What is Folklore?

Last updated on: July 1, 2026 at 1:02 pm by Bader Saab

What is Folklore? 2026-07-01T13:02:42-04:00 Bader Saab

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I’ve written about folklore so much, and yet I just realized I never once stopped to consider what it is to begin with. It seems funny because we all think we can define it, we all think we know what we talk about when the topic comes up. But do we? Think about it for a moment, and see what you can come up with. I promise you the blog will go nowhere.

“Merriam-Webster defines it as ‘traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people.'”. William Harvey, The Story of the Fisherman, 1838–40, woodcut, from the Arabian Nights. Cropped. Source.

Initial Definitions

Now, let’s examine some definitions. Merriam-Webster defines it as “traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people.” This is a very straightforward description of it, and I am inclined to like it. However, it doesn’t mention anything about the time when all this material originated. Is it supposed to be just old material? How old, then? Or does it include the current material? There’s a legal loophole in here.

Instead, What is Folklore?, a project of the American Folklore Society, defines it better by saying that

Folklore is our cultural DNA. It includes the art, stories, knowledge, and practices of a people. While folklore can be bound up in memory and histories, folklore is also tied to vibrant living traditions and creative expression today.

This addresses the aspect of time. Folklore is not fixed in a specific time. In fact, it evolves through time, and we are constantly creating new pieces of folklore tied to when and where they are created and evolve through time. Finally, there is one last definition that I really like, but that focuses more on folklorists, the people that study folklore, than folklore itself. It comes from the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign:

Folklorists focus on the study of human creativity within specific cultural and social contexts, including how such expressions (i.e. stories, music, material culture and festivals) are linked to political, religious, ethnic, regional, and other forms of group identity.

This gives us a better idea of what it is all about. Folklore is an umbrella term for the different manifestations a culture can generate throughout time: music, writing, art, stories, beliefs, and so on, all of which grow, change, and evolve through time, and which show the different beliefs and positions of that culture and its members. So can we talk about modern folklore? We sure can.

“Folklore doesn’t need to be ancient to be valid, but it certainly can be”. William Harvey, The Story of the Fisherman, 1838–40, woodcut, from the Arabian Nights. Cropped. Source.

Modern Folklore? What?

If folklore is not fixed in time, and it is constantly changing, then we can assume there are modern pieces of folklore. That’s one of the things I learned in college. We talk about something like this when we talk about inside jokes, when you create some sort of tradition with your friends or relatives, but also when it comes to the internet. Memes are pretty much modern folklore, if you think about it.

When I was a child, my cousins and I went to a store around the corner to get Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and some snacks. We did that at least once a week. That right there is an example of modern folklore. When I tell my best friend that I love her, but with very specific words we only use with each other, that’s also an example. The memes that I send my friends on social media? The responses I give to some of them? You guessed it, also modern folklore.

Folklore doesn’t need to be ancient to be valid, but it certainly can be, especially depending on how important it is for you and how you’re using it. If, like me, you’re using it as the base of your practice, then chances are you must ensure it is serving a real purpose other than being funny. Are you appropriating something? Are you copying another something? Those are all important questions. Are you really creating something, or are you just deluding yourself that your mindless copy-paste is something original? Something worth considering, right?

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About Bader Saab

I’m an Arab witch and journalist, also with a master’s degree in digital research. I have worked as a book reviewer and written about pre-Islamic folklore. You can connect with me by Private Message on Instagram: @saab.bader. You can read more about the author here.

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