Misplaced Pages

#212787

88-536: Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore . His tall tales revolve around his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox , his pet and working animal. The character originated in the oral tradition of North American loggers, and was later popularized by freelance writer William B. Laughead (1882–1958) in a 1916 promotional pamphlet for

176-443: A channel, until they reached the village of Akkrum , where they had an argument and each went his own way, thus splitting the channel into two separate waterways. Others threw up hills, or became hills themselves when they died on the spot. In several legends, giants were evil beings that threatened, robbed and killed travellers or locals; such as Ellert and Brammert , in the province of Drenthe . Medieval chivalry romances such as

264-667: A conflict with the Olympian gods called the Gigantomachy (Γιγαντομαχία) when Gaia had them attack Mount Olympus . This battle was eventually settled when the hero Heracles decided to help the Olympians. The Greeks believed some of them, like Enceladus , to lie buried from that time under the earth and that their tormented quivers resulted in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions . Herodotus in Book 1, Chapter 68, describes how

352-405: A danger of making the giants trip and die, so they offered sacrifices to that plant. There are tales of giants in the northern Chilean port town of Caldera telling of giants who play with ships moving them from one port to another. Tales of the same area also tells of giants who are able to crush humans with their feet and when laying down to sleep being so long as to reach from the mountains to

440-439: A female giant as a spouse, such as in the tale "Paul Bunyan's Wife"; her first name is not revealed in the story, she is only referred to as "Mrs. Paul". The tale also mentions her having had a daughter nicknamed "Tiny". Another tale, "Paul Bunyan Finds A Wife", describes Paul's rescuing a lovely red-haired giant-lady who had been trapped underneath an avalanche after a great storm; the grateful maiden (fittingly named "Sylvia", after

528-446: A few sporadic editorials, such as "Paul Bunyan's Oxen", "In Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty", and "Chronicle of Life and Works of Mr. Paul Bunyan". Rockwell's earlier story was one of the few to allude to Paul Bunyan's large stature, "eight feet tall and weighed 300 pounds", and introduce his big blue ox, before Laughead commercialized Paul Bunyan, although W. D. Harrigan referred to a giant pink ox in "Paul Bunyan's Oxen", circa 1914. In all

616-476: A friendly way and can even be part of human families with their offspring being portrayed as regular humans where they are often referred to as half-giants . Folklorists and historians examine the role giants are assigned in regional geomythologies . For example, Fionn mac Cumhaill is said to have built the Giant's Causeway on the island of Ireland . Per a 1965 examination in an American studies journal, "It

704-435: A half section , and the mess camp was a stupendous affair. The range on which an army of cookees prepared the beans and "red horse" was so long that when the cook wanted to grease it up for the purpose of baking the wheat cakes in the morning, they strapped two large hams to his feet and started him running up and down a half mile of black glistening stove top. Each of these elements recurs in later accounts, including logging

792-591: A home could have television service without having three separate antennae on the roof. The 2010 United States Census reported that Westwood had a population of 1,647. The population density was 298.9 inhabitants per square mile (115.4/km ). The racial makeup of Westwood was 1,430 (86.8%) White , 3 (0.2%) African American , 104 (6.3%) Native American , 10 (0.6%) Asian , 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 49 (3.0%) from other races , and 49 (3.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 179 persons (10.9%). The Census reported that 1,647 people (100% of

880-560: A local myth has a local hill resembling a giant named as The Sleeping Giant . Folklore says the giant will awaken only if a specific musical instrument is played near the hill. Giants are also prominent in Welsh folklore . Many giants in English folklore were noted for their stupidity. A giant who had quarrelled with the Mayor of Shrewsbury went to bury the city with dirt; however, he met

968-429: A man and a woman, were traversing the fjord near Drangey Island with their cow when they were surprised by the bright rays of daybreak. As a result of exposure to daylight, all three were turned into stone. Drangey represents the cow and Kerling (supposedly the female giant, the name means "old hag") is to the south of it. Karl (the male giant) was to the north of the island, but he disappeared long ago. A bergrisi –

