Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook: Myth-Folklore Unit: Great Plains

Overview. About half of the stories in this selection from Judson's Myths and Legends of the Great Plains come from the Omaha people, and there are also stories from about a dozen or so other tribes. You will read some creation stories about the creation of the world, along with stories that explain the origins of things, such as why the possum plays dead and how the deer got its horns. There are trickster stories about Unktomi (Spider), along with other tricksters such as Coyote and Rabbit. Finally, this unit also includes many ghost stories and tales of the spirit lands, along with a marvelous fairytale-type story about a young boy who went to seek Wakan-Tanka, the "Great Mystery," a journey that led to his own transformation.

Language. Judson's book is an anthology of stories takes from various anthropological sources, written in a variety of styles. Some of the stories are told in a more traditional oral style, while other stories are edited in a style more like literary prose.

Story Length. Most of the stories here are on the short side, and all of them are single-page stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Great Plains. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

(free audiobook at LibriVox)

READING A:

READING B:

(tipi)

Pages

Myth-Folklore Unit: Great Plains