Online Course Lady: E-Storybook Central

Welcome to E-Storybook Central

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This website provides links to important online resources for the Myth-Folklore, World Literature and Indian Epics classes. You will find links to STORYBOOK TOPICS here (with examples of previous Storybooks) along with links to ONLINE BOOKS that will help you in building your own Storybook for the class. For help with navigating the site, see the "Useful Links" box to the right of this post.

I'm guessing, though, that most people will prefer using this new blog to browse through the available resources. Plus, if you have ideas about how I can improve this blog, let me know. It is new for Spring 2011, and I hope it will help make the class an even more valuable learning experience for you! :-)

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Myth-Folklore Storybook Topics

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Here are some different Storybook topics to browse through and ponder as you start planning your own project for the class!

You might also get some ideas from browsing around the Storybooks online from previous semesters!

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Indian Epics: Topics

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Here is a list of the Indian Epic Storybook topics and sample Storybooks to give you some ideas as you start planning your own project for the class! Click on the topic for more information about each one:

Here is where you can find the specific instructions for the Indian Epics Brainstorming assignment.

Literary Storybooks

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There are all kinds of literary sources you might want to use for your Storybook stories, from Chaucer to William Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde. Any work of literature that is online (in the public domain) is fair game for the class.

Online Resources: There are a lot of famous literary works in the public domain online! You can also find some literary topics at the class website, including Baum's Wizard of Oz, Boccaccio's Decameron, Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Dante's Inferno, Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Sample Storybooks:

Myths of Other Cultures

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In addition to Greco-Roman mythology, Native American legends, and other familiar topics, you can find tales of gods, goddesses and heroes from ANYWHERE in the world to use in your Storybook.

Online Resources: You can browse the online books from all these different regions of the world till you find a culture that attracts your attention! Here are some books to look at: America - Europe - Celts - Slavs - Africa - Middle East - India, Asia, the Pacific.

Sample Storybooks:

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Art for a Storybook

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There are many painters whose works tell a story in visual form. You can build your Storybook around the work of one of these artists, from Renaissance artists to Romantic painters, any artist who created art inspired by traditional myths and legends.

Online Resources: The Web Gallery of Art is a great resource for medieval and Renaissance art, and you can search for paintings on mythological topics (just go to "Search" and choose "Type: Mythological"). For modern artists, take a look at the Art Passions website! Wikipedia is also a great online resource for art history.

Sample Storybook:

Moreau Mythology

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Scary Storybooks

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You can find all kinds of scary stories to use in a Storybook, from traditional ghost tales and other supernatural stories to modern urban legends.

Online Resources: For contemporary legends, check out the Horror section at Snopes.com. You can also search the Sacred Texts website for a word like ghost. You can also search a specific section, like ghost in the Japan section at Sacred Texts. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip.

Storybook Samples:

Food Storybooks

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You can find all kinds of stories about food, from traditional fairy tales to creation stories to urban legends. You can even include recipes in your Storybook if you want!

Online Resources: Check out the food-related topics at Snopes.com for modern urban legends. For traditional stories, you can search the Andrew Lang Fairy Books for a specific type of food. You can also search the Sacred Texts website for a specific food, such as bread or beer. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip.

Sample Storybooks:

Supernatural Creature Storybooks

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There are all kinds of supernatural creatures that you can tell stories about, with all kinds of amazing creatures that have never found their way into the pages of Harry Potter or the Twilight books.

Online Resources: For classical creatures, check out the Bestiary at Theoi.com. Wikipedia is a great resource for modern cryptids like Big Foot or the Goat-Sucker (Chupacabra). You can also search the Sacred Texts website for a specific creature, such as the werewolf or leprechauns. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip.

Sample Storybooks:

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Ballad Storybooks

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The ballad is one of the most popular storytelling forms in the world, and you can take the plot of those ballads and create your own tales!

Online Resources: You can find the complete Francis Child Ballads at Sacred Texts website, and you can search it for a specific word, such as mermaid or ghost, for example. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip. For background, check out the Ballad unit at the course website.

Sample Storybook:

F. Child Case Files

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Hero Storybooks: Robin, Arthur and More

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There are hero legends from all over the world that you can use to create a Storybook, choosing the most dramatic incidents from the hero's life in order to create your own heroic vision. And don't forget the heroines!

Online Resources: Browse through the European book list for Arthur and Robin and other European heroes. For Greek heroes, check out the Perseus, Jason, Hercules, Theseus, Odysseus and Achilles articles at Wikipedia.

Sample Storybooks:

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Urban Legend Storybooks

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There are literally thousands of urban legends to choose from at Snopes.com, and the trick is finding just which specific kind of urban legends you want to work with!

Online Resources: You can browse through all those different sections and sub-sections at Snopes.com. Make sure you choose a specific topic to focus on - urban legends about money or food or love or weddings, etc. etc. Snopes.com does a great job of organizing the stories into different categories.

Sample Storybooks:

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Mermaid Storybooks

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There are mermaid stories to be found all over the world!

Online Resources: You can find a great selection of mermaid stories at the Humanity.org website, and there are also many mermaid stories at Sacred-Texts Archive. Dan Ashliman has a great collection of Melusine legends, Mermaid Wife tales, and other kinds of Water Spirits.

Storybook Samples:

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Pirate Storybooks

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Pirates are a great blend of history and legend! You can focus on the various adventures of a single pirate (like Blackbeard) or else you can pick our favorite pirates and tell a story about each one. And don't forget: there were women pirates, too!

Online Resources: Wikipedia is definitely your best source - check out the main Piracy article, along with this list of pirates, and this list of women pirates also!

Sample Storybooks:

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Greco-Roman Mythology

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There are literally thousands of myths that have survived from ancient Greece and Rome, so the real challenge is deciding if you want to focus on a specific god or goddess or hero, or find a set of stories that are connected by a shared theme.

Online Resources: Both Theoi.com and Wikipedia are great online resources, and you can find lots of Greco-Roman mythology books online.

Focus on a specific god or goddess or hero:

Focus on a shared theme:

Creation Stories

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There are creation stories from every culture - creation stories about the whole world, as well as creation stories about human beings, other animals, other aspects of nature, etc.

Online Resources: You can find an online anthology of creation stories at the Creation Stories website. You can also search the Sacred Texts website for creation stories, or focus in on creation stories at the Native American section of Sacred Texts, for example. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip.

Sample Storybooks:

Native American Storybooks

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For a Native American Storybook, you can focus on the stories of a specific tribe, or you can choose a theme and look at how that theme recurs in the stories of different tribes.

Online Resources: You can find lots of Native American stories online. Make sure you also use Wikipedia to research the background of any of the tribe(s) whose stories you are using! You can also search the Sacred Texts website for a specific topic or theme such as an animal like the snake, or a cultural motif such as corn. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip.

Focus on a tribe:

Focus on a theme:

Fairy Tale Storybooks

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There are fairy tales from all over the world, far more than Disney could ever make movies of! The trick with this topic is to free yourself from Disney and start exploring the world of fairy tales, while also coming up with a creative way to tell your own versions of the tales.

Online Resources: You can find lots of famous fairy tale collections online, such as the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen. The Sur La Lune Fairy Tale website is a great place to browse. If you are interested in comparing different versions of famous stories, the Dan Ashliman website is the place to go: Bearskin, Beauty and the Beast, Bluebeard, Cinderella , King Thrushbeard, Rapunzel, Robber Bridegroom, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, Snow-Maiden, Snow White , and The Swan-Maidens. For Mother Goose, try The Real Mother Goose.

Sample Storybooks:

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Jataka Storybooks

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The Jataka tales are one of the core texts of Buddhism. In many ways, they are similar to Aesop's fables!

Online Resources: You can find lots of stories at the The Illustrated Jataka website, along with lots of Jataka books online. For background information, see the Jataka unit at the course website.

Sample Storybooks:

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Historical Storybooks

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When you combine historical events with creative storytelling, you can come up with some very powerful stories! The real trick is to find a creative way to tell the stories so the result does not sound like a history textbook but instead turns into an exciting story.

Online Resources: In general, Wikipedia is an excellent resource for historical topics, and you can also find great History Books online.

Sample Storybooks - and see the Pirate Storybooks, too:

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Aesop Storybooks

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There are over 600 Aesop's fables that have survived from ancient Greece and Rome! So, the real challenge you face with an Aesop Storybook is figuring out just which stories you will use and how you will re-tell them in your own words.

Online Resources: You can find a comprehensive collection of all 600 Aesop's fables, with an alphabetical index, at the Aesopica.net website. For background about Aesop, check out the Aesop unit at the course website.

Sample Storybooks:

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Animal and Nature Storybooks

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For an animal Storybook, you can choose to focus on one specific animal (choosing stories about that animal from one culture or from various cultures), or you can choose to focus on one specific culture, choosing different animal stories from that culture. In addition, you can use a "frametale" to organize your Storybook, with animals as the storytellers!

Online Resources: You can also search the Sacred Texts website for a specific animal, such as the wolf, or focus in on wolf stories at the Native American section of Sacred Texts, or the elephant in the African section, for example. For more tips about searching a specific website, see this Google Search Technology Tip. You can also search the Andrew Lang fairy tales for different animals.

Sample Storybooks:

Focus on an animal theme or animal storyteller

Focus on a culture

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Past Storybooks: Myth-Folklore

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Here is where you can browse around and look at past projects - and you can see the current Myth-Folklore Storybooks in progress, too. There are also Indian Epics Storybooks you can look at as well!

Indian Epic Storybooks

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Here is where you can browse around and look at past projects - and you can see the current Indian Epics Storybooks in progress, too. There are also lots of Myth-Folklore Storybooks you can look at as well!

Indian Epic Storybooks: Ravana and the Demons

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The rakshasas, often called "demons" in English, are central characters in the Ramayana, the main enemies of the hero Rama. In many of Vishnu's incarnations, he does battle with rakshasas along with other supernatural characters such as asuras and daityas. There are some rakshasa characters in the Mahabharata, too - most notably Bhima's lover Hidimbi (also called Hidimbā) and their son, Ghatotkaca.

Some online resources to consult: Rakshasa article in the class encyclopedia, and also the Rakshasa Wikipedia article, plus the encyclopedia articles about these individual rakshasa characters: Ravana, Śurpanakha, Vibhishana, Kumbhakarna, Maricha, Viradha, Ilvala and Vatapi, Hidimba and Hidimbi, and Ghatotkaca. You might also want to look at the articles about asuras and daityas.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Love Stories

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Although the story of Rama and Sita starts out as a kind of fairy tale, they certainly do not get to live happily-ever-after... especially in the extended version of the Ramayana where Rama drives Sita into exile when she is pregnant with their twin sons! The love stories are about not just passion and devotion but also jealousy and betrayal, all kinds of drama that makes for great storytelling.

Here are some online resources for stories you might want to use: from the Ramayana, Rama and Sita, Gautama and Ahalya, or Nalakubara and Rambha; from the Mahabharata, Santanu and Ganga, Santanu and Satyavati, Pandu and Madri, or Krishna and Radha; plus other famous stories, such as Nala and Damayanti, Satyavan and Savitri, or Dusyanta and Shakuntala. And don't forget about the Hindu god of love, Kamadeva.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Traveling India

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Reading the epics, you will get a chance to "travel" all over the Indian subcontinent and also the island of Sri Lanka. You can organize a Storybook based on these places, using online resources like Wikipedia to broaden your knowledge of Indian geography.

Here are some online resources for famous Indian locations you might want to explore, looking at the role these places play in the epic stories: the Himalaya mountains (especially Mount Kailasa), the Ganges river (and the goddess Ganga), the island of Sri Lanka, and the ancient city of Adyohya (which has been a scene of religious strife in modern India). There are also some locations specifically associated with characters in the epic such as the Rama Setu, the bridge from India to Sri Lanka, and the Lakshmana Bridge over the Ganges at Rishikesh.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Gurus

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The gurus are central characters in the Indian epic tradition. Sometimes they are meditative wise men living in the wilderness, while other gurus are military masterminds who are involved in the training of the epic warriors and sometimes even taking part in the battles themselves. This combination of sage and fighter is something you can see in Star Wars, too, for example, where the Jedi likewise combine the dimensions of wisdom and warfare.

Here are some online resources for sages who play important roles in the epics: Viśvamitra, Vasishtha, Valmiki, Vyasa, Kapila, Gautama, Matanga, Paraśara, Durvasas, Paraśurama, Drona, Agastya, Bharadwaja, Atri, Rishyaśringa, Mankanaka and Uttanka. For some of these sages, like Drona, you could do an entire Storybook with four stories about that one character; for the minor gurus, you would want to put together a collection of stories about four different gurus, with one story for each guru.

