Growing up, we have heard numerous folktales, myths and legends. They were usually based on morals but the storytelling always had us intrigued so it barely felt like a lecture. But as we grew up, got busier following our ambitions, we started drifting away from them because we had no time for stories. However, folklores are not just stories from the past. They remain significant irrespective of time. In the current digital world folklore has started to regain visibility. Social media has made these obscure stories reachable to a large audience. Therefore, people have started to share folklores on social media, which also helps them in gaining viewers as it draws in people with similar interests as well as curious ones.
Folklores are the traditional beliefs, customs, stories, and practices of a particular cultural group, passed down through generations, often orally. It encompasses a wide range of cultural expressions, including myths, legends, folktales, folk music, folk art, and traditional crafts. Their purpose is to preserve and transmit culture, history and values. In order to know more about it as well as to preserve it, folklore studies began in the early 19th century. The initial focus was on rural and less modernised communities to trace archaic customs and beliefs. By now, numerous collections of tales, ballads, folk songs along with other oral literature have been compiled.
Social media has become an important platform for sharing folk tales, therefore also preserves them. Creators use short videos, reels, visually pleasing posts even memes to bring stories from different states, like Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Meghalaya and more, to a global audience. While Panchatantra and Jataka tales have been known widely, stories of Ram Devji Pirji, Pundalik and Lord Vitthal, and about regional Ghosts have been stemmed to their communities but now are spread across the nation as well as followers abroad. A famous example is that of The Thousand and One Nights, also known as Arabian Nights, which is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian folk tales compiled during the Islamic Golden Age. The most well-known version features the framing device of Scheherazade, who saves her life by telling stories to a king for 1,001 nights. It is interesting to observe how, from literature and cartoons to podcasts and reels, these folk tales have evolved to cater for their audiences.
Western folklore also has found a presence online, where classical motifs are mixed with trends and memes as references or directly. With podcasts and discussions on Reddit and TikTok, apart from Instagram and YouTube, folk tales have become a hot topic for content. Fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm (like Hansel and Gretel or Snow White), Arthurian legends and urban legends (such as Slender Man or Bloody Mary) circulate widely among their audience and to whom they refer. Along with mythology, folk tales of the Greeks have also been a great source of entertainment and not just of morals and information. Stories like King Midas and his Golden Touch, Pandora’s Box and those of Lycanthrope as well as How the Dragon was tricked, remain apparent on social media with numerous illustrations of their characters and memes too.
Some famous Russian folk tales like The Firebird, Baba Yaga, Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf and Koschei the Deathless have found presence on social media due to their storytelling, fantastical characters and magical adventures. Memorable scenes, quotes and characters from these tales often go viral, sparking discussions, memes and creative interpretations. For example, Baba Yaga’s unique hut and her riddles have become popular subjects for discussion and artistic representation.
Moreover, in this sharing, games (like The Witcher and God of War) have also started to inculcate folklore themes to give a traditional vibe.
Apart from preserving culture, folklore is significant because-
- Shapes Identity and Community: reflects the collective identity, values and traditions of a community. It helps individuals to understand their place in society and their responsibilities in order for them to feel connected with their heritage and culture.
- Education Tool: beyond entertainment, folklore serves as a powerful pedagogical resource. It simplifies complex ideas, imparts moral lessons and transmits practical knowledge along with societal norms, fostering intellectual, emotional as well as spiritual growth.
- Moral Guidance: ethical teachings are often embedded in folklore. They promote virtues like honesty, bravery, being helpful, and kindness along with teaching how to differentiate right from wrong. A plus point is that this moral guidance is not religiously or emotionally biased.
- Creative Inspiration: folklore serves as a rich source of inspiration for artistic expression, storytelling and imaginative thinking. The use of symbolism and metaphor in folklore can also enhance critical thinking and analytical skills.
- Reflects Human Experience: folklore captures the hopes, fears, dreams and everyday realities of people, providing insight into human behaviour and experiences across time. They make us connect with humanity irrespective of cultural differences.
Organisations that work for preserving and archiving folklore-
- Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (New Delhi, India)
- Centre for Contemporary Folklore (New Delhi, India)
- Folklore Foundation (Odisha, India)
- American Folklife Center (Library of Congress, USA)
- The Folklore Society (UK)
Folklore is not just stories meant to be read as children and forgotten as adults. It is a vital foundation of collective memory and community cohesion. They are an innate part of any culture as a dynamic, living tradition that not only entertains but educates and unites societies while preserving the wisdom for future generations. Moreover, in the world of viewership, folklore has evolved alongside media and technology by adapting to various platforms, fostering a new community while encouraging participation. This displays the everlasting significance of folklore and how the audience still gets intrigued by it to date.
