Best of the Web

  • "On this Website you will find not only an introduction to the activities of the American Folklife Center and its Archive of Folk Culture but also news about programs and activities, online presentations of multiformat collections, and other resources to facilitate folklife projects and study. The American Folklife Center aims to be the national center for folklife documentation and research, and this Website offers a virtual destination for those who cannot visit the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C."
  • "This folklore site contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and legends, Tall Tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and every one of the 50 United States." Indexed by state, characters, region, ethnicity, tall tales, historical period.
  • Founded in 1888, the American Folklore Society serves to stimulate interest and research in all aspects of the study of folklore and folklife. The Society exists to further the discipline of folklore studies, to improve the professional well-being of itsmembers, and to increase the respect given to diverse cultures and their traditions.
  • Archive of essays and selected webcasts.
  • Collection of articles focusing on fairies and ghosts from a now defunct journal which specialized in "new interpretations of past and place in archaeology, folklore and mythology."
  • Companion to a documentary film which "explores the magical 'otherworld' of fairies. Visit the places fairies live and meet some of the people who have seen and believe in them."
  • Very extensive and scholarly collection of texts and links, with additional pages devoted to Folk and Fairytale Links, and Germanic Myths, Legends, and Sagas.
  • "The mission of Folkstreams.net is to build a national preserve of documentary films about American folk or roots culture. Produced by independent filmmakers, these hard-to-find films give voice to the arts and experience of diverse American groups. They are streamed on the website together with background materials that highlight the history and aesthetic importance of the traditions and the films."
  • Digitized version of the Folklore and Folk Music Archivist journal.
  • "Ghost stories and strange folktales of the American South."
  • Electronic texts listed by category.
  • "The New York Folklore Society recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary in everyday life, bringing focus to the traditions of our states diverse peoples. NYFS is the leading resource for folklore and folklife by disseminating research and information throughout the state."
  • The Center promotes the understanding and continuity of contemporary grassroots cultures in the United Statesand abroad. It produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, exhibitions,documentary films and videos, symposia, and educational materials.
  • Sir James George Frazer's "monumental study in comparative folklore, magic and religion, The Golden Bough shows parallels between the rites and beliefs, superstitions and taboos of early cultures and those of Christianity. It had a great impact on psychology and literature and remains an early classic anthropological resource."