The oral folk history of William Bernard "Big Six" Henderson is unique in that Henderson himself has been a contributing factor in keeping the tales of his moonshining experiences in the oral traditions of distinct areas of Kentucky, especially Cumberland County. Interviewing Henderson and apprehended and non-apprehended moonshiners allowed speculation into the concept that Henderson was indeed a folk hero. Using Dixon Wector's requirements for heroes, the hero performing unselfish service, acquiring a nickname, obtaining sympathy for handicaps, struggles, and failures, and reaching hero status after death, and providing examples of Henderson's encounters with moonshiners, verifies Henderson's hero status, except Henderson is a hero prior to his death. Mody Boatright's additional characteristics of combat with individuals, boasting, a pride in weapons, women, and animals, a remarkable birth, and becoming a hero after a tragic and supernatural death gives concrete support for Henderson being raised to the level of folk hero. Again, Henderson qualifies as a folk hero, disregarding his future demise.
This paper is divided into the following parts: (1) an introduction which gives reasons for a study of this type; (2) the background and careers of Henderson; (3) the tales involving Henderson and various Moonshiners; (4) Henderson's status as a folk hero; (5) conclusions and suggestions for future studies of this nature; and (6) a brief sketch of the informants.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:WKU/oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-3156 |
| Date | 01 April 1976 |
| Creators | Boaz, Peggy |
| Publisher | TopSCHOLAR® |
| Source Sets | Western Kentucky University Theses |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Masters Theses & Specialist Projects |
Page generated in 0.0055 seconds