Lenape Stories

The Lenape had many stories and a number of them can be found in the Lenape Talking Dictionary, www.talk-lenape.org. There are many more stories that were told to researchers over the years but there were no sound files made, only transcriptions. Those stories are shown here with the name of the storyteller, when known, as well as a bit of biographical information of the storyteller, and the name of the person who took down the story.

Introduction to Delaware Storytellers (PDF)

Three Boys on a Vision Quest (PDF)
Lulus (PDF)
The Giant Snake (PDF)
The Panther (PDF)
Why the Crane Has a Long Neck (PDF)
The Hunter and His Dogs (PDF)
The Otter Skin Dance (PDF)
The Hunter and the Cave (PDF)
Thunder Myth (PDF)
Why The World Doesn’t End (PDF)
Snow Boy (PDF)
Son in Law (PDF)
The Horned Serpent (PDF)
The Boy and the Squirrel (PDF)
The Boy Who Had Dog Power (PDF)
The Big Fish and the Sun (PDF)
Mitsi (PDF)
Man Who Lived with Thunders (PDF)
Disappearance of Mother Corn (PDF)
Ball Player (PDF)
The Lost Boy (PDF)
The Mother Bear (PDF)
Why The Raccoon Has Marks on His Face (PDF)
A Deer Tells Something (PDF)
The Woman with The Two Plants (PDF)
The Little People (PDF)
The Man and His Horse (PDF)
The Beautiful Woman (PDF)
The Story of Mahtahis (PDF)
Why the Dove Builds a Nest the Way he Does (PDF)
The Good Looking Woman (PDF)
A Wehixamukes Story (PDF)
The Giants (PDF)
The Origin of the Bittersweet Vine (PDF)
A Delaware Snake Legend (PDF)
A Thunder Myth (PDF)
His Plea (PDF)
Horned Serpent (PDF)
He Sinks Into the Earth (PDF)
The Man Who Wanted Love Medicine (PDF)
The Girl Who Joined The Thunders (PDF)
Rock Shut Up (PDF)
The Telegraph (PDF)
Origin of the Otter Ceremony (PDF)
On a Train (PDF)
The Weather Forecast (PDF)
The Two Children (PDF)
Making a Wish (PDF)
Did You Make a Garden (PDF)
Indian Rights (PDF)
The Fire Engine (PDF)
Friendly Indians (PDF)
Push (PDF)
Fallen Leaf Lake (PDF)