Folk Literature from Worldwide Traditions


For a quick introduction to tale-type and motif indexes (what they are and how they work), visit the Tale-Types and Motifs sub-page of this guide. The texts listed below can be found in print format in Harvard Library. Open the link to view the call number and location.


ATU, or, The Types of International Folktales: a Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson (Hans-Jörg Uther and Folklore Fellows, 2004) [or see alternative HOLLIS record]
Allows researchers to identify the underlying structure of a tale and to cross-reference it with other tales from all around the world which share the same elements or themes. Each tale-type entry describes which themes and motifs comprise a specific tale-type. Motifs each have an identifying number, which can be cross-referenced with Thompson’s Motif-Index of Folk-Literature. In this way, researchers can identify similar story plots, and even vastly different tales which share motifs. 

Motif-Index of Folk-Literature; a Classification of Narrative Elements in Folk-Tales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends (Stith Thompson, 1932) [or see alternative HOLLIS record]
Used by folklorists to identify the elements or “building blocks” which make up a tale. The index assigns a number to each motif and lists tales in which it appears. This allows researchers to identify different tales which contain the same motif, as well as the range of functions of a certain motif in tales, and is useful for comparative analysis. The limits of the index are its geographical range; it is mainly restricted to Europe, though it does recognize a number of Eastern tales. Subsequently, various scholars have created cultural or regional specific indexes to supplement and expand Thompson’s work. Note: Some of these volumes are available online via HathiTrust's record for Indiana University Studies (wherein a copy was printed); specifically, see IUS volume no. 96-97 which is available online and contains the following volumes of the Motif Index: v. 1 (A–C: Mythological, Animal, Tabu), v. 2 (D–E: Magic, The Dead) and v. 3 (F–H: Marvels, Ogres, Tests). The following IUS volumes containing Motif Index volumes are available via search-only: 100-101, 105-106, 108-112.

African Folktales with Foreign Analogues (compiled by May Augusta Klipple, 1992)


For a quick introduction to tale-type and motif indexes (what they are and how they work), visit the Tale-Types and Motifs sub-page of this guide.

ATU-AT-Motif guide 
Although incomplete, a great portion of the AT and ATU classification schemes can be found on this site curated by academic librarian Michael Muchow. He has linked many of them to tales stored on the Internet Archive website.

Folk Tales Online
A helpful guide to finding folk tales online, created by academic librarian Michael Muchow.

Unpacking World Folk-literature: Thompson's Motif Index, ATU's Tale Type Index, Propp's Functions and Lévi-Strauss's Structural Analysis for Folk Tales Found Around the World 
This site is curated by Shawn Urban and hosted at the University of Alberta. It has some overlap with Muchow's resource, above, but includes some unique items. It links to the Multilingual Folk Tale Database (MFTD). Neither is exhaustive. Note: When you see an abbreviated reference to a collection where a published tale can be found that illustrates one of Thompson's motifs, look it up in the detailed Bibliography and Abbreviations section on p. 31 (#45) of Thompson's Motif Index of Folk-Literature as published in Indiana University Studies no. 96–97, via HathiTrust.

Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts
This site is provided by retired professor D.L. Ashliman and hosted at the University of Pittsburgh. Again, there is some overlap with the other sources listed above, but some entries are unique. It is not exhaustive.

Motif-Index of Folk-Literature; a Classification of Narrative Elements in Folk-Tales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends (Stith Thompson, 1932)
Used by folklorists to identify the elements or “building blocks” which make up a tale. The index assigns a number to each motif and lists tales in which it appears. This allows researchers to identify different tales which contain the same motif, as well as the range of functions of a certain motif in tales, and is useful for comparative analysis. The limits of the index are its geographical range; it is mainly restricted to Europe, though it does recognize a number of Eastern tales. Subsequently, various scholars have created cultural or regional specific indexes to supplement and expand Thompson’s work. Note: Some of these volumes are available online via HathiTrust's record for Indiana University Studies (wherein a copy was printed); specifically, see IUS volume no. 96-97 which is available online and contains the following volumes of the Motif Index: v. 1 (A–C: Mythological, Animal, Tabu), v. 2 (D–E: Magic, The Dead) and v. 3 (F–H: Marvels, Ogres, Tests). The following IUS volumes containing Motif Index volumes are available via search-only: 100-101, 105-106, 108-112.

Multilingual Folk Tale Database
Folk tales from all over this world are provided on this site, in their original language or in translation. To organize the stories and make it easier to find and compare them, the stories have been classified along the Aarne-Thompson-Uther classification, which is the established standard for folk tales. Although the database contains over 10,000 stories and translations, it contains stories exemplifying only a limited portion of the ATU classes.


For more international tale options, see the Collections of Folktales page of this guide.


Worldwide Selection:

  • See the "Collections of Folktales" sub-page of this guide, which has a particularly strong selection from Europe, among other regions.
     
  • Black Short Fiction and Folklore: from Africa and the African Diaspora
    Aims to be an in-depth collection of African and African-Diaspora stories. When complete, it will feature the English-language literature of more than 15 countries, with additional units of French and Portuguese literature from the African continent.
     
  • To supplement the above, see the following (or search HOLLIS by region for items sharing similar subject heading terms with these):


Africa:

East Asia:


Europe:

  • Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race (by T.W. Rolleston)
    Thomas William Hazen Rolleston (1857-1920) was an Irish writer, literary figure and translator known for works that spanned a wide range of literary and political topics. He wrote Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race in 1911 in an attempt to revitalize what he felt was a waning appreciation for the heritage of all Celtic peoples. Perhaps the best representation and description of all the legends, myths and spiritual histories of Ireland, Britain and Wales, this collection includes the stories of Ultonian and Ossianic cycles, the voyage of Maeldum, and the myths and tales of the Cymry (Welsh). Rolleston also provides the fantastic narratives of Cuchulain, King Arthur, Deirdre, the Grail, and many more. This book is also available online via Project Gutenberg.
     
  • See the "Collections of Folktales" sub-page of this guide, which has a particularly strong selection from Europe, among other regions.
     

North and South America:

Subject contains tales* AND Subject contains Indians of North America AND Keywords anywhere contains shapeshifting OR transformation OR transmogrification OR metamorphosis


South Asia:


Southeast Asia: