Liz Warren | Storyteller

          Most of us have our favorite books and websites that we rely on to find our stories, including hero tales.  I’ve got more books than I can keep up with, and sometimes all I need to do is sit down with some of the ones I’ve had for a while. I often discover gems lurking amongst the covers of long neglected anthologies. 

I have two online source that I  use all the time, both for myself and students.  The first is D.L. Ashliman’s Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts.  Dr. Ashliman has collected hundreds upon hundreds of stories and grouped them by type.  So, when you click on Cinderella, you find 15 full text versions from around the world.  It can take time to work through his site, but it is well worth it.

My other current favorite is the Sacred Text Archive.  This is a very comprehensive site of texts in public domain. When you go to the site, look at the long list of culture areas down the left hand side of the screen.  Click on one that interests you and follow the links to thousands of stories. I use it all the time for my Irish Storytelling Tradition class.  I click on “Celtic”, then on “Irish”, and there are hundreds of great myths, legends, and folktales.  It’s a great way to get a feel for the range of stories in a particular tradition. The good thing about the site is that the stories you find there are often amongst the oldest versions available in English.  Once I find one I like, I often track down a more recent translation or re-telling that I like better.    

            So, fellow storytellers, where do you find hero-tales? Do you have a favorite source? Tell us about it.