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| This statute in Bangor, Maine is said to be the largest statue of Paul Bunyan in the world. |
I'll
be celebrating Darwin Day and Lincoln's birthday, but I will ALSO be
tipping my hat to Paul Bunyan, who was born on this date in 1834, in
Bangor, Maine.
Well,
except for the fact that he may have been born in one of several
towns in Michigan, on some other date. Or maybe in Minnesota. Or
Nebraska. Or Wisconsin.
All
five of these states lay claim to the giant lumberjack named Paul
Bunyan. The truth is, he's a fictional character—so he wasn't
actually born anywhere, at any time!
Paul
Bunyan is a character from folklore, someone that people told
exaggerated or funny stories about, orally and then in written form.
Some scholars have claimed that Bunyan is really a character in
fakelore—that is, someone people didn't tell stories about
until after he was famous as an advertising icon.
Here
is a story about his birth. It's definitely a “tall tale” –
everything is exaggerated to show that Bunyan was really, really
large.
Here
is the Disney version of Bunyan's life.
AmericanFolklore has some more stories about Paul Bunyan.
Here
are those same stories with pictures.
Also
on this date:
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