2 years ago
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Here’s the happening that a batch of radical whitethorn not recognize astir the United States: it whitethorn beryllium recognized internationally arsenic a singular state and culture, but it’s truly much similar a clump of taste regions dressed up successful a trench overgarment and trying to walk itself disconnected arsenic 1 group, a la those kids who effort to sneak into a R-rated movies by lasting connected each other’s shoulders. It’s a elemental presumption to make, overmuch of the civilization featured oregon advertised from the United States is flattened to stereotypes, and astir of america can’t spend to question extracurricular the state truthful it’s not similar those overseas are getting a large illustration size of assorted Americans.
But there’s overmuch much than conscionable your modular Cali, New York, Western, Southern, oregon vaguely agrarian taste aspects to the United States. I mean, adjacent wrong states (if they’re large enough) determination are antithetic taste traditions. Take the authorities I unrecorded in, Georgia. I unrecorded successful North Georgia, conscionable extracurricular of the Appalachia portion there. And it’s precise antithetic from Atlanta, and Southern Georgia, and the coastal portion of the state. Sure, determination are similarities, but they’ve each had antithetic influences and syncretized with those influences, starring to capable deviations that it would beryllium hard to telephone them the aforesaid culture. And that’s not adjacent touching states similar Texas and California. Which means each of these regions person antithetic stories to tell. Those are the stories I’ve tried to cod here, oregon astatine slightest immoderate of them since there’s a lot. Like, a batch a lot.
Generalized United States Folklore
A Treasury of American Folklore: Stories, Ballads, and Traditions of the People Edited by B.A. Botkin
If you were looking for a compendium of American folklore to commencement you off, oregon to re-familiarize yourself with the taxable and diving deeper, this is the publication to prime up. It’s what I usage for my ain world folklore research. It does precisely arsenic it says connected the screen and collects assorted nursery rhymes, legends, gangly tales, and assorted different memetic stories wrong the overarching American civilization beyond stories you whitethorn person heard increasing up, similar Pecos Bill oregon Paul Bunyan. If you’re a folklore instrumentality similar me, it belongs connected your shelf.
Appalachian Folklore
Foxfire Story: Oral Tradition successful Southern Appalachia Edited by T. J. Smith
The Foxfire Fund has go ubiquitous with Appalachian folklore, and rightfully truthful since they’ve been moving connected collecting and preserving the oral traditions and civilization of Southern Appalachia since 1972. There are aggregate Foxfire books out, covering assorted topics, but this 1 is the 1 I urge starting with, arsenic it collects the manager T.J. Smith’s favourite stories, proverbs/sayings, songs, jokes, adjacent local’s anecdotes of Southern Appalachia. Story telling is simply a profoundly rooted contented of the portion and Foxfire does that contented justness by carrying it guardant to a larger audience.
The Jack Tales Collected and Retold by Richard Chase
I person nary uncertainty successful my caput that you person heard of astatine slightest 1 Jack tale, astir apt Jack and the Beanstalk. But determination are truthful galore more, and successful Appalachia, he’s their nonmigratory trickster, traveling with the Scottish and Irish immigrants to their caller home, getting into situations mostly of his ain instauration and past getting retired of them with a definite magnitude of luck (as good arsenic a dash of pluck and cleverness). If you’ve ever work the Fables graphic caller series, their Jack quality is based disconnected this quality archetype. And you tin work immoderate of the champion here, from Jack’s scrapes with giants, witches, and 1 of my idiosyncratic favorites, a sop doll.
Central Florida Folklore
Florida’s Ghostly Legends And Haunted Folklore: Volume One: South And Central Florida by Greg Jenkins
It whitethorn beryllium known arsenic the Sunshine State, but Florida inactive has its just stock of ghosts. The archetypal of 3 volumes, successful this postulation you’ll perceive astir the scarier broadside of Florida from Tampa to the Key West, including those centered astir Disneyland and the galore hurricanes that deed the country and the devastation that they cause. If, aft speechmaking this volume, you’re near wanting immoderate more, the 2nd measurement covers North Florida and St. Augustine, and the last measurement covers the Gulf Coast and Pensacola.
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Deep South Folklore
Spooky South: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore Retold by S.E. Schlosser
Do you cognize however Jack o’ Lanterns came to be? Or possibly ways to outsmart Ol’ Scratch? This publication is the spot to work astir them, and truthful galore much lesser-known folklore stories alongside communal ones similar the Wampus Cat oregon the Bell Witch, each collected by the aforesaid pistillate who runs the website AmericanFolklore.net. As a bully touch, the stories are written successful a mode that is reminiscent of aged Southern storytellers, truthful adjacent if you’re speechmaking them by yourself, you inactive get the feeling of sitting astir a campfire oregon astatine a grandparent’s genu arsenic they recount these aged tales.
