Febold Feboldson

Lore & Background

The first stories of Febold Feboldson were published in newspapers in Gothenburg, Nebraska in 1923. The original creator appears to be Wayne Carroll, a lumber salesman who used Febold in advertising as a local variant of Paul Bunyan. Due to the lack of trees in the Great Plains region, Feboldson eventually became a strongman rather than a lumberjack, and his prodigious strength was demonstrated through other means. Carroll and Don Holmes wrote numerous Feboldson stories between 1928 and 1933, featuring him taking on Native Americans, politicians, disease outbreaks, droughts, tornadoes, and excessive heat and cold.

In 1932, Paul Robert Beath published the first widely-circulated story, 'Paul Bunyan and Febold,' in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's literary magazine Prairie Schooner. Beath's account claims to be based on interviews with 'Bergstrom Stromberg,' a supposed elderly descendant of Feboldson. The association with Bunyan gave Feboldson authenticity as a folk hero, despite being a recent creation by Nebraska authors. Beath later wrote about Feboldson in the Nebraska Folklore pamphlets published by the Nebraska Writers' Project in 1937.

According to Nebraska folklorist Louise Pound and Paul Beath himself, Feboldson was inspired by a notable Swedish immigrant, Olof Bergstrom, who helped settle Gothenburg, Nebraska. Bergstrom was described as a tall, muscular, and 'very handsome gentleman' with a winning personality. He once killed a house guest with a shotgun but was acquitted, and after the trial gave each juror a $20 bill and was escorted home by a parade led by the Gothenburg Silver Cornet Band. Bergstrom's ability to escape trouble and turn a profit from bad situations, as well as his role as a founder and community leader, made him the model for Feboldson.

Reader's Guide

Febold Feboldson occupies a contested place in American folklore. Paul Robert Beath, who wrote the majority of the Feboldson stories, firmly denied that Feboldson was a folk hero, arguing that the stories were created 'by individuals for the entertainment of individuals' and were not formed from existing folklore or a cultural 'geist.' Folklorist Louise Pound, however, argued that Feboldson is an integral part of Nebraska folklore due to his rapid rise in popularity in the early twentieth century, though she classified him as part of the 'lore of the literary class, the lore of the educated lovers of lore' rather than the general public. Pound suggested that Feboldson could follow a trajectory similar to Paul Bunyan, which began as 'literary lore' but evolved into folklore.

The themes of Feboldson stories, according to Beath, are lighthearted takes on the 'serious and often tragic' realities of early prairie pioneers. The stories explain, with obvious and humorously intentional inaccuracy, the origin of natural phenomena and Nebraska traditions. Feboldson is usually depicted as a well-meaning and enthusiastic but somewhat oblivious giant whose errors in attempting to create a homestead are fanciful exaggerations of the challenges faced by early immigrants. The stories conclude with his retirement in California, the 'Valhalla of all good middlewesterners,' serving as both a humorous reminder of past hardships and encouragement to those struggling in the 1930s.

Did You Know?

• Febold Feboldson was originally created by Wayne Carroll, a lumber salesman in Gothenburg, Nebraska, as a local variant of Paul Bunyan.
• The character was inspired by Olof Bergstrom, a Swedish immigrant who helped settle Gothenburg, Nebraska, and was acquitted after killing a house guest with a shotgun.
• Paul Robert Beath, who wrote many Feboldson stories, denied that Feboldson was a folk hero, calling the stories creations 'by individuals for the entertainment of individuals.'
• One Feboldson story, 'Paul Bunyan and Febold,' accounts for the death of Babe the Blue Ox and features a fabricated tribe called the 'Dirtylegs.'