What does a young Bedouin woman living in Lebanon, a Syrian refugee cello player, an Iraqi rowing captain, a Syriac youth convening a senior citizens club, and a Moroccan olive tree planter have in common? They are all living embodiments of how heritage repertoires directly contribute to individual and collective wellbeing.

This contribution discusses how embodied heritage values operate within a context of heritage sites, and tangible and intangible embodiments of what is valued as heritage. This is partly intended to re-contextualize ideas of material and materiality that have recently undergone reconsideration in conservation and heritage discourse.

Within the rich tapestry of oral epics, characters transcend their individual roles and take on a profound significance. As illuminated by scholar Ruth Finnegan, characters within these epics evolve beyond mere protagonists; they transform into living embodiments of cultural ideals.

Living heritage contributes to such broad areas as sustainable agriculture and food systems, health care practices, natural resource management, ecosystem services and the management of ecological resources.

heritage, as a physical repository of storage memory, relates to tangible cultural arti-facts, while immaterial cultural heritage, such as oral traditions and performing arts, serves as living embodiments of cultural memory passed down by committed bearers, resembling the role of heirs in intangible cultural heritage preservation.[4]