"Therefore, even the lover of myth is in a sense a philosopher; for myth is composed of wonders."
-- Aristotle
One of the most fascinating things in the world to me is the twin concepts of Mythology and Folklore. I am constantly amazed at the how the different mythologies and folklores of the world have so much in common, and yet differ from one another in so many ways. As you may have gathered, I am a huge fan of mythology in its many different forms and cultural styles. This page reflects some of my tastes in the various mythologies out there, and there are some very interesting pages that readers of this page might wish to look at and pursue.
As already noted, I am a big fan of mythology, and there is a wealth of mythological and folklore resources
on the internet. Two of the best places to start on the Web are the Encyclopedia Mythica and the Encyclopedia Mystica, both of which are superb sources
of information. Another excellent resource on the Web is the Mythology on the Web site, a truly excellent index of cross-cultural
myth and folklore sites on the Internet. There is also a wealth of mythology and folklore links
out there as well, and this is a good source of many of them. I'm also rather fond of the fine bibliography and an excellent annotated index of
World Mythology with links to commentary,
tales grouped by region, and more.
The famous myth scholar Joseph Campbell is one of my heroes. Myth is an important part of the psychology of Carl Jung, one of Campbell's primary influences, and one of my more interesting hobbies related to psychological studies of the mind. There's a group of Jung Enthusiasts located in Atlanta that you can check out as well.
Another good source is the wonderful Index of Myth and Folklore References on the Web. Another fine site is the Folklore and Mythology Texts site on the Web. There is also the very good Folklore Bibliography, and another site that offers a great Mythic Bibliography. You can check it out if you're looking for references or just some good reading. Bullfinch's Mythology is an good source for tales.
The Bard has a very cool page on Myth and Meaning as well... If you're feeling adventurous and like surprises, you might want to check out the Legendary Site of the Week! There is also a fine page by Aaron Rester that has a good Mythology Home Page with loads of useful stuff.
One of my really strong interests when it comes right down to it are works and lore about the Arthurian legends.
There is a wealth of links to sites relating to King Arthur and
the Matter of Britain, and there are some more great Arthur links.
The Arthurian Homepage is especially good, and the Camelot Project is one of the very best of all. Another good site in this regard is Celtic Twilight, one of the best, in fact, for on-line Arthurian texts, a very comprehensive FAQ and much more.
A site I'm very fond of is a rather cool Holy Grail site with lots of good links. Keys to the Realm is also a very good Arthur site with some nice resources.
If you want to start with some reading, then you should definitely start with the Arthurian Booklist. There is an interesting site about Arthur on the Internet that will be of interest to many as well. There are also some fine Mediaeval texts on the Web as well. Sphere has a wealth of Arthurian Resources as well as other Mythology References.
FeySidhe has put together a great page about Arthur and Celtic faery lore, complete with a timeline. Another terrific site is one where all your Arthurian questions will be answered! Another site, Camelot & Arthurian Legend, has information and art on the major characters from the myth of Camelot as well as a Camelot art gallery and info on the lesser known characters from the legend.
There is a rather fun site called Lancelot's Castle out there. Another good site to check out is the one that deals with connections between Arthurian Lore and the Knights Templar. As you can see, there are plenty of sites out there that deal with the lore and mythology of the legends of King Arthur.
Storytelling is an artform in and of itself that mixes literature with the mythologies of the world. A good site to begin in this regard is where Aaron Shepard has put together a page of resources for storytellers. The Storytelling Home Page and StoryWeb are also terrific resources in this respect.
Fairy tales have long been considered a form of literature that also blends the concept of storytelling with that of mythology. A lovely page on the Origin and Evolution of Fairy Tales can be found out there, and one can also find pages devoted to the Grimm Tales, a collection of Fairy Tales from Around the World, and one that even delves into the Cinderella Motif. Another good site to visit for a terrific collection of Folk and Faerie Tale links is here, one of the best I've ever seen. And there is, of course, Endicott Studio, which is the home to a number of modern mythmakers, including authors Teri Windling and Charles de Lint and artist Tom Canty. It's well worth a visit!
If you have an interest in Hittite, Canaanite, Hawaiian, Sumerian or Assyro-Babylonian myth cycles, then these cites are for you. If you have an interest in Voodoo, then here's a site that deals with Vodoun Creation Mythology, and this is another site that deals with Vodoun Culture, a truly excellent site that takes an encyclopedic approach to Haitian Sacred Tradition.
If you like Native American mythology, then here is a goldmine of a site dealing with Native American mythology resources. Another page offers a very good Myths and Legends for American Indian Youth.
There is an excellent page on the Aboriginal Dreamtime from Australia. If your interest is more along the lines of South American mythology, explore the Mayan Folklore page. Heading to the Middle East, one can look at the lovely resource on ancient mythology in Egypt. Two other good sites for this are the Egyptian mythology site and another site that features a complete Egyptian Book of the Dead.
Back in Europe once more, there is the Beings of the Woods of Sweden, which collects stories about the mystical and magical beings that lives in their endless woods.... If you visit the Dark Woods you will meet ugly Trolls, Beautiful Fairies and a Woodnymph! You can also read some great poems by the Swedish poet Gustav Froding, who wrote many poems about the beings in the woods.
If you're interested in lore and legends of the merfolk, you might want to check out Dive right in! That's all I'm going to tell you about the web site, since it really is one of the more...interesting ones out there.
There is also The Paraweb, a site that features magic, parapsychology, aliens and more - check it out for a certainly different approach to things.
Another really good site to check out is Tallystar's CyberRetreat, which has some fascinating myth links and resources.
You can send me e-mail at jkahane@comnet.ca.
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