Myth & Folklore
Bulfinch's Mythology - Online text of Thomas Bulfinch's classic mythology book, covering 'stories of gods & heroes,' 'legends of King Arthur,' and 'legends of Charlemagne, or romance of the middle ages. You can download the texts in HTML, text, ePub or Kindle format (Project Gutenberg).
Egypt's Divine Realm - 'Clickable chart of some of ancient Egypt's most important gods and goddesses' (Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania).
Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology - An A-Z encyclopedia with brief illustrated entries on dozens of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and related topics. Middle school and up. (2004 - 2009; by Joel Skidmore et al., creators of an educational Greek mythology computer game). The Theoi Project explores the gods, heroes, and fabulous creatures of ancient Greek mythology & religion in classical literature & art. Includes many classic texts and images (created by Aaron Atsma, Deventer, Netherlands; site includes advertisements).
Folklore & Mythology E-Texts [CAUTION: This site includes links to Wikipedia articles] - Online texts of classic stories, myths, fables & fairy tales from around the world, with a single alphabetical index for titles (i.e., Beauty & the Beast), subjects (i.e., changeling legends) and authors (i.e., Andersen, Hans Christian). (1996 - 2023; Professor D. L. Ashliman, University of Pittsburgh)
Hercules - Everything you always wanted to know about Greece's greatest hero; includes images. (Edited by Gregory R. Crane, Tufts University)
In Search of Myths & Heroes [NOTE: Archived page; videos do not play] - Explores the history behind some of the most well-known myths in the world: the stories of King Arthur, the Queen of Sheba, Shangri-La, and Jason and the Golden Fleece. Click on one of the myths to get started. Includes video clips. (2005; PBS)
Medieval Bestiary [This site may not be appropriate for younger children] - 'In the Middle Ages, animal stories were immensely popular throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The people of the time were, of course, dependent on wild and domestic animals for their survival... [but] there is a distinctly spiritual and even mystical aspect to the animal lore of the Middle Ages.' This site offers descriptions & illustrations of real animals as well as beasts which existed only in myth or fable, plus links to medieval manuscripts, short articles on related topics, and more. (2023; by David Badke, a software developer with a degree in Medieval Studies)
MythNet - Brief descriptions of the Romans gods, goddesses, and heroes, with genealogies, picture gallery, links, quiz and more. (1997 - 2014; created by Neil Jenkins, Sumair Mirza and Jason Tsang, students from York Mills Collegiate Institute)
Myths, Folktales and Fairy Tales [Archived page, may be slow to load] INTERACTIVE - Myths and stories from around the world, plus a storytelling workshop, an interactive tool to help you create your own myths, and advice from writers like Jane Yolen & John Sciezka. For students and teachers, grades K-12. (20004; Scholastic, Inc.)
Sur La Lune Fairy Tale Page - Gives the text, history, annotations, and interpretations of dozens of familiar fairy tales. Includes bibliographies for further reading. (1999 - 2023; by Heidi Anne Heiner; site includes advertisements)
World Myths & Legends in Art - 'This collection of images brings together 26 works of art inspired by mythology around the world.' Use the site to explore myths by theme or by culture. Key ideas, background information, and a related story are provided for each piece of art (2003, Minneapolis Institute of Arts).
