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Research Guides

Folklore & Mythology: Dissertations

Folkloristics, the study of Folklore, is the study of human expressive culture, and includes myths, legends, folk- and fairy-tales, jokes, proverbs, jump-rope rhymes, material culture, and much more.

Dissertation Starting Points

For full-text dissertations completed at UW, see Research Works. You can search for Folklore or Mythology dissertations by keyword (e.g., “Folklore” or “ethnomusicology” or “myth” and so on).

To identify dissertations written at other universities use one of the following databases. Once you have identified those dissertations you need, submit an interlibrary loan request to get a copy if it is not available online. You can also buy copies of many dissertations via Dissertations & Theses Fulltext. 

The Princess Who Never Smiled

The Princess Who Never Smiled, depicted here in a painting by Viktor Vasnetsov, is a Russian fairy tale centered around the story of a father who promises that whoever makes his daughter smile will win her hand in marriage.