African Folklore: Mother, Monster
An excerpt from Helen Nde’s book “The Runaway Princess and Other Stories”, a collection of short stories recounting the deeds and misdeeds of memorable women from African history, legend, and folklore.
Where to Find Folklore
With the recent announcement about the weekly Twitter hashtag day hosting coming to a close, we though a list of folklore links from around the web might come in handy! We have #FolkloreThursday’s list of places to find folklore and related topics–on and offline–for your delectation!
The Indigenous Burial Ground: Urban Legends and Popular Culture
In North America, legends of haunted places often claim they have been built on an “Indian burial ground.” Indigenous burial ground urban legends are so widely shared they’ve become a part of popular culture. Writers used them repeatedly as a literary device in horror until they became a comedic cliché and eventually a meme.
Following Herne the Hunter’s Tangled Webs Through ‘Mischief Acts’
Folklore and tales form a gigantic living web that threads through our cultures and societies. I see it as analogous to mycelium, the fungal mesh beneath the ground: a gigantic, intricate system of connection that feeds and informs the trees and plants that sprout above the surface whilst quietly spreading, putting out feelers, thriving.
Orishas and the Balance Between Life and Death
Orishas are deities who mainly represent the powers of nature. They also have specific responsibilities and work to balance the universe and its energies. Orishas are predominantly praised among the Iorubá people in West Africa. However, when Africans were brought to Brazil and other countries in the Americas, they also brought their spirituality which flourished […]