Mysterious Celtic Mythology in American Folklore

by Bob Curran

Overview

The darkest fears and wildest dreams of people throughout history survive in legends, fairy tales, and bedtime stories. A respected Celtic expert, Bob Curran explores nineteen regional tales from all over the United States and traces their origins to the ancient mythology of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Celtic Europeans brought their folktales with them to America. Once they reached American soil, they adapted their stories, replacing details popular in the old country with those more relevant to the new world. Divided into chapters, these regionally distinct stories trace the beginnings of vampires, headless horsemen, witches, banshees, and other mythical creatures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589809178
Publisher:	Pelican Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/22/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	298
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Dr. Robert Curran is a prolific writer and expert on Celtic culture and folklore. He has penned more than 50 books in 11 languages on topics of mythology and history. Curran also teaches in Ireland and gives speeches 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, script writer, 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. He attended the New University of Ulster and the University of Ulster, earning his BA, MA and two Ph.D's in history and child psychology. When not busy writing and teaching, he enjoys reading, walking, watching English soccer, listening to music and eating good food. Curran lives with his wife and family in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

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