|
TOP
- Babe the Blue Ox
Paul Bunyan finds a little blue ox the Winter of the Blue Snow.
- Bakery Bear
One bright morning, Brenda has a surprise visitor to her bakery.
- The Barn Dance
A
young man stumbles into an old-fashioned barn dance that is more than it seems!
- Bear Lake Monster
Be careful swimming in Bear Lake! (Utah)
- The Bells
A
man encounters a ghost protecting buried treasure.
- Big Liz
A
slave girl is murdered by her master when she turns spy for the Yankees.
- Bigfoot Wallace and
the Gray Bean
Turns out, Well, the rough and tumble life of a Texas Ranger wasn�t enough to
satisfy Bigfoot Wallace. No sir! He hungered for adventure, and he found it.(Texas)
- Bigfoot Wallace and
the Hickory Nuts
Bigfoot Wallace was as crazy an individual as they come. (Texas)
- Bigfoot Wallace Runs
the Mail
Bigfoot Wallace � that wild and wacky Texas Ranger -- returned to the wilds of
frontier life once the United States won the war with Mexico, and it suited him as nothing else could do. (Texas)
- Birth of Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan makes a big splash as a child!
- Birth of Pecos Bill
In which our hero --Pecos Bill -- is adopted by coyotes and grows up to become a cowboy.
- Birth of the Jersey
Devil
The origins of the Jersey Devil.
- Black Aggie
An
evil statue comes to life at night in the cemetery.
- Black Bartelmy's Ghost
Black Bartelmy was an evil, surly buccaneer who murdered his wife and children and went to sea with
a band of pirates as nasty as he. (Nova Scotia)
- Black Cat's Message
Cat's can't talk; can they?
- Black Dog of Hanging
Hills
A dog haunts the hills of Connecticut.
- Black Magic
An
evil man uses black magic to capture a lovely woman.
- Blackbeard's Ghost
Blackbeard's ghost continues to walk the shores on the Pamlico Sound, searching for his head.
- Bleeding Sink
A college bathroom is locked up after a tragedy
- The Bloodstain
A
murdered man haunts the house where he was killed.
- 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. (Nova Scotia)
- Bloody Mary
The
spirit of Bloody Mary returns to claim the lives of those saying her name in front of a darkened mirror.
- Bloody Mary Returns
A wicked step-mother is killing of her step-children, one by one.
- Blue Hen's Chicks
Why Delaware is the Blue Hen State.
- The Blue Rocks
The
Devil has a temper tantrum and changes the landscape forever.
- Boo Hag
Bobby sets out to find a beautiful wife and ends up with a monster! (Texas)
- Brer Fox Catches Old
Man Tarrypin
Brer Fox catches a big old turtle and tries to drown him.
- Brer Fox Goes Hunting
Brer Fox finds more than he was looking for when he goes hunting!
- Brer Rabbit
The
stories and antics of Brother (Brer) Rabbit.
- Brer Rabbit and the
Tar Baby
Brer Fox tricks Brer Rabbit into fighting with a Tar Baby.
- Brer Rabbit Earns a
Dollar-A-Minute
Brer Rabbit gets caught stealing goober peas and has to talk his way out of the
trap.
- Brer Rabbit Falls
Down the Well
Brer Rabbit trys to find a cool place to sleep and falls down the well.
- Brer Rabbit Fools
Sis Cow
Now Brer Rabbit was skipping down the road one day heading for his home in the briar
patch when he spotted Sis Cow grazing in the field. It was a mighty hot day and Brer Rabbit was thirsty. Some milk
would be real fine on such a warm afternoon...
- The Brick Wall
The
friends of a dead soldier revenge themselves on his killer.
- Brothers' Revenge
Two brothers are thrown out into the cold to die.
- Bunko Kelly and the
Funeral Parlor
The notorious crimper Bunko Kelly shanghais 22 dying men and sends them to sea.
(Oregon)
- Burnt Church
A
young woman comes to teach at the local school, with disastrous results.
