Basic Information
Characters of American Folklore
These are the major characters of American Folklore. Some of these are actual people such as George Washington and the folklore about him and the cherry tree. Others are based closely on actual people, such as Mose the Fireboy who is a fictionalized or folkloric version of one of the gang leaders of the old Bowery Boys street gang from NYC. Yet others were "cut from whole-cloth" to tell the tale of the United States and the American Spirit without worrying about getting the details right. Lastly, there are a few cryptids and monsters on the list, a few of which have their origins in conspiracy theories or Native American mythology and religion.
- Abraham Lincoln
- Alfred Bulltop Stormalong
- Annie Oakley
- Area 51
- Benedict Arnold
- Benjamin Franklin and his kite
- Betsy Ross
- Bigfoot
- Billy the Kid
- Br'er Rabbit
- Buffalo Bill Cody
- Calamity Jane
- Captain Stormalong
- Cardiff Giant
- Mighty Casey at the Bat
- Casey Jones
- Champ (cryptozoology)
- Chessie (sea monster)
- Daniel Boone
- Davy Crockett
- Doc Holliday
- Dulce Base New Mexico USA
- Earp Brothers - Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan are the 3 famous ones, but they had 5 other siblings.
- Founding Fathers
- Frederick Douglass
- Gangs of Old New York
- George Washington cannot tell a lie
- Gowrow
- Harriet Tubman
- Headless Horseman
- Hodag
- Huckleberry Finn
- Jack (Hero) - Appears in several Appalachian tales that are basically English classics with the serial numbers filed off. King swapped out for a Sheriff, etc.
- Jackalope
- Jersey Devil
- Jigger Johnson
- John Brown
- John Hancock
- John Henry the steel-driving man
- Johnny Appleseed (based on the real-life John Chapman)
- Johnny Kaw
- Lady Liberty
- Lewis and Clark
- The Lone Ranger - this one isn't actually public domain just yet.
- Mike Fink
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown
- Molly Pitcher
- Mose the Fireboy
- Mothman
- Nain Rouge of Detroit
- Patrick Henry
- Paul Bunyan
- Paul Revere
- Pecos Bill
- Peter Francisco
- Pocahontas
- Sacagawea
- Sasquatch
- Snoligoster
- Snow Wasset
- Squanto
- Sybil Ludington - “the female Paul Revere”
- Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the White House Gunfighters
- Tom Sawyer
- Uncle Sam
- Wendigo
- White Lady (ghost)
- Wild Bill Hickock
Nearly everyone and everything on this list has been around long enough to enter the public domain.
Major Events of American Folklore
Roanoke Colony
Salem Witch Trials
American Revolution
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Slavery
Underground Railroad
American Civil War
The Old West
Battle of the Little Bighorn
Gunfight at the OK Corral
Transcontinental railroad
Pearl Harbor
UFO sightings and Alien Abduction
Roswell UFO Incident
See Also: List of Wars Involving the United States
Sources
Game and Story Use
- If your game is set in the Old West, or against the backdrop of the American Revolution, you could insert one or more of the above characters in as NPCs.
- A League Of Extraordinary Whatevers campaign could see the PCs as a rag-tag posse of any of the above.