Island Folklore

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

Dwarves Who Fell

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.

This is the legendary tale of a petty criminal who became an outlaw and a folk hero in Taiwan.

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

In the late 1600s, a pirate king ruled Taiwan. Today, he is a folk hero and this is his story.

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

From a children’s tale: On the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year, the mice welcome their brides.

In this inaugural series of Island Folklore, we introduce seven stories from Taiwanese folklore!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Island Folklore: Taiwanese Tales & Traditions!