folklore figures

Myths' recurring personas

Folklore figures are the characters that populate traditional stories, myths, and legends—creatures like dragons and fairies, tricksters like Anansi and Coyote, heroes like Paul Bunyan and Robin Hood.

The term encompasses gods, monsters, spirits, and legendary humans passed down through oral tradition or regional storytelling.

The parade featured folklore figures from a dozen cultures.

Related
  • LokiNorse god of deception
  • AnansiWest African spider deity
  • MedusaStone-gazing mythic creature
  • ZeusGreek sky god
  • HerculesLegendary Greek strongman

Ganesha · Baba Yaga · La Llorona · Hermes · Odin · Bloody Mary · Headless Horseman · Quetzalcoatl · Reynard the Fox · King Arthur · St. George · Mulan · Gilgamesh · Grendel · John Henry · Pecos Bill · Rip Van Winkle · Br'er Rabbit

Categories
Opposites
ontological status

folklore figureshistorical figures

Significant people from the past

real people · contemporaries

epistemological grounding

folklore figuresscientific concepts

Ideas explaining natural phenomena

origin/source

folklore figuresfictional characters

Invented people in stories

Family

folk, lore, folks, folkish, folksy, folklore, folkloric, folklorist, figure

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G