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Scheherazade: Friday Faithfuls

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written in response to Friday Faithfuls:
“Once Upon A Time”. Here’s my take.

© Pictorem

Professor Jim Adams always gives us something to think about! This week at Friday Faithfuls, Jim has asked us to think about the theme “Once Upon A Time” and to respond by writing about something relevant to storytelling …. a topic most of us here on WordPress can readily relate to.

As soon as I started reading Jim’s post, I thought of the story of Scheherazade …. an enchanting tale that captured my heart and my imagination from the very first time I heard it as a little girl. My father would play the beautiful music by the Russian composer, Rimsky-Korsakov, and my thoughts would take flight. I’m sure that was the beginning of my love of reading and for writing stories.

The epic tale of Scheherazade goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a very clever storyteller who saved her own life and the lives of other women by telling stories to a murderous sultan.  After his first wife’s infidelity, the Persian Sultan Shahryar vowed to marry a beautiful virgin every day and have her beheaded the next morning! His vizier’s daughter, Scheherazade, was determined to thwart the sultan’s plan and offered herself to be his next bride. On their wedding night, Scheherazade began a captivating story but stopped at a cliffhanger, promising to finish it the next night. The sultan, desperate to hear the conclusion, postponed her execution. She continued this pattern for 1,001 nights, telling tales that entranced the sultan, eventually causing him to fall in love with her and spare her life permanently.  

What an amazing story! I’m sure you can see why an impressionable young girl like me would be bewitched by such a tale. “One Thousand and One Nights” is a collection of folk tales written by different authors and is where the character of Scheherazade originated. I still have my copy of that book and will occasionally read a story. Some of the stories Scheherazade told may be familiar, such as “Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, “The Fisherman and the Jinni” and “Sinbad the Sailor”. Such wondrously exciting tales! I have begun reading some of the stories of Scheherazade to our youngest granddaughter, Colette, and she is just as captivated by them as I was (and still am!). It’s a wonderful tradition passed on from one generation to another. I hope when Colette has children of her own, she will share the stories of Scheherazade with them.

This is one movement from “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov. If you would like to listen to the entire symphony, I’ve provided a second video.

Once Upon a Time

Thanks to Jim Adams for keeping us aware and on the ball. And thanks to you all for stopping by for a look and a listen.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All rights reserved for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

22 thoughts on “Scheherazade: Friday Faithfuls”

  2. I’ve read all the stories, Nancy, …(not to save my life though) …and I think I’ve seen the film covering the storyline,… it’s a wonderful introduction for Colette, ( and us) with so many stories to capture the imagination, …💙

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  4. Thanks for joining in with the epic tale of Scheherazade, as this was perfect for the prompt Nancy. I know the stories that you have mentioned and I would love to read more of them. The Persian music is lovely, but I only watched the short video.

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    1. Thanks for a very gracious comment, Jim. When I saw the word “storyteller” in your write up, a lightbulb went off, and I immediately thought of Scheherazade. As a child, this was among my favorite classical pieces; I never tired of listening to it along with the Nutcracker and Peter and the Wolf. I’m so glad you enjoyed the music.

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      1. Yes, these stories originated as an entertainment for the kings in the courts of India and other countries where Arabic and Persian were spoken. There was an official story teller in every court. A few years ago, we had the good fortune of listening to a wonderful story teller. He recited a story about how the British government stole “Koh-I-noor” the diamond which graces the royal British crown from the people in India. He had remarkable talent and recited the story in poetic form- from memory.

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