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissack
If you’re looking for immoderate scarier folklore stories, this is your book. It tells stories based astir the folklore of the Southern Black assemblage up to the 20th century. As such, these stories are a spot connected the heavier side, since galore of these are acceptable during slavery and the civilian rights era, similar the communicative of a Black pistillate who was denied a thrust by a achromatic autobus operator and comes backmost to haunt him with her ghost, oregon the shade of a lynching unfortunate coming backmost to instrumentality his revenge. There are inactive blessed endings, though. Stories wherever the protagonist triumphs and goes location safe. The publication is technically aimed towards mediate people readers, but genuinely anyone would bask picking up this publication and speechmaking it. Just possibly with the lights on.
Louisiana Folklore
Cajun and Creole Folktales: The French Oral Tradition of South Louisiana by Barry Jean Ancelet
This publication could beryllium considered a spot of a monster erstwhile it comes to the folklore retelling world, astatine 300 pages, but it has bully crushed to be. Each communicative has annotations and is told successful some the archetypal Cajun French and English. On apical of that, immoderate biographies of the amended known storytellers are included, making this publication 1 of the champion ways to get a adjacent implicit representation of what Cajun folklore and oral contented is like, arsenic good arsenic the syncretism that occurred betwixt French and African civilization wrong Southern Louisiana, and particularly successful the Big Easy.
Louisiana Legends and Lore by Alan Brown
If you’re looking for a much generalized postulation of stories from Louisiana, this is it. You tin work astir Marie Laveau, the terrifying and murderous Axeman, the Loup Garou, and the assorted outlaws who person passed done the region. It’s a abbreviated small read, astatine lone 160 pages, but inactive chock-full of past and the lore that goes with it, adjacent the stories that similar to fell successful the darker corners. It was conscionable published successful 2021, truthful you tin work immoderate of the newer arrived stories arsenic good for a genuinely implicit representation of Louisiana culture.
Midwestern Folklore
Haunted Heartland by Beth Scott and Michael Norman
There are a batch of ghosts successful the Midwest, and this publication has 150 of their existent stories. At least, arsenic existent arsenic a shade communicative tin be, adjacent with a sprinkling of section past interspersed successful each tale. The publication is breached down into 10 chapters, with each section covering a antithetic authorities successful the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. They’re beauteous scary stories arsenic well, making them cleanable to work astir a campfire, and cleanable for speechmaking successful tiny snippets to support you from getting too scared. There’re fewer things scarier than a cornfield astatine night, and if there’s thing the Midwest has a batch of, it’s cornfields.
Folktales and Legends of the Middle West by Edward McClelland
If gangly tales and larger than beingness heroes are your thing, past this postulation of Midwest lore is the publication you request to prime up. You’ll work astir lumberjack Paul Bunyan (who was much than conscionable larger than life), steelworker Joe Magerac, oarsman Mike Fink, adjacent Rosie the Riveter. More than conscionable that, you tin work astir the oversea shanties of the large lakes and the spirituals sung successful the country arsenic enslaved radical traveled the Underground Railroad for a accidental of freedom. And who tin hide the monster of Lake Erie and the Hodag of Wisconsin?
New England Folklore
Lore, Legends, and Secrets of New England by Arlene Nicholson and Thomas D’Agostino
New England is afloat of history, adjacent if 1 starts with colonization. And with that past comes folklore. This publication takes those 2 subjects and tells them some broadside by side, telling the section legends and past giving reasons arsenic to wherefore those stories whitethorn person travel astir oregon dispelling the myths that situation places similar Devil’s Foot Rock successful Rhode Island, oregon different locations that whitethorn beryllium successful your backyard if you unrecorded successful the area.
The Children of the Morning Light: Wampanoag Tales by Medicine Story
The Wampanoag radical are from the country we telephone Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and are the radical the Tisquantum (or Squanto) came from and who archetypal interacted with the Puritan colonists erstwhile they landed astatine Plymouth Rock. These are their stories, collected and written down overmuch successful the mode they would person been spoken aloud, truthful you inactive get the bushed and beingness that would beryllium recovered successful 1 successful the stories arsenic if determination was a storyteller determination telling them to you, from their instauration myths to the stories astir death.
Ozarks Folklore
Ozark Magic and Folklore by Vance Randolph
There is thing astir mountains that inspires a definite benignant of people tradition, and the Ozarks are nary different. Granted, there’s immoderate overlap with Appalachia, owed to plentifulness of radical from Appalachia moving to this Midwest upland range. But you isolate communities agelong enough, adjacent successful thing similar a upland range, and deviations are bound to occur. While this publication was published successful 1947, making immoderate of the wording and ideas a small off, it is inactive 1 of the astir broad collections of Ozark people traditions, moving beyond conscionable the stories they archer to the assorted people magic practices they have, adjacent quality treatments and fortunate charms. Honestly, this publication is practically an ethnography, arsenic opposed to conscionable a communicative collection.
The West Folklore
Montana Myths and Legends: The True Stories down History’s Mysteries (Legends of the West) by Ed Lawrence
History and folklore is masterfully blended successful this book, with humanities myths laid retired and refuted clearly. More than conscionable that, it goes into the assorted oversea carnal sightings Montana’s lakes person had, the galore unidentified flying objects that person flown implicit the state, and your modular hauntings that travel with immoderate spot being occupied for much than 100 years. This publication is simply a large mode to work astir the state’s past and person amusive successful the process. You larn successful the champion mode possible: without adjacent realizing it.
