What are the Different Types of Folklore?

Folklore means the old and traditional stories that are told by people belonging to a particular religion has the same values and beliefs. Folklore is made up of two words FOLK which stands for regional peace and lore which means stories. In this article, we will learn about types of folklore, the importance of folklore, different elements of folklore, and examples of a type of folktale.

1. What is the Importance of Folklore?

Folklore means values, religious beliefs, and stories that are told by people of a particular religion referring to some specific cultural context or beliefs. The importance of folklore is that it is passed from one generation to another which makes it a part of cultural traditions. Folklores helped people to express their thoughts, legends, myths, and beliefs in form of stories and keep their culture alive. It can be expressed verbally or in the form of an act or in dance forms. (See How is Culture Transmitted from One Generation to Another?)

2. What is Folklore and its Types?

Folklore can be defined as old stories told by people belonging to a particular religion or tribe. These include folk stories, tall tales, and fairy tales. They are fictional stories and music of people and animals.

Types of folklore are: 

• Material Culture: This folklore includes vernacular architecture, textiles, modified mass-produced objects, and vernacular art.
• Music: This folklore includes traditional music, folk, and world music.
• Narrative: This folklore includes legends of the past, urban legends, old fairy tales, folk tales, etc.
• Verbal art: This folklore includes word jokes, proverbs, etc.
• Belief and religion: Folklore includes folk religion tales, rituals, and mythological beliefs.
• Foodways: Folklore includes traditional cooking and the relationships that exist between food and culture.

3. How many Types of Folklore do we have?

There are 3 types of folklore or we can say that folklore is divided into 3 categories. They are: 

• Verbal
• Customary or partly verbal
• Material Culture or Non-Verbal 

4. What are the Different Types of Folklore?

The different types of folklore are: 

• Fables and Folktales: example-Anansi the Spider, The White Elephant.
• Fairy Tales: example-Cinderella, Rapunzel.
• Mythology: example-John Henry, Why the Porcupine has Quills.
• Folk Songs: example- Danny Boy, Waltzing Matilda
• Folk Dance: example-Square Dance, Native American Sun Dance.

5. What are the 11 Types of Folktales?

A folktale is defined as a traditional and old story that is passed from one generation to another in a spoken form.

11 types of folklore are: 

• Animal Tales
• Religious Tales
• Realistic Tales
• Romantic Tales
• Tales of the stupid Ogre
• Jokes
• Anecdotes
• Formula Tales
• Unclassified Tales
• Allegories
• Fables

6. What are Five Characteristics of Folklore?

Five characteristics of folklore are: 

• Characters: Characters in folklore can be a human, animals, or even imaginary.
• Settings: Folklores are often set by villagers or illiterate people so they were and even are set in either villages or the country outskirts.
• Plot: The plot of folklore contains magical elements. They usually teach us a lesson.
• Theme and Conflict: Entertainment is the main theme of folklore. The folklores teach us lessons.

7. What are the Different Elements of Folklore?

The different elements of folklore are:

• Myths
• Folk Tales
• Fables
• Legends
• Proverbs
• Customs

8. What is the Most Popular Folklore?

The most popular folklore are: 

• Cinderella
• The Pied Piper
• Sleeping Beauty
• Rapunzel
• The Little Mermaid
• Clever Hens
• The Goose Girl
• Jack and the Beanstalk
• The Seven Ravens
• The Frog King

9. What is an Example of a Type of Folktale?

An example of a type of folktale is Sleeping Beauty. Check out Summary of Sleeping Beauty Story Book.

10. What is Modern Folklore?

Modern Folklore is defined as the process in which huge progress has been made in different parts of the world. The progress is there in the story plots resulting in strong conflicts. Must see What are Mythological Wolf Creatures?

11. What is Political Folklore?

Political folklore can be defined through the process of construction of paradigms, and festival productions. It is true that folklore, as being a national concept and also a commercial product, has now become a means for the creation of different strategies of power on its path to becoming the national identifier and the commercial product in the everlasting confrontation between cultural forms and ideological formations. (See The Story of an Hour Themes)

12. What is Folklore in History?

Folklore in history is defined as a body of culture that is shared by a particular group of people. It generally refers to cultural expressions such as myths, food, festivals, dances, jokes, customs, etc. (See What are Cultural Traits?)