Where does the "Hot Steams" myth, mentioned in chapter 4 of the book, originate from outside of the text?

In chapter 4 on page 41, Scout mentions that Jem doesn't believe in Hot Steams, and Dill asks what they are.

In chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Dill informs Scout that he is able to tell if someone will die soon by the way he or she smells. This leads to an argument between Dill and Scout. Jem tells them, "you act like you believe in Hot Steams." He then explains that a Hot Steam is "somebody who can’t get to heaven, just wallows around on lonesome roads." Jem also uses the term "haint" to refer to a ghost.

Just as different regions of the United States may have different dialects, words used to describe ghosts can sometimes be specific to particular regions. Hot Steam and haint seem to be terms more commonly heard in the South used to describe ghosts. One particular source refers to a paint color as "haint blue." The color is used on the ceilings of front porches, typically in the South, to keep ghosts away.

Jem, Scout and Dill were deeply involved with their fantasies about Boo Radley in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, when Jem told Scout that "you act like you believe in Hot Steams."

    "What's a Hot Steam?" asked Dill.
    "... A Hot Steam's somebody who can't get to heaven, just wallows around on lonesome roads, an' if you walk through him, when you die, you'll be one, too...

Jem actually explained it pretty well. Hot Steams are supposedly the ghosts or spirits of people that can't get into Heaven, so they are forced to walk the Earth forever. According to one source, the term may have originated from multiple accounts of ghosts being seen in the area of hot springs or geysers. If you recall the movie, Ghost, there were several examples who hung around trains, another form of steam. 

What is the magic rhyme to get rid of the hot steam in To Kill a Mockingbird?

"Angel bright, life in death; get off the road, don't suck my breath." This is the rhyme that Jem tells Dill he needs to say to keep the Hot Steam from sucking the breath out of him. 

The summer has finally arrived in Maycomb, and that means that Dill will be back. Jem and Scout have missed their friend and are thrilled when he comes back. Once again, the kids are obsessed with getting Boo to come out of his house. They are talking about spirits and spooks when they start talking about Hot Steams. Dill has never heard of this, so Jem and Scout tell him the tale. In the beginning of the book, the kids are consumed with the need to see Boo. They associate Boo with the tall tales they heard from generations ago. What they don't realize at the time is that the real evil is just getting ready to infiltrate their safe world.

Harper Lee sets up the idea of what something scary is. The kids are afraid of Hot Steams, but they are about to face the scariest thing of all: the ugliness and evil that lies inside the human heart of some people. 

In chapter four of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem, Dill and Scout are discussing Hot Steams. Dill is unfamiliar with the concept, and Jem explains them to him. According to Jem, a Hot Steam is the spirit of a person who has died and is unable to get into heaven. It is felt by people walking around on a "lonesome road" at night. The person walking passes through a "hot place." This hot place is the deceased person. Jem believes that if one is to walk through a Hot Steam that he or she will become one when he or she dies. According to Jem, the only way to keep from becoming a Hot Steam later, if one walks through a Hot Steam, is to say the following rhyme: "Angel-bright, life-in-death; get off the road, don’t suck my breath." Jem believes that this rhyme will keep the Hot Steam from wrapping around the person. Scout tells Dill not to listen to Jem (although it is not made completely clear if she does not believe in the tale or if it simply frightens her). 

What are five myths about the Radleys' house and family in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the Radleys live a few doors down from the Finch children. The house is across the street from Miss Maudie's and behind the elementary school. The Radleys' property also has a few oak and nut trees, whose nuts fall into the schoolyard. In chapter 1, Scout tells about how people believe anything associated with the Radleys' house is evil. As a result, school children won't even touch the pecans that fall into the school yard, let alone eat any. Children believe that if they eat the nuts from the Radleys' property, they'll die. Additionally, children won't go after any baseballs that might go into the Radleys' backyard. Scout says, "A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked" (9). It's as though someone might spontaneously combust from stepping foot into the yard. If that's the case, then no one would even think of knocking on the door to ask permission to retrieve a ball!

Another myth about the house is that it is bad luck. For example, most of those from the black community won't walk on the sidewalk in front of it. Scout explains this myth by saying the following: "A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked" (9). That superstitious feeling even carries over to Calpurnia who spits when Mr. Radley's body is taken out of the house. The whistling and spitting practices are used to ward off evil spirits or bad luck, apparently. 

Finally, other myths are based on Boo Radley and his activity in and out of the house. First, Stephanie Crawford claims that he lurks through neighborhoods during the night and looks in at windows. Then, Jem perpetuates more myths when he describes Boo as though he is a monster as follows:

"Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained . . . There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time" (13).

Not only is Boo believed to be a monster who peeks into windows at night, but he also has a couple of stories (myths) about him misbehaving that circulate through town. The first story involves him joyriding with some Cunningham boys in high school, which lands him in jail; then, the second one has to do with him stabbing his father in the leg with scissors while living at home as an adult. Both stories are used to support superstitious and prejudiced attitudes towards the Radleys and their home. As with all myths, the person hearing the stories must determine which part is real and which part is fabricated.  

What are some myths and their sources in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Boo Radley: The local children believe in a myth that Radley pecans are poisoned. When Scout and Jem walk Walter Jr. home, he tells them that he almost died last year when he accidentally ate a Radley pecan.

Miss Stephanie Crawford tells Jem that Boo Radley randomly stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors and was locked in the courthouse basement as punishment.

Miss Stephanie also perpetuates the rumor that Boo Radley stares into people's homes in the middle of the night and even claims to have seen him looking into her window.

Dolphus Raymond: According to local legend, Jem tells Scout that Dolphus Raymond's bride blew her head off using a shotgun at the rehearsal dinner before their wedding. He also tells Scout that Dolphus Raymond drinks liquor all day and covers the bottle with a paper bag.

Paranormal Phenomena: Toward the beginning of the novel, Jem, Scout, and Dill believe in haints, hot steams, incantations, and secret signs, which are typical myths and legends circulated by children in the community.

BOO RADLEY.  Scout speaks of "According to neighborhood legend..." when recounting her stories about Boo. Some have come from her classmates, and some have come from adults, such as Miss Stephanie. "Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood scold..."

INDIAN HEAD PENNIES.  Boo's pennies were gifts of good luck and magic. According to Jem, "... they come from the Indians. They're real strong magic, they make you have good luck."

THE SMELL OF DEATH.  Dill claims to be able to tell when a person is going to die. "... I can smell somebody and tell if they're gonna die. An old lady taught me how."

HOT STEAMS.  Dill was also a source of knowledge about Hot Steams, "... somebody who can't get to heaven, just wallows around on lonesome roads an' if you walk through him, when you die you'll be one too..."

THE ROSETTA STONE.  According to Mr. Avery, it was written on the Rosetta Stone that "It's bad children like you make the seasons change."

THE GUILTY JURY.  Scout probably learned this part-fact, part-myth, from Atticus. "A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted."

DOLPHUS RAYMOND.  Stories abound about Mr. Raymond; Jem prefaces his gossip with "they say..."  Of course, Scout and Dill discover the truth during a break in the trial.