This week, I'm Mitheson Legends. It's the conclusion of the story of Pecos Bill, an American

tall tale. Bill and Satan will go on an excellent adventure and you'll see the only time in

folklore or literature when making a deal with the devil actually worked out for all parties.

And how running his own business got the devil to take a break from trying to get all those souls.

The creature this week is yet another reason not to follow the naked stranger into the river.

Because then simply drowning will be the least of your worries.

This is Mitheson Legends, Episode 136, to the moon and back.

This is a podcast where I tell stories from mythology and folklore. Some are incredibly popular

stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories that might be new to you,

but are definitely worth listening. Previously, in Episode 75, we met Pecos Bill. He was a baby

accidentally abandoned by his parents and raised by a pack of coyotes in Texas. This, of course,

gifted him superpowers. Because reasons. And later he was discovered by his brother, Chuck.

Soon Bill, Chuck and Chuck's business partners opened the pinnacle ranch.

We're long lost Bill went on to invent helpful things like glass-swing cows from horseback,

thus revolutionizing the industry. He also captured and broke the most dangerous horse in existence,

which he named Widowmaker, Time Past, and then one day a twister touched down in the distance.

It was heading their way. Fortunately, Bill knew exactly what to do.

He rode like he never rode before, jumped off Widowmaker's back, and laced out the tornado.

Pecos Bill was dead. I mean, he had to be right. The guy wrote a horse named Widowmaker

up toward tornado, yelled that he was going to last through the force of nature, and then jumped in.

On one hand, the guy literally thought he was a talking coyote, so you can't blame him for not

knowing that that wasn't remotely how tornadoes worked. Regardless, the men watched with open mouths,

...