Folk Ecology: Reading Climate Change Through the Traditional Stories of Bihar

Int. Jr. of Contemp. Res. in Multi. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [NovDec] Year 2025 264 © 2025 Maligram Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Research Article Folk Ecology: Reading Climate Change Through the Traditional Stories of Bihar Maligram Yadav 1*, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra 2 1 Research Scholar, University Department of English, B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India 2 Senior Assistant Professor, Department of English, L. N. T. College, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India Corresponding Author: *Maligram Yadav DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17776610 Abstract Manuscript Information The folk tales of Bihar come from everyday life. They are passed from one generation to the next through stories, songs, and village traditions. These tales show how closely people once lived with nature. They speak about rivers, rain, crops, forests, and animals in simple but meaningful ways. Long before anyone used the term “climate change,” people in Bihar had already noticed changes in weather and the land. Their stories reflect these observations. Many folk tales describe how the seasons behave, how crops grow, and how people react when nature changes suddenly. These stories quietly record floods, droughts, storms, and the loss of trees. They also show how communities work together in difficult times. Through these small narratives, we see an early form of ecological thinking. The tales teach respect for nature, warn against greed, and show the results of harming the environment. Reading these folk tales today helps us understand how older communities made sense of environmental change. They also remind us that climate problems are not new. People have faced them before and have tried to respond with wisdom and care. These stories are not just for entertainment. They hold lessons about balance, responsibility, and survival. They show that Bihari folklore can still guide us as we face modern climate challenges. ▪ ISSN No: 2583-7397 ▪ Received: 15-09-2025 ▪ Accepted: 29-11-2025 ▪ Published: 01-12-2025 ▪ IJCRM:4(6); 2025: 264-270 ▪ ©2025, All Rights Reserved ▪ Plagiarism Checked: Yes ▪ Peer Review Process: Yes How to Cite this Article Yadav M, Mishra JK. Folk Ecology: Reading Climate Change Through the Traditional Stories of Bihar. Int J Contemp Res Multidiscip. 2025;4(6):264-270. Access this Article Online www.multiarticlesjournal.com KEYWORDS: Folk tales, Bihar, climate change, ecology, oral tradition, economy, sustainability Int. Jr. of Contemp. Res. in Multi. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [NovDec] Year 2025 265 © 2025 Maligram Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 1. INTRODUCTION Folk stories in Bihar have always grown from the land. They come from villages, fields, riverbanks, and forests. People created these stories while living through changes in weather, floods, droughts, and farming cycles. Because of this, nature enters these tales very easily. It is not brought in for decoration. It is part of daily life. The people who told these stories lived close to the earth, and their words carry signs of that closeness. Most traditional tales in Bihar speak about nature in simple ways. A river may speak, a tree may warn, a bird may guide, and a season may behave like a person. These images look small, but they show a deep understanding of the land. People observed the world around them very carefully. They looked at the sky each morning to guess the day’s weather. They watched the behaviour of birds to know if rain was near. They touched the soil to see if it was ready for seeds. Their stories carry these observations inside them. They are not written in scientific language, yet they speak about the environment with honesty. Bihar has always been a region where the environment shapes daily life. Many villages stand near large rivers like the Ganga, Kosi, Bagmati, and Gandak. These rivers bring water for farming, but they also cause floods. People learned to respect this mixed nature of the river. They trusted it, but they also feared its sudden force. These mixed feeling shows in their stories. The river becomes a character that is strong, unpredictable, and important. It gives life but also tests the community. People paid attention to the behaviour of the river because their survival depended on it. Seasons also play a major role in folk storytelling. Summer, monsoon, autumn, winter—each season changes the way people live. Farming depends on these seasonal shifts. Festivals follow them. Even travel depends on them. Many tales use seasons to explain emotions or events. A late monsoon may bring sadness. A long winter may bring hope or fear. A sudden storm may warn a character in the story to change their ways. These ideas show how people understood climate not as something far away, but as something that touched their lives every single day. Older communities in Bihar faced many environmental challenges. Floods washed away