# Frontier Mythology and Legend in Tombstone

> Theme guide for Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns.

The narrative emphasizes how Tombstone's history has been transformed into myth, with figures like the Earps, Clantons, and John Ringo becoming larger-than-life characters, and the book itself draws on newspapers, testimonies, and oral traditions to both document and romanticize the past.

## Where it surfaces

- [VIII: The Old Man with a Beard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/viii-the-old-man-with-a-beard): The boy's ghostly vigil and the legend of the 'Old Man with a Beard' contribute to the mythic quality of border vengeance and outlaw lore.
- [IX: Ringo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/ix-ringo): Ringo is mythologized as a tragic, Hamlet-like figure, embodying the romanticized outlaw of the Old West.
- [Buried Treasure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xvii-buried-treasure): The Davis Mountain treasure story is a classic frontier legend, blending outlaw exploits, hidden riches, and a mysterious map, akin to the Cocos Island myth.
- [Patchy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xx-patchy): Patchy's story takes on mythic qualities—the silent Apache baby, the mysterious election-poster dress, the treasure vault of the padres, and the haunting question of what she might have become.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/themes/frontier_mythology_and_legend
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/themes