Intro to Folklore - fun facts

folklore-collecting in ireland

folklore used to only be recorded by those with power

folklore-collecting in ireland

once Ireland became independent, folklore became more publicly appreciated

folklore-collecting in ireland

folklore showed Irish patriotism/nationalism

folklore-collecting in ireland

folklore united Irish people into being comfortable with independence

folklore-collecting in ireland

Ireland based much of their currency off of local folklore

folklore-collecting in ireland

children had only been taught British history; Irish had to be deliberately learned

folklore-collecting in ireland

people had to go around and collect personal accounts and material aspects of folklore

folklore-collecting in ireland

Northern Ireland was hesitant to accept folklore into its culture

folklore-collecting in ireland

Northern Ireland thought folklore wasn’t in alignment with their values

folklore-collecting in ireland

Northern Ireland prioritized material culture more than oral culture

folklore-collecting in ireland

many folktales are consistent across cultures

folklore-collecting in ireland

fieldwork is important to preserve the legacy of folklore

folklore-collecting in ireland

old legends adapt to modern ages

folklore-collecting in ireland

stories must stay relevant to remain memorable

folklore-collecting in ireland

if fairy-protected land is touched, bad things will happen

folklore-collecting in ireland

wicker cradles utilized harvesting and crafting skills; often taken from the local environment → connection to nature

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

everybody has a different interpretation of widely-shared stories

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

stories are slightly changed with each retelling

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

the Grimm brothers also studied law and philosophy

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

there was a lot of political change during the Grimm brothers’ lifetime

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

it is important that folklore is recorded exactly as it is heard

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

Wilhelm Grimm acted as editor for “Children and Household Tales” → actively tried to make many of the stories child-friendly

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

“Children and Household Tales” also included unusual fables, legends, anecdotes, jokes, and religious tales

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

the Grimm brothers tended to edit stories to their style/how they wanted

Grimm brothers and the development of folkloristics

the Grimm brothers often added religious ideation to the folklore they recorded

Zipes

many people who read the folklore compiled by the Grimm brothers were unaware that it was influenced by various cultures, and many thought they were entirely indicative of German culture, leading to flawed perceptions of German identity

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

romanticism easily lended itself to folklore

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

romanticism embraced other cultures that had previously been unknown

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

with many people moving to the cities for work during the Industrial Revolution, more people are longing for the countryside

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

people need to keep interest in folklore to keep it alive

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

many colonizers felt the need to convert/rehabilitate the “savage” natives → infantilization

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

some thought the Native Americans possessed a purity that urbanized people should strive to

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

bringing back customs that had been long out of use often has a specific motive behind it

cultural and political contexts for the emergence of folklore

women felt most comfortable sharing stories with other women

folklore and folklife

not all oral folk expression is verbal

folklore and folklife

if a story is passed around enough, certain aspects will forever be changed to adapt to the times

folklore and folklife

once a story becomes written down, it becomes increasingly difficult to trace its origins

folklore and folklife

many historical events become legends due to a sense of worship being created around them

folklore and folklife

folklore has been, and continues to be, a reflection and a weapon of class conflict

folklore and folklife

folklore is indicative of suppressed tensions held by a society

folklore and folklife

people are quick to view good fortune as a result of some folk belief but will explain away bad fortune as a result of something else

folklore and folklife

all stories are made up of a set of tropes that can be fitted together in any order

folklore and folklife

some cultures “take” folk heroes from other cultures and adapt them to fit their own

folklore and folklife

folklore is not being erased by industrialization, it is just adapting to it

heritage of Ireland

the study of folklore had been taking off in accordance with Romanticism, but it was halted with the emergence of Social Darwinism, which made it uncool to be in favor of the rural and lower classes

heritage of Ireland

material folk culture was rarely studied because many people saw it purely for its literal function, not its overall role in a historical and societal context

heritage of Ireland

in the end, the people in power determine what becomes solidified culture and what will fade away

heritage of Ireland

the Great Famine spurred the desire for folk customs as a result of Ireland wanting a more solidified national identity

fairy lore

some think fairies are fallen angels who weren’t bad enough to become demons

fairy lore

unexplained illness and death is often attributed to fairies

fairy lore

there is a lot of overlap between fairy lore and ghost stories

fairy lore

fairy folklore is a way of attaching personal emotion to religion

myths

people who have less connection with others are more likely to have their individual myths lost

material culture

material culture tends to be overlooked especially because much of it was created by women

material culture

material culture needs to be understood in the context of the broader cultural landscape

material culture

quilts allow women to express themselves in a space typically dominated by men

material culture

since quilt squares are typically leftover from other sewing projects, they are indicative of what else somebody was working on

material culture

quilt squares are often associated with major events in a family’s life

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

building in wood stopped because they ran out of wood

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

the hearth is the social and functional center of the house

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

everyone has their own seat around the hearth

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

houses had steeply-pitched roofs due to heavy rainfall

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

some houses allowed space for cattle to be tethered indoors

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

houses of the poor often mimicked what the better farmhouses looked like

traditional forms of the dwelling house in Ireland

prosperous families had two-story homes

thatched house

the shape and dimensions of a house were said to be “lucky” or “unlucky” depending on how they were done

thatched house

houses were oftentimes intentionally built into the side of hills to prevent later generations from expanding the house in “unlucky” directions

thatched house

arguments were made in favor of keeping cows in the house by claiming that they kept the house warm and would also produce more milk

thatched house

it was unlucky if a cow could not see the fire

thatched house

back doors were mostly only used when it would be difficult to use the front door

thatched house

people were not supposed to use the back door unless they had to

thatched house

corpses were carried out the back door

thatched house

people closed their front doors when the funeral procession passed them

thatched house

newly-acquired animals were passed through the house for luck

thatched house

building a house was seen as a sort-of festival

hearth and home

hearths/fire were involved in all aspects of a house

hearth and home

furniture was designed for people’s heads to be below the smoke in the air

hearth and home

furniture and cooking pots were built with three legs so they were sturdy

hearth and home

hen coops were sometimes built into the side of the hearth to keep them warm

hearth and home

folklore says that if your chickens are unhappy, they will fly away

hearth and home

since fire was treated with a sort-of reverence, carrying soot from the fire in your pocket was seen as good luck

hearth and home

carrying soot was said to give protection on a journey

hearth and home

treasured possessions were stored above the hearth because it would keep them dry

hearth and home

guests were always invited to sit directly beside the fire as it was seen as a place of honor

exploring material culture

material culture may show aspects of the lives of people underrepresented in research

exploring material culture

stereotypes may be indicative of something, despite it being blown out of proportion

exploring material culture

romanticization idealizes what is true

foodways

butter churning was seen as something akin to holy

foodways

if someone interrupted the churning of butter, they had to take a turn at churning it themself

foodways

it was believed that possibly interfering in butter churning in any way would spoil the butter

calendar custom

to dissuade children from eating wild fruit that would have gone bad in the cold, they told them that the puka had spat on them

year in Ireland

even the poorest household had a feast on Halloween

rites of passage

in Christian society, the time between birth and Baptism was a dangerous time because they had not yet been blessed

rites of passage

when money was not a thing, a dowry would be paid in cattle