Lore
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English lār; akin to Old High German lēra doctrine, Old English leornian to learn
- Date: before 12th century
Definitions
- 1 archaic : something that is taught : lesson
- 2 : something that is learned: a : knowledge gained through study or experience
- b : traditional knowledge or belief
Description
Folklore culture, including stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The academic and usually ethnographic study of folklore is sometimes called folkloristics. The word 'folklore' was first used by the English antiquarian William Thoms in a letter published by the London Journal Athenaeum in 1846. In usage, there is a continuum between folklore and mythology. Stith Thompson made a major attempt to index the motifs of both folklore and mythology, providing an outline into which new motifs can be placed, and scholars can keep track of all older motifs.[1]