crops. Droughts dried up wells. Forests changed as people settled and farming spread. People experienced hardship, but they also developed ways to deal with it. They shared grain. They stored water. They moved animals to safer places. They learned to read early signs of storms. These practices enter their stories quietly. A tale may show a wise old woman who warns her village about a coming flood because she notices the river’s strange sound. Another story may describe a farmer who saves his crop because he follows the advice of a bird. These are not fantasies. They show the ecological knowledge that older generations carried. Traditional stories also teach moral lessons through nature. Many tales warn that greed brings trouble. A person who cuts too many trees may face a storm. Someone who wastes water may find their well dry. A character who harms an animal may face loss in return. These tales make people think about their actions. They show that nature responds when it is not treated well. They create a sense of responsibility. Today, when people speak about climate change, these stories sound familiar. They show that older communities understood the idea of imbalance long before these words became common. Animals also have an important place in Bihar’s folk imagination. Many stories speak of snakes, cows, turtles, birds, and even insects. These animals are not shown as dangerous or useless. They guide, warn, protect, or teach. A snake may repay kindness. A bird may save a lost child. A turtle may guide a traveller. These images show that people once believed all living things had value. They shared the land with animals, and the stories helped children learn respect for all creatures. Traditional stories also keep memories of past climates. They describe thick fogs in winter, steady monsoon winds, clear ponds, and large shaded trees. Many older people in Bihar often say that these natural scenes are no longer the same. Winters feel shorter, summers feel longer, and ponds dry up more quickly. This change makes the stories even more important. They preserve a picture of a climate that once felt stable. The idea of “folk ecology” comes from this relationship between stories and nature. The stories are not only for entertainment. They carry knowledge about the land, water, and weather. They show how people lived with nature and how they read small signs. They record how communities reacted to environmental changes. They also warn against actions that disturb the natural balance. They show that ecological thinking is not new. It has been part of rural life for centuries. Today, climate change affects Bihar in serious ways. Rainfall is uneven. Floods are stronger. Heatwaves last longer. Trees are cut faster. Rivers rise suddenly. These changes make old stories important again. They remind people to pay attention to nature. They show the need to use water carefully, protect trees, and respect the land. They speak about survival, patience, and community strength. Traditional stories of Bihar offer a simple but clear message: nature and humans are connected. When there is balance, life is peaceful. When the balance breaks, everyone suffers. These tales help us see climate issues not as distant problems but as part of everyday life. They carry the voice of a community that listened closely to the earth. Folk Tales as Ecological Narratives Bihar’s folk tales are rich in natural imagery: rivers that bless or destroy, trees that shelter spirits, and animals that speak with moral intelligence. These stories function as ecological archives that record how the community perceived, interacted with, and interpreted environmental change. For example, tales from the Mithila region often describe floods (barh) as both divine punishment and an ecological event. In one popular tale, a village that cuts down its sacred grove to expand farmland is punished by continuous rain and flooding. This narrative encodes a simple but powerful ecological message: deforestation leads to disaster. Similarly, drought (sookha) tales connect human greed or moral decay with the absence of rain, symbolizing ecological imbalance caused by ethical failure. Int. Jr. of Contemp. Res. in Multi. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [NovDec] Year 2025 266 © 2025 Maligram Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ These stories also celebrate trees such as the Peepal, Banyan, and Neem, which hold both ecological and spiritual significance. The Peepal is believed to breathe life into the environment; modern science, too, confirms its oxygenproducing properties. The act of tying threads around sacred trees, seen in many rural rituals, is an ancient ecological practice symbolising the protection of nature. Similarly, stories about animals such as the ox, cow, and snake illustrate coexistence rather than domination. The serpent is revered as a protector of rain and fertility, not merely a threat, emphasising the ecological interdependence that sustained village life. These tales also foreground women as custodians of ecological knowledge—rituals like Chhath, Kharna, and SamaChakeva embody