The World Tree at Moor Barton Wilding

Dartmoor Storytellers and Moor Barton Wilding present

The World Tree by Lisa Schneidau

Spell-stories to the ash tree

In a world of magic and miracles, Yggdrasil the ash tree holds all of creation in its roots and branches. Odin the Allfather hangs upside down from the great tree, waiting for wisdom to come. But what happens when the ash tree falls sick?

The World Tree is a storytelling dedicated to our beloved ash trees, past, present and future. Here’s a tangle of Norse myth, Irish legend and English folktale, where you can hear the latest about our tree pandemic, learn some juicy reptilian insults and discover what happened after the world really did end.

“…poetic and powerful.”

“…the stories were mesmerizing.”

This is the first of a series of Wild Stories events on Dartmoor in the summer of 2025: we aim to showcase amazing storytelling in extraordinary places. It is hosted jointly by Dartmoor Storytellers and Moor Barton Wilding.

Age suitability 14+ (all under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).

This event will be in the woods, held outdoors around the fire under the shelter of White Deer Lodge at Moor Barton. Come prepared for the outdoors with suitable clothing and footwear. Refreshments will be available, and there are compost toilets. You can park nearby; there is a short walk to the venue, with an earth path which can be uneven underfoot.

Details of how to get to the site, and what to bring, will be sent through to all ticket holders near to the date of the event.

Lisa Schneidau is a Dartmoor-based performance storyteller, author and environmentalist. She works with creative storytelling, folklore and traditional story to help us connect with nature and landscape. Lisa tells stories for all ages at events, nature reserves, arts centres and schools, including performance storytelling and training for adults, story creation and development within education. She is the author of four books: English Folk Tales of Coast and Sea, River Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland, Woodland Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland and Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland (all History Press). www.lisaschneidau.co.uk
…Lisa captivates her audience, and makes you ponder whether the land always has a tale to be told and a voice to be heard… Beaford Arts
…a wonderful and powerful storyteller…Avon Needs Trees

Moor Barton Wilding CIC is a 120 acre project on the north east shoulder of Dartmoor dedicated to rewilding land and people. The land is made up of a mosaic of ecologically rich habitats – including wood pasture, hazel coppice, transitional edge and wildflower glades, closed canopy woodland, wetland, veteran trees and conifer woodland – and is a key site on Dartmoor for species reintroduction. Believing that humans are part of nature with a key role to play in restoring our ecological systems, Moor Barton engages communities near and far, offering many opportunities to learn about and get involved in different aspects of rewilding. https://www.moorbarton.org/