SECTION 10

#1732787234213

1056-474: A nationally recognized figure, but this ignores the historical roots of the character in logging camps and forest industries. At the same time, several authors have come forward to propose that the legend of Paul Bunyan was based on a real person. D. Laurence Rogers and others have suggested a possible connection between Paul Bunyan tales and the exploits of French-Canadian lumberjack Fabian "Saginaw Joe" Fournier (1845–1875). From 1865 to 1875, Fournier worked for

1144-473: A shape somewhat resembling a giant footprint when viewed from above). Later authors, and possibly tourist agents, would add other geographic features to those Paul Bunyan was supposed to have created. Stories about Bunyan credited him with creating the Grand Canyon by pulling his ax behind him, and Mount Hood by putting stones on his campfire. Later authors have invented tales of Paul Bunyan's finding

1232-636: A shoemaker, carrying shoes to repair, and the shoemaker convinced the giant that he had worn out all the shoes coming from Shrewsbury , and so it was too far to travel. Other English stories told of how giants threw stones at each other, which was used to explain many great stones on the landscape. Giants figure in folklore and fairy tales, such as Jack the Giant Killer , The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body , Nix Nought Nothing , Robin Hood and

1320-528: A single volume titled The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan . The figure of Bunyan was adapted by the Ojibwe people into folklore about Nanabozho , a culture hero of the Ojibwe and Anishinaabe . In the story, when Paul Bunyan came to log the forests of Northern Minnesota, Nanabozho fought him in defense of the forest. They fought for three days; Nanabozho finally slapped Bunyan with a giant walleye . Bunyan

1408-444: A statue of Jupiter, typically on horseback, defeating or trampling down a giant, often depicted as a snake. They are restricted to the area of south-western Germany, western Switzerland, French Jura, and Alsace. In folklore from all over Europe, giants were believed to have built the remains of previous civilizations. The Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus thought giants had a hand in the creation of megalithic monuments. Similarly,

1496-524: Is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lassen County , California, United States. Westwood is located 20 miles (32 km) west-southwest of Susanville , at an elevation of 5,128 feet (1,563 m). Its population is 1,541 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,647 from the 2010 census.. Westwood is built upon lava flows from Cascade Mountain Range volcanoes to the north. Keddie Ridge is considered to be at

1584-801: Is a comparison chart between early Paul Bunyan references, the Stewart and Watt paper, and the Laughead advertisement. William Laughead's 1916 ad campaign for the Red River Lumber Company launched Paul Bunyan toward national fame, and established his marketing appeal which continues into the 21st century. Throughout the better part of the 20th century, Paul Bunyan's name and image continued to be used to promote various products, cities, and services. Across North America, giant statues of Paul Bunyan were erected to promote local businesses and tourism. A significant portion of these were produced from

1672-533: Is an uncredited 1904 editorial in the Duluth News Tribune which recounts: His pet joke and the one with which the green horn at the camp is sure to be tried, consists of a series of imaginative tales about the year Paul Bunyan lumbered in North Dakota . The great Paul is represented as getting out countless millions of timber in the year of the "blue snow". The men's shanty in his camp covered

1760-679: Is believed to have been the fossilized molar of an ancient Elephantidae in his City of God , in a passage reflecting on the nature and meaning of the Noahacian deluge. The academic consideration of giants continued through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and even the early modern period. Boccaccio devoted a passage of his Genealogies of the Pagan Gods to purported archeological discoveries in Sicily that he thought might be evidence of

1848-460: Is credited as being "the world's largest electrical sawmill of the times." Red River Lumber Company also operated one of the first electric railways in the state built in 1927. The mill was equipped with the most modern equipment for its time; and the surrounding territory was crisscrossed by forest railways bringing logs to the mill. The railway shop at Westwood was home to 2-8-0 No. 102 and 2-8-2 No. 104 when forest railway operations ceased in

SECTION 20

#1732787234213

1936-433: Is depicted as a man of average height, but compensated with a "larger than life" personality consistent with the film's "over the top" nature. In Marybeth Lorbiekci and Renée Grae's 2007 story Paul Bunyan's Sweetheart , Paul marries Lucette Diana Kensack, a giant Meti woman who teaches Paul to be a forester, replanting the forest after logging. In 2017, an animated film based loosely on the folktale titled Bunyan and Babe