Sample Storybook:

Tavern Time with the Gurus

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Karma

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The basic meaning of Karma is "action" and, in particular, it means the re-action which follows every action. There is no action which does not have consequences, either in this lifetime or in the next lifetime; the choices you make now will have results in the future. Moreover, everything that is happening right now is itself the result of some action in the past; every action is itself a re-action from the past. Thus, Karma is a paradoxical combination both of free will (you make choices and suffer the consequences) but also of destiny (what you choose now is itself determined by the past). So, when you are telling a story and focusing on Karma in that story, you can look at it from two different angles: looking forward, you can focus on how do the actions in this story will lead to good or bad consequences in the future or, looking backward, you can see how the events of a story are actually the result of actions that happened in the past.

Some online resources to consult: Karma Wikipedia article and also the Karma in Hinduism Wikipedia article, plus this list of the meanings of Karma in English.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Hanuman and the Animals

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There are so many different kinds of animal characters in the epics that the challenge for this topic is simply in narrowing your topic to just four stories! Some of these characters may have just one main story that they are involved in, like the story of Dundubhi the bull-demon, while other characters have a number of stories you can choose from; for example, there are many possible stories you could choose to tell about the monkey-lord Hanuman!

Here is a list of some of the animal characters you will meet, with links to some online resources you might want to look at. There are supernatural or divine animals like Garuda the eagle, Surabhi the cow, Nandi, the bull of Shiva, Ganeśa the elephant-headed god, Airavata, Indra's elephantor or Vasuki (Śesha) the serpent. The Ramayana is full of animal characters! There are all kinds of monkeys such as Hanuman, Riksharaja, Vali, Sugriva, Angada and Dadhimukha. Other animals include the bird Jatayu, his brother Sampati, Dundubhi the bull-demon, and Jambavan the bear-lord. There are also the squirrels who help build the bridge to Lanka. In the Mahabharata, there are some important animal characters, too, like Takshaka the serpent-lord, Astika, the son of a serpent-woman, plus the golden mongoose who teaches King Yudhishthira an important lesson.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Birth Stories, Death Stories

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The epics are filled with stories about bizarre births and dramatic deaths. The main challenge you face with either of these topics is simply in choosing which specific birth stories or death stories you want to include in your Storybook!

BIRTH: Here are some intriguing birth stories from the Ramayana: Daśaratha's sons, Sita, Hanuman, Ravana, and also the eagle-god Garuda. From the Mahabharata: Bhishma, Satyavati, Vyasa, the three brothers Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, Karna, the Pandavas, the Kauravas, Draupadi, Sikhandin and Parikshit.

Sample Birth Storybooks:

DEATH: Some of the most dramatic moments in the epics involve the deaths of the characters (often, but not only, in battle). Here are some characters to consider from the Ramayana: Daśaratha, Maricha, Jatayu, Vali, Kumbakarna, Indrajit, and Ravana. From the Mahabharata: Pandu, Madri, Kichaka, Bhishma, Abhimanyu, Jayadratha, Ghatotkacha, Drona, Duhśasana, and Duryodhana.

Sample Death Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Women and other Female Characters

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There are lots of important women in the epics, and other female characters, such as the goddesses or the rakshasis! For a major character, you could do a whole Storybook just about that character, while for the minor characters, you would want to choose different characters to include in your Storybook, with one story for each character.

Here are some characters you might want to consider from the Ramayana: Taraka (Thataka), Manthara (Kooni), Kausalya, Kaikeyi, Sita, Ahalya, Anasuya, Śurpanakha, Tara, Trijata, Rambha, Riksharaja, Mandodari, and Sinhika. Here are some characters from the Mahabharata: Ganga, Satyavati, Amba, Kunti, Madri, Gandhari, Hidimbā (Hidimbi), Draupadi, Nalayani, Subhadra, Urvaśi, Sudeshna, Brihannala (Arjuna), Uttara, Damayanti, and Savitri.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Brothers

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The theme of brothers and brotherhood is central to both epics. In the Ramayana, you have Rama and his brothers along with Ravana and his brothers, plus minor characters such as the monkey brothers Vali and Sugriva, the bird brothers Sampati and Jatayu, and the demon brothers Vatapi and Ilwala. In the Mahahbarata, you have Bhishma and Vichitravirya, Pandu and Dhritarashtra, the Pandava brothers, plus Karna, along with Duryodhana and his brothers, along with Karna, as well as Krishna and Balarama.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: Rama and Sita

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Not surprisingly, many students choose to focus either on Rama or on Sita for their Storybook. The challenge for each of these topics is to figure out just which four events you will include in the Storybook, and what style of storytelling you want to use!

