A fascinating survey of the entire history of tall tales, folklore, and mythology in the United States from earliest times to the present, including stories and myths from the modern era that have become an essential part of contemporary popular culture. Folklore has been a part of American culture for as long as humans have inhabited North America, and increasingly formed an intrinsic part of American culture as diverse peoples from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania arrived. In modern times, folklore and tall tales experienced a rejuvenation with the emergence of urban legends and the growing popularity of science fiction and conspiracy theories, with mass media such as comic books, television, and films contributing to the retelling of old myths. This multi-volume encyclopedia will teach readers the central myths and legends that have formed American culture since its earliest years of settlement. Its entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the collective American imagination over the past 400 years through the stories that have shaped it. Organized alphabetically, the coverage includes Native American creation myths, "tall tales" like George Washington chopping down his father's cherry tree and the adventures of "King of the Wild Frontier" Davy Crockett, through to today's "urban myths." Each entry explains the myth or legend and its importance and provides detailed information about the people and events involved. Each entry also includes a short bibliography that will direct students or interested general readers toward other sources for further investigation. Special attention is paid to African American folklore, Asian American folklore, and the folklore of other traditions that are often overlooked or marginalized in other studies of the topic.

Table of Contents:
Preface, Acknowledgments, Introduction, Guide to Related Topics, Chronology, Volume 1 Academe, Legends of Afghan American Folklore and Folktales AIDS Harry and AIDS Mary AIDS-Origins Traditions Alamo Algon and the Sky Girl Alien Abduction Stories and UFOs Document: Charles Hoy Fort, New Lands (1923) Allen, Ethan (1738–1789) Alligators in the Sewers America as the New Israel Document: Uriah Smith, The Marvel of Nations (1887) American Cinderella Tales American Folklore Society (AFS) Amityville Hauntings Document: Pliny the Younger, an Ancient Haunted House Story (ca. 100 CE) Anansi/Anancy Animal Bride Animal Tales Annie Christmas Apotamkin Appleseed, Johnny (1774–1845) Document: W. D. Haley, "Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero" (1871) Area 51 Arrow Boy Ashpet Atlantis Document: Ignatius Donnelly, Atlantis: The Antediluvian World (1882) Attucks, Crispus (1723–1770) Aunty Greenleaf and the White Deer Axehandle Hound Azeban Babe the Blue Ox Babes in the Woods Baby Train Badger and the Bear Badman Ballad Ball-Tailed Cat Banana, Coconut, and Twinkie Barbara Allen Barker, Ma (1873–1935) Document: Selection from FBI Report on Ma Barker (1936) Barton, Clara (1821–1912) Bass, Sam (1851–1878) Document: Charles J. Finger, "The Song of Sam Bass" (1927) Batman Baykok Beal, Barnabas Coffin "Tall Barney" (1835–1899) Bear Man of the Cherokee Beauty and the Beast Folklore Bell Witch Bellamy, Samuel "Black Sam" (1689–1717) Bermuda Triangle Document: Disappearance of the USS Cyclops in the Bermuda Triangle (1918) Betsey and the Mole Skin Bettelheim, Bruno (1903–1990) Big Bear of Arkansas Big Water Snake of the Blackfoot Bigfoot or Sasquatch Document: Theodore Roosevelt, The Wilderness Hunter (1892) Bilderbergers Document: Speech at the Anti-Masonic State Convention of Massachusetts (1829) Birth of Good and Evil, an Iroquois Myth Black Aggie Black Dog Document: C. A. Fraser, "Scottish Myths from Ontario" (1893) Black Elk (1863–1950) Blessing Way Bloody Mary or I Believe in Mary Worth Blue Hen's Chicks Blue Nun Blue Rocks Folklore Blues as Folklore Boarhog for a Husband Bok Kai Temple, Folktale, and Parade Bokwewa Boles, Charles E. "Black Bart" (1829–1888) Bonney, William "Billy the Kid" (1859–1881) Bonnie and Clyde Boo Hag Boogie Man Boone, Daniel (1734–1820) Borden, Lizzie (1860–1927) Bowleg Bill Braucher Stories (Pennsylvania Dutch) Document: John George Hohman, Powwows; or, Long Lost Friend (1820) Brer Rabbit Document: Joel Chandler Harris, "Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman" (1880) Bridger, Jim (1804–1881) Document: Selection from John G. Neihardt, The Song of Hugh Glass (1921) Brothers Who Followed the Sun, an Iroquois Legend Brown, John (1800–1859) Document: John Brown's Last Speech (1859) Brown, Margaret Molly Tobin (1867–1932) Bunch of Laurel Blooms for a Present Buried Alive Document: Buried Alive Accounts in the New York Times (1884–1886) Cactus Cat A Calabash of Poi Calamity Jane (1852–1903) Callin' the Dog Campbell, Joseph (1904–1987) Cancer Myths Cante Fables Capone, Alphonse "Scarface" (1899–1947) Captain Alfred Bulltop Stormalong Document: Frank Shay, "Old Stormalong, the Deep-Water Sailorman" (1930) Cardiff Giant Carson, Kit (1809–1868) Cash-Landrum UFO Encounter (1980) Casos, Historias, and Tallas Cetan Chamorro Sirena, a Guamanian American Tale Champ Chanoyu Chariots of the Gods Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu Cheonyeo Gwisin, a Korean American Legend Cherokee Rose Chessie Document: C. R. Hervey, "When the Sea Serpent Came" (1906) Chief Joseph (1840–1904) Document: "Chief Joseph, a Notable Figure in Washington" (1900) Chinatown Ghost Stories Chinese American Mythological and Legendary Deities Chipmunk and Bear, an Iroquois Legend Christmas Gift Christmas Tree Document: Kriss Kringle's Christmas Tree (1847) Chupacabra Cibola or Cities of Gold Document: Sir Walter Raleigh on El Dorado (1596) The Circle of Life and the Clambake Cody, William F. "Buffalo Bill" (1846–1917) Columbus, Christopher (1451–1506) Document: Journal of the First Voyage of Columbus (1492) Connecticut Yankee Document: Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) Conspiracy Theories Corn Hero Corn Mother Document: Black Hawk on the Origins of Corn (1833) Cortez, Gregorio (1875–1916) Country Music as Folklore Coyote Tales Crazy Horse (ca. 1840–1877) Document: Battle of the Little Bighorn and Crazy Horse (1876) Creation Myth of the Tewa Creation Stories of the Native Americans Crichton Leprechaun Crockett, Davy (1786–1836) Document: A Collection of Political Speeches Attributed to Davy Crockett (1837, 1840, 1873) Crop Circles Culture Heroes of the Native Americans Cursing of Colonel Buck Custer, George Armstrong (1839–1876) Document: Custer's Last Stand in the New York Times (1876) Daddy Jack Stories Dance in a Buffalo Skull Dancing with the Devil DC Comics Death Coach Death Waltz Deer Woman DeGrow, Moll (fl. early nineteenth century) Document: C. G. Hine, "Old Moll DeGrow" (1909) Demon Cat Demonic Possession Devil on Washington Rock Devil's Horn Dillinger, John (1903–1934) Donner Party (1846–1847) Document: Selection from Francis Parkman Jr., The Oregon Trail (1849) Drought Buster Dungarvon Whooper Dwayyo Earhart, Amelia (1897–1937) Document: Amelia Earhart, Letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1936) Easter Bunny Easter Eggs Document: Clarissa Downs, "Lottie Champney's Easter Party" (1890) Edison, Thomas (1847–1931) El Muerto Ellis Island (New York) Elvis (1935–1977) European Sources Evil Eye Document: Warding Off the Evil Eye (1912) Exorcism Express Train to Hell Fa Mu Lan, or Mulan Fairylore Fakelore Farmer's Daughter Fearsome Critters Febold Feboldson Filipino American Folklore and Folktales Fink, Mike (ca. 1770–1823) Fish(ing) Tales Document: John Smith's Mermaid (1849) Fisher, Miles Mark (1899–1970) Floyd, Charles "Pretty Boy" (1904–1934) Flying Africans Folk Medicine Document: Lydia M. