Folklore

 **Folklore (under construction) ** Illustration of the Swedish/Finnish folk tale "Stalo and Kauras," by John Bauer.

=**__What is Folklore?__**= Folklore refers to the customs, traditions, and stories that are passed down from one generation to those that follow. **The stories that have been passed down have been passed on by word of mouth**. They were not written down and published until a great deal of time passed and many changes were made. Because the stories had to be remembered to be shared, the changes that occurred were most likely unintentionally caused by lapses in memory. It is also because of this oral tradition that the original authors of these stories are not known. Any reference to an author is simply a reference to the last person to tell the story or the person who has translated that version of the story. **These stories have a moral or teach a lesson that reflects the morals and values of the society in which they were created**.They will often provide insight to the history, religious beliefs, and personal qualities that are “good” and “bad”. Folklore exists from many cultures all over the globe. It is through examining the folklore of various cultures that one can see the similarities among multiple cultures that are traditionally seen as very different cultures. **Folklore provides a** **lens** **with which to clearly see cultures’ shared humanity.** =__Types of Folklore __=

**Fables **
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__Key Vocabulary __
[|culture] [|oral tradition] shared humanity