For information about Rama and Sita that is not part of the books we read in class, check out the Rama article at Wikipedia or the Sita article.

Sample Storybooks:

Indian Epic Storybooks: The Gods

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The gods are present everywhere in the epics, with many stories that you can tell about them. There are also many excellent online resources you can consult, in addition to the books we are reading for class.

Vishnu

You can find lots of information about Vishnu at Wikipedia, including information about his incarnations. There is also detailed information about Vishnu and his incarnations in Wilkins' Hindu Mythology book.

Sample Storybooks:

Shiva

You can read about Shiva and about Shaivite Hinduism at Wikipedia. For Shiva the cosmic dancer, see this article about Shiva Nataraja. You can also find abundant information in Wilkins' Hindu Mythology book.

Sample Storybooks:

More Gods and Goddesses

There are many other gods and goddesses you could write about in your Storybook. Wilkins' Hindu Mythology book provides a good overview, and you can find detailed articles at Wikipedia about Agni, Brahma, Ganesha, Ganga, Indra, Lakshmi Parvati, Saraswati and Shesha.

Sample Storybooks:

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Indian Epic Storybooks: Battles and Weapons

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Both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are military epics, filled with heroes and battles, along with special weapons, some of them divine!

Here is a list of just a few of the battle stories you could choose to include. From the Ramayana: Vishnu attacks demons in Lanka City, Ravana attacks Indra's kingdom, Ravana battles the King of the Haihayas, Indra and Daśaratha fight the drought-demons, Rama defeats Taraka (Thataka), Rama defeats the demon Viradha, Rama defeats Kara and the demon armies, Jatayu does battle with Ravana, Vali defeats the demon Dundubhi, Vali battles the demon Mayavi, Vali defeats Sugriva, Rama kills Vali in battle, Hanuman battles the rakshasi Sinhika, Hanuman causes havoc in Lanka, Rama kills Kumbakarna, Rama kills Mahodara, Lakshmana battles Indrajit, and, of course, Rama defeats Ravana. From the Mahabharata: Bhima kills the demon Baka, Duryodhana battles the Gandharvas, Jayadratha kidnaps Draupadi, Bhima kills Kichaka, Uttara goes to battle with Arjuna (Brihannala) as his driver, Bhishma defeated by Arjuna and Śikhandin, Arjuna slays Jayadratha, Karna slays Ghatotkacha, Dhrishtadyumna slays Drona, Bhima kills Duhśasana and drinks his blood, Arjuna defeats and kills Karna, the battle of Bhima and Duryodhana, and, finally, Aśwatthaman's night raid on the Pandava camp.

Sample Storybooks:

Literary Ebooks

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Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales
Frank Baum. OZ BOOKS
James Barrie. The Adventures of Peter Pan
Ambrose Bierce: Present At A Hanging
Boccaccio's Decameron
Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll. Through The Looking Glass
The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan
Stories from Dante retold by Mary Macgregor
Dante: The Divine Comedy, trans. by Tony Kline
Rudyard Kipling. Just So Stories
Rudyard Kipling. The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling. The Second Jungle Book
Margaret, Queen of Navarre. The Heptameron
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
Swift: Gulliver's Travels, retold by John Lang
Oscar Wilde. The Fairy Tales

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American Ebooks

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Be sure to check out the Native American books, too!

United States: See also the Uncle Remus and John Henry / Paul Bunyan units at the course website.

Myths and Legends of our own Land, Vol 1
Myths and Legends of our own Land, Vol 2
Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts by Frank R. Stockton
South Mountain sketches (from Pennsylvania)
Louisiana folk-tales
Bypaths in Dixie: folk tales of the South
Negro myths from the Georgia coast
Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings
Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris
Paul Bunyan and His Big Blue Ox - W. B. Laughead

More Americas. See the Jamaica unit at the course website.

Fairy tales from Brazil
Jamaica Anansi Stories
Popol Vuh

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Sacred Texts Ebooks

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See this Bibliography Tip on using materials from the Sacred Texts website.

SurLaLune Ebooks

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See this Bibliography Tip on using materials from the Sur La Lune website.

Baldwin Project Ebooks

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See this Bibliography Tip on using materials from the Baldwin Project website.

European Ebooks

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Celtic Ebooks

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Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
More Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
Celtic Wonder Tales
Fairy Legends and Traditions by Thomas Crofton Croker
The Fairy Mythology
Tales of Fairies and the Ghost World
Folk tales of Breffny
Beside the Fire by Douglas Hyde

Our Island Saints by Amy Steedman
The Voyage of Bran
The Boys' Cuchulain by Eleanor Hull
Cuchulain of Muirthemne
Gods and Fighting Men The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan
Legends and Stories of Ireland
Myths and Folklore of Ireland by Jeremiah Curtin
Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts Index
Merry Tales of Irish Folk Lore, by Seumas MacManus
Donegal Fairy Stories by Seumas MacManus
Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

Scottish anecdotes and tales
Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales Index
Popular Tales of the West Highlands Vol. I Index
Popular Tales of the West Highlands Vol. II Index
Popular Tales of the West Highlands Vol. III Index
Popular Tales of the West Highlands Vol. IV Index
The Child Ballads Index

Welsh fairy-tales and other stories
The Welsh Fairy Book Index
The Mabinogion
Popular Romances of the West of England
Manx Fairy Tales, Sophia Morrison
Folk Tales of Brittany

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African Ebooks

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Folk-tales of Angola: Fifty tales
The King of the Snakes: Folktales from Uganda
Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
Yoruba Legends by M. I. Ogumefu
Folklore of the Fjort Index
Hausa Folk-lore by Maalam Shaihua
Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider ... West African Folk Tales
West African Folk-Tales by W, H. Barker and C. Sinclair
Native Fairy Tales of South Africa by Ethel L. McPherson
South African Folk-Tales by James A. Honey
Kaffir Folk-Lore by Georg McCall Theal
Hottentot fables and tales By W. H. I. Bleek
from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books: Africa

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Native American Ebooks

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Be sure to check out the Cherokee and Southwestern Native American units at the course website, too.

Achomawi Myths Index
Algonquin Legends of New England
American Indian Fairy Tales
Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights (Pima Legends)
Blackfeet Indian Stories by George Bird Grinnell
Blackfeet Lodge Tales Index
Canadian Wonder Tales
Chinook Texts
Chukchee Mythology
Coos Texts Index
Creation Myths of Primitive America
Dawn of the World: Miwok Indian Tales
The Dine: Origin Myths of the Navaho
Eskimo Folk-Tales collected by Knud Rasmussen
The Eskimo of Siberia
Hupa Texts
Indian Myths of South Central California
Indian Why Stories by Frank Linderman
Jicarilla Apache Texts
Koryak Texts Index
Kwakiutl Tales
The Lore and the Lure of the Yosemite
Maidu Texts Index
Miwok Myths
The Myth of Hiawatha by Henry R. Schoolcraft
The mythology of the Wichita
Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest
Myths and legends of the Pacific Northwest (Judson)
Myths and Legends of the Sioux by Marie McLaughlin
Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians
Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney
Old Indian Legends by Zitkala-Sa
The Path on the Rainbow: An Anthology of Songs
Pawnee hero stories and folk-tales
Popol Vuh
Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories
The Punishment of the Stingy by George Bird Grinnell
Seneca Indian Myths
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo
Tales of the Cochiti Indians by Ruth Benedict
Tales of Eastern Siberia
Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson
Tlingit Myths and Texts Index
Totkv Mocvse / New Fire: Creek Folktales
Tsimshian Texts Index
Tsimshian Texts (Nass River Dialect) Index
Western Shoshoni Myths
When the Storm God Rides
Yana Texts
Yaqui Myths and Legends

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Slavic Ebooks

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Russian folk-tales by Afanasjev
Russian Fairy Tales, by W. R. S. Ralston
Russian Wonder Tales by Post Wheeler
Old Peter's Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome
Folk Tales from the Russian V. X. K. de Blumenthal
Cossack Fairy Tales, by R. Nisbet Bain

The shoemaker's apron: Czechoslovak fairy tales
Czechoslovak Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore
The Key of Gold: Czech Folk Tales
The Laughing Prince: A Book of Jugoslav Fairy Tales

Myths and folk-tales of the Russians, western Slavs and Magyars
Slavonic fairy tales (Russian, Polish, Serbian, Czech)
Sixty Folk-Tales by A. H. Wratislaw

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Indian, Asian and Pacific Ebooks

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India. Be sure to check out the Indian, Jataka and Hitopadesha units at the course website, and take a look at the Jataka books online.