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1841) Folklore and Folktales Document: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, "Rumpelstiltskin" (1812) Forrest, Nathan Bedford (1821–1877) Document: Nathan Bedford Forrest on the KKK (1868) Fortune Cookie, Origins of Founding Myths Fountain of Youth Document: Ponce de León's Search for the Fountain of Youth (1513) Frankie and Albert/Johnny Frog King Fur-bearing Trout Document: James Herbert Hicken, "The Fur-Bearing Trout" (1929) VOLUME 2 Gaasyendietha, or Seneca Dragon Game Songs and Rhymes Gaspar, José (1757–1821) Geronimo (1829–1909) Gitchi Odjig, a Chippewa Hero Glooskap, an Abenaki Hero Goatman (Maryland Monster) Gonzales, Ambrose E. (1857–1926) Document: Ambrose E. Gonzales, The Black Border: Gullah Stories of the Carolina Coast (1922) Good Luck Charms Gore Orphanage Legend Great Gourd from Heaven, a Laotian American Myth Great Hare Great Spirit Document: Tecumseh's Speech to the Osages (1811) Gremlins Groundhog Day Guandi Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (Tombstone, Arizona) (1881) Document: Wyatt Earp's Testimony on the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1881) Gurbani Kirtan Hairy Woman Halloween Legends Hardy Hardhead Harris, George Washington (1814–1869) Document: George Washington Harris, Sut Lovingood (1867) Haunted Houses Document: Legend of the Haunted House of Hartford, Kentucky (1911) Hazard, Thomas Robinson (1797–1886) Headless Horseman Document: Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) Henry, Patrick (1736–1799) Document: Patrick Henry, "Give Me Liberty" (1775) Herskovits, Melville Jean (1895–1963) Hickok, James Butler "Wild Bill" (1837–1876) Hidebehind Hoe Handle, Snake, and Barn The Hook Hoop Snake Hopkinsville Goblins Horned Serpent Hornigold, Benjamin (1680–1719) How the Bat and Flying Squirrel Got Their Wings Huck Finn Document: Selections from Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) Hudson, Henry (ca. 1565–1611) Hudson River Monster Hughes, Langston (1902–1967) Hurston, Zora Neale (1891–1960) Ibo Landing Igopogo Iktomi Internet Hoaxes Document: Famous Nigerian 419 Email Scam (1980s) Irving, Washington (1783–1859) Document: Washington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) Jack Tales Jackalope Jackson, Thomas J. "Stonewall" (1824–1863) James, Jesse (1847–1882) Document: Death of Jesse James in the News (1882) Jataka Tales Document: Two Jataka Tales (1912) Jersey Devil Document: Jersey Devil (Since Eighteenth Century) Jinn Document: Selections from the Autobiography of Omar ibn Said (1831) Joe Magarac Document: Selections from Owen Francis, "The Saga of Joe Magarac: Steelman" (1931) John Henry John the Conqueror (High John the Conqueror) Document: Interview with a Voodoo Practitioner (1936) Joint Snake Jones, Casey (1863–1900) Jones, John Paul (1747–1792) Jumbo Riley Jumping the Broom Juneteenth Kachinas Kate Shelley Saves the Train Kaundinya and Soma Kelly, Joseph "Bunko" (dates unknown) Kennedy, John F., Assassination of (1963) Document: Warren Commission Report (1964) Key, Francis Scott (1779–1843) Kidd, Captain