The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf
Beverly Hungry Wolf spent the precocious 19th and aboriginal 20th period traveling astir the Blackfoot Nation and collecting oral histories from her matrilineal ancestors. Yes, it contains stories that person been passed down from parent to parent astir beingness and decease and each that falls successful between, but it besides tells of traditions. You’ll beryllium capable to work astir Blackfoot recipes, however to tan and sew, histories surrounding warfare and disease, and truthful overmuch more. It genuinely is simply a worthwhile read.
Southwest Folklore
Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest by Jose Griego y Maestas and Rudolfo A. Anaya
Stretching backmost to erstwhile the Spanish archetypal started settling successful the area, this publication collects 23 tales. More than conscionable Spanish stories, they amusement a blending of Indigenous beliefs with the stories that were carried successful the minds of the caller visitors to the land. As an added bonus, the stories are told initially successful their archetypal Spanish and are followed up by English translations, making it a useful instrumentality for brushing disconnected immoderate Spanish skills you person oregon arsenic a supplement for connection apps similar Duolingo.
African American Folklore
Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston
Yes, that Zora Neale Hurston. If you’ve missed the pieces I’ve written on her, past you whitethorn not beryllium alert that she was an anthropologist who focused connected Black civilization and folklore. This is 1 of the archetypal books she wrote connected the subject. In it, she chronicles her travel to her hometown and records the assorted sermons and songs, oral histories and stories told successful the community, immoderate of them dating backmost to the clip of slavery, reminding her of her puerility and preserving the contented for others to read. Zora adjacent studied nether immoderate hoodoo doctors arsenic well, and documented assorted rituals and spells taught to her. It’s a gorgeous blend of folklore and traditions with a idiosyncratic communicative of returning to one’s roots.
From My People: 400 Years of African American Folklore Edited by Dr. Daryl Cumber Dance
This is perchance 1 of the largest collections of Black folklore retired there, clocking successful astatine astir 800 pages of oral tradition. It is hard to explicit conscionable however important oral contented was to the Black American community, particularly considering that for overmuch of their past connected American soil, it was forbidden to thatch them however to work and write, truthful immoderate taste cognition had to beryllium passed down done stories and artwork. And each of that is collected here, from recipes to people songs to sermons, there’s adjacent the people creation created and the lit styles that arose via authors similar Paul Dunbar and Sojourner Truth.
Southeast Alaska Folklore
Spirits of Southeast Alaska: The History & Hauntings of Alaska’s Panhandle by James P. Devereaux
One of the champion uses of folklore is to thatch not conscionable the traditions of the culture, but the past of the onshore the civilization inhabits. Like galore of the different books connected this list, Spirits of Southeast Alaska does this masterfully, utilizing conscionable the shade stories of the region. I’ve spoken to James myself astir the publication and tin corroborate that helium chose the champion shade stories there, vetting each 1 personally and making definite that the communicative was verifiable successful immoderate way, making this publication 1 you won’t regret picking up to read.
California Folklore
Heroes, Villains, and Ghosts: Folklore of Old California by Hector Lee
California is simply a taste melting cookware wrong the larger melting cookware of the United States, and this publication proves it. It’s precise Old West themed, telling legends of the celebrated radical who utilized to unrecorded there, some truthful and rumored, with folktales similar La Llorona and Bigfoot. It’s a abbreviated read, with the leafage number coming successful nether conscionable 190 pages. Luckily, the spookiest stories it has are not that spooky, truthful this is cleanable for a speedy work erstwhile waiting for the autobus oregon immoderate different accidental you person to termination clip and larn immoderate taste history.
Chicano Folklore by Rafaela G. Castro
If you’ve ever had involvement successful Mexican American oregon Chicano culture, this is the publication to prime up. Really much of a dictionary than conscionable a postulation of books, it reaches truthful acold backmost it covers the folklore and past of the portion earlier it was adjacent portion of the United States. You’ll work astir mythical figures successful the region, people recipes for hangover cures, euphony that sprung from the area, adjacent covering that started from wrong the civilization earlier becoming mainstream. It’s 1 of the astir broad books connected the chicano civilization I’ve seen successful my idiosyncratic studies.
Of course, this doesn’t screen each of the taste regions oregon Indigenous tribes of the United States, arsenic that database would beryllium hundreds of books agelong — and that’s assuming there’s been a publication written for each taste group. Most of the clip it conscionable gets breached down by state, which tin origin a just spot of overlap betwixt books. Hopefully, though, this is simply a bully spot for you to commencement connected you American folklore journey, oregon you travel crossed immoderate stories you haven’t heard of yet. If you’re funny astir immoderate of the folklore communicative types mentioned successful these books, I urge you cheque retired my primer connected fairytales, legends, and myths. Otherwise, if you conscionable person a folklore itch that volition not beryllium satisfied, you tin ever peruse our folklore tag and spot if thing determination suits your fancy.
English (US) ·