In folkloristics, folk belief or folk-belief is a broad genre of folklore that is often expressed in narratives, Tradition, , foodways, , and . It also includes a wide variety of behaviors, expressions, and beliefs. Examples of concepts included in this genre are magic, popular belief, folk religion, planting signs, hoodoo, conjuration, charms, rootwork, taboos, old wives' tales, omens, portents, the supernatural and folk medicine.[Green (1997:89).]
Folk belief and associated behaviors are strongly evidenced among all elements of society, regardless of education level or income. In turn, folk belief is found in an agricultural, suburban, and urban environments alike.[Green (1997:97).]
Terminology
One of a variety of compounds extending from the coinage of the term
folklore in 1846 (previously
popular antiquities), the term
folk-belief is first evidenced in use by British folklorist
Laurence Gomme in 1892.
["folk, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 3 November 2016. See also "folklore, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 3 November 2016.]
Common parlance employs the word superstition for what folklorists generally refer to as folk belief.[For example, see discussion in Georges & Jones (1995:122).]
See also
Notes
-
Georges, Robert A. & Jones, Michael Owen. 1995. Folkloristics: An Introduction. Indiana University Press. .
-
Green, Thomas A. 1997. Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, and Art. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO.