Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group.

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magazine article: "According to the dictionary I have, folklore is the study of ancient customs, beliefs, traditions and superstitions of the common people. Who are these 'common people'?" Read article

word game: Mythical creatures. Match the names of 15 mythical creatures to pictures of them. Play game

story: King of the Pumpkins. A young boy and his cat go in search of the King of the Pumpkins, to try and find out what - if anything - is true about his mother's stories. Read story

story: The Masalai of Lep Island. This Papua New Guinea folk story involves a masalai (a large  ugly cannibal, similar to an ogre). Read story

story: The Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is the central, unifying theme in Australian Aboriginal mythology. It describes the process of the world being called into being. The Australian Aboriginal culture is based on nature in every aspect. Most of their mythological heroes are animals common in Australia. Read story

story: Chinese Zodiac. The Jade Emperor (Emperor of Heaven) called for a contest on his birthday: a race! All the animals of the kingdom were invited to participate, but there would only be 12 winners, and the prize was a permanent place in the Zodiac Years. Read story

cartoon: "I'm going to give up teaching!" "Really? Why's that Cyclops?" "Because I've only got ... " See cartoon

trivia: Proverbs: Don't tell any more fairy tales when the child has gone to sleep. (Burundi) See more folklore trivia

poll: "Folk tales may not be true, but what they mean is." See results

links: Encyclopedia Mythica See more links

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related theme: myths and legends