TOP
TOP
TOP
- Eavesdropper
A
Maryland man learns a hard lesson about eavesdropping.
- Echoes
A Minnesota settler
longs for the echoing mountains of home.
- El Muerto
On moonless nights, the ghost of El Muerto continues to ride across South Texas.
- Enchanted
A
little girl hears the voices of enchanted children coming from the woods near her home.
- Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen gets a toothache.
- Express Train to
Hell
The Express Train to Hell comes to Newark Central Station to take the soul of an old man.
TOP
- Fatal Glass Eye
What's worse than a glass eye? How about one with poison in it?
- Fifty-Cent Piece
A couple spend a night at a haunted house. (New York)
- Fighting Cocks and
Eagle
Black Cock tries to rule the roost.
- Figure in Window
A woman sees a ghost in a dilapidated mansion.
- Fire
In the beginning of
the world, it was Bear who owned Fire.
- Fire! Fire! Fire!
The tale of a song (and a sleeping aunt!)
- First Day of School
A little boy's ghost goes to school
- First Tears
Eskimo tale about the origins of tears. (Alaska)
- First Things First
What's more important than rescuing your neighbors from a flood? Rescuing the moonshine! (Vermont)
- Fisherman and Bear
An old fisherman meets his match. (Maine)
- Flying Canoe
A group of lonely lumberjacks pay a bitter price when they go home for New Years. (Quebec)
- Fog
If you thought
England's fogs were thick, you should see a fog in Maine.
- Freddy's Fabulous Frogs
Freddy's frog is flilched by a classmate, right before the frog contest. What should he do?
- Frozen Flames
What do you do when the lanterns freeze? Call Paul Bunyan. (Michigan)
- Fur-Bearing Trout
Colorado Fisherman developed a new trout catching technique following the visit of a hair tonic
salesman.
- The Future
A
woman goes to a psychic to have her future predicted, with unpredictable results!
TOP
- Ghost Handprints
Ghosts rescue a car stuck on the railroad tracks.
- Ghost in the Alley
A malevolent ghost haunts the alley behind the pub.
- Ghost in the Stacks
A college student sees the ghost of a murdered girl haunting the library.
- Ghost of Pearl White
A young girl watches each night as a woman climbs the staircase to the apartment on the
upper floor, never suspecting that the woman is a ghost. (New Jersey)
- Ghost on the Tracks
Engineers, beware! There is a ghost abroad on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
- Ghost Pilots of
Times Square
The spirits of two RAF pilots visit Times Square after their planes were shot down
over Berlin.
- Ghost Ship of
Captain Sandovate
The merciless crew that killed their captain are doomed to sail the Atlantic
forever, searching for water.
- Ghost that Followed
Me Home
A ghost takes a liking to a genealogist and follows her home from a graveyard where
she is researching her family tree.
- Ghost Train
A
Ghost Train appears on the tracks three miles outside of Medicine Hat, Alberta.
- Ghosts of Ringwood
Manor
Do not visit Ringwood Manor after dark!
- Girl in White
A young man finds himself dancing with a ghost.
- Goblin of Easton
A wicked monk is doomed to roam the woods as a foul goblin.
- Going Courting
A
dead man tries to find himself a bride.
- Golden Hand
A man ruthlessly woos a woman because he wants to take possession of her gold hand.
- Golden One
A
little boy and his golden pony form a bond that lasts beyond death.
- Gollywhopper's Eggs
A traveling salesman comes to town with a most unusual product to sell.
- The Grave
A
woman haunts her burial ground.
- The Green Lantern
The ghost of a lighthouse keeper haunts St. Martin's Island.
- The Greenhorn and
Mule Egg
A greenhorn tries to hatch a mule from a coconut, with surprising results.
- The Grocer
A
destitute woman finds groceries mysteriously delivered to her doorstop in the dead of winter.
- Guardian of Yosemite
The beautiful spirit of Yosemite falls in love with a great chief.