2024-527: Is generally admitted today that Paul Bunyan was a synthetic figure conceived by advertising men rather than the spontaneous product of the folk mind, yet he has been adopted by the American people with enthusiasm...Paul and his blue ox Babe are supposed to have altered the appearance of the American continent; the animal's hoof prints became the lake beds of the Northwest and from its drinking trough spilled

2112-585: Is in California's 1st congressional district , represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa . Westwood is the site of the Walker family mansion and statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. The "Bizz" Johnson Trail , ends 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Westwood, at Mason Station. Named for Harold T. Johnson , U.S. Congressman from California, the rail trail follows the 24.5 miles (39.4 km) Fernley and Lassen Railway right-of-way. According to

2200-750: Is similar to the Québécois expression " bon yenne! " expressing surprise or astonishment. The English surname Bunyan is derived from the same root as " bunion " in the Old French bugne , referring to a large lump or swelling. Several researchers have attempted to trace Paul Bunyan to the character of Bon Jean of French Canadian folklore. Michael Edmonds states in his 2009 book Out of the Northwoods: The Many Lives of Paul Bunyan that Paul Bunyan stories circulated for at least thirty years before finding their way into print. In contrast to

2288-563: Is the Lumberjacks. Westwood had a very large indoor shopping mall as far back as the 1930s, as well as a large theater, skating rink and club for the mill workers. The town was sold in 1944 to the Fruit Growers Supply Company (sister cooperative of Sunkist Growers ). The plant closed in 1956, and the town was sold to residents and developers. Westwood also had a very early form of cable television. The owner of

2376-811: Is the further embellishment of stories pulled directly from William B. Laughead's pamphlet, and with very few elements from oral tradition adapted into them. Nearly all of the literature is presented in long narrative format, exaggerates Paul Bunyan's height to colossal proportions, and follows him from infancy to adulthood. Some of the more enduring collections of stories include Paul Bunyan by Esther Shephard (illustrated by Rockwell Kent ), Paul Bunyan by James Stevens, Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe by Dell J. McCormick, Paul Bunyan by Esther Shephard, Paul Bunyan and His Great Blue Ox by Wallace Wadsworth, and The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan by William Laughead. The Wonderful Adventures of Paul Bunyan as retold by Louis Untermeyer and illustrated by Everett Gee Jackson

2464-639: The Basque Country . Giants stand for the Basque people reluctant to convert to Christianity who decide to stick to the old lifestyle and customs in the forest. Sometimes they hold the secret of ancient techniques and wisdom unknown to the Christians, like in the legend of San Martin Txiki , while their most outstanding feature is their strength. It follows that in many legends all over the Basque territory

2552-496: The Hindu reckoning of time. According to Jainism , there was a time when giants walked upon this earth. Jain cosmology divides the worldly cycle of time into two parts or half-cycles, avasarpani (age of descending purity) and ascending ( utsarpani ). According to Jain texts , the height of Rishabhanatha , first tirthankara of the present half-cycle of time ( avasarpani ) was 500 dhanusa (longbow). In avasarpani , as

2640-691: The Mississippi River ." Fossilized remains of ancient mammals and reptiles common to the Sivalik Hills of India may have influenced aspects of the Mahābhārata that tell of battles in which "hundreds of mighty, and sometimes gigantic, heroes, horses, and war elephants are said to have died." Claudine Cohen , in her 2002 book The Fate of the Mammoth , argued that the history of human interaction with fossil bones of prehistoric megafauna

2728-522: The Old English poem The Seafarer speaks of the high stone walls that were the work of giants. Natural geologic features such as the massive basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Northern Ireland were attributed to construction by giants. In the Netherlands, giants are often associated with creating or forming the landscape. For instance, two giants are said to have dug

