Folklore
The traditional beliefs, customs, stories, songs, and practices of a community, passed through generations by word of mouth.
Folklore encompasses the entire body of traditional cultural expression within a community — including oral narratives (myths, legends, fairy tales, jokes), customary practices (festivals, rituals, folk medicine), and material culture (crafts, architecture, food). The term was coined by English antiquarian William Thoms in 1846. Folklore is dynamic — it changes with each telling and each generation while maintaining recognizable patterns. Major folklore collections include the Grimm Brothers' 'Children's and Household Tales' (1812), Andrew Lang's 'Colored Fairy Books' (1889-1910), and the works of Italo Calvino (Italian Folktales, 1956).
Related Terms
The practice of passing down stories, history, and culture from one generation to another through spoken word rather than written text.
A traditional story concerning the early history of a people or explaining natural or social phenomena, typically involving supernatural beings.
A traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated, often featuring real or supposedly real people and places.