- Gulls
Retelling of
an historical event that became part of Utah Folklore.
TOP
- Hairy Toe
An
old woman finds a hairy toe and cooks it up for dinner, much to the annoyance of its former owner. (Scary!)
- Handshake
A
ghostly handshake proves deadly!
- Harry's Hair
Harry the Horse is afraid he is going bald, so he decides to do something about it.
- Haunted Christmas
Footsteps follow a man home from Christmas Eve service.
- Headless Horseman
A headless Hessian gallops forth from the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, scaring the locals.
- Headless Sentry
A soldier still stands guard at a plantation-home.
- Healthy Climate
California is so healthy, its hard to die.
- Heartbeat
It
sounded like a heartbeat. Polly's heartbeat�
- Henry Hudson and the
Catskill Gnomes
Every wondered who Rip Van Winkle played nine-pins with? It was Henry Hudson
and his crew!
- Heron and the
Hummingbird
Why Herons eat fish and Hummingbirds drink nectar.
- Higher Mathmatics
A story of Chelm.
- The Hitchhiker
A
ghost sneaks a ride in a passing car.
- Hold Him, Tabb
Why
you should NEVER spend the night in a haunted house!
- Hook
An insane
killer, known as the Hook Man, escapes from a local prison and stalks a young couple.
- Hoop Snakes
Pennsylvania has a particularly mean variety of hoop snakes rolling about.
- Hoosiers
Why
are Indiana folk called Hoosiers?
- How Bigfoot Wallace
Got his Nickname
Well now, Bigfoot Wallace was jest about the roughest, toughest Texas Ranger
that ever rode west of the Pecos. (Texas)
- 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.
TOP
TOP
TOP
TOP
- La Corriveau
An
evil ghost walks the riverside.
- La Llorona
The
ghost of a woman searches the river banks for her sons.
- La Mala Hora
A
woman meets a spectre on her way to a friend's house.
- Lady in the Veil
A young fellow meets a pretty girl walking past the graveyard�
- Lady in Lace
A beautiful ghost walks the shores near Pebble Beach, California.
- Lady in Red
A
murdered woman haunts a Nevada hotel.
- Last Darning Needle
Now darning needles, in those days, were used to sew clothing and darn socks and mend buttons that were torn off. For a whole community to have only one darning needle was a major concern.
- 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.
- Lion and Beetle
King Lion is far too proud for his own good.
- Llorona, Omen of
Death
Two young men see the ghost of the Llorona as they drive home one evening.
- Lost!
A prospector lost in
the mire is lead to safety by a beautiful ghost.
TOP
- Maco Ghost Light
Shortly after a train accident, the Maco Light began to appear on the tracks near the station.�
- Madrone Monkeys
Now, Madrone monkeys are not indigenous to the south coast. Where you find them historically, is in the vast rain forests...
- Maid of Mist
The tale of the maiden who lived behind the falls of Niagara and the origin of the famous horseshoe falls.
- McLoughlin's Ghost
McLoughlin returns occasionally to check up on his old home.
- Melt Shop
The
horrible ghost of a dead steel worker haunts the melt shop at night.
- Michigan Winds
Michigan winds are a bit strong in the spring. (Michigan)
- Mighty and the
Beanstalk
Mighty the black lab finds a strange plant in her backyard.
- Mighty and the Troll
Mighty the black lab finds a troll under the bridge in the horse pasture.
- Milk Bottles
Day
after day, a woman comes to the store for milk and leaves without paying.
- Mississippi Mosquitoes
And you thought your mosquitoes were bad!
- Moll DeGrow
A
wicked witch plagues the good people living on Gully Road.
- Mrs. Chory's Chickens
Mrs. Chory gets into major trouble when her chicken chokes on some corn.
- Mrs. Peter's Pens
Someone is swiping Mrs. Peter's Pens.
- Muriel
A young girl visits a haunted lighthouse and vanishes
TOP
- Never Mind Them
Watermelons
Sam Gibb accepts a dare to stay in a haunted house, never expecting to meet a ghost.
