Wonderley A. At the Font of the Marvelous: Exploring Oral Narrative and Mythic Imagery of the Iroquois and Their Neighbors

Syracuse University Press, 2009. — 226 p.The folktales and myths of the Iroquois and their Algonquian neighbors rank among the most imaginatively rich and narratively coherent traditions in North America. Mostly recorded around 1900, these oral narratives preserve the voice and something of the outlook of autochthonous Americans from a bygone age, when storytelling was an important facet of daily life. Inspired by these wondrous tales, Anthony Wonderley explores their significance to the Iroquois and Algonquian religion and worldview.Grouping the stories around common themes and motifs, Wonderley analyzes topics ranging from cannibal giants to cultural heroes, and from legends of local places to myths of human origin. Approached comparatively and historically, these stories can enrich our understanding of archaeological remains, ethnic boundaries, and past cultural interchanges among Iroquois and Algonquian peoples.Iroquois Star Lore: What Does It Mean?
War in the West: Nineteenth-Century Iroquois Legends of Conquest
Killer Lizards, Eldritch Fish, and Horned Serpents
Old Good Twin: Sky Holder During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
The Story of Windigo
The Friendly Visitor: An Iroquois Stone Giant Goes Calling in Algonquian Country
Mythic Imagery in Iroquoian Archaeology