Paul Bunyan - Misplaced Pages Continue

2816-715: The Paul Bunyan State Trail , around Lake Bemidji and past the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues. The Bemidji statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox, appear in the Fargo television series. His statue is also briefly shown in the film Fargo from 1996. The statue of Paul Bunyan located in Bangor, Maine is regularly mentioned in the novel It by Stephen King. Field recordings Text resources Giant Fairy tales such as Jack

2904-716: The Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountains . After giving birth to a disfigured child, the giants treated the child so poorly that the Great Spirit responded by making the land hot and desolate and allowing enemies to conquer the giants. Only two giants survived: Paiute and his wife, both of whose skin became brown from eternally living in the hot desert. Several Jupiter-Giant-Columns have been found in Germania Superior . These were crowned with

2992-613: The Spartans uncovered in Tegea the body of Orestes , which was seven cubits long ⁠ ⁠—  approximately 3.73   m, or about 12   feet 3   inches. In his book The Comparison of Romulus with Theseus , Plutarch describes how the Athenians uncovered the body of Theseus , which was "of more than ordinary size." The kneecaps of Ajax were exactly the size of a discus for the boy's pentathlon , wrote Pausanias . A boy's discus

3080-583: The Titanomachy . The Hecatoncheires are giants that have 100 arms and 50 heads who were also the children of Gaia and Uranus. Other known giant races in Greek mythology include the six-armed Gegeines , the northern Hyperboreans , and the cannibalistic Laestrygonians . There are accounts stating humans grew to the size of giants during the Satya Yuga , the first of the four cyclical ages (yugas) in

3168-507: The 1960s through the 1970s by the company International Fiberglass as part of their " muffler man " series of giant fiberglass sculptures. Since 2014 a paved biking trail bears the name "Paul Bunyan Trail" and spans 120 miles, from Crow Wing State Park to Lake Bemidji State Park in Minnesota. Many cities through which the trail passes sell Paul Bunyan trinkets and novelty items. The Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon (started in 2013) runs along

3256-641: The Anakites are described as making the Israelites seem like grasshoppers. See also Gibborim . Josephus also described the Amorites as giants in his Antiquities of the Jews , circa 93   CE, indicating that some sort of fossils may have been on display at that time: "For which reason they removed their camp to Hebron; and when they had taken it, they slew all the inhabitants. There were till then left

3344-574: The Armenian state. Hayk was part of a race of giants who helped construct the Tower of Babel . Ancient historian Movses Khorenatsi wrote, "Hayk was handsome and personable, with curly hair, sparkling eyes and strong arms. Among the giants he was the bravest and most famous, opponent of all who raised their hand to become absolute ruler over the giants and heroes." Mount Nemrut is known to have received its name from an Armenian tradition in which Nimrod

3432-724: The Biblical narrative, he appears to be significantly smaller than other giants, biblical or otherwise. The Masoretic Text version of the Book of Samuel gives his height as six cubits and one span (possibly 313–372 centimetres (10 ft 3 in – 12 ft 2 in)), while the Septuagint , the 1st-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and the 2nd–1st-centuries BCE Dead Sea Scrolls give Goliath's height as four cubits and one span (possibly 216–258 centimetres (7 ft 1 in – 8 ft 6 in)). For comparison,

3520-539: The Dakotas , a giant camp, the winter of the blue snow, and stove skating. All four anecdotes are mirrored in J. E. Rockwell's "Some Lumberjack Myths" six years later, and James MacGillivray wrote on the subject of stove skating in "Round River" four years before that. MacGillivray's account, somewhat extended, reappeared in The American Lumberman in 1910. The American Lumberman followed up with

3608-607: The Giant Killer have formed the modern perception of giants as dimwitted and violent ogres , sometimes said to eat humans, while other giants tend to eat livestock. In more recent portrayals, like those of Jonathan Swift and Roald Dahl , some giants are both intelligent and friendly. Giants appear many times in folklore and myths. Representing the human body enlarged to the point of being monstrous, giants evoke terror and remind humans of their body's frailty and mortality. They are often portrayed as monsters and antagonists, but there are exceptions. Some giants intermingle with humans in

