This comprehensive collection of folk hero tales builds on the success of the first edition by providing readers with expanded contextual information on story characters from the Americas to Zanzibar.• Supplies entries on folk tale characters worldwide that identify related heroes and heroines and provide additional contextual information• Features a geographical organization that enables readers to research a specific region's folk characters• Provides an alphabetical index as well as an index of heroic character types to facilitate cross-cultural and historical comparisons• Includes sidebars with passages from the folk tales, popular culture, and other items of interest