The Lore and Tales of the Folk

Abstract

Folklore, as referred to here, is a subset of the oral tradition which includes legends, myths, tales, fables, folk tales, anecdotes, songs, riddles and speeches. As with many genres, defining folklore is no simple task. It cannot simply be based on its form of transmission — oral — since ‘all folklore is orally transmitted, but not all that is orally transmitted is folklore’ (Dundes 1965a; b: 25). Reynolds (2007: 35) defines folklore as ‘all of the many different ways we express who we are as members of a particular group — a family, an ethnic group, a fraternity, a religious community, and so on — but which we have learned directly from other people rather than from books, television, or movies’. Taylor (2002: 34) defines folklore as ‘the material that is handed on by tradition, either by word of mouth or by custom and practice’. The universality of folklore is undeniable since evidence shows that each and every community has its own form of folklore (Bascom 1965a: 26; b). In spite of the universality of folklore, it is vital to approach it with the material in mind and not to attempt to impose upon it preconceived ideas or theories. Folklore is a part of a society’s culture and a window into that same society. It also serves to reveal how a society views the world and its many facets.