forest spirits

A hoodoo witch in the forest with herbs and roots, standing silently as if observing travelers

The Witch Who Lived in the Woods

by Elizabeth Fabowale

January 9, 2026

African American Folktales·American Folktales

Deep within the dense forests of the American South, where sunlight barely reached the forest floor, there lived a woman known to locals simply as the Witch. Few had seen her face, and those who did spoke in hushed tones about her piercing eyes that seemed to look into the soul. She was feared not because she sought to harm,

Porcupine receiving protective quills from forest spirits while defending rabbits in an Ojibwe folktale

American Folktales·Native American Folktales

The Porcupine Who Brought the First Quills

Deep within the great northern forests where tall pine trees whisper in the wind and rivers flow quietly between moss-covered stones, the animals once lived in a time before the porcupine carried quills. In those days, the porcupine was a gentle and timid creature with soft fur and a slow,

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

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

Parchment-style illustration of Rip Van Winkle waking on a Catskill Mountains slope, American folktale.

Rip Van Winkle, The Man Who Slept for Twenty Years: American Folktale of Time and Change

At the foot of the misty Catskill Mountains in colonial New York, there once lived a good-natured man named Rip Van Winkle.

Parchment-style illustration of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in snowy woods, American folktale.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: An American Folktale that Teaches Lessons on Strength, Teamwork, and the Power of Legend

Long ago, in the rugged northern forests of America, where towering pines whispered to the wind and the snow stretched farther than

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