The research guide for regional folklore is intended to help users find resources related to popular folktales, myths, and legends in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Use the tabs to navigate between topics.
Giants, Monsters, and Dragons by
This illustrated encyclopaedia not only identifies and describes individual imaginary beasts in their cultural context, but also groups them together across cultures and discusses common mythological strands and conceits.
Creature Feature by
Sweeping readers from the legendary talons of the Big Bird to the harrowing wail of la Llorona, this collection retells some of the most memorable creepy tales of ghosts, ghouls and cucuys from deep South Texas, each featuring spine-tingling illustrations by a variety of regional artists
Border Lore Folktales and Legends of South Texas by
Award-winning translator and author David Bowles brings together twenty-five darkly memorable stories of the southern borderlands of Texas, retold in his unique voice. Ranging from the age-old folktales heard at his grandmother's knee to urban legends collected down the years, each of these narratives is brought to stunning visual life by artist Jose Melendez. An appendix classifies the pieces and enumerates motifs.
Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley by
Tradition meets tragedy in the chilling local lore of the Rio Grande Valley. Hidden in the dense brush and around oxbow lakes wait sinister secrets, unnerving vestiges of the past and wraiths of those claimed by the winding river. The spirit of a murdered student in Brownsville paces the locker room where she met her end. Tortured souls of patients lost in the Harlingen Insane Asylum refuse to be forgotten. Guests at the LaBorde Hotel in Rio Grande City report visions of the Red Lady, who was spurned by the soldier she loved and driven to suicide. Author David Bowles explores these and more of the most harrowing ghost stories from Fort Brown to Fort Ringgold and all the haunted hotels, chapels and ruins in between.
Dee Brown's Folktales of the Native American by
This comprehensive collection of Native American folklore draws on a unique oral tradition, illuminating for students the very roots of Native American culture. Gathered from numerous tribes--Seneca, Hopi, Navaho, Creek, Cheyenne, Cherokee, and Blackfoot--these thirty-six stories, passed down through generations, are narrated by Dee Brown as they might be told around a campfire today. Updated for the modern reader, these tales capture the true spirit and flavor of Native American Mythology. With a new preface written by the author especially for this edition and attractive line illustrations by Native American Louis Mofsie, this unique is essential reading for a new generation of students interested in Native American culture and history, mythology and folklore, and cultural history.
Stories That Must Not Die by
A collection of folktales intended to promote interest in bilingual-biculture literature and to preserve the colorful folklore of the South Texas for future generations.
Dictionary of Chicano Folklore by
Dictionary of Chicano Folklore charts the rich religious, social, artistic, and cultural heritage of Mexican Americans, who continue to evolve the customs and rituals connected to their Spanish and indigenous roots and the Spanish language.This illustrated volume brings together a wealth of lore, legend, historical information, and modern-day versions of traditional rituals. Information is presented in concise, clear A -- Z entries listed by their Spanish names with English translations. This dictionary is perfect for undergraduate students interested in Chicano culture and for ethnic studies scholars seeking bibliographical material. -- 228 entries defining historical and contemporary terms, customs, legends, and rituals -- 44 photos -- Extensive bibliography and index
American Indian Myth and Legends by
More than 160 tales from eighty tribal groups present a rich and lively panorama of the Native American mythic heritage. From across the continent comes tales of creation and love; heroes and war; animals, tricksters, and the end of the world.
Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore by
"Here there be dragons"--this notation was often made on ancient maps to indicate the edges of the known world and what lay beyond. Heroes who ventured there were only as great as the beasts they encountered. This encyclopedia contains more than 2,200 monsters of myth and folklore, who both made life difficult for humans and fought by their side. Entries describe the appearance, behavior, and cultural origin of mythic creatures well-known and obscure, collected from traditions around the world.
Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology by
Fairies have been revered and feared, sometimes simultaneously, throughout recorded history. This encyclopedia of concise entries, from the A-senee-ki-waku of northeastern North America to the Zips of Central America and Mexico, includes more than 2,500 individual beings and species of fairy and nature spirits from a wide range of mythologies and religions from all over the globe.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife by
There is no better way for students to learn about cultural diversity than to study the folklore and folkways of different ethnic groups. The work of over 200 expert contributors, this massive encyclopedia authoritatively and engagingly surveys folklife and traditions from around the world. Each of the four volumes covers the countries and cultural groups of a particular continent or geographical region, and the first volume also includes 39 topics and themes central to world folklore. Each of the more than 170 culture or country entries explores the background, belief system, oral and theatrical traditions, material culture, and contemporary concerns of a particular culture. Each concludes with an extended list of further readings. A generous selection of maps and illustrations makes this encyclopedia especially attractive to students and general readers. China . . . Malta . . . Madagascar . . . Wales . . . and Texas: these are among the many exotic, distant lands that capture our minds and imaginations. In an era of increasing globalization, students, general readers, and business professionals need to know about the world and its varied ways. So too, a knowledge of world cultures is fundamental to an understanding of America's ethnically rich society. Folklore isn't just about the long ago and far away. It's about the here and now, and there's no better way to learn about cultural diversity than to study the folklore and folkways of different ethnic groups. More than just Cinderella and other fairy tales, folklore encompasses the whole realm of traditional beliefs and activities that define a culture. The most comprehensive work of its kind, this massive encyclopedia engagingly and authoritatively surveys folklife and traditions from around the world. Through its vast scope and lengthy entries, it transcends other references on particular national or regional folklores and is the most ambitious undertaking of its type. Organized in four volumes, the encyclopedia provides convenient access to information about folklore generally and to the traditions of particular regions: Along with the expertise of the contributors, of Volume Editor William M. Clements, and of Advisory Editor Thomas A. Green, the encyclopedia draws upon a distinguished board of internationally recognized scholars, including: Roger D. Abrahams, Cristina Bacchilega, Gillian Bennett, Mary Ellen Brown, James R. Dow, Alessandro Falassi, Barbro Klein, Peter Knecht, Natalie Kononenko, Frances M. Malpezzi, Margaret Mills, M. D. Muthukumaraswamy, Gerald Pocius, and John S. Ryan. Because folklore is the essence of daily life, this encyclopedia addresses the curriculum needs of high school students and is also an indispensable resource for teachers. In addition, anyone researching folklore in a public library will find this the first place to look for detailed information about cultural traditions around the world.
Handbook of Native American Mythology by
Popular Hopi kachina dolls and awesome totem poles are but two of the aspects of the sophisticated, seldom-examined network of mythologies explored in this fascinating volume.This revealing work introduces readers to the mythologies of Native Americans from the United States to the Arctic Circle--a rich, complex, and diverse body of lore, which remains less widely known than mythologies of other peoples and places.In thematic chapters and encyclopedia-style entries, Handbook of Native American Mythology examines the characters and deities, rituals, sacred locations and objects, concepts, and stories that define and distinguish mythological cultures of various indigenous peoples. By tracing the traditions as far back as possible and following their evolution from generation to generation, Handbook of Native American Mythology offers a unique perspective on Native American history, culture, and values. It also shows how central these traditions are to contemporary Native American life, including the continuing struggle for land rights, economic parity, and repatriation of cultural property.
Folklore and Culture on the Texas-Mexican Border by
"Americo Paredes, in a distinguished career spanning the last forty years, has often set the pace and the standard in the two fields with which he is most strongly identified: folklore and Chicano studies. In folklore, he has been instrumental in establishing a new theoretical and methodological framework; in Chicano studies, he has exerted a seminal influence, inspiring an entire generation of scholars." "For this book, the noted folklorist Richard Bauman has selected eleven of Americo Paredes's most significant scholarly articles. The selected articles, first published during the years 1958-1987, faithfully reflect the depth and breadth of Paredes's scholarship, as well as the rigor and eloquence of his writing. They represent scholarly discourse at its best: at once erudite and clear, demanding yet accessible, rich in both substance and style." "Throughout his career, Paredes has centered his work on the folklore and culture of the Lower Rio Grande Border of South Texas and northeastern Mexico. His studies have always been contextualized, though, by a deep knowledge of Greater Mexico, and by the comparative scope of the folklorist. The essays collected here illustrate the transdisciplinary richness of Paredes's perspective - a synthesis of folkloric, anthropological, literary, and historical theory and method. They also demonstrate the revisionist power of his analysis, which challenges traditionalist conceptions and constructions of Texas-Mexican culture, the social base of folklore, and folklore genres." "Paredes is best known for his studies of the corrido, and several articles on this ballad form are included in the collection. Other essays focus variously on decimas, jokes, legends, and the "neighborly names" of ethnic slurs. More general subjects are also addressed, including the nature of the ethnographic encounter, machismo in the United States and Mexico, and the clash of cultures along the Lower Rio Grande Border. What emerges is perhaps the most well wrought and subtle portrait to date of the life and culture of the Mexican American people." "An introduction by Richard Bauman discusses the principal themes and focuses of Paredes's work, and his substantive, theoretical, and methodological contributions to scholarship. In addition, the volume includes a complete bibliography of Paredes's scholarly writings, compiled by Linda Adams."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
A Texas-Mexican Cancionero by
The folksongs of Texas's Mexican population pulsate with the lives of folk heroes, gringos, smugglers, generals, jailbirds, and beautiful women. In his cancionero, or songbook, Américo Paredes presents sixty-six of these songs in bilingual text--along with their music, notes on tempo and performance, and discography. Manuel Peña's new foreword situates these songs within the main currents of Mexican American music.
