I’m excited to begin my folklore blog, These Strange Woods. “Folklore” can encompass many popular types of storytelling: mythology, fables, fairy tales, epic poetry, legend…the list goes on and on with more specific words used to describe the cultural storytelling traditions of particular groups of people.
These stories are our most enduring, transcending time and geography by circulating wherever their people are. They stay with us, and we retell them over and over again, more or less faithfully. Folklore represents the formula for stories everywhere: a character (or characters) is propelled into action, which is resolved by the end. The characters are basic types and the story is nearly all action with little description. The archetypal nature of folklore allows it to transcend its creators and become popular in cultures very different from the one where it began.
The fundamental, primal aspect of folklore has always appealed to me as a way to access and understand different cultures. I’m looking forward to digging in to some of the stories I already love and exploring new tales as well. I’m also interested in the interaction of folklore with visual and performing art.
In addition to non-fiction, I’ll also be posting my own personal folklore creations. I approach my stories with the trials of the modern hero’s journey in mind, inspired by the traditions of some of my favorite cultures and their folk characters.
There are almost endless ways to interact with folklore, and I hope that together we can explore many of them. I am open to submissions, so if you have an idea of something you would like to contribute, please send me an email at thesestrangewoods@gmail.com. I welcome original fiction, personal essays, research, and art!