stories Collecion (2019)

Why traditional stories?

All cultures in the world have a tradition of using stories for education.  These traditional tales contain within them wisdom that has been passed down to us from our ancestors, which makes them the ideal vehicles for the development of a new humanity and a new civilization.

Why the Earth Charter?

Framing all these stories through the framework of the Earth Charter gives them a special value. The Earth Charter is the only truly global document produced by the international community. Its formulation and writing involved tens of thousands of people from all over the planet, from innumerable cultures and traditions, agreeing on a common set of values. In this way, the Earth Charter represents the best ethical reference for global human society in the 21st century.

The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values and ethical principles for building a planetary community based on social and economic justice, sustainability and peace. It aims to convey a systemic view of interdependency between all living beings and the planet, and urges a shared responsibility for the good of all humankind, the community of life and future generations.

More information: www.earthcharter.org

Earth Charter and associated stories

World map with the places of origin of the stories:

Credits

  • Picture in the Grian Cutanda’s quote, Игорь Левченко from Pixabay.