Folklore: Sayings, verbal compositions, stories, and social rituals passed along by word of mouth rather than written down in a text. Folklore includes superstitions, modern 'urban legends', proverbs, riddles, spells, nursery rhymes, songs, legends or lore about the weather, animals, and plants, jokes and anecdotes, rituals at births, deaths, marriages, and yearly celebrations, and traditional dance and plays performed during holidays or at communal gatherings. Many works of literature originated in folktales before the narratives were written down. Examples in American culture include the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, George Washington throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac river, Paul Bunyon cutting lumber with his blue ox, Babe, Pecos Bill roping a twister, and Johnny Appleseed planting apples across the west over a 120-year period. Many fairy tales in Europe originate in folklore, such as 'Snow White' and 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' In modern days, much academic work with folklore focuses on reports of UFO abductions, the Chupacabra [goat-chewing monster] legends of Mexico, urban legends, and outbreaks of public hysteria regarding nonexistent mass ritualized child-abuse and cannibalism. Contrast with mythology. See also folkloric motifs and folktales.

 

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Folklore: Sayings, verbal compositions, stories, and social rituals passed along by word of mouth rather than written down in a text. Folklore includes superstitions, modern 'urban legends', proverbs, . . . View Full Definition

Mythology: A system of stories about the gods, often explicitly religious in nature, that possibly were once believed to be true by a specific cultural group, but may no longer be believed as literally . . . View Full Definition

Myth: While common English usage often equates 'myth' with 'falsehood,' scholars use the term slightly differently. A myth is a traditional tale of deep cultural significance to a people in terms . . . View Full Definition

Multiculturalism: In literature, multiculturalism is the belief that literary studies should include writings, poetry, folklore, and plays from a number of different cultures rather than focus on Western Euro . . . View Full Definition