There is not a single person in the world who would not like folk tales, songs and dances. In them you can find everything - spontaneity, sparkling humor, the subtlest sadness and joyous joy. And, probably, the most important thing that attracts modern man in them is the unique charm of antiquity and a certain nostalgic aroma of ancient times. So, folklore - what is it and what are its main features?
Basic definition
Folklore is called the collective creativity of the people, expressing their worldview and ideals, as well as serving as a complete reflection of their mentality. Usually this is just oral creation - epics, tales, proverbs, conspiracies, riddles. Considering the question of folklore - what is it, one cannot but mention the very meaning of this word. Translated "Folk-lore" - literally "folk wisdom" or "folk knowledge." In 1846, the term was introduced by the English researcher William Thoms.
In our country, many enlightened people made a huge contribution to the study of this area of culture - M. Lomonosov, A.S. Pushkin, G. Derzhavin, N. Roerich, I.I. Shishkin and many other writers, artists, historians and scientists. After the revolution, Maxim Gorky paid much attention to the question of folklore - what is it. It was thanks to this chief proletarian writer that the main problems of Soviet folkloristics were developed.
Main characteristics
So, folklore - what is it and what are its signs? The main distinguishing features of folk art include the lack of writing, verbality, of course, collectivity and deep tradition. This, in fact, is the only area of culture on which the state and power can have absolutely no influence. For centuries, tales, epics and legends have been passed from father to son. In addition to the literary sphere, mentality and traditionality are also manifested in all other areas of folk art - in dance, music, etc.
Basic varieties and genres of folklore
The main genres of literary folklore include epics, riddles, proverbs and lamentations.
Oral tradition, dance, crafts and songs are the main varieties of folklore itself. At the same time, it is also worth highlighting its ritual forms. This area of art usually has pagan roots and manifests itself as a kind of opposition to the new religion. However, this is far from always the case. For example, in the years of the USSR, when any cults were banned, it was Christian ritual folklore that showed itself very strongly. In this light, folklore can be considered a reflection of even some kind of confrontation between the common people and the authorities, and any one.
The works of folklore reflect the experience of millennia. And regardless of what stage of social development a particular nation is at, fairy tales and epics are one of the most valuable sources of knowledge of its history. Perhaps the Russian minion of fate is Ivan the Fool, the beautiful Vasilisa, the villain Koschey the Immortal, the Greek Prometheus and Heracles, the German Freya, the Scandinavian trolls, etc. able to talk about what events took place on earth in antiquity, much more than it might seem at first glance.