Wiggin and Smith - The Lion, the Fox, and the Story-teller - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Are you feeling in an endless Covid loop?  Maybe what you need is a story...possibly a story that doesn't end.  This story is from The Talking Beasts edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin and her sister, Nora Archibald Smith, but is also in other collections.  I found it within their section simply called Indian Fables, but the Contents credit "Fables from P. V. Ramaswami Raju. (Indian)."

It could be said that this is a story "fit for a king." 

The Lion, the Fox, and the Story-teller

A Lion who was the king of a great forest once said to his subjects: "I want some one among you to tell me stories one after another without ceasing. If you fail to find somebody who can so amuse me, you will all be put to death."

In the East there is a proverb which says; "The king kills when he will," so the animals were in great alarm.

The Fox said: "Fear not; I shall save you all. Tell the king the Story-teller is ready to come to court when ordered." So the animals had orders to send the Story-teller at once to the presence. The Fox bowed respectfully, and stood before the king, who said: "So you are to tell us stories without ceasing?"

"Yes, your Majesty," said the Fox.

"Then begin," said the Lion.

"But before I do so," said the Fox, "I would like to know what your
Majesty means by a story."

"Why," said the Lion, "a narrative containing some interesting event or fact."

"Just so," said the Fox, and began: "There was once a fisherman who went to sea with a huge net, and spread it far and wide. A great many fish got into it. Just as the fisherman was about to draw the net the coils snapped. A great opening was made. First one fish escaped." Then the Fox stopped.

"What then?" said the Lion.

"Then two escaped," said the Fox.

"What then?" asked the impatient Lion.

"Then three escaped," said the Fox. Thus, as often as the Lion repeated his query, the Fox increased the number by one, and said as many escaped. The Lion was vexed, and said: "Why you are telling me nothing new!"

"I wish that your majesty may not forget your royal word," said the Fox. "Each event occurred by itself, and each lot that escaped was different from the rest."

"But wherein is the wonder?" said the Lion.

"Why, your majesty, what can be more wonderful than for Fish to escape in lots, each exceeding the other by one?"

"I am bound by my word," said the Lion, "else I would see your carcass stretched on the ground."

The Fox replied in a whisper: "If tyrants that desire things impossible are not at least bound by their own word, their subjects can find nothing to bind them."

This is part of an illustration by Harold Nelson in Talking Beasts -- it's not this story, but foxes do get around in this book and beyond

***

One storytelling principle suggests it is better to let the listener draw their own conclusion to a fable, even though fables are intentionally teaching tools.  This story version may add one, but the story could have been stripped down to just the unending story that you, too, could tell. 

Back in 2015, before a Michigan storytelling festival that ended its long run last year, I posted another endless story and said:

For some unknown reason I've heard the type called "French Irritating Tales."  They are the kind of story where it returns to the beginning lines of the story and starts all over again in an endless loop.  May your storytelling be endless and Keep the Public in Public Domain!

****************************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:            

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but the late Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for October 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 
           - Zalka Csenge Virag - http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com doesn't give the actual stories, but her recommendations, working her way through each country on a continent, give excellent ideas for finding new books and stories to love and tell.

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. Have fun discovering even more stories!

Anonymous? - The Red Boat

How often do we stop and express our gratitude?  However often, it's surely never enough.  At the start of this year I was grateful to look at a calendar filling up my schedule with programs.  I also was cast in a local community theater production of Godspell, while finishing up another group's production of Grease.  About that time Chinese New Year arrived and I mentioned the reason for the practice of giving pretend money then was because the belief was that whatever you were doing at the start of the Lunar New Year, you would keep doing it all year.  

There's a comparable European folk tradition.  I've posted one well done version of it in Howard Pyle's "How the good gifts were used by two" in his book, The Wonder Clock or four and twenty marvelous Tales, being one for each hour of the day.  That link takes you to the entire book at Archive.org and it is worthwhile reading, whether over 24 hours or days.  Even my own posting of the story skips to the actual part about giving and in turn being given the gift of doing all day however you start it. 

Little did we know the folk belief literally would come true.  The Lunar New Year brought us the Coronavirus and we've been coping with it ever since!

So what does that have to do with today's story?  Go looking at 8 Proverbs About Gratitude and you will see yet another story you may recognize: It Could Always Be Worse.  The proverb declares "Count your blessings, things could always be worse."  Experienced story lovers should recognize the Eastern European, usually Russian or Jewish, tale which even has a 1972 picture book version by Eleanor Chroman.

Just this past week I did a program streamed locally in Lakeview, Michigan about the Hello Girls.  Because the library had a grant, they were eager to bring it even if it only drew a few audience members spaced safely apart.  It originally was scheduled earlier this year except an Executive Order closed Michigan libraries.  Last month I did my Prohibition program for a local library, who streamed it for a few weeks to open their virtual programming.  In return I now have a Prohibition program other venues may contract with me to use if unable to offer it outdoors or safely spaced in a large area.  Next month I'll do my One-Room Schoolteacher program for a Michigan museum.  It, too, will be live streamed.  I'm grateful to be working.  I'm also grateful freelance workers were in the recent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance coverage under the federal CARES Act because my subbing in libraries and storytelling has indeed been severely cut back or eliminated in these uncertain times.  I expect, if I'm storytelling when the weather turns cold, it will be online or not at all.  As for subbing in libraries or residencies in schools -- "Forgeddaboutit!" 

I know eventually it will be possible for festival and theaters to reopen, but they're hurting.  So are your local businesses.  As for schools, libraries, and museums, it sometimes seems like the line "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get" as plans and openings change when a case crops up among staff or students.

We all will muddle through this one way or another eventually.  I had a friend ask if anybody knew somebody who died from Covid.  I'm not certain.  One dear friend, Jackie Baldwin, (who is listed below for her wonderful Story-Lovers website found now only through the Wayback Machine) was in senior assisted living in Belleview, Washington, a suburb of Seattle where so many elderly victims started.  She and another storytelling friend are simply said to have died.  In her case, her health was already in poor condition.  As for the other colleague and online friend, I don't know about any existing health concerns for Thomas Doty, an active storyteller in nearby Oregon.  His website is more specialized with many stories about the trickster, Coyote, and other Native American resources.

The fact is we do indeed need to take this seriously.  I posted on Facebook the article by Franklin Veaux on Quora.com about why Coronavirus has shut down the U.S. even if actual mortality is quite small.  You are welcome to read the responses there and also an analysis at Bored Panda by Jonas Grinevicius and Denis Tymulis.  The point they made was "However, even if the fatality percentage is low, as Veaux points out, the actual number of people that the virus kills, damages, and affects is still huge."

I will indeed be grateful when a vaccine is available and, yes, I will get it.  I am grateful neither I nor anybody in my extended family has been physically affected other than having the "Shelter in Place" Executive Orders shut down businesses, churches, schools, libraries, museums, theaters and other groups where I am a member and otherwise change life and work.  Yet it brings concern for the present and foreseeable future.  I hope the same is true for you and all you love and you, too, take the time to be grateful for your present safety even if it's not free of the current covid chaos.

That brings us to today's story which was listed as being by that prolific author, Anonymous.  In literature and music we are sometimes cynically informed that "Anonymous was a woman."  I believe in honoring the copyright of creators, but was only partly successful attempting to trace the authorship, and any permission that might be necessary.  I found a site called KindSpring.org and the story is listed there by BlissForgive, who it seems wrote it August 10, 2017 for that site only.  I hope Creative Commons applies here, but, if either the site or the author request it, I will remove the story.  In the meantime I think it is a perfect story for this uncertain time and a reminder of the need for gratitude.

(Carol McCormick posted this on the Facebook group, Storytellers.)
The Red Boat

A man was asked to paint a boat. He brought his paint and brushes and began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him.

While painting, he noticed a small hole in the hull, and quietly repaired it.

When he finished painting, he received his money and left.

The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented him with a nice check, much higher than the payment for painting.

The painter was surprised and said “You've already paid me for painting the boat Sir!”

“But this is not for the paint job. It's for repairing the hole in the boat.”

“Ah! But it was such a small service... certainly it's not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant.”

“My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened:

“When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention the hole.

“When the boat dried, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip.

“They did not know that there was a hole. I was not at home at that time.

“When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate because I remembered that the boat had a hole.

“Imagine my relief and joy when I saw them returning from fishing.

“Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole!

“You see, now, what you did? You saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your 'small' good deed.”

So no matter who, when or how, continue to help, sustain, wipe tears, listen attentively, and carefully repair all the 'leaks' you find. You never know when one is in need of us, or when God holds a pleasant surprise for us to be helpful and important to someone.

Along the way, you may have repaired numerous 'boat holes' for several people without realizing how many lives you've saved.

