Mythology – Island Folklore

Bear and Leopard

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

A love story—once each year, two stars cross the “Silver River” for a long-awaited reunion.

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

The Sea Goddess has two loyal attendants who are “all eyes and ears.” This is their story.

A short, tragic tale that tells of how fireflies came to be and how they got their name.

From pygmies to dwarves, legends of “little folk” exist all over the world, including Taiwan.

The Paiwan people have many origin myths. Here is a sampling of these Paiwan origin tales.

The Atayal are an ancient Austronesian tribe indigenous to Taiwan. This is their origin story.

Why do roosters crow? Why do stags have antlers? Why are dogs good deer-hunting companions?