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
A Flowering Tree And Other Oral Tales from India
The adventures of the Panjáb hero Raja Rasalu
Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel
Folk-tales of Bengal
Indian folk tales (from Bilaspore)
Folk-tales of the Khasis
Folk-tales of Kashmir
Village folk-tales of Ceylon
Twenty-two Goblins
Vikram and the Vampire
Old Deccan Days
The Tortoise and the Geese by M. B. Dutton
Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic Index
Indian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie

Asia. Check out the Japan unit at the course website.

Folktales from China
Some Chinese ghosts
Chinese fables and folk stories
The Chinese fairy book
Chinese fairy tales: forty stories
Myths and Legends of China
Chinese nights entertainments by Brian Brown
Wonder tales from Tibet
Folk tales from Tibet
Tibetan Folk Tales Index
Simla village tales: Folk tales from the Himalayas

Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki
Fairy Tales of Old Japan by William E. Griffis
Japanese folk stories and fairy tales
Romance of Old Japan
Japanese Fairy Tales By Lafcadio Hearn
Japanese Fairy Tales by T.P. Williston
Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan
Tales of Old Japan by A. B. Freeman-Mitford
Aino Folk-Tales

The Unmannerly Tiger, and Other Korean Tales
Korean tales
Korean folk tales
Siamese tales
Fables & folk-tales from Malaysia
from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books: Asia

Pacific

Oceanic Mythology
Polynesian Mythology
Philippine Folklore Stories
Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler
Philippine Folklore Stories by John Maurice Miller
Philippine Folk Tales by Mabel Cook Cole
Hawaiian Folk Tales
Hawaiian Mythology
Hawaiian folk tales (Thrum)
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula
Hawaiian Folk Tales: A Collection of Native Legends
Australian Legends Index
Australian Legendary Tales Index
More Australian legendary tales
Native Tribes of the Northern Territory of Australia
Folk-tales of the Maori - Google Books

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Jataka Ebooks

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Jataka VOLUME VI
Jatakas VOLUME V
Jatakas VOLUME IV
The Jataka, Vol. III Index
Jataka Vol. II Index
Jataka Vol. I Index
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock

Greco-Roman Ebooks

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Be sure to check out the Greek, Roman, Ovid and Underworld units at the course website.

The mythology of Greece and Rome
The mythology of ancient Greece and Italy By Thomas Keightley
Myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome
Myths of Greece and Rome by Hélène Adeline Guerber
Bulfinch - Age of Fable (Greece and Rome)
Orpheus: Myths of the World
Myths of Greece and Rome by Jane Harrison
Classic Myths, Retold by Mary Catherine Judd

Stories of the Ancient Greeks by Charles D. Shaw
Tales of Troy: Ulysses the Sacker of Cities by Andrew Lang
The Iliad retold by Jeanie Lang
The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church
The Odyssey retold by Jeanie Lang
The Odyssey in translation (Tony Kline)
The Odyssey for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church
The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
Tales from Euripides
Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers
The Life of Apollonius of Tyana by Philostratus
The Greek Heroes by Charles Kingsley
The Twelve Labours of Hercules
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew by J. P. Peabody
Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin
Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men
Gods and Heroes by R. E. Francillon
The Golden Fleece and the Heroes before Achilles
A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes
Aesop's Fables by J. H. Stickney
Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter

Lena Dalkeith. Stories From Roman History
The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber
The Story of Rome by Mary Macgregor
Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haaren & A. B. Poland
Fables and tales: suggested by the frescos of Pompeii
Stories From Livy by Alfred J. Church
Virgil, The Aeneid, translated by Tony Kline
The Aeneid for Boys and Girls by Alfred J, Church
Ovid: The Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline

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Religious Ebooks

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For Islamic stories, check out the Middle Eastern book list. For Native American religious texts, check out the Native American book list.

Jewish Legends. See also the Noah and Samson-Daniel units at the course website.

Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg
Folk-lore of the Holy Land
Golden Mountain (Tales of the Hassidic Jews)
Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends, by Gertrude Landa

Christian Legends. See also the New Testament Parables unit at the course website.

Butler's Lives of the Saints
Stories of the Saints by Grace Hall
The Book of Saints and Heroes by Mrs. Lang
Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by A. F. Brown
In God's Garden by Amy Steedman
Our Island Saints by Amy Steedman
The Story of Joan of Arc by Andrew Lang
Christmas Texts at Sacred Texts Archive

Buddhist Jataka Tales. See also the Jataka and Hitopadesha units at the course website.