feminine ecological agency, linking the fertility of land to social and moral purity. Stories by the River Rivers shape the life of Bihar. Many villages stand near the Ganga, Kosi, Bagmati, Gandak, Kamla, and so on. People wake up to the sound of water, work on its banks, and cross it in boats. They depend on the river for farming, fish, and drinking water. Because rivers touch every part of daily life, they also enter traditional stories. These stories show how people understood rivers not only as natural features, but also as living forces with moods and memories of their own. Many river stories from Bihar describe the river as a friend and a guide. People believed that the river could warn them of danger. A strange sound in the water meant a coming storm. A sudden rise of the current meant that rain had fallen far away. These signs helped people prepare early. They did not need written records or weather reports. They learned by watching and listening. The river was their teacher. Some tales speak of a river that helps people in trouble. In one story, a young girl loses her way near a forest. She sits by the river and cries. The river speaks to her through the whispers of the waves. It tells her which path to follow to reach home. This may sound magical, but it shows how people read the direction of water, the shape of the banks, and the familiar patterns of the current. “ ,  ,     ” “Mother Ganga, tell me the way, help me reach my home.” (Traditional Ganga tale) The words of this tale show care, hope, and trust. The river comforts the lost child. Behind this gentle image is a real truth: people depended on their knowledge of rivers to move safely across the land. Not all river stories are gentle. Many tales describe the river as powerful and unpredictable. This is especially true in regions touched by the Kosi. The Kosi is often called the “river of sorrow” because it changes its path and causes floods. People living near it learned to observe its behaviour with great care. When elders noticed a change in the colour of the water or the speed of the flow, they warned the whole village. These warnings passed from one generation to the next through stories. Some tales describe a wise old man who sits by the river every day. He listens to the water. He watches small leaves float by. One day he tells the villagers to move their grain to higher ground. They ask him why. He only points to the river. Later that night, the river floods. This story shows how people understood natural signs long before science explained them. “      ,                “ (Fear the hue of the Kosi’s water, The leaf says (to you), Go home now, The river's water has become uncontrollable, brother, If the flood comes, then who will endure it?) (Traditional Kosi-region tale) Such tales show the strong connection between community survival and river knowledge. People respected the river not out of fear alone, but out of understanding. Some river tales also speak about loss. Many families in Bihar have memories of floods taking away fields, homes, and even loved ones. Stories helped people share their pain and find strength. In a tale from Mithila, a mother searches for her child after a sudden flood. She calls out to the river and asks it to return what it has taken. The river replies with a heavy heart, saying that it cannot control its own force. This image shows how people understood the river as powerful but not cruel. They accepted its nature. Rivers also connect villages. Many traditional stories describe travel by boat. Traders, singers, priests, and farmers crossed rivers for work. Tales of these journeys show how people used the river as a road. They knew where the water was deep, where it was shallow, and where it was dangerous. The boatman appears as an important character in many stories. He knows the moods of the river better than anyone else. His skill protects lives. Some old tales praise boatmen as heroes. In one story, a boatman saves a family during a flood by reading the movement of the waves. He knows that the river bends at a certain point, and he uses that knowledge to steer the boat to safety. Today, when technology guides us, these tales remind us of the sharp natural awareness that older communities held. Rivers also appear in stories about rituals and festivals. The most famous is Chhath, where people stand in the river to pray to the rising and setting sun. Many tales describe how the river becomes calm during this time, as if it respects the devotion of its people. Mothers teach their children that the river listens to pure prayers. Int. Jr. of Contemp. Res. in Multi. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [NovDec] Year 2025 267 © 2025 Maligram Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/                                         Uga ho suruj dev aragh ke ber Uga ho suruj dev aragh ke ber Aragh ke ber ho puujan ke ber Malin beṭi phul le le ṭhar ba Malin beṭi phul le le ṭhar ba Sup le le ṭhar ba (Traditional Chhath tale) This kind of story shows how spirituality and ecology blend in folk imagination. Clean water is not just a symbol of purity but also a practical need for the ritual. Rivers also teach moral lessons in many stories. Characters who act with greed face trouble. Those who act with kindness receive help. One tale tells of a man who takes too much sand from the riverbank to build his house. The river becomes angry and erodes the land near his home. In another tale, a poor farmer saves a drowning animal, and the river blesses him with a fertile field. These tales show a simple truth: nature responds to human behaviour. Some river stories explain changes in the land. They speak of rivers that once flowed in a different direction. They describe old bridges, old ghats, and old paths that now lie underwater. These tales act like maps of ecological history. They preserve memories of how the land changed over time. When climate change brings stronger floods, hotter summers, and unpredictable rainfall, these old stories feel both familiar and important. They remind us that people once lived in close conversation with rivers. They watched the water. They listened to the waves. They trusted their senses. They respected the rhythm of nature. These river stories teach us to look at the environment with care. They show that the river is not only water but also memory, warning, guidance, and life. They help us understand the past as we face the ecological challenges of the present. Stories of the Seasons Seasons shape life in Bihar. They guide farming, festivals, travel, and daily work. Because people depend so much on the movement of seasons, many traditional stories describe their behaviour. These stories help us understand how older communities read the signs of heat, rain, winter, and spring with great care. Summer stories often describe struggle. The heat feels sharp, the winds are dry, and the ponds shrink. People look for shade and move slowly. In some tales, summer becomes a character who arrives early and refuses to leave. These images show how strongly people felt the change of temperature. They also show that summer was not just a season but a presence that shaped mood and work. The monsoon holds a special place in many stories. When dark clouds rise, people feel hope. Farmers wait for rain to prepare their fields. Many stories describe a sudden monsoon storm, or the joy of the first shower. Some tales mention how the river wakes up after sleeping through summer. Monsoon stories often carry mixed feelings—joy when rain comes, but fear when it comes too much. Autumn and winter also enter folk tales in gentle ways. Stories speak of the soft light of Kartik, the smell of new crops, and the calm air after the monsoon. Winter stories describe fog, warm fires, and long nights. Children sit around the fire to hear stories, and the change in season becomes part of the tale. These stories keep memories of old winters alive, which many elders say were colder and longer than today. Some tales follow all twelve months, known as the barahmasa tradition. These stories link emotions with seasons—hope in spring, longing in summer, joy in monsoon, and reflection in winter. They show how weather and human life flow together. “  ,   ,          ,    ,    ” (As the month of Ashadh (Jun-Jul) arrives, my hope grows greater, O Traveller, that my beloved would be here close to me during the rains. If my beloved came during the showers, he would shelter me from the world; O Traveller, the month of Sawan (Jul-Aug) pains me the most.) (Bhikahri Thakur: Traditional barahmasa line) Today, when climate change affects rainfall, heat, and winter patterns, these old stories remind us of a time when seasons followed a steadier rhythm. Through simple words, they help us see how closely people once lived with the changing year and how deeply seasonal change shaped their thoughts and memories. Voices of Forest and Field Forests and fields have always been part of life in Bihar. Older communities depended on them for food, fuel, medicine, and shade. Because of this close link, many traditional stories speak about trees, plants, and animals as if they are part of the family. These stories carry gentle lessons about care and respect. Many tales describe trees as wise and patient. The neem tree stands for protection, the mango tree stands for sweetness and shade, and the peepal tree stands for peace. In some stories, a tree watches a whole village grow around it. In others, a tree warns a traveller of danger through signs like falling leaves or a sudden rustle. These images show how people paid attention to Int. Jr. of Contemp. Res. in Multi. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [NovDec] Year 2025 268 © 2025 Maligram Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ small changes in nature. They noticed when a tree looked weak or when a plant grew too early. Nature was never silent in their eyes. Animals also have strong voices in folk stories. Snakes, birds, cows, and turtles appear again and again. They guide characters, carry messages, or show the right path. This does not mean people thought animals spoke like humans. It shows that people observed animal behaviour so closely that they could learn from it. A bird calling at night, a cow becoming restless, or a snake behaving oddly often warned people of changes in the weather or the land. Fields also speak in these traditional tales. The soil is treated with care. A farmer tests it with his hands, smells it after rain, and watches for cracks during dry months. Stories often show how the health of the field reflects the health of the community. When the field is strong, life moves smoothly. When the field suffers, everyone feels the burden.     ,          ,       ” (When the Earth is in good condition, Then everyone in the village remains prosperous, If the soil smiles, the woman (wife) smiles, And if the woman smiles, the whole family smiles.) (Traditional earth wisdom tale) This simple line shows how people imagined the land speaking to them. It also reminds us that farming was not only work but a relationship. These forest and field stories help us understand how older communities dealt with environmental change. They teach that care brings balance. They also warn that neglect can break the natural harmony. Today, when forests shrink and soil quality declines in many parts of Bihar, these old stories feel like quiet reminders. They show that nature has always had a voice. People only need to listen. Lessons from the Old Tales Traditional stories from Bihar teach many lessons about living with nature. These lessons are not taught directly. They come through small images, simple actions, and everyday events. People learned them by listening and by observing how nature behaves in each tale. One of the clearest lessons is respect. Many stories show that nature reacts when it is harmed. A person who cuts too many trees faces a storm. Someone who wastes water finds their well dry. A character who takes more than he needs loses everything in the end. These moments teach that imbalance creates trouble. Nature may not punish like a person, but it responds through its own forces. This idea appears in many folk traditions and shows early awareness of ecological balance. Another lesson is patience. People in older times waited for rain, waited for winter light, and waited for the river to calm after a flood. Stories often praise those who act calmly and watch the signs around them. They teach that nature has its own time. When people act with patience, they make better decisions. This is important today when climate change makes people feel anxious about sudden weather shifts. Stories also teach cooperation. When floods or droughts come, characters in tales help each other. Neighbours share grain. Families move animals to safer land. Villagers rebuild houses together. These tales show that survival becomes easier when people act as a group. Even today, communities facing climate challenges depend on unity and support. Another strong lesson is gratitude. Many stories describe the earth as giving and generous. The soil grows crops, the river brings water, and the forest offers fruits and wood. People thank nature through small rituals or through simple care. They sweep the courtyard, clean the riverbank, or tie cloth around a sacred tree. Such acts teach that gratitude strengthens the bond between humans and the natural world. “    ,          ,      ” (The gift given by Mother Earth, O innocent human, do not forget it. Everyone considers the Earth as Mother, She alone is the giver of our own food/grain.” (Traditional moral tale) This line shows a gentle warning. It tells that forgetting the kindness of nature brings loss. Finally, stories teach awareness. Characters in tales watch birds, listen to rivers, and notice small changes in the wind. These details help them stay safe and make good choices. Awareness becomes a habit. It leads to ecological thinking without heavy words. These lessons from the old tales are simple, but they carry wisdom that still matters today. They remind us that nature has always been part of human life. When people listen carefully and act with respect, balance remains. Nature Now Nature in Bihar is changing in many ways. Older people often say that the seasons do not behave the way they used to. They remember colder winters, steadier monsoons, and quieter summers. Today, winters feel short, summers stretch longer, and rains come late or all at once. These changes affect farming, festivals, water sources, and daily routines. When we look at old stories, we see how different the natural world once felt. Many rivers in Bihar rise suddenly now. Floods become stronger and harder to predict. Villages near the Kosi, Bagmati, Int. Jr. of Contemp. Res. in Multi. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [NovDec] Year 2025 269 © 2025 Maligram Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY NC ND).https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ and Gandak face new challenges every year. In the past, people read the river to know what would happen next. They trusted the change in colour, the sound of water, or the behaviour of animals. These signs do not always work today because the river changes too quickly. Climate shifts make natural patterns unstable. Water scarcity also affects many parts of Bihar. Ponds dry earlier. Wells drop low. Farmers depend on pumps instead of rain. Old stories describe clear ponds and steady rivers, but many of these places now struggle with pollution or low water levels. This change makes the ecological wisdom in old tales feel even more important. It reminds us that clean water needs care and protection. Birds and animals also behave differently now. Some birds that once appeared in seasonal stories are rarely seen. The koel’s call, the crane in the field, or the parrot on a mango tree were once common sights. In many places, these memories remain only in stories. Pollution, shrinking trees, and rising heat reduce their presence. The loss of these creatures is also the loss of old signals that guided rural life. Trees vanish from many areas as well. New roads, houses, and farms take their place. Old tales showed trees as strong, patient, and generous. They gave shade, fruit, and comfort. Their absence today creates emptiness in both land and memory. People feel the difference when they walk through villages that once had many peepal, neem, or mango trees. “-   , -  ,  -  ,           ,         ,     ” (The shade of the Peepal and Banyan is gone, The courtyard and doorway have become sad, The cuckoo flies high and sings in the sky, Now, how can there be a dwelling (life) on this earth? How will you live without the air, How will you survive without the trees? O human, plant the trees, Otherwise, your soul (life) will depart in agony.) (Traditional lament) These simple words reflect loss. They show how nature once held the village together. Today’s climate problems make these changes sharper. Heatwaves, irregular rain, and pollution create stress. But the old tales still offer guidance. They remind us to watch nature, protect it, and respect the balance that supports life. CONCLUSION Traditional stories of Bihar show a deep and natural bond between people and the environment. These stories grew from daily life, so nature entered them without effort. Rivers, seasons, birds, trees, and animals are not background elements in these tales. They guide the characters, warn them, comfort them, or challenge them. This close connection shows how earlier communities lived with nature and how they understood its rhythm. When we read these old tales today, we see that they hold early ideas of ecological balance. They remind us that nature reacts when it is harmed. They teach that patience, awareness, and respect help people live safely. They show that cooperation and gratitude make communities stronger, especially during floods, droughts, or storms. These lessons may come through simple images, but they carry quiet wisdom. Climate change makes these stories even more important. Nature now changes faster than before. Rains come late or all at once. Summers last longer. Winters shrink. Rivers behave unpredictably. Trees vanish from familiar places. Birds lose their homes. In such a time, old stories become guides. They remind us to watch nature carefully. They teach us that survival depends on balance, not force. They help us see climate change not only as a scientific problem but also as a human challenge. These stories hold memories of how the land once looked and felt. They help us imagine rivers that were calmer, winters that were colder, and fields that were greener. They preserve an older rhythm of nature. When we listen to them, we hear the voices of people who knew their environment well and treated it with care. In the end, the folk ecology of Bihar is not only about the past. It is also about the future. It teaches us to slow down, observe, protect, and live with respect for the world that sustains us. Through these simple tales, nature continues to speak. We only need to listen. REFERENCES 1. Roychoudhury PC. Folk Tales of Bihar. Eastern Book House; 1965. 2. Dutt N. Bhojpuri Lokgeet aur Prakriti. Rajkamal Prakashan; 2010. 3. Jha S. Maithili Lok Sangeet: Ritu, Nadi, aur Parivartan. Bihar Heritage Publications; 2012. 4. Sinha S. Bihar ke Lokgeet: Sangrah aur Vivechan. Sangeet Natak Akademi; 2015. 5. Traditional River Tale. Oral tradition from communities near the Kosi and Bagmati rivers of Bihar. 6. Traditional Seasonal Tale. Oral tradition, stories passed down in village storytelling practices in North Bihar. 7. Traditional Folk Tale. 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Bidesia and Other Bhojpuri Folk Plays. Choubey G, translator. Oxford University Press; 2021. Creative Commons (CC) License This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. About the corresponding author Maligram Yadav is a Research Scholar in the University Dept of English at B.R. Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. His academic work focuses on the study of folk literature, folk ecology, and oral traditions, with special attention to how these cultural forms connect with contemporary literary studies. He is particularly interested in the ways traditional stories and practices reflect early ideas of environmental awareness and how they can be reinterpreted to understand present-day climate change narratives.