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Micronesian Folktales - Page 3

Seafaring tales and trickster stories from the islands of Guam, Palau, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands.
Goddess Meduu Ribtal teaching women to plant breadfruit and taro in Palau.

The Breadfruit Story

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November 5, 2025
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Long ago, when the islands of Palau were still new and the people depended only on what they could gather from the wild, a goddess descended from the heavens. Her name was Dirachedesbsungel, though many came to know her as Meduu Ribtal, the Lady of Breadfruit. She appeared from the mist that rose above the ocean, her hair like flowing
A fisherman meeting the living stone fish in Palau’s sea.

The Stone Fish

November 5, 2025
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Long ago, when the coral reefs of Palau shone like jeweled crowns beneath the waves, there lived a fisherman named Rubak. He was skilled and proud, known across the islands for his abundant catches. Each morning, his canoe glided through the clear waters, and by sunset, its hull was heavy
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How the Sea Learned to Rest

October 17, 2025
Before time knew days and nights, the sea never slept. Waves climbed over mountains and devoured whole villages. Storms spun without end, and even the moon hid behind clouds to escape the roar. The people of Kiribati lived on tiny islands that floated like beads on a necklace, and every
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The Sailor Who Followed the Whale Road

October 17, 2025
In the old days of Palau, before compasses or radios, men learned the sea the way others learned prayer—by repetition, reverence, and risk. Among these men was Rahu, a young sailor who could read the waves better than most could read the wind. He knew the paths of the fish,
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Tiddalik the Thirsty Frog

In the Dreamtime, when animals still spoke the first language, the land woke to find no water anywhere. Rivers were empty, the
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