Folklore is the traditional stories, beliefs, customs, and sayings of a community or culture. It is usually passed from person to person by speaking or performing, not by writing.
“Folklore” was coined in English in the 19th century from “folk” (people) and “lore” (learning or knowledge). It was created as a scholarly term to describe traditional cultural knowledge.
Folklore isn’t just old fairy tales; internet memes and urban legends are modern folklore too. Any shared story that spreads from person to person and shapes a group’s identity fits under this surprisingly wide word.
Folklore has often been collected and written down by men, even when stories, songs, and practices were created or maintained by women and other marginalized genders. This has led to under-crediting women's roles as storytellers, tradition bearers, and creators.
When discussing folklore, recognize the diversity of tradition bearers across genders and avoid assuming that certain narrative roles (like caregivers or tricksters) map directly onto gender stereotypes.
In writing about folklore, explicitly acknowledge women and gender-diverse storytellers, singers, and ritual leaders whose contributions were often filtered through male collectors and editors.
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