A Europe of Tales presents material from the marginal regions of Europe, where myths and legends have retained their greatest vitality. The medieval Barzaz-Breiz legends of Brittany and the Kalevala poems and legends of Finland survived in oral tradition until the 19th century. The legends of the Kalevala extend from the birth of the world to the arrival of Christianity in Finland, ca. 1000 AD. The Scots tales have preserved legends one more exciting than the other dating from the beginning of the Common Era to the 17th century. The oldest parts of the Edda poems and prose texts of Iceland, which were recorded in writing in the 13th century, extend back to the 9th century AD. The Madonna legends of Cilento in South Italy reflect the heritage of Ancient Greek mythology.

The myths and legends of the world have passed on the memory of mankind from one generation to another. They reflect the history of peoples, changes in society and the environment and the moral values of the community, thus providing contemporary cultures with a rich, diverse and interesting background.

Knowledge of myths and legends and interest in them have varied according to the emphases of national and international politics. Nationalism favoured the presentation of the myths of one’s own people, while the leading powers and urbanized generations have often explicitly or implicitly belittled the importance of myths and legends. In contemporary Europe myths and tales are once again the focus of great interest in teaching, research and art.

Myths and legends are part of the irreplaceable intellectual and spiritual heritage of mankind and it is the duty of each generation to pass them on to posterity – verbally, in writing, in the form of art, or via digitized media.