Thou shalt not

Is the challenge of prohibition the oldest narrative device after And then… And then… And then…? One of the very oldest stories we know (which has plenty of And thens…) turns on a prohibition. And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not [...]

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Sensational!

So what was all that about the houri coming through the wall and the rigmarole she conducted with the coloured fish? We never find out,  although it’s good news that all the fish not cindered in that operation are magically restored to human being when the love-blinded sorceress gets her come-uppance. But, as Shahrazad tells [...]

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