Living Folklore

After reading the very intriguing excerpt from Living Folklore, my perception of myths and folktales has changed immensely. My definition of folklore has been altered and I now view it in a much broader sense. Before reading this excerpt, I had the mentality of myths and folktales solely being untrue and made-up stories from different countries and states all over the world. I now know that folklore can be anything and everything, from celebrating a birthday, to playing a traditional card game. I feel like myths and folktales are much more than just stories you share around a campfire. I feel like they are meant to impact us, to warn us, to entertain us, but most importantly, to teach us. Through symbolism and engaging characters, myths and folktales deliver messages to their audiences, whether they acknowledge it or not. They are meant to impact our knowledge, our minds, and the way we generally think. Myths and folktales can teach us that there is consequence, or bad karma that follow our wrong doings. The relevance of myths and folktales are a high 10 on my scale, and I'm not just saying that because I am an English major and I enjoy all of this stuff (I promise).

Now let's talk a bit about what I find most fascinating in myths and folktales; symbolism. Symbolism in Myths and Folktales, in my opinion, is the most important part of these stories. A fox can symbolize an individuals characteristics- sneaky, clever. A lion can symbolize strength, or the immensely feared villain. A white flower that is growing on an infertile lawn can symbolize hope. Symbolism can pose as a hidden message (at first) to some, or stand out right away. Either way, symbolism is used frequently in myths and folktales, old and modern, so make sure to pay close attention while hearing or reading.