The silliest "theory" of all

[KaiYeves]

In the library today, I read the children's book The Bunyans, because I was bored. The story is basically all about the tall tales where Paul Bunyan and his family created lots of geographical features in the Americas, usually through accidents. The son in the story is shown as being a sculptor who likes carving giant pictures of himself.

The book ends saying that the son wanted to explore new worlds, so he jumped into the sky and never came back down. The last page has the son carving a picture of his face in (you guessed it) Cydonia, Mars.

I'm pretty sure the author meant this as a joke.

[Neverfly]

Oh yeah.

Paul Bunyan tales are the "Tall Tales" of the west. Paul and his Blue Ox Babe.
O'l Paul created the grand canyon when he dragged his axe along on the ground behind him once.
The purpose became to make a taller and zanier tale than the last guy. It's all in fun, spoof and satire and if anyone actually took it literally, I would examine his head.

[BigDon]

You mean Paul Bunyan's cook wasn't responsible for the invention of weiner dogs with tall hind legs? (From feeding him rising sourdough flapjacks with his food bowl under the stove. Prevented the front from growing as well)


Uh Nev, you might want to recheck your facts before labeling anything.

Next you'll be saying you can't grease a giant hot frying pan by tieing slabs of pork belly to your feet and "ice skating" on the hot metal. A technique pioneered by Paul's personal cooking staff.

[Neverfly]

Ok well. THAT one may be true ( I tried it myself but burned my butt) but there are still a lot of Bunyan's that are myths.

Though come to think of it...
I was just reading a thread about Mysterious Mounds on Mars:think:...

[BigDon]

Kai, it was a well know fact that Paul Bunyan's weiner dog was the fastest dog ever because it was always running down hill.

[novaderrik]

i've been to the official Paul Bunyan theme park in Brainerd, MN.. it closed a few years ago, but i think the 30 foot tall talking statue of him is still in the area somewhere.
there is another city around here somewhere that has a huge statue of babe the Blue Ox...

[jokergirl]

Aha, so the new world has them to, eh? Here it's been the usual assortment of giants, gods and (in areas that have been Christianized for a longer time) the devil playing tricks with the surface of the world.

;)

[davidlpf]

Actually Neverfly Paul Bunyan is a mainer.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10327

[Neverfly]

Actually Neverfly Paul Bunyan is a mainer.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10327

Paul was so big, he was born in two places at the same time.

[Kaptain K]

...the official Paul Bunyan theme park in Brainerd, MN.. it closed a few years ago...
I wonder if it suffered the same fate as "Dogpatch, USA", a theme park in north central Arkansas. The short story; The owner's reach greatly exceeded his grasp. He borrowed $3.5 million at the start of the 70s gas crisis and the financial crunch that sent interest rates into the mid-teens. The stupidity of the idea is borne out by the idea of adding a ski resort :eek: to the resort! Anybody who has lived in the area knows that snow is a very occasional thing. 1 inch of snow and the place shuts down.
For the long story (almost TMI) go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogpatch_USA

[HenrikOlsen]

I'm reminded that Kim Stanley Robinson in his Red/Green/Blue Mars series has a folk mythology similar to the Bunyan stories to explain features of the martian landscape, including a few really large features (Olympus Mons for one) that was the result of Big Man and Paul Bunyan having a rather heated argument about which was the strongest.

[jokergirl]

I'm reminded that Kim Stanley Robinson in his Red/Green/Blue Mars series has a folk mythology similar to the Bunyan stories to explain features of the martian landscape, including a few really large features (Olympus Mons for one) that was the result of Big Man and Paul Bunyan having a rather heated argument about which was the strongest.

Yeah, but the Coyote really existed.

;)

[tbm]

Ye dare not disbelieve the Paul Bunyan tale!

Here he (and Babe) is (are), about 10 miles sout' of where I live.

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/images/tourist/paul_bunyan_alpena.jpg

"He's a lumberjack and he's OK........."



tbm