Fairytales, fables and legends. These are only some of the types of stories passed down through generations of people everywhere. Folklore books have some of the most fascinating stories out there, inspiring thousands of others that would follow them. This month at Fully Booked, we’ll be tackling folklore, myths, fairytales and the like. Time for us to revisit old classics as well as new spins that you should add to your TBR.
Folklore Books: Spanning Generations
The practice of passing down traditional stories and heritage is something that occurs in basically every culture across the world. In 1846, writer William Thoms coined the phrase to create an official term for this practice. Since then, folklore has been a major staple in all different cultures, whether written or oral. The idea of folklore as something to study became more prevalent in the 19th century. Scholars were searching for ways to preserve the oral histories of more rural committees so that they wouldn’t be lost in the more modern world of the time; and thank god that they did.
Naturally I would be remiss to talk about folk tales and not bring up the most popular written collection of European folklore, the Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Children & Household Tales) written by Jacob and Wilhelm, the Brothers Grimm. Their collection – originally published in 1812 – continued to be reviewed and added to, eventually growing to over 200 fairytales strong. This eclectic collection would give worldwide recognition to the likes of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel.
Thankfully most stories are written down nowadays, which means that these important pieces of history are preserved and can be enjoyed by folks the world over.
A Tale As Old As Time
Folklore, the practice of passing along stories, songs, dances and traditions of all sorts is something that we’ve done for as long as these things have existed. Luckily for all of us now, this practice has given us these tales that have lasted centuries and – in some cases – even longer.
I think I can safely say that we all have at least one folktale, legend or myth that we enjoy, and that we’ll read every re telling and interpretation of that we can find. Whether you’re fascinated by Greek mythology, looking to discover a Celtic legend or looking into Native American legends more closely, we’ll be taking a look at all of this and more throughout the month of May. History holds so many fascinating stories passed down through generations, and I for one, can’t wait to uncover them all.
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