Sandshapers
Sandshapers are one of the most cherised and respected professions across Yeia, and specially in their home realm of Unhelion, their stories and their figures of sand that help them telling these mythical tails have captivated the imagination of generations of Sun Elves and Desert elves. Come with me and discover a profession that allows your imagination to take on a life of its own, all thanks to magic!!.
Then, he or she greets the audience and tells them a little about the story that is going to be told, and after this, the oud starts to play and the magical and beautiful voice of the Sandshaper generates a kind of wind that can be seen and that swirls the sand creating figures. Then he or she begins to sing the story, and every time they say something the figure or figures of sand react to their voice and do what they are saying, for example: "Arjuna meets his friend the dwarf Hirapa", because one of the figures takes the form of Arjuna, and the other of Hirapa and they interact with each other, hugging each other and then continue walking.
Of course the Sandshaper doing the voices of the characters adds a level of inmersion and it's very entertaining, especially for the children. It is also said that the voice of the Sandshapers is able to generate optical illusions, for example, taking you to the places where the story takes place while you watch the figures interact with each other.
Finally, when the story ends, you return to the venue where the show was taking place, and from the applause of the children (and not so children) you realize that the evening has been a success and you have the feeling of having been a participant or witness of the story that was being told, that, for a few hours, the Sandshaper has transported you to a world of dreams and legends, to a world of the past, to a world of heroes and villains and mythical and terrifying monsters.
Origins
No one knows when the sandshapers as a profession appeared, some elves say they are as old as their whole race, because, since the beginning of time, the elves had used magic to create illusions and thus tell stories about their gods and heroes. These stories would have been told by people not only with great gifts for narrating and telling stories, but who also had to possess a certain skill when it came to making inanimate objects, such as in this case the sand, not only take shape, but through magic, and above all through music and voice, come to life for a few moments. The first Sandshapers are mentioned during the First Dynasty of Sun Elven Kings (ca. 5500 BP to 3100 BP). They were famous entertainers in the most populated cities of the realm as well as in the Royal Court. After the Anthynerynn arrived an established the Second Dynasty (3100-1959 BP) they too learned the ways of the Sandshapers , and the first of them that adopted this tradition and this office wholeheartedly were the Desert elves. For centuries and for generations, desert elf sandshapers travelled from their camps to the nearest city to perform this magical theatrical plays in exchange of money or supplies for their camp, their arrival was always welcomed by everybody, especially children of course, who were, and still are, fascinated by these performances. As some desert elf tribes became sedentary since the times of the 3rd Dynasty (1959- 871 BP) they began passing their knowledge to the regular Anthynneryn Sun elves. Over the centuries schools and traveling Sandshaper companies were even created throughout the kingdom, and what was once a simple hobby or a way to earn extra money or fame, became a real profession.The storytellers themselves
The candidates for being a Sandshaper have to meet a series of requirements, they must have at least a decent level of magic, have a good voice and know how to play an instrument, and above all, have the desire to learn and tell stories!. In many cases, the candidates are already children of Sandshapers, which means that they already have some familiarity with the craft and that their parents have taught them to sing, play an instrument or the rudimentary principles of magic used to make sand and figures take shape and life.Training
If they are accepted into the Sandshaper school the young elves start by learning the basics of the profession. First they are taught how to sing, and once they've mastered it, they are learn the secrets of creating magic through ones voice and how this changes the shape of the sand into whatever they like, and secondly how through ones voice this figures come alive and move, which is the most difficult part. And last, but not least they learn to play one or two instruments. This usually takes years to master, around 7 or 10 years. Once the teachers consider that their students are ready, they join the theatre company that usually owns the school where they perform their first sand theatre works. Once they have get used to it and get more confident about their skills they can decide if they continue in the company or they work on their own. Young Sandshapers usually can animate just one or two piles of sand, while the most veteran and more skillful ones can animate up to five piles of sand at the same time just with their voices and their music!.Instruments
The instruments you play are just an accompaniment, your main instrument is your voice and the magic it creates, as well as your imagination.Sandshapers use a wide variety of instruments for their shows. The most common are the Oud, the bamboo flute (one of the oldest instruments of the elves) and the sitar. Sometimes there could be a duo of Sandshapers for a performance, so, on this occasion, one usually plays a string instrument while the other plays the flute or some small drums. But the most important instrument is their own voice, with which they use their magic to create the figures for their performances
The stories they told
Most of the stories Sandshapers tell and perform with their magical arts are the most famous myths of Elven mythology and religion, such as the stories that appear in the Holy Book of Kings, such as Princess Amaya's travel, Aldrasin's fight against goblins and dwarves, King Tecilder's fight on the Siege of Dorstulon, the city of the Ten Walls but, by far the most famous story of them all, and this is not only common to the Sun Elves but to all Light Elves, is the Myth of Prince Arjuna and Princess Sita with the adventures of the prince and the princess (and their multiple companions, friends and helpers) to finally meet each other fighting and avoiding monsters and evil spirits such as Mana.One of the most beautiful shows in all Yeia
Attending a Sandshaper show is certainly something amazing. After purchasing a ticket for a modest price, you sit on their chair or on a cushion on the floor, then the Sandshaper approaches the stage and sits on a small table, not without having first placed several piles of sand on it. by Callyxtus
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Omg!! I will pay good money to see one of these stories :D