Folklore is the term used to describe the traditional beliefs, customs, practices, and stories of people that are passed down through the generations often by word of mouth.
As an area of study and an academic discipline, it begins in 17th Century Europe with the collection of folktales and songs made by antiquarians (people interested in things of the past). The term ‘folklore’ (originally ‘folk-lore’) was not coined until 1846 by Willian John Thoms (also known by his pseudonym Ambrose Merton).*
Today, Folklore and Folklorists are a well-establish element of the academic world with university positions, many amateur folklorists, and organised societies all over the world.
The discipline of folklore is often sub-divided into:
The 'Folklore for Children' refers specifically to folklore regarding children and young people which, as opposed to Childlore and Playlore, is transmitted largely (but not exclusively) from adult to child rather than child to child. This may include things like traditional toys, children's clothing, and nursery rhymes.
Interest in children's play and games appears early in the history of folklore.
For example, the first modern folklorist (though still referred to as an antiquarian) is generally considered to be Joseph Strutt (1749-1802), a British historian and writer who was particularly interested in the day to day lives of ordinary people (see photo).
This is evident in the subject of his books which included a history of clothing, of hairstyles, make up and, significantly, in 1801 ‘Sports and Pastimes of the People of England’ in which he describes the games people played going back to at least the early 1700s.
Many of the early folklorists interested in children's play and games began their collections because of a belief that games and play-forms were fast disappeering. However, these collections have actually created the body of evidence that shows this fear to have been incorrect.
The British folklorists Iona and Peter Opie in their 1969 book, 'Children's Games in Street and Playground' concluded instead that,
"The belief that traditional games are dying out is itself traditional". (p.14)
Other prominent folklorists in the English-speaking world involved in the folklore of children have included those such as the British, Alice Bertha Gomme, James Ritchie and Iona and Peter Opie; Americans, such as Dorothy Howard, and Mary and Herbert Knapp; and Australians, such as June Factor, Gwenda Davey, and Judy McKinty.
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* For a very interesting background of Thoms and the development of Folklore as a discipline see the Library of Congress blog at https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2014/08/he-coined-the-word-folk-lore/
[Photo of Joseph Strutt]
See also Childlore, Playlore, Contemporary Legends, and Urban Myths (to come)
