Week 6 Storytelling: Why the North Star Lives in the Sky

There once was a star who shone brighter than any other, but she did not know this. See,there was one problem; she was living down on the ground with the people. Don't get me wrong; she loved the people! They would always come to her when they needed her bright light, and they made her feel special. They would compliment her and thank her, but no matter how hard they tried to make her feel like she belonged, she knew this was just not the case. She would look up into the night sky and see the other stars up above, knowing that's where she truly belonged. She just could not bring herself to leave the people who needed her. She felt she owed it to them to remain on the ground for them.

Well, one day some of the villagers were planning a long journey. The journey was going to last several days, and they knew that it would be best if they could travel at night as well as during the day to make the trip faster. However, there was a problem. During the day, directions were easy. They could use the sun's position in the sky to guide their way. The Sun was the Great star; the Ground star admired her so greatly. At night though, there was no such star. There were many stars that illuminated the sky but none bright enough nor consistent enough for them to count on to guide their way. That's when the Ground star had a brilliant idea. She could be like the Sun. She could not only help the villagers but all of mankind each night, as the Sun does each day.

"I will guide you!" She told the villagers, excitedly. "Come nightfall, look for me in the sky. I will shine brighter than any other. When you see me up above, I will be in the north, always there to guide you." The Ground star was not completely sure if her plan would work, but she had to try. She knew there was something special about her, so she decided to follow her instincts. The villagers were sad to see her go but grateful for her offer. Just before nightfall, the ground star ascended toward the sky, excited about what this new life had for her. She passed many stars on her way to her post, and they all complimented her on how bright she was and how they'd been waiting for her to come join them so they could meet her. They had been admiring her from the sky! They immediately treated her like family, and finally, she belonged.

The North Star, online source

When darkness settled, the villagers looked for their star friend, afraid that they would not be able to point her out from all the others. Once they saw her though, there was no mistaking which one she was. They all smiled as they saw her shining down brightly on them. "The North Star," one of the villagers proudly proclaimed, and they set off on their journey.

Bibliography: Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky from Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, West Africa by Elphinstone Dayrell, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story is an origin story explaining why the sun and the moon live in the sky. This particular collection of stories had many origin stories, but most of them were explaining things about animals. I liked the personification of the moon and sun more, though, especially because the sun and moon were husband and wife in the original story. The waters kept getting higher and higher, eventually forcing the sun and moon out of their own home and into the sky. I liked the idea of them having feelings, which is why I gave the North star feelings and emotions, but one thing I did not like about these origin stories were that they mostly had a negative undertone. Let's face it; getting forced out of one's home isn't exactly a happy ending. I wanted the North star to be happy about her outcome in life, which is why I wrote the story the way that I did.