Exploring Folklore
Want to learn more about folklore?
These posts come from the “Exploring Folklore” section of my newsletter, Notes on Writing Folklore-Inspired Fiction. (Posts are published to my website after the newsletter is sent out, but are dated to match the newsletter date.) If you enjoy my blog posts, you might like my newsletter. It delivers folklore and writing updates straight to your inbox.
For a list of general folklore topics included in the blog, please use the category drop-down list below:
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Nos Galan Gaeaf: A Traditional Night of the Supernatural
This is the time of year when many people (including my family) start preparing for Halloween. Our daughter is currently deciding on her costume and making plans with friends. And soon we will decorate the house and buy candy to pass out to trick-or-treaters when they knock on the door the evening of October 31.…
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The Dun Cow and Other “Cows of Abundance” in the British Isles
I’ve always been fascinated by cows. When I was a kid, we would visit my aunt and uncle’s ranch in Oregon for a few weeks each summer. They raised cattle, and I loved to walk out in the fields to look at the cows. On one trip, I went walking along the road that bordered…
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How Work Songs Improved Daily Life in Ireland and Scotland
During the nineteenth century, folk songs were a vital part of daily life in Ireland and Scotland. Integrated into both work and play, songs eased the burden of chores and encouraged social interaction within a community. In Old Irish Folk Music and Songs: A Collection of 842 Irish Airs and Songs Hitherto Unpublished, P. W. Joyce describes…
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Collecting Folklore Wasn’t Always Easy for the Early Folklorists
One of the first books of folklore that I added to my collection was Celtic Folklore: Welsh and Manx by John Rhŷs. It is a two-volume study, and toward the end of the book (in volume 2) Rhŷs includes a chapter called “Difficulties of the Folklorist.” In it he describes challenges he often faced while collecting folklore…
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An Introduction to Irish Faerie Folklore
A friend from writing group recently lent me a book of Irish folklore. (Thanks, Marianne!) It’s called The Leprechaun’s Kingdom: The World of Banshees, Fairies, Giants, Monsters, Mermaids, Phoukas, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, and Many Others by Peter Haining. While the cover suggests that it might contain children’s stories, it is more of an illustrated folklore encyclopedia of…
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“The Owl Was a Baker’s Daughter”: Unpacking Ophelia’s Folkloric Remark
This month we explore a folktale referenced by the character Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is a follow-on to the owl folklore and the story of Blodeuwedd, which we looked at last month. If you’re new to my blog—welcome! Click here to read last month’s article on owl folklore. If you aren’t familiar with Hamlet, it was…
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Owl Folklore, Blodeuwedd, and the Concept of Transformation
When I began researching this topic, I initially planned to explore owl folklore as a way to discuss a folktale referenced by the character Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But once I started taking notes, I discovered that I what I wished to share with you would be too much for a single post. So I’ve decided…
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Four-Leaf Clover Uses in Faerie Folklore and Love Divination
Central to the plot of a short story that I’ve been revising is a four-leaf clover found by the main character after searching through a clover patch. I can remember sitting in the grass as a child, sifting through clover leaves and blossoms, hunting for a magical four-leaf clover with which I could make a…
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Plot Highlights and Narrative Techniques of “The Celtic Dragon Myth”
As someone who is writing fiction, I’m particularly interested in story and therefore fascinated by folktales. While researching dragons for my last post, I came across an interesting book, The Celtic Dragon Myth, by John Francis Campbell and translated with an introduction by George Henderson. It contains several texts related to the theme of heroes battling water monsters. I…