Encyclopedia of Folklore and Literature

Award-winning compendium of authors, concepts, motifs, characters, themes, works, and movements associated with folklore and literature from around the world.Long before the written word existed, humans expressed themselves by telling stories. Handed down through centuries, these stories were woven into the tapestry of everyday life. With the profound cultural shifts caused by the advent of the written word, these same stories became the inspiration for the world's most famous literature.-- Extensive cross-references-- Introduction, bibliography, and index