Jataka Vol. I Index
Jataka Vol. II Index
Jataka, Vol. III Index
Jataka, Vol. IV Index
Jataka, Vol. V Index
Jataka, Vol. VI Index
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
Eastern Stories and Legends by M. L. Shedlock

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Middle Eastern Ebooks

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Ancient Egypt and Babylon. See also the Egypt and Gilgamesh units at the course website.

Ancient Egyptian Legends
Egyptian Myth and Legend
The Epic of Gilgamish tr. by R. Campbell Thompson

Middle East. See also these units at the course website: Sufi Saints, Rumi, Voyages of Sindbad, and the Arabian Nights.

Fairy Tales From The Arabian Nights
The Arabian Nights' Entertainments (Lang)
Tales of the Caliph
Harun Al-Rashid, Caliph of Bagdad by Gabriel Audisio
Eastern Tales, by Laura Belinda Charlotte Valentine
Bird Parliament by Farid ud-Din Attar
Stories of the Magicians by Alfred J. Church
The Wonder-Book of Horses by James Baldwin
Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales
Speak Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Folktales
Folk-lore of the Holy Land
from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books: Middle East and Central Asia

Central Asia

Georgian Folk Tales Index
Armenian Legends and Poems
from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books: Middle East and Central Asia

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History Ebooks

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Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
Thirty More Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
Heroes Every Child Should Know by H. W. Mabie
Good Stories for Great Holidays by Frances Jenkins Olcott
Old Time Tales by Lawton B. Evans
Stories of the Ancient Greeks by Charles D. Shaw
Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men
Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers
The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber
Lena Dalkeith. Stories From Roman History
Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haaren & A. B. Poland
Historical Tales: Roman by Charles Morris
The Story of Rome by Mary Macgregor
The Travels of Marco Polo (Volume I)
The Travels of Marco Polo (Volume II)
Harun Al-Rashid, Caliph of Bagdad by Gabriel Audisio

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Past Storybooks (OU Server)

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The following are Storybooks stored on the OU students server. All of these will be deleted by the university sometime during the 2011-2012 academic year, alas. They are being purged systematically, so you might find that some of the links are now broken:

Indian Epic Storybooks (OU Server)

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Maya

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Maya is the Sanskrit word for "illusion." The principle that what we may perceive as a reality could be just an illusion is both an important plot device in the epics, but also a fundamental assumption about Hindu philosophy and religion. In the Western tradition, we usually assume that reality is real and not an illusion - but if you have seen the movies The Matrix or Inception, you can see how the world of games or or dreams could actually replace reality with such a complete subtlety that we cannot tell the difference! Like Karma and Dharma, Maya is a universal principle: she is at work everywhere at all times, so with any story you can consider how everything participates in the dilemma of reality and illusion.

Don't get confused by the masculine name Māya, which ends in a short "a" sound ("Maayuh"), who is the divine architect (more about him here). The principle of illusion is a feminine noun, Māyā, a word which ends in a long "a" sound ("Maayaa"). Maya is also the name of the mother of the Buddha, so watch out for that possible source of confusion.

Some online resources to consult: Maya Wikipedia article and also Wendy Doniger's book Dreams, Illusions and Other Realities (we have a copy of this book in Bizzell Library). In addition, you might also be interested in looking at Lila also, the Hindu notion of cosmic play.

Sample Storybooks:

Dharma

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Dharma is often translated in English as "justice" but also as "truth" or what is "right." It refers to the moral wholesomeness of the world, to integrity and order. In the Hindu world view, the Dharma of the world is constantly diminishing as over time things get worse and worse. With each action, though, you have the choice to either add to the Dharma of the world or else to diminish the Dharma. One of the important tasks of the god Vishnu in his human incarnations is to help to restore and preserve the Dharma of the world. Every story poses a question of Dharma: are the characters in the story positively supporting Dharma or are they acting against Dharma?

Some online resources to consult: Dharma Wikipedia article, and also the Dharma article at Hinduism About.com, plus this list of the meanings of Dharma in English.

Sample Storybook:

Bible-Based and Other Religious Storybooks

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The Bible is one of the greatest collection of stories in the history of the world, and you can also work with other religious stories such as tales of the Christian saints, stories about holy men and gurus, tales from other sacred texts, etc. There are also all kinds of folktales and legends about the Devil, too.

Online Resources: For Bible stories, Wikipedia is a great place to do your research, as is the Sacred Texts website.

Sample Storybooks:

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