Subject Guides: Folklore: Primary Sources

William A. Wilson Folklore Archives

Named for the founder of the archive, the William A. Wilson Folklore Archives began as a stack of cardboard boxes in Professor Wilson’s office at BYU. Get more information abont this special collection and links to digital content and finding aids at https://guides.lib.byu.edu/byufolklore.

You may also contact Christine Blythe, the Folklore Archives Specialist, christine_blythe@byu.edu.

Primary Sources

Folklore & Folklife Collections & Archives

World Folklore and Folklife This link opens in a new window Folklore permeates the everyday lives of people around the world. We inherit a rich tradition of holidays, festivals, language, stories and fairy tales, proverbs, foodways, and folk remedies that define our society and our place within it. World Folklore and Folklife provides an exciting and accessible way to explore this vast and growing treasury of knowledge. Subjects include: Celebrations and Rituals Food and Drink Holidays and Festivals Music and Dance Religion and Belief Tales, Myths, and Urban Legends Traditional Arts and Crafts All content is fully-indexed and cross-searchable, and the user-friendly interface makes searching or browsing quick and effective.

American Memory (Library of Congress)
Digital collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicling historical events, people, places, and ideas that shape America. Materials include spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
Folklore & Mythology Electronic Texts D.L. Ashliman's oft cited collection of folk tales and myths available online. Arranged by type.
Folkstreams.net
Snopes.com This searchable archive and repository offers insight to urban legends, "common fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news stories, rumors, celebrity gossip, and similar items."
Digital Library of Appalachia The Digital Library of Appalachia provides online access to archival and historical materials related to the culture of the southern and central Appalachian region. The contents of the DLA are drawn from special collections of Appalachian College Association member libraries.

German Folklore and Popular Culture (Gale) This link opens in a new window Das Kloster is a collection of magical and occult texts, chapbooks, folklore, popular superstition and fairy tales of the German Renaissance compiled by Stuttgart antiquarian Johann Scheible, between 1845 and 1849. In addition to the Das Kloster volumes, this collection provides additional volumes of unique perspectives on Central European culture and tradition. Included are texts essential for the study of German folk traditions, the Reformation, wit and humor and 19th-century literature.

Bullfinch's Mythology Classic text, available online, tells the stories of ancient gods and heroes. Also includes the legends of King Arthur and romantic tales of the Middle Ages.

Newspapers

British Library Online Newspaper Archive (Gale) This link opens in a new window This new collection includes national and regional newspapers, as well as those from both established country or university towns and the new industrial powerhouses of the manufacturing Midlands, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Special attention was paid to include newspapers that helped lead particular political or social movements such as Reform, Chartism, and Home Rule. The penny papers aimed at the working and clerical classes are also present in the collection.
American Periodical Series Online 1741-1900 (ProQuest - Full text) This link opens in a new window A Historical American Periodicals database. This database includes digitized images of popular magazines and other rare periodicals from early American history up through the 1940s. Images are scanned from original pages and appear in their original layout with pictures and graphics. Coverage is from 1741 to 1941 and includes over 1000 different titles.
Eighteenth Century Journals Portal This link opens in a new window 18th Century Journals from Adam Matthew brings together rare journals printed between 1685 and 1835, illuminating all aspects of eighteenth-century social, political and literary life. Many are ephemeral, lasting only for a handful of issues, others run for several years. Topics covered are extremely wide-ranging and include: the writings of Sir Isaac Newton; the French Revolution; reviews of literature and fashion throughout Europe; political debates; and coffee house gossip and discussion.

Personal Histories

American Civil War Letters and Diaries (ASP) This link opens in a new window A Civil War database from Alexander Street Press. This database provides extensive Primary source material. Sources in this collection include letters, diaries, memoirs and books written by people who lived during the Civil War. Authors include soldiers, politicians, generals, slaves, farmers, seamen, wives, and foreign and domestic spies. Writings are full-text and sorted by author, event, location and battles. Coverage is of texts written between 1855 and 1875.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries (ASP) This link opens in a new window A Historical Primary Source database. This database includes diaries and letters from British and Irish women. All types of women's diaries are included. Features the writings of famous as well as "ordinary" women of the time period. Covers 300 years of personal writings.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries (ASP) This link opens in a new window 1675 - 1950. Full text database containing the letters and diaries of 1500 women. Includes biographies and annotated bibliographies of the sources.
Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries Online (ASP) This link opens in a new window The resource is a unique forum that brings together the voices of ordinary men and women from all walks of life with the personal accounts of well-known historical figures. In their own words, people from diverse ethnic and social groups bring vividly to life hundreds of years of history through their perspectives on life, love, faith, politics, business, and countless personal events.

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