Ray Lum was a legendary Mississippi mule trader and storyteller whose wit and rhythm made him a folk icon of the Deep South. Born in 1891 near Vicksburg, he spent decades trading livestock across county lines, spinning tall tales and sharp barbs along the way. Lum’s colorful language and deep knowledge of rural life were captured in interviews by folklorists like William Ferris in the 1970s. He was a walking piece of Americana, bridging the world of Southern oral tradition, humor, and old-school