William (1645–1701) The Kidney Heist Killer in the Backseat Killer-of-Enemies Kilroy The Kind Hawk Kirby, Jack (1917–1994) Kushtaka La Lechuza La Llorona or Weeping Woman La Mala Hora La Malinche Lafitte, Jean (1776–1823) LaLaurie House Document: New Orleans Bee on the Fire at LaLaurie House (1834) Lee, Stan (1922–) Legend of the Pineapple Legend Tripping Document: Visitor's Guide to Salem (1894) Legends Lennon, John, Shooting of (1980) Leonard Crow Dog (1942–) Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) Document: Journal of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (1806) The Licked Hand Lincoln Funeral Train (1865) Lincoln, Abraham, as Folk Hero Document: Horatio Alger, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, The Backwoods Boy: Or, How a Young Rail-Splitter Became President (1883) Lincoln, Abraham, Assassination of (1865) Lithobolia, or Stone-Throwing Devil Lomax, Alan (1915–2002) Lost Tribes of Israel Document: Barbara A. Simon, The Ten Tribes of Israel (1836) Lover's Leaps Document: Charles M. Skinner, "Storied Cliffs and Lovers' Leaps" (1903) Lozen (ca. 1840–ca. 1887) Lullaby Lumberjack Tales Malakas at Maganda, a Filipino American Creation Myth Malin Kundang Manstin the Rabbit Marvel Comics Mary's Flowers McCartney, Paul, Alleged Death of McPike Mansion Melon Heads Mickey Mouse Microwaved Pet Milky Way, a Cherokee Legend Minstrel Shows Miss Liberty Mogollon Monster Momaday, Navarre (N.) Scott (1934–) Momo the Missouri Monster Monkey King, or Sun Wukong Monroe, Marilyn, Death of (1962) Monsters in Native American Legends Montauk Project Morgan, Gib (1842–1909) Mormon Mythology Document: Mormon Mythology in Fiction (1860) Mose the Fireman Mothman Mound Builder Myth Mountain Men Document: Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth (1892) Murrieta, Joaquín (ca. 1829–1853) Myrtles Plantation Myths Nain Rouge Name Lore and Magic Napi Nazar New World Order Niagara Falls' Maid of the Mist, an Iroquois Legend Document: Paul Carus, The Chief's Daughter, A Legend of Niagara (1902) Nin-am-bea Document: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (1726) No Tigers in Borneo, an Indonesian American Legend Nostradamus (1503–1566), Predictions of Document: Nostradamus, "Preface" to The Prophecies (1555) Nuclear Lore Nursery Rhymes Document: The Origins of Mother Goose (1791) Oakley, Annie (1860–1926) Ocean-Born Mary Ogopogo Old Betty Booker Old Granny Tucker Oneida Maiden Hero Orphan Boy the Farmer, a Hmong American Folktale Ouija Document: Operating the Ouija Board (1919) Our Lady of Guadalupe Out of Body Experiences Document: Jennie Conant Becomes a Medium (1873) Outlaw Heroes Paddy Murphy Pamola Parker, Robert Leroy "Butch Cassidy" (1866–1908) Pata de Gallo Patch, Sam (ca. 1799–1829) Paul Bunyan Document: Charles E. Brown, Paul Bunyan Tales (1922) Pecos Bill Document: Edward O'Reilly, "The Saga of Pecos Bill" (1923) Pedro de Urdemalas Pedro Mountains Mummy Pele Legends Phantom Clowns Philadelphia Experiment Piasa Pima Elder Brother Pine Barrens Tales Playing the Dozens Pocahontas and John Smith Document: The Myth of Pocahontas and John Smith (1803) Pope Lick Monster Pourquoi Tales Prince Madoc's Journey Pukwudgie VOLUME 3 Qiqirn Quillan, Boney (d. 1918) Quilts Racism in Urban Legends Rackham, John "Calico Jack" (1682–1720) Rain Bird Rainbow Crow The Relative's Cadaver Ride of Paul Revere (1775) Document: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Paul Revere's Ride" (1860) Rip Van Winkle Roanoke Document: John White, The Fifth Voyage (1593) Ross, Betsy (1752–1836) Roswell (New Mexico) UFO Landings Document: FBI Investigation of