- Nine-Eleven
A
New York resident playing tourist has a strange vision when viewing the World Trade Center. (New York)
- No Trespassing
A stranded car, an old house, an injured girlfriend�
TOP
TOP
TOP
TOP
- 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?
- Rattlesnake Ridge
A fiddler challenges the Devil to a musical duel.
- Raw Head and Bloody
Bones
A witch summons a monster to destroy an old hunter who stole her pig.
- Red Dwarf of Detroit
The appearance of a Red Dwarf in Detroit heralds disaster.
- Riverboat Racing
An old woman is afraid of racing, until her riverboat is challenged by a rival. (Kentucky)
- Round River Drive
Paul Bunyan tries to send his logs down the river only to find out it's round.
- Row, row, row you car
Unbeknownst to my brother, the melt water from the previous mild days had flooded the nearby Raritan River; and the part of the field in which he was driving had filled with water...
TOP
- Sachs Bridge
Civil War ghosts still haunt Sachs Bridge near Gettysburg.
- Sally Ann Thunder
Ann Whirlwind Crockett Bests Mike Fink
Mike Fink tries to scare Miz Crockett and gets a scare of
his own!
- Sally Slither's Snakes
Sally brought home a pet snake. Then she got a few more�
- Sam Hyde
Two
truths for one line. What a bargain!
- Sangamon County
Where is the most beautiful place in the world? (Illinois)
- Sasquatch
A
couple of hikers encounter Bigfoot while out on the trails.
- Sasquatch and the Bear
Sasquatch is fishing for his lunch when along comes a hungry bear. (Oregon)
- Satin Dress
She
rented a fancy dress for the party. But something isn't right�
- Saving Time
Shmul was on his way to the market in Chelm one afternoon when he saw his good friend Bein on the street.
�Sholom aleichem,� called Shmul to his friend.
�Go to blazes,� Bein said without missing a beat.
- Screaming Jenny
A burning ghost haunts the tracks near Harpers Ferry.
- Screaming Tunnel
The ghost of a young girl trapped in a burning house haunts a tunnel near Niagara Falls.
- Shadow Train
A ghost train stops to rescue a dying man.
- Shaggy Dog
A
woman loses her pooch between Salem and Springfield and starts looking for her extremely shaggy dog.
- The Sheep Herder's
Lawsuit
A sheep herder bleats himself out of a heavy fine in the "baa"-verlous story!
- Shrouded Horseman
A ghostly horseman haunts the roadways, searching for his murderer.
- Sifty Sifty San
I am Sifty-Sifty San. I'm here in the house with the tresspassing man!
- Sinks
Nevada rivers flow
into a series of lakes with no outlets. So what happens to all that water? It sinks!
- The Skeleton
A
skeleton guards hidden treasure.
- Skeleton's Lantern
An eight-foot skeleton roams the Arizona desert near Yuma.
- Slide-Rock Bolters
Tourists, beware! Deep in the mountains of Colorado lurk the slide-rock bolters.
- Spirit Lodge
A
great chief returns after his death to guard his people.
- Spuyten Duyvil
New
Amsterdam is under attack. Can a brave trumpeter warn the people in time? (New York)
- Storm Hag
A
sea witch in Erie lures men to their death.
- Suicide
The sound of
a car running in the garage alerts the neighbors.
TOP
- Talking Mule
Even mules deserve a day off now and then. (South Carolina)
- Tall Ted's Turtles
Tall Ted came to town with a tank full of turtles!
- Teething Toy
What
would you give your baby to teeth on if you lived in Deadwood, South Dakota?
- Telltale Seaweed
An overnight stay in an abandoned Cape Cod house reveals a ghost. (Massachusetts)
- Ten Red Crows
Ten red crows began a perilous journey away from the tree seeking to bring light to this dark world.
- That Pesky Fellow
A fisherman finds the perfect assistant in the Devil!
