FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY

Frazer compares ancient stories of a great flood from several traditions: Babylonian, Sumerian, Hebrew, and Greek.

This is a facsimile reprint of the 1916 paper.

Ed Keithahn collected thirty-five age-old Eskimo tales for this fascinating collection while teaching in the Arctic village of Shishmaref. He noted, “Most tales will be found to have a moral significance, some are merely humorous.” Strange creatures like dwarfs and animal people populate these stories, illustrated by George Aden Ahgupuk (who went on to become a popular artist). This compilation of traditional Alaskan folklore will delight readers of all ages.

Ruth McCorkle compiled the Alaskan Eskimo tales in this interesting booklet from a variety of sources, providing an easy-to-read introduction to the rich folklore of the Far North. The stories are illustrated by Wilbur Walluk, born in the village of Shishmaref, “thirty miles by dogsled from Nome, Alaska.”

This is a facsimile reprint of the original 1958 edition.

“As the zoologist bemoans the intrusion of alien species into the isolation of some island life, so the folklorist regrets that the isolation of the professional sailor has been invaded and well-nigh destroyed by the incredulous land-lubber.” So the author begins, pointing to the necessity of carefully preserving authentic tales from those who lived on the seas. He notes that there are five basic classes of uncanny ship stories, “reward ships, punishment ships, specters, ships of the death voyage, and devil ships,” providing an illustrative tale of each, followed by analysis of each theme, looking at similar stories from around the world.

This is a facsimile reprint of the 1917 edition.

Anthropologist and folklorist Katharine Luomala’s (1907-1992) “The Menehune of Polynesia …” was published as a bulletin of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in 1951. This paper examined the stories and myths of little people in Hawaii and other island cultures throughout Oceania. She discusses potential origins for these tales and notes shared characteristics between the folk stories of different people groups. Students of folklore will find much of interest, as will anthropological mystery enthusiasts.

This brief 1918 article discusses the legend of the mandrake, or mandragora.

Perry Austin Armstrong (1823-1904) was an Illinois historian, lawyer, and politician. His interest in local history, including Native American history, led him to write several books. This particular booklet involves the Piasa petroglyphs. Armstrong includes the Native American tradition of the Piasa monster, a man-eating flying creature. Armstrong suggested that these traditions may have related to flying reptiles in the fossil record.

This is a facsimile reprint of the original 1887 booklet.