UFOs (1947) Rougarou The Runaway Grandmother Sacagawea (ca. 1787–ca. 1812) Saints' Legends Salem Witch Trials (1692) Document: Cotton Mather, The Wonders of the Invisible World (1693) Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Sam Slick Document: Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Sam Slick, the Clockmaker (1836) Santa Claus Saving Time Scary Stories Sea Shanties Second Death September 11 (2001) Conspiracy Theories Shamans Sharlie/Slimy Slim Shooting of the Red Eagle Shunka Warak'in Sidehill Gouger Silver, Frankie (ca. 1814–1833) Skeleton Man Skinwalker Skunk Ape of the Everglades Slasher under the Car Slender Man Small World Legend Snallygaster Sody Sallyraytus South Asian American Folklore and Folktales Spider Man Spider Woman Spirituals Squonk Stagolee Stanley Hotel Star Boy, a Blackfoot Legend Star Husband Tale Star Maiden Stone Soup The Stork Document: Excerpts from Hans Christian Andersen, "The Storks" (1838) Storytelling Superman Supernaturalism in Legends and Folklore Superstitions Tailypo Tall Tales Tamil American Folklore and Proverbs Taotaomona and Suruhanu Tar-Baby Document: Uncle Remus Stories (1881) Teakettler Teddy Bear Telltale Seaweed Thanksgiving Document: "Mourt's Relation" and the First Thanksgiving (1621) Thatch, Edward "Blackbeard" (1675–1718) Document: Account of the Death of Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch (1724) Three Little Pigs and the Fox Thunderbird Tibetan American Folklore and Folktales Tiger Tales of the Hmong Americans Tizheruk Tlahuelpuchi Toad and the Boy Toasts Tommyknocker Tony Beaver Tooth Fairy Traditional Medicine and Healing in Laotian American Culture Transcendentalist Deity The Tree-Bound Trickster Rabbit Tricksters, Native American Truth, Sojourner (ca. 1797–1883) Tubman, Harriet (ca. 1825–1913) Turner, Nat (1800–1831) Twain, Mark (1835–1910) Document: Mark Twain, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (1865) Two Ladies Trung, a Vietnamese American Legend Two-Headed Snake Two-Toed Tom Uncle Remus Uncle Sam Underwater Panthers Urban Legends/Urban Belief Tales Vaginal Serpent Theme Vampires Vane, Charles (ca. 1680–1721) Vanishing Hitchhiker Vanishing Lady Document: W. L. Steward, "A Page of Secret History" (1908) Villa, Pancho (1878–1923) Document: Excerpts from The Washington Times on Pancho Villa (1914) Vision Quest Voodoo Document: W. W. Newell, "Reports of Voodoo Worship in Hayti and Louisiana" (1889) Wallace, William Alexander Anderson "Bigfoot" (1817–1899) Wampus Cat Ward, Artemus (1834–1867) Warlike Seven Washington, George (1732–1799) Water Buffalo, a Guamanian American Legend Water Jar Boy, a Tewa Legend Weather Prediction Myths Document: "Prognostications of the Weather" in Robert Merry's Museum (1844) Wedding Traditions and Taboos Weems, Parson (1759–1825) Document: Mason Locke Weems, The Life of George Washington (1806) Welded Contact Lenses Wendigo Wenebojo Werewolf Document: Werewolves in Modern Fiction (1914) Whaley House White Buffalo Woman White Deer White Lady of Durand Lake Whitey Wild Man of the Navidad Winchester Mystery House Windwagon Smith Wise Men of Chelm Stories Witch Doctors Woman Who Fell from the Sky Women in Folklore Woodcutter and the Fairy, a Korean American Folktale Woods, Joe (Wojtowicz) Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (1975) Document: Marine Board of Investigation on the Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald (1977) Written or Printed Traditions Xeroxlore X-Files Yankee Doodle Yankee Peddler Yarns, Yarn-spinning Yehasuri Yokai The Zodiac Zombie Legends Selected Bibliography, Editors and Contributors, Index,