Welcome to Folklore and Mythology Part 2: The American Tall Tales

As I said in the introduction to this series, folklore and mythology are often a reflection of a society's values and fears. America is a rich melting pot of cultures. We're a big country with a ton of different people of all sorts of backgrounds.

Legend has it if you walk across the Crim Dell Bridge alone you're doomed to stay single forever, but if you kiss your significant other at the top of the bridge, you'll love each other forever.

I've heard around the Internet (and possibly a few classes back in College) that America's modern mythology lies within the comic industry. I think I agree with that idea. Our superheroes and villains can easily be equated to the demigods of Greek and Roman mythology. We don't worship them as deities, but we do portray them as upholding or reflecting our society, much like how Hercules and Achilles.

But before our popular culture was flooded with super geniuses, super strong aliens, multi billionaires with too much time on their hands, and mutants, the United State had tons of local legends that spread like wildfire.

Many of them are still taught to our children today as stories and songs. Most kids who grow up in the US know a little bit about Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, and Paul Bunyan. A few might have read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow or seen the Disney movie (or even the Johnny Depp movie). And nearly everyone has heard the story about George Washington chopping down a Cherry Tree (regardless of how true it is).

The heroes of these stories aren't royalty. There's very little magic in them and if there is, it's more of a hyperbole or magical realism than actual magic. One of the overarching themes of these stories are that the heroes are strong, hard workers who are dedicated to serving their communities. Johnny Appleseed is helping to plant apple trees. John Henry helped build the American rail system and raced a steam powered machine that was trying to replace his job. Paul Bunyan along with Babe and Blue Ox were well known for their super human strength as a lumberjack.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox!

Then there are the creepier tales that have snuck into the American mythos. Everyone has heard a story about Big Foot and UFO encounters around Area 51. The Jersey Devil is a famous legend that most people have heard about, even outside of New Jersey. These stories fuel our curious nature and give us a glimpse into the darker side of our society.

Big Foot sightings continue because there are some parts of the US that are still largely unexplored. Anything regarding government secrets is going to draw curious onlookers. While the story of the Jersey Devil features a creepy curse and the dark superstitions of a deeply religious society (most accounts of the story set it somewhere during the colonial period).

Don't forget that the United States is a huge country and there are a lot of regional legends and folklore (especially of the ghost variety). I could tell dozens of stories about my home state of Virginia. The town of Williamsburg has many ghost stories as well as a few urban legends that don't seem to want to fade with time.

But if you were to ask someone from outside of Northern Virginia about The Bunny Man Bridge, they might give you a funny look. I know I would have been very confused as a young kid if I'd been asked if I had ever seen a Melon Head (no I'm not making this up - here's the wiki page to prove it) or what the Mothman was.

If there was one aspect of American folklore and mythology I wish I knew more about it would be the Native American stories. I've been able to read a few stories and go to the National Museum of the American Indian, but I'd love to learn more.

I'd like to end this post with one of my favorite stories from my home city of Washington D.C. There's a huge mural in the National Air and Space museum (not the one in Virginia) in the World War 2 Air Force exhibit. The story goes that the gentleman who painted this mural insisted on having a beer everyday with his lunch, but the museum wouldn't allow the consumption of alcohol on the grounds. Much to his annoyance, this gentleman would leave to have his lunch outside of the museum everyday. It annoyed him so much in fact that he painted a can of beer into the mural as part of his signature.

I don't know how true the above story is. I do know that my dad once overheard a tour guide tell the story and there's definitely a can (though it's hard to tell if it's beer or not) in one of the guy's hands in the mural. It's a fun tale to tell when taking people to that museum and it usually gets a laugh out of anyone who overhears us tell the story, especially when they find the can.

What this does tell us is that Washington DC loves it's rules, but some people are really good at circumventing undermining them. It's also just a funny story.

I know I didn't cover nearly everything that I could have in this post. There are tons of tall tales I could have written about. Heck, I didn't even touch on the stories that have popped up like rabbits in heat that have come about because of the Internet (*cough slender-man *cough creepypastas *cough).

Let me know what some of your favorite American myths, legends, and folklore are in the comments.

Until next week!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.