“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.
Around the Campfire
Axe Murder Hollow
Susan and Ned were driving through a wooded empty section of highway. Lightning flashed, thunder roa…
Vengeance
When the samurai warrior Kane first came to California from Tokyo, be brought his new wife, the beau…
The Cursing of Colonel Buck
Now Colonel Buck was not what you'd call the most virtuous man in town. No sir! He had an eye for th…
No Trespassing
Peggy and her boyfriend Tommy were driving down a lonely stretch of highway at dusk when a thunderst…
White Wolf
She snapped awake out of a deep sleep, screaming aloud in terror. In her nightmare, a large white wo…
The Black Veil
In 1770 the Reverend Joseph Moody died at York, Maine, where he had long held the pastorate of a chu…
Spooky Campfire Tales (Vol. 2)
Skip the basic ghost stories. It’s time for the ones they whisper about.
More Spooky Campfire Tales delivers 29 entirely new, standalone urban legends that require zero prior reading. Packed with viral monsters and classic sleepover lore, it is the ultimate companion for backyard fire pits, family road trips, or rainy cabin nights.
Dare your friends to sit through these chilling highlights:
The Mothman: The red-eyed sightings of America’s most famous winged cryptid.
Clown Mannequin: The definitive retelling of the terrifying modern urban legend the babysitter and the clown.
The Bloody Mary Ritual: The folklore history behind the infamous mirror game.
Try the Gingerbread: Have dinner with a ghost. (A true story from Gettysburg.)
The Seventh Window: A heart-pounding horror story of a marriage gone very wrong.
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
The Dead Ship of Harpswell
At times the fisher-folk of Maine are startled to see the form of a ship, with gaunt timbers showing…
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…
The Black Veil
In 1770 the Reverend Joseph Moody died at York, Maine, where he had long held the pastorate of a chu…
Eavesdropper
There is an old tale which claims that at midnight, on Christmas Eve, the cattle will kneel in the b…
Der Belznickel
My sisters and my baby brother danced about the house, whispering to each other excitedly about the …
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?
Spooky Montana
Pull up a chair or gather ’round the campfire and get ready for creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past! Montana folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S.E. Schlosser and through artist Paul G. Hoffman’s evocative illustrations. General Custer and the spirits of Native Americans still roam the battlefield at the Little Bighorn. Every night at six, a ghost carrying a candle walks through a hallway in Red Lodge, Montana. And hikers along the Yellowstone River may meet the ghost of Calamity Jane. All this and much more! The stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.
Pray for your Soul
He was a jolly, round little man with a cherry red face and a button for a nose. He sat every day in…
Bleeding Sink
I found it extremely annoying that one of the bathrooms on my dorm was permanently closed. Especial…
Wild Goose Island
In the middle of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park is a small island halfway between two shores…
Famous Folktales
No Trespassing
Peggy and her boyfriend Tommy were driving down a lonely stretch of highway at dusk when a thunderst…
The Dead Ship of Harpswell
At times the fisher-folk of Maine are startled to see the form of a ship, with gaunt timbers showing…
A Gift from Saint Nicholas
Claas Schlaschenschlinger was a wealthy cobbler living on New Street in New Amsterdam. He was a cont…
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…
Gollywhopper’s Eggs
Well now, when old Johnson came to town, I knew there'd be trouble. That Yankee Peddler was a scound…
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…
Brother Fox Goes Hunting
Well, it was a crisp autumn day, don't ya know, and Brother Fox, he decided he wanted to go hunting. He'd made his peace with Brother Rabbit a few mo…
Shooting the Moon
Long ages ago, when the first people roamed the land, a little yellow moon floated across the sky in the wake of the bigger one that is still shining.…
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!
Axe Murder Hollow
Susan and Ned were driving through a wooded empty section of highway. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, the sky went dark in the torrential downpour.…
Vengeance
When the samurai warrior Kane first came to California from Tokyo, be brought his new wife, the beautiful Ishi. She was an ideal wife: gentle, attent…
The Cursing of Colonel Buck
Now Colonel Buck was not what you'd call the most virtuous man in town. No sir! He had an eye for the ladies, did Colonel Buck, and he would chase the…
No Trespassing
Peggy and her boyfriend Tommy were driving down a lonely stretch of highway at dusk when a thunderstorm came crashing down on them. Tommy slowed the c…