Paul Bunyan - Misplaced Pages Continue

3696-528: The H. M. Loud Company in the Grayling, Michigan area. James Stevens in his 1925 book Paul Bunyan makes another unverified claim that Paul Bunyan was a soldier in the Papineau Rebellion named Paul Bon Jean, and this is occasionally repeated in other accounts. Stewart and Watt acknowledge that they have not yet succeeded in definitively finding out whether Bunyan was based on an actual person or

3784-466: The Latin word for "forest") quickly falls in love with the kind and chivalrous "treetop-tall" bachelor, and marries him later that same day. This burial of the original material under stories by commercial writers engendered confusion over whether Bunyan had ever even been a genuine folkloric character at all, although later research has established this. The Laughead pamphlets remain popular, collected in

3872-633: The March 17, 1893, issue of Gladwin County Record . Under the local news section for the area of Beaverton , it reads, "Paul Bunion [ sic ] is getting ready while the water is high to take his drive out." This line was presumably an inside joke, as it appeared over fifteen years before any commercial use of the Paul Bunyan name. At the time, few of the general public would have known who Paul Bunyan was. The earliest recorded story of Paul Bunyan

3960-613: The Nephilim were destroyed in the Flood, but Nephilim are reported after the Flood, including: The Book of Numbers includes the discouraging report by the spies sent by Moses into Canaan : "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. (...) All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked

4048-726: The Prince of Aragon , Young Ronald , and Paul Bunyan . Ogres are humanoid creatures, sometimes of gigantic stature, that occur in various sorts of European folklore. Rübezahl , is a kind giant from German folklore who lived in the Giant Mountains , along with the Bergmönch , a giant mountain spirit. Antero Vipunen is a giant shaman that appears in the Kalevala , meeting the epic hero Väinämöinen to teach him creation spells. Westwood, California Westwood

4136-446: The Red River Lumber Company. The BNSF Railway (BNSF) has a Maintenance of Way station and a siding that is used to store BNSF snow fighting equipment. The Westwood Community Services District serves 2,000 people. In the state legislature , Westwood is in the 1st Senate District , represented by Republican Brian Dahle , and the 1st Assembly District , represented by Republican Megan Dahle . Federally, Westwood

4224-401: The Red River Lumber Company. He has been the subject of various literary compositions, musical pieces, commercial works, and theatrical productions. His likeness is displayed in a number of oversized statues across North America. There are many hypotheses about the etymology of the name Paul Bunyan . Much of the commentary focuses on a French-Canadian origin for the name. Phonetically, Bunyan

4312-687: The Spanish Amadís de Gaula feature giants as antagonists, or, rarely, as allies. This is parodied famously in Cervantes' Don Quixote , when the title character attacks a windmill, believing it to be a giant. This is the source of the phrase tilting at windmills . Tales of combat with giants were a common feature in the folklore of the British Isles . Celtic giants also figure in Breton and Arthurian romances . In Kinloch Rannoch ,

4400-478: The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and coauthored by her English professor Homer A. Watt. The research relates traditional narratives, some in multiple versions, and goes on to conclude that many probably existed in some part before they were set to revolve around Bunyan as a central character. Stewart argued in her analysis that Paul Bunyan belongs to a class of traveler's tales. Bunyan

4488-456: The articles, Paul Bunyan is praised as a logger of great physical strength and unrivaled skill. In 1916, advertising copywriter William B. Laughead wrote an advertising pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company using the Paul Bunyan folk character. Laughead's first endeavor was a pamphlet entitled "Introducing Mr. Paul Bunyan of Westwood, California ", but it did not prove effective. It was not until "Tales about Paul Bunyan, Vol. II" appeared that

SECTION 50

#1732787234213

4576-453: The average family size was 3.10. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP

4664-669: The biblical Samson ), Errolan (based on the Frankish army general Roland who fell dead at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass ) or even Tartalo (a one-eyed giant akin to the Greek Cyclops Polyphemus ). In Bulgarian mythology, giants called ispolini inhabited the Earth before modern humans. They lived in the mountains, fed on raw meat and often fought against dragons . Ispolini were afraid of blackberries which posed