~Author Unknown

It all sounds rather reminiscent of George Bailey in the old classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."  If you are looking to make a difference, the KindSpring site has a page loaded with Ideas for acts of kindness. Currently there are 434 ideas for such areas as Friends and Family, Environment, Elderly, Animals, At Home, At Work, At School and University, Just for Teens, Resources for Teachers, Resources for Groups, for Parents and Grandparents, and others, but the largest category is Public Places.  Think about how Public Places of late have become a site for anything BUT kindness.  KindSpring's About Us statement says:

KindSpring is a place to practice small acts of kindness. For over a decade the KindSpring user community has focused on inner transformation, while collectively changing the world with generosity, gratitude, and trust. The site is 100% volunteer-run and totally non-commercial. It is a shared labor of love.

There's always a need to change the world with generosity, gratitude, and trust.  Maybe you, too, can repair some "boat holes."

The "Spanish Lady"

This month telling my World War I "Hello Girls" program and next month as the "One-Room School Teacher" I  will have the opportunity to include some information about how nearly 100 years ago we went through the chaos of a pandemic before.  A recent controversial photo shows an average family from then. Why is it controversial?  As fact checker, Snopes.com, points out it's hard to be sure if the cat in the photo is masked or merely happens to have facial markings in that area looking like it is wearing a mask.  The museum with the photo said it is small and old and impossible to verify.

Still Snopes agrees some people did mask their cats.  They show a dog, but I prefer this bit of sports history featuring a canine mascot.

Just as current pandemic information has taken time to shake out the facts, this Axios article is primarily about the sports of Baseball, Football, and Hockey.  Beyond sports, it shows back then it was even more difficult to spread the news.  This was due to a fear it might violate a federal Sedition Act because we had entered World War I.  Especially interesting here is Babe Ruth was treated with "medicine" that nearly killed him, rather like current criticism of using an inappropriate malaria medicine.

Similarly here's another sports focused article.  The sport is soccer and it comes from Philadelphia, with lots of good cartoons about the cancellation of sports.  It shows even in the early 20th century, when sports were not the big business they are today, people were desperate to have their "sports fix."

 More seriously the National Library of Medicine shows national guidance from then now looks both familiar and simplistic. 

 Now we would say gauze is insufficient, but even then people were making them.

Today masks are both homemade and a fashion item, but here's one I've yet to see for smokers.

 

That mentions a San Francisco ordinance: 

which leads into the problems mask laws currently face

 


















Just like today, you will find people saying it's no worse than the flu we normally see.

Homemade cures and patent medicines were suggested.

 and this one which might at least keep people "socially distant."

I wonder if onions were in this Cleveland soup kitchen offering to children.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/10/17/city-suffered-through-deadly-1918-flu-pandemic/1669793002/

While looking at the state to the south of Michigan, this graduate of the University of Michigan for my degree in library (and now also information) science enjoyed this look at how U. of M. defeated the Buckeyes during that pandemic for a bit of history in that long rivalry.

Still closures happened either at first or eventually.

That was from Pullman, Washington, but the tiny town of Pullman, Michigan and other Michigan towns of all size were affected. 

Mlive.com's display of Flint mask order and other orders

I particularly found useful See-how-1918-flu-pandemic-impacted your Michigan county.  It's interesting to see how each county hit a spike, whether from the holidays or otherwise.  A 2018-19 look at the state as a whole called it our deadliest year.

Of course metro Detroit was a major hotspot, too, as their timeline shows.

Right now the big debate in Michigan and nationally has to do with the safety of reopening schools.  Back then virtual learning wasn't an option, but when cases became so numerous tracking was impossible, most schools closed down for a time.

Stepping back from our state and returning to a broader look, History.com offers an audio presentation with graphics from 2010, then updated this year.

As always, Wikipedia has a fascinating article worth getting for its thorough overview.  What I found interesting was its explanation of how the virus kept mutating until it killed off the people meant to die, then it stopped being a problem.  Still it was an H1N1 virus, so it could be said to be related to later 20th century influenzas.

I titled this "the Spanish Lady" which was one of its names, but the only reason Spain was named was because it was neutral in World War I, so it was willing to announce the problem of the virus when the warring parties hesitated to let what was happening be known.  To add to the Spanish connection, Spain's King Alfonso XIII did become gravely ill (but lived until 1941 after abdicating).

Often the high death rate of Philadelphia, who refused to cancel a city parade, is contrasted with St. Louis, where I grew up.  St. Louis "flattened the curve" and it supposedly paid off.  The Wikipedia article still lists them as hit by the "third wave."  I just remember as a child seeing a plaque to those lost in the Spanish Influenza in a church on the campus of St. Louis University.  As a child I didn't know much about that almost forgotten pandemic.

Wenig - How the Devil Contended with Man - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

From me.me

Most of the U.S. (and a lot of the rest of the globe) has had weather fitting the meme above.  As a storyteller it made me think of the many tales about the devil.  Today's story comes from Adolf Wenig's Beyond the Giant Mountains; Tales from Bohemia. It was translated by Lillian P. Mokrejs and illustrated by Josef Wenig.  The link for Adolf Wenig goes back to the earlier story from his book posted here on July 28, 2018

That wasn't the only book about the devil which provides Bohemian (Czech) folklore.  It is worth repeating this statement from when I offered Parker Fillmore's tale of "The Devil's Little Brother-in-Law."

On November 2, 2019 I said:

One quick warning, the old Czechoslovakian belief has all devils appear black.  Politically correct?  No.  As someone telling the story today I might say blackened.  I notice, however, the Devil himself, as opposed to his lesser apprentice devils, is able to appear normal and then reveal his true blackened appearance.  The blackened coloring of the young man who goes to work for the Devil is easily explained within the story from his long seven years working in Hell.  It's similar to the appearance and fate of the main character in the Brothers Grimm's "Bear Skinner" and the Russian tale of "Never-Wash" I posted this summer.

Is it any wonder folklore has so many tales about the devil, especially ones where he is the one tricked!  

On a more serious note, I don't usually bring religion into my general work, although I love bringing storytelling for religious groups.  I've told stories for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim audiences and all believe in Satan and the need to cope with satanic influence.  I found the following article worthwhile about "10 Ways Satan Wants You to Respond to the Coronavirus."  You may find it useful whether you are a believer or not.  Several of the suggestions come from Proverbs, a book of fairly universally respected wisdom.  If you recognize fear, anger, distrust of doctors and specialists, lack of faith, immoral coping mechanisms, hoarding & selfishness, becoming a hypochondriac, walking foolishly & putting yourself in harm's way, less prayer, or less fellowship, take a look.  While we might not be as clever as this peasant, we don't need to let the devil win in the current Pandemic.
********************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:            

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for October 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 
           - Zalka Csenge Virag - http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com doesn't give the actual stories, but her recommendations, working her way through each country on a continent, give excellent ideas for finding new books and stories to love and tell.

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. Have fun discovering even more stories!

Hale - Peterkins Celebrate the Fourth - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

I went looking to find stories about fireworks as many locations have canceled them this year.  Instead I found many stories about a greater than usual amount of individuals setting them off (often illegally) along with gunshots.  Since those stories would be possibly inappropriate for re-publishing or telling, I started to check my own collection.  Like a firework exploding in the air I was delighted to discover America's own "noodleheads", Lucretia Hale's delightful Peterkin family, celebrated the Fourth of July in true Peterkin fashion.

For those who might need reminding, the cast of characters includes Mr. and Mrs. Peterkin, their youngest sons just known as "the little boys" and their friends; the older, well educated (but clueless) sons, Solomon John and Agamemnon; daughter, Elizabeth Eliza, of approximately the same age; and their neighbors, the Bromwicks.  Their Hired Girl, Amanda, is given most of the holiday off, and the sensibility of "the lady from Philadelphia" is also absent.  Since this is 1876, here's the Philadelphia Centennial at Independence Hall.

Independence Hall Centennial Celebration July 4, 1876

The Peterkins had earlier in the book visited the lady from Philadelphia at the Centennial exposition.  Maybe that's why, in this story the lady "was not well, and her doctor had prescribed quiet."  There's not much quiet in this story.  The family seems determined to have every form of Independence Day insanity.  There's even the fire engines which on a normal day here in small towns are part of a parade.  There's no official parade, but cannons and bells and chaos aplenty.  It's enough to make whatever is happening near you seem tame.

Leave it to the Peterkin family to find a way to make it memorable.

Of course this blog is also viewed by storytelling friends abroad.  This year t-shirt makers all over the internet have had fun with a British view of our holiday saying variations on this theme.

While looking for a good graphic of that bit of cheek in the "mother tongue" I found the perfect response.

Stay safe, but have fun over this unusual holiday weekend.
********************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:            

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for October 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 
           - Zalka Csenge Virag - http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com doesn't give the actual stories, but her recommendations, working her way through each country on a continent, give excellent ideas for finding new books and stories to love and tell.

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. Have fun discovering even more stories!