Island Folklore: Taiwanese Tales & Traditions

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

  • Seventh Eve

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

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  • Dragon Boats

    The history and activities of the popular festival that marks the coming of summer in Taiwan!

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  • Lady Compassion

    This is the story of the evolution of Taiwan’s beloved Goddess of Mercy—how a Buddhist princely saint became a motherly deity for the Taiwanese.

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  • 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

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

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  • Fireflies

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

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  • The Silent Maiden

    The Sea Goddess is the protector of Taiwan. She was once a real person and this is her legend.

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  • Our Lady’s Child?

    Take a guess: Is this a German fairy tale? Or is it a Taiwanese folktale? Explore the secret behind stories from opposite sides of the earth.

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  • A Tale of Two Cities

    “Three-eight” is both the date of International Women’s Day (March 8) and a very common Taiwanese expression or tease. What’s the connection? Find out here!

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  • Matriarch

    In the ancient homeland of the Amis and Puyuma peoples on Taiwan’s Pacific coast, women once ruled. Learn about these traditional matriarchal societies!

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  • 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

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

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