4752-399: The campaign gained momentum. Laughead took many liberties with the original oral source material, embellishing older exploits and adding some of his own. Among other things, Laughead gave the name "Babe" to the blue ox, created the first pictorial representation of Bunyan, and increased Paul Bunyan's height to impossible proportions (in Laughead's version, Paul Bunyan towers over trees, while in

4840-490: The census of 2000, there were 1,998 people, 795 households, and 520 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 362.5 inhabitants per square mile (140.0/km ). There were 1,048 housing units at an average density of 190.1 per square mile (73.4/km ). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.39% White , 5.26% Native American , 0.25% Asian , 0.55% Pacific Islander , 2.70% from other races , and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.51% of

4928-446: The chief god, is the great-grandson of the jötunn Ymir . Norse mythology also holds that the entire world of men was created from the flesh of Ymir, a giant of cosmic proportions whose name is considered by some scholars to share a root with Yama of Indo-Iranian mythology. Trolls are beings that are sometimes very large. The name troll is applied to jötnar . An old Icelandic legend says that two night-prowling giants,

5016-499: The cycle moves ahead, height of all humans and animals decreases. The following table depicts the six aras of avasarpini – In Norse mythology , the jötnar (cognate with Old English : eotenas and English: ettin ) are often opposed to the gods. While often translated as "giants", most are described as being roughly human-sized. Some are portrayed as huge, such as some frost giants ( hrímþursar ), fire giants ( eldjötnar ), and mountain giants ( bergrisar ). The jötnar are

5104-549: The day. The discovery of the so-called Claverack Giant in colonial New York triggered giantological investigations by two important early American intellectuals, Cotton Mather and Edward Taylor . Genesis tells of the Nephilim before and after Noah's Flood . The word Nephilim is loosely translated as giants in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. According to Genesis 7:23 ,

5192-448: The earlier folktales Bunyan had been extraordinarily tall and strong, but of human proportions). Laughead attributes the creation of several American landscapes, landmarks and natural wonders to Paul Bunyan. He wrote that Paul Bunyan and Babe are said to have created the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota by their footprints. Later writers made up more details and exploits, such as the creation of bodies of water including Lake Bemidji (which has

5280-558: The early 1950s. The four woods engines scrapped in 1953 were 2-6-0 number 1, 2-6-2 number 2, 2-8-2 number 3, and 3-truck Shay locomotive number 4. William Laughead, an advertising copywriter who had once worked in lumber camps , took the stories of an old lumberjack and reworked them into the modern character. He sold the stories of Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox "Babe" to the Red River Lumber Company, which published "Introducing Mr. Paul Bunyan of Westwood, California" in 1916 as an advertising pamphlet. Among other things, Laughead gave

5368-419: The giants are held accountable for the creation of many stone formations, hills and ages-old megalithic structures ( dolmens , etc.), with similar explanations provided in different spots. However, giants show different variants and forms, they are most frequently referred to as jentilak and mairuak , while as individuals they can be represented as Basajaun ("the lord of the forests"), Sanson (variation of

SECTION 60

#1732787234213

5456-464: The historicity of The Odyssey 's Polyphemus . Rabelais created a wholly "fabricated giantology" for his 16th-century Gargantua and Pantagruel . Massive bones found in 1613 in France were initially assigned to Teutobochus but the examinations of them by various physicians and their publication of diverging conclusions about the bones kicked off a "pamphlet war" between anatomists and surgeons of

5544-454: The lengthy narratives abundant in published material, Paul Bunyan "stories" when told in the lumbercamp bunkhouses were presented in short fragments. Some of these stories include motifs from older folktales, such as absurdly severe weather and fearsome critters . Parallels in early printings support the view that at least a handful of Bunyan stories hold a common origin in folklore. The first known reference of Paul Bunyan in print appeared in

5632-771: The local variety store took it upon himself to provide television service to the community. At the time three channels were available to view in Westwood, Channel 3, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento, Channel 7, the ABC affiliate in Redding and Channel 12, the CBS affiliate in Chico. Multiple antennae were mounted outside of town and coax cable was laid up and down the alleys. For a small monthly fee

