Mysterious Celtic Mythology in American Folklore

by Bob Curran, James Cantrell

Overview

Many American legends have Celtic origins. Each chapter in this fascinating book presents a Celtic myth and a similar American one. Celtic immigrants brought these legends to all regions of the U.S. Old-world mythology morphs into New World folklore. Curran recounts America's oldest legends and traces their origins to the Celtic mythology of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, presenting a similar old-world tale alongside each American version. Once transported to America, the original Celtic tales evolved to assimilate the new population's geographic, social, and religious customs, weaving their way into the fabric of American folk history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589807433
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/29/2010
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Bob Curran is a prolific writer and expert on Celtic culture and folklore and has penned more than fifty books in eleven languages. He teaches in Ireland and lectures throughout Northern Europe and the United States on folklore and education. Born in Northern Ireland, he held a series of odd jobs in the United Kingdom and the Americas before returning to his native land, including gravedigger, journalist, scriptwriter, mortuary attendant, and radio programmer. Curran has also worked on underground publications, including Oz, a counterculture magazine in London, and as an educational and cultural adviser for the government of Ireland.


James P. Cantrell studied Gaelic and Cymric languages and Irish literature for his M.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later earned his Ph.D. in American literature with an emphasis on Southern literature from the University of Arkansas.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Part 1 Lost and Fabulous Kingdoms

Alabama: The Legend of Prince Madoc 13

California: J.C. Brown and the Lost World 27

The Great Lakes: The Land of the Lost 43

Wyoming: The Treasure of a Forgotten Land 59

Part 2 Mysterious and Sacred Places

Connecticut: The Place of Noises 75

Kansas: The Gateway to Hell 87

New Hampshire: The Willey House 101

North Carolina: The Devil's Tramping Ground 115

Part 3 Witches, Wizards, and Uncanny People

Maryland: The Evil of Patty Cannon 127

Massachusetts: The Quaker Seeress 139

South Carolina: The Amazing Dr. Buzzard 153

Tennessee: The Roan Mountain Shapeshifters 169

Part 4 Ghosts, Spirits, and the Unquiet Dead

Ohio: The Daylight Wraith 187

Rhode Island: Sarah Tillinghast 199

Virginia: Bouncing Bertha 221

South Carolina: The Tidewater Country Gray Man 233

Part 5 Devil Creatures

Kentucky: The Thing on the Road 249

Missouri: The Black Booger Dog 261

Tennessee: The Woman in Black 273

Bibliography 287

Index 289