European folklore
European folklore or Western folklore refers to the folklore of the Western world, especially when discussed comparatively. The history of
This concerns notably common traditions based on Christian mythology, i.e. certain commonalities in celebrating Christmas, such as the various Christmas gift-bringers, or customs associated with All Souls' Day.
In addition, there are certain
History
Many tropes of European folklore can be identified as stemming from the Proto-Indo-European peoples of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, although may originate from even earlier traditions. Examples of this include the 'Chaoskampf' myth-archetype as well as possibly the belief in knocking on wood for good luck.
The result were the related, but regionally distinct, folk traditions as they existed in European society on the eve of the
Regional traditions
Northern Europe
- British Folklore
- English folklore
- Estonian folklore
- Finnish folklore
- Lithuanian folklore
- Scandinavian folklore
- Celtic mythology
- Dutch folklore
Western and Southern Europe
- Alpine folklore
- Spanish folklore
- French folklore
- German folklore
- Modern/Ancient Greek folklore
- Portuguese folklore
- Italian folklore
- Swiss folklore
- Folk Catholicism
Central and Eastern Europe
- Albanian folklore
- Hungarian folklore
- Montenegrin folklore
- Romanian folklore
- Slavic folklore
- Polish culture
- Czech folklore
- Russian folklore
- Ukrainian folklore
- Serbian folklore
- Bulgarian folklore
See also
- Western Folklore
- American folklore
- Australian folklore
- Brazilian folklore
- Ethnic groups of Europe
- Folk Catholicism
- Crypto-paganism
- European culture
- European mythology
- Sailors' superstitions
References
- ^ Ray (2017-05-18). "Why do we knock on wood?". TED-Ed Blog. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- Leach, Maria (ed.), Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and LegendNew York: Funk & Wagnalls Co, 1949.
- Newhall, Venetia J., European Folklore: An Encyclopedia, Garland Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-0-8153-1451-6.
- Ziavras, Mary, "Greek Folk Stories, Old and New:, ComteQ Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-0-615-40612-1.
External links
- Media related to European folklore at Wikimedia Commons
- "folklore europaea", Festivals-Customs-Traditions in Europe (at Freiburg University)