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Island Folklore: Taiwanese Tales & Traditions

An online repository of Taiwan’s folktales, history, legends, myths and traditions.

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The Great Race
Folktale Mythology Sinitic TraditionMarch 1, 2018February 28, 2020

The Great Race

A race that determined the 12 signs of the zodiac and forever pitted cats against mice.

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The White Stag
Austronesian Folktale Legend MythologyJanuary 18, 2018April 25, 2022

The White Stag

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

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Sun Moon Lake
Austronesian Folktale MythologyJanuary 4, 2018February 28, 2020

Sun Moon Lake

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

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Sundown
Austronesian Folktale MythologyDecember 21, 2017February 28, 2020

Sundown

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

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In the Shadows
Austronesian Mythology Sinitic TraditionNovember 2, 2017October 7, 2020

In the Shadows

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

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Bear and Leopard
Austronesian Folktale MythologyJune 29, 2017February 28, 2020

Bear and Leopard

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

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Seventh Eve
Folktale Mythology Sinitic TraditionJune 15, 2017August 21, 2020

Seventh Eve

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

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The Great Flood
Austronesian MythologyApril 13, 2017February 28, 2020

The Great Flood

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

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All Eyes and Ears
Mythology Sinitic TraditionApril 6, 2017February 28, 2020

All Eyes and Ears

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

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Fireflies
Folktale Mythology SiniticMarch 30, 2017April 26, 2020

Fireflies

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

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Dwarves Who Fell
Austronesian Mythology TraditionDecember 22, 2016October 7, 2020

Dwarves Who Fell

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

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Paiwan Origin Myths
Austronesian MythologyDecember 15, 2016July 5, 2020

Paiwan Origin Myths

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

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