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Folklore

Folklore: Folk literature (oral literature) comprises the verbal forms of folklore, and includes larger narratives such as folktales, and smaller forms such as proverbs, riddles, and rhymes.

Family and Fun

• American Folklife Center, Library of Congress - Created by Congress in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife," the Center incorporates the Archive of Folk Culture, established at the Library in 1928 as a repository for American Folk Music. AFC collections encompass all aspects of folklore and folklife from this country and around the world.
• Directory of Irish and Celtic Folklore - An "A to Z of Irish Folkore," including seasonal celebrations, folktales, folk sayings, folk cures, leprechaun and fairy beliefs, and the origins of names.
• Folklore: An Introduction - Attempt at some definitions, basic categories, and listings of subjects studied by folkloristics.
• Folklore and Legends - Classic Greek, Celtic, and Norse myths explaining everyday and natural things such as flowers, stars, star-signs, and animals.
• Journal of Folklore Research - A peer-reviewed publication of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University, established in 1965.
• Medieval Wedding Traditions & Customs - A description of what courtship, marriage, and life in Europe was like during the Middle Ages.
• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage - Focuses on contemporary grassroots cultures in the US and abroad; produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, exhibitions, documentary films and videos, symposia, and educational materials; conducts research; maintains archives; and provides educational and research opportunities.
• What is Folklore? (New York Folklore Society) - There are lots of definitions of folklore and the related terms folklife and folk arts. Here are some definitions and explanations collected by the New York Folklore Society.