Folklore, Fairytales, and Symbolism: A Research Guide: Reference Sources

2nd edition. Translated from the the Spanish version, Diccionario de simbolos tradicionales.
London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971.
Essays on the significance of objects, animals, colors, characters, and names that appear in religion, literature, and folklore throughout history. A classic.

Translated from the the French version, Dictionnaire des symboles, by John Buchanan-Brown.
New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
Comparable to Cirlot but with many unique entries.

Revised and updated by Arthur de Vries. 2nd edition.
Boston/Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2004.
Yet another useful and classic guide to the significance of objects, animals, and characters.

Translated from the German version, Lexikon chinesischer Symbole, by G.L. Campbell.
New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986.
An alphabetical guide to all kinds of real items (such as bananas, or vinegar) and natural features (mountains, various animals and flowers, etc.); human functions (gestures, menstruation); and terms, symbols, and numbers ("ren," swastika). The entries are often tied to legends or folklore and include the brief tales. [C. Atkinson]

3rd edition.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Online as a ProQuest eBook.
Print call number: Olin Library Reference PN 56 .S9 F47 2017.
Explicates examples of symbolism in (mostly English) literature to the twentieth century as well as Classical and Biblical works. The 1999 (1st) edition is available online as an eBook from eBrary.

2 volumes.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2009.
"[O]verview essays survey the present state of scholarship on women's folklore and folklife around the world.More than 260 alphabetically arranged entries written by more than 130 expert contributors detail the world of women from girlhood to widowhood and everything in between. Topics covered include: Abortion; Banshee; Barbie Doll; Best Friend; Cinderella; Courtship; Cowgirl; Cyber culture; Erotic Folklore; Folk Photography; Glass Ceiling; Hair; Hip Hop Culture/Rap; Lesbian and Queer Studies; Marriage; Menstruation; Muslim Women's Folklore; Photocopy Lore; Quilt making; and many more. In addition, there are entries on women's folklore and folk life in 15 regions of the world, such as the Caribbean, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe." [from Greenwood Press information]

2 volumes.
Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1997.
"A comprehensive general reference work for students, scholars, and general readers on forms (e.g., Ballad, Folktale, Legend) and methods of inquiry and analysis (e.g., Fieldwork, Historic-Geographic Method, Linguistic Approach) relevant to the study of folklore." [Preface]

Online reference collection.
Searching folklore or symbolism in this online collection of subject-specific encyclopedias covering the social sciences and the humanities will find many articles from various disciplines and different points of view on these subjects.

2nd edition of The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2016.
"The four-volume collection covers national, cultural, regional, and linguistic traditions from around the world as well as motifs, themes, characters, and tale types. Writers and illustrators are included as are filmmakers and composers-and, of course, the tales themselves. The expert entries within volumes 1 through 3 are based on the latest research and developments while the contents of volume 4 comprises tales and texts." [Publisher's note] The only near competitor is the Enzyklopadie des Marchens 1977- , ed. by Kurt Ranke et al [Olin Stacks GR 550 .E56]. [Choice, 08/01/2008]

New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Cover[s] the wide range of folk beliefs that have survived into our own age. Each superstition is illustrated by quotations tracing its development through the centuries. Entries tell of the traditional significance of animals, colours, days, and the elements; rituals to be observed at certain seasons or when faced with natural and unnatural occurrences; cures, taboos, and the uses to which people have put everyday objects in pursuit of good fortune or knowledge of the future. [Publisher's preface]

London: Dent, 1994.
Alphabetically arranged entries contain biographies of saints and descriptions of objects and symbols most likely to be encountered in Christian art. Cross-referenced terms highlighted by asterisk. Selected bibliography, list of saints' names, and visual index provided.

6 volumes. Revised and enlarged edition.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, [1955-58].
A classic reference work that uses alphanumeric codes to classify themes in folktales, fairy tales, and other stories and cites examples of each type in print. I find the printed version easier to understand and navigate. Usually referred to as "Stith Thompson." See also Types of the Folktale in the Arab World, under the Regional Folklore tab.

2nd edition.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Edited by fariytale/folktale scholar Jack Zipes.
Entries on individual tales and characters, the illustrators and writers who retold the original versions. This reference book also examines related topics such as Disney, film, opera, science fiction, music, even advertising. Special survey articles explore the development of the fairy-tale tradition in individual countries, focusing particularly on the European and North American traditions.