USFolktales.com

Stories from the Heart of America

USFolktales.com

Ayomide Adekilekun

Parchment-style artwork of Coyote stealing fire from the mountain sisters, Native American folktale

How Coyote Brought Fire to the People: American Folktale

by Ayomide Adekilekun

October 20, 2025

American Myths·Native American Nature & Animal Myths

In the ancient lands of the Pacific Northwest, when the world was still young and the nights were bitterly cold, the people suffered without fire. They shivered under the stars, unable to cook their food or keep the darkness at bay. Fire existed, yes, but it belonged only to three powerful sisters who lived high upon a mountain, where smoke

Parchment-style artwork of the Sun and Moon facing each other in the sky, Cherokee folktale scene.

American Myths·Native American Sun, Moon & Star Myths

The Sun and the Moon Are Man and Wife: Cherokee Folktale (United States)

In the ancient days, before the world found its rhythm of day and night, the Sun and the Moon lived together on earth as husband and wife. They shared one lodge under the vast sky, their home surrounded by whispering trees and flowing rivers of silver light. The folktale of

Parchment-style artwork of Raven releasing the Sun and Moon into the sky, Haida folktale scene.

The Theft of the Sun and the Moon

In the time before time, when the earth was still covered in

Parchment-style artwork of white crow flying with burning coal, Cherokee folktale of courage and fire.

Why the Crow Is Black: Cherokee Folktale

In the time before memory, when the earth was still young and

Parchment-style artwork of Granny Tucker’s cat sensing a storm in an Ozark mountain folktale.

The Cat and the Coming Storm

October 22, 2025

American Traditions & Beliefs·American Weather Lore

In the misty Ozark Mountains, where the forests stretch deep and the hills roll like green waves, the people have always watched the sky. They listened to the wind, studied the clouds, and, above all, watched their cats. Old-timers believed that animals, closer to the pulse of nature than any

Parchment-style art of a Cherokee chief kneeling by a dry river as frogs and rain clouds return.

When the Frogs Stopped Singing: Cherokee Folktale

October 22, 2025

American Traditions & Beliefs·American Weather Lore

In the days when nature spoke with living voices, when the rivers carried songs and the clouds answered prayers, the Cherokee people lived in deep harmony with the earth. The rhythm of the world was alive around them, in the hum of cicadas, the whisper of pines, and most especially,

Parchment-style art of a New England farmer watching a red sunrise as his son sails out to sea.

Red Sky and the Farmer’s Promise: American Folktale

October 22, 2025

American Traditions & Beliefs·American Weather Lore

In the early days of New England’s colonial life, when farms nestled close to the sea and the horizon was both a friend and a warning, people lived by the rhythms of nature. Every breeze, cloud, and colour in the sky carried meaning. The settlers depended on the land and

Parchment-style art of Lakota warrior calling to Thunder Beings amid lightning and rain, Native American folktale.

Thunder Beings and the Rain of Renewal: Lakota Sioux Folktale

October 21, 2025

American Traditions & Beliefs·American Weather Lore

In the vast grasslands of the Northern Plains, where the winds whisper across endless fields and the sky stretches like an ocean of blue, the Lakota Sioux people carried an ancient understanding of thunder. To them, it was not simply a sound, it was a spirit, alive and powerful, the

Parchment-style art of Aunt Liza rubbing her palm on a wooden doorpost, Southern American folktale scene.

The Itchy Palm and the Coming Fortune: Southern American Folktale

October 21, 2025

American Superstitions·American Traditions & Beliefs

In the humid heart of the Southern United States, whispers of fortune carried through old wooden porches and kitchen gossip. Among the many sayings of the South, none was repeated more often than the one about the itchy palm, a superstition that promised the coming or going of money. Old Aunt

Parchment-style artwork of an empty rocking chair moving beside a fire, Midwestern American folktale.

The Rocking Chair That Rocked Itself: Midwestern American Folktale

October 21, 2025

American Superstitions·American Traditions & Beliefs

The chair stood by the hearth in nearly every old farmhouse across rural Ohio. Its creaking wooden frame had been smoothed by generations of hands and warmed by countless fires. To most families, it was simply a place to rest after a long day. But to those who still listened

Parchment-style illustration of Tom McRae hearing a ghostly echo in the Appalachian woods, American folktale.

Whistle: The Appalachian Folktale of Midnight Echoes

October 21, 2025

American Superstitions·American Traditions & Beliefs

The whistle was once thought harmless, a tune to pass the time, a habit for lonely travelers crossing the shadowed trails of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But in the quiet villages scattered along the Tennessee, North Carolina border, folks whispered of a warning older than memory itself: “Never whistle after

Parchment-style artwork of Prudence before an aging mirror, New England folktale scene.

The Mirror that Stole Youth: New England Folktale

October 21, 2025

American Superstitions·American Traditions & Beliefs

In the quiet corners of New England, where fog often drifts low over the hills and winter nights seem endless, there lived a woman named Prudence Hale. She was known throughout the Massachusetts village for her modest beauty and calm, measured ways. Prudence had inherited her grandmother’s mirror, a tall,

Parchment-style artwork of a groundhog emerging under winter sun, Pennsylvania Dutch folktale scene.

The Groundhog’s Shadow: Pennsylvania Folktale

October 21, 2025

American Seasonal Traditions·American Traditions & Beliefs

In the rolling hills and farmlands of Pennsylvania, where the winters were long and cold, the early German settlers brought with them old folklore from their homeland. They believed that animals could sense the rhythms of nature far better than humans and that one small creature, the hedgehog, could predict

Parchment-style artwork of Selu, the Corn Mother, blessing a cornfield, Cherokee folktale scene.

The Corn Mother’s Gift: Cherokee Folktale

October 21, 2025

American Seasonal Traditions·American Traditions & Beliefs

Long ago, before the world knew the sweetness of corn, the Cherokee people lived on roots, nuts, and wild berries. They wandered the forests and river valleys of the Southeastern lands, their days filled with hunger and hope. Food was scarce, and the people prayed for a blessing from the