5720-448: The name "Babe" to the blue ox, originated the idea that Paul Bunyan and Babe were of enormous size, and created the first pictorial representation of Bunyan. The Red River Lumber Company's electric mill at Westwood made wooden Venetian blinds, plywood, boxes, doors and windows which were shipped all over the U.S. and the world. The Westwood mill set a world record in 1942 by sawing 212 million board feet. Westwood High School's nickname

5808-517: The northern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14 km ), of which 5.4 square miles (14 km ) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) (1.34%) is water. Westwood was built by T. B. Walker to be the operations center for the Red River Lumber Company in 1913, and serviced by the Fernley and Lassen Railway built in 1912–14. The first post office opened in 1913. The Red River Lumber Company

5896-451: The origin of most of various monsters in Norse mythology (e.g. the Fenrisulfr ) and in the eventual battle of Ragnarök , the giants will storm Asgard and fight the gods until the world is destroyed. Even so, the gods themselves were related to the jötnar by many marriages and descent; there are also jötnar such as Ægir who have good relationships with the gods and bear little difference in status to them. Odin , often regarded as

5984-623: The population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 715 households, out of which 219 (30.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 299 (41.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 87 (12.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 51 (7.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 65 (9.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 3 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 223 households (31.2%) were made up of individuals, and 92 (12.9%) had someone living alone who

6072-406: The population. There were 795 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and

6160-424: The princess of Tololo Pampa. If a person manages to watch the giant while he works folklore says the person will be blessed with good luck for the rest of their life. In Greek mythology , the Gigantes (γίγαντες) were (according to the poet Hesiod ) the children of Uranus (Ουρανός) and Gaia (Γαία) (spirits of the sky and the earth) where some depictions had them with snake-like legs. They were involved in

6248-400: The race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day, unlike to any credible relations of other men." The Book of Enoch describes giants as the offspring of Watchers and women in 7:2. Hayk was known as the founder of

6336-472: The same to them." The Book of Joshua , describing the actual conquest of Canaan in a later generation, makes reference to such people living there in (Joshua 14:12–15 and Joshua 15:13–14). The Bible also tells of Gog and Magog , who later entered European folklore, and of the famous battle between David and the Philistine Goliath . While Goliath is often portrayed as a giant in retellings of

6424-423: The sea. In some stories the giants are black humanoids or black bulls. In southern Chile there are stories of giants said to belong to certain volcanoes such as Calbuco and Osorno . The mythical city of Tololo Pampa in northern Chile is said to be guarded by a giant known by various names including; Pata Larga , Gigante Minero and Minero Gigante . The giant enters to the mountains to obtain riches to

6512-592: The traditional protector of southwestern Iceland – appears as a supporter on the coat of arms of Iceland . According to Northern Paiute oral history, the Si-Te-Cah or Sai'i are a legendary tribe of red-haired cannibalistic giants, the remains of which were allegedly found in 1911 by guano miners in Nevada's Lovelock Cave . Furthermore, the Paiute creation story tells of "beautiful giants" who once lived between

6600-563: The turn of the 20th century, but such stories were heavily embellished and popularized by commercial interests. Commentators such as Carleton C. Ames, Marshall Fitwick, and particularly Richard Dorson cite Paul Bunyan as an example of " fakelore ", a literary invention passed off as an older folktale. They point out that the majority of books about Paul Bunyan are composed almost entirely of elements with no basis in folklore, especially those targeted at juvenile audiences. Modern commercial writers are credited with setting Paul Bunyan on his rise to

6688-692: The use of students of folklore. Much of his research was financed through the government-funded Wisconsin Writers' Program. In 2007, Michael Edmonds of the Wisconsin Historical Society began a thorough reinvestigation of the Paul Bunyan tradition, publishing his findings in Out of the Northwoods: The Many Lives of Paul Bunyan . Edmonds concluded that Paul Bunyan had origins in the oral traditions of woodsmen working in Wisconsin camps during

6776-480: The voice of Tony the Tiger for The Kellogg Company , and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film . " Three Tall Tales ", a 1963 episode of The Magical World of Disney , is an animated three-part anthology. The third part is the tale of Paul Bunyan. In the 1995 Disney film Tall Tale , Paul Bunyan is played by Oliver Platt . Contrary to the usual image of Bunyan's gigantism, Platt's Paul

6864-402: Was $ 24,148, and the median income for a family was $ 30,195. Males had a median income of $ 29,219 versus $ 23,646 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 13,178. About 16.7% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.0% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over. The San Joaquin and Eastern Railroad sold Shay locomotive Lima #2534 to

6952-512: Was 41.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males. There were 1,005 housing units at an average density of 182.4 per square mile (70.4/km ), of which 440 (61.5%) were owner-occupied, and 275 (38.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 15.1%. 977 people (59.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 670 people (40.7%) lived in rental housing units. As of

7040-407: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30. There were 437 families (61.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.87. The population was spread out, with 393 people (23.9%) under the age of 18, 135 people (8.2%) aged 18 to 24, 367 people (22.3%) aged 25 to 44, 531 people (32.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 221 people (13.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

7128-761: Was a powerful giant, seven feet tall and with a stride of seven feet. He was famous throughout the lumbering districts for his great physical strength. — K. Bernice Stewart & Homer A. Watt, "Legends of Paul Bunyan, Lumberjack" Charles E. Brown was the curator of the Museum of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and secretary of the Wisconsin Archaeological Society. He was another principal researcher who recorded early Paul Bunyan stories from lumberjacks. He published these anecdotes in short pamphlet format for

7216-585: Was about 12 cm (4.7 in) in diameter, while a normal adult patella is around 5 cm (2.0 in), suggesting Ajax may have been nearly 14   feet (over 4   m) tall. The Cyclopes are also compared to giants due to their huge size (e.g.   Polyphemus , son of Poseidon and Thoosa and nemesis of Odysseus in Homer 's The Odyssey ). The Elder Cyclopes were the children of Gaia and Uranus, and later made Zeus ' "master thunderbolt", Poseidon's trident, and Hades ' "helm of darkness", during

7304-459: Was heavily influenced by giant lore. Per Cohen, the proto-scientific study of giants appears in several phases of human history: Herotodus reported that the remains of Orestes were found in Tegea ; Pliny described a giant's skeleton found in Crete after an earthquake, and seemed to refer to evolution as the process by which giants become human-size over time; and Saint Augustine mentions what

7392-458: Was killed by an arrow shot by Hayk during a massive battle between two rival armies of giants to the south-east of Lake Van . Aztec mythology features the Quinametzin , a race of giant men created in one of the previous solar eras . They are credited with the construction of Teotihuacan . Giants are rough but generally righteous characters of formidable strength living in the hills of

7480-503: Was knocked onto his buttocks in the mud, the imprint of which formed Red Lake, Minnesota . This is responsible for the lake's distinctive shape and the preservation of the Chippewa National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness . Running at variance to his origins in folklore, the character of Paul Bunyan has become a fixture for juvenile audiences since his debut in print. Typical among such adaptations

7568-453: Was published in 1945 by The Heritage Press , an imprint of The George Macy Companies. Legends of Paul Bunyan (1947) was the first book published by the prolific tall tale writer Harold Felton . In 1958, Walt Disney Studios produced Paul Bunyan as an animated short musical. In it, Paul competes with his axe in a tree-chopping contest against a steam-powered mechanical saw. The feature starred Thurl Ravenscroft , perhaps best known as

7656-586: Was released, starring John Goodman as Paul Bunyan. K. Bernice Stewart, a student at the University of Wisconsin , was working contemporaneously with Laughead to gather Paul Bunyan stories from woodsmen in the Midwest. Stewart was able to make a scholarly anthology of original anecdotes through a series of interviews. These were published in 1916 as "Legends of Paul Bunyan, Lumberjack" in Transactions of

7744-443: Was wholly mythical. They have noted, however, that some of the older lumberjacks whom they interviewed claimed to have known him or members of his crew, and the supposed location of his grave was actually pointed out in northern Minnesota. Bunyan's extreme gigantism was a later invention, and early stories either do not mention it or, as in the Stewart and Watt paper, refer to him as being about seven feet tall. Included in this section

#212787