The book provides a comprehensive exploration of the significance of oral traditions today, focusing on their preservation, publication, and indexing. It begins with an introduction to the contemporary relevance of these traditions, including a report from an international workshop in St. Augustin. The text delves into the journey from recording to archiving and publishing folkloric texts, addressing textological issues. It contrasts "traditional" folktales with "modern" storytelling, examining oral tradition in the context of mass reproduction and the challenges faced in processing contemporary oral texts. The preservation of folktales and proverbs is a key theme, with discussions on unpublished catalogs, the Wossidlo Archive in Rostock, and the study of German and Sorbian proverbs. Fieldwork research highlights efforts to record and archive oral traditions in various regions, including Slovakia and Bulgaria, as well as the documentation of oral epics and the importance of oral traditions in Southeast Asia. The book also addresses indexing challenges, presenting a review of type and motif indices from 1980-1995, and offering suggestions for future folktale indexes. It discusses the need for revisions to existing catalogs and includes case studies on classification issues in various cultural contexts, such as Estonian legends and the folk literature of South American Indians.
