“Hey there folks! Welcome to the American Folklore site, which features retold folktales from all 50 states. We answer those pesky folklore questions that keep you up at night, such as: “Why is a black cat bad luck?” and “Who the heck is Paul Bunyan?” So, grab a cup of coffee, pull up a comfy chair, and stay awhile.” –S.E. Schlosser, author of the Spooky Series.
Haunted Holidays 2023
Grab an eggnog, gather ’round the fireplace and get ready for tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past! Holiday folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser. From Hanukkah and Christmas to Three Kings Day and New Year’s, these spooky stories will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.
Looking for the perfect gift? Give someone S.E. Schlosser’s new book: Spooky Christmas!
The Brothers’ Revenge
The blizzard was raging fiercely around them as the brothers stumbled down the long road. they were…
Der Belznickel
My sisters and my baby brother danced about the house, whispering to each other excitedly about the …
Wendigo
The storm lasted so long that they thought they would starve. Finally, when the wind and swirling sn…
Happy Book Birthday,
Spooky Christmas
In celebration of Spooky Christmas, we’ve updated our Christmas Stories page with free stories full of hauntings, strange happenings and other local lore. Check it out!
New Folklore Stories
Raw Head and Bloody Bones
Way back in the deep woods there lived a scrawny old woman who had a reputation for being the best c…
Wendigo
The storm lasted so long that they thought they would starve. Finally, when the wind and swirling sn…
No Fear
He had just passed an abandoned missionary Baptist church when the forest grew quiet around him. The…
Scary Ghost Stories
Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready to read creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences across the United States. Set in America’s big cities, historic towns, rugged lakes, and sparsely populated backwoods, the stories will have readers looking over their shoulders again and again
Haunted Christmas
The soft thud of following footsteps echoed behind him as he hurried through the snowflakes toward h…
McLoughlin’s Ghost
Dr. John McLoughlin came to the Pacific Northwest with the Hudson Bay Company and fell in love with …
Olde Fort Mifflin
There is only one word for Fort Mifflin during a reenactment. LOUD! My ears were ringing as I hurr…
Armadillo’s Song
There once lived an armadillo who loved music more than anything else in the world. After every rain…
Banshee of the Bad Lands
“Hell, with the fires out,” is what the Bad Lands of Dakota have been called. The fearless nomenclat…
Coyote and the Columbia
One day, Coyote was walking along. The sun was shining brightly, and Coyote felt very hot. "I would …
Myths & Legends
Heroes, villains, gods and devils lurk within these tales from times long past, and just yesterday… What happens when mere mortals encounter the divine?
Famous Folktales
Bloody Mary
She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living i…
Raw Head and Bloody Bones
Way back in the deep woods there lived a scrawny old woman who had a reputation for being the best c…
Wendigo
The storm lasted so long that they thought they would starve. Finally, when the wind and swirling sn…
Bloody Mary Returns
My stepmother was vile. I guess most kids think that when their father remarries. But in this case…
La Mala Hora
My friend Isabela called me one evening before dinner. She was sobbing as she told me that she and h…
Wait Until Emmett Comes
A preacher was riding to one of the churches on his circuit when darkness fell. It was about to stor…
Davy Crockett and the Coonskin
Well, they say that Davy Crockett, the most famous bear hunter in the U.S. of A, once ran for election in Congress. He was campaigning in town one da…
Benny the Little Blue Ox
Because he was so much younger than Babe and was brought to camp when a small calf, Benny was always called the Little Blue Ox although he was quite a…
Mrs. Crockett Saves the Day
Shortly after I got married, I went to settle on the north side of the Big Muddy with my new wife, Mrs. Davy Crockett. Now a cousin of my wife's packe…
Tall Tales
A tall tale depicts the wild adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes. Often told around the campfire, these stories are meant to entertain their audiences, who appreciate the wildly outsized claims of the storyteller.
United States Folklore
Snippity-snip, snap and store,
Of American Folklore there’s plenty more!
Haunted Christmas
The soft thud of following footsteps echoed behind him as he hurried through the snowflakes toward home. They kept pace with him, quickening when he …
Pickled!
Dr. William Kiel, a radical preacher who broke from the Methodist church, formed his own church and decided to emigrate with his followers to the Paci…
Sasquatch and the Bear
Take a look over at this gravel bar on our left. It's called Bony Point, and we saw something here the other day that I thought was kind of interesti…
McLoughlin’s Ghost
Dr. John McLoughlin came to the Pacific Northwest with the Hudson Bay Company and fell in love with the area. After losing his job (he was fired for g…
