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