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“Once upon a time” or “long, long ago,” these are the introductions to the oral narratives that European and Native American children hear throughout their childhood and early adolescence. A human being’s life is so short that no single person can learn for themselves everything there is to know about life. Thus, our ancestors began the great oral tradition of passing down their stories and experiences from one generation to another so that the next generation could learn and benefit from them. Although the European and Native American oral traditions of storytelling have completely different origins and have developed independently from one another, they do contain similarities in their style and presentation, as well as in their lessons and morals they teach. The great oral tradition is a collection of brilliant oral stories and myths, each of which have the purpose of either passing down cultural practices or teaching specific morals and lessons to the listener. The stories and myths include mystical creatures, speaking animals, heroes or heroines, all of which seem to be designed to entertain the listener while making some point. Moreover, many of the same themes and morals transcend both European and Native Ame