When it comes to explanations, recollection, and communication of information deemed to be important by a society, long before most people could read and write, folkloric stories were the method by which it was preserved and transmitted between people and across generations. And among the most common information contained in folklore are explanations of the what’s, how’s, and why’s of the natural world.
Some of these, of course, don’t now align with what modern science has uncovered about the matters upon which these folktales touch, but for the people who told and re-told them, the tales provided something very important – explanations of things that had no other (at that time) discernible answer. They offered points of intelligibility in a world that was all-to-often beyond comprehension. And today, they provide us both with insights into the minds of those who came before us as well as colourful stories through which we can let our minds wander and explore.
Back in March of this year, Pavilion published Treasury of Folklore – Seas and Rivers; Sirens, Selkies and Ghost Ships, a lively as well as informative collection of tales from around the world as collected and elaborated upon by the founders of the brilliant online community known as Folklore Thursday: Dee Dee Chainey and Willow Winsham.
Now, the team of Chainey and Winsham are back with another collection of tales; Treasury of Folklore – Woodlands and Forests; Wild Gods, World Trees and Werewolves. Gathering together from around the world stories of the beings that inhabit the shadowy realms of northern softwood forests, dense vine-covered jungles, and everywhere else that a tree might have someone – or something – just on the other side of it, maybe even residing within, or perhaps not being really a tree at all, this collection is just the thing to dip into for an imagination inspiring treat or in which to lose oneself entirely.
And if all this has piqued your interest, please remember to visit and explore the Twitter hashtag #FolkloreThursday every Thursday for a lively gathering of folklore enthusiasts from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, joining together in the spirit of Folklore Thursday’s aim: “to encourage a sense of belonging across all cultures by showing how much we all have in common.” (Rather curious that it’s held on Twitter, of course, but what would any good collection of folklore be without a little irony.)
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