Folk stories (metīl) were recounted when people gathered in someone’s house, especially in the winter months, and when they were doing repetitive tasks like de-shelling acorns to make acorn bread flour. Some men and women were known as especially good story tellers. There are many genres of stories. Metīl are more imaginary and fanciful than dāstān (an account of something that happened - or might have happened), and more pithy and poetic than afsāneh (epics).Materials collected during field research for a D.Phil (Oxford University) in Iran in 1974 and 1975/6, and during short return visits in 1992, 1995, 1996. Audio recordings include: folk stories, music and songs, rituals, people’s own historical recollections