Encyclopedia of Folk Heroes

This encyclopedia provides a representative selection of legendary and historical folk heroes and heroines from many of the world’s extensive folklores. Almost every society has its folk heroes, and this volume provides an overview of these figures as they exist in folktales, folksongs, customs, speech and other folklore genres from the earliest times to the present. The book reveals the relationships between various hero types, the meaning of heroes for the cultures that produce them, the processes through which folk heroes originate and proliferate, the relationship between historic and fictional heroes, and the continuing need for folk heroes in the modern world. Entries on individual heroes include: Alexander the Great, Jesse James, Cinderella, St George, Tom Thumb, Robin Hood, Coyote, Momotaro and Ned Kelly.

Author Biography

Graham Seal teaches at Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia.