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 …

Retellings of American folktales and legends, Native American myths, weather folklore, ghost stories and more from each of the 50 United States of America. Great for school children and teachers.

Blue Hen’s Chicks A Delaware man went to war during the American Revolution. For entertainment, he brought with him two fighting cocks. When asked about these chickens, the soldier said slyly: "They …

Old Chestnuts and Dad Jokes In folklore, "chestnuts" are old jokes that everyone seems to know.

We’ve also included a couple of ghost stories from the African-American tradition for folks to read during Kwanzaa! Christmas Stories Haunted ChristmasThe soft thud of following footsteps echoed behind …

My sisters and my baby brother danced about the house, whispering to each other excitedly about the coming of der Belznickel on that snowy December 5th evening, the day before the Feast of Saint …

Claas Schlaschenschlinger was a wealthy cobbler living on New Street in New Amsterdam. He was a contented bachelor who could afford eight – eight mind you! – pairs of breeches and he had a little …

She was worn and ill with a fever brought on by exposure incurred that very day in a secret journey to the American camp, made to warn her lover of another attempt on the life of General George …

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 …

The purpose of myths is to account for the origins of something, explain aspects of the natural world or delineate the psychology, customs, or ideals of society. In many myths, the main characters are gods …