Websites - ENG 225 - Children's Literature (Fairy Tales, Folklore, Myths, and Legends) - LibGuides at Springfield Technical Community College

Most of America's Folk Heroes in One Map!

William Gropper, America, it's folklore, 1946. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

William Gropper's 1946 map of American folklore includes real people who reached legendary status and invented figures. This article identifies each folk hero represented in the map.

Think about...

The purpose of the collection /web site.
The intended audience for the site.
Whether there is bias or propaganda being distributed through the site.
The quality of the site:
1. Do the links work?
2. Is the spelling correct?
3. Is the grammar correct?
4. Are the images appropriate?
Whether the site is scholarly, recreational, hobbyist, institutionally sponsored or commercial.
What information about the site's creator is available.
Access to the people who created or maintain the cite.
What you'd need to incorporate this site into your citation list.
The resources used in creating the site.

Folklore and Fairy Tale Collections

These websites offer collections of folklore and fairy tales from around the world. Some sites are devoted to stories from all cultures, while others cover just one region or tale. This is just an introduction to the material available on the web. See the "Think about..." box on the lower left of this page for help evaluating websites you visit.

Folklinks: Folk and Fairy-tale Sites
Extensive links to a broad range resources on folk and fairy tale studies from a leading authority in the field. There is a lot of content on this site, so spend some time exploring.
World of Tales
Folktales from around the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America among others.
Regional Folklore and Mythology
Links to information about global folklore and mythology topics broken down by cultural and geographical region.
SurLaLune Fairytales
49 annotated fairy tales, including their histories, similar tales across cultures, and modern interpretations plus over 1,600 folktales & fairy tales from around the world in more than 40 full-text books.
Fairytalez.com
With more than 2,500 stories, this site is the largest collection of fairy tales, folktales, and fables on the web.
Oban's Myths, Legends and Fables
A collections of folklore, myths, legends, and fables with a Native American and international twist.
Aaron Shepard's World of Stories - Folk Tales, Myths, Legends, More
Find folktales, fairy tales, tall tales, myths, legends, magical tales, and sacred stories, plus original fables, humor, and historical fiction by Aaron Shepard.
The Baldwin Project: Fairy Stories Every Child Should Know
39 fairy tales from around the world.
American Folklore
E. S. Schlosser has compiled materials on folklore, including tall tales, spooky stories, heros and villains and even nursery rhymes, Schlosser recommends viewing this site "while eating marshmallows around a campfire under a starry sky."
Hans Christian Andersen's Works
The most comprehensive collection of translations of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales on the web.
Grimm Brothers Tales
209 tales collected by the brothers Grimm.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Greek Mythology
Traditional tales concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Roman Mythology
The beliefs and practices of the inhabitants of the Italian peninsula from ancient times until the ascendancy of Christianity in the fourth century.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Norse Mythology
The collective myths of the Scandinavians (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland).
Fables of Aesop
A comprehensive collection of the most famous fabulist's tales.
Words to the Wise: Aesop's Fables Interactive Book
The Aesop for Children interactive book is designed to be enjoyed by readers of any age. The book contains over 140 classic fables, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and interactive animations.
The Camelot Project
The Camelot Project is a database of Arthurian texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information.
The Robin Hood Project
The Robin Hood Project is designed to make available a database of texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information about the Robin Hood stories and other outlaw tales.
The Cinderella Bibliography
Every culture possesses a Cinderella story, and the tale’s components reflect its international and timeless history.
The African American Folkorist
Owned, Trademarked, Operated and Founded by Lamont & Denise Pearley, The African American Folklorist is a quarterly Cultural News Magazine that contains articles about traditions, traditional beliefs, the cultural context, geographical locations, music, and vernaculars of African Americans and the role each element plays in the lives of the people past and present.

Useful Web Sources

These websites offer background, interpretation, and criticism of folklore, fairy tales, myths, and legends.

Sacred Text Archive
Largest freely available archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric.
Encyclopedia Mythica
An internet encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, and religion.
Ancient History Encyclopedia
A reliable, comprehensive encyclopedia of ancient history.
Godchecker: Your Guide to the Gods
A compilation of nearly four thousand weird and wonderful Gods, Supreme Beings, Demons, Spirits and Fabulous Beasts from all over the world. Fun and informative.
Symbols.com
A unique online encyclopedia that contains everything about symbols, signs, flags and glyphs arranged by categories such as culture, country, religion, and more.
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Originally published in 1870, and now in its 17th edition, the dictionary, which contains approximately 16,000 entries, is a compendium of allusions, idioms, mythology, place names, historical and fictional figures and events, nicknames, foreign terms, and famous phrases and quotations.