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A German folk tale, Hansel and Gretel; illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1909. Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. [1] This includes oral traditions such as tales, myths, legends, proverbs, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions.
Although the fairy tale is a distinct genre within the larger category of folktale, the definition that marks a work as a fairy tale is a source of considerable dispute. [14] The term itself comes from the translation of Madame D'Aulnoy's Conte de fées , first used in her collection in 1697. [ 15 ]
Front cover of Folklore: "He loses his hat: Judith Philips riding a man", from: The Brideling, Sadling, and Ryding, of a rich Churle in Hampshire (1595). Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) [1] is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore.
Native American cultures are rich in myths and legends that explain natural phenomena and the relationship between humans and the spirit world. According to Barre Toelken, feathers, beadwork, dance steps and music, the events in a story, the shape of a dwelling, or items of traditional food can be viewed as icons of cultural meaning.
Pre-literate societies, by definition, have no written literature, but may possess rich and varied oral traditions—such as folk epics, folk narratives (including fairy tales and fables), folk drama, proverbs and folksongs—that effectively constitute an oral literature.
Folk memory, also known as folklore or myths, refers to past events that have been passed orally from generation to generation. The events described by the memories may date back hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years and often have a local significance.
[2] [3] The Brothers Grimm defined legend as "folktale historically grounded". [4] A by-product of the "concern with human beings" is the long list of legendary creatures, leaving no "resolute doubt" that legends are "historically grounded." A modern folklorist's professional definition of legend was proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990: [5]
A traditional Kyrgyz manaschi performing part of the Epic of Manas at a yurt camp in Karakol. Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.