List of folk heroes

This is a list of folk heroes, a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; and with modern trope status in literature, art and films.

Historically documented

Antiquity (up to 450 AD)

Middle Ages (450–1500)

Early modern period (1500–1800)

Modern period (1800–present)

Possibly apocryphal

Fictional

  • Pecos Bill – United States, giant cowboy who "tamed the Wild West".
  • Paul Bunyan – United States and Canada, giant lumberjack of the North Woods.
  • Chen Zhen – China, martial artist who fought against Japanese aggression in pre-World War II China.
  • Febold Feboldson – United States, farmer who could fight a drought.
  • Martín Fierro – Argentina, hero of the eponymous poem by Jose Hernandez.
  • Koba – Georgia, folk hero whose legend bears a resemblance to Robin Hood.
  • Joe Magarac – United States, steelworker made of steel.
  • Kintarō – Japan, legendary figure often depicted as a very young boy with superhuman strength.
  • Momotarō – Japan, legendary figure from the Edo period who defeated a band of ogres.
  • Baron Münchausen – Germany, "Baron of lies", rode cannonball and went to the moon.
  • Juan Bobo – Puerto Rico, trickster folk hero.
  • Alfred Bulltop Stormalong – United States, immense sailor whose ship was so big it scraped the moon.
  • Väinämöinen – Finland, described as an old and wise man with potent magical powers.
  • ZorroSpanish California/Mexico-United States, a masked vigilante.

This page was last updated at 2023-11-24 10:50 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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