“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.
New Folklore Stories
Why Crow’s Feathers are Black
Long ago, when crows were white, a crow and an owl sat on a log, talking together. The crow said he…
Why Sis Pig Can See the Wind
Did you hear how come that old Sis Pig can see the wind? You never heard that? Well, maybe you have …
A Cave of Skulls
Near the upper Hiawassee is a cave where a pile of human skulls was found by a man who had put up hi…
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
A Cave of Skulls
Near the upper Hiawassee is a cave where a pile of human skulls was found by a man who had put up hi…
Don’t You Fish on Sunday
Jonah was a big strong man who worked as a carpenter. Most everyone in town liked him, but they…
I’m Coming Down Now!
There was an abandoned house sitting in the middle of a fancy neighborhood in Calgary that nobody wo…
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
Boo Hag
You know how they say some folks are lucky at cards and some are lucky at love? Well, that fit Bobby…
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…
Paul Bunyan and the Mosquitoes
Have you ever encountered the Mosquito of the North Country? You thought they were pretty well-devel…
Dueling Fiddlers
There was once a man named Joost who was plodding home on Saturday night, his fiddle under his arm. …
No Room
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, on the night before Christmas, a little child was wandering…
St. Nicholas and the Children
Two little children lived with their old grandmother in a remote place in the Canadian forest. They …
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…
Paul Bunyan and the Mosquitoes
Have you ever encountered the Mosquito of the North Country? You thought they were pretty well-developed animals with keen appetites, didn't you? Then…
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 …
Madrone Monkeys
Something people often ask about, and you might be curious also, are the trees you see along the river with the kind of yellowish orange trunk, skin-l…
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…
