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Stirposcope

A puzzle of the past and present.

From ancient legends to personal anecdotes, stories allow us to make sense of the world around us.

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What is the Stirposcope for?

Down through the centuries people shared their life lessons, knowledge, and experiences through the spoken word. People of each succeeding generation were guided by the deeds of their ancestors.

Stories teach us how to be human – and have for more than 9,000 years. When we listen to a story, our brain reacts as if we are the ones who experienced the story ourselves. This connection helps us make sense of the world, connect with others, and learn about ourselves.

What does the Stirposcope do?

The Stirposcope is a storytelling game for the whole family. The instrument helps stories to emerge and encourages us to share them with the people we hold dear.

What is the Stirposcope for?

Down through the centuries people shared their life lessons, knowledge, and experiences through the spoken word. People of each succeeding generation were guided by the deeds of their ancestors.

Stories teach us how to be human – and have for more than 9,000 years. When we listen to a story, our brain reacts as if we are the ones who experienced the story ourselves. This connection helps us make sense of the world, connect with others, and learn about ourselves.

Sharing our stories is our obligation to the next generation.

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What does the Stirposcope do?

The Stirposcope is a storytelling game for the whole family. The instrument helps stories to emerge and encourages us to share them with the people we hold dear.

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The game starts when a household comes together and the first player starts to rotate the four wooden rings of the Stirposcope. When rotated, the indicators point at four words: a time, a place, people and an emotion.

On the image below, someone rolled the following combination: Currently, Home, Alone, Happy.

The player who turned the wooden rings shares one of his stories based on the rolled word combination. The words trigger stories to emerge that might not have been top of mind.

After everyone has finished talking about the story, the Stirposcope is passed on. The player next in line now gets a chance to turn the rings and share a story.

Play

The game starts when a household comes together and the first player starts to rotate the four wooden rings of the Stirposcope. When rotated, the indicators point at four words: a time, a place, people and an emotion.

On the image below, someone rolled the following combination: Currently, Home, Alone, Happy.

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The player who turned the wooden rings shares one of his stories based on the rolled word combination. The words trigger stories to emerge that might not have been top of mind.

After everyone has finished talking about the story, the Stirposcope is passed on. The player next in line now gets a chance to turn the rings and share a story.

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Capture

Stories remain alive as long as we pass them on. Yet, sometimes the spoken word is not enough, and we want to write down and store the story just in case.

The Stirposcope houses tubes for each of the household members. You can use the tube to store the stories that are most valuable to you.

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Treasure

Stories can hold a lot of personal information. To keep the tubes stored inside safe, the Stirposcope features a combination lock.

To open the lock, someone needs to position the engraved words and symbols on the outside of the Stirposcope in the right order.

The combination of the lock can be changed by adjusting the position of the outer rings in contrast to the inner brass gears.

Capture

Stories remain alive as long as we pass them on. Yet, sometimes the spoken word is not enough, and we want to write down and store the story just in case.

The Stirposcope houses tubes for each of the household members. You can use the tube to store the stories that are most valuable to you.

Treasure

Stories can hold a lot of personal information. To keep the tubes stored inside safe, the Stirposcope features a combination lock.

To open the lock, someone needs to position the engraved words and symbols on the outside of the Stirposcope in the right order.

The combination of the lock can be changed by adjusting the position of the outer rings in contrast to the inner brass gears.

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Why share stories?

We are hard-wired for narrative – it’s how the human brain works. When we listen to a story, our brain reacts as if we are the one who experienced the story ourselves. This connection helps us make sense of the world, connect with others and learn about ourselves.

We all have stories to tell. Whether we talk about a unique experience or everyday moments, all of our stories are telling. It tells something about us, our thoughts and the world we live in. You never know what someone might learn from your story.

Did you know?

We are addicted to stories because they boost our ``feeling good`` hormone.

Stories were already told before humankind could write.

As you hear a story unfold, your brain waves start to synchronize with those of the storyteller.