American Myths and Legends

American Myths

Myths: Traditional, typically ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society. Also, popular beliefs or stories that have become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal

• Attack of the Mammoth
  A mammoth attacks and kills a hunter and stalks his wife and child. (Kaska First Nation)

• Coyote and the Columbia
  The origins of the Columbia River. (Washington)

• Coyote and Wishpoosh
  How the Northwest coastal tribes were formed.

• Crow Brings the Daylight
  Crow flys to the south, seeking to bring daylight to the Inuit, who live in darkness all year long. (Inuit)

• The First Tears (Inuit)
  An Inuit tale about the origins of tears. (Alaska)

• The Guardian of Yosemite  (Listen to an excerpt)
  The beautiful spirit of Yosemite falls in love with a great chief.

• The King of the Sharks
  The King of the Sharks has a mischievous son.

• The Heron and the Hummingbird
  Why Herons eat fish and Hummingbirds drink nectar.

• How Selfishness was Rewarded
  A young girl refuses to share food with her starving family in this Tlingit myth from Alaska.

• How the Rainbow was Made
  Nanbozho creates the rainbow, with a little help from two bluebirds.

• The Maid of the Mist
  The tale of the maiden who lived behind Niagara Falls and the origin of the famous horseshoe falls.
• Nine-Eleven
  A New York resident playing tourist has a strange vision when viewing the World Trade Center.
• Ogopogo, the Lake Monster
  A giant serpent roams the waters of Lake Okanagan.

• Rabbit Plays Tug-of-War
  Rabbit tricks two water Snakes into playing tug-of-war.

• Rainbow Crow
  The snow has come to Earth and all the animals are freezing. Can Rainbow Crow save them?

• The Spirit Lodge
  A great chief returns after his death to guard his people.
• The Trickster Tricked
  (In which Terrapin the Turtle outwits the Trickster Rabbit)
  Turtle and Rabbit decide to run a race. Guess who wins?

• The White Horse
  Mounted on a white horse, a new bride flees for her life from a rejected suitor.

• Who Calls?
  A Cree warrior journeying to the home of his beloved hears her voice calling his name in the night.

• Why Opossum Has a Bare Tail
  Opossum wants to make pretty rings on his tail, just like Raccoon.

• Why Opossum Has a Pouch
  Big Bat steals Opossum's babies and she must find someone to steal them back.

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American Legends

Legends: Unverified stories handed down from earlier times, especially those popularly believed to be historical.

• A Gift from Saint Nicholas
  A poor family is visited by a stranger on Christmas Eve.
• The Army of the Dead
  The ghosts of the Confederate Army still march through Charleston, South Carolina. A new version of this story is retold by S.E. Schlosser in Spooky South .

• Bigfoot Wallace
  Read several stories about William A. "Bigfoot" Wallace, a Texas folk hero whose exploits as a Texas Ranger and backwoodsman made him a legend in his own time – and ours!

• The Birth of the Jersey Devil
  The origins of the Jersey Devil.

• Blackbeard's Ghost
  Blackbeard's ghost continues to walk the shores on the Pamlico Sound, searching for his head.

• The Bloody Knife
  Many and many a year ago, two Micmac warriors from rival villages got into a terrible argument. Harsh words were exchanged, and then knives were pulled.

• Blue Hen's Chicks
  Why Delaware is the Blue Hen State.

• Casey Jones
  Death of a dare devil railman. (Tennessee)

• Daniel Boone's Dear
  How Daniel Boone met his wife. Based on a true story. (North Carolina)

• Davy Crockett and the Frozen Dawn
  Davy Crockett must unfreeze the dawn. (Tennessee)

• Ethan Allen
  Ethan Allen gets a toothache.

• The Ghosts of Ringwood Manor
  Do not visit Ringwood Manor after dark!

• The Gulls
  Retelling of an historical event that became a famous Utah Legend.

• The Headless Horseman
  A headless Hessian gallops forth from the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, scaring the locals.
• Henry Hudson and the Catskill Gnomes
  Every wondered who Rip Van Winkle played nine-pins with? It was Henry Hudson and his crew!
• The Jersey Devil and the Dog
  Mrs. Sorbinski finds the Jersey Devil in her backyard with her dog clutched in its claws.
• Jesse James and the Widow
  The famous outlaw Jesse James helps out a Missouri widow. Based on a true story.

• Joaquin Murietta, The Bandit of the Goldfields
  A young man turns outlaw after a gang of jealous gold miners kills his wife and his brother. Based on a true story.

• John Henry
  Man against machine!

• Joseph Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil
  The ex-King of Spain meets the Jersey Devil while out hunting game.

• Johnny Appleseed
  Johnny Appleseed rescues a town during the War of 1812. Based on a true story.

• Kate Shelley Saves the Train
  A brave girl rescues a train when the bridge washes out. Based on a true story. (Iowa)

• The Lincoln Death Train
  Every April, the ghostly Lincoln Death Train travels up to Albany from New York City bearing a skeletal orchestra and the coffin of Abraham Lincoln.
• Lost!
  A prospector lost in the mire is lead to safety by a beautiful ghost.

• Palatine
  A Dutch ship wrecks off Block Island. (Rhode Island.) A new version of this story is retold by S.E. Schlosser in Spooky New England.

• Pele's Revenge
  Pele falls for a handsome young man who is in love with another woman.

• The Phantom Drummer
  The sound of a phantom drummer seals the doom of a Revolutionary War soldier trying to desert the British army.

• The Red Dwarf of Detroit
  The appearance of a Red Dwarf in Detroit heralds disaster.

• Sasquatch
  A couple of hikers encounter Bigfoot while out on the trails.

• Spuyten Duyvil
  New Amsterdam is under attack. Can a brave trumpeter warn the people in time? (New York)

• Tommy Knockers
  The spirits of departed miners help miners find ore and knock on the walls right before a cave-in.

• The White House Ghosts
  Who's haunting the White House?

• Windigo
  A starving warrior comes face to face with a cannibalistic monster called a Windigo.