Interviewer: How did you start the fairy tales you used to tell me as a kid? 

TK: I’m disappointed that you can’t remember. The same as everyone, I heard it as a kid from my mom, and the way she heard it from hers. Every story i remember my mom or my grandma telling me started exactly like this.

Translation:

“A tale of things that were and things that were not.” 

Original:

“იყო და არა იყო რა”

Context:

The informant is my mother, who grew up in Georgia. She recites a common Georgian introduction to a fairytale.

Analysis:

Every language has its own version of this opening formula. This is the Georgian variation of the common “once upon a time” trope. It creates an environment where the story is told. Once the phrase is said, the story is about to begin. Additionally, it creates a sense of liminality to communicate that the story lies somewhere between reality and make-believe. We see characteristic attributes of oral folklore such as intergenerational transmission of vernacular tradition.