ISBN: 9781576077184

From Paul Bunyan to Stagolee, from Queen Mab to the Tooth Fairy, every culture has created folk heroes. But as often as not, these heroes of the people accomplish their goals with methods… Mehr…

From Paul Bunyan to Stagolee, from Queen Mab to the Tooth Fairy, every culture has created folk heroes. But as often as not, these heroes of the people accomplish their goals with methods that are anything but heroiclike the American liar hero Davy Crockett, or Galloping Jones, the Australian drinker and bank robber. Then theres the Irishman Finn Mac Cumhal, whose heroism, like that of Rip Van Winkle, was based on oversleeping.In this new collection, readers will enjoy a wildly colorful parade of nearly 400 thieves, tricksters, simpletons, and dragon slayers from around the world. Despite appearances, these heroes perform a crucial social function: they allow us to question what is right and what is wrong, to challenge what is legal and what is illegal, to deal with who has power and who does not, and to manage the contradictions and conflicts inherent in all cultures.<

ISBN: 1576077187

A wide-ranging and detailed investigation of folk heroes, both fictional and historical, from the earliest times to the present, taken from societies throughout the world as they exist in… Mehr…

A wide-ranging and detailed investigation of folk heroes, both fictional and historical, from the earliest times to the present, taken from societies throughout the world as they exist in folktales, folksongs, customs, speech, and other folklore genres. Fiction Fiction eBook, ABC-CLIO<