Fundamentals of Folklore

CHS 380B
Spring 2005

On February 2 nd, in front of an audience in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a groundhog named Phil saw its own shadow. During a highly aggrandized ceremony, this remarkable groundhog then whispered a simple declaration into the ear of its handler, to the delight of locals and travelers alike. Unfortunately, the news was not great: six more weeks of winter will cloud the skies and nip our noses. Whether or not everybody believes the groundhog actually speaks, or if it can actually divine the weather, the observers and participants at this event are perpetuating this particular folk tradition just by being there, by taking part in an activity that has ancient roots. Groundhog Day is an annual folklore tradition. Folklore, a uniquely difficult term to define, includes such categories of human creation as arts and crafts, songs, stories, rhymes, sayings, proverbs, dances, games, and much more. Simplistically, folklore is the collection of widely accepted traditions. More complexly, folklore is the collection of values and beliefs of a culture expressed in various forms and passed on to new generations or new members of that culture, and which may be accepted and adapted by other cultures. Yet, how is something defined as folklore? It is a hard line to discern between folklore and literature, fact, and pop culture, but there are a few constants in the otherwise ambiguous description.

One of the more easily defined rules of folklore dictates that it has been, and continues to be, passed down from one generation to the next. Folklore is not taught in school. It is not part of social studies, history, or writing, yet the comprehension and perpetuation of folklore includes all three. For instance, the Spanish search for gold four hundred years ago brought to life tales of the “Seven Cities of Cibola,” where the cities were “’paved with gold’” (Campa, 1963). This legend, as with others, was spread by word of mouth, and that is how folklore itself is spread – “informally and directly from each other” (Georges & Jones, 1995). Performing this type of social interaction allows for development of behavioral patterns. In one sense, folklore is a form of culturally-defined behavioral expression (Georges & Jones, 1995) learned from childhood, even from infancy. Additionally, hearing or telling a folktale involves the listener or speaker in the history of the tale. One may not know all the historical data pertaining to Southwestern mining operations, but stories rich in flavor, such as that of Father La Rue and his secret mine in the Organ Mountains (Campa, 1963), and that of the prospector who found El Chato’s treasure (Campa, 1963), provide enough historical information to stimulate the imagination – one of the basic elements of folklore. Furthermore, writing down folklore, such as the confession of the bandit El Chato in “The Treasure of ‘El Chato’ Nevarez,” (Campa, 1963) allows for enhanced visual comprehension of the story, but also for the emergence of natural variations among stories.

Another important aspect of folklore is that it contains a fine mixture of history, truth, and mystery. Almost all folklore is anonymous. No one knows who started the Groundhog Day tradition, or who first came up with the legend of “’cities paved with gold’” (Campa, 1963). This anonymity helps blur the lines between fiction and reality. A proven, documented event, such as the discovery of a long-lost treasure, is factual; it can not easily be embellished. However, an undiscovered treasure offers a realm of possibilities, because a small kernel of truth long ago distorted can easily spur the imagination “by combining reality with dreams and hopes” (Campa, 1963). Certainly, a part of the appeal of folklore is the mystery involved, especially in treasure stories. How can one really know where a treasure was buried two or three hundred years ago? Who’s to say it was ever found? Maybe it’s still out there, waiting for that one bold adventurer to find it…. To merely have that opportunity is undoubtedly integral to the thrill of the treasure hunt.

Perhaps most importantly, folklore has a social purpose. First and foremost, folklore is a means of individual and cultural expression. A single person creates a song or dance or rhyme, but it takes a community to accept it as a tradition (Georges & Jones, 1995). Different genres of folklore seem to have different purposes. Long ago, the groundhog that predicted the arrival of spring may have helped determine agricultural schedules. The tale of Little Red Riding-Hood clearly warns of the dangers children face (Georges & Jones, 1995). Also, the treasure stories in Campa’s text convey one clear message: keep the faith. Whether or not a given character finds the long-sought treasure, he or she still maintains belief that the treasure is there. Perhaps that is the point of any type of folklore. To survive through the generations, it must maintain belief, even the memory of belief – from childhood, for example.

In conclusion, folklore is a phenomenon uniquely molded to the human species. Like humans, folklore adapts to geography, language, and culture. It also evolves, forming new variations on old themes. This very flexible model does not preclude certain fundamentals of folklore. Folklore is passed from one person to the next, from one generation to the next. As folklore is taught and learned, it engages psychological and sociological behavioral processes, as well as the human imagination. The most appealing aspect of folklore, and the most interesting, is the critical mix of truth and fiction. A folktale that is all truth or all fiction would not actually be a true folktale, and it would not hold the same appeal. Elements of truth in folklore provide a credible foundation upon which embellishments and fictions can be accepted more easily – this is especially relevant to treasure stories, where often the treasure sought originated from some mildly accurate historical event. Likewise, the blend of fiction provides a mystery that cannot be solved. If the truth of the matter cannot be discovered, then the story will continue to be propagated. Finally, every tradition or tale has some purpose, blatant or subtle, to teach its participants. Whether it’s to prepare for a change in the season, or to continue to seek the unknown, folklore has a social benefit that is key to its continuation. Examining folklore such as Groundhog Day and the Southwestern treasure stories, it is clear how all these elements of folklore fuse to form one folk tradition or one folk tale.

References

Campa. A. (1963) Treasure of the Sangre de Cristo Tales and traditions of the Spanish

Southwest. Norman University of Oklahoma Press.

Georges, R.A., & Jones, M. O. (1995) Folkloristics an Introduction. Indianapolis:

Indiana University Press.