Menu Close

Articles on oral storytelling

Displaying all articles

The town of Schalkenmehren and its adjoining maar lake, Germany. Wikimedia Commons

Firepits of the Gods: ancient memories of maar volcanoes

A maar is a volcanic crater, often filled with water. New research highlights the similarities between oral stories around the world that shed light on the formation of these craters.
An illustration of Palorchestes azael, a marsupial tapir from the Pleistocene of Australia. There is evidence that this extinct species is depicted in rock art from the Kimberley. Nobu Tamura/Wikimedia Commons

Of bunyips and other beasts: living memories of long-extinct creatures in art and stories

It is plausible to suppose that human memories of long-extinct creatures today underpin many stories we have generally regarded as fiction.

Top contributors