From A-Z Folklore, Fairytales, Myths and Legends From Around the World

There is a wealth of public domain stories available on the Internet. Part of my work is writing a research column for the national Storytelling Magazine, a member benefit of the National Storytelling Network. I research and evaluate web sites specific to the art of Oral Tradition and write short synopses to accompany them.

Permission for private use of this compilation is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com.

From time to time I will add some storytelling sites to my blog to help folks find their way down the cyber highway. Here are a few to whet your appetite; I hope you find them useful. If you would like to read more go to my Storytelling Links page at www.storybug.net

Absolutely Whootie: Stories to Grow By
Multicultural folktales searchable by continent and country; free writing assignments and play scripts as well.

The AFRO-American Almanac
An extensive list of folktales, biographical and historical information, as well as excerpts from literary works.

Applit
Jack Tales, poetry, authors, study guides and lesson plans, bibliographies and an index categorized by genre. The entire site is focused on Appalachian Literature.

American Folklore
Take an armchair journey with folktales, myths, legends, Tall Tales and ghost stories from the 50 United States. Tales are clearly indexed so you won’t even need to ask for directions.

Andrew Lang ~ The Literature Network
There isn’t a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but a prism of fairytale books to add to your riches. http://www.online-literature.com/andrew_lang/

Arabian Nights
Let Scheherazade lead you through the ancient and mysterious world of Ali Baba and Sinbad; fall under the spell of a 1001 nights.

The Baldwin Project
The Baldwin Project is a virtual page turner, a comprehensive collection of literature in the public domain. Read tales from as far back as 1880. The works of such luminaries as Padraic Colum, Howard Pyle, Andrew Lang, and James Baldwin will light your way.

The Electronic Text Center - University of Virginia Library
Browse by culture: English, French, German, Spanish, Latin, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Apache, Greek, Hebrew, Tibetan, Icelandic, Italian and Portuguese.

The Encyclopedia of Hotcâk (Winnebago) Mythology
The most comprehensive site I have found on Native American folktales. There is an extensive index of stories by subject matter, myths, maps, and legends.

A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India
The entire book by A. K. Ramanujan is online for generations to read, relish and enjoy.

Folklore and Mythology
By far one of the most comprehensive sites on folklore and mythology from around the world. The tales are numerous and grouped alphabetically by genre. There is also another link to Germanic folklore. This is a jewel of a site, one you will visit again and again.

H-NILAS: "Stories for the Seasons"
An excellent array of seasonal stories. From forest to frogs, moons to maidens, storyteller Cathy Mosley offers us her folktale adaptations from around the world.

Irish Studies
All things Irish; weddings, wakes, tales, music, song, Gaelic and more. Slainte!

Learning to Give
Be sure to bookmark this fabulous site! Lesson plans, complementary folktales, and parent resources to involve students in philanthropy and serving their communities.

Mysterious Britain
Banshees, Black Dogs and Bessie Dunlop are but a few of the folktales and legends from England, Wales and Scotland. Visit with faeries, selkies, dragons and giants but beware, don’t stay tarry too long in one of the haunted castles.

Mything Links
An Annotated & Illustrated Collection of Worldwide Links to Mythologies, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Sacred Arts & Traditions. Fairies and dragons, creation stories and star lore, there is more information here than you could ever hope to digest.

Nasreddin Hodja
Filled with information and stories about the beloved character of Turkish tales, this website is also a portal to many other Hodja sites.

Norwegian Folk Tales
Twenty-four folktales to warm our hearts through the winter.

Russian Tales
Many delightful tales from Russia and the Ukraine and details on Russian traditions from Christmas to weddings.

Sacred Text Archives
Explore the world through this amazing collection of texts on religion, mythology, legends, folklore, and more.

Spirit of Trees
Cristy West’s growing website offers curricular resources, essays, organizational links, poetry and folktales from some of our leading storytellers and scholars. Rest in the cool shade of its branches and let the spirit of the trees nourish your soul.

Story Lovers
Storyteller Jackie Baldwin designs notepads, stationery and more with breathtaking fairytale and folklore illustrations from long ago. In addition, with the help of Storytell listserv members, Jackie has compiled an extensive array of stories and books. Click on “Exclusively for Storytellers” and you will discover your own private folklore library right at your fingertips.

SurLaLune Fairy Tales
Stories and the history behind the tales, cross cultural references, extensive individual bibliographies and modern interpretations. The SurLaLane pages are an incredible resource for storytellers, librarians and teachers.

Tibetan Folktales
Twenty tales from the ancient country of Tibet; search for Missing Treasure, beware the Island of Beautiful Women and meet Tibet’s first king.

Tons-o-Trickster!
There are more trickster links here than you could possible hope to surf in one sitting; anything and everything related to the elusive trickster. I kid you not!

Zen Stories
Over fifty stories in the Zen tradition. "This web site is a collection of stories from the Orient, mostly Zen and Taoist tales. Think of these tales as conversation pieces, as handy tools that you can lift out of your pocket to help you and others talk, think, and laugh about the wondrous and mysterious details of this thing we call life."

Zine 5 Folktale Archives
Hidden among the pages of this magazine publication is a distinctive selection of characteristic folktales from six continents.