- Three Billy Goats
Gruff
Three Billy Goats want to go to the meadow across the ravine, but a fierce troll guards the
bridge.
- Tikki Tikki Tembo
Why short names are better.
- To egg on
What
did this common phrase come from?
- Tolling of the Bell
A bell mysteriously tolls in the night, foretelling the doom of the passengers of a local ship.
- Tommy Knockers
The
spirits of departed miners help miners find ore and knock on the walls right before a cave-in.
- The Tooth War...and its aftermath
Not too long ago my niece lost another tooth. Being an enterprising child who is not afraid to believe in the tooth fairy if it means receiving money, she stuck it under her pillow...
- Trapper's Ghost
The phantom of an evil trapper is doomed to roam the wilds of Labrador, helping lost travelers to
atone for his sins.
- Trickster Tricked
In which Terrapin the Turtle outwits the Trickster Rabbit.
- Turnabout is Fairplay
An old man's ghost turns the tables on a pair of mischievous boys
- Twist-Mouth Family
Find out what a college education is good for.
TOP
- Underground
Pendleton has a mysterious, and haunted, underground.
TOP
- Vampire Hermit
A
woman and her baby flee from a blood-thirsty vampire.
- Vengeance
Husband meets girl. Wife is in the way. Husband murders wife and proposes to girl. And then it all falls apart�
- Vision of War
I don't do battlefields. Oh, it's not because I am against history. Nope, the truth is I'm psychic and I find battlefields...overwhelming is the best word I can come up with.
TOP
- Wailing Woman
La Llorona haunts the riverbanks in the Southwest.
- Wait Until Emmet Comes
Do you really want to wait for Emmet? (West Virginia)
- Wampus Cat
A
hunter meets a terrible beast in the woods of Tennessee.
- Werewolf's Bride
A Werewolf covets another man's bride and steals her away on her wedding day.
- Where does Cat go at
noon?
Cat keeps disappearing. Where to?
- Where's My Liver
A boy digs up his uncle's liver and mom serves it for dinner. Not good.
- Whirlwind
A
ghostly whirlwind sweeps through the graveyard.
- White Dog
A
huge, white dog with glowing red eyes haunts a local roadway.
- White Horse
Mounted on a
white horse, a new bride flees for her life from a rejected suitor.
- White House Ghosts
Who's haunting the White House? (Washington D.C.)
- White Lady
A
ghost rises out of Durand Lake to hunt down her daughter's killer. (New York)
- White Riders
Riders in white come for an Arizona cowboy caught in a sandstorm.
- White Wolf
She
dreamed a white wolf was stalking her. Or was it a dream?
- Who Calls?
A
Cree warrior journeying to the home of his beloved hears her voice calling his name in the night.
- Why Dogs Chase Cats
It's a dog chase cat kind of world. (Virginia)
- Why Lizards Can't Sit
Brer Lizard tries to get through the fence.
- 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.
- Wild Goose Island
A handsome warrior sees a lovely maiden from the other tribe swimming toward the small island in the middle of the
lake.
- Windigo
A
starving warrior comes face to face with a cannibalistic monster called a Windigo.
- Wraith of the Creek
"The wraith was an evil creature that desired nothing more than to wrap its long arms around humans
or animals and pull them down into the water to drown.
"
- Wrong Side Up
A settler is given advice by a Dakota man. (North Dakota)
TOP
- Xing-Xing Sings
Xing-Xing the Xenops Parrot slips away from her family to frolic in a tree outside. Can they get her to come down?
TOP
- Yankee Doodle Donkey
Yankee Doodle Donkey decides to go to town on the Fourth of July.
- Yellow Ribbon
Jane always wears a yellow ribbon around her neck and Johnny really wants to know why.
- Yellowhammer
Why
Alabama folk are called Yellowhammers
- You Can't Get Out
The town drunk falls into a grave on his way home
TOP
TOP
|
Comments? Email us at webmaster@americanfolklore.net