Austronesian – Island Folklore | Taiwanese Tales & Traditions

Stories Behind Taiwan’s Place-Names

A tongue-in-cheek guide to the bizarre and multifaceted history of Taiwanese toponyms.

The story of an old Taiwanese chieftain who dared to march against the Empire of Japan.

A mysterious, otherworldly guide leads unsuspecting Thao hunters to a new homeland.

The indigenous folktale on the origin of the name of Taiwan’s beautiful Sun Moon Lake.

An ancient Atayal tale that tells of two suns in the sky and the hero who shot one down.

As newcomers settled in Taiwan, they faced the terror of the island’s notorious headhunters.

Fairies, genies and demons—Eurasian hinterlands are home to mythical beings, like Taiwan’s “mô-sîn-á.”

Black Bears and Clouded Leopards were not always black and spotted. This is their tale.

From the Holy Bible to Taiwan’s aboriginal tales, flood myths feature widely in ancient literature.

Take a guess: Is this a German fairytale? Or is it a Taiwanese folktale?