Folklore refers to the tales people tell – folk stories, fairy tales, “tall tales,” and even urban legends. Which makes Disney not Folktales. Think more Brothers Grimm or Hans Christensen Anderson, and their original tales, rather then the family friendly Disney. Even then, not all Grimms and Andersen stories are considered folklore.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is a perfect example of an author making up folklore to enrich his fictional cultures.
The folktale is a story passed down verbally from generation to generation. Each storyteller added something new to the stories, making them more interesting and fascinating as the ages passed. Different folktales bear the characteristics of the culture, folklore and customs of the people from which they originated.
World Folklore Day is being marked 22 August, a word that was coined in 1846 by the English archaeologist William John Thoms.
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