Legendary Tales

Legends are strange things. They begin simply as stories, often about things like epic adventures or battles, and something about them strikes a chord deep inside people. Then they start changing into something else completely, becoming legends which are such epic stories that they become important in the country of their origin. Over time, these stories change and begin to reflect the cultures that have influenced them. As in the case of The Little Mermaid, most of today’s well-known fairy tales have actually become a bit sanitized over the years because the originals rarely had happy endings. Some legends, such as the legend of King Arthur, were altered so much over time that it becomes hard to pick out what’s real and what’s not. Here are some of the world’s oldest and most famous legendary tales.

Robin Hood

• Robin Hood Legends: Discusses many of the different legends that have been spawned from the original Robin Hood legend.

• The Robin Hood Project: Information about every adaptation of Robin Hood as well as images from the stories.

• Robin Hood Bibliographies: Detailed list of Robin Hood adaptations arranged in timeline by chronology.

• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood : E-text of the classic version of the Robin Hood tale.

• Robin Hood: E-text of the Robin Hood version most people are familiar with.

King Arthur

• The Legend of King Arthur: Offers an overview of the King Arthur legend most people are familiar with.

• King Arthur's Legends: Recounts the stories that involve King Arthur, including that of Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table.

• How the Legend Developed: Explains why the story of King Arthur became what is today and where it most likely originated from.

• Arthurian Legend: Discusses all the major aspects of the King Arthur legend and links to other informative sites.

• Arthurian Studies: Educational site that links to the best places to study all aspects of the Arthurian Legends.

Beowulf

• Beowulf Poem: Entire Beowulf poem in both English and its original language.

• The Study of Beowulf: Links to pages that discuss Beowulf.

• Beowulf Characters: Information on Beowulf’s main characters and history.

• Beowulf for Beginners: Explains all the important aspects of Beowulf legend.

Pirates & Privateers

• Legends of Pirate Gold: Provides facts and fiction associated with pirates and their treasure.

• Kidd's Island: Discusses William Kidd, aka Captain Kidd, one of the most legendary pirates to ever live.

• Sir Francis Drake: An account of the life of Sir Francis Drake, one of the world’s most famous privateers.

Fairy Tales

• Aesop's Fairy Tales : Online archive of Aesop’s fairy tales, some of which are the most famous fairy tales in the world.

• Grimm's Fairy Tales : Online directory of the fairy tales written and adapted by the Brothers Grimm.

• Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales : Online archive of all of Andersen’s most famous tales including The Princess and the Pea.

• Little Red Riding Hood : Many versions of Little Red Riding Hood.

• The Little Mermaid : Online version of the original Little Mermaid fairy tale.

• Costume Store: A place to buy all your favorite fairy tale costumes.

Sagas & Sea Kings

• Iliad : The entirety of the Iliad saga available online.

• The Sagas: Lists all of the major sagas in the legendary Cycle of Kings.

• Norse Sagas: Explains all about the sagas related to the Norse Kings.

• Viking Sagas: